News

Jimmy Carter, 39th US President, Enters Hospice Care At Home

Published

2 years ago

2023-02-18

Kiara Grace

ATLANTA, Ga. — Former President Jimmy Carter, the longest-living American president at 98 years old, has entered home hospice care in Plains, Georgia, according to a statement from The Carter Center on Saturday.

Carter “decided to spend his remaining time at home with his family and receive hospice care instead of additional medical intervention” after a series of short hospital stays, according to the statement.

The 39th president has the full support of his medical team and family, who “ask for privacy at this time and are grateful for the concern shown by his many admirers,” according to the statement.

Jimmy Carter was a little-known Georgia governor when he launched his presidential campaign ahead of the 1976 election. He went on to defeat then-President Gerald R. Ford, capitalizing on his status as a Washington outsider in the aftermath of the Vietnam War and the Watergate scandal, which forced Richard Nixon out of office in 1974.

Jimmy Carter served a single turbulent term before being defeated by Republican Ronald Reagan in 1980, paving the way for his decades of global advocacy for democracy, public health, and human rights through The Carter Center.

The Center was founded in 1982 by the former president and his wife, Rosalynn, 95. In 2002, his work there earned him the Nobel Peace Prize.

Jimmy Carter, Who Spent Most Of His Life In the Plains

Jason Carter, the couple’s grandson who now chairs The Carter Center’s governing board, tweeted on Saturday that he “saw both of my grandparents yesterday. They are at peace, and their home is full of love, as always.”

Jimmy Carter, who spent most of his life in the Plains, traveled extensively into his 80s and early 90s, including annual trips to Habitat for Humanity and frequent trips abroad as part of the Carter Center’s election monitoring and efforts to eradicate the Guinea worm parasite in developing countries. However, the former president’s health has deteriorated in his tenth decade, particularly as the coronavirus pandemic has limited his public appearances, including at his beloved Maranatha Baptist Church, where he taught Sunday School lessons for decades to standing-room-only crowds.

Former President Jimmy Carter is receiving hospice care at the Carter Center.

Carter had a small cancerous mass removed from his liver in August 2015. Carter said the next year that he didn’t need any more treatment because an experimental drug had taken care of all the cancer.

Carter’s most recent birthday was celebrated in October with family and friends in Plains, the small town where he and Rosalynn were born between World War I and the Great Depression.

Last year, the Carter Center celebrated 40 years of promoting its human rights agenda.

Jimmy Carter Was Born In Rural South Georgia

Since 1989, the Center has been a leader in the field of election observation. At least 113 elections in Africa, Latin America, and Asia have been watched by the Center. The organization recently said that there were only 14 cases of Guinea worm disease in humans in all of 2021. This is the result of years of public health campaigns in Africa to make it easier for people to get clean drinking water.

This is a dramatic reduction from when The Carter Center took the lead on global eradication efforts in 1986 when the parasitic disease infected 3.5 million people. Carter once stated that he hoped to outlive the last Guinea worm parasite.

Carter was born in rural south Georgia on October 1, 1924, to a prominent family. During WWII, he attended the United States Naval Academy and served as a Cold War Naval officer before returning to Plains, Georgia, with Rosalynn and their young family to take over the peanut business after Earl Carter’s death in the 1950s.

The younger Carter, a moderate Democrat, rose quickly from the local school board to the state Senate and then to the governorship of Georgia. He launched his presidential campaign as an underdog with a broad smile, outspoken Baptist beliefs, and policy proposals that reflected his engineering education. He was popular among many Americans because he promised not to deceive the American people following Nixon’s disgrace and defeat in Southeast Asia.

“Don’t vote for me if I lie or make a false statement. “I would not deserve to be your president,” Carter frequently said during his campaign.

Jimmy Carter, who came of age politically during the civil rights movement, was the last Democratic presidential nominee to sweep the Deep South before Reagan and the Republicans swept the region in subsequent elections.

He governed amid Cