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Factory Farming in the Developing World
Factory Farming in the Developing World
In some critical respects, this is not progress at all.
Walking through Bobby Inocencio's farm in the hills of Rizal province in the Philippines is like taking a step back to a simpler time. Hundreds of chickens (a cross between native Filipino chickens and a French breed) roam around freely in large, fenced pens. They peck at various indigenous plants, they eat bugs, and they fertilize the soil, just as domesticated chickens have for ages.
The scene may be old, but Inocencio's farm is anything but simple. What he has recreated is a complex and successful system of raising chickens that benefits small producers, the environment, and even the chickens. Once a "factory farmer," Inocencio used to raise white chickens for Pure Foods, one of the biggest companies in the Philippines.
Thousands of birds were housed in long, enclosed metal sheds that covered his property. Along with the breed stock and feeds he had to import, Inocencio also found himself dealing with a lot of imported diseases and was forced to buy expensive antibiotics to keep the chickens alive long enough to take them to market. Another trick of the trade Inocencio learned was the use of growth promotants that decrease the time it takes for chickens to mature.
Eventually he noticed that fewer and fewer of his neighbors were raising chickens, which threatened the community's food security by reducing the locally available supply of chickens and eggs. As the community dissolved and farms (and farming methods) that had been around for generations went virtually extinct, Inocencio became convinced that there had to be a different way to raise chickens and still compete in a rapidly globalizing marketplace. "The business of the white chicken," he says, "is controlled by the big guys." Not only do small farmers have to compete with the three big companies that control white chickens in the Philippines, but they must also contend with pressure from the World Trade Organization (WTO) to open up trade. In the last two decades the Filipino poultry production system has transitioned from mainly backyard farms to a huge industry. In the 1980s the country produced 50 million birds annually. Today that figure has increased some ten-fold. The large poultry producers have benefited from this population explosion, but average farmers have not. So Inocencio decided to go forward by going back and reviving village-level poultry enterprises that supported traditional family farms and rural communities.
Inocencio's farm and others like it show that the Philippines can support indigenous livestock production and stand up to the threat of the factory farming methods now spreading around the world. Since 1997, his Teresa Farms has been raising free range chickens and teaching other farmers how to do the same. He says that the way he used to raise chickens, by concentrating so many of them in a small space, is dangerous. Diseases such as avian flu, leukosis J (avian leukemia), and Newcastle disease are spread from white chickens to the Filipino native chicken populations, in some cases infecting eggs before the chicks are even born. "The white chicken," says Inocencio, "is weak, making the system weak. And if these chickens are weak, why should we be raising them? Limiting their genetic base and using breeds that are not adapted to conditions in the Philippines is like setting up the potential for a potato blight on a global scale." Now Teresa Farms chickens are no longer kept in long, enclosed sheds, but roam freely in large tree-covered areas of his farm that he encloses with recycled fishing nets.
Inocencio's chickens also don't do drugs. Antibiotics, he says, are not only expensive but encourage disease. He found the answer to the problem of preventing diseases in chickens literally in his own back yard. His chickens eat spices and native plants with antibacterial and other medicinal properties. Chili, for instance, is mixed in grain to treat respiratory problems, stimulate appetite during heat stress, de-worm the birds, and to treat Newcastle disease. Native plants growing on the farm, including ipil-ipil and damong maria, are also used as low-cost alternatives to antibiotics and other drugs.
There was a time when most farms in the Philippines, the United States, and everywhere else functioned much like Bobby Inocencio's. But today the factory model of raising animals in intensive conditions is spreading around the globe.
A New Jungle
Meat once occupied a very different dietary place in most of the world. Beef, pork, and chicken were considered luxuries, and were eaten on special occasions or to enhance the flavor of other foods. But as agriculture became more mechanized, so did animal production. In the United States, livestock raised in the West was herded or transported east to slaughterhouses and packing mills. Upton Sinclair's The Jungle, written almost a century ago when the United States lacked many food-safety and labor regulations, described the appalling conditions of slaughterhouses in Chicago in the early 20th century and was a shocking expose of meat production and the conditions inflicted on both animals and humans by the industry. Workers were treated much like animals themselves, forced to labor long hours for very little pay under dangerous conditions, and with no job security.
If The Jungle were written today, however, it might not be set in the American Midwest. Today, developing nations like the Philippines are becoming the centers of large-scale livestock production and processing to feed the world's growing appetite for cheap meat and other animal products. But the problems Sinclair pointed to a century ago, including hazardous working conditions, unsanitary processing methods, and environmental contamination, still exist. Many have become even worse. And as environmental regulations in the European Union and the United States become stronger, large agribusinesses are moving their animal production operations to nations with less stringent enforcement of environmental laws.
These intensive and environmentally destructive production methods are spreading all over the globe, to Mexico, India, the former Soviet Union, and most rapidly throughout Asia. Wherever they crop up, they create a web of related food safety, animal welfare, and environmental problems. Philip Lymbery, campaign director of the World Society for the Protection of Animals, describes the growth of industrial animal production this way: Imagine traditional livestock production as a beach and factory farms as a tide. In the United States, the tide has completely covered the beach, swallowing up small farms and concentrating production in the hands of a few large companies. In Taiwan, it is almost as high. In the Philippines, however, the tide is just hitting the beach. The industrial, factory-farm methods of raising and slaughtering animals-methods that were conceived and developed in the United States and Western Europe-have not yet swept over the Philippines, but they are coming fast.
An Appetite for Destruction
Global meat production has increased more than five-fold since 1950, and factory farming is the fastest growing method of animal production worldwide. Feedlots are responsible for 43 percent of the world's beef, and more than half of the world's pork and poultry are raised in factory farms. Industrialized countries dominate production, but developing countries are rapidly expanding and intensifying their production systems. According to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), Asia (including the Philippines) has the fastest developing livestock sector. On the islands that make up the Philippines, 500 million chickens and 20 million hogs are slaughtered each year.
Despite the fact that many health-conscious people in developed nations are choosing to eat less meat, worldwide meat consumption continues to rise. Consumption is growing fastest in the developing countries. Two-thirds of the gains in meat consumption in 2002 were in the developing world, where urbanization, rising incomes, and globalized trade are changing diets and fueling appetites for meat and animal products. Because eating meat has been perceived as a measure of economic and social development, the Philippines and other poor nations are eager to climb up the animal-protein ladder. People in the Philippines still eat relatively little meat, but their consumption is growing. As recently as 1995, the average Filipino ate 21 kilograms of meat per year. Since then, average consumption has soared to almost 30 kilograms per year, although that is still less than half the amount in Western countries, where per-capita consumption is 80 kilograms per year.
This push to increase both production and consumption in the Philippines and other developing nations is coming from a number of different directions. Since the end of World War II, agricultural development has been considered a part of the foreign aid and assistance given to developing nations. The United States and international development agencies have been leaders in promoting the use of pesticides, artificial fertilizers, and other chemicals to boost agricultural production in these countries, often at the expense of the environment. American corporations like Purina Mills and Tyson Foods are also opening up feed mills and farms so they can expand business in the Philippines.
But Filipinos are also part of the push to industrialize agriculture. "This is not an idea only coming from the West," says Dr. Abe Agulto, president of the Philippine Society for the Protection of Animals, "but also coming from us." Meat equals wealth in much of the world and many Filipino businesspeople have taken up largescale livestock production to supply the growing demand for meat. But small farmers don't get much financial support in the Philippines. It's not farms like Bobby Inocencio's that are likely to get government assistance, but the big production facilities that can crank out thousands of eggs, chicks, or piglets a year.
