UC52 April 1982 by Christopher Squire

New Titles From The Findhorn Press WILDERNESS '

Edited by Vance Martin

Wilderness examines the interplay of the scientific, ecological, social, cultural and spiritual aspects of our world's wild .places, as discussed at the 1980 World Wilderness Congress in Australia. Contributors include many well-known scientists and environmentalists including Lawens van der Post, Jean Dorst, Ian Player, Madame Laurance de Bonnwal, Wally O'Grady and Carol-AM Brant. Eight pages of stunning colour and many black and white photographs complement the text. "WIthin the pages of this book are the sinews that bridge and bind the distant pasts of humanity and nature with the bright promise of their, joint/A future. " G.Ray Amen, US. Assistant Seen of the Interior. Paperback, full-dour cover. ISBN 0 906191 61 0. Â£3.95 April 5th.

FROMNATION TO EMANATION

The Warkfs Foremost Journ'dl of Strdnge Phenomena.

Planetary Culture and World Governance William Irwin Thompson Based on lectures given at The Findhom Foundation, this is a lively and scholarly account of the transition from industrial civilisation to planetary culture, set against a background of prophecy and historical example. ' A R Ican see that he is some kind of map, adtft at issuingspellsasdperformingmind-futtlmg trieks-with bits of Wfuttstone. His tone is neither smmtional nwparanoid,which sets him apartfrom practically everybody else trying to cmnbreed s c k e and mysticism these days." Time Magazine. t "A shew delight to follow. " Neb York Times. h~=back,fall-colour cover and diagrams. ISBN 0 905249 45 3. Â£2.75 Late April

Poltergeists ~ o n s e r s Coincidences Miracles Fires * Antiquities Deaths Falls Teleportation Encounters Psi UFOs Science Mysteries Sc. much motn

SAMPLEA+ OR AIRMAILED ~ . O L

or write for details FORTEAN TIMES [Ek t W) BN-rORTEANTIMES. LO& WON 3XX

UNDERCURRENTS CONTENTS Eddies

..........................

News from everywhere

................ 8

Briggs Bomb Bogey

Has Raymond Briggs, the author of Fun~usThe Bogeyman, gone enthuke? We interview him about his new cartoon book.

Science Fictions

.................. 10

Anexchislw inwItWtion into recent reports Â¥ of an exploding chemical warfare moblishnwnt in the USSR

................... 11 Tony Allen's Diary of a Safety Valve . . 13 ~ e d & ~ e Walma't ch moustache and the Womenon Air

What em the chancas for feminist radio?

Work Ethic

............... 14

Gospel at Gunpoint

Misiionvy z e a l ~ o aOTTin Paraguay. Pat Snchir on the new Minority Rights Group report

Exploding TV

....................

The w l of miinnream ~ TV, by Stuart Hood

Tyne for a Change

............... 18

'If you must work, do something useful. Jobs report from Newastle

.................. 20 Beyond the Beast ................. 22 John Mey, ex-editor of The Bust Himalayan Tech

Technology itraagiof in Nepal

on H u m experimena,Atomic veterans and the anvimnmntal con of Japan's aconomic 'minds'

............... 23 M a t s What ..... !. .............. 24 WhatsWhen ..................... 25 Tha UC avena column Reviews ........................26 Books, video, music and e new Science Fiction column Classified Ads. ................... 31 Froth .......................... 32 Gossip, trivia and malicious rumour Wierd Stuff Bulletin

Do& Hmntm7 clocks mystery

from Loony b o o r o f r Undareuwents Ltd Is a eompan r lsterÃ§ under tnÃ law* of England no 1% 414) ~ ~ ~ i m i t e d ~ y g u wAnn t hu y. u r of Ixue.

OISTRIBUTION: WItnIn the (irlthh Isles by Fulltlme OI~tIlbutlOnaullaing K Albion Yard. 17 M f e St. ohd don N1 (of437 1460).

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EDITOR A OFFICE; 27 Iwkenwdl Clom, London OAT. ~ e i :01.213 ,303 ACCESS: We m e t at 7.30pm wery WanÃ‘da end all frtends of the m w u i n * we WICom*. COPY DATE: Undercurmnts 53 (Ma ) will be on sale Saturday ~ a 1st. cfosing d i & for left mlnute Items 1s April 19th. COPYRIGHT: The contents of Undercurrents am CO Yrlght: pWmlulon t o reprint h f r n l y elwn non-profit group* who apply In wrltlno, and sold to evryonÃ elm.

sÃ§l or return.

TYpeSETTlNQt sum 'n RDM 30 Camdm Rd. London N 1 (01-4Ãˆ%lz)

excÃ§pÂ¥m*rgenc mvice. It w a Â¥b mnounemd that ifur UM big 'IHÃ‘;uÃ‘FdrOutMweW l-upbytinitamof CND mlly on Jum 6th a prim w - m q l M u a a i ~ * ~~ m ~ T b D o o n o n campwill a bextupinHy(toPark 'PWÃ‘Aoiinitth*Nt*-,mettl pWtthtodMfc-@qawFva iri-tly. Â ¥ Ã § M Ã ˆ l l K Ã § w a M n ~ HIteoWnddwwrlAtBpmthe Also p m t x G m n h m 'Almdiwho p m l thiat h ~ Main GÃ§ and other ~irtranm Common wan mpnnittttiv of Jifmaan. For thon with a thint wÃ§ blockÃ§d by a chain of 150 th* A r t W P Ã ‘Coup x RAF Manygrou~fouixllh-rwy

Â¥nMÃ‘RKMpllMÃˆafttr

lit*. According to tha Daily E x p m RAF Wdford ia tho 1nudnr weapons stom in tha UK. Th* A n b Ã hoping to draw mention to ttr camp (which h a bÃ‘ rniovdfrom OfdSunny m i x ) through drmiu, miMte,MKtry and printing.

Mystery Deathsof CIA P--s ..... , *,. ......

WCEMBREPORT ER from tie Centut for 0s-

~ontrol is now retident in thÃ USA. . Similf deaths a# these, (CDC) i n Alldetails research Into Hidden, unexpected, occuring duringsiwn, h m been nocturnal dÃ‘U wnong SouthÃ‘* A*im refugees in the USA. dearibed ~bmwmi1967 and The CDC h i (Men notified of 38 such can*, ell but OR@of 1660) among young men in lÃ§iÃ- Pokkuri dimaw, and whom were men (of merage ege 32) andell a p p ~ e n f yoted among Philippinem q in the in their sleep without previously complaining of my Ã‡ym Phllippinea md b i i (Ben torn*. R ~ u l t ofeutopsiea s a d routine toxicologicd m n g ~ungtit). Witnat~ rmorud ~ tub haw not identified a CWM of dMtk In 30 of the 38 case 'turminal groans' and it has been investigetiom completed to date. su0~'todttut d n t h resulted

ktno

Remrctrrs believethat ..

......

Ãˆyndmme The number of sudden deaths among Laotian men, aged 25-44 is equal to the number covering the four lwdina niiuw of natural droth among American men of the ume age group. Suddm dÃ‘t in fact accounts for one third of fataiitles in this group of Laotians. Curiomiy. thÃ§ men em from the nmÃ tribe, the Hmong of the Northern Laotian highlands, aoainst which chemical warfare is laid to h w b u n used bv the Vietnamew. As

from 'nightmares'. The recant deaths among the

link has been luoawtod. ~

anon, but careful quntiming by C6C officials of w i m ~ e has * moiled that the- wunds are like them often heard during cudiac arrest Meanwhile, studies continue (of the 26 Laotian dead and 77 controls) to dettrmina whether death is associated with habitat, occupation, military experience, chronic streu, refugee-camp experiance or diiury changes. i s there a CIA connection?

fivour~blyby the government Knee their evacuation at the end of the Vietnam war. Tbre are 46,000 Hmonn in the USA. end according to arecant report each family receives up m Â£34a month; this ensi ion i s a reward for aiding the CIA in fighting . communuts in LÃˆ~> As asideline the tribe was reaponiible for cultivating Mid trading in opium m part of the ' m t army' of QÃ§nm Vang PRO,an oldtime CIA pawn. who

. . .

Films

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Cowfl !

.:'T',.~. J..~+~&G"-

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W V 16mmffirtxandvldÃ§ocÃ‘*Ck&^iir*~iiufefnuonnuc and WÃ‘POIl - f r t * * l ~ o ~ ~ ! . < m i f W to ~ Midninht-a s 80*In A u t r i l i i and tho USA. t-I to: Concod Film CouncR.201 Fdtatmn Root, lpiwich, &ffolk, IP3, OBJ. (0473-716754) poÃ‘

STOP PRESS: P ~ Ãupdate lit to POM* CaUlogua now anllebla

Undercurrents62

going, going

Thallium poisoning became notorious in 1972 when Graham Young, the ex-Broadmoor inmate, was w i d and convicted o f three murdari and seven attempted murders using this method. It appears that the South African regime is using the same method against political detainees. Siphiwo Mthimkulu, a 19 year-old student leader, was released after five months in gaol, i n October 1981. He was immediately admitted t o hospital, complaining of pains in the feet and abdomen. After tests i n Groote Schuur Hosptial, Cape Town, his illness was diagnosed as Thallium poisoning. He finally returned home o n 1 7 January 1982 - in a wheelchair. Thallium is a rare metal, formerly used i n the sulphate salt form for rat and ant poisons, and f o r scalp ringworm treatment. However, if ingested orally or by skin absorption, it is a lethal and cumulative poison. The lethal dose is 1.75g and sublethal doses can cause permanent

...

But the survey also demons7-.trates that segregation by sex operates in a number o f other - is ways: women are more likely t o be in non-unionised work, and so their capacity t o fight redundancies is limited; they have poorer access than men t o training schemes; and there are restrictions in child care provision. Ă&#x201A;ÂĽ> . pioposals for action sugwst improved state child care, job sharing arrangements and local training forums. The project is pledged t o end sex stereotyping-and t o get a new govern- Y ment A recent pubucanon b y Haringey a* LwiShemWOmen's *Women Where are your Jobs merit Projects has looked at proscan be ordered from p e c k i n the job market, and finds Harlngey Women's Employment Project, z0 Braband that national unemployment for London N22. has incmmad at agreater * A conference on Employment rate than for men. As industries and Tralnlna for Women w i l l be held at swarthinore, woodhouse rationalise production investment Square, Leeds on 22 and 23 May. innew machinwy close down Contact: East Leeds Women's plank the resulting Workshops, 188 Roundhay Road, cuts i n jobs affect women first. Leeds 8.

damage. It affects most body functwns except the blood. Classical symptoms include loss of hair, convulsions, delirium and abdominal pain. The reasons for the use of such a poison can only be presumed. Perhaps the authorities had hoped t o permanently damage Siphiwo psychologically and thus render him inactive. Unfortunately this case is unlikely t o be isolated. Statements of recently released detainees in South Africa indicate that they also have been subject t o abuse by some chemical agent affecting the central nervous system. Their claims are currently being investigated. Peoples News Service

'.-2 <

FA R E I M LUD! Last May one million Londoners voted for a Labour Greater London Council pledged t o cheap fares. N o w fares are meeting 73 per cent of the cost of running London's buses. This gives the lowest ratio of subsidy t o fares compared w i t h 44 other cities in the world, according t o a recent survey. A rally outside London County Hall last month drew about 2000 people i n support of the GLC's fight against the Law Lord's decision that Fares Fare is illegal. Speakers who were introduced by Ken Livingstone GLC leader, addressed the crowd from the top of an open decked bus. Dave Wetzel, the transport chairman, urged passengers t o pay the o l d ticket prices, "It's a bad law that stops us having cheap fares, and bad laws are there for break-

ing," he said. By his side was Valerie Wise who is running the campaign, 'Can't Pay - Won't Pay', and a few seats along Tony Benn, who took the opportunity t o cornpare London's transport with North Africa's: "London's transport system should be as good as the Sahara's," he announced digging at MrsThatcher's energetic mobilisation of vehicles i n the desert t o find her rally driver son. He added, "The choice was vote Tory - and we get a Horace Cutler (in County Hall) - o r vote Labour and get Lord Denning.' (Key baddy i n the Fares Debate). I n more relaxed surroundings around the corner on the South Bank at Waterloo a Fares Fair festival was held the same day. This was organised by the CoOperative Retail Services in conjunction w i t h the GLC, and enabled community groups and trade unions t o sharea stage with entertainers who opposed the fare rises with songs, balloons and jokes' With 00'000 car trips expected in the city each day, and cuts in all kinds of public transport on the way, a sense of humour w i l l be needed.

Sixty L o r d Denning lookalikes pose i n front o f the 159 bus they hijacked i n West E n d Lane i n West Hampstead o n 11 March a s p a n o f the cheap fares campaign. The bus covered i n posters and banners was forced to call i n a t Westminister b y is occupants who assailed pedestrians with advice . .fI". G o d wanted you to travel he'd have given you a tach". andeven "Let them take cabs". The bewigged, berobed Lords, i n defiant geriatric m o o d took h a l f an hour t o alight outside parliament where they were greeted b y supporters and press and a cadre o f motorcycle police.. . they were eventually movedon.

u M f . , M @ ~ , , . l ~ t o ~ dÃ‘truotnfore*. MCANW's letfr prenc-d a held by % ~ mngPhyilciam for the Prmntton of Nuclear War in Cambridge which looked at the medical conquencm of an atomic attack. This week their conclusions will be presented to John Non, the Defence secretary. "We must r i c h thou who perpetuate the myth of 'limited' nuclnr war", EHwtfnmm* ~ f o r * ~ ~ CWn ~ ftvle m of MCANW. * ~ "But urn po-lbl*Cd.mlt)MartyÂ¥MB w I d n N I P P N M Â ¥ n n o ~ i 8 p n w n ~ m l B u l 8~olitic-groups. and MM will ~ ~ t h wwhdu * ~ our atat~ent tho*

cmmwm Awm Nu* conwimpMfitewhoinwa wmw. I n e n ~ ~ ^ ~ ~ t e f t ^ t o i hcommon > concm for IVa" TimÃ end the QuwdlMi on April

TherenÂ¥Irwd thirty rioht

city group8 of MCANW in BritÃˆl z-(~rtal1800(bMtunft McAm*ilPmwfor~ m d in Miy t w n t y five doctor* ~~o~~~~MouN~BMM~MIIMCHCM from the Campaign will be going to the Soviet Union to mt their counterporti, the phyklam for nmtha#pn8hwouldbeitÃ‘tro the M w n t i o n of N u c h r Ww at o d h i m f f n 8 t o 1 0 m l n ~ o u n d the Acwtomy of Mdicim. They th* 'tmnf; t h m would b* 8 hop* to include Lmningrad end ~ o f n M d t e i l m p p I l M n citlw in Eetonia on their tour.

profÃ‘Ion.Inft*iHwiMthof nu* tuck. (m

-pc~fore'RlnhtOf. .

