Ariel Dorfman describes his hopes for Chile's new president Boric, as well as the obstacles and opportunities he faces.

Mudassar Kadir, a former BBC journalist in Afghanistan, got out of Afghanistan but is stuck in Dubai. The UK scheme to aid refugees who worked for the UK government doesn't cover people who worked for the BBC.

A cloth mask does some good in reducing the spread of Covid-19, if it's over your nose and mouth, and a surgical mask is better. But you can get a lot more protection from an N95 or FFP2 mask.

Real KN95 masks are equivalent, but there are lots of counterfeit KN95s. The CDC has a web page that lists many counterfeit KN95 brands, but I'd rather get an FFP2.

*Democracy under attack: how Republicans led the effort to make it harder to vote.*

An argument against the prevailing belief that more education naturally leads to a general reduction in poverty.

A lack of education can keep people's wages down, but providing more education doesn't necessarily enable poor people to earn more. There are other things that can keep wages down, including business owners' greed, racism, and sexism.