June/July 1983 RAIN Page 23 we can actually create and manipulate life. Rifkin's vision of the future is undoubtedly weH-dpcumented, and while the future is impossible to predict, it is dear that Algeny contains some truths about the world in store for us. All in all, its a tough one to swallow. The possible changes that the "biotechnological" revolution might bring imdermine one's feeling about sensible action in the present. The images stay with the reader a mining operation that, rather than using human labor, uses a spedally CTeated "creature" whose only goal is to eat away at rock that surrounds copper. The creature is a kind of living robot. Or the image of a computer, not created by simple electrical components but using specific configurations of DNA, a computer that is in real life alive and even capable of reproducing itself. -SJ ACCESS: Organization Reviews British Unemployment Resource Network (BURN) 318 Summer Lane Birmingham, England B19 3RL Self-help projects for the unemployed are a common occurrence these days. They usually start with the basic assumption that unemployed people can help each other. Many of the projects simply involve informal get-togethers for unemployed persons where they can share their experiences, vent their frustrations, and perhaps help each other either to find work, and/or alternatives to work— such as sharing skills and resources. The British Unemployment Resource network was established as a clearinghouse/network for such activities in England. They publish the BURN newsletter which reports on self-help strategies for the unemployed such as skill exchanges, government policy affecting employment and personal stories of people seeking work or dealing with the psychological state of unemployment. Guy Dauncy, one of the founders of the network, has also published Nice Work If You Can Get It, an informative overview of strategies for dealing with being unemployed, alternative methods of "earning a living," and ways to find employment. Although written for a British audience, it is a useful overview for unemployment support groups in this country. Centerfor Innovation and Entrepreneurial Development 209 Classroom Unit University of California Santa Cruz, CA 95064 408/429-2980 When the National Science Foundation established several innovation centers nationwide, it linked them with existing business and engineering schools, except for this one. It works on conjunction with liberal arts and science courses at the University of California. The goal is to give first-hand experience to nonbusiness majors in developing the creative process, so vital to aspiring entrepreneurs. The basic course, "Innovation and Entrepreneurship," involves students in each step of actually developing an idea into an operating venture. It's not "taught" but facilitated by financial wizards and technological pioneers. Most impressive of all, CIED maintains it "questions whether a particular innovation should be developed into a commercial product or venture. Societal criteria— social benefit, safety, and environmental impact—will be viewed with strong emphasis." National Association of Business Clearinghouse 101515th St. NW Washington, DC 20009 202/457-0040 If it has to do with employment training, the NAB Clearinghouse knows about it. Their information services cater to employers in government, business, industry, education, and community-based organizations. And do they have information! Computer databases, newsletters, bulletins, catalogs, and indices full of it. Best of aU, it's free. Their staff research and compile up to 100 new training programs each month. The programs get indexed for ready on-line computer access. So, when information requests come in—they responded to some 5,000 in 1981—responses are usually made within a week. The Clearinghouse also constantly updates the programs it has described in its bulletins since 1979. Showcase, a newsletter produced eight times a year, contains short articles and success stories—government-business partnerships and training programs that successfully employ the disadvantaged. Each article concludes with a reference number to order further information. Working, published quarterly with a semi-annual index, contains profiles of employment training programs that serve the structurally unemployed, youth, women, and minorities. Many involve small businesses that work with community organizations to teach people applicable skills. The Working Index lists all Clearinghouse publications to date. Mountain Association for Community Economic Development (MACED) 210 Center Street Berea, KY 40403 606/986-8497 MACED was formed in 1976 by ten community-based development organizations in eastern Kentucky and southwest Virginia. Over the years, the organization has developed into a multi-faceted, economic development organization. It finances locally owned enterprises, develops housing, and undertakes other community development projects with local groups in Central Appalachia. Its staff of ten provides a wide range of technical assistance services. MACED helped a coalition of groups in Martin County, Kentucky, to develop an emergency medical facility which employs 27 people. In Middlesboro, Kentucky, MACED assisted in the development of a cooperative of 20 black construction workers which seeks individual jobs for members and bids on larger jobs. In 1981, MACED established its own financing division, the Cumberland Fund, with a $500,000 loan from the Rural Development Loan Fund of the U.S. Community Services Administration. The fund has been used directly and as leverage to free up other monies for the development of new businesses. MACED assisted the Bread and Chicken Flouse, a multi-racial cooperative of 20 women running a bakery and restaurant in southwest Virginia, by securing financing for a larger facility. It formed the Forest Products Center to provide market, production, financing, and other assistance necessary to stimulate the region's lagging hardwood industry. MACED also plans to develop a program that would support the purchase of enterprises by workers, and locally based management as an alternative to arbitrary plant closings or selling of locally owned firms to national corporations.
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