SOP takeover of t h a ~ i w b t w man, md mlad rÃ‘de to write in supporting the line followed by ex-editor Bruce PÃ§o(now tht W s bwn demoted to tee-boy). An Undercurrent! poreon Hvw StMÃ‘m 'to put the in ~ r l c~t u ~ r e s~t m ~ . ~ ~ b m favour m n of a fraer dlnributton , sytem for radical i ~ w i p u m ito th8t m i i ~ i n 1i a 't haw to rely on whims of W H Smith. Parham there (hoqkl be a Freedom Of

thÃ§

....

9 scrnn of connrvtion 8 ~Wsi t OorÃ‘ FOE. Thiir i w n t dlMation cam^ aftf a four month M a with the T ~ sover t th8 , future of Ltmbert's CMtie,an Iron ABB hill fort in Marshwood, Dorat. DM Trust orighcHy applied to Dorat County Councilfor 8 l b n w to fell the site of 330 IerchÃ i d Scott pin- which hflu roftetwo tnffn 'Â¥cooofn MÃ§k'In p m m t FOElaunched a cimpaian, supported by local mambers of th* Nation*! Trust, to Â¥ the uw from what they ~y it 'indiscriminem destruction'. The sift touching the boundarbs of three counties is a beauty Ã§pot valued for the antiquity of the fort u mil as the wildlife it ~ ~ p p oin r tthe i mature woodlands. Suocm t w m d at hand .when the Trust withdraw their

Diltrlbutfon Act ilmllw to that opfting in Franc*. Tony Bwin wnppfd UP tfn mating with #qmefunny (torim and a critique, of the B i n In N m v * p Ã ‡ Nothing wry new; -.no d practical proporils wre igiwd upon, but then were VHM uMful workshops. UPF's IMJm ewhow creepingonto the Dolitical m e n d a good indiation it's gaining~&~icle.

many healthy trees besides thon dÃ‘ or 'dangerous'; they main-

tain then will sufftr the 'windblow effect'. (Treat become IL vulnerable to collapse when their 0 K neighbours are felled.) I f new8sary the FOEcan pull Â their lint straw i d mk for a tree presewation order to be pfocÃ§on mrtgin trees. But there is (tillthe problem of er@on end dinwmto the toptoil txciiM such a lwae K Ã §a x u t k m would 14 the u~sfhÃ‘uvwinchM'Â¥Ma

. -. West Dorset Friendi of tin Earth sand &U owr HM dm& application following a meeting with local authorities, and FOE The next teÃ§ for the National Trust was to proant their d j u i f d plan to Wmt D o m t Council. But m we go topwst

tmt

their renewed apoikation k d l in the pipelme. And FOEr m t n aÃ‘pl concerndabout the rite. Although it isponibie the Trust will KJledown thefallingtheir Mtimatt for extraction includes

ThX unuMMi dnh with the %tiont TRIM prompts FOEto wonder if the Trust i s interpreting if policy a'liberally' elsewhere. MtEnwhile West Dornt FOEIs , thinking of occupying Lambent Cntle. If any sneaky w i n g goes on In the woods they will be the first to heir it.

w B

Undercurrents 52

THE PHILIPPINES Soma Third World delegates to last year'! UN conference on new and renewable source! of energy protested becauu they felt tint they were bring fobbed off with secondary solutions and deprived of the opportunity t o join the nuclear energy powert. A country which ha8 not been Â¥ubjectot o such "discrimination" is America's loyal ally, the Phillipinn, which is being given a (pecial prhrilw. It is being allowed t o buy a Westinghouse nucleu- reactor which would never be allowed t o function i n such conditions i n tin US. It lies within 22 miles of three mud flows. The study warned geological faults and only six that volcanic surveiolance systems miles from an active volcano in could not provide the long Bataan province. The site was advance warning needed for a shaken by an earthquake register- reactor shutdown and removal ing 7.4 on the Richter scale as and safe storage of fuel rods. recently as 1968 and the InterI n the US, the Coalition national Atomic Energy Agency Against Reactor Exports (CARE) warned in 1978 of the danger of asked the Nuclear Regulatory "ash fall, impact of volcanic Commission to block the sale of ejects, glowing avalanches, overthe reactor. Federal regulations flowing w a s h emulsions and gas specifically lay down that no accumulations" as well as levaexport licence can be issued if

there is "an unreasonable risk to public health end safety." The NRC d e c i i that the State Department was right t o say that such a ban would constitute "interference in another nation's internal affairs." The government's own Phillipine Power Company has pointed out that nuclear energy will cost 1,500 dollars per kilowatt compared with 1,000 dollars for hydro-electric power and 900 dollars for goo-thermal geysers. This was brushed aside. A spokesperson of CARE commented: "We have the grom situation of Westinghouse dumping the riskiest technology in the world on a people silenced by martial law." David Ross

- u w m - m

Counter Information Services have produced a new booklet, Called 'War Lords'. its an investigation into the UKArms Industry.

who benefits from the Arms Spiral. Chapters include infer-

mation or loyeas in the Arms industry, interested industrialists end chemical warfare. 'WW Lords' is well-researched and highly

essential read More on CIS and the 'War Lords' in a later issue of Undercurrents.

falls to Bangladesh's army, government workers, and already comfortable urban areas. A new publication from War on Want traces the history of Britain's presence and its effect on Bangladesh's oolitic! and economy. (price Â£1.9 from 467 Caledonian R o d , London N7 9BE. War On Wnt

BANGLADESH: Britain glvu Â£4 million a y n r t o Balgladmh In Â¥Idbut mint of It hdplng Brltlsh commniu. Ilk8 t h o n backlna tha T n ~ahnbilitatlonprojmt i n d the Railway proJict. Ewn Britain's notorlous 'long arm of tha law' h u n i c h i d out t h m ; the Brltlah govrnmant Is aiding tha country with I f IXpUUM 30K-ttf-thÃ r M n u a budget g m on 'law and order'. ThÃ EEC la anothar loop. hole through which British money

Tha Wen Berlin chmiCM COM" paw. Fnxk ChemÃˆ a a being pr-ted for tin production and otport of subsfneM il-I under Wen Garmm and dlid law. the S u b s f n c ~ TO chinkd wupom and in* importÃ‘ TO brae1

USA: The US Supreme Court has refund t o hear an appeal launched by the Onlala Sioux Tribe of South Dakota In thÃ§iefforta t o raclaim their land, the Black Hills. Lower court rulings llmltod the Dakota (Sioux) Nitlons t o a c u h mttlemant u compenmtion for the l o o of the land 80% of which is now owned by tha Federal government. The Sloux's appeal for the return of the land it-If will now h i f t to the Unlted Nations, whim tha Human RIghf Comminlon will decide whathar governmant Is violitlng law In its handllna of thÃ§Xclalm KIITO

NETHERLANDS: The Anti Apartheid Movement is sending ' an open letter to the Dutch government protesting the illegal transportand enrichment of . uranium from Namibia in Holland. Several anti nuclear as well as anti apartheid groups are currently researching transportroutes of Namibian uranium through the country. Information from (or to) Anti Aparthaida BÃˆwegin Nederland, Potbus 10500, 1001 EM Amsterdam, Netherland. ~elephone(020) 237336. K1IT.G

SAUDI ARABIA: The world's firat solar-tlMtrIc dwallnatlon plant Is now producing 1000 gillon8 of drinking water per d w for Mobll a m p l o y 8 near Jeddah. D t i g n 4 by Mobll Tvco m d powred by an 8 kilowatt array of photwoltalc wlls, the plant Is twice as afficlant u thn usual thermal d m l l n i t l o n orown. hrligus Bullotln

The chemicals that were found in a raid of Ferak's prehites&rn ~erchloroipathylm&captanand its derivative Thiophogene. The latter is closelv related t o phosgene, therespiratory Kent responsible for 80% of death* by chemicals in World War I. Another substonce produced by this cornpany wu bromocyan, which w~ uÃ‘ by the Austrians In gis grangdn. The thlophosgwie w u productd b t w n 1973 wid 1978 and exported t o l s r ~bl t w n n 1977 and 1979. I n on* y n r the t o u l production of 1666 kiteg m s wu axported to luwi shippad u h a r m i w modlwi subauncw. Thara la no wldanw that luaal h i u ~ t hd m c h m l w i s In warfan doepita tha wggntlons from the Arab Studant Fidwatlon of Germmy thnt t h m nvi8tiona a n linked to tha clalms of thn UM of chmloal wrfar* by Philanglit f o r m wlnit P a i n t i n h a In South Lobinon. hoplw Nvm &wla

r--

TICKETS

VEGETARIAN

Chile Solidarity Campaign Presents

m - u-

Thuwrfay 22April 1982 7.30pm

Dominion Theatre.

Undercurrents 52

PAT SINCLAIR asked Raymond Brimwhy he'd turned from the slime (Fungus the Bogeyman) to the apocalypse (When the Wind Blows). It's definitely not kid's stuff.

'Propaganda against CND? I think that's reasonable don't you?' Raymond Briggs ordered coffee and an unhealthily tanned slice of apple pie before answering his own question. 'Only if you allow the other side of the argument- the opponent's propaganda - to be heard too of course. I don't know that that will happen in the schools in my area, the Headmasters are a bunch of autocrate. Aligned autocrats though.. you gee all of them will welcome the Mioutly of Information,but all too will ignore die parents. The government is circulating this film around to the schools called A Better Road to Peace. It knocks CND on the head by playing down the seriousness of nuclear war. This worries me a great deal. it's not quite the same as the old VD scare films they used to send out'

Blow Out The new book is When the Wind Blows, a startling comic strip tale of the massacre of two very ordinary Innocents. Raymond Briges gives us a retired couple living limply and innocuously in the country. They are preparing for a nudeu attack. (They know it's coining because like all sensible folk they are never out of earshot of broadcast news.) Ihey follow the correct procedure laid down by HMG in the pamphlet Protect and Survive : the windows are whiled out, the interior doors are ripped out and stuck together to make the inner sanctum, the 45 degree leanto (there is a the wnvemtion was taking p b in temporary setback on this, they find, suitably antkeptic mrouadlngk. Some- with no protractor in the house); bottled water, tinned peas, and a bunsen how we had picked the o d y Regent burner stand ready. Barely believing in Street cafe which cloBM at 4.30 in the the inevitableness of the bomb, and afternoon, and the floor was being drawing wrong headed parallels between flushed liberally with disinfectant by a it and 'Churchill's and Hitler's annew', Manuel of Fiwlty Towers lookalike. the couple nevertheless try to keep the 'WominS8Hour to lunnhg a proHome Fire burning. Of course it is gramme called "What dial1 we tell the anyway. all on its own. and so are thev. I am dbcumhg thk film on It, with the Minister Geoffrey Patti and John Hayle of the Parent Teacham Amochtlon.' Brigg8 continued, 'I don't hive mch diong5pinIona on the right oath to defence, but I &all emphflie my concern about the whItewMhtag that'i going on. all thb tuff about h l d 4 behind the living room door In a potato Ã‘e cum the bang. 'Hat, pttUy, kwhatmybookkabout andthe horror of nuclwr wr.'

Was the book selling on the children's counter, I wondered? Raymond Brig* agreed that many of his previous books - Father Christmas, The Snowman, and Fungus the Bogeyman - designed for children were very often bought and kept by adults. 'But I think this is an adult's book. Did you see The War Game? Perhaps this is my version of it. I was very disappointed when it was banned by the BBC.'

...

on us. Raymond Brings shielded a nostril, and Manuel edged towards me. He looked like someone witnessing a conspiracy in the making. Raymond Briggs, indeed, speaks often in asides, hovering between the quizzical and the irrelevant. Did they come from a Schulz-inspired resignation with the world?

PO^ no. etea~.

a/f OM-

'I haven't got strong views any more, It's true,' he lays, 'But I can't accept that it'i better to be Red than dead By that I mean saying such a thing doesn't lid ui of nuclear war, not that I detest Redness. My politics are vague, I'd probably vote SDP, it'i a good party for the Don't Know*.' He eyed Manuel. 'You may my I'm not a Marxist, which will put Marxism Today itnight. would I do them a regular strip cartoon Hum!'

bift with the (implictty Intact, they

. ..

find they hkw nirvtved: 'The bomb won't coÃ§ ui a penny, wo'll bo well covaod', they ~y thinking about the Iniumnc*. Naturtlly, dtoay then nti In, and Rlggi (pan ui nothing of the terrible patho* of the pair; nor indeed of the effect* of foil-out; the couple vomit, turn puiple, and keel over. Tley die u obediently M they had lived.

