Uber claims to have made a profit. Really, this time.

benfell

I’m in Salt Lake City, awake in the wee hours. I stopped at the Vertical Diner for dinner, which, if you’re vegan and you’re in Salt Lake City, you definitely need to know about. Everything I had for dinner was just perfect. Everything I had for breakfast when I was on my way out was just perfect. I’m planning on breakfast there again today.

Oh, and by the way, as I was driving away from the restaurant, I noticed the street, actually a twenty-block stretch of 900 South Street (this is how they organize their grid, in a system I haven’t seen outside Utah), had been renamed Harvey Milk Boulevard. Apparently, this happened six years ago.[1]

It’s a longer and more convoluted story than I even remember, but long-time San Franciscans will remember that Dan White, a former supervisor, who had resigned, then demanded his job back, and when refused, shot Mayor George Moscone and Supervisor Harvey Milk. The latter was gay and thus became a martyr to the gay rights, now LGBTQ+ rights, movement. (This was Dianne Feinstein’s lucky break: She was catapulted from being president of the Board of Supervisors to the mayor’s office—the rest is history—so we actually have multiple reasons for despising White, who ended up committing suicide.)[2]

The Mormon Church, which we’re not supposed to call the Mormon Church anymore,[3] and which (putting it ludicrously mildly) remains a major force in Utah politics, was prominent in the fight to pass California’s Proposition 8, which banned same sex marriage.[4] (This proposition was later overturned by a federal court and the Supreme Court ruled that appellants lacked standing.[5]) So it’s a bit surprising that the Church acquiesced to the street name change.[6]

Gig economy (neoliberal wet dream)

Bezzle

I’m waiting for independent analysis before believing the claim that Uber has actually turned a profit in even a single quarter.[7] The drumbeat of pessimism, with a whole lot more than a whiff of a bezzle has been constant.[8] In particular, I’ll be looking for Hubert Horan,[9] whom we last heard from, apparently, in February.[10]

Laura Forman, “Uber’s Results Gas Up Rivals,” Wall Street Journal, August 2, 2022, https://www.wsj.com/articles/ubers-results-gas-up-rivals-11659454009

Gilead

Gilead competitive authoritarian regime project

Jonathan Lai, “Pennsylvania’s Supreme Court upheld the state’s mail voting law after a long legal fight,” Philadelphia Inquirer, August 2, 2022, https://www.inquirer.com/politics/election/pennsylvania-mail-voting-law-act-77-mclinko-20220802.html

Abortion

There’s reason to doubt[11] the claim that this result has implications for the midterm elections in November.[12] But I do think it might have implications for a similar effort in Pennsylvania.[13] The process is drawn out over a longer time period in Pennsylvania, however, so we shall see.

Annie Gowen and Colby Itkowitz, “Kansans resoundingly reject amendment aimed at restricting abortion rights,” Washington Post, August 3, 2022, https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2022/08/02/kansas-abortion-referendum/

Donald Trump

Coup attempt

[Donald] Trump’s record has been mixed in this year’s primary season, with voters in some states embracing his preferred candidates and others rejecting them. His endorsed candidates on the ballot Tuesday embraced his combative style, with at least one seeking to portray herself as the winner before the Associated Press had made a call in her contest.[14]

Hannah Knowles, “Several election deniers backed by Trump prevail in hotly contested primaries,” Washington Post, August 3, 2022, https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/08/02/primaries-arizona-michigan-missouri-washington/

Secession movements

California

Sam Stanton, “Did Russia provide funding and support for booster of California secession movement?” Sacramento Bee, August 1, 2022, https://www.sacbee.com/news/local/article264043131.html

  1. [1]Molly Hennessy-Fiske, “In the heart of Mormon country, a street is renamed for Harvey Milk,” Los Angeles Times, May 12, 2016, https://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-adv-utah-harvey-milk-20160510-snap-story.html↩
  2. [2]Jay Mathews, “Dan White Commits Suicide,” Washington Post, October 22, 1985, https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1985/10/22/dan-white-commits-suicide/590322ca-f461-4a98-9c5f-348648f7ac66/↩
  3. [3]Doug Criss, “Mormons don’t want you calling them Mormons anymore,” CNN, August 17, 2018, https://www.cnn.com/2018/08/17/us/mormon-church-name-trnd↩
  4. [4]Nicholas Riccardi, “Mormons feel the backlash over their support of Prop. 8,” Los Angeles Times, November 17, 2008, https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2008-nov-17-na-mormons17-story.html↩
  5. [5]Dylan Matthews, “The Supreme Court ended Proposition 8. Here’s what that means,” Washington Post, June 26, 2013, https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2013/06/26/the-supreme-court-ended-proposition-8-heres-what-that-means/↩
  6. [6]Molly Hennessy-Fiske, “In the heart of Mormon country, a street is renamed for Harvey Milk,” Los Angeles Times, May 12, 2016, https://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-adv-utah-harvey-milk-20160510-snap-story.html↩
  7. [7]Laura Forman, “Uber’s Results Gas Up Rivals,” Wall Street Journal, August 2, 2022, https://www.wsj.com/articles/ubers-results-gas-up-rivals-11659454009↩
  8. [8]Aaron Gordon, “Uber and Lyft Are Out of Ideas, Jacking Up Prices in Desperation for Profit,” Vice, May 27, 2022, https://www.vice.com/en/article/m7vmpb/uber-and-lyft-are-out-of-ideas-jacking-up-prices-in-desperation-for-profit; Hubert Horan, “Can Uber Ever Deliver? Part Twenty-Nine: Despite Massive Price Increases Uber Losses Top $31 Billion,” Naked Capitalism, February 11, 2022, https://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2022/02/hubert-horan-can-uber-ever-deliver-part-twenty-nine-despite-massive-price-increases-uber-losses-top-31-billion.html; Preetika Rana, “Uber and Lyft’s New Road: Fewer Drivers, Thrifty Riders and Jittery Investors,” Wall Street Journal, May 27, 2022, https://www.wsj.com/articles/uber-and-lyfts-new-road-fewer-drivers-thrifty-riders-and-jittery-investors-11653651912↩
  9. [9]Hubert Horan, “Can Uber Ever Deliver? Part Twenty-Nine: Despite Massive Price Increases Uber Losses Top $31 Billion,” Naked Capitalism, February 11, 2022, https://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2022/02/hubert-horan-can-uber-ever-deliver-part-twenty-nine-despite-massive-price-increases-uber-losses-top-31-billion.html↩
  10. [10]Can Uber Ever Deliver? Part Twenty-Nine: Despite Massive Price Increases Uber Losses Top $31 Billion↩
  11. [11]Hannah Knowles, Emily Guskin, and Scott Clement, “Americans dismayed at end of Roe are less certain they will vote, poll finds,” Washington Post, July 29, 2022, https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/07/29/abortion-roe-midterms-poll/↩
  12. [12]Annie Gowen and Colby Itkowitz, “Kansans resoundingly reject amendment aimed at restricting abortion rights,” Washington Post, August 3, 2022, https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2022/08/02/kansas-abortion-referendum/↩
  13. [13]Mark Scolforo, “Gov. Wolf sues to stop GOP-backed amendments on abortion, voting,” Philadelphia Inquirer, July 28, 2022, https://www.inquirer.com/politics/pennsylvania/governor-wolf-sues-amendments-abortion-voting-20220728.html↩
  14. [14]Hannah Knowles, “Several election deniers backed by Trump prevail in hotly contested primaries,” Washington Post, August 3, 2022, https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/08/02/primaries-arizona-michigan-missouri-washington/↩

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