Parade 12-16 by The Southern Illinoisan

S U N D AY, D E C E M B E R 1 6 , 2 0 1 2

THE ISSUE

EVERY

KID SHOULD

READ (And Parents, Too)

Is every snowﬂake unique? Are poinsettias poisonous? And do you really lose most of your heat through your head? Jeopardy! champ Ken Jennings reveals the truth behind all those things you tell your children.

➸

HOPPIN’ MAD AT THE LIES HE’S BEEN TOLD?

Johnny Rabe, 12, stars on Broadway as Ralphie in A Christmas Story, the Musical!

fge

P Michael Strahan

Q: Has Michael Strahan

PARADE

“feels more comfortable, but there’s deﬁnitely a lot of room for improvement.” As for predecessor Regis Philbin, Strahan says: “I haven’t had a chance to sit down with him, but I know he’s given me the stamp of approval. He built a great

settled into his role as cohost on Live? —Susan

legacy; I could never replace him.” Strahan, 41, has also lent his star power to the St. Jude Thanks and Giving campaign (stjude.org), which raises funds for the children’s research hospital. PThe Rockettes

Helms, Blue Springs, Mo.

A: The former NFL defensive end, who started his run as Kelly Ripa’s permanent cohost on the morning talk show in September, says he

WALTER R SCOTT ASKS S…

DEMI LOVATO

The X Factor ctorr judge, 20, gears up for n finale of the Fox reality the season ompetition, Dec. 20. singing competition, You mentored ored the young adults category this his season. How was that experience? xperience? Fun and exciting, xciting, but really stressful. ssful. I was surprised at how emotionally ly invested I became. It hurts to see them go, especially when n I know their potential. ntial.

but b I’m a southern girl with a big bi mouth, and I speak my mind! You’re working on your fourth album. What can fans expect? II’ve I’v e got a lot of songs written, and it will be released next year. I’ll be singing about some stuff that I haven’t talked about utt before. I just want to inspire people.

Describe your fellow judges ges in a few words. ds. Britney Spears pears is sweet and humble; le; L. A. Reid is hilariouss and smart; and Simon n Cowell is annoying and old!

You’ve spoken candidly about your past struggles with eating disorders and self-harm. Do you see yourself as a rrole o model for ole others dealing with those problems? Absolutely. I have no secrets about what I’ve been through. The fact that people still support me after all the mistakes I’ve made is incredible. I feel like a role model because I’ve spoken out about it, and I’m just being real.

Did you feel el intimidated as the he youngest judge? Nott at all. It’s an honor to sit it next to them because they’re hey’re legends,

Send questions to personality@parade .com m or P.O. Box 5001, Grand Central Station, New York, N.Y. 10163-5001.

SUNDAY X

F∏EEBIE

Q: What are the requirements for being a Rockette? —Liz H., Dunbar, W.Va.

A: Each member of the troupe must be at least 18, between 5-foot-6 and 5-foot-10½, and proﬁcient in ballet, tap, and jazz. They rehearse six hours a day, six days a week to prepare for the Radio City Christmas Spectacular, which is paying tribute this season to the Rockettes’ 85 years of performing in New York City. The Big Apple became the high-kicking dancers’ home after a talent scout saw the troupe in St. Louis in 1925.

Q: How can the stars of

the reality show Moonshiners participate in illegal activity and not get arrested? —Bo Ortiz, Okla.

A: The Discovery series (Wednesdays) about Appalachians who brew homemade hooch has been subject to debate. Last year, the Virginia Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control issued a statement that said in part, “If illegal activity was actually taking place, the Virginia ABC Bureau of Law Enforcement would have taken action”—casting doubt on exactly what is being shown onscreen. Moonshiners executive producer Dolores Gavin chooses her words carefully when discussing the show, calling it “an authentic portrayal” of the process. But she also stresses that “our moonshiners have been trained by their fathers and grandfathers to be

ENTER FOR YOUR CHANCE TO WIN Kiss’s The Casablanca Singles 1974–1982, a limitededition vinyl box set, at Parade.com/win nimble and slip around the laws. These guys are some of the smartest people you’ll ever ﬁnd.”