Brmt Thigh Hid he ever worked for a paper? 'NO, doing that would bo ritvery. I've d m y i Illuitnted boob, my flnt job w u the book, How Lkwp to Plant Your Bulbs. I drew ilx horizontal Unm, threw In ilx bulb*. and potted eight guineu.' And before that? 'I went to Wlmbledon Art

'NEVER let the facts spoil a good story* is an old Fleet Street maxim. Scare stories about nuclear and chemical disasters have been winted by

several journals in the West even Undercurrents (the last word in ' objective reporting) slipped up in issue 50 by mentioning an accident at a chemical warfare establishment in the USSR which never happened. These stories are used to strengthen arms lobbies in the W DD outs the record straiaht. civilian staff at the hospital threatened fast react? quickly replaced by the military, cooling system, says unofficial dressed in all envelop! report' was the headline in tective clothing; local people were Nature's 31 Jan 1980 number to innoculated; but to no avail; the an account of a major fire at the epidemic raged through ~ p r i l30 , or 40 Belharsk nuclear plant in the succumbing each day; none of the sick Urals. The story was taken verrecovered and the bodies of the dead batim from the January 1980 were not returned to their relatives, who were given empty coffins to bury(!). In issue of Posse", the magazine of all 1.000 movie died. the NTS (Peo~le'sWorkers' In ~ a the y topsoil was stripped off ~lliance) a ~ k hemigd n organand taken away; all the streets in the isation. The report, headlined were reasphalted Even the 'Sverdlwsk was again on the edge village customary 'KGB' colonel made his of destruction' (the first time scheduled appearance at the scene. He being the Kyshtym disaster was one Colonel General E Smimov d e d b e d in Undercurrents 42)' (sic), an epidemiologist. was signed 'NN' and purported to In July the story reappeared in the New York Times which had taken it come from Sverdlwsk. from another emigre piper, Russkaya Once is Bad Luck Mysl.It was embellished with a map of

'FIRE

It Slid that during the '79 New Year revels at the Beloyarsk plant 60 miles c u t of the town a discarded cigarette Â¥startea major fire; only heroic efforts extinguished it just before it reached the radioactive sodium coolant which would have exploded, dousing Chelyabinsk Oblast with radioactivity. Unfortunately for the disaster mongers, as a MI A.D.Smith of the UKAEA pointed out a month later (Nature March 6 1980) at the time of the 'accident' the Beloyarsk fast breeder was at least a year away from completion; there was no way that the fire could have led to a radioactive escape. Undismayed by this rebuttal. Nature returned to the attack on March 27 (p.294) by printing (without a credit this time) the second part of NN's account in Possev (Jan.1980) of an 'Incident at Military Village No.19'. which tells in lurid detail of an alleged escape of anthrax virus in eariy April 79. It was stated to be the virulent V21 strain developed is a possible germ weapon, which induces pulmonary anthrax and is spread by airborne spores. The virus was allegedly released by an accidental explosion at Militaiy Village no.19 in the SW suburbs of Sverdlovsk and carried by strong winds 20 miles south to the village of Kashino. Villagers developed raging fevers of 42Â¡ and died within hours. NN rives an elaborate account of what happened: 3'

the area. Oddly, this didn't show a small town, Aramil, which lies between Sverdlovsk and Kashino. Nor did NN report any casualties from it. Perhaps the soviets obliterated it after the

~disastehr? t

Twice is Carelessness A more sober view of the anthrax outbreak has come from Dr Zhores Medvedev, a Russian biochemist now working in London (New Scientist 31 July 80, p.300) and from Nicholas Wade in Science (2 September 80) from Dr Vivian Wyatt1 in New Scientist (4 September 1980). It seems that the real cause of the outbreak was intestinal anthrax from the infected meat of privately owned cattle sold in the local markets. The soil of the region has been endemicalb infected with anthrax spores for "'MY decades; there were more than 150 cases recorded between the Thirties and 1960. TTie widespread epidemic of foot and mouth disease among British cattle twenty years ago sprang from similarly cureless beginnings. Fortunately it's much less fatal to humans than anthrax; otherwise the Russians might have got the idea that Britain was full of exploding germ warfare labs. The tendentious reprinting of stories such is these in 'responsible*journals serves only one interest: that of the lobby for chemical and biological aims. It's not what people don't know that does the harm, said Mark Twain, it's what they know that ain't so.

Ă&#x201A;

Undercurrents 52

Given this earsore masquerading as a plurality of interests, we have decided that our k t option is to make programmes ouiselvea, about issues we are interested in, and with women who want to use the medium productively to comm*& their ideas, and to give pleasure to women listeners. Havine made

them to stations.

We are learning how with a few vox to use the technical medium and we're DOPS thrown in to add spice. mention the tWmg to push stations into beins at le&t -k&Uy democratic. ~hk dt l - One of the most p&&irn featuns ' 'Aaaaah I'd like to step out Of your mdte andgive you a big kiss'. (sic) of locd (BBC & ILR) &lo is the itatlois areoveondtoacceu to nontype of episode. constant stream of doctors, psychlap r o f e s r i o n ~It's~ a long bird haul. However, we ban bid two programmes tristo, wine buffs, gardeners, food price , A b i t o f &credibility gap from that watchers, tipsters, agonyaunts and to objectivity, the great touchstone broadcast on London station*, and of coun* of the BBC and IBA. There i~ women's radio groups in Southampton uncles etc, etc, who trot out advice to no such thing as the truth nestling in p d Sheffield are making good headway. listeners at every possible opportunity. To be interviewed shout current the middle of two sides of an Issue; in attain or 'news', you generally have to Vox pops fact radio enshrines certain attitude* be a famous and succeuful person. about the way aodety works and the How do our programmes differ from Phone-in shows tie a parody of ~ o f ~ w e u u e x p e c t ~ m the BBC and ILR, apart (rom their 'open' air waves since most callers our lives. feminist content? Content is affected , during the &yare women, DJs me An avenge week's listening t o BBC by the way it'i presented. Therefore, ' Radio 4 leaves the woman listener we have no experts in our programmes, their power to humiliate and patronise with extraordinary ingenuity. If women convinced that her concern*are getting female or male; our assumption is that don%agree with them they tell women her tarnfly through breat&st cheerwomen's experiences speak for themthey're stupid, cut them off the air, M b PJW'),politia notselves. This excludes, for initance, the *C @& U X O ~ ~@ . O & ~ Y % to do with her (the 'new*'), Chrirtluitty format of the commentator dm* is the cultural norm (the daily wnlce), ~ ~ , & l e c t u N ot to together the opinions of wrlou VIfs

- -

---

fr*

qpr..--

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-To

Undercurrents 52

Â¥bouviolence on the estate,M i know ttatbwufthey cmUNloimdnpt0duelloaqulpment, thty'r*Jn a

Undercurrents52

A Â¥

...OF A L.--Y VALVE

DIn

---

RD WE ONE ABOUT

THAT'S ENTERTAINMENT! Piccadilly Circus. Forkingout for overpriced drinks during the interval was A t least one in ten of my gigs end up in the crunch and if I hadn't ripped-off serious heckling or people openly both our glasses Iwould have been arguing or discussing things with me or lumbered with guilt and self-loathing each other afterwards. Which, for me, -for ages after. means I must be getting it wrong for The big selling poster lately in London's 90% of the time. Still it's a start trendie poster boutiques is a study o f I don't think I'llever go near a television studio again until I've understood 'the Che Guevara o f the eighties' Lech Welensa. (The next thing of course will the nature of the media and how to be the opening of a fashionable burger have an impact on it Mass media ' joint called 'The Great Polish Meat entertainment, everything from The Ration'.) Inthe pic Lech's lookinga bit French Lieutenant's Woman to the Pot Black championship, must surely be the thoughtful behind his Walrus tach and his hands are clasped together in his lap contemporary opium of the masses and - praying. I speak as a mild addict although I'm Meantime his old comrade the Pope cutting down to the occasional film, recently gave a bollocking to radical televised sport and the news. Jesuits, telling them that they were not ' I challenge any leftie to s i t through Warren Beatty's apathy-inducingpiece . Social workers, doctors, trade unionists or political activists butprksts and of movie magic Reds currently in the should keep their noses out o f stuff that West End without wanting to throw up didn't concern them. Nice bit of timing at the knowledge that the whole from his ' P o t i i holiness, Clwly, shabang was financed by the multithere's no chance of a potter of the national Gulf Oil and the film is one of Pope with his fist held committedly in Ronald Reagan's current favourites i n the air. his private White House Cine Studio: It might as well have been about Adolf and Eva and called Nazis, far from being JOY LESS WORK CAUSES CANCER a celebration of revolution, it's pure Hollywood. Reds 2 is doubtlessly I rarely turn down benefits. I'll do 'em all: Zen buddhist centres, Anarchist already on its way, My expectations of live peformances famines, No Nukes, you name it (they are a little higher, so along with 3,000 usually pay more in expenses than I get others, mainly heavy metal headbangers from regular gigs anyway). I went to see Alice Cooper in Brighton, But there's one campaign Ican't and couldn't believe how sordid, support, no matter how much Isearch my soul and that's the Right To Work. reactionary and (worst of all) 'conIjust don't identify with it, nwer have tained' the whole show was, enough done. Spending my adolescence as a said. If that wasn't enough. I was taken to see (I promise you, I'd layabout in a billiard hall with sporadic periods of misery on the factory floor never have gone otherwise) Dario Fo's to pay off my gambling debts; also happy little incitement to loot and riot watching my father, an avid workaholic Can't Pay Won't Pay at the Criterion,

THE LEFTE WHO GlOl5 INTO A KENTUCKY FRIED

ALTERNATIVE

COMIC WORKING

HARD R>R LAUGHS--die o f cancer (caused by 45 years of joyless work) six months before his retirement date, left me with nothing but loathing for work and the work ethic. Having said that, I have to concede that militant industrial workersat the point of production would pose an immediate and potent threat t o the arch enemy, the Multinationals. I'm also aware of what a personal and financial cold turkey unemployment i s to someone who's built their life around a steady job; and obviously my position as a solo professional cabaret artiste is only tenable so long as there's 500 punters stood alongside a conveyor belt, each thumping rivets in the arse-ends of mini metros eight hours a day, 40 hours a week, 45 years of their life. Work! I know about it,understand it, but I could never ask anyone to identify with it.

And now in complete contradiction

. . .Help provide work for. techno-

artisans. BUY.. TONY ALLEN LIVE! One of our safety valves i s missing! a 40 minute cassette. Â£2.5 incl p&p from RED TAPES, PO Box 64, Sheffield S1 IBY.

'THE WORLD BECOMES CLEARER-^! TECHNOLOGY

Undercurrents62

Undercurrents 52

PARAGUAY COMMITTEE FOR HUMAN RIGHTS

PCHR monitors and denounce* violations of human right! whiih occur in Paraguay. in the caw both of individuals and in PÃ§raguaysociety as a whole. PCHR informs the British public about

the nature and causes of individual and soclal injustice in Paraguayan society, and where w r o p r i i t o their relatiomhip to Britain.

unexpectedly influential force in Paraguay the Saviour Squads. With such an assorted den of thieves w there are in Paraguay it might seem chuillsh to {rickon the mlisionarie*. But the human rights organisation, Surrhral Internatiorul, his published two extensive documents which look It the work of variom mioionuiescutrentfy in PMazuay. They have come 'tothe conclusion that most missionaries are little more Hum the spearhead of western 'civilisation' operating on paternal lines. But: 'Others such as the New Tribes Miision. are amongst the worse aggressors directly responsible in their blind ignorance, for the destruction of Indian society and culture crushing people they, seem incapable They are based of understanding. in the developed world and maintain an lunge of altruism and phllanthropy which must be exposed where the facts point to brutality and repression.' Luke Holland of Survival International makes it dear that the spectrum of Christian Minions in Paraguay Is broad; there are 'pro' Indian groups, like the Roman Catholic Church, generally sympathetic to indigenous cultures, and there are the more fanatical groups, the Anglican SAMS,and most other Protestant Fundamentalists.

...

Luke's Testament The recurring disaster though, says Luke Holland, is their 'proselytising which is an attack on the Indiani' traditional system of beliefs and religion and culture.' He believes the missionaries should not be Ignored. 'I spent six months in Paraguay visiting the Indian tribes. I was quite used to the workings

---

of the missionaries because my parents were member of the Society of Brothers, and I spent my childhood at Makthlawalya. Now I we that -of -thew

Indtanlodety.Theteam*areforce-

fed theGo(pel, theydontstanda chuiee. 'Bey RO being dragged into western 'dvilisÃ§tioo and thow that don't make the transition die.' To fflostiate their blight Hollmd his put together an exhibition consisting of documents, photographs and his personal diary of his travels in Paraguay. TTie message is a powerful one a dispirited Indian slumps in a filthy shack 'supervised' by a New Tribes missionary; another covep the goods in a shop owned by the white Mennonites who have made the Chat% reaim their stronghold. There an pictures extraordinary for their depiction of the details of colonisation a cart WKng across the dusty tracks of&Iakthlawaiya, taxi for the whites, and fact of life for the Indian driver; a M a h Indian posing for the western camera,a ptrody of his culture. Most disturbing is the tale of the manhunt - we see not the fantasy of saved and grateful Pig people (the Ayoreo tribe holding odt in North West Quco) welcoming the arrivalof the light planes and the Good Book,but some very confuted and thin captives who react badly to the missionaries' pen* It is this aspect of missionary zeal boot on the neck convenion to fath which Luke Holland is particularly anxious to expose. 'It is more thu> capitalising on the goodwill of the Indians,' he says, 'Ihis is twentieth centwy slavery.'

PCHR co-antirutea its activities with other similar Latin American o m i s m i o m in Britain that (hare if objective!. PCHR is made upof British and Paraguayan people from ill walks of life. It holds regular monthly meetings, inuu a bh , monthly bulletin idorganism social and cultural wenti m l f d to Pmguay. PCHR providm speakan for mmtings, h a n slide-tape (how for him and Mils books uid pamphlet* on Pmguay.

PCHR NEEDS YOUR SUPPORT NOW

Pit Sinclair

with to becomaa nwmber of the Paraguay k'nmittw for Human Rights and a d o r mnud membmhip fee of Â£6.0 Iwqal), '2.00 (u-I, Â£100tinstitutionall.

..................... ADDRESS. ..... :............ UAME

SIGNED..

. . . . . . . . DATE.. ....

to Tfaauay Committee for Hunun Right*', IS Burford Gdns. London N13 4LfÃˆ. B*nker'< Order to: 7Committee forHuman Rtghts', Account no. 21018256. M i d t d Bank, A l d Ã § m ' Hill, Palmers Groan, London N13.

