More green, more giggles, less crime

Source: Christian Science Monitor
by staff

“For Earth Day in 2026, the celebratory events held April 22 numbered well over 10,000 worldwide. From cleanups to teach-ins to tree planting, such activities help boost enthusiasm for caring about the environment. Ultimately, however, it is during the other days of the year that follow-through can bring those good intentions to fruition. Over decades of Earth Day celebrations, many individuals have found that a focus on environmental care in local communities can reap tangible civic and social benefits. A case in point is Philadelphia, where a long-standing project in urban greening has been linked to drops in crime. That success has led the neighboring city of Chester to trod the same path. Philadelphia’s story began with green-thumbed activists from the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society seeking to recover good neighborliness, square foot by square foot.” (04/22/26)

https://www.csmonitor.com/Editorials/the-monitors-view/2026/0422/More-green-more-giggles-less-crime

Steve Trinward

Germany: Son of former Iranian shah whines at European regimes to give him a country

Source: Reuters

“The son of the former Shah appealed to Western countries to join the war against Iran and criticised the decision of the German government ​not to meet him during his visit to Berlin on Thursday. Reza ‌Pahlavi, whose father was deposed in the revolution that brought Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini to power in 1979, accused Europe of standing by and allowing the Tehran government to continue the ​bloody repression of protests that killed thousands at the end of last ​year. … Demonstrations by both supporters and opponents were held in central Berlin and a person was detained after Pahlavi, who made an appearance, was spattered with some form of red ​liquid. Pahlavi, who has spent most of his life in exile, emerged ​as [the US regime’s pick to lead a puppet regime] after anti-government protests erupted in Tehran and other Iranian cities last ‌year.” (04/23/26)

https://www.reuters.com/world/son-former-shah-iran-appeals-western-countries-support-2026-04-23/

Thomas L. Knapp

I was suspicious of the SPLC. I was right to be.

Source: USA Today
by Nicole Hurley

“I’ve been suspicious of the Southern Poverty Law Center for some time. The SPLC, a nonprofit founded in 1971, was built to combat hate and discrimination. The mission sounds worthy enough. But then the group began publishing its annual ‘Year in Hate and Extremism’ report, identifying hundreds – sometimes more than 1,000 – ‘hate groups’ across the United States. In 2019, it labeled Alliance Defending Freedom, a prominent conservative legal organization, a ‘hate group.’ Calling a firm that focuses on First Amendment and religious liberty cases a hate group is like calling a defense attorney a criminal for representing the accused. For many conservatives, that was a bridge too far, and it eroded their trust in the SPLC. I thought I might have been onto something. It turns out the situation could be even more serious.” (04/23/26)

https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/columnist/2026/04/23/southern-poverty-law-center-indictment-unite-right-rally/89730972007/

Thomas L. Knapp

American “Micro-Militarism”: Military Disasters and the End of Empire

Source: TomDispatch
by Alfred McCoy

“Writing more than 2,000 years ago, the Greek historian Plutarch gave us an eloquent description of what modern historians now call ‘micro-militarism.’ When an imperial power like Athens then, or America now, is in decline, its leaders often react emotionally by mounting seemingly bold military strikes in hopes of regaining the imperial grandeur that’s slipping through their fingers. Instead of another of the great victories the empire won at its peak of power, however, such military misadventures only serve to accelerate the ongoing decline, erasing whatever aura of imperial majesty remains and revealing instead the moral rot deep inside the ruling elite. There is mounting historical evidence that America is indeed an empire in steep decline, while President Donald Trump’s war of choice against Iran is becoming the sort of micro-military disaster that helped destroy successive empires over the past 2,500 years …” (04/23/26)

https://tomdispatch.com/american-micro-militarism/

Steve Trinward

Warner Bros. Discovery shareholders approve Paramount takeover

Source: CNN

“Warner Bros. Discovery shareholders have cleared the way for CNN, HBO and Warner’s other media brands to join Paramount Skydance later this year. Shareholders ‘overwhelmingly’ voted in support of the takeover deal, WBD said after a pro forma special meeting took place on Thursday morning. The vote was anticlimactic, but still a crucial moment in the monthslong struggle for control of WBD, one of the biggest media companies in the world. Paramount, led by CEO David Ellison, now has to secure regulatory approval in the United States and other countries. But company executives are optimistic that they’ll be able to complete the deal in the third quarter of the year, meaning by the end of September.” (04/23/26)

https://www.cnn.com/2026/04/23/media/wbd-shareholders-approve-paramount-takeover

Thomas L. Knapp