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Dr. Orange: The Secret Nemesis of Sick Vets

Charles Ornstein and Mike Hixenbaugh ProPublica and The Virginian-Pilot
For decades, the military and the VA have repeatedly turned to one man to guide decisions on whether Agent Orange harmed vets in Vietnam and elsewhere. His reliable answer: No.

Stop Genocide!

Ruth Needleman Portside
The great insurgencies that brought back democracy to many countries in Latin America after decades of military dictatorship are now targets of growing assaults by police, military and private militias. From Honduras to Argentina, from Brazil to Colombia, labor, indigenous and black social movements are embattled. The governments’ criminalization of social movements is “legitimizing” death squads, murders and in some cases massacres.

The 19th Century’s Greatest Vegetable Photographer

Allison Meier Hyperallergenic Newsletter
The vegetable photographs of Charles Jones are remarkable, being ahead of their time in still life photography, and presenting a very modern view with the careful framing and studio portraits.

Why "Climate Change" Must Become a Promise to Decolonize

Alycee Lane Truthout
The actions taken recently by law enforcement at the Dakota Access pipeline site have made it plain that the climate crisis cannot be adequately addressed until we come to terms with the history that climate change and the policing of communities of color share.

Portside - More Than Ever

Portside
We're all trying to figure out the next steps. So many face immediate threats from both fascist-leaning Trump supporters and the far right Republican state in waiting. We and millions of other refuse to accept this...Portside contributes our best to find and share the most interesting and useful material we can aimed at remaking the world into a fairer and more peaceful place. Once a year, we appeal to readers to contribute - to help make all this possible.

Garbage In, Garbage Out

Christian Parenti Jacobin
As one union staffer told me: “What they seem to have missed is that the way to reach blacks, Latinos, and women is the same way you reach the white working class: progressive economics, and knock on their doors. And guess what? The allegedly ‘racist’ and ‘sexist’ white working class is cool with a multicultural coalition as long as you give them the progressive economics..."

Flu Shots: Facts & Fallacies

Harriet Hall, M.D. The Skeptic
Influenza kills around 36,000 people annually in the U.S. but they are the least effective of all our vaccines. The influenza virus is constantly changing, and there is a lot of guesswork involved in choosing which strains to use in each year’s vaccine.The benefit to the population depends on individuals getting the vaccine. They may not benefit personally, but they indirectly benefit others by reducing transmission rates in the community and increasing herd immunity.