The world's growing appetite for meat is not without its consequences, however. One of the first indications that meat production can be hazardous arises long before animals ever reach the slaughterhouse. Mountains of smelly and toxic manure are created by the billions of animals raised for human consumption in the world each year. In the United States, people in North Carolina know all too well the effects of this liquid and solid waste. Hog production there has increased faster than anywhere else in the nation, from 2 million hogs per year in 1987 to 10 million hogs per year today. Those hogs produce more than 19 million tons of manure each year and most of it gets stored in lagoons, or large uncovered containment pits. Many of those lagoons flooded and burst when Hurricane Floyd swept through the region in 1999. Hundreds of acres of land and miles of waterway were flooded with excrement, resulting in massive fish kills and millions of dollars in cleanup costs. The lagoons' contents are also known to leak out and seep into groundwater.
Some of the same effects can now be seen in the Philippines. Not far from Teresa Farms sits another, very different, farm that produces the most frequently eaten meat product in the world. Foremost Farms is the largest piggery, or pig farm, in all of Asia. An estimated 100,000 pigs are produced there every year.
High walls surround Foremost and prevent people in the community from getting in or seeing what goes on inside. What they do get a whiff of is the waste. Not only do the neighbors smell the manure created by the 20,000 hogs kept at Foremost or the 10,000 hogs kept at nearby Holly Farms, but their water supply has also been polluted by it. In fact, they've named the river where many of them bathe and get drinking water the River Stink. Apart from the stench, some residents have complained of skin rashes, infections, and other health problems from the water. And instead of keeping the water clean and installing effective waste treatment, the farms are just digging deeper drinking wells and giving residents free access to them. Many in the community are reluctant to complain about the smell because they fear losing their water supply. Even the mayor of Bulacan, the nearby village, has said "we give these farms leeway as much as possible because they provide so much economically."
It would be easy to assume that some exploitive foreign corporation owns Foremost, but in fact the owner is Lucia Tan, a Filipino. Tan is not your average Filipino, however, but the richest man in the Philippines. In addition to Foremost Farms, he owns San Miguel beer and Philippine Airlines. Tan might be increasing his personal wealth, but his farm and others like it are gradually destroying traditional farming methods and threatening indigenous livestock breeds in the Philippines. As a result, many small farmers can no longer afford to produce hogs for sale or for their own consumption, which forces them to become consumers of Tan's pork. Most of the nation's 11 million hogs are still kept in back yards, but because of farms like Foremost, factory farming is growing. Almost one-quarter of the breeding herd is now factory farmed. More than 1 million pigs are raised in factory farms every year in Bulacan alone.
Chicken farms in the Philippines are also becoming more intensive. The history of intensive poultry production in the Philippines is not long. Forty years ago, the nation's entire population was fed on native eggs and chickens produced by family farmers. Now, most of those farmers are out of business. They have lost not only their farms, but livestock diversity and a way of life as well.
The loss of this way of life to the industrialized farm-to-abattoir system has made the process more callous at every stage. Adopting factory farming methods works to diminish farmers' concern for the welfare of their livestock. Chickens often can't walk properly because they have been pumped full of growth-promoting antibiotics to gain weight as quickly as possible. Pigs are confined to gestation crates where they can't turn around. Cattle are crowded together in feedlots that are seas of manure.
Most of the chickens in the country are from imported breed stock and the native Filipino chicken has practically disappeared because of viral diseases spread by foreign breeds. Almost all of the hens farmed commercially for their eggs are confined in wire battery cages that cram three or four hens together, giving each bird an area less than the size of this page to stand on.
Unlike laying hens, chickens raised for meat in the Philippines are not housed in cages. But they're not pecking around in back yards, either. Over 90 percent of the meat chickens raised in the Philippines live in long sheds that house thousands of birds. At this time, most Filipino producers allow fowl to have natural ventilation and lighting and some roaming room, but they are under pressure to adopt more "modern" factory-farm standards to increase production.
The problems of a system that produces a lot of animals in crowded and unsanitary conditions can also be seen off the farm. The baranguay (neighborhood) of Tondo in Manila is best known for the infamous "Smoky Mountain" garbage dump that collapsed on scavengers in 2000, killing at least 200 people. But another hazard also sits in the heart of Tondo. Surrounded by tin houses, stores, and bars, the largest government-owned slaughtering facility in the country processes more than 3,000 swine, cattle, and caraboa (water buffalo) per day, all brought from farms just outside the city limits. The slaughterhouse does have a waste treatment system where the blood and other waste is supposed to be treated before it is released into the city's sewer system and nearby Manila Bay. Unfortunately, that's not what's going on. Instead, what can't be cut up and sold for human consumption is dumped into the sewer.
Some 60 men are employed at the plant. They stun, bludgeon, and slaughter animals by hand and at a breakneck pace. They wear little protective gear as they slide around on floors slippery with blood, which makes it hard to stun animals on the first try, or sometimes even the second, or to butcher meat without injuring themselves.
The effects of producing meat this way also show up in rising cases of food-borne illness, emerging animal diseases that can spread to humans, and in an increasingly overweight Filipino population that doesn't remember where meat comes from.
There are few data on the incidence of food-borne illness in the Philippines or most other developing nations, and even fewer about how much of it might be related to eating unsafe meat. What food safety experts do know is that food-borne illness is one of the most widespread health problems worldwide. And it could be an astounding 300-350 times more frequent than reported, according to the World Health Organization. Developing nations bear the greatest burden because of the presence of a wide range of parasites, toxins, and biological hazards and the lack of surveillance, prevention, and treatment measures-all of which ensnarl the poor in a chronic cycle of infection. According to the FAO, the trend toward increased commercialization and intensification of livestock production is leading to a variety of food safety problems. Crowded, unsanitary conditions and poor waste treatment in factory farms exacerbate the rapid movement of animal diseases and food-borne infections. E. coli 0157:H7, for instance, is spread from animals to humans when people eat food contaminated by manure. Animals raised in intensive conditions often arrive at slaughterhouses covered in feces, thus increasing the chance of contamination during slaughtering and processing.
Cecilia Ambos is one of the meat inspectors at the Tondo slaughterhouse. Cecilia or another inspector is required to be on site at all times, but she says she rarely has to go to the killing floor. Inspections of carcasses only occur, she said, if one of the workers alerts the inspector. That doesn't happen very often, and not because the animals are all perfectly healthy. Consider that the men employed at the plant are paid about $5 per day, which is less than half of the cost of living-and are working as fast as they can to slaughter a thousand animals per shift. It's unlikely that they have the time or the knowledge to notice problems with the meat.
Since the 1960s, farm-animal health in the United States has depended not on humane farming practices but on the use of antibiotics. Many of the same drugs used to treat human illnesses are also used in animal production, thus reducing the arsenal of drugs available to fight food-borne illnesses and other health problems. Because antibiotics are given to livestock to prevent disease from spreading in crowded conditions and to increase growth, antibiotic resistance has become a global threat. In the Philippines, chicken, egg, and hog producers use antibiotics not because their birds or hogs are sick, but because drug companies and agricultural extension agents have convinced them that these antibiotics will ensure the health of their birds or pigs and increase their weight.
Livestock raised intensively can also spread diseases to humans. Outbreaks of avian flu in Hong Kong during the past five years have led to massive culls of thousands of chickens. When the disease jumped the species barrier for the first time in 1997, six of the eighteen people infected died. Avian flu spread to people living in Hong Kong again this February, killing two. Dr. Gary Smith, of the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine, also warns that "it is not high densities [of animals] that matter, but the increased potential for transmission between farms that we should be concerned about. The nature of the farming nowadays is such that there is much more movement of animals between farms than there used to be, and much more transport of associated materials between farms taking place rapidly. The problem is that the livestock industry is operating on a global, national, and county level." The foot-and-mouth disease epidemic in the United Kingdom is a perfect example of how just a few cows can spread a disease across an entire nation.
