Page 34 RAIN February/March 1983 28th. For more information contact: Bureau of Housing and Community Development, 1120 SW 5th Ave., Portland, OR 97204, 503/796-5163. Sweet Reason In its offering of various perspectives — many regional and not normally expressed to the public — on our economic predicament, this premier issue of Sweet Reason conveys a collage of valuable messages. Up to ten essays from Oregon humanist scholars will continue to discuss contemporary themes in subsequent annual volumes. This edition's topic has permitted a survey of values appropriate to a young era of material limits. "Living at the End of an Era" by Richard Clinton, political scientist at Oregon State University (OSU), compares elements of an unsustainable society to those of a sustainable one. An equally provocative essay. Miles Shisido's "Two Ethical Styles in Contrast: American and Japanese," explores how beauty and simplicity, when sought and combined, contribute to a rewarding lifestyle that is materially thrifty. In "The Politics of Abundance Versus the Politics of Scarcity," University of Portland political scientist Gordon Schloming concludes that a "new ethic steadfastly refuses the tendency to separate personal and public ethics, insisting that a common standard of behavior rule family, market place, and public office." Perhaps the most relevant essay to the Pacific Northwest's economic condition comes from OSU historian William Robbinsi. He shows how absentee investors have lavishly exported trees, salmon, wheat, and produce out of the region to points east. "This colonial relationship," asserts Robbins, "which has victimized people as well as the environment, is one of the less heralded aspects of Northwest history." His concluding message stings a little, but reflects a century of environmental and political passivity: "Northwestemers, despite some acclaim to the contrary, have paid too little attention to the ecological requirements for husbanding the region's bounty. Citizens of the Northwest need to begin making their own history, to become more caring stewards of their environment and to think differently about the economic ethic which has altered and depreciated the region's abundance and contributed to the present state of affairs." Sweet Reason: The Ethic of Abundance in an Age ofAusterity, Oregon Essays, Issue 1 Carolyn Baun, Editor The Oregon Committee for the Humanities 418 SW Washington, Rm. 410 Portland, OR 97204 $7.95,1982, 75 pp. Shoalwater J.O.B.S. Reinvigorates Raymond What would happen if a small town that depended on twelve logging operations and lumber mills, some multinational, were abandoned by all but one of them over a decade? Eirst it would vent some anger and frustration; Raymond, Washington's igniting strike against Weyerhaeuser through the fall of '81 vented plenty. Then it might collectively dream and scheme and eventually create Shoalwater J.O.B.S., Job Opportunities and Bartering Skills, Ra)nnond's sprouting organization for employment and community renewal. J.O.B.S. designates the activities of the group's three project committees. Two of the committees are developing a firewood cutting and marketing cooperative and a worker-owned furniture factory. The third is preparing to open a community skills exchange . Shoalwater J.O.B.S. enjoys support from the Washington State Conversion Project, the Willapa Harbor Ministerial Association, Raymond's Catholic Church, the International Woodworkers of America Local 3-130, the Retail Qerks Union (United Pood and Commercial), the local International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, a student- faculty team at The Evergreen State College in Olympia, Washington, and the city hall copy machine. A nice family. The family helped secure a $500 grant from the Catholic Community Services of the Seattle Archdiocese and a $500 grant from the Washington State Labor Council to conduct feasibility studies for the projects. A benefit concert at The Evergreen State College brought $270 for the skills exchange. By March 1, members will be able to call the exchange for services for which they are charged hourly debits, while the worker earns hourly credits. To become a member, a person must work three hours a year for J.O.B.S., producing a newsletter, referring calls, or doing similar tasks. Volunteer staff accumulate a limited number of credits. Don Konstock, the group's coorganizer, has reason to be optimistic — even with Pacific County's 18-30 percent unemployment. "The people in the community," he feels, "are really working hard at it. The projects no longer interest just takers but also givers. People are getting excited; they met all through the holidays." He says Shoalwater J.O.B.S. has a verbal agreement with the State Labor Council to conduct future workshops in other communities numbed by plant closures. To offer tips or find out more, contact Don or Cheryl Konstock at Shoalwater J.O.B.S., PO Box 466, Ravmond, WA 98577, 206/942-2577.
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