Undercurrents 52

STUART ~ 0 6 ~ ; a u t h o rof On Television ( ~ l u t opress) d e b u n k s some of t h e myths about t h e glorious socialist future of TV and video. After all t h e futurologist's dream often ignores the question of who will control t h e technology. newspapers delivered electrically into WE ARE only too familiar with our own homes (what these would t h e optimism of the futurologists cost, given the price of photocopying, who describe how - before the is not generally discussed). end of t h e century, if n o t sooner What the futurologists do not we shall sit at home watching mention is the extent to which large programmes on a television screen business interests are involved in the as big as the living-room wall. promotion of the new technology or These programmes, they predict, the fact that the criteria of the will have a variety of sources of businessmen who decide where to origin: direct transmissions from invest are based not on the grounds of ground stations, satellite trailssocial benefit but of profitability. In missions, cable transmissions, short, whether out of nairety or because of deliberate suppression, the video-tapes and recordings from futurologists omit to pose the funda- pohapack. t h e domestic mental questions which are: are such To supplement all this there will be developments inevitable or desirable? various services at our beck and call: and who will control their messages the ability to call up data from memory and benefit from their development? banks all over the world, to participate Video innocents in consumer, opinion and election Among the innocents are those who polls by feeding information into a believe that new technology by itself two-way system; to receive informwill lead to radical sodal change. There ation in the form of teletexts or of

is a salutary lesson to be learnt in this connection from the dreams of the video enthusiasts of the Sixties and Seventies who believed that the advent of the portapack and the extension of cable television meant that the.conventional forms of television broadcasting could be subverted and replaced by community video, by the use of the new technology at grassroots level and the distribution of the signals through cable networks that cut out the controls of the great broadcasting institutions, whether commercial or public service. It was a utopian idea which had about it a strong whiff of McLuhan's doctrine of the medium being the menage and his disregard of economic, political and social constraints on the functioning and control of broadcasting. There ia no denying that the new technological possibilities are available and that they will have a crucial effect *onthe media as we know them. One likely result of the increase in the available sources of television signals - cable, satellite, cassettes, light-weight video -will be the weakening of the centralised broadcasting institutions. If this were to lead to a breakdown in centralised control of television and a corresponding democratisation of the institutions which provide the programmes this would be no bad thing. Although the question must remain whether any society will wiliingly relinquish its controlling powers over a powerful and pervasive medium Unfortunately the pressures for Increased programme signals are not likely to be iruplred by a desire for the expression of local and regional opinion but for flnandal gain on the one hand and for political power, on the other. Where finance Is concerned the interest of commercial advertisers in satellite transmissions is natural and obvious. What is less obvious is the interest ofthe BBC,which has declared its view that the BBC should broadcast satellite programmes tor which the viewers would have to pay a fee In excess of the licence fee. The additional revenue would help the BBC to improve its financial position and remove the pressing need to apply to Government for a higher licence fee. What is being proposed is, in fact, a

two-tier television lyitem, of which an example halready provided in the United States,wheredewer*HrhoMy anannual robMriptionan enabled by means of a decoder to receive programmes tnuumitted by satellite which are claimed to be of higher quality that thow (owned by the big American networks. The conmquence of a two-tier wetem b inevitably that those who on afford to pay extra receive a wider choice of pniiffamineswhich embody -no doubt wtat an called Inthe trade "production duel'; that an mean merely more hviih production, mom and bigger itao, more and longer film*. The porn, thorn on (octal wcuitty, the old-age pendonen would, ' If the tyrtem wen introduced In thlÃ counhy, ham to make do lncfulnfly with rncond-cliu televlllon. A* fiur u political power I* concaned, utelllA* mey well provide d h c t broulcut~which will continue In tebvldon ternu tho propigan& warwhichbwagedbetw~Ã§nRadi MOMOW, tho Voice of America and the ' BBC External Strricu. ThtpointItnotthattocboololyIn ItwtttonleÃ‘lil tadbut Altto

fdWdWMlilÃ‡Â¥HMNWllWbÃ otit th*wy*inwhichtti*con-

troltodmdbywhom.Th*dcdilom iffioUng tate^iton la tlw BMS tutam by a Tory government will be wddod to the concept of printliatlon and more Interested In making the rich richer wttaJU the icuidalous Â¥at of the nationaHfd estabbbment

atAoMnhun-thÃ‡nIn~tedmo1

ogy for podtiw lodal ends. Acceu programme8 Yet no doubt tee new technology could be uad to further podtive

dewlopmento In tdmiiiox. There luve been attompti to ur cabli for conuaunity purpow* -at Swiodon, for initance. And the lwge-*cil* cable network covering a laig* put of the country . which b being contemplated opens up ponlUUtiM; but they ue more likely to be exploited by commercial computÃ than for the encouragement of commuhlty and bed televlflon. The new technology he made light-WOight vhho W J i ~ n wiry t muchmonstabbthultuwdtoba and accunte editing of vldÃ§o-tap I* now poilbb outstde of the large profÃ§ulonÃ ntabliihmonts. WhÃˆ is now required b a programme for the tabling of IWgq numbell of ptople In tho DM of vidw m that group* within sodety may find their own voice and make their own plctum. Them are two reuons for this: to iMun how the nrdium work*, and to &mystify it and t o p i Ã ‘ n their problem* and concernn to other* like

thMmhMÃ§rtoairidnau^aÃ§(tnvtew of the nature at broadcating and

Thiow in Inciw in th* number of nun aad women a p Ã § bof wing

~rth*itcnntaral Britain. Then ha need for a reform of

theww*muen and dl& of a m u progianunes co

Increased -although acceu programme* are k c o a t threat to the limit* -placed to the agenda of what can and annot be dlicuned in front of the CUUWM. (That I* why acceu progammw we oonflned to a ghetto in the schedule* and w d la number.) ThÃ‘ are changes which would m q u h Uttie investment complied with the sums that an being talked of when a consortium of three major British flmu British Aeio~pice, Muooni Avionics and Britidi Telecom dUcuis a Â£30million project to build what I* described u 'one of the mort powerful direct broidcuting satellitu that the world has ever men'. To put a higher priority on cable tabvliion for community purpoiw and on the training of tf*oplo who can UM video than on inch ictwmu hnot to be a mÃ§diLuddlte; it fa to ce the future of televUon in other tenni than thorn of electronic mumb which will be prinurily at the wrrice of commerce.

Ned for reform A ration*! approach to technology would nqidma gowrnment programme which mite more enlifhtened decisions Â¥bou(oddprioritlesthan any we have seen for many year. Such a programme wouldneÃ§dtosohandinhandwith

these inititutiom to emun thatmen and women who reprownt more tbm a limited wctlon of the Establishment are Involved In them. Lit UI haw gowrnor* of the BBC and of the IBA who have defined conatltuencte* and Include among them members of the wider public u well u reprewntatim of the men and women who work In the broadding butitutioni. There iÃ§,need for the spectrum of opinion that ,appeus on the screen ' to be widened w u to Include what are defined u minority opinions in context* other than 'Ã§cceÃ§ programmes. There I* a need on the Lift for thought about the way Jalevidon ahould be o t g u b d and controlled (uit must be to a gmtor or lex dogre*), about programme policy and how a lodalirt government would OM toe medium. The probbnu being French television under Mitterend we a reminder that politlduu take tebvliion too much for granted and do not think through the kind of rtfonni that would be neceuary to change the me of the medium so u to make it more awful sodalty, more Intererttng to the viewer*, and more relennt to their problems. Thew an queotlo~*to which technologid development cannot provide the answen which must be social and political ones. kart Hood

Undercurrent* 52

BRITAIN if in trouble. We face the miaery and waste of mass unemployment, the collapse of industries and the decline of public #ervicen. Meanwhile, the Government to spending billions on an unnecessary and dangerous nuclear power programme, and billions more on the Trident nuclear missile system

Even if a radical AES were adopted, with a commitment to atnits core. we cannot relv on a sociallv-useful ~ r o d u ~ t i o future~abourgov&ment to do thewhole job for b.Such an economic strategy would face massive institutional opposition, and could only be carried through with genuine and widespread popular support. In other worts, we are not But there are signs of hope. We have a strong and growing contemplating a new round of 'nationalisations' from the top movement for peace and nuclear disarmament; a well-informed down, but the creation of a democratically-planped economy from the bottom up. and vibrant campaign against nuclear energy; and an active Public expenditure would have to underwrite this strategy. labour movement, pledged to fight against unemployment. The argument about public spending is not about whether to This article has been written in the belief that these movespend, but where. Our present government is prepared to ments have vital interests in common, that their different squander at least Â£7.5billio on Trident, and Â£30bUlioto struggles are inevitably linked. WbUlion on its nuclear power programme, for Instance. We Production for profit we public expenditure playing a more constructive role. Our present Government extols the virtues of the 'tree The importance of public expenditure market'; in fact, the international market is not 'bee* at all, And the potential of public expenditure to generate jobs is but is dominatedby a limited number of multinational corporations and nation States. Indeed, through international never made explicit in government statements. For example, it has been calculated that JElblllion(i.e. Â£1,000,000,000of arrangements such as the General Agreement on Tariffs and public expenditure could generate something in the region of Trade, the International Monetary Fund and the European 200,000 jobs per year: the result of creating these jobs would Economic Commu the world market has been o q b k d would then be recouped by the government by and tor these do nant institutions since World War Two. be that f^&n Individual corporations and States have their own strategies in tams of uvings on dole. benefits and increased tax and and ambition*, but they also need each other. A government n*hul toxiinnee income. And the (pending power of those back in work would benefit the economy too. Cutting public with plans for economic growth must turn to the multispendbig lads to higher unemployment and this in turn nationals for finance, technology and expertise. Public and private institutions prop each other up. Furthermore, each has generatei a need for further public spendinn. The cost of benefits to unemployed workers in the North East is at present an interest in promoting the current trend towards capitalS0.8blllion per year. intensive production: the employment of complex and expensive machinery, with a relatively small number of New priorities workere. ~t the broadest political level, the concept of alternative From their point of view, this reduces the threat of , production funded by public spending can be m a t easily induitrial action, and boosts profits. But from our point of applied by the simple re-ordering of the Government's P d d view, it increases unemployment, weakens the organised ties. A future Labour Government would d o ~ b t l do e ~this labour movement, and leads to inflation though not as far in some directions as many would like. For Both the arms industry and the nuclear power industry are good example! of this capital-intensive, anti-socialpartnership example, the appalling sense of priorities demonstrated by Table A would be reversed. between government and private corporations. However, we - ---- - -should rmgnise that Britain has been slow in developing these Table A: Spending on arms compared arrangements, and has been losing ground relative to other economies, which have been modernised and re-organised with social services more rapidly. Emillion Annual expenditure Ernillion We are thus faced with a double crisis, and Tyneside is a 10,786 H o w i f end Defence budget 1980-81 depressingly dear illustration. community health 8,389 of which Ftat, we have Britain's long-term economic decline, reflecservices PÃ§ 81pensions for ted most obviously in the collapse of traditional industries 3,017 Child benefit* 2,970 armed force* such as coal, steel, shipbuilding and heavy engineering. Defence research end 1,479 Medial rneerch 40 development Second, we have the new trend towards highly capitalUpkeep of Polaris intensive technologies. As a result, thousands of workers in 165 Services fordiubled 76 tubmarims Tvnegide's traditional industries have been thrown out of work 101 Welfere foods 33 Fighting vehicle; ' In recent years, and those that are still working are increasingly employed on projects which only exacerbate the crbes, and Cost of which contribute nothing to human welfare; military equip Ernillion individual items Emillion ., 56Ã‡dvnce ment, warships, nuclear reactors and nuclear fuel carrier One nuclear huntervmaeli, for example. r 140 killer submarine 140 p a s ~ n c train! One guided mixile 3 hmpitris each Within the labour movement there is now considerable 86 with 1000 bed! 76 debate around the idea of an 'Alternative Economic Strategy' destroyer 10 10 833 houses (AES). The AES is not a hard and fast policy, but rather a field One Tornado aircraft One kidney machine 6,000 One Milan anti-tank missile 7,000 of debate within which certain points are generally agreed Schoolbooks for O w 155mm illuminating reflation and increased public spending; controls on trade and ammunition shell 460 100 children for 1 yr 423 capital movements; and controls on the multinational corporations. source: Labour Research Department

Â¥

Undercurrents 52 - 1

Â¥

Adwrlbment

The TUC has proposed a five year housebuildbg and

SUMMER SCHOOLS 1982

MB"SON^BBl.UB@

ig >ciitre

that ...'rep airandmiinteniic*fs p d " y preferable to primary manufacture hsome i-'. 'hiis wouldrequire governments to emphas- in (not least their public Subsidies to industry) concern for repair, maintenance aid recycling; and to ~ o i u t t a t ae willingnesg to exert control over the activities of multinational corporations. On both counts, governments have tailed miserably to date.

for adult education based on the work of Rudolf

Steintr. The College Is situated in the heart of the beautiful Siawx countryside and offers opportunities for discovery, indbidua) development and training, and through the foundation y w and further courses in arts, crafts, education, Â¥griculturand socialdevelopment, encourages the student towamkmruwl inpractical life.

After a successful beginning last year, three summer schools

ate offwd ttib year.D M e m th*Humm Spirit. Two course. The Search for Mnning and The R-al of Life, Ivve beep designed t o intofretfe. They wftt run in consecutive weeks and can be

taken tognttmr or separately. Four hours a day will be devoted to mtteal workshop* in the arts and craft*. Thme will be

Table B Military Machinew Government Trantport

76.000

Corntruetion

100.0oO

Personalconsumption Health , Education

1 3 2,000 139,000 W.000

Mpporttdby diiutiions and terninam. August 1st-8th and 8th-15th CMC One wwk Â£116Two weeks Â£20 including full board and lodging. WSpMt of English. A two weekcourse for Engli* and foreign students mar 19. The course is deeiined to discover the spirit of the language thmugh creative writing, poet*, drama and classes in ipÃ‘e and movement. Au$ust Tst-15th Cut:Â£22 including full b w a n d lodging and excursions. Education inStoimr School!. A om week course for teartwi and student teÃ§chewho with to explore the w i n g that is the bass of more than 200 appcoich SHMM- Â¥choolthroughout the world.

86.000 87,000 92,000

~ o t anumber l of jobs generated by spending Ãˆ1000milDo in ~ e area. h (Sourn: US euruu of Libour S t i t l K l t f ) ' ~

;*.'$*'.*-.~

Auoutt2nd-9th

CoÃ§t f31Sincluding full boardmd lodging. MM* informaion writf: ~ccmtuvhuSchools Dwt U. Em- C o l l ~ r Fomt , Row, Swx RHW SJX. Eiqlaod.

Tt:0342822238

Admrtfsement

AVERY MILL COLLEGE '

Diploma of Higher Education I C N M ) leafing to B.Sc. (Honours) in,

weapons. TTley also require a socialist government which , could implement Ufe necessary economic policy to otder to provide the context for these Isolated initiativesto be trimslated into coordinated natlond proetaininw. z Alternatives are available, at both local and,donal level. The defence budget, tor example, shod for urgently needed social services. It Bri was brought in line with the average con other European NATO nations (on the bads of Gross National Product) it would result in a saving of some WBn. If the wax Trident p w g i a ~ u n ~ cancelled, a.tether Â£7.Bn at least, would accrue. With Â£10B from defence cuts, some 2 million puUic sector jobs could be created. These an thestufc . facts of alternative p expenditure and meÂ¥Mlreto Defence cuts, increase curb the power of private coEpoatioos provide a sound bads for the implementatkm of the &H~&ws.

ENVIRONMENTALSTUDIES I f you Ãˆ concerned about: Depletion of conventional enemy end mineral r e w v e m a t i n g pollution of air, water and land World populationgrowth and food proUeiro b Alternathas to traditional forms of resource UK

then you will be interested in this two-yearfull time course.

he f i m year providw II tunic grounding in Socfal. Life and Etrth S e l w ~ ileading . Into the lecond year study of ~cology,Energy Recources end Perspective on Resource oÃ§welopnwntOpportunities exist for students to complete a third vÃ§aat Avery Hill to gain BSc. EnvironmantalStudies (p~opened)or to transfer onto the final year of a number of deflise courses elsewhere. Maturestudents without formal degrae-levelentry muiremen- particularly welcome.