Modern Methods, Modern Policies?
The expansion of factory farming methods in the Philippines is raising the probability that it will become another fast food nation. Factory farms are supplying much of the pork and chicken preferred by fast food restaurants there. American-style fast food was unknown in the Philippines until the 1970s, when Jollibee, the Filipino version of McDonald's, opened its doors. Now, thanks to fast food giants like McDonald's, Kentucky Fried Chicken, Burger King, and others, the traditional diet of rice, vegetables, and a little meat or fish is changing-and so are rates of heart disease, diabetes, and stroke, which have risen to numbers similar to those in the United States and other western nations.
The Filipino government doesn't see factory farming as a threat. To the contrary, many officials hope it will be a solution to their country's economic woes, and they're making it easier for large farms to dominate livestock production. For instance, the Department of Agriculture appears to have turned a blind eye when many farms have violated environmental and animal welfare regulations. The government has also encouraged big farms to expand by giving them loans. But as the farms get bigger and produce more, domestic prices for chicken and pork fall, forcing more farmers to scale up their production methods. And because the Philippines (and many other nations) are prevented by the Global Agreement on Tariffs and Trade and the WTO from imposing tariffs on imported products, the Philippines is forced to allow cheap, factory-farmed American pork and poultry into the country. These products are then sold at lower prices than domestic meat.
Rafael Mariano, a leader in the Peasant Movement for the Philippines (KMP), has not turned away from the problems caused by factory farming in the Philippines. He and the 800,000 farmers he works with believe that "factory farming is not acceptable, we have our own farming." But farmers, he says, are told by big agribusiness companies that their methods are old fashioned, and that to compete in the global market they must forget what they have learned from generations of farming. Rafael and KMP are working to promote traditional methods of livestock production that benefit small farmers and increase local food security. This means doing what farmers used to do: raising both crops and animals. In mixed crop-livestock farms, animals and crops are parts of a self-sustaining system. Some farmers in the Philippines raise hogs, chickens, tilapia, and rice on the same farm. The manure from the hogs and chickens is used to fertilize the algae in ponds needed for both tilapia and rice to grow. These farms produce little waste, provide a variety of food for the farm, and give farmers social security when prices for poultry, pork, and rice go down.
The Philippines is not the only country at risk from the spread of factory farms. Argentina, Brazil, Canada, China, India, Mexico, Pakistan, South Africa, Taiwan, and Thailand are all seeing growth in industrial animal production. As regulations controlling air and water pollution from such farms are strengthened in one country, companies simply pack up and move to countries with more lenient rules. Western European nations now have among the strongest environmental regulations in the world; farmers can only apply manure during certain times of the year and they must follow strict controls on how much ammonia is released from their farms. As a result, a number of companies in the Netherlands and Germany are moving their factory farms-but to the United States, not to developing countries. According to a recent report in the Dayton Daily News, cheap land and less restrictive environmental regulations in Ohio are luring European livestock producers to the Midwest. There, dairies with fewer than 700 cows are not required to obtain permits, which would regulate how they control manure. But 700 cows can produce a lot of manure. In 2001, five Dutch-owned dairies were cited by the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency for manure spills. "Until there are international regulations controlling waste from factory farms," says William Weida, director of the Global Reaction Center for the Environment/Spira Factory Farm project, "it is impossible to prevent farms from moving to places with less regulation."
Mauricio Rosales of FAO's Livestock, Environment, and Development Project also stresses the need for siting farms where they will benefit both people and the environment. "Zoning," he says, "is necessary to produce livestock in the most economically viable places, but with the least impact." For instance, when livestock live in urban or peri-urban areas, the potential for nutrient imbalances is high. In rural areas, manure can be a valuable resource because it contains nitrogen and phosphorous, which fertilize the soil. In cities, however, manure is a toxic, polluting nuisance.
The triumph of factory farming is not inevitable. In 2001, the World Bank released a new livestock strategy which, in a surprising reversal of its previous commitment to funding of large-scale livestock projects in developing nations, said that as the livestock sector grows "there is a significant danger that the poor are being crowded out, the environment eroded, and global food safety and security threatened." It promised to use a "people-centered approach" to livestock development projects that will reduce poverty, protect environmental sustainability, ensure food security and welfare, and promote animal welfare. This turnaround happened not because of pressure from environmental or animal welfare activists, but because the large-scale, intensive animal production methods the Bank once advocated are simply too costly. Past policies drove out smallholders because economies of scale for large units do not internalize the environmental costs of producing meat. The Bank's new strategy includes integrating livestock-environment interactions into environmental impact assessments, correcting regulatory distortions that favor large producers, and promoting and developing markets for organic products. These measures are steps in the right direction, but more needs to be done by lending agencies, governments, non-governmental organizations, and individual consumers. Changing the meat economy will require a rethinking of our relationship with livestock and the price we're willing to pay for safe, sustainable, humanely-raised food.
Meat is more than a dietary element, it's a symbol of wealth and prosperity. Reversing the factory farm tide will require thinking about farming systems as more than a source of economic wealth. Preserving prosperous family farms and their landscapes, and raising healthy, humanely treated animals, should also be viewed as a form of affluence.
Danielle Nierenberg is a Staff Researcher at the Worldwatch Institute.


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What's inside...
ED and DoD
Support for College
– First Lady Michelle Obama at The White House, Washington D.C., April 7, 2010
April is Month of the Military Child
In 1986, Defense Secretary Caspar Weinberger designated April as Month of the Military Child, a time when each branch of the military service recognizes the sacrifices made by the children of parents who are serving our country. The Month of the Military Child is an opportunity for the nation to recognize military children and youths for their heroism, character, strength, and sacrifices. During April, military bases around the world will honor these young American heroes with special events just for them. When a parent is serving his or her country, the children are serving, too. There are 1.7 million American children and youths under 18 years old with a parent serving in the military, and approximately 900,000 children and youths who have had one or both parents deployed multiple times. These families endure long separations and often are required to move multiple times during their parent's service. This is a time to pay tribute to these kids and recognize the commitment, sacrifice and support they show as they face the special challenges of being a military child. First Lady Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill Biden, lifelong educator and wife of Vice President Joe Biden, have expressed the important role military children play in the armed forces community. Visit http://www.whitehouse.gov/photos-and-video/video/month-military-child for more information.
ED and DoD
ED Discusses Reauthorization of ESEA With DoD
On Jan. 21, 2010, ED's Office of Planning, Evaluation and Policy Development made a special presentation to the MOU working group on the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA). The reauthorization of this act will govern much of the Department of Education's work in the area of K-12 education and readiness for postsecondary opportunities. Current ESEA goals are college-and career-ready students, great teachers and leaders in every school, equity and opportunity for all students, raising the bar and rewarding excellence, and promoting innovation and continuous improvement. The expected outcomes are closing the academic achievement gap and helping all children learn by holding states and schools accountable for students' academic progress. Reauthorization is expected to address fairness and flexibility for schools, the richness and rigor of the curriculum, support for teachers and principals, school accountability, and turning around low-performing middle and high schools.
On Feb. 2, 2010, Jim Shelton, assistant deputy secretary for innovation and improvement (OII), Scott Pearson, associate assistant deputy secretary in OII, and Eric Waldo, special assistant to the secretary, met with military stakeholders to discuss the reauthorization of the ESEA. The invitation-only meeting was part of the Department's efforts to reach out to stakeholders in preparation for the reauthorization of ESEA. The discussion focused on military issues (e.g., Impact Aid, BRAC and other military transformations, student mobility, deployments, trauma and loss) as they impact provisions and programs in the law and on how a reauthorized ESEA can better support military-impacted students.