Q: Is it true Ian McKellen almost didn’t reprise his role as Gandalf in The Hobbit? —M. Greer, Las Vegas

A: After playing the wizard in the Lord of the Rings trilogy, Ian McKellen, 73, didn’t exactly jump at the chance to don the gray beard and robe again in The Hobbit, now in theaters. “It was a big time commitment, and it would keep me from other work,” McKellen says. “But they divided [the shooting] up so that I could do a play, and I felt happy about that. The clincher was that I didn’t really want anybody else to play Gandalf. It’s been a big part of my life for more than 10 years.”

PIan McKellen

PHOTOS, CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: JIM SPELLMAN/WIREIMAGE; LAURA CAVANAUGH/GETTY IMAGES; JAMES FISHER/WARNER BROS.; GREGG DEGUIRE/WIREIMAGE

Walter Scott’s

2 • DECEMBER 16, 6, 2012

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4 • DECEMBER 16, 2012

WHOLE THE

TRUTH...

No swimming right after lunch! Sugar will make you hyper! How many of these parental proclamations are actually true? In his new book, Because I Said So, PARADE’s trivia columnist (and ex-Jeopardy! champ), Ken Jennings, separates fact from ﬁction. Cover and inside photographs by Peter Yang

was sitting in my parents’ kitchen not long ago when my son Dylan came running around the corner with a Tootsie Pop clamped in his mouth. “Whoa, slow down!” I said. “What if you tripped and fell on your face? The lollipop stick would get jammed right through the roof of your mouth.” Dylan’s eyes got wide. “Could that really happen?” I had no idea. “Of course!” I told him. “Go sit down until you’re done.” I found my mom and asked her to back me up: “It’s true about lollipop sticks and horrific puncture wounds, right?” “That’s what Grandma used to tell us,” she said. “I think it also happens in a Chaim Potok novel.” I was horrified. A fact I’d passed along to my trusting child turned out to be thirdhand rumor confirmed only by a novelist?* *A study from Pittsburgh Children’s Hospital found that most puncture wounds in the mouth healed by themselves—and less than 3 percent of those injuries were caused by lollipops. The hospital saw just one lollipop case every two years, on average. Apparently, enjoying one on the go isn’t so reckless after all.

That’s the dirty secret of parenting: It’s a big game of Telephone, stretching back through the centuries and delivering garbled, though well-intentioned, medieval bromides to the present. Possible misinformation like the lollipop story never gets corrected; it just goes into hibernation for a few decades and then jumps out to snare a new generation, like a 17-year cicada. So I decided it was time to shine the cold, hard light of truth onto parental folklore. It would be too ambitious to attempt to stamp out all the lies we tell children. There are safety lies (“This car won’t run unless your seat belts are on”) and sympathy lies (“We sent your hamster to live on a farm”) and keep-your-kids-outof-therapy lies (“We love you both exactly the same!”). But the accidental lies are easier to tackle. Here, I’ve collected 15 nagging Mom- and Dad-isms we all grew up with, and Jennings’s book is presented the scientific evidence— available in stores and online. or lack thereof—behind them.

“STAY AWAY FROM THE POINSETTIA! THE LEAVES ARE POISONOUS.”

The truth is, it’s probably safer to eat an entire potted poinsettia than Grandma’s fruitcake. Unlike other plants in its genus, the poinsettia isn’t dangerously toxic. Poison control centers say you’d have to gorge on 600 leaves to get a meaningful dose of irritating compounds, and even then the symptoms would be no worse than a bellyache. (Probably not much different from the bellyache you’d get by eating 600 leaves of anything.)

PHOTO CREDITS WILL GO HERE AS SHOWN

The Truth,

6 • DECEMBER 16, 2012

OUR MODEL, Johnny Rabe, 12, hails from the Chicago area and is making his Broadway debut as Ralphie in A Christmas Story, The Musical! (playing through Dec. 30). “It’s cool to be playing such an iconic character,” Rabe has said. “I mean, a lot of people know Ralphie. They know the gun, the glasses, the cheesy smile, the daydreaming.”