This article is extmcted turn pamphlet called '~obsfor a C h a w : Alternative Production on -side*. &&& for60tJ + *P from Dam of HomeÂ¥~ookthop US ~ a s ~ t e Road. N ~ ~ ~ ~ o NS14AG. ~ - % The w .nut of Vie pamphlet&to dew into the type and amount ofjobs that could be created &diverting funds from themilitary and w l e a r ind,ustrfesinto more socially-useful,ew W i W and less capital intensive ventures.

Details and application form from: Dc. Euan McPhee, Course Director, I3ip.H.E. Envlronmttl Studies. VC. Awry Hill College, Bexley Road, EItham, London SE9 2PQ.

mt.

TeleohrMJR: 01-8600081 2"

Undercurrents 52

v .

IMPROVING im -11-being of llÃ§olllby -g the way &y m t their fundamental needs - delivering 'appropriate technology' is the premise on which TRANET has been helping the government of Nepal to design and implement an AT network for Himalayan village*. William Ellis 8 x p W .

THE VILLAGES in which Ãˆom 86%of the 14 million Nepalese live are both the starting-point and the end-point of the AT

~m~~~~

Therefwe I*being nude with mme of the who haw been caught up in the mad nub to examine and rehabilitate the waterpower which m e d the development of New E n g h d in the decade* before the Introduction of foaD fuel*. One llkely choice for m u n g hydro consultant is Ron Macleod, a young American who &I spent the lift few yuncovering forgotten waterways, cowling throifth baytag mllte and Â¥ortln out d u t y u d i l ~ ~ .

development which have become the mtchwordÃˆ though not the practice, of development 6xperb throughout the world. There may be many technolofiod Most awd,yet to be uncovered in Lmijung, Of the village*aient IJervedby and Adlilkiy h n already ftirted workroad* Or -p communiing on ~r&wiopinent of w r power. cation and tran8~o* are long fill- Ã‡te b not to bring In outride Amm?gMMhod'k(BicoveriMbaÂ¥e treh over rough. st-P and some- N P Â¥odfore of wtmu for ~'ruictoturbtnw. ~ h e ~ e ~ *e to build a times dangerou* trail*.. turbine* am for hydro-power mill* mini-bydio lyfm, but to oiguiin the InmmowÃ§vttheNe~dtuition ldpiMph10*tthtymkW&% ~~~ftauafewarttMheadto100 ptÃ in the d 4 , co-n, me, rating (tom a few honepower unique. but tlw linlition, k k of hide iBd ownenhip of the mill. UnlMi tbe Â to a¥ Ow dhundred. Although then I* needs, govimmentol Mgkct, lad little If any current US market for thb depondma on natural ntourcn IN dm of turbine, Madeod h n neognbed typical of major mcton of the worid't the potential for the Third World. He population living In rural IN^ of Africa, b redesigning water mill* to make the Ada. Latin Arneria md even North most use of local materials. The match Annie* and Europe. Â¥ with the nee& of Lunjung I* obvious. Dowlopment p r o p m a , though spouting 'iategritwl n m l dwelopmmt', lht not all Nepal! have a member who has a PhD from en him in the n d n been run from urban mtmwith only ocadonal forays to American University such u Dr h L Adhikiry. More typically the Indm examine the target populations. b have nldom left their v-e* and have To (tart with the Nepdl network b Â¥electina limited number of vlUafm n Uttte if m y knowledga of EngUib or any demonitratlons and antma for AT dlueminatlon. The people of then An AT network in Nepal must deal village* will b* udfted in delinwtlng more with thte typlcatsltuatlon Uun their own technologlcd needs, dlicoverwith the fortunate t ~ o u r c e *of Ing a wide nuahor of technologld Lamjung. A mob typical lettlement options, select@ thow options they witctod u a promldng AT demonfeel most appropriate within the limiti skatlon and dfsmmination centre I* of their ecology, culture and economics. . Budurka in the region borderhg One of the vlllafu which hold* great people of Limiting are willing to put Mount Everest. m m b e b hmjung, two daya i n k off mnr portion of their own Income* into P00pte the main reiource the road which l e h from Kathmandu support of the project, whether It be to Pokhara. 100.10 or just 1rupee, then will be no Banikarka's rewurces lie mom In the mill, no matter how much outside people thenuelvm and the ledenhip Locally born and brad support I* available. of the local town mayor, M a m Pinch. On* of the thingi which nukes LiinJung Under the teadenhip of Paneb the Upgrading traditional uatwmitis town h u ainady taken &pi towÃ§id 1good choice I* the presence of Dr improving i f well-being. Poorna AdhUouy. Adhiluuy w u born While Initial meetings an being held Racagddng that (mi wood had to and (nw-iip In the Lamjung area. After with local dtimiu and the right form of be brought from further and further attcndlng l o d Mhooli and going to co-operative oqaliation ta bÃ§ln afield the local midonti stuted their Mbhuvin Unlvenlty in Kathnumdu he an being made with formed, conown reforeÃ‡t*tlo project. h other continued his education and tnlnhg hydro-mill expert* in Nepal and elsephms g o w M m t and foreign adstwith a PhD from the Unlvenlty of where. Though considerable attention ance forestry project* have (tiled WiKonsin. h being given to upgrading the 26,000 became the increulng hunun and Now Adhihry has returned to hI* or so traditional watermllli which home Tillage to put into practice the grace the hillsides of Nepal, then seem animal popuhtiis seldom let the concept* of local, grass roots,self-help to be no locally built hydro ayitem saplings grow beyond Â¥prouUtstage.

Undercurrents 52 In Banskarka people themmlves Initiated reforestation and saw to itthat their foatf did not destroy the haid work they put into planting trees. Noruethepeopleofhnhmka relying on their fomts to meet their future eneigy denundB. Miking contact through Karita Ram Sbieitba of New En, a Nepal!consultant group initiated by Gorp* ~ l ~ n t o t Banskua w, is sumhhg the world of AT for other ways of cooking and heatlag.

Improved stove reduces disease Within Nepal the improvement of the Chub, the traditional mud cooking stove, ius been a development objective for many yen*.Not only do the tradiatioiulahulos waste wood, but the amok* gener8t.d is a prbnuy cause of eye disease and chronic broncbltiJ. For Buuku-k*,in the high HImalayu, the improved ohulo b only a partial wlution to Its energy problem*. Going beyond A,..--d Sdenw md TechnoloÃˆ, the improved itove*, Pan& end SbtMth*m eXJminIng altenrtive way unit of Tribhuvan Unlverrity. to hÃ‘ homed Water pouror a d wlir heating may mem to bo obviom technologle* for the Â¥rilltgeio Nepal, buttlibknot a docidon to be uub by outdd* Â¥xpÃ§it The bftc tonst of tlr AT WÃ‡orib toenableloÃ§Ã§lpeopletolatlwth own tochnoloÃ§icÃ§l(teciiionto ihpÃ them Uxlr option*, andto proqMethe tochnicdÂ¥ulrtuuMtheyukfor To rtteiulate conidownem In the u b c f d vllltgt* each

arm in a vacuum. we$= dew&p~ng Its links with the vlllagw and other niourcn within Nepal, RECAST b maicfaing for an AT centre outside Nepal whichwiti help dÃ§VÃ§lIt* Unk* with the whole tnuunattowA network of AT pnctltionere. The twinned bitltutlon will provide Nepal! vtttagw with technical awlftance not available within the country; locate needed copultanto; mike known the AT ex@rUMwithin Nepal to the m t of the world; and help arrange study tour* for Nepall technician*.In general, ofUxmwillbepr6TtdtdwIthalOO It will be charged with nuklng the AT book AT llbruy Ã§awill be milted In laboratories.But,wwithmotacidwithin Nepal part of the world-wlde AT wrveying and *n*lyiing their t a d .e@c - research,few of tho benefit! network. I t i o d tecbndogtM. TbÃ Ubnries in ' <&vebeen delivered to the -village~ The AT network in Nepal Is an intended to stidate condderition of Dr KendarLStautha, thenew experiment in syntheils born the technological option* a* well as to Director of RECAST, hÃ§grecognim bottom up. The viilqea us the rtarting this failure. So, in do**collaboration provide tnfomrtlon on how to build with the National Development Service, point and the end point. The succeu of appro~ri*tetechnologlei. which lends volunteWstudenti to work the network will not be measured in InUnmuurrth*mmyand terms of paper?,preaented,plans transin remote wUq81, he hleading the analyst*of W o i u ltÃ§chaolozl*to ferred, meetings hdd, or initltutioas mow to develop 1Integrated AT netbe carriedout ineachvillagelinot built. It will be measured in the simply to record the wap In which ' work for the count Central to the Improved well-being of people as a r e w u n O t ~ ~ is the ~ 0ItlbWr n people now meet their bulc needs. Nor to it to metÃ§lcount and catalogue mentofaTfhntcal AssistanceUnitto niult of technological hudwue in p d Its mu eftabHIhed RftD lnn. place. the reiourcu, ddlli and techniques Iti prinuuy function is to uuwer Although the villages in the starting available. It is rather to march which quute8, a d pmride technlcti iMlÃ§tanc point e step from horizontal Unking could be relieved by technological be&&= ,to the univÃˆtÃˆl to TfflMM, ent(tprenÃˆuraand other wtviÃ§Ã to the external aulitance, to end w of toctmolow. Ooorifniud s w w * of tudWoa^ fbÃ Unit, however, wffl not be tha government, to the UN Ã§yrte b a technologiu will be cÃ§rrlÃ out In at critical put of the network. I*aÃ§ flw acroi* NepÃ‡l yÃ§r purely W w . A* well u providing Information it will dio The experiment It only starting. The ~ s ~ 1 w U l l l m a t e teqhn@ogid ~ InitiateIf QWI! (tat* -tlw-Mtitudiw bet that aome technoloflu a e ainady know-how among tho in fltldi f i , ~ e n w n n t to the in plic* bodes well for Un wcceu. But ~ ~ u W ~ ~ U M U nation'^ a**di; conduct workihopi to full *of I* yet to come and will only tocimo~nknnt be n m l e d la the prognmine rview train build proton m b ol oh pÃ‡rtlclp*tin group. after tho two year trial period end* in EicbvttlJft willbÃconild*nd to be typ~Ã§b* liftedtodombythe October 1988. autonomow and lndÃ§pondÃ§n Each l l ~ ~l"lt%.~Ã§t Ã§ l* BUI E m will be hdped to Inour ittboil Mitand dÃ§vÃ§lopnwn and, maintain Nllanw t b q h It* own notwork of ex- Infonnitlonon po-lbli coniultant*. change *nd technical Ã§Ã§lÃ§tan NÃˆvÃˆ wnUaM* flnindal wpport, ttr awl- TRANET la tho Tmnanitlonil Network for AB~ra~riawlAlwr~tln TÃ§chno inend o n 1 I of othu AT aontni and other thdÃ‘ the mtwork to connectedwith bo wnt&tod at: PO Box No ~ e ? , % n g ~ l ~ y , th* RECAST (RÃ‘uc Council on. rnniluouK)** Milne 04870, USA.

- - - -

the troops caught up in the same

-government tests 86of theffi in all between 1951 and 1963. ' The decisiorttu involve troopi was taken by a mysteriousgovernment department called HumRRO (Human Reiources *esearcb Office), which allowed 300,000Anwicaitservicemen to be dposedtovafyi amounts of radiation.Theywertt ditwouldbe can experiment without a licence. Hitter hai'mtes and were stationed in trenches only 2,000 yards away from a 43-

EXPERIMENTS:

of controversy. heh heal survivors is being for Disease Control in Atlartta and the

One'we that,has had little dbcuaion toiwtt $the p i b i l $ y f .. redacinganimals with. min YO, teeri. This point was raked by at& writer in The Sfast soine tiw baclJ+nd was talcen up fay Or Bernard Dixon inan 'ThwartbsttetthatihouMbe article ifi.& rimes (october23,1981). 'bathbetween artti. In ithe pointed outthe longl&tory, wi-debated, viViitionis&and'the medical.: .,. of doctors and wientistsexperimenting community and betweenboth youw.-on themselves and cites the example detailed at.length by Kenneth Mellanby and the pubticat lanevia the various in his book Human Gulnfu-P@s (Merlin formsofnÃˆe<HÃˆSeemsa nHw sy-' .. has a of mM@&itquimlPress, 1973). During the war a n u m b whiteproviding basic reWct*all'Mfc of conscientious objjctorsvolun&efed for u b s n t experiments . . ,@. health -to tte.t&ksrnumber of voivingkcU) ei researchwhich involved P o * E*@@m . - . dorte.. .~ wearingthedirty underwear di+ardfd ,.. ... ..A, . i.,:L,;. . , ~ <:.: ., Ã‘Ã‘!Ãˆ*W*Ãˆ*f ,, . . >,:.. ; ~ ...' by scabies patients. .' :r .:.. . + :. :, This work, conducted at ~heffietd, .. . . .+..,.;;,,- . ,<,~. .. ;, . ., was so successful, that the conchies . .. .,. . ..., went on to take part in other expe :~ . iments and Mellanby suggested that a permanent institute for human V ~ Y W of the excellent ~k&it experimentationbe set UP. However the Action wit-. .< only institute that resulted was the the Winds, concerningthefigllt, Common Cold Unit, which has been fw by mMmts ,. operating for 30 years, Dixon quotes several possibilities . affected by fallout from the Nevadaatomictests, may be that be feelsshould be investigated, interested ts know that thereis includingthe development of malaria, even moreto that story. vaccine, as a step towards saving the . lives of thousands of aninuk. However Ican imagine that in many people's minds iny talk of human experimentation immediately raises the shadow of Auschwitz and the Nazi death camps. The tfioiny moral and ethical arguments are examined in more detail in another out-of-print book entitled H u m a n ' G Pigs ~ ~ by M H Pa~~worth (Pelican.1969) in which he points out uncomfortable truths including the fact t h a w present, a human being is the only animal on which doctors

story of Corporal Dann i)typical. His teeth and hair fellout, he found he was sterile. Trying to find a reason for it, he consulted Army records only to discover that, accordingto them, he had newer ever serwd in the Army. He developed (fizzy spellsand, during am attack, f^off*balcony aiMl4xt>ke back and has since be& confined to a

being interviewedon W ,thtt he liftedm6MMÃˆBrotflWtewit the ato~~iiibteitandcont^Ud AtlanfaTtfe'stafy H stilt d e d d p i i andtawsuits m pending. The scandal Is just beginning to break

*-********* JAPAN; THE COST OF AN ECONOMIC MIRACLE

7..

' ? .

our Western nations whom suffering

from an industrialmala&. Little

mmAw':;,

ATOMIC

% :

.to.

that

beenobtainedit a'tusavy price

the # r ( f i ofthrir environment. Its a &age irony and o d which

&onstrates the strength of the green arguments.