Navy Junior ROTC Program: East Aurora High School Has Nation's Largest Unit
In 1995, East Aurora High School (Ill.) started a Navy Junior ROTC program with just 30 cadets. By 2005, there were more than 500. In September 2009, more than 300 freshmen volunteered for the program, making it the largest Navy Junior ROTC unit in the nation. School officials and student cadets say the reasons for the program's popularity run deeper than patriotism and are more closely related to socioeconomic status, tough family situations and students' aspirations. The program offers an opportunity to change lives. East Aurora program's popularity has grown because of its students' stellar performance in national drill and color guard competitions. After-school ROTC programs, color guard, drill teams, academic teams, and physical training teams also keep the students active and engaged. The program emphasizes discipline, scholarship, citizenship and community service, with the goal of college attendance.
DoDEA Launches New Web Site
DoDEA's Educational Partnership proudly presents "Students at the Center," an interactive educational resource for everyone involved in the education of the children of U.S. military service members. The resource is now available on the Web at http://www.militaryk12partners.dodea.edu/studentsAtTheCenter/. This Web site outlines the important policies, procedures, and best practices that will enable military families, military leaders, and school leaders to provide military-connected children the best possible support for success. Printed guidebooks and a DVD will be available to all through Military OneSource by early May, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at 1-800-342-9647 as well as online. The guide will serve as a resource to stakeholders on how, from each of their perspectives, they can advocate for military-connected students.
ED Web Site Has Educator's Guide to the Military Child During DeploymentA resource to support military children can be found at http://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/os/homefront/homefront.pdf,. The resource is the Educator's Guide to the Military Child During Deployment, a booklet designed to meet the needs expressed by teachers and other school personnel for background information and intervention strategies to support the military child during mobilization and deployment. In addition, the booklet answers some questions related to transition, reunion and re-adjustment. Additional resources and deployment support services are available at each of the armed services Web sites (for those on active duty, and in the reserve and National Guard) and at any military base, or from your local community counseling services.
Bill Introduced in the House
H.R. 4279 (Quigley, D-IL) was introduced to amend Titles 38 (Veterans Benefits) and 10 (Armed Forces) of the U.S. Code, to authorize accelerated payments of educational assistance to certain veterans and members of the reserve components of the Armed Forces (Veterans' Affairs; Armed Services). It is presently in Committee.
Support for College
IRS Data Retrieval Tool
As of January 2010, 2009-10 FAFSA on the WebSM applicants can use the IRS Data Retrieval tool. Once the Department determines that an applicant has completed a tax return and the other criteria have been met (e.g. applicant has a valid SSN), the IRS Data Retrieval tool can be utilized. For more information, visit http://www.nasfaa.org/publications/2009/anirsfafsadata120409.html.
Contacts: Carrie Jasper, Writer and Editor; Cynthia Hearn Dorfman, advisor; and Charles Boyer, Special Advisor for Military Families at firstname.lastname@example.com.
Contributors Lynda Edwards, Julie Ewart, Anna Kimsey, Kathy Facon and Connie Gillette. Contributors
To subscribe, unsubscribe or comment on this newsletter, please contact email@example.com
Touching Base can be found online at: http://www.ed.gov/news/newsletters/touchingbase/
Note: This document contains information about and from public and private entities and organizations for the reader's information. Inclusion does not constitute an endorsement by theU.S. Department of Education of any entity or organization or the products or services offered or views expressed. This publication also contains hyperlinks and URLs created and maintained by outside organizations. They are provided for the reader's convenience; however, the Department is not responsible for the accuracy of this information.

subset: commoncrawl


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High resolution imagery of sub-meter – less than 40 inches – is only available from GeoEye, DigitalGlobe, Astrium Geo, and ImageSat. It is what the stuff of Google is made of. GeoEye and DigitalGlobe represent approximately 75% of this market, and 2/3 of their revenue is tied to the U.S. government. There are lots of free, government sources of satellite imagery like Landsat, and weather satellites from NASA and NOAA, but these are not high-resolution satellites that can zoom in on your house, or support 3D modeling for engineering and virtual reality-type applications.
Read about why U.S. commercial satellite imagery is important:
The Fate of U.S. Commercial Satellite Imagery – and why you should care LBx Journal


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AIG sells unit to Chinese firm to help repay bailout
NEW YORK (AP) — American International Group Sunday said it will sell up to 90% of its airplane leasing unit to a Chinese investor group for about $5.3 billion.
Federal regulators will need to approve the largest purchase to date of a U.S.-based company. Los Angeles-based International Lease Finance Corp. leases more than 1,000 aircraft to airlines and other customers in more than 80 countries.
Insurance giant AIG (AIG) has been selling off parts of its business to help pay back the $182 billion federal government bailout it received during the financial crisis of 2008 -- one of the government's biggest bailouts.
The U.S. government earlier this year said it still owned 77% of AIG stock and has been gradually selling its stake. As of Sept. 30, the U.S. owned just under 16% of AIG's outstanding common stock, according to a regulatory filing.
AIG announced preliminary terms of the deal, pushing up its stock 2.6% to $34.13 a share. In after-hours trading, the stock fell 1.9% to 33.50 apiece.
The Chinese investor group is led by Weng Xianding, chairman of New China Trust, and includes China Aviation Industrial Fund and P3 Investments.
The group plans to acquire 80% of ILFC for $4.2 billion with an option to purchase an additional 9.9% stake.
If Chinese regulators OK the deal, including the group's option to pay $1.1 billion for another 10% of the AIG unit, New China Life Insurance and an investment arm of ICBC International, a subsidiary of the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, will be added to the investor group.
AIG plans to hang onto 10% of ILFC after the deal closes, which is expected in the second quarter of 2013. ILFC would remain incorporated in the U.S.
The company employs about 560 people, including more than 450 U.S.-based workers, and additional U.S.-based workers would be hired to replace AIG-support operations, the company said.
AIG, which had previously said it would take the public company to raise cash for money its owes the U.S. government, says ILFC is a non-core asset.
ILFC CEO Henri Courpron and President Frederick S. Cromer will continue to operate and manage the business, AIG said..
In June, Courpron was docked $1 million in pay after acknowledging he had an inappropriate relationship with an unnamed employee that was "contrary to AIG's expectations of its officers."
Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


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Twitter #NanoDays
March 26, 2009
If you're going to be tweeting NanoDays, use the #nanodays hashtag so we can follow your progress on twitter!
Thanks to Andrew Maynard of the Wilson Center for the suggestion! Andrew is speaking at the Lemelson Center (part of the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History) in DC on April 4th for NanoDays.


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1. When inequalities come about as a result of different levels of effort. Some people are born with vast natural talents (e.g. Wilt Chamberlain) while others are not, or their talents are not in such high demand by the market. Some are born to dedicated, loving parents while others are raised in far less supportive environments. No one could claim they bear most of the responsibility for their genes or upbringing. But even if we could even out the differences in income or wealth due to different upbringings and talents, we'd want to leave in the differences from different levels of work. This is because leisure can be seen as a form of income, as it adds to utility. To give those who take more leisure the same money income as those who take less would be subverting equality, rather than enforcing it.