“NO SWIMMING FOR AN HOUR AFTER LUNCH. YOU’LL CRAMP UP.” Perhaps no piece of dubious parental wisdom has ever been followed so precisely. It is true that when we eat, our bodies divert blood to the stomach to aid in digestion, but, as you may have noticed, that doesn’t immobilize your arms and legs. In fact, longdistance swimmers are routinely fed in the middle of races to make sure they stay nourished and hydrated. The only dangerous lunch for swimmers would be one that included a martini or two. So let’s get this straight, moms and dads: Popsicles by the pool: ﬁne. Peach vodka Popsicles: maybe less so.

PHOTO CREDITS WILL GO HERE AS SHOWN

“WHEN YOU START SHAVING, THE HAIR WILL GROW IN THICKER.” To a 12-year-old boy, it’s the best possible news. To a tween girl, it’s a cautionary tale. But in both cases, the advice is pretty silly. Hair follicles are located a millimeter or two below the surface of the skin; anything that goes on up above has no effect on the growth of hair. Why has the myth persisted, then? Most dermatologists blame the texture difference between unshaved and shaved hair. Longer hairs bend and ﬂow better than little stubbly ones. Hair also tends to taper naturally, so when it’s freshly shaved, the blunter ends may make it feel temporarily coarser. DECEMBER 16, 2012 • 7

Findings published in Science in 2008 revealed that some snowflakes form around a “seed” of bacteria such as Pseudomonas syringae—which led to “Why snow might be killing your kid!” teasers in newscasts. But Pseudomonas syringae causes a fatal disease in beans and tomatoes, not people. And the human stomach is acidic enough to kill bacteria in snow. However, there are worse things in the air—such as sulfates, nitrates, even lead—and snow might contain any of them. Catching flakes on your tongue is no big deal, but any kid putting away buckets of the white stuff may want to ease up.

“DRINK EIGHT 8-OUNCE GLASSES OF WATER A DAY.” This was called the “8x8 rule” when I heard about it from my seventh grade home ec teacher, Mrs. Brown. Not milk; couldn’t be juice; had to be water. I protested that since all beverages were mostly water, surely they would count? “No!” In 2002, a kidney specialist named Heinz Valtin, M.D., concluded this rule was an accident. Back in the 1940s, the Food and Nutrition Board of the National Research

7 Council recommended “one milliliter of water for each calorie of food.” A 1,900calorie diet would indeed work out to about 64 ounces of water a day. But everyone seems to have forgotten the next sentence: “Most of this quantity is contained in prepared foods.” That’s right, Mrs. Brown: Most of our water gets to us in non-water form. In fact, a National Institutes of Health doctor told the Los Angeles Times that a healthy adult in a temperate climate could replace his body’s daily water loss with food alone! WATCH FOR KEN JENNINGS’S

trivia column, Kennections, in future issues, or play now at Parade.com/ken

So what’s the right amount to drink? Whatever your thirst demands. And it doesn’t have to be water: The Center for Nutrition found that even supposedly “diuretic” beverages (like coffee, tea, and soda) provide almost all the hydration that water does.

“YOU ARE A SPECIAL LITTLE SNOWFLAKE.” While the child in question may well be unique, the crystalline lattices that fall from the sky sure aren’t. This adage dates back to Wilson Bentley, a turn-of-the-century Vermont man who was so fascinated by snowflakes that he spent his life perfecting a process to photograph them. In a series of journal articles, Bentley argued that no two flakes were alike. At a molecular level, of course, he was right. There are something like a sextillion molecules of water in one snowflake, and the arrangement of hydrogen and oxygen isotopes within them will never be duplicated. But at a more meaningful level—that of micro-

scopic inspection—Bentley was wrong. The simplest snowﬂake shapes are likely repeated all the time.

“YOU NEED HYDROGEN PEROXIDE ON THAT.” Okay, I’ll admit that hydrogen peroxide looks pretty cool when it foams like crazy. What you’re seeing is cells dying, and the sting you feel is a sign that tissue is being damaged. In fact, the CDC advises against putting hydrogen peroxide on your skin. It’s not even a particularly good antiseptic. An antibiotic ointment like Neosporin is a better choice, but doctors say the ﬁrst thing to do is ﬂush the wound with a close cousin of hydrogen peroxide: dihydrogen monoxide, which is excellent at preventing infection and scarring. You probably know it as water.

