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PICKS are stories from many sources, selected by our editors or recommended by our readers because they are important, surprising, troubling, enlightening, inspiring, or amusing. They appear on our site and in our daily newsletter. Please send suggested articles, videos, podcasts, etc. to picks@whowhatwhy.org.
Scotland First to Ban Anesthetic Harmful to Environment (Maria)
The author writes, “Scotland has become the first country in the world to stop its hospitals using the anesthetic desflurane because of the threat it poses to the environment. NHS data suggests the gas, used to keep people unconscious during surgery, has a global warming potential 2,500 times greater than carbon dioxide. Banning it in Scotland — from its peak use in 2017 — would cut emissions equal to powering 1,700 homes a year.”
When Do the Privileged Feel Like Victims? When Others Seek Equality (Reader Steve)
The author writes, “It seems whenever I write about structural power and privilege, people who benefit most from those systems respond that they are now victims of an unfairly stacked deck. A few weeks ago, I wrote about the pushback against what some dub ‘critical race theory,’ or what I would call a more accurate portrayal of our country’s history. The following week, I wrote about the hidden stories of Dalit oppression behind Seattle’s recently passed caste discrimination ordinance. In both cases, people who have benefited from the unearned advantages of white supremacy or caste privilege have complained they are the ones who are really suffering.”
How a Texas Girl Scared of School Shootings Was Punished (Dana)
From The Dallas Morning News: “The 13-year-old girl was in gym class when she said she heard a boy tell another classmate, ‘Don’t come to school tomorrow.’ She didn’t think much of it at first. But by the end of the school day, the eighth-grader couldn’t stop turning those words over in her head. … The sentence — ‘Don’t come to school tomorrow’ — sounded scary, one of those warning signs people reconsider after something bad happens. It kept bouncing through her mind as she packed up her journals and climbed into her grandpa’s car for the drive home. She decided to tell her friends what she heard in gym class and what she thought it could mean.”
House Select Committee Seeks Answers From FBI on China Police ‘Outposts’ (Sean)
The author writes, “The chairman of a new U.S. House of Representatives select committee focused on China sent a letter to Federal Bureau of Investigation director Christopher Wray … seeking answers about alleged Chinese-government run police outposts on U.S. soil. Wray told Congress in November he was deeply concerned about Beijing setting up unauthorized ‘police stations’ in U.S. cities to possibly pursue influence operations, but declined at the time to detail the bureau’s investigative work on the issue.”
Study Sheds Light on How People Cope With Health Challenges and Medical Debt (Mili)
The author writes, “A recent qualitative study sheds light on how people cope with health and financial challenges, highlighting the important role that communication plays in these coping strategies.”
How One Week in Chicago Changed Abraham Lincoln’s Life — and the Fate of the United States (Al)
From Literary Hub: “History has a way of deceiving us. We know how the story turns out. In focusing on the steps that led to a result, we can’t help but form the impression that the outcome was inevitable. We forget that the people in the middle of the most momentous events in our history had no idea what would happen.”
Delicious Meals for $20 a Week: June Xie on Changing the Way You Cook (Russ)
From The Guardian: “The New York cook behind Budget Eats is a master of kitchen improvisation. She takes the Guardian food shopping.”