2. When inequalities derive from differences in job satisfaction or riskiness. People who do more dangerous jobs are paid more. This is exactly what economists would expect; extra money compensates the worker for the extra risk of injury or death. But it's also what we should want. A more satisfying, less risky job (like teaching or creating art) should pay lower by justice, and this is one of the really good and egalitarian elements of the market economy. This ties in with the previous point as one extremely undesirable element of certain high-paying jobs is the extreme hours they demand. If typically people's willingness to do extra hours begins to decline at an accelerating rate, we would expect high hours occupations—in a just, egalitarian system—to be paid disproportionately well.
3. When inequalities are necessary, due to the infirmities of current human nature, to produce a greater total pot to help the needy. A prominent element of John Rawls' A Theory of Justice, the book that kick-started the recent era of social justice theorising, was the difference principle, the idea that inequality in society should only be as much as is necessary to make the worst-off person as well off as possible. But driving inequality any narrower would harm the worst-off and would thus be unacceptable. Of course, as G.A. Cohen shows in "Incentives, Inequality and Community" and his book Rescuing Justice and Equality, this isn't a demand of justice—it's just a practical consideration when we have the welfare of the badly-off in mind. But in the real world pragmatic considerations are often appropriate, and it may well be that certain inequalities in a given society can be practically justified on these grounds.
The really interesting question is this: how much of the inequality in real-world capitalist societies is down to these three legitimate sources, and how much is down to undeserved luck? The key difference between 'bleeding heart' libertarians and traditional left-wingers may come down to this crucial (empirical?) question.


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T-Shirt Noon GoonsDKK 450,00 ~EUR 60,00Buy
Short sleeved t-shirt in black featuring rib knit crewneck collar. Logo printed in blue and red at front.
Specifications - Material: 100% cotton. Made in Mexico. Measurements (size M) - Chest: 52 cm. Length: 74 cm.
Noon Goons
Noon Goons
Classic beige corduroy jacket w/ leopard print lining. Tonal embroidered logo on left chest. Zipper closure at center front. Button closure on cuff.
Specifications - Material: Shell - 100 % Cotton Corduroy; Lining - 100% Polyester. Made in Los Angeles, USA. Measurements (size M) - Chest: 56 cm. Length: 61 cm.mask
Noon Goons
Kangaroo pocket hoodie in baby blue made of heavy weight 100% cotton fleece. Screen print at center front w/ special process chrome foil print outline. Drawcord around hood. Fit is true to size. Garment dyed and pre shrunk.
Specifications - Material: 50% cotton; 50% polyester. Made in America. Measurements (size M) - Chest: 56 cm. Length: 70 cm.mask
Noon Goons
Kangaroo pocket hoodie in black made of heavy weight 100% cotton fleece. Screen print at center front w/ special process chrome foil print outline. Drawcord around hood. Fit is true to size. Garment dyed and pre shrunk.
Specifications - Material: 50% cotton; 50% polyester. Made in America. Measurements (size M) - Chest: 58 cm. Length: 69 cm.mask
Noon Goons
Kangaroo pocket hoodie in white made of heavy weight 100% cotton fleece. Screen print at center front w/ special process chrome foil print outline. Drawcord around hood. Fit is true to size. Garment dyed and pre shrunk.
Specifications - Material: 50% cotton; 50% polyester. Made in America. Measurements (size M) - Chest: 57 cm. Length: 69 cm.mask
Yeezy Boost 350 V2
Cloud White
The adidas Yeezy Boost 350 v2 Cloud White will come dressed in a Light Blue and Cream White upper. Details on the Yeezy include the distinctive enlarged side stripes that reveal a pattern underneath. The pair is missing the heel tabs, a notable element on Yeezys since 2015. The laces match the hues of the upper, while the milky semi-translucent ridged sole that encases the Boost tech of the shoe.mask
LQDCELL Omega Lab takes inspiration from organic shapes and layers found in nature, combining them with LQDCELL Technology: soft yet sturdy hexagonal cells for enhanced cushioning and comfort. Heel pull tab for easy on/off. Puma Cat Logo at tongue. Unique lace closure sheer TPU midsole lockdown. Puma's midsole for a lightweight and comfortable feel.
The result is a kick high on layered materials, bright on colors, and straight out of a '90s sci-fi movie.
Specifications - Made in Vietnam. Mesh upper with leather and sheer overlays. Rubber outsole. IMEVA and TPE JELL midsole.mask
Organic coconut oil
Baiobay's coconut oil is an exceptional, moisturising and nourishing product created for a gentle care. With its composition is vegan, cruelty free and certified 100% natural and organic by Cosmos ECOCERT.Environmental consciousness is an essential part of the brand and therefore for each purchase of the product, a new tree is planted by Trees for the Future.BAIOBAY has set up a partnership with Trees for the Future:
1 Purchased Product = 1 Tree Planted.All the products are made in France, in recyclable materials and are sold without any extra packaging.
Specifications - 100 ml.mask
Issue 32
Purple Magazine
Purple Fashion is the avant-garde reference for fashion, style, and contemporary culture with the usual big names. The Cosmos issue features Judy Chicago, plus texts by Tim Blanks and Maxine Bédat on sustainability, Christophe Galfard on astrophysics, Felix Guattari, Étienne Klein, and more on cosmos, art, science and dystopia. Conversations with a.o. Yusaku Maezawa, Tom Sachs, Philippe Parreno, Olafur Eliasson, Thomas Demand, and Doug Aitken. Photography by Tim Elkaim, Camille Vivier, Juergen Teller, Takashi Homma, Carsten Holler and many others.
Please note: covers will be shipped out randomly.mask
The Fall Reset Kit
Kjær Weis
Reset your skin from the sun, sand and salt of summer with The Fall Reset Kit, a curated selection of travel-friendly, Deluxe Samples.
The Kit includes:
The Cleanser - remove makeup & cleanse skin with an oil cleanser that transform into a milk upon contact with water
The Toner - rebalance, calm and hydrate skin with this hybrid toner/essence
The Cream Blush (Blossoming) - use this universally flattering rose pink for fresh, dewy color on cheeks, lips and eyes
The Highlighter (Ravishing) - create a skin-warming golden glow with this cream texture Highlighter
The Pressed Powder (Translucent) - set makeup or control shine with finely milled rice powder and hydrating argain oil
The Lip Gloss (Admire) - a medium-plum, semi sheer gloss to dial up your natural lip color
Includes a reusable Artist's Pouch.
Specifications - The Cleanser 3ml. The Toner 2ml. The Cream Blush 0.9ml. The Higlighter 0.9ml. The Pressed Powder 1.2g. The Lip Gloss 2ml.mask
Basquiat's Defacement
The Untold Story
Jean-Michel Basquiat painted Defacement (The Death of Michael Stewart) on the wall of Keith Haring's studio in 1983 to commemorate the death of a young black artist who died from injuries sustained while in police custody after being arrested for allegedly tagging a New York City subway station. Defacement is the starting point for the present volume, which focuses on Basquiat's response to anti-black racism and police brutality. Basquiat's "Defacement": The Untold Story explores this chapter in the artist's career through both the lens of his identity and the Lower East Side as a nexus of activism in the early 1980s, an era marked by the rise of the art market, the AIDS crisis and ongoing racial tensions in the city.
Texts by Chaédria LaBouvier, Nancy Spector, J. Faith Almiron and Greg Tate are supplemented by commentary from artists and activists such as Luc Sante, Carlo McCormick, Jeffrey Deitch, Kenny Scharf, Fred Braithwaite and Michelle Shocked, who were part of this episode in New York City's history, which parallels today's urgent conversations about state-sanctioned racism. Basquiat's painting is contextualized by ephemera related to Stewart's death, including newspaper clippings and protest posters, samples of artwork from Stewart's estate and work made by other artists in response to Stewart's death and the subsequent trial, including pieces by Haring, Andy Warhol, David Hammons, George Condo and Lyle Ashton Harris.