Perhaps the best known example ef

be termed the M n g e of industrF isation was appearancftln w-i 1956 of Minimata which struck the disease,

its victims without warning Andc&sed brain dafiparalyi'i deformity convulsions, and death in 300 i n d b a l cases. The @thptoms*as (atf-triCed to Chisso Corporation. Sine then the pbbi&&ts not gone a ~ y In'ftct . h~rts.~iWyprojtosed removing tlpt Â£4 million be spent from the 10 million cubic feetof bott&n of Mlnimata 8 % .

Undercurrents 52 scientists claim, was the only way to stop the pollution problem but others were worried that it would just stir up the mercury and spread it even further through the water. Industrial effluent, untreated sewage and the use of detergents has since turned Japan's lakes and coastal waters into breeding grounds for plankton which fwd on the filth, covering the surface with a thick scum. These red tides now affect all of the country's 50 major lakes including Lake Biwa, the only source of drinking water for 13 million people. Most recently came a report from Japan's Environmental Agency, who studied the affects of pollution on wildlife during the past three years. Their conclusion is that the country's economic miracle will leave a permanent scar on its wildlife. The survey says: 'The numbers of dragonflies, fireflies, salamanders and other forms of insects, birds and animals living in ponds and waterways all over Japanhave decreased drastically and in some cases they are extinct or face extinction Ironically, salamanders are a protected species because of the belief that a person who eats the reptile will live a long life. The pollution is now destroying them.

Elizabeth &land, witness Francis DaW said that on the day in question 'a clock that had not worked for two and +$half years struck one and I said "Iam %re then is something wrong". Iwent and called my daughter Inthe next house and we found ongoing to Mrs Medland's room thĂ&#x192;Â§ she was dead.' Late in 1977, the aged father-in-law o f retired civil servant Bill Smith was sent to hospital. His prized possession, a chiming eightday valklock, was left to run down and was not rewound. In June I I 1978 he died, and at 12.30 on the night following his death the clock chimed four times. Bill Smith got out of bed and found the clock still on the wall, but at an angle. The alarm clock Pope Paul VI bought A HERTFORDSHIRE clockcollector called Sydney Street has in Poland in 1923, and which woke him at six o'clock for 55 years, rang su& a special relationship with his denly at 9.40pm on 6th August 1978. collection. 'People say I'm a The pope died a few minutes later. crank*, he says, 'but I say clocks The curfew bell in St Andrew's are alive. I know when they are church in the market square of Crail, a happy. Sometimes I sit in a s d Scottish fishing village, had been friend's house and I can tell by the rung each day at 10pm for 460 years. tick that the clock is upset.' But one midnightearly in 1980 it pealed its 60 continuous chimes. The Far-fetched, you might say; but the two doors leadm to the belfry were phenomenon of clocks heralding human firmly locked, ru Ing out the possibility deaths is quite common. A few of a practical joke. examples: Until 1974 the bell was rung by At an Inquest in 1907 on the body of hand. but in that year, retired elec-

S T U F F

trician Lawrence Nash completed a device to ring the chimes automatically. He had spent two years on the task, and for six years the device worked perfectly. On the day the chimes rang out at midnight, Mr Nash, 90, who had been ailing with a heart condition, took a turn for the worse, and died the following afternoon One might speculate that some telekinetic force emanating from the dying person activates these clocks; but such an hypothesis cannot account for this final strange clock tale. Miss Hilda Pattemore of Somerton in Somerset wrote to the Sunday Express (7 February 1982) about her grandmother's mantelpiece pendulum clock. She had inherited the clock along with a large photograph of her grandmother in 1951, and stashed the photo under the stairs. The clock stubbornly refused to work, even after an expert overhaul, but it remained on the mantelpiece. Then in 1980, Miss Pattemore had a new open staircase put in, and moved the photo to the garage. Later, she hung it at the top of the stairs above the clock. Next day the pendulum was ' swinging and the clock was working. Paul Steveking Thanks to: Paul Screeton, Anthony Smith and Nigel Watson

of p o l a d d Into UnderCWlVI?8mdw,pinÃ‘endU dam* of mntt by April 14 at the I t t i t for indudon inOm Mn Hm. COURSES

A variaty of even8 am happaning e t Lowr Stiiw F i n n in thÃ near future. First thw is e Woman and Dane*wakmd from April 17-18on d i e * inwnmfation. which c c u Â£23Alfrnatiwly on the uma wayou on work on the fwrn (or free. in mtum for bowdwding, doing nmntiÃ§thhgiMrmpairing, planting, waadlng, MR. (kt tham know wall in Â¥dnnc Ifyou're inmnstod). Firrlly from milm.~Ã§ a ttw is Ã ‡ M Cdabmtlonw~klKl,coding Â£20Furthar dataih Â¥boutha Womm and Dane* wwkand Na wdlabi* from Ruth ybte, 6 Buton TerrÃ§cÃDiwlish, S Devon, Wl. 01-734 3366. For the othw ewnt* -ndÂ¥ SAG m b w Shim Fuw, (Muw, nr hindon, Wllt~,Ã§N10783) 771080.

CONFERENCES AND MEETINGS

hostad by tha Techwtogy Policy Unit at Aston Unlnrritv. The confaronce, whlch taka p l w Sutxcrlbenrn from April 1518. will dilcur Unducurrma should ncaiv* thk Â¥ocht and the forms Of tachnoinue in ti- to nip a h to tha logy, and ttchmlogy and tin mtlomricoirfWMM*fIftW problwns of implonuntation In World First. Thhv8u Or thutr the onunirtion or community. is Beyond Branch. IKUM to ba Tham will be mwml workshop<, d l s c u include ~ achiin and thno will be followad by and problems of -If-rdltnc* kl wulont at which pwre or dhdeveloping countrin, tey fuuÃ in, Cussion brief* will be developed. E @ i i economic a@ forriJfr policy towardl th0ThirdWorld overtheputdwhLmdMB-

Th*AGM~fth*~tan -will ba hdd on &ru 17 in London. Ifvou am e &bar o< the CPF,or if your group b fflllatMhto It,you m InuHÂ¥ tottMriL Thw will be dÃ§bÃ§tcenmrlousIÃ‘un,end Nation*) CommittÃ will be olÃ§ctÃ"Thev*nuektheRoyl CommonwithSociety Hall, 16-20Craven St. London WC1, ondttXttwtlngtlnwh10.30. For

mofdmalhcorttactthesoc" rfry, 27UZB8 l-ondon Rd. Htllaigh, EÃ‘ SOT 2DE. UL

(0702) 663131.

Â¥H

Wdl Hill Country CoN*g*, which i p e c h l i ~Ini touran on organic fuming, Is a w i n g up if sprlno-iummar mrr< of coums W n . Waak-lona o o u m con Â£7 m d Include the fol1owlng:~ f t t it-urn t 1 Plant ~ u r t r n d r y May 9-18 Whohfood Cookery and Nutrition May 18-22 Improvng Crop Yialdn on m i c Plot*. They are el80 offering e nun Inminlw coum on WhoMfbod Cookuy end Nutrition, which will ba running from April 13July 2. Damih and boob for all of thne from Well Hill Country

A4-dovcoumontha thwrv end practice of WindooÃ‘ will b* held at ttw Cantn for AltfnUiua Taoh* from Miy 1-4. Con 1s Â£7 (Â£8unwagad). The m v e will also ba running a court* on Oginlc Q*rdÃ‡nln 1-1 in the month, from Mav 18-19. bookingforms Smdmn SAE~W and full (Â¥b fi to CAT, Machynllath, Pow,-1. 10664) 2400

Â¥i A rnidantial courn on Pood will ba hald in Kent from May 7-0. Thi coum wlll c o w the politic* of food, whit food 18, a n Britain f w d ItmIf, food for fm and a lltti* eookary. It costa Â£20The w I e to oonfct m Mark or Cstherlna Colllir, Cmiwa 8pKÃ§Crockham Farm, Crockham Hill, Edonbridga, Kent, , Mi. (073278) 338.

c o f Â£7Ion If 8 3W1 mambar or unemployed. The wnue is the Polyttchnic of Cum1London, Mirylibom Rd, London NWl. Conmot 3W1 (London) on 01-340 7723 for furthw datelh. P A R T I Z A W m hwing a fUch1all day mating on April 3 to dims8 actions for tha noit

RTZ annual gwiiral w i n g which will probably tokeplau i t thi end of M(y), Ntnmmrs to thi ampdon wlll ba wlooma, et thi P a m PI* Union. 8 Endnldgh St, London WC2, Sorting tlma of the mntlng h 118m

Hunuoitb hMhrtow I* ofbring l w r M MUetlon of awn* for AprlUMu. On milf7 thw h a worblaop on thanpy m d growth, from 10-4pm,which wlll c o d i t of in Â¥xp*rlmmumorning and aftarnoon d i w u u l o ~ Thb . will fka pteM at 60 Tufnall Perk Rd, London N7. In tho wanlna them

...,. - - ..... .. . -.. --

...

lillngTOn, tha rwm*laTh-1 1d1b Alm1dÃ‡8tr-t London N1-

WIi 10 i&uding 81KkhaUh. 'QGlMoWWdhigh Wycomba, and' Cinmrbu~ on ADIU 12 (dat*MÃ WCND group* of 1 1 Qoodwin8t. N4. MI.01-283 49641. For d*ttilÃ of 0 t h l e a l ~tMtia8,COnuCt Pnc* W-k, d o 2B St. Jim- St, London WC1 3B8, ttl. 01-242 3238. f&

Tham will tÃ a nulond dwnonttmion tb promt ~ i n x t h* of , m * & -, ~

",,

~mbld Itammat on Wl %at Fomn b w n , nr

en--m1md ton.Alt*rnfvÃ§ you mw -ww9f tht liitfodvetbx Body work ~ r k i h o on p MÃ§ 1 l w l n at N7L Tha f w for ~ e workh

kllibury. Tharally will ( ~ ratt te~ibury eolh it*tlon In C-tli ft u iinn, thm p ~ pWM r f f ~ rw~pamin ~ l Down IwK.

Undercurrents 52 <Â

April 27 will m a m d v e lobby outsid0 the Houw of Common*. The aim i s to try and influence govmmmtH policy to-

racist group, and tome people fÃ‘ that their anti-racist activity & the real maon behind the um4a. If inmmamdcontact the NtfornI MobiliaingCommittee, Box JK. LAP, 59 Cookbridge St., LMds 2.

wards the UN Spwial W o n on Dimnument, to ba hold in June. The m i e n include the United National Asmciation and Third World World Firrst. Contact UNA on 01-9302831for furtherdotails.

MISCELLANEOUS 4: The Northern equivalent 01 the Fmtivel for Mind. Body and Spirit will take place in Leeds from April 8-13. The FAIR will include dlsplays end discussions on ecology end environment, natural health, arts and crafts, spirituality and fit-, and is at the Laad8 Exhibition Centre. Queens Hall. Leeds. An entrance fee will be charged, although there will be 20.000 free tickets given away as promotion for the first day.

From April 17 onward;, No Nuka Music will be holding regular weekly gigs in pubs, alternately in North and South London. On April 17 end Why 1 bands will be playing at the Pied Bull, Liverpool Rd, London N1. On April 24 and every fortnight thereafter the venue will be a pub in South London, probably New Cross although the details am not yet firolised. NNM will also be providing bench for the CND Easter rallies. For further details contact t h i n at 9 Poland St. London W1. tel. 01-486 4564.

MÃ§ylItOpÃ§nDayatt Commonwoik Cmtr*. The cantre is on a farm in the Kent country(ide, on which wicultura is awn as en intagratedsystom which r s v r i the ~ prevllant Wof energy and other r ~ o u r c t t . Tours, dtmomtmtbm, axhibb tiom, films, food wid chddron's activltin will ba orwnlad. Tho antm i8 i t Bow Plan, Bough Bnch, Ed~bridg*,Kent, mi. (073278) 2f&

COMING EVENTS # May (8.13 Group Dwlopmom SklIII for Co-opwrtw Dwalopmmt Workan. Con Â£20 Jum 8-7 How to Cop* with Expinilon in a Co-opftlv. CoM Â£65Bwchwood COlteM, â¬ ‚

Wind power enthusittt who am interested in a worldwide pempective of the issue may like to subscribe to the bulhtin of the Australasian Wind Enemy M a t i o n . South Wind. Tha magazine appears quarterly and is full of practical detail#about wind generaton. Subicrlption m m (for individuals) are ÃˆUS1 burfowl. Sl5.601 (air); inatitutiona should add on anothu $4.60. Written contribution* ilw Ã‘I corn.Send to tic AWEA, PO Box 1966, Cwbwn City, ACT 2601, Aunrell*.

if:

-23-MMonIni Woodlind LindMw. Con ipprox. Â£100Tha Nurtom, , Tlntarn, nr. Chop8tow, Owont, tal. 102818) 263.

Cyclistswho are fed upwith

the number of potholes, sunken drain*, badly repaired roads and othw dmgw~u*road s u r f ~ c n con now doKHTMthihg about it. The 96 The Anti-Nuclear Campaign London Cycling bmpÃ‘g have Wan* Dumping Group produces a produced printed cards on which regular newsletter which covers you simply tick the appropriate newspaper clippings, press releases box for the problem. nom the and other news about wasm dumplocation, and pott the card to the ing. The mailing addrefs is 22 ralevont local authority. The cards Criffel Avenue London SW2, tel. con %peach +pottage. Contact 01-671 6169 -write or phone London Cycling Campaign, to check subtcription rates. The Colombo St Centre, London SE1. ANC is also trying to expand the number of people wft6 trt WithFor people who would like holding part of their'dectriditv - to go on a eyding holiday hut do dills md ending the money to a not own a blwcle, Fmmvhding trim fund npart of thoir ConYocMih* providm the eruwr. mmu C-n. So far them am Thty ham omaniÃ‘ a number of Â¥bou1000 withholdm, but they rid- baed In York and tha ~ nmom. t If inmmted contact aurmunding countryside thla the ANC at PO Box216, Sheffield wmn~r,on which thay provida S. lBD, t.1. (0742)7B691. liohtwight touring bicycle, contour -a, rout* a u l d ~ . am an anti-nudoor #upportgroup who h n r provldodfood and mkon Ã‘ton On fit bÃ§foryou go. Ã axhlbkloni to witl-nudoor wonu tic omo la aulm hilly. Conmot md footink. They would Ilk(to PmwhnUng Yorkahln, 16 LJWbKOrn* ikind of trivlling mr m a St, York YO1 3Nl. tal. mure* w n m uwill u(upply~0604) Iw food, with axotnpln of aI-rntive technology dwlm, mtlNUKE8 nuelnr film8 and mu8lc. lltwtum Â¥boumtl-nwlÃ‘ wonu m d P~flRlA aQUmt th0 k f l W mupi, iduplicator, rnfqun and lia orow of e m u and ohIMmn inflombh. But they mod moinv mdo thd, I.o.doDMion*. Thw will alaafr for conforanon. Conact thay d o Uhuru, 34 Cowhy Rd, Oxford, tal. (0868)48249 (dmvl1724483~*vM).C h q u n payable to Action Support.

