Odds & ends in last few weeks

Presentation on "The Co-operative and its Workers"

Larry speaks about the co-operative movement in Canada

On Saturday, April 19, Judy and Larry gave a presentation, "The Co-operative and its Workers: Lessons from Canada," to students and profs from the masters program in the Economics of Cooperation at the University of Bologna. The Bologna masters program has similarities with Saint Mary's University's Masters in the Management of Co-operatives and Credit Unions. We focussed on the problems and opportunities co-operatives have in managing their workforce.

Lecture at Johns Hopkins Bologna Centre

Omri and Judy on penthouse balcony of John Hopkins Bologna Centre with view of Bologna rooftops and Appenine hills in background.

On April 23, we attended a very interesting lecture "America at the Crossroad. Democracy, Empire and the 2008 Election"by David Unger, of the editorial board of the the New York Times. His blurb pretty well defines his talk:

"Are the Bush years a total aberration or merely the accentuation, the taking to extremes, of several long, ongoing trends?

"I shall argue mostly the latter, which I believe is crucial to understanding why the mere inauguration of a different president, even of a different party, next January, will not be enough to end the current downward spiral in American power, prestige, prosperity and public satisfaction.

"Where American policy went wrong historically was in confusing the inevitability of internationalism with the non-inevitability of one particular ideological variant."

His talk, coming from an eloquent exemplar of the liberal variant of US imperialism, stressed that the US no longer has the power to unilaterally order the world to its specifications (as the Bush administration has tried to do) nor should it pursue this strategy in any case. It should adopt a multilateralist "soft power" approach. Unger believes that John McCain and Hilary Clinton have fatally worked themselves into a corner during the pre-election campaign by "talking tough." And even Obama (who has been more careful) may not have the ability to pursue a more multilateralist position.

Judy asked Unger if the New York Times would be willing to take an editorial position on the Israel-Palestine conflict similar to that of ex-US-president Jimmy Carter. Unger answered that it already has because he has written the editorials. News to us!

What is Johns Hopkins doing in the heart of "red Bologna?" According to the website,

"The Johns Hopkins University Paul H. Nitze [a leading American cold-warrior] School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) is a leading U.S. graduate school of international relations located in Bologna, Italy that offers an interdisciplinary graduate program of study.

"A SAIS Bologna Center graduate education prepares students for professional careers in international affairs....

"SAIS Bologna Center graduates can be found in leadership positions around the globe-in foreign ministries and other government agencies; international organizations; multinational corporations; banks and other financial institutions; non-profit organizations; the media; research centers; and universities worldwide."

'Nuff said.

The natural environment near us

A carpet of buttercups in the park near our residence

Wisteria bushes

Lilacs

Democratic Party thanks Bologna

Poster from the Democratic Party thanking Bologna (city and region) for their high pro-PDI vote. However, the separatist Northern League received its second highest success in these areas (at 7.8%) since the party first entered politics in 1991.

How to move into the upper stories in Bologna

Buildings in Bologna aren't high but the stairs and elevators are sometimes too small to allow big pieces of furniture. Hence the solution above. A moving truck has a ladder and hoists a platform up, up, up and through the window.

Italy's national holiday - Liberation Day - April 25

Officials address crowd in Bologna's Piazza Maggiore on April 25. The day commemorates the liberation of Italy in 1945.