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How Philip K. Dick Redefined What it Means to Be (In)Human

James Burton The Conversation
No being – whether mammal, robot, computer, bird, slug, stone, or star – that is excluded from the category of humanity on the basis of its physical nature. Conversely, each and any being may qualify as human by demonstrating empathy for other beings.

When Great Lakes Water Is ‘Public’ And When It Isn’t

Scott Gordon Science Friday
Public water utilities serve industrial customers all the time—Racine currently has about 40—yet Wisconsin is confronting the inherent tension of fueling a private for-profit operation with a water resource that is protected as a public trust and governed at state and regional levels.

Chemists Orchestrate the Molecular Union of Two Single Atoms

Sophia Chen Wired
Imagine an atom as a tiny nucleus immersed in a giant diffuse cloud that is its electrons. When two atoms get close together, each one’s electron cloud pushes the other’s around, and sometimes the two atoms start to behave as a molecule. But experts still can’t describe this process in detail.

What’s Driving Trade Tensions Between the U.S. and China

Marty Hart-Landsberg Socialist Project
In other words, U.S. tariff threats are, in reality, a bargaining chip to get the Chinese government to accept stronger protections for the intellectual property rights and technology of leading U.S. firms in industries such as pharmaceuticals, aerospace, telecommunications, and autos.

Arizona Prepares to Strike

Eric Blanc Jacobin
Educators in Arizona are walking out today to demand better pay and full school funding. It will likely be the largest and most dramatic education strike yet. Moderators Note: By all reports about 75,000 Arizona teachers went on strike Friday.

This job is killing me: Not a metaphor

Shaun Richman Unionist
One study showed that temps in construction and manufacturing suffer twice the rate of injuries as directly-employed workers. Clearly, OSHA needs to be updated to keep up with corporate chicanery.