D tp+. of Eto l~i c.o..l • • • WOYfa.vE 13u.lltJin ~.zq-'1. Dear RAIN, I just read Byron Kennard's piece iri the Aug./Sept. is.sue in which he comments on the incredible concept of "appropriate techn9logy for national defe11se." Good griefmy rr:iost morbid fantasiesare coming true! Enclosed ,is a copy of a doodle I drew on the back of an envelope in 1975. I thought I was just being a smart-aleck, no't prophesying a • whole new concept in warfare. Truly, an anthropologist from another planet would have to pronounce.our culture totally insane. Peace, James B. DeKorne El Rito, NM Dear RAIN, " . Looks like we're going to have wind-powered a-bombs: hold the launch until a windy 1 day! Rather than waste-to-energy it looks more like energy-to-waste, everywhere. War as if people mattered. Warm Regards, Sam Sadler Eugene, OR Dear RAIN, I was much saddened to read the latest Raindrops. You guys are appreciated a lot more than you think, I am sure. There I was a few years ago, a fat cat at the top ofthe government pay scale as Chie'f Scientist at one of NASA's laboratories. Like all engineers I know, the system doesn't bother me and I don't think about the system beyond what I get from TV by _osmosis. So here •_ comes RAIN. Holy Lord, did that open my eyes! I knew there was something wrong with us technocrats, but getting a hold of it was like trying to put a fishing worm up a wildcat's ass. • So I am stfre that there are a lot more like me out he-re, and I don't see how,th_ere is any way that you all can a?sess the impact that you are'~aving. Give us a little credit. There I ·, are a fe~ of us inside:: the Government/ Corporate complex who could have sat down and written the Tom Bender article, "Evil" in context from our own internal feelings (but not, of course, with his skill). We feel helpless inside the system and fantasize about coming out to the Rainhouse and sweeping • the floors. , I think in response to the sad news in • • Raindrops, that your reade}s wi'll apprecia'te it if, in case you can't keep your head above ·water, you give us as much advance notice as possible so we can pitch in more to help out. Respectfolly, ' · Nelson McAvoy Gree~belt, MD. Dear RAIN We just saw your review of Permaculture land II in the Augustf.September iss'\1-e and wanted to let your readers know that The Rural Education Center is the distributor for Bill Mollison's books in the Northeast. We ship copies of Permaculture II to both indiviauals ($10.95 ppd.) and b_ookstores. . The American reprinti11g of Permaculture I is due to go to press by October 151 1980. Once it is finished, we will be selling that also. • • Susan Stepick • Associate Director Rural-Education Center, Inc. Sto11yfield Farm, Wilton, NH 03086 Dear RAIN; - • -' My husband argues that RAIN doesn't advertise because advertising, i.e., pushing 'material goods into the consciousness and desires of people, is the antithesis of the goals of RAIN -trying to make do with as little buying as possible. That is true and •noble, but even as self-sufficient as we are, we still have to buy many items. Many of these items are available locally, but we do~'t hear about th~m. l believe you are being osNovember 1980 . RAIN • Page 3 trich-like and'I would even enjoy seeingad-:- vertising in RAIN. ' Sincerely, Barbara Fisk Tracyton, WA Dear RAIN, The appeal made on the page's of the Aug./ Sept. issue of the magazine reaffirms the co1:wictions which I expressed to you in an earlier letter. When all of these fine organizations are expeden_cing the SAME problems, it is ap- .parent that you all need to do something to resolve it, TOGETHER. What is the horror of working together? Cooperative activity is advocated'continually in the pages of the ' magazine; surely you believe what you write (?) . _ Go on as you wish, but it gets a little - heavy to be continually asked to support·an activity which could be made more efficient by thus using the contributor's money rnore effectively. Here is my $25, early, for a twoyear subscription. Hope this helps iruhe cash flow problem. I earned almost $6,000 last year, but I want to see RAIN expand; I will do what I can to get more subscribers. Cordially, • D. Paul Sondel Washington, [?.C. ". • • 1 the horror of ?,l)Orking together• • • 11 / _wonder if any RAIN. readers recall The Full Circle Resource Center? Vintage RAIN stuff, that. Before there was a RAIN: Journal of Appropriate Technology there was the Full Cir.de. That old title has new meaning for us here as RAIN the corporation (formally the RAIN Umbrella, Inc.) grows to include ThePort-· land Community Resource Center (PCRC). PCRC with its co-director Steve Johnson (who you'll recognize as a co- ! ounder,of RAIN) will give us the opportunity to practice focally what _we preach nationally. It will also give us the mechanism for getting out more of the mass of • information we have access to. We'll be able .to apply successful strategies from other regions to Portland's community problems. _ • · . • • The growing Umbrella is only one part of our efforts at working with other groups. Over the past few months we've· met wi-th nearly all of the communitybased energy and A.T. projects in the city_ - to begin coalition-building aimed at joint fundraising, co:..operative program plan'- . ning1 and eventuqlly a shared space. Portland has.in its communitygroups_a _. wealth of information and expertise, and we figure we can make better use of all the time and energy spent competing with ' eaclJ, other for.funds and attention. Besides, as a team, we are really quite formidable. We may even find that we have clout . .. a cheery ~hought. So, thank you D: Paul Sondel, for your wise words in 1978, • and your continued company in 1980. ·-cc \
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