“TAKE OFF THE BAND-AID TO LET YOUR CUT AIR OUT.” “Airing out” is classic Dr. Mom advice. But it has been outdated since 1962, when a doctor named George Winter compared open-air to covered wound healing on young pigs. Skin cells regrew about twice as fast on the covered wounds, which stayed moist and didn't scab. You don’t need anything fancy to keep scrapes hydrated. Vaseline will do the trick.

“DON’T CROSS YOUR EYES—THEY’LL GET STUCK LIKE THAT!”

People with accommodative esotropia can focus clearly on nearby objects only by slightly crossing one eye, a reflex that leads to a cross-eyed condition. But it’s caused by a congenital lens defect, not by making funny faces. This cockeyed myth is yet another case of parents saying “That’s dangerous!” when what they really mean is “Why on earth are you doing that?”

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“IT’S TOO DARK IN HERE. YOU’LL HURT YOUR EYES.” Moms and dads love to walk around turning on lights when kids are reading. But there’s no direct evidence linking reading in the dark to eye damage. When light is dim, it takes more effort for the eye to focus, and your eyes might get dry or achy or your vision might get blurry sooner. But a few minutes’ rest will clear that right up.

“DON’T EAT SNOW— IT’LL MAKE YOU SICK!”

8 • DECEMBER 16, 2012

“MOST OF YOUR BODY HEAT ESCAPES THROUGH YOUR HEAD!”

This old saw comes from experiments done in the 1950s in which soldiers were sent into subzero temps wearing survival suits— and no hats. Shockingly, they lost a lot of heat through their heads! As hypothermia expert Daniel Sessler, M.D., explained to the New York Times, you’d get the same results if any body part were exposed. Our faces and necks are five times more sensitive to temperature, so those areas may feel particularly vulnerable. But you’d lose just as much heat or more if you put on a hat and left, say, your left leg bare.

“DON’T WAKE A SLEEPWALKER.” This is good advice, but not for the reasons you might think. For centuries, we’ve been warned that waking a sleepwalker could lead to a heart attack, brain damage, or worse. In reality, a sleepwalker who wakes suddenly is likely to be disoriented and distressed by her unfamiliar surroundings. That’s as serious as it gets. Nevertheless, doctors recommend gently leading the sleepwalker back to bed rather than disrupting her slumber and risking a possible sock in the jaw.

genetic heritage entitles you to that extra 10 percent? If you’re okay with a ballpark estimate, wrap the thumb and middle finger of one hand around your opposite wrist. If they touch, more or less, your frame size is average. If they overlap, you’re an elfin little waif. If they don’t meet, your bones are officially “husky” or “stocky” or whatever Mom’s favorite euphemism was. But, again, the telltale wrist refers only to that 10 percent variance. The vast majority of overweight kids can blame their eating habits, not their skeletons.

“YOU’RE NOT FAT. YOU’RE JUST BIG-BONED.” Skeletal weight obviously varies between people. A future archaeologist wouldn’t

have trouble telling, say, Shaquille O’Neal’s skeleton from Kristi Yamaguchi’s. But leaving height aside, the differences between the bigboned and small-boned are surprisingly, well, slim. The medical rule of thumb is that having an unusually large or small frame can make a 10 percent difference in your healthy weight range. How to calculate whether your

“IF YOU PICK UP A BABY BIRD, ITS MOMMY WILL REJECT IT.” A baby bird with a whiff of human scent on it, the story goes, will be abandoned by its mother. But animal mothers are so protective of their offspring that no stink would likely keep them from caring for their young. And most birds’ sense of smell is as weak as their maternal instinct is strong. Baby birds without feathers are nestlings, and you should do your best to return them to their nest. But a young bird with feathers flapping around on the ground is a fledgling learning to fly. Its parents are probably nearby, watching over the little guy. You’ll likely do more harm than good if you swoop in to help out—but it won’t be due to your B.O. From Because I Said So: The Truth Behind the Myths, Tales, and Warnings Every Generation Passes Down to Its Kids by Ken Jennings. Copyright © 2012 by Ken Jennings. Reprinted with permission by Scribner, a division of Simon & Schuster Inc.

