Roberto Abraham Scaruffi

Weekend reading on nybooks.com: The case for cannabis, the death of Ariel Sharon, Syria’s polio epidemic, America’s jobs crisis, a poem by Arseny Tarkovsky, a short story by Stig Dagerman, a tour of Beijing at the Lunar New Year, and the life of Jackie Robinson, born ninety-five years ago today.

Marijuana: The High and the Low Jerome Groopman Cannabis appears useful in treating anorexia, nausea, glaucoma, multiple sclerosis, epilepsy, and Tourette’s syndrome. It also decreases a person’s reaction time and impairs his or her attention, concentration, short-term memory, and assessment of risks.   ADVERTISEMENT   In the Shadow of Sharon Avishai Margalit Ariel Sharon’s abhorrence of abstract thinking included distaste for law and morality, and ended in a total mistrust of ideology. Any ideology.   On The Bank Arseny Tarkovsky He was sitting by the river, among reeds that peasants had been scything for their thatch. And it was quiet there, and in his soul it was quieter and stiller still. He kicked off his boots and put his feet into the water, and the water began talking to him, not knowing he didn’t know its language.   ADVERTISEMENT   Syria’s Hidden Polio Epidemic Annie Sparrow The man-made outbreak of polio is a consequence of the way that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has chosen to fight the war—a war crime of truly epidemic proportions.   “A final agreement is by no means assured, but the opportunity is assuredly here. The alternatives are war or a nuclear-armed Iran. Should this be a hard choice? Astonishingly, too many members of Congress seem to think so.”  – Jessica T. Mathews, Iran: A Good Deal Now in Danger   Obama’s Toughest Job Jeff Madrick The jobs situation in the United States is not merely a concern. It is a crisis. The unemployment rate has fallen, but only because so many have stopped looking for work. Minorities have been crushed. The young in particular have been battered.   To Kill a Child Stig Dagerman It’s a peaceful day as sunlight settles onto the fields of the plain. Soon bells will be ringing, because today is Sunday. Between fields of rye, two children have just come upon a footpath that they have never taken before, and in the three villages along the plain, window panes glisten in the sun.   Dancing in Empty Beijing Ian Johnson Celebrating the Lunar New Year.   ‘Poet of Resentment’ John Gregory Dunne The life of Jackie Robinson, born on this day in 1919.