Pacific Northwest Bio-Conversion Workshop, October 24-26,1978. For pre-registration, call Linda Craig at 503/234-3361, ext. 5138 or write to: Bonneville Power Administration-SJ, Environmental Office, P.O. Box 3621, Portland, OR 97208. The U.S. Department of Energy is sponsoring a workshop to examine the opportunities for converting bio-mass to energy in the Pacific Northwest. The workshop will be held in Portland, Oregon on October 24, 25 and 26, 1978. The workshop will focus on nearterm potential for bio-mass conversion to energy in the Pacific Northwest. Biomass is considered to be plant matter, including wood and wood residues, . agricultural residues, and livestock residues. The workshop will have five major sessions. First, the workshop will examine existing bio-energy applications in the region; second, there will be a closer review of the region's existing resource base in both wood and agricultural potential; the third major session will explore possible near-term applications in the Pacific Northwest; the fourth session will address barriers, constraints and possible solutions to matching the potential resource to the potential application; and the fifth session will discuss actions that can be taken to begin the expanded use of the identified resource. Speakers will include individuals and groups from large and small industry, the commercial sector, appropriate technologists, agricultural interests, forest and silviculture experts, and bioconversion liquid and gaseous fuels experts. The Soiar, Geothermal, Electric and Storage Systems Program Summary Document, Fiscal Year 1979, March 1978, DOE/ET 0041 (78),425 pp., free from: U.S. Dept. of Energy Asst. Sec'y. for Energy Technology Division of Solar Technology Washington, DC 20545 This is the real meat and every prosolar American, from layperson to research scientist, should have it on their desk. Covering all solar technologies, plus microhydro, load management, fuel cells, high voltage transmission and the environmental effects of all, this is a primer to end all primers (until next year's revision, of course) on what the federal government is doing. Full solar graphics, cost charts and timetables, it should be extremely useful to all solar, wind, wood and water energy periodicals. Fastest and cheapest way to get it is to send a note to your congressidnal representative and senator requesting they have DOE send you one. This incredible plethora of info can make one an instant solar expert and should be used in college-level courses touching on energy. - LJ HEALTH Zen Shiatsu: How to Harmonize Yin and and Yang for Better Health, Shizuto Masunaga with Wataru Ohashi, 1977, $7.95, from: Japan Publications, Inc. 200 Clearbrook Rd. Elmsford, NY 10523 It's exciting to see important books on non-western health care becoming available to the general public. A central concept in oriental medicine is Kienergy that flows threugh a network of body meridians, often in underactive/ yin or overactive/yang states. Zen Shiatsu is the first English language book to cover a full therapy system for restoring balance to the Ki meridians, thereby stimulating the body's capacity to self-heal. It covers the basic theory and technique, and offers well-illustrated discussions of whole-body shiatsu massage, self-shiatsu and treatments for specific diseases. An excellent companion to Tsubo (RAIN, April 1978). - SA Sweat, Mikkel Aaland, 1978, $7.95 from: Capra Press 631 State Street Santa Barbara, CA 93101 Some nice roses-fascinating explorations of bathing practices in many cultures-among the thorns of shuck and jive promoting another new consumption fad-sauna or sweat bathing. VisAugust/September 1978 RAIN Page 15 ions of Islamic hammams, Grcek and Roman baths, saunas in Scandinavia and Japan, Russian baths, birth and death in the sauna, spiritual attitudes towards bathing. Fine, and necded as balance to our san-i-showcr culture. But we don't need the pseudo-research that blindly glorifies the sauna (or any other kind of bathing). The virtues of sweating are extolled, but no mention that something as simple as physical work can provide it. Saunas arc praised for their "negative ions"- but no mention made that showers provide an even more favorable ionic climate. - TR FORESTRY Timber Harvest Levels for National Forests-How Good Are They?, CED78-15, U.S. General Accounting Office, Jan. 24,1978, free to members of Congress, Congressional committee staff members, officials of federal, state and local governments, members of the press, college libraries, faculty members and students, and non-profit organizations. $1 for taxpayers and anyone else, from: U.S. General Accounting Office Distribution Section, Room 4522 441 G Street, N.W. Washington, DC 20548 A GAO review of forest management practices that concludes that Forest Service timber management plans lacked enough uniformity and precision to be reliable and prevent overcutting and lacked coordination with other forest resource uses. - TB continued next page ~ I
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