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Portside aims to provide material of interest to people on the left that will help them to interpret the world and to change it.

West Lake story: An Underground Fire, Radioactive Waste, and Governmental Failure

Robert Alvarez Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists
The wastes sent to West Lake have most of the uranium removed from them, but they include concentrated radioactive decay products, some of which are tens of thousands of times more radioactive than the parent uranium. Because they are so highly radioactive, the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health found that the West Lake landfill holds the “worst” of the Mallinckrodt wastes.

Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia Dies at 79

Martin Pengelly The Guardian
Indicating the fierce battles to come, Patrick Leahy of Vermont, the ranking Democrat on the Senate judicial committee, issued a sharply worded statement in response to Republican remarks. Saying he was saddened by the death of Scalia “although I often did not agree with his legal opinions”, Leahy continued: “I hope that no one will use this sad news to suggest that the President or the Senate should not perform its constitutional duty.

Are You Ingesting Estrogen Without Realizing It From These Everyday Products?

Martha Rosenberg Alternet
But a lot of the estrogen we are exposed to is under the radar. Endocrine disrupters (chemicals that mimic estrogen) are found in plastics like BPA, petroleum-based products, agricultural pesticides, herbicides and fungicides, detergents and cosmetics and even everyday items like furniture, carpeting and thermal receipts.

DNC Rolls Back Restrictions on Lobbyists

Megan R. Wilson The Hill
With the DNC now accepting all lobbyist and PAC donations, it has reversed the policies that were adopted in 2008, when Obama vowed to curb the influence of special interests in Washington.

A Real ‘Political Revolution’ Would End the Wars

Peter Certo Foreign Policy in Focus
The good news is Bernie Sanders sent promising signals about his judgment when he opposed the invasion of Iraq; the bad news is his statements on the latest iteration of the conflict have shown none of the acumen that distinguished him over 13 years ago. Without a plan to resolve the ISIS war responsibly, the U.S. war in Iraq could reverberate through yet another generation. If Sanders were elected, that would add a grim asterisk to his “political revolution” indeed.

Friday Nite Videos -- February 12, 2016

Portside
New Hampshire Primary | Samantha Bee's Full Frontal. It's Not Over -- Bernie Sanders. Union Plumbers Volunteer in Flint. Trinity Church Examines the Legacy of Slavery. Gravitational Waves From a Dance of Black Holes.

Here's What Bernie Sanders Actually Did in the Civil Rights Movement

Tim Murphy Mother Jones
Sanders attended the 1963 March on Washington, but most of his work was in and around Hyde Park, where he was involved with the campus chapter of CORE in 1961. A group of apartment-hunting white and black students discovered that off-campus buildings owned by the university were refusing to rent to black students, in violation of the school's policies. CORE organized a 15-day sit-in at the administration building, which Sanders helped lead.

Bernie Sanders: The 2016 Peace Candidate

Lawrence S. Wittner History News Network
In its statement endorsing Bernie Sanders, Peace Action praised his opposition to both Iraq wars, support of legislation to reduce spending on nuclear weapons, strong backing of the Iran agreement, votes to curb military spending, and championing of diplomacy over war.
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