Specifications - Paperback. 168 pages.mask
Carhartt WIP
Corduroy relaxed straight fit pants in navy featuring side pockets and two back pockets. Branding logo square on back. Zipper and button closure. Regular waist.
Specifications - Material: 100% cotton 'coventry' corduroy. Made in. Measurements (size 30) - Waist: 42 cm. Length (outer seam): 110 cm.mask
Carhartt WIP
Corduroy relaxed straight fit pants in brown featuring side pockets and two back pockets. Branding logo square on back. Zipper and button closure. Regular waist.
Specifications - Material: 100% cotton 'coventry' corduroy. Made in. Measurements (size 30) - Waist: 42 cm. Length (outer seam): 110 cm.mask
Issue 41
POP Magazine
POP is a fashion magazine aimed at women and men who understand that fashion is a wonderful prism through which so much of contemporary creativity and cultural change is refracted. It was conceived and launched from the offices of The Face magazine in the late-Nineties.
Please note: covers will be shipped out randomlymask
Rick Owens
Since the establishment of his label in 1994, Rick Owens has transformed global fashion with his provocative clothing and subversive style. Distinguished by his grunge-meets-glamour aesthetic and defiant anti-fashion stance, Owens created a dark fashion empire that has accrued a devoted international following which gravitates toward the brand's sublime tailoring, somber palette, mystical layers, and gritty elegance.
Filled with photographs of Owens's most impressive looks from the last decade, this volume is conceived as a celebration of the Rick Owens aesthetic, approximating with printing effects some of the mystery and detailing associated with the brand. Iconic imagery taken from Owens's seminal lookbooks provides a unique look at the output of design from an artist who is at once comfortable with developing technologies and respectful of traditional approaches.
With principal photography by Danielle Levitt--who achieved considerable acclaim for her social-realist images--this book is essential for lovers of avant-garde fashion, photography, and design
Specifications - 200 pages. Hardcover.mask
The Chanel Shows
Lagerfeld showcases in an oversize format ten years of Chanel's most influential fashion shows shot by English photographer Simon Procter. Over the past decade, fashion shows have evolved into monumental productions, requiring a level of sophistication and creativity on par with the clothes they present. This has been most evident in Paris at the now legendary runways of Karl Lagerfeld for Chanel. To capture the energy of the events, Procter visually re-creates the epic sets--from a luscious forest scene to a rocket launch--combining multiple photographs to illustrate in a single image the many perspectives of the intense but fleeting spectacle. The resulting artworks are held in collections worldwide and published in this book for the first time alongside never-before-seen candid images of Lagerfeld and the models preparing backstage.
Lagerfeld offers the reader an unparalleled look into the wide-ranging creativity of one of history's most respected and iconic designers, making this an invaluable resource for all lovers of fashion and especially admirers of Chanel and Lagerfeld's incomparable legacy.
Specifications - 108 pages. Hardcover.mask
Fusion 2.0
The Fusion was the top running shoe in the product range in 1996 and this has been brought back from the archives of the original designer with whom Karhu collaborated as the Fushion 2.0. This Karhu Fusion 2.0 has a "Leather Brown/Night Sky" colorway with gray tones and brown panels with white details.
Specifications - Unisex. Suede and mesh upper. Rubber outsole. Made in China.mask
Issue 26
Hypebeast Magazine
HYPEBEAST Magazine Issue 26: The Rhythms Issue
Ours is a world where we can never go fast enough: rife with generalized anxiety and burnout plaguing an overworked, over-connected population. Where else in the history were we able to learn a new language, answer an email, make dinner plans and walk a friend through an emotional crisis with the same 5 minutes?
We see the cowboy by Matt McCornik on this issue's conver as the unofficial symbol of our desire to reconnect with nature: manifest in our obsessions with succulents, nature documentaries, buying hunting knives to open letters and embarking on 7-day hikes "for fun." We want to slow down. We want to discover how we'd fare on our own, without being hurried along by external forces that don't really matter; we want to know how it feels when our circadian rhythms weren't dictated by the light from our phones. With The Rhythms Issue, we wanted to show what may happen, when we're not siphoning every second of our time into serving a purpose.
We visited Matt McCornick in his LA studio for the cover story of this issue, to talk about his personal journey and his portrayal of American heroes, both past and present, which depict our own vice, struggles and triumphs on a universally-relatable level. Jason Dill has undoubtedly led - and still leads - a colorful life. We visit him in Fucking Awesome's recently-opened store on Hollywood Boulevard as he speaks about his youth, growing up in a skate crew and now, brining younger skaters into his own crew. Easy Otabor makes an appearance in this issue, speaking about his hopes to use his label, Infinite Archies, as a wearable, collectible history lesson for contemporary culture.
We make a trip to Felipe Pnatone's studio in Valencia, Spain to discuss the edunrance of graffiti art and creating new territotires whitin interactive art. The effusive Buddy appears in an exclusive fashion spread and, in a candid interview, speaks to us about lessons learned from his mentor, the late Nipsey Hussle- London-based Jewelry designer Castro Smith speaks to us about the processes and philosophies behind his intricately carved, one-of-a-kind art pieces.
The ones who truly shine this issue are marching to the beat of their own drum - unafraid of where they'll end up, what happens along the way or how slowly (or quickly!) it takes to get there.
Author - Vanessa Lee (HYPEBEAST)
Photographer - Heison Ho (HYPEBEAST)mask
Yeezy Desert Boot
Painted in an All-White colourway, the Yeezy Desert Boot is crafted from a buttery smooth suede and ultra breathable mesh for the ultimate all-day experience. Down below, an extra chunky rubber midsole is present for added traction with every step, and thick rope laces give the shoe a rugged look. Co-branded detailing in the insoles, and the iconic adidas logo embossed into the bottom of the boot.
Specifications - Nubuk and suede upper. Rubber outsole. Made in India.mask
Yeezy Desert Boot
Painted in a stealthy 'Desert Oil' colourway, the Yeezy Desert Boot is crafted from a buttery smooth suede and ultra breathable mesh for the ultimate all-day experience. Down below, an extra chunky rubber midsole is present for added traction with every step, and thick rope laces give the shoe a rugged look. Co-branded detailing in the insoles, and the iconic adidas logo embossed into the bottom of the boot.
Specifications - Nubuk and suede upper. Rubber outsole. Made in India.mask
In the '80s, the science of sport and wearable technology were new concepts. The ZX running series adopted these ideas with a visibly technical design that became a hallmark of its style. In this version, an adidas Primeknit upper offers lightweight support. Staying true to the original innovative ZX spirit, the shoes feature a digitally printed midsole and comes in Grey One/Solar Red/Bright Cyan colorway.
Specifications - Adidas 4D midsole. Stabilising torsion system. Made in Vietnam.mask
Waist bag in yellow featuring ACW* mission statement label placed on front compartment. Metal zip fastenings on both compartments with ACW*-embossed logo pullers. Half-tone hardware with black and transparent ACW* buckle closure. Reflective zip tape.
Specifications - Material: 100% nylon. Made in Hong Kong. Measurements (size M) - Height: 14 cm. Width: 36 cm. Depth: 4 cm.mask
Hermes Pop Up Book
Every year, the iconic luxury brand Hermès chooses a new theme to celebrate its creative direction for the upcoming year. This practice began in 1987, marking the brand's 150th anniversary, and has since become a beloved tradition?a way to combine the house's proud, storied heritage with its creative vision for the future.
