Dear friends,

This will be the first letter in a long time. In the interim I have been busy with lots of thises and thats. We have moved to a different apartment, still within the medieval wall of the city, but nicer: we are surrounded by trees and other greenery (good for cooling the air and keeping dirty air away, and so on). I have also done some extra teaching and started another.

I've been busy with various things: we moved to a different apartment (Via San Giuliano, 1, 40125 Bologna) — still within the medieval wall of Bologna, but nonetheless surrounded by trees, within a few minutes of the city's lovely big park, and so on.

Also, forgive me, I am in the middle of another book. (Can't someone stop him?). This one is on the dangers of the world economy. I have been helping with the rewrite of Blues for America (my "Postscript" for which I attach (with a warning that the economy is making it out of date with each passing day); have been reading and writing a review of a new book by Jack Rasmus (also attached, plus a new article of his), who is in my view moving toward filling the vacuum left by Sweezy's death.

Enough about me. I must confess that I, like so many of my friends, I have been disgusted and scared in ways breaking the record by what's going on politically — especially in the USA, but not only there. In Italy we have Berlusconi in our face every day; an absolutely horrible man in all dimensions who, despite (or because?) of his personal and social crimes, is now in his third term.

However, unless we folks get going soon and strongly to reverse what is now an always stronger rightwing push, we're in for a really frightening and disgusting future. Obama and the other Demos in Congress etc are not much inclined, or now able, to move the USA toward decency and sanity. But we (of which I am one) have done far too little to push and support what's necessary and desirable.

To which I add, it is very likely that the bewitched and insufficiently bothered people of the rich countries have fallen too far down in the pits of inactivity to climb back up. Nonetheless, it is better to give what is needed as much a push as we can than go down whining. That may be easier for a guy like me to say, from far away than if I were there; still–

Meanwhile, warm best wishes to one and all.

Doug

(Write me at doug AT dougdowd DOT org.)