Ask Marilyn By Marilyn vos Savant

You wrote that you can’t gain more than the weight of the food you eat. But a pound has 3,500 calories, and a gram of pure fat has 9 calories. With 454 grams in a pound, this means that if you ate a pound of fat, you would consume 4,086 calories. So you would gain more than a pound, correct? —Ann B., Escondido, Calif.

A pound of human body fat has only about 3,500 calories because it also contains water, which adds to its weight but not its calories. Technically speaking, if you found a way to consume a pound of pure fat, you would gain more than a pound, counting the water. However, virtually no food on the market is 100 percent fat—even butter also has water. At roughly 80 percent fat, a pound of butter contains about 3,200 calories.

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“NO SODA! THE SUGAR MAKES YOU HYPER.” “I can hear your heart racing from here,” observes Calvin’s pet tiger, Hobbes, as the comic strip menace dives into a second bowl of Chocolate Frosted Sugar Bombs. It’s the myth of the “sugar high”—the idea that candy, sodas, and sugary cereals cause kids to bounce off the walls like little SuperBalls. Dozens of recent studies, however, have soured doctors on the possible linkage. Sugar doesn’t really wind kids up, they now believe— it’s just that many of the occasions on which kids eat lots of sugar, like birthday parties and holidays, tend to be chaotic anyway. Cutting down on sugar is great for kids’ teeth and weight, of course. It just won’t help them sit still on Grandma’s plastic-covered couch. Some research has even found that sugar may have a calming effect on younger kids.

10 • DECEMBER 16, 2012

Healthy 100 Stay

NUMBER OF CALORIES THE AVERAGE AMERICAN ADULT CONSUMES EACH DAY FROM ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES

You’re attending a neighborhood potluck party. Which hors d’oeuvre staple is your best bet? (a) A handful of nuts (b) Pigs in a blanket (c) Cheese and crackers

Source: National Center for Health Statistics

Have Yourself a Healthy Little Christmas

You’re meeting friends for holiday cocktails. Which beverage will least affect your blood glucose level? (a) Beer (b) Wine (c) A gin and tonic Answer: (b). Though beer and tonic water may not taste particularly sweet, both are high in carbohydrates compared to dry (non-sweet) wines. But before you indulge, it’s important to talk to your doctor, since alcohol and diabetes can be a dangerous mix. Drinking can camouﬂage the symptoms of low blood sugar,

For the nearly 26 million Americans with diabetes, making the right choices at the holiday buffet is a serious matter. As party season gets under way, test your knowledge with our short quiz. decrease your willpower to make smart food choices, and impair your liver’s ability to regulate your blood glucose level. So if you do drink, know your limit and stick to it.

Your ofﬁce holiday party is tonight. The best time to test your blood glucose is: (a) Before the party

(b) After the party (c) Both

Answer: (c). Yes, it’s a pain to drag your glucometer to a party, but it’s the only way to tell whether your blood glucose is in a safe range. Try to test shortly before eating and again two hours afterward, says the American Diabetes Association. —Catherine Price

Most adults can tolerate 300 to 500 milligrams of caffeine (a six-to-eight-ounce cup of coffee can contain 95 to 200 milligrams). Consume more than 600 milligrams and you may experience nausea, jitteriness, or a rapid heartbeat; extremely high intake can lead to a dangerous spike in blood pressure. Kids should avoid significant amounts of caffeine, whether in sodas or energy drinks. We aren’t sure of the long-term effects of caffeine on growing bodies, plus it can interfere with sleep— and most kids need more shut-eye, not less. —Andrea N. Giancoli, R.D., spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics

52,000

PARADE’S POP QUIZ

I recently read that supercaffeinated energy drinks may be linked to several deaths. Should I be worried about how much caffeine I—or my kids—consume?

NUMBER OF ADDITIONAL E PRIMARY CARE DOCTORS THAT WILL BE NEEDED IN E THE U.S. BY THE YEAR 2025 Source: Annals of Family Medicine

ILLUSTRATIONS: ELWOOD H. SMITH

Answer: (a). If your main concern is glucose control, you need to watch out for carbohydrates, which can cause a big spike in blood sugar. Nuts are relatively low in carbs and contain healthy fats and protein. Cheese is your second-best choice, but skip the high-carb accompaniments like crackers or jam.