Hermès' Year Theme for 2018 was "Let's Play," and the brand celebrated in style with this deluxe pop-up book. Featuring a selection of 14 of the house's iconic square scarf designs, both old and more recent, this book brings the designs alive with exhilarating ingenuity. Delicate paper constructions bring out the depth and volume within the scarf designs; zebras rear up, delicately arching trees grow from the page and painterly strokes detach themselves from the paper surface.
For Hermès, a brand associated with the highest quality luxury materials and design, "play is movement, freedom, imagination, fantasy, seduction, lightness." Impeccably produced, Hermès Pop-Up gives readers the chance to play around in the brand's archives.
Specifications - 26 pages. Hardcover.mask
Thom Browne
Leather handbag in white featuring envelope print, detachable crossbody strap with stripes in blue, white and red. Flap opening with buttons and zip pocket on back. Comes with dust bag.
Speciifcations - Material: 100% leather. Height: 15 cm. Width: 20 cm. Depth: 10. Strap length: 80 cm. Made in Italy.mask
Savage Tales:
The Writings of Paul Gauguin
As a French artist who lived in Polynesia, Paul Gauguin (1848-1903) occupies a crucial position in histories of European primitivism. This is the first book devoted to his wide-ranging literary output, which included journalism, travel writing, art criticism, and essays on aesthetics, religion, and politics. It analyzes his original manuscripts, some of which are richly illustrated, reinstating them as an integral component of his art. The seemingly haphazard, collage-like structure of Gauguin's manuscripts enabled him to evoke the "primitive" culture that he celebrated, while rejecting the style of establishment critics. Gauguin's writing was also a strategy for articulating a position on the margins of both the colonial and the indigenous communities in Polynesia; he sought to protect Polynesian society from "civilization" but remained implicated in the imperialist culture that he denounced. This critical analysis of his writings significantly enriches our understanding of the complexities of artistic encounters in the French colonial context.
Specifications - 208 pages. Hardcover.mask
A Is For Archive:
Warhol's World From A To Z
Andy Warhol remains an icon of the 20th century and a leading figure in the Pop Art movement. He also was an obsessive collector of things large and small, ordinary and quirky.
Since 1994, The Andy Warhol Museum has studied and safeguarded the artist's archive encompassing hundreds of thousands of these objects, at turns strange, amusing, and poignant. From this array, many of these items have been researched and described in this book for the first time.
Written by Matt Wrbican, the foremost authority on Warhol's personal collection, A is for Archive features curated selections from this collection, shedding light on the artist's work and motivations, as well as on his personality and private life. The volume is organized alphabetically, honoring Warhol's own use of a whimsical alphabetical structure: "A is for Autograph" (a selection of signed objects, many of which influenced his most popular works), "F is for Fashion" (featuring his collections of cowboy boots, neckties, and jackets), "S is for Stamp" (works of art by Warhol and others relating to stamps and mailed items), and "Z is for Zombie" (a grouping of photographs and ephemera of Warhol in various disguises: drag, robot, zombie, clown). The book also features an insightful essay by renowned art critic and Warhol biographer Blake Gopnik.
Specifications - 320 pages. Hardcover.mask
Issue 33
Kinfolk Magazine
Perhaps you don't need educating on the state of education: You've seen in the news that the best colleges can be bribed, or that for-profit institutions have become debt factories for those who attend. Power should not equal knowledge, but the financial burden of higher education often makes it so. Meanwhile, students who do make it to college are under pressure to approach "book learning" with a tunnel vision that steamrolls more creative ways of thinking. This issue of Kinfolk rejects the definition of a good education as one that ends with good grades.
In putting together our fall issue, we considered education as a lifelong pursuit: What can we learn about our bodies, minds, beliefs and societies, and who can teach us? In Los Angeles, we meet Erica Chidi Cohen, the co-founder of Loom—specializing in schooling its (adult) students on bodies, healthcare and better sex. For Chidi Cohen, this new pedagogy is a response to political failures. "If we can't get people healthcare, we need to get them education," she says.
The people we meet in Issue Thirty-Three prove just how many different paths can lead you to a meaningful career. Montreal-based producer Kaytranada found success so early that he never finished high school, whereas Belgian painter Michaël Borremans spent a decade working as a teacher prior to becoming an acclaimed figurative artist. And some people manage to sidestep the idea of a "calling" altogether: Waris Ahluwalia has funneled his bonhomie into being an actor, model, jewelry designer and activist. Elsewhere there are bubbles, puzzles and a fashion editorial that takes the form of an all-night party. As Ahluwalia reminds us: "We're all dying. But if we can do it while we're dancing?"
Specifications - 192 pages, offset-printed and perfect bound, full color on uncoated and coated paper. Printed in Canada and United Kingdom.mask


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I recently worshiped with the congregation of Saint Barnabas Serbian Orthodox Church. Saint Barnabas lies in East Sarajevo, a city that did not exist as such twenty years ago. Although four miserable years of bombardment failed to wipe Sarajevo off the map, the ensuing population movements significantly altered its geography. Bosnian Serbs who lived their entire lives in Sarajevo moved in droves to the other side of the mountain, building a new city almost from scratch.
Amid fears that Sarajevo's Muslim majority would impinge on their freedoms, they created Srpski Sarajevo. And this Sarajevo would be for Serbs alone.
St. Barnabas' priest, Boško, invited me to come early to church so we could talk over coffee. He is a tall but gentle man in his mid forties. Dressed in his long black cassock, he appeared quite a bit more imposing than when I met him for coffee a week before in the Old Town. He suggested we go back to his house for coffee, but first he needed to grab something in the church. After a few moments, he emerged with a bag full of eggs. As someone who appreciates a late-night omelet now and again, I thought it impractical to store one's eggs at the church - but I didn't pursue it.
Like many homes in East Sarajevo, Boško's remains unfinished. In the rush to flee the real or imagined threat of Muslim rule in the old city, it seems like any house will do - so long as it is on the east side of the mountain. But when I got inside, I was surprised to see a beautifully warm and comfortable home. An icon of St. Michael the Archangel hung suspended on the wall, gazing over the overstuffed leather furniture and sleek hardwood floors. Boško introduced me to his wife, who promptly offered me a cup of fresh aromatic coffee, and then he motioned for me to sit down in their living room.
Here I met Danilo.
After working so hard to make it through the formalities of conversation with everyone else that morning, I found conversation with Danilo to be especially easy.
Perhaps, that's because Danilo is three.
This pastor's kid sat curled up on the couch, still in his bright blue pajamas. He squirmed a little when I walked up, dangling his feet off the edge of the couch. Within a few minutes, the guy with the funny accent and poor grammar won out over the cartoons. He seemed happy to answer my simple one clause questions, perfectly content to be the center of attention, the way most three year-olds are.
I was completely won over by this adorable little guy. His parents were too. In fact, when Boško and I met for coffee again after the service, I discovered that it was concern for Danilo that led them to move to East Sarajevo in the first place.
Our conversation began in the rarified air of Orthodox theology and Bosnian politics. Boško is a thoughtful, well-read man of the cloth who'd be a natural in Hyde Park. He expressed his hopes for Bosnia in the terms of big ideas - the Enlightenment and human freedom. The political structure he imagines would allow each person, especially ethnic minorities, to live in a state of freedom and there must be special legal protections from the tyranny of the majority. In this case, the protection he seeks is from a Muslim majority.
But then, Boško's monologue took an earthy turn. His big ideas had very concrete roots. He told me that Danilo's name is recognizably Serbian. If he were to grow up where they once lived in old Sarajevo, little Danilo would face relentless taunting from Muslims simply because of his name. Boško told me that his life would be one uphill battle after another – in school, in sports, in making friends.
