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White House Conference on Aging Emphasizes Private-Sector Solutions for Elderly

Paul Kleyman New America Media
The goal of strengthening Social Security was only one of the prime liberal issues barely audible from the East Room stage at the July 13 conference. But there was an undercurrent of concern over the prominence of commercial interests on the day’s agenda. Liberal leaders on Social Security have expressed frustration at the president’s “neglect” of calls to increase benefits for the most vulnerable seniors, especially ethnic elders and women.

Castro: Next Week the ‘Long and Complex’ Task of Normalizing Relations with the U.S. Begins

Mimi Whitefield Miami Herald
“A new stage will begin, long and complex, on the road toward normalization, which will require the will to find solutions to problems that have accumulated over more than five decades and hurt ties between our nations and peoples,” Castro said in remarks published on the state-run website Cubadebate. Cuba is trying to forge new ties with the United States “different from those of our entire common history,” Castro said.

What Are Foreign Military Bases For?

David Swanson David Swanson
If you're like most people in the United States, you have a vague awareness that the U.S. military keeps lots of troops permanently stationed on foreign bases around the world. Have you ever really investigated to find out how many, where exactly, at what cost, to what purpose, and in terms of what relationship with the host nations?A wonderfully researched new book, six years in the works, answers these questions in a manner you'll find engaging.

Residents Fight Back Against Pittsburgh's Privatized Water Authority

Aaron Miguel Cantú Truthout
Based on estimates from the Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority (PWSA), about 14% of the population have received inaccurate and/or delayed water bills for months. Campaign to Reform PWSA, hopes to end what they see as the PWSA's coercive attempts to shake down citizens for money. They also hope to alter PWSA to be more transparent and responsive, because right now PWSA has become a smokescreen for Veolia Environment, largest private water company in the world.

Update on Rana Plaza: Analysis Linking to Cotton and Slavery

Tula Connell Labor and Working-Class History Association
Tula Connell draws insights from the award winning Empire of Cotton: A Global History by Sven Beckert (2014) to understand the events at Rana Plaza and the role of cotton empire today. She also updates us on the efforts of workers to gain rights, and what is blocking it..the empire of cotton.

The Impenetrable World of Mark Flores

Jim Morris Public Integrity
New investigative reports from two prominent nonprofit news organizations and the International Campaign for Responsible Technology ICRT link the legacy of harm to electronics workers and communities in Silicon Valley to continuing harm to electronics workers globally, particularly in South Korea, Vietnam, and China. Two feature stories from this hard-hitting new series tell this compelling story and underscore urgency to create safe, sustainable electronics industry.

The Battlelines Are Drawn: Rightwing Neosecession or Third Reconstruction

Bob Wing Social Policy
The heartless combination of the Supreme Court’s gutting of the Voting Rights Act, the House Republicans flatly shunning the immigration bill and the series of police murders of unarmed Black men should be a wakeup call about the grave dangers posed by the far right and may give rise to a renewed motion among African Americans that could give much needed new impetus and political focus to the progressive movement.

How the American South Drives the Low-Wage Economy

Harold Meyerson The American Prospect
Just as in the 1850s (with the Dred Scott decision and the Fugitive Slave Act), the Southern labor system (with low pay and no unions) is wending its way north.

CERN Experiment Spots Two Different Five-Quark Particles

John Timmer Ars Technica
Assuming the results hold up, the particle raises the question: how is this put together? There are two options, as shown at top. One is that it's put together like known particles, with multiple quarks interacting through gluons. The alternative is that it's a hybrid composed of two particles we already know about. But this would have to be held together by a force we're not familiar with. Either way, there's some distinctive physics waiting for a more detailed analysis