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12 • DECEMBER 16, 2012

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Table

wave, stirring occasionally. Add 1 Tbsp melted shortening and 4 oz chopped semisweet chocolate. Spread on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Sprinkle with ¹∕³ cup raisins and ²∕³ cup salted roasted peanuts. After chocolate hardens, break into pieces.

Around the

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1. PEPPERMINT WHITE CHOCOLATE BARK

Melt 12 oz chopped white chocolate in microwave, stirring often. Add 1 Tbsp melted shortening and an additional 4 oz chopped white chocolate. Stir. Spread on a parchment-lined baking sheet; top with coarsely

chopped peppermint candies. When hardened, break into pieces.

2. CHOCOLATE PEANUT CRUNCHIES

Melt 1 cup milk chocolate chips. Stir in 2½ cups dried chow mein noodles. Drop from a tablespoon

6 onto an oiled baking sheet and sprinkle with coarsely chopped peanuts or almonds. Let cool.

3. FUDGY TRUFFLES

Simmer 1 cup cream and ¼ cup butter; stir until smooth. Pour over 1 lb chopped semisweet chocolate;

stir until chocolate is melted and smooth. Add 1½ tsp vanilla extract. Chill for 1 hour. Roll into small balls. Coat with crushed candy canes.

In a heavy skillet, combine 1 cup sugar, 2 Tbsp lemon juice, and a pinch of salt. Cook over medium, constantly swirling pan, for 6 minutes or until dark gold. Remove from heat and add 1 Tbsp butter, ½ tsp cinnamon, and 1½ lb toasted, hulled pumpkin seeds. Form into rounds with a scoop; place on an oiled, parchment-lined baking sheet to set.

6. PEPPERMINT WHITE CHOCOLATE FUDGE

Line a 9-by-13-inch pan with foil. In a saucepan, simmer ¼ cup softened butter, 4 cups mini marshmallows, 1 cup heavy cream, 2 cups sugar, and ¹/8 tsp salt. When smooth, stir in 3 cups white chocolate chips and 1 tsp peppermint extract. Blend well. Spread in pan. Coat with colored sprinkles. Cool; cut into squares (if you like, cut squares in half to make triangles). As a variation, substitute vanilla for peppermint extract.

More Candy, Please!

4. PEANUT

CHOCOLATE BARK

Melt 12 oz ﬁnely chopped milk chocolate in micro-

FIND OUT HOW TO MAKE YOUR OWN BUCKEYES, TURTLES, AND PEANUT BRITTLE AT DASHRECIPES.COM/CANDY

PHOTOS: JAMES WOJCIK/TRUNK ARCHIVE

14 • DECEMBER 16, 2012

pheels

like the holidays PHILADELPHIA INDULGENCE Chocolate Mousse Cheesecake Makes 16 servings: 28 LORNA DOONE Shortbread Cookies, finely crushed (about 1¾ cups) ¾ cup plus 1 Tbsp. sugar, divided ¼ cup butter, melted 5 oz. BAKER’S White Chocolate, divided 3 pkg. (8 oz. each) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened 2 tsp. vanilla, divided 3 eggs 1 tub (8 oz.) PHILADELPHIA INDULGENCE Milk Chocolate

HEAT oven to 325°F. Mix cookie crumbs, 1 Tbsp. sugar and butter; press onto bottom of 9-inch springform pan. Bake 10 min.

MELT 4 oz. white chocolate as directed on package. Beat plain PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, remaining sugar and vanilla with mixer until blended. Add melted white chocolate; mix well. Add eggs, 1 at a time, mixing on low speed after each just until blended. Pour over crust.

BAKE 50 to 55 min. or until center is almost set. Run knife around rim of pan to loosen cake; cool before removing rim. Refrigerate 4 hours. Meanwhile, shave remaining white chocolate into curls.

SPOON PHILADELPHIA INDULGENCE into medium bowl; stir until creamy. Add COOL WHIP; whisk until blended. Spread over cheesecake. Garnish with white chocolate curls and raspberries.

2 cups COOL WHIP Whipped Topping, thawed 1 cup fresh raspberries

pheel the moment

Manner Up! Modern etiquette made easy

ILLUSTRATION: GRAFILU

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