July/August 1984 RAIN Page 3 LETTERS I strongly disagree with your reviewer, Jeff Strang, that The Global Brain by Peter Russell (Tarcher, 1983) "says it all" and is "the ultimate synthesis." Rather, it is merely an introduction to one form of synthesis. For those who seek a higher, more adult level of evolutionary thought, I recommend H. G. Wells' World Brain (Doubleday, 1938) and Oliver L. Reiser's, Cosmic Humanism (Schenkman, 1966). Neither author is mentioned by Russell. If we forget—or never know—that such outstanding work existed, we are bound to reinvent our intellectual wheels; in Peter Russell's case, it is done so at a distinctly inferior level. Michael Marien Editor, Future Survey LaFayette, New York I read the article entitled "Water Under The Bridge: Experimenting With Microhydro" in your June/July issue. Please keep in mind that hydro is not a panacea, and in fact, it has the potential of delivering devastating impacts to the waterways of Oregon. As a prime example, the 35 miles of the Deschutes River in Deschutes County now have applications for 15 hydroelectric projects. Twelve of those 15 would create new structures in the river, and all but two would permanently divert the river's water through enclosed pipelines for a considerable distance before being returned to the river through turbines. The community here is panic-stricken. Oregon's Hydroelectric Siting Act was adopted in Oregon in 1931. During the 50 years from 1931 to 1980, 256 applications for hydroelectric development were submitted. During the last three years alone, 300 additional applications have been submitted. We have a major problem! Please don't bill hydroelectric generation as any panacea, especially in this period of surplus. Representative Tom Throop Deschutes and Klamath counties, Oregon I recently read your article "Hidden Costs of Housing" in the March/April issue of RAIN. You have certainly raised a number of points concerning home financing and the continuing disappearance of the American "dream" of home ownership. I must say, though, that the political realities of "eliminating" realtors and traditional bank financing from the picture were not fully considered. The next step would have to be a total restructuring of our society, its goals, its future. its premises for being. I await your next installment. As for the Revolving Loan Fund idea: Several rural preservation companies in New York state have developed and administer small funds for housing- improvement activities. These have been set up to provide low-cost capital (6% in our case) to low- and moderate-income rural homeowners and renters. Though our fund is relatively new, we look forward to a time when it will aid residents not only in housing improvement, but in home ownership and cooperative purchasing. Glenn Gidaly, Program Coordinator Orange County Rural Development Goshen, New York The interview with Joel Schatz on Peace through Communications (RAIN X:2) was exciting. Strangely, no mention was made of the language problem. Perhaps Schatz speaks Russian, and therefore had no problem. Sadly, I do not. I have studied eight languages, which has brought me many valuable contacts, yet I am often struck with how many people I can't talk with. I wonder how the school children who will be connected by the proposed space bridge will communicate. Could an internationally adopted language solve this problem? Although it would be convenient for us to push for the use of English for all international communications, it is charged with a great deal of cultural bias. If we are dedicated to world-wide respect and cooperation, it is unfair to demand that everyone else learn our language. We should be ready to meet everyone at least halfway. Perhaps this example shows how easy it is, even for those striving to find new, positive ways of living, to get caught in old, counter-productive thought patterns. As a forum for ideas, RAIN gives us a chance to learn from each other and to form a more complete, wise, integrated community. Derek Roff Albuquerque, New Mexico You're right, Derek, English is biased toward American Western values in international communications, and the problem of language in cross-cultural computer communications deserves further discussion. We included a description of Esperanto—the only thriving international language without a nationality—in the Peace Communications access following the interview with ]oel. The children in the proposed interactive video exchange would use translators, for now. My dream is that one day all school children and their parents will learn a neutral language like Esperanto. —KN After reading your April/May issue, the following thoughts came to mind. The first is that I find it interesting to note that a lot of the folks who were writing about a.t.—windmills, composting toilets, you name it—several years ago are now writing about "community" in one form or another. Instead of finding my mail packed with conference announcements for alternative wholistic solar composting gardening get-togethers, it seems like a week doesn't go by without getting one for a meeting on some aspect of community development. Not that this is all bad, mind you. It's just that it's getting a little tiresome recycling this growing wardrobe of the "Emperor's new clothes." What this avalanche of good intentions seems to say to me is that folks are finding it difficult to form the kinds of friendships that help them to sail through the storm. Attempting to create "community" is nothing new in human history, just as the common sense implicit in the notion of a.t. has been lurking for years in the string collection in your grandparent's kitchen. I wish that just once, I'd pick up an article on "community," or an announcement for a conference, and find there an acknowledgement that friendships are the building blocks of communities, and that the search for "community" begins not in the pages of journals, or in some intergalactic network, but over your back fence. The second thought has to do with RAIN. Where are you headed? What niche are you trying to fill? After reading this issue and the plans for the next, it's not clear to me what you're trying to accomplish. The fact that everything-is- connected-to-everything-else shouldn't necessarily make everything relevant to your pages . . . other bigger, better funded groups already do this to the hilt. As Clint Eastwood says in a million towns around the globe, "Make my day.' Surprise me. Take a stand, any stand . .. I'll still love you. I might not read you, but at least I'll be able to tell you why. Ethan Seltzer Portland, Oregon
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