Anothor Auitrellm publicatlon worth d iis Ctuin RÃ§ action, the ma@m of FrKmb of the Eorth and probBbty thÃ bÃ§ darnativ* mfihIn Audnlli. a r i y i n u a cwwntnud d n t v on ilurnttv*fchnoloav tnd butmantlyticinÃ‘Ikeh divmifted klÃ§ food OOHtiO).

aoue.

tal. IOB32) 720206.

M>y 23 London-Brighton Blka RW. W mllM, to eort tninlng now.

A group of feminist artists calling themselves Sitter Sewn Poop)*am also suffering have got together an exhibition of under the rwreniw regime in 20 potters of gmphics/poetry/ Matey. So f i r at bast 64 people have bwn sontenad to death, and fiction about nuclear powerlwar and feminism. The women plan 31 of t h i n hanged, under Malawia's to accompany it to give perform--, - Internal Sacuritv Act an-, mid poems and gemrally 1900. They were tried by the PUBLICATIONS . Specml Procedure Cam Amend- . ,talk about the itun.To book or mont Re&n~lationa1975. Mom than find out more, contact Sitter 7, Catalyst is a mw quarterly 1000people am detailed under c/o MTV Michmls, 28 Cwyiford magazine on eco-politiu and tho the ISA without trial. FUEMSSO Rd, London N16 9AL. owlogical mownunt publifhed in London hwa produced portjointly by the Ecology Party m d ardsabout thaIOUe, addmned to the Liberal Ecology Group. ThÃ tho Prim* M i n i m o f Malaysia. All first issue, which came out In you have to do is sign your name, Fdmarv this ymr. conaMmad d m and town and post the card. on dinmanwit. luue 2 will For mom information, and copin ba on eco-Konomici. 81Ã‘t coolÃ of tha cuds, end a large SAE and cost 50p and an mllfbl* from dontdon* to FUEMSSO, do NUS M y s t , 28Sim ClQiÃ‡Romtenl. Infrnational Station, 6 Enddoigh Enex RM13QT. st. LondonWC1.

UM,Roundby, L-da LS8 2LQ #

groups and other community groups. but a mass lobby of Parliament by women end children on the subject of cruise mteileu is planned. Meetings are held during theday. with creche facilitinsavailable. If inmrested, write to Familiea Against the Bomb, 1 2 4 North View Road, London N8 or phone 01-3486712.

ThoNtlomlCumIllntor

thÃ§hdtor12hubom HunohKl u a mwlt of tho oonu>lr*w . ahspplhd to 12 A a M lU W

now f u r trill it LÃ‘d Crow

Court on April 28. Mwy Of thÃ 12mrnunbarloftheunbd Black Youth Loiuo. i n MU-

Undercurrents 52 --

Jtew-wIthwm*wow-dtbqh I found the style of thil iMtionÂ¥ what patloaM~g,mxbt and 'imtoni' to ttiapproach. ~ u d ~ mote f t wub thoroughly and dren smartly may be uwful, but did the author hire to augment this with the usumption that the person concerned b nale, and ttet 'weatern' style dreu b appro uying â€˜wea shirt and tie'! omen are amongst the members of the

buslneubelngstupiQlÃ§}th studiw and wonrn are ihown recycling wutes in many photographi, and yet reference throughout implies recycler8 are male. And can advice like 'calendars baaing flaked W@ye find to send to ante who buys soap metal born you for I d l e s but tt b mot a iuftabi* who bur soaps of do for rug-making' realty bq mnddfd apptophte? &J tht prÃ§&ca y s , W ork from (TotiebSthefintbooktobewritten onthissubjectiniitiabrftom e ptribct';Itisth~ughamygood , attempt 'to cow an exceÃ§<fiIlglbroad and dimuo field, and *Bl I'm sure become a standard reference book,

and probably the flat of many boob bhi~de&b& ~ f c t fdll~ m In thii gfea. Jon Voder already pbns cuMloa6(r^Ã§iÃ§ofÂ¥wutemidÃ cycling than tHte, back In 1974 he n t

In the Tted

~*Mil<ter

a companion volunM on agricultural wMtw; and I hope to me mom written

.r^ aridthMithi*bookimDBM.

DiMtldlKloalwU-nliuiceln tetatriittMd countdw*.Avar* of Jon". bÃˆÃ§to<keotthkar.Iwu*xdt thte daim,but ftuily diuppahtod by wtat I found. Although It b true to my that Bmt of tbe tedmotodM unof Intent-umightanimalÂ¥f agricultund qulpment IN to Brittlh{innws-vetyfewItleemed could be 'econoaicallv' Mooted In this country to incnueloci -Ifreliance Â¥vÃtho@ m f e m c ~to the GrÃ‘ntow Rtcyding Compuy (to on* of the cue itucHw) brought it

limydowetohour!

Work from Wute hu 2 nctiom; tbo flat ban excellent manual of appropriite toehnolottlH for recycling full of good, dmple and (airly detailed

techaialexfilMUtlookofawIten~f

ofncyeHBCtochaoloilMformm boa and ateel, tin our,non forum metal*.piMHu, textile*, rubber, gin*, rnlnente, &mi& and oil; humiu and

homehold wutes. The book concentate8on proven method*,with the ~ 0 f ~ ~

THE"Mologyaammrtt',Ãˆte<kÃ

mintudothm, shfiR*Ã‡rnyfto #Bte;who often don't see hovttair

conam for Amazon ninfoieit foil or

dinppeariog ipedea tiautetel hi0

Â¥toWtagSSscyfeUBorhÃ‘vierlon'ics

ButeventbepoUtiimle

ban

NUCLEAR POWER FOR BEGINNERS

bTStephia-

lAdK*i*adMSÃ‡nip)er

Revedatherhk*wefacefromeonstrocttef nudcu plant, expoftiBf nuclei technology, w-, nbotaf* sod accident*. ., Â£4.9 cue;Â£1.9 paper

.).so.

Ioldwe'd try to be&d You diet find single b u d album to yow tmte ftom Stem's on Tottenham fht-c St. tube) or on CMBden (Sumtays only), a

&am Amis writes: Canada's World& Action ~ b m a g o t d t o ~ c b g t h e i r LETS keep this duple I think. Let't November 1977btodcut on radioforget for noy the primacy at African active pollution and m e w i c death stallwiOlplenty goodif. LBBS corninfluence somewhm tack there on and injury wound quaint old Kyahtym MdnnJhwftiBCtloM hi some modera rock and well-fairly-modem in the Soviet southern Unto region by London ttcord stores, and are other pop. And let's, while we'm about It, 0ftenBMdMMlyrMdoffl.Swehine giving a camawsOn account of nuke teat distinction between the numerous cancer death*and Dinam i n c m be 1 lot of fun. I f f pity tht enentldly lurd folk mudc of Afric* the town of St George and the sumunwbiMAfttetafiootMdooteytopeeked (outb of the Sduua, and its urban ding rural countiyUh)of Utah,caued dancing made. The one, a sonorous b y ~ ~ o n a f a d m inc d ~ vocal and percudve fonn by and large, the uxt-doot staleof Nevada. with 'exotic' accompaoimenta. A AI the BoWMVikbuieMlciftesUfled tuditioul themeand a t@itioiul report*of teÃ‡KyillfyBnudÃ§diauter, uttlng. The chanting, to&em&women sodUthe OtVbsAmtacsa atafuiieiid;thewariockwithhf(HttleÃ Atomic aiÃ‘ OMluBWen seek to and(tnwindfeathercactus~toth* sapfanththonorof 'StGeorge'. flrelifhb And th* other: MI amplified Thaw Uwiercurrentt mdem who pop with (uitp foiefroflt and a melody this World In Action broadcast miewd in back, constantly developing In the can mid detaib of the St George twcty,W W seedy tropical dancedisutcr in the Chicago Tribune of ban of La(Ãˆ Klpthm, Accra and the Monday 2 Aoril1979. obtainable born hot-dirty Subsahem citteg. Btera stacked high on the she-topped tables, Keeping thb limple, the mmic Is simply Avenue, London NW9 6HE.Thty could MlBtetoy dexb collqming off their also Ã § Gnaada TV to show it wain. stoob,-tay bonand 'dad* wonderful,,* CND certÃ§tol Ãˆhould mothen' WJ&and only jurt jiving to 1 ~oundinc rhythmic bert and (rail lonfouf vocal*. TwInkBn<ptifrritft, indal^(aÃ§alothatw^*r * dnuilunfs heut in the lMlfldDf. 'nib-. latter tonn fa know- 'High-Ufe',In ' WertAftKfatlMrt. ,.be't @pirateIfirii-Life from the tndldcuMi mudc entirely however. In Afria the country &floods ill Into the dty aery day, h d n gonto tho baib of lorrybun* uul knoc dool* Ute itBight. (Ãˆ rood* In a --Life bud can mund wry tradition*! at tima, and the refrain*, the tiutruiMnfls t n i i u riw Â¥afiD and n* pulled out at what ~ a duneteitettcdiy u African pace. But m Hgh-Uf* now, the mule beyond It* tnflumcn; it b a n h l d i f o r nbw wpxdolu and tor tho town*@ofthenew Afriantowp I t k mudc,dtecomudcandbuchPATKK FITZGBRALOud A hofl bop (to 1 ntbi plum form) far tirwwtouibtl. AnditbInthh country at lait, 1 rnuilc with a ifdUy i n c m d q and a p p d a h audlonm. African Pop.

relatives'

pÃ‡op

=b-B.K

UMh8v*aturÃ‡u thafllm~isa ftoattoBnat 27-20 Wtfltfd SL London Wl* If. cwntly (hovlnft th* ICA to boodon.

...

Undercurrents 52

GreexfateiÃ‡krEurope cd.by YTO J. D. Artta. PuUkhed by the International AÃˆodatio for tee OefBnee of Ibeatened Languages and Culture,c/o 24 Abereoni Place, London NW8. Â£4.50 THE C A R I C A ! ~ 'of ~ the modern EEC esldmo lies (lumped on hi* artificial wal-lldn nK In front of the TV inhis~igbm,~overhi* welbre cheque, qmuming chapbeer and the latat ddeo porn, with imported whale m a t TV dimen itackedln his freezer. Not for much longer though. Now that GnenUndfe the firat country In Europe to rote to leave the EEC, it becomes more obviousthat we in Britain too an like drunk Bed Indiuu on the memtion, slowly l o d q our self-respectout on the I-riphery of the hi

capita exceeding thow of any other redon of the EEC, they may be fuepand to pay an economic penal

for gaining m t e r polttical control ver thdrUIM,(MomcMudtnde. Thebook'seditortriestopaddlehis cano*Igabxtth*rtnun, makingthe dubioir pla Greenland remain in the EEC *asthe bÃ‘tpeihaps the only,

don of WIT. ATaikble from88aTBnison ROMI, CunMdge CB12DG:R'vCO 76p.

# European superpower, although be doc* recognise that Bnuseli* Eurocratf must now (how more respect for Greenland's regional autonomy. 00m dupton explore ethnic rights wit?& UK EEC, and Greenland's

hfateny,~"s;~&~chapter

di<c<iBÃˆÃ§th*epmÃ§<iuÃ§ncetof

complete Mrtonomy for the %#people: 'ItIlqwbnutainingone'ihtetoricil

~ q s ~ m h z ~ ~ ~ ; f

effort, producing only what one

consumes, denying o n ~ e l the f de $ndiogregime of wd&n. Brave ~reenluid,with a total population one twentieth tort of

G&terJ.iondon,bÃ‡vin(Ã§lie*d home nde from DennuilL.&now Waf

Su&ket.

I inurine the EEC

atwe the death of

Undercurrents 52 -

ORGANIC FARMING Collective needwarier with some experience

-.-----. - .Â it>lBfor twofull time w k w for

x-7-.-

f6ur day* a i r k . ThaÃ people mut be expertancwd In v ~ o Ã § ttrlan wholefood cookery and willing to work c # q e d w l v . PIMMphomorÃ‘rtffor upiicrdon form to:-Wrrrf Street ah,17-10VWiarf Stnot, b e & 2. Yorbhin. Tai:

(0532)449588.

Weneedan EXPERIENCED ENGINEER to join our small fam with a d t i r (or ~ equlvlent) prefwbly in mÃ§hÃ§iic~ninwrlng.Appileants fnWt hÃ§v a strong I n u m t in wownble memv uchnology and PWbw Â¥XPWI nice in related arm would be an Â¥dnn~w The lob i rangeofttrit*frompknnbtna*ndw^ingto

HOLIDAYS

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UNIQUEh o i W o n o n i e n k i d k holding with 77 ~mof wooded tutun rourv within Exmoor NMloÃ‘ hrk. Sn 4 mHw. Eight cwnoufl@ canvuw,modwn toilets, sm pie^ to Cowtey Wood, N. b o n . Puncornbe200

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wlking, swimming and sunning. B*d and boÃ§r 600 fr*m DM

Includingbtd md bold.Mixad k n o w k b ~ c d k t h W 8xplorinaÃ‘troton through

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Fmnm Trt: 175) 39 11 89. EXCHANGE holiday ootfg*.W> should Ilk8 to mcharqe our cottg* in ~ f b y t h i tnor torn* aammmodntlon in Pwianc*aria. FtÃ‘ contact bum Atkinion, 10 Wnh Green, WIrtaworth, Derby-

mi<

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PERSONS WANTEDto join AT wp-ingtobuyM I tn Â¥DDrDMtamix. Pnctlal t x d .& infdtor/wlnd/wur Po&, Intt~mmtitten,d l o r n u m b

ETCETERA

officer, circa Â£23 a week. Contx-t. 480 WuldÃ‘art R d . SWS. 1132 9466 by 2 Anrll.

WOMEN'S WRITINGS, lyrtdand potry wanted for manthology onnuclar hotocftft ooltectMlby .Â¥roupofp<mtiedtÃˆÃˆ ~owtoRdMuvyouri*ind Â¥bouÃ§hbomb. -M. Neild. Â£2.9 -1, Andre Oeuoch

&tlon&ltabie with building powlbMtlwla~ntwtMWw. PI-it* for Infornution to:

BkW,

~ondonSW1.

THE POSTCARDSthat World W@rIt11 10for Â£ kt.*. :CollÃ‡ctfn'ffl). F.W, PtW-

Bone, Gwviwfld.

