Rumors have been swirling that workers in Tesla’s various factories are so into their jobs that they are overworking themselves or otherwise risking their health. This week some of those rumors gelled into published articles:
The appetite for Musk’s electric cars, and his promise to disrupt the carbon-reliant automobile industry, has helped Tesla’s value exceed that of both Ford and, briefly, General Motors (GM). But some of the human workers who share the factory with their robotic counterparts complain of grueling pressure – which they attribute to Musk’s aggressive production goals – and sometimes life-changing injuries.
Ambulances have been called more than 100 times since 2014 for workers experiencing fainting spells, dizziness, seizures, abnormal breathing and chest pains, according to incident reports obtained by the Guardian. Hundreds more were called for injuries and other medical issues.
- The long-awaited Alien: Covenant is coming to theatre near you this week, Wiki plot spoiler here. And speaking of xenomorphic slasher thrillers, I’ve been saying for year, there’s an incredibly well-written book called Blindsight by Peter Watts that is a hard sci-fi, first-contact, thought-provoking horror tale—costarring scientifically plausible vampire savants—just aching to be made into a movie.
- John Oliver notes that American health care is like paying for a loaded Lamborghini and getting a donkey on roller skates, then reviews the science, policy, and profit behind lifesaving dialysis.
- Research shows the dino-killer asteroid that changed the course of natural history so dramatically over 65 million years ago hit in about the worst place it could.
[R]ight now, there’s a measles outbreak in Minnesota and a chicken pox outbreak in California. Usually, the reasons behind an outbreak can be difficult to trace, but in these cases there’s a reason that’s pretty simple: Parents refusing to vaccinate their kids.
Last but not least, tomorrow on Sunday Kos I’ll have a column posing the question: is it better or worse for progressives, and the nation, if Trump stays in office vs. a President Mike Pence or Paul Ryan?