AZ Alum Jim Patterson, Auburn '77, is featured in the publicity for the 2016 film documentary "Breaking Point: The War for Democracy  in Ukraine." An agricultural economist, diplomat and life member of the American Foreign Service Association, Patterson saw the documentary as a guest of the Woodrow Wilson Center at the Ronald Reagan International Trade Center in Washington DC. The link for the film is at http://breakingpointfilm.com/ Aside from the quote, Patterson commented the Ukraine was the Bread Basket of Former Soviet Union and Stalin infamously forcibly stole the wheat harvest for years leading to genocide by starvation against. The ongoing war between Russia and the peaceful Ukrainians has disrupted Ukraine's economy and status as a reliable wheat exporter. Disruption has hurts other areas of Ukraine's economy and it will decades to recover. Patterson has appeared to support Ukrainians at events in California (Los Angeles and the Bay Area) and Washington DC.   He plans to produce additional writings on the economic disruptions in Ukraine too support payments from Russia due to its military and economic crimes. He is interested in talking with other AZ members interested in collaborative projects. 

AZ alumni James Patterson, (Auburn) a former US agricultural diplomat, recently visited Gelman Library at George Washington University for a research project. He noticed a student activity outside the library. Students were raising money "for those who feed us." Patterson thought students were raising funs for small family farmers or maybe farm workers idled by California drought.  Instead upon closer examination, Patterson noted students were raising money for DC restaurant workers. "They serve us," Patterson told the students, "farmers feed us." Patterson reports it is unclear if students plan another activity to raise money for small farmers.