Barn,.

PEACENEWSfor riwvlofnt

revolution. B^Bortt, Ã‘flyd* nÃˆw ot non-vtolfitÃ‡Ctlo for

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@ndfiring tbÃ§megfroKchime

!Â¥to fight the Can-

a year's tub, from 8. Bm AÃ‘nue Nottinshtm. FREE FESTIVALS 1982 list& frwImflettonpwt*ndfuture frw ftfvab, StomhM@ Â¥tc phone Ot-787 1716 WMlW wits STUNâ‚ 4 w +a% London seW6N&

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Ordinary Mwnbwhip Â£6.0 siudonts. aimants, O A h C3.00 NÃ§n . . . , . . , . . . , . . . . . . . . Addran , . . , . . . .. . . . . . . . , , , , . . , , , . . . Date.. . . . . c/o 1 ELQN I AVENUE, LONDON W9 3PR. 01-2Ãˆ

fB6.u-ofb ro rc h u e r

.(hop.-

M ( o m i t i n g t o uÃ (Monte to impin'drnfla and rÃ‘lmnce Swid mfrtel to R. Ann, Ftat 3,

Hornymll Rd,

ISOLATEDe n t M own it mil* from OWÃ Dyka. ~ t . Oiviw, churchtown, Mddtone, Ellhop's a,'#,,.

ww**-, ,

Stilt only 5p a word; box nos Â£1.25 .. Copydate for "C631tApril, *s must be PREPAID Please.

3kW, Â£85 to

brlghttfni's* COLIGNUM LTD Woodmachinhf Co-opÃ‘thf bttch productlon facilitia for woodwn dÃ‘Igm fitting*, furniture etc; Purpow mide lolnery, Colbnum Ltd, Ati- St, F n d f r Rod, St PhHIpt, Briltol 2.Tal: 0272 713879. SOMETHING ptayda Intplrtd hv Hwrnm Him's GlnÃ Bcd dime. ~on-compuitlvt.A mÃ§p ping of thought ~qirncn.For Informtlon write to D~nbtr8 Altkim, 1460SWA'St, CoivÃˆlllÃ OregonJ7333, USA.

ASTROLOGY birth chwtt. In depth infrpreftlom focusing on BMCIfk a m 'if nquind',from a NÃ‡wAa*Â¥ppToMh,vlaÂ rnlnutt Up*. Con Â£8.60 alio

-nddeulteof#m*.dated @am of birth to Philip Jonw, 30 Brunton ROKL Lmcutw.

I 1 AN ANONYMOUS Ministry of Defence spokesperson on I RADIO 4 was saying that the Government's decision to spend (10 billion of taxpayers' money on Trident (alright, so maybe I you don't tax but there are those who do) was equivalent a to werv familv buvina an extra bar of chocolate a week. As the CAMPAIGN AGAINST THE ARMS TRADE istimates I that the average family contributel at least ﾃ｢窶堋ｬ towards Britain's nuclear ph*Uic symbol arsenal, t h i s represents a rather 1 ~xpemivechocky bar (a limited edition Swiss Chocolate I gnome perhaps). Should the next Government have the sense to scrap Trident Iwill demand at least a Crunchie bar every

I time Isignon.. .

New York readers might like to take advintage of BETTY DSON'S masturbation classes fir a mats 150 doll*. ing love to onedf should be a light-heartedjoyous experience' she says and will be exploring the spiritual dimensions of this important subject, often overlooked by radical wnkera ... FIONN HOLFORD-WALKERof the Council For The Protection of Rural England was accidentally invited to a Department Of Transport press launch on quieter lorries. Holford-Walker was interceptedat the door and told that he wasn't allowed to ask the Minister embarrassing questions or to talk to the BBC. After the launch, the BBC camera crew were nearly run down by a new-look environmentally sound lorry. They didn't hear it coming, poor dears.. I The best of luck to CHRIS SQUIRE'S st+ription management and despatch company ANAGRAM. He is trying to intend YARE RIB in taking advantlQB petitfoe rtt.However, a few yean back, d ~ M m m m h M a ~ ~ ~ listtr* in struggle who ire i n the fame building n Undercurrent*. He hope* Uny hwe forgotten til about it, but the trouble with thcw feminists', he was heard to mutter' is that tiny have memorlal like dephints'. LBC'S AM phone-in progrpme is fait gaining a reputation ﾃフhe worst phone-inproarmme on the airwaves. The r e o m is the ippalling ineptitude of co-presenter CAR& 3, THATCHER, @r dear Leademne's daughter. An LBC pnx@ officer said 'Carde MSappointed solely on merit'. God knows what the other applicants were like i f this is the case. Dissatisfied LBC woricershave had no luck i n persuading Ms to take an interat i n crowSahara motor railia. I Thatcher In a public-spiritedmood Idropped a line to the NEW STATESMAN, putting myself forward as the ideal p e r m to ba their new editor after BRUCE PAGE'S demotion to teaboy. Is-ted dropping in to tie up one or two details about p e m h allowance, paternity leave (not that them is an imI tTMdtete likelihood of any mini-Doomstem; 1luipect sterility camad by non-spiritualulf-abuw), but they haven't replied yet The letter must have got lost i n the post. Iread that male contraceptive experimenter* have found the the male pill alter; the taste of sperm. This is a promising I tine of research and should be encouraged. Perhaps eventually it might be possible to offer a choice of banana, strawberry or, for the more sophisticated, Grand Marnier flavours. The exponenti*) increase in oral sex would undoubtedly solve the \I/ population explosion overnight, a social problem that has been of much concern to me of late LOONY DOOMSTER

I I I I

I 1

I I

.-.

I 1

...

BARGAIN PRICE BACK NUMBERS

-23

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Lucat & AT. Jack Mundey, Overseas at; Hilldde Cottage; Building & natural energy; Shutter design 16 People3 Habitat; NATTA; Citizen's Band; Garden villages, Tree farming; DIY new towns; Self-sufficiency town homes. Good squat guide. Dangers of counter-culture; Broadcasting; ~ e i c h~; u c l e apolicy; r Iron age farm; Laurieston. A doctor writes. Paranoia power (I); Stoneheuse; Primal 22 therapy, Cod war; Fish farming (I); Ripple r e v o l u t i o ~ . Seabrook; Nukes and unions; Fish farming (2); WaÃˆtes8ver 23 Lorem-"; Solarco~ctor,VHF~m%ter;Parano~ P (2). Chichen'tlib; Namhealth. Wind~cale;VHFtniinmitter(2); 24 Dun- Camphell on the Eavedroppern: Cheese & cider EnKrtioiulpLftcueFindhorn, Comport& comm@);Water 25 power; Oz mmmunity -0: Funk T l u ~ ~ p o d t idvoet a g e . AT & the Portucutse revolution; The Russiansaren't coming; 26 Boa* rep&s; New Age Accesa;Orkney ~ofting;Growingdope. Soft energy: b u d politics; Fait breeders;Tooli tor mall fanns; Brookhouae Ampe-d co-op The Shakers; D1Y Wooddove. 28 Windiule; Tvind; MondMfon. AT & the State; Canadian AT; Behaviow Mod. Bicycle planning; Uxhan wasteland. Women & Euexfr; New Clear Energy; Feministsagainstnukes; 29 Women & Science; Womanthoueht; Alice & ATman. 30 WindtCtle; Ecofeminitm; S o l a r 4 AT & the B r i t s State; Muscle powered revolutionary m a d h i ; Greening socialism. Food politic*; Factory farminx, Additives; Wholefood co-ops; Commodity campateiu; Common anxicultural policy. EeopoiiUn; British road to Ecotopia; Larzac; Nukes & and 32 union#;Worwdplans; DlYVHFtransmitter; Shotton; Microa Plandug; GUdm cities; UXh81l wasteland; Natioud P d s ; 33 Shetland; Counky life. WWOOFIng; AT workshop. 34 Co-op Ifooni: Crabapple; UNCSTD; Earthcue; CounterRevolution Quarterly; Feminist anti-nuked; Engineering. 35 COMTEKTft Wave POW% TemnworkTruningTrurtiCamPalKn for the North; DIY Woodatove deiixn; DccentnUsinx AT. Children & tho EBTironment; Future perfect; City jungles: Flytheat camn; Ma Gila; Community schools 6 mrvices. Third woxld e d ; FA0 food conference;Street fixhtin'mm; DIY b i q Ecetopoly; Environmental education ~nti-au&& CUB-: Denmark Seabrook;Guerilla tactics; The Enflllh EuUymake; The ~ u s d a n and s Nicola Ted*.

EcoxOP~; WW:W ~ WPOW% v&W&hi DePlUZThird World RiD-off Cuuls:Job*& social C w e . Co-operaton Fate Sums Win& of cfaanxeWorkins collectivel~

labour; Macho nations; Capiand Co-opt. .-topla; convivial computing, k e i t o for the 80%END; Pirate Radio. N^TTA; Ted*. Durieui windmffld&n; Atoms fox peace; L8nd reform no Bombs lnto Greentown; Ufe without TV. EST: Propertuima Media Spedfl-. Pen pushing; 4 t h world; Arti COUBCB;Open ~ o c u n p 8 i w 8 ; D e r e k J u r n a n i n ~ e ~ RW u fCfr e e m P u f f . Law *n Anarchy: Red Bazricten: Westminster Zoo; Tribal Juatiw; Prostitutes; We* ~rnonittt;Community ~ a w . Women In Co-om: Their Experiences and Role*; Childcam in 46 Co-ops; Buildint without Men; S American Collectives report. Special 1Ã‘u on FoxÃ‘to Why Forests Matter; Deforestation; 47 Carbon Dioxide Lev*; Medic8l,E4fectsof Nuclmu War. SQ Women against migilei; Free Sexuality; Nu;Edward Bond on Democracy; William Burpah8 interview; CB Mute. Alternntive defence; D1Y Super E flm: Illlch on Mxiaro; The @ new West c-: co-op impact o&&e hh- movement.

50 TenthBirtb

Insue D~~ Pladwfm?& Chem/Biolon%Warfaw ATRevirfted;10years of~co-Action. Pirate TV;Socialint Radio; Animal Lib; Nuclear Power guide; Wave Power, Timothy Leary. the new Alternative London.

BY SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT with the pubInhere, Wildwood House, we am now able to offer our book Radical Technology to Undercurrents readers at less than half price -only Â£1.95 postpaid1 Radical Technology is widely recognised as the standan comprehensive work in the field. But don't take our word for it. As Alvin Toffler, author of best-sellersFuture Shod and The Third Wave put it: "For people who still think i f the future in terms of nega-machinesand all-powerful bureaucracies, Radical . rechnology will be an eyeipener. lt proves what many 'uturists, ecologists and philoiophers have been saying: rhere is an alternative. ladical Technology offers a resh way to think about :omomow. Nothing could be nore useful."

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Radical Technology has 304 big pages and includes more than 40 major articles, only a couple of which have ever appeared in Undercurrents, spanning such topics as Food, Energy, Shelter, Tools, Materials, Community, Autonomy and Other Perspectives. ORDER YOUR COPY NOW! Send just Â£1.9 (which includes UK and overseas surface mail costs) to Undercurrents, 27 Clerkenwell Close, London EC1 OAT.

Surprise & Alienate Your 'Friends' - join a community! THE IMAGE

I've heard that communes are full of doped out inadequates

THE TRUTH

Successful communitieswork hard and usually ban drugs

rHE IMAGE

Communes are immoral!

THF TRUTH

41-3

"^t

If you mean by immoral that some communities prefer more open sexual relationships than religious authoritarianswould wish, this we openly admit. i Some communes are, however, even more strict than your 'grandparents'. =-'. There is wide CHOICE. Communes tend to be much more caring of relationships than the society at large whatever their preferred lifestyle. .

If I join a commune my friends will reject me -,

THE TRUTH

There is much truth in this. Often, however, they come to accept your right to run your own life the way you CHOOSE in due course. If they do NOT, what sort of friends are they? I t is NOT always easy to be a pathfinder t o new social models and ideals, you have to be strong enough,tqface criticism - . .a,

To join a commune Iwould have to raise a lot of money

THE IMAGE'

t f

*t*

I t depends on the community

FHE TRUTH

- there is much CHOICE

THE IMAGE

I'm young and uneducated, what could a community want with me?

JHE TRUTH

If you are prepared to work and to learn, the best communities will welcome you with open arms. They will train you. You will learn more about yourself, other people and survival in a year than you have in the past 10 years, or ever would in ten years of marriage and a straight job

THE IMAGE

Ihave just completed a firsi class degree in philosophy and think Ican offer a great deal to any community

THE TRUTH..

You are probably completely wet behind the ears and can do nothing useful.

-.. If you are NOT very ready to start learningall over again from the ground up,

,*Ă&#x201A; -

go and join a failing british business - if they will take you! THE IMAGE

si-ffse-'-.'f -

THE TRUTH -.

Ibelieve in fairies in cabbages -^ I believe in chanting all dayIam a hard headed pragmatist Iwish to go back tonatureetc! etc! etc! etc!

What commune would want me? what commune wouldwant me?. what commune would want me? what commune would want me?

Write to us, we can probably tell you of just the place! I f you want to start another group, we may be able to help with advice or just help you get your own objectives clarified

END TO THE ALTERNATIVE COMMUNITIESMOVEMENT (NU], 1BGARTH ROAD, '* BANGOR, CWYNEDD, N W P a='3

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Undercurrent 52 April 1982 2 Eddies - News from everywhere 6 Letters 8 Briggs Bomb Bogey - Has Raymond Briggs gone anti-nuke? - Pat Sinclair 10 Science Fictions - UC investigates recent reports of an exploding chemical warfare establishment in the USSR 11 Women in Radio - What are the chances for feminist radio? - Women’s Airwaves (WAV) 13 Diary of a Safety Valve - Reds, Lech Walesa’s moustache and the Work Ethic: Tony Allen 14 Gospel at Gunpoint - Missionary zeal goes OTT in Paraguay: Pat Sinclair 16 Exploding TV - The collapse of mainstream TV: Stuart Hood 18 Tyne for a Change - If you must work, do something useful. Jobs report from Newcastle 20 Himalayan Tech - Technology strategies in Nepal: William Ellis 22 Beyond the Beast - Human experiments, atomic veterans and the environmental cost of Japan’s economic ‘miracle’: John May 23 Weird Stuff Bulletin: Dongl Haunted clocks mystery 24 Whats What & Whats When: Paul Sieveking 26 Reviews - Books, video, music and a new science fiction column 31 Classified Ads 32 Froth - Gossip, trivia and malicious rumour: Loony Doomster _______________________________________________________________________