"He couldn't live in freedom there, so we moved to a place where he could - East Sarajevo."
Boško's reasoning hit me like a brick, and it wasn't just because it hurt my heart to imagine Danilo getting picked on. What struck me was how familiar his argument sounded. It sounded like Puritans arguing that they couldn't live in freedom in England, so they'd try their luck on the other side of the pond. It also sounded like any number of suburban parents I know who moved out of the city because they want their kids to enjoy the freedoms of good public schools and safe streets.
I got it. It made sense. And while I have heard enough testimonies of Sarajevo's extraordinary culture of pluralism and tolerance to make me question his premise, I could at least see where he was coming from.
This tendency to pick up our toys and go play by ourselves in the corner is a human one; it gets inflamed when we feel restrictions placed on our freedom. Theologically, this is not all bad. The Israelites needed to be freed from Egyptian bondage before they could worship the LORD. (Exodus 10:3) So until the kind of minority protection Boško dreams of is ensured, perhaps living on opposite sides of the mountain is our best shot.
But does that sound like real freedom? Is it really freedom if it isolates one-time neighbors from each other? Is that freedom sustainable when these artificial walls allow old stereotypes and prejudices to calcify and for human hearts to harden?
If loving our neighbor has anything to do with the good life, I don't see how this type of freedom gets us very far.
To live in the presence of the other is always risky business. Encounters with other people, especially those who are different, reveal just how vulnerable we are. But Disciples theologian Kris Culp argues that vulnerability is a two-sided coin. Of course, our vulnerability means we live with the risk of devastation, a risk Bosnians know all-too-well. But that very same vulnerability is what opens us up to the possibility that we could be transformed into something new, that we could even bear the glory of God. (Vulnerability and Glory, Westminster JKP, 2010)
The tragedy of living in segregated, ethnically pure communities is that in seeking to establish our own security, we forgo opportunities to bear the glory of God. Sarajevo's long history of interfaith cooperation and flourishing is a witness to that potential. But the city is more segregated than ever. And as long as this persists, Danilo's "freedom" will keep him tragically alienated from that potential.


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Urban and Regional Policy Program
GMF's Urban and Regional Policy Program (URP) supports leaders, policymakers, and practitioners in the United States and Europe by facilitating the transatlantic exchange of knowledge for building inclusive, sustainable, and globally engaged cities. URP works to:
- connect local leaders in a transatlantic network that exchanges knowledge and innovative solutions;
- coach the network in translating new ideas to their city's unique context; and
- champion the successes of the network by lifting up individual innovations and new models.
URP works in selected cities in the United States and Europe that share a set of common challenges and desire to explore solutions through transatlantic exchange. URP actively stewards transatlantic initiatives that explore key issues through high-impact gatherings, peer exchanges, and applied research. URP has an extensive and successful history of working cooperatively with public, private, and NGO leaders to apply these insights to improve local and regional policies and programs. In addition to supporting policy innovation, URP activities also support individual participants in expanding their transatlantic network, growing their policy expertise, and developing their leadership skills.
Explore the initiative pages to learn more about the Urban and Regional Policy Program's work.


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The Lakers open the 2014-15 season with a busy schedule against quality opponents.
Through November, including three games in October, the Lakers will play 17 times -- 10 at home and seven on the road.
They'll play 13 teams, nine of which made the playoffs last season. Two of the games against non-playoff teams will come against the 48-win Phoenix Suns.
The Lakers play on successive days 16 times, four coming early in the season, starting with the Houston Rockets on Oct. 28 and a visit to the Phoenix Suns on the 29th.
Playing four games in five nights, the Lakers host the Clippers on Halloween, then travel to play the Golden State Warriors on Nov 1.
After the initial push, the schedule cools briefly for the Lakers, who get four days off before hosting the Charlotte Hornets on Nov. 9.
The Lakers have a two-night road trip in Memphis and New Orleans starting Nov. 11 before returning home to host the champion San Antonio Spurs on Nov. 14.
The Spurs visit the Lakers only once, starting a difficult five-game stretch for the home team.
The Warriors meet the Lakers for a second time Nov. 16 at Staples Center before the Lakers head out for a three-game in four-night road trip through Atlanta (Nov.18), Houston (Nov. 19) and Dallas (Nov. 21).
The Lakers finish up the month with four at home with Coach Brian Shaw and the Denver Nuggets (Nov. 23), the Memphis Grizzlies (Nov. 26), Minnesota Timberwolves (Nov. 28) and Toronto Raptors (Nov. 30).
Before December, the Lakers will have completed just over 20% of their 82-game schedule.
Finishing the first 17 games with a winning record would be a big step for a franchise that won just 27 games last year -- although a realistic number of wins for a team still going through the rebuilding process might be six to eight.
Whether the Lakers are elite or in the lottery, they always seem to be newsworthy. The team will be on national television six times (TNT, ESPN and NBATV) through the end of November -- at least 28 in total for the season.
Email Eric Pincus at email@example.com and follow him on Twitter @EricPincus.


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5 New Toyota Land Cruiser Mesa Arizona
Didn't find the right fit?
Just let us know what you're looking for and we'll email you as soon as it arrives!
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According to job hunting strategist Richard Bolles, author of the classic guide "What Color Is Your Parachute?," you can significantly increase your chances of being hired by saying "thank you" to your interviewer.
According to job hunting strategist Richard Bolles, author of the classic guide "What Color Is Your Parachute?," you can significantly increase your chances of being hired by saying "thank you" to your interviewer.
You've done so much work to get your foot in the door; don't drop the ball now. Request your interviewer's business card and send an e-mail expressing your appreciation for the time he took to chat with you. Then, within a day, follow up with a handwritten note sent via the postal service.
Along with your interviewers, say "thank you" to everyone who helps you along your job-search journey. Express your gratitude to family, friends, fellow members of your associations, people in the community, staff at career centers where you went to school, mentors and business connections. Alison Doyle, job search and employment expert at About.com, has compiled samples and guidance on writing your thank-you letters at jobsearch.about.com/od/thankyouletters/a/thankyouletters.html. Don't let the thought of composing a note intimidate you. Doyle suggests simplicity is acceptable:
"Thank you for taking the time to talk with me. I sincerely appreciate the time you spent reviewing my career goals and recommending strategies for achieving them. Your advice was very helpful and gave me a new perspective on available opportunities."
Networking can be a powerful source of information: current job openings, referrals to additional contacts, suggestions, general mentoring and introductions to decision makers that can speed you along to success. Even a word of thanks to someone who takes the time to chat by phone is apropos. People in your network will be happy to help you, and they'll remember your kind words for their efforts; they value common courtesy and loyalty. Keep in mind that networking is a two-way street; you should give as much or more than you ask for. To network successfully it's best to cultivate relationships. Check out the book "A Foot in the Door: Networking Your Way Into the Hidden Job Market" by career guru Katharine Hansen at Amazon.com.
The business world is in constant flux. You never know who you will meet on your way up — or down — and when you'll be hunting for a job again. Jeffrey Fox, author of "How to Land Your Dream Job," asks, "Who will get the help: the person who developed 'assistance amnesia,' or the grateful job seeker who took a few minutes to send a simple thank-you note?"
Time is of the essence. Even if you're not sure what to say, a few sincere words of gratitude is always a classy gesture. You can follow-up more creatively later. Quintessential Careers offers a free selection of sample letters at quintcareers.com/sample_thank-you_letters.html.
When an employer offers you a job and you've accepted, include those who have helped you along the way in your celebration. Send them an informational thank-you. Let them know what they did to help you achieve your goal. Remember the quote by John E. Southard: "The only people with whom you should try to get even are those who have helped you."