Poor people and descendants of disprivileged groups are much more likely to die if they get Covid-19, but not for directly biological reasons. It is because social factors cause them to be less healthy and get worse medical care.

Protected marine reserves benefit everyone, even fishermen, but the benefits for them do not come immediately.

The reason why the Taliban took over Afghanistan so fast is that the government forces and Taliban forces in each area had negotiated deals in advance. They had been negotiating for someday surrender for a year or so.

Something similar happened when the US conquered Afghanistan in 2002: local warlords switched sides. This was well reported at the time; had US generals and leaders forgotten this?

It is interesting that the Communist government held out much longer without external support than the US-supported government did. I know of several factors that could have contributed to this. For instance, the Taliban are more united than the mujahideen were in 1992. But I wonder if one factor is that the Communists were fighting for something they believed in. The Afghan army was fighting only for graft, and that graft was about to disappear.

*We Know What to Do on Climate. We Know How to Do It. Only Question: Will We?*

Uber continues to operate at a loss, disguised by accounting maneuvers, and uses distractformation so people will not notice.

The first article says that Uber rides now often cost more than taxi rides used to cost — which means that the supposed benefit for the public is gone. Apparent advantages for riders turn out to have been a temporary loss-leader that could not continue.

Does this give us the ability to wipe out Uber and its surveillance?

It is possible to use taxis anonymously, but you need to do it the right way. You must (1) not use an app to call the taxi, (2) not identify yourself by calling with your own phone or giving your own name, and (3) pay cash.

Every time you leave the house, make sure you have enough cash for your expected purchases, plus a sufficient amount for other opportunity purchases.