Monday roundup

You've all read about the chemical weapons attack in Syria. I'm not linking to the interview with the man who lost his whole family. I can't do it. But you can read about the dilemmas doctors face.

On another horrific war note: a Sudanese boy separated from his family.

Indonesia's phenomenal former first lady.

I love this quote from an article about the travel ban.

“In any other country, when the president wants something, he gets it,” Mr. Hakky added. “The fact that a lowly judge somewhere can basically stop the most powerful man on earth with a simple ruling is gratifying, and it shows what this country’s all about.”

Farmed salmon is really unsustainable.

I had a lot of reactions to this piece about Ariel Levy, which I mostly agree with, as shattered as we all were by Thanksgiving in Mongolia (I also agree with the overall message here, but I think it misses the point of the TNR piece). The idea that feminism sold Levy a bill of goods is harmful and counterproductive. (And yes, I'm annoyed by faux female empowerment ads, too; they're almost as annoying as ads with women cleaning).

Dude-bros shouldn't be trusted with startups.

I might have rioted had David Farenthold not won the Pulitzer Prize.'

Small breakups can hurt.

Of all the Pepsi ad hot takes, this was my favorite.

This man thought he had worms but they were bean sprouts.

The patient was called and gently but firmly informed of the diagnosis. Given the nature of the identified specimen, the information was presented in a nonjudgmental, respectful manner so as not to offend the sensibilities or sensitivities of the patient. The patient was informed that no treatment was necessary at this time and his anxieties and fears were allayed.

I also had a lot of reactions to this piece about immigrants and food. Including this part not about food:

James Baldwin wrote that American media is “designed not to trouble, but to reassure.” American movies and TV shows help sustain a fantasy of innocence that masks our country’s violence. Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie referred to America’s “addiction to comfort”; Junot Díaz to our commitment to “narratives of consolation.” The soothing myth of American exceptionalism depends on maintaining its comfort and innocence, however false. 

And this part definitely about food.

The relationship between Americanness and consumption was a complicated one.
I’d hungrily devoured what I had believed to be American normalcy, but I was still being seen as American adjacent. Maybe there was no such thing as American normalcy; or maybe the normalcy was in itself a performance.