and reference, send $1 ro uclear Information and Resuurce Service, 1536 ixteenth Street, N.W., Washington, DC 20036. APPROPRIATE TECHNOLOGY Brickmaking Plant: Industry Profile, UNIDO Development and Transfer of Technology Series No. 10, $4.00 in Europe, North America and Japan, from : Sales Section United Nations New York, NY 10017 or Sales Section United Nations Office CH-12ll Geneva 10, Switzerland free elsewhere from: Editor, UNIDO Newsletter P.O. Box 707 A-lOll Vienna Austria well-detailed profile of conventional mechaniz.ed brickmaking techniques [he best of several such profiles we've seen. Coverage of problems with clay pr cc 'sing, dr ing, effect of brick size upon ompetitive cost with other materials, etc. To be followed by another publication dealing with laborintensive semi-mechanized or manual technologies suit ble for rural areas. ecbnologies from Developing Countries, . 7 in the series (free everywhere), contains brief descriptions of 138 new and innovative technologies from developing countries, along with sources for more detailed infurmation. Plant and animal products, textile, construction, energy, chemical, plasrics and machinery plus other areas are covered. - T B Women and Technology: Deciding What's Appropriate, conference in Missoula Montana" April 27-29, sponsored by AERO, Women's Resource Center and NW Subregion Women's Studies Association, $5, to pre-register write: Women's Resource Center U. of Montana Missoula, MT 59812 Ecorope's insightful and exciting conferen e un women in appropriate technology in December must have been catalyric in getting us to take some steps and fill the need from which that conference arose. Here' another, similar conference. Ilands-on workshops on alternative energy, bike repair, self health, along with philos phieal discussions. f ive dollars w!1l get you in wilh childcare and housing available. See you there! - LS ACT '79-Mid-Adantic Appropriate Cemmunity Technology Fair/ Conference Here's an update on ACT '79, which was mentioned in the November issue of Rain as a model for a.ppropriate tech 'nology fairs. It sounds even more wonderful and for the first time ever, I'm seriously considering going to Washington, D.C.! ACT '79 is developing on the Washington Mall a complete community -with streets, shops, houses, farms, schools and health care facilities. Featuring composting, fish ponds, farmers' markets, beekeeping to urban walkways, light rail transit and jitneys-the list is endless! All I can say is, if you live in the Mid-Atlantic region-GET THERE April 27 to May I! -LS Linda: As for how things are going here, perhaps hyper is the best one-word description. No doubt about it, ACT '79's gonna be fun--and more important, we're gonna achieve our prime objective, which was to bring together a.t. innovators from the Mid-Atlantic region (which is in real terms both the least developed in overall a.t. efforts and the most urbanized) and expose goveprtment policymakers to the wide range of community-based technologies. We go on site 12 weeks from tomorrow (Jan. 22). And we're more or less on schedule (although I don't know whether I would want to take this ride again). And what's most amazing is the diversity of areas from which we're getting help: architects from the American Institute of Architects; government technicians setting up ad hoc working groups within their agencies (without explicit top-down approval) to devise exhibits and programs ; designers; artists; musicians; students giving up a semester to work full-time for us; lawyers; writers; health practitioners; I could go on and on- and they're all doing it just because they feel ACT's gonna be a fantastic thing. For sure, this show of support mitigates all those cynics who sec Washington as impersonal, power-made, etc. Cause if you take away the federal government's contributions to ACT, then we wouldn't have very much at all. Not one business, foundation, labor union, fat cat, whatever has made a substantive contribution so far. And, surprise, surprise, the feds ain't dictating anything; they're giving us the skeleton, and we have the onus on us to flesh it out. Anyway, we're still looking for possible participants and for local planning types. Will probably be right up until the end'of March-although we need planning coordinators as soon as possible. Whatever Rain can do to as ist will be of great help. And, of course, if it's April 1979 RAIN Page 3 at all possible, we'd like to sec all of you here to join with us in this celebration of community efforts. Peace, Michael Duberstein Approp;iate Community Technology Fair/Conference 1413 K St., N.W., 8th Floor Washington, DC 20005 202/393-AT79 Selected Federal Progra1ns in Appropriate Technology, 1978, limited copies available free from: Office of Technology Assessment United States Congress Washington, DC 20510 A description of 52 federal programs which fund research and demonstrations, provide technical and financial assis· tance, or which set standards for small scale technologies. Of interest to people or projects considering seeking federal funding, interested in what Vncle Sam's involvement in this area is or is supposed to be, or wanting to know what kinds of local groups or agencies can obtain federal assistance in this area. -TB POLITICS The Shorter Science and Civilization in China: Colin Ronan and Joseph Needham, 1978, $19.95 from: Cambridge University Press 32 E. 57th Street New York, NY 10022 When Chinese leaders can gain V.S. acquiescence in a military invasion of Vietnam by "coincidentally" dangling "possible" purchases of U.S. equipment in front of American busincss leaders, it's time to wake up to how naive the V.S . is in international games and hO\\l experienced other countries arc. China has been around for a long while, and a heal thy respect for its tenacity, in ventiveness and character are essential to understanding and dealing well with it. Joseph Needham's epic Science and Civilization in Cbina i a cornerstone to any such understanding- tracing in fascinating detail the accomplishments and ingenuity of the largest civ ili7~tion on earth over the last 4000 years. This abridged version can hardly convey the often remarkably different basis from which Chinese developments arise, but for those without the monetary resources and library space of a university research library. it is a welcome and valuable resource. This first volume covers Volumes One and Two of the original text- an introduction tu Chinese history, the history of Chinese scientific thought and the travelling of science between Europe and China. - TB
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