It began after a bad oil spill that took place in 1969 off the coast of California. A year later, the first annual Earth Day was celebrated to demonstrate universal support for environmental protection and responsible stewardship of the planet and its inhabitants.

Since then, public and official awareness of the negative impacts of human activity – such as air and water pollution – have been raised to a level where concrete action is being demanded to mitigate those effects and heal the ills that have been inflicted on our world.

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The New Era of Lords and Serfs

Review by Off the Shelf Correspondent Ed Meek

Jodi Dean, an American political theorist and professor in the Political Science Department at Hobart and William Smith College, made the news last year when she lost her position because she expressed her pro-Palestinian stance on campus. She has since been reinstated. Although Bernie, AOC and the Squad, and other progressive democrats, are characterized by Republicans as radicals, they are really center-left politicians willing to work within the system to enact change. Jodi Dean is a radical who wants a different system. She is not alone. Many Americans on the left and right want major changes. Hence the return of Trump.

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Our poet writes: “I am Sahiba Mohammady, a poet and writer from Nuristan Province, Afghanistan. Currently, I am majoring in biotechnology with a minor in English at Endicott College. I work independently on poetry and journal writing, and I published two of my poems during high school at Governor’s Academy. Through my writing, I explore themes of identity, culture, and the experience of injustice, whether I have experienced it myself or have witnessed it in others.”

How happy are Somerville residents? The City of Somerville wants to know! 

Today, Monday, April 7, the City is launching its biennial Happiness Survey, a unique initiative that has helped shape City policies and programs since 2011. The survey measures resident satisfaction with life in Somerville, City services, neighborhood well-being, and more.

Join the Somerville Police at Target, 180 Somerville Ave on Tuesday, April 15, at 4 p.m. to have a conversation with an officer, ask questions, and get to know more officers in your community.

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The City of Somerville’s Inspectional Services and Communications Departments give you a quick public service announcement on how to keep rodents and critters off your property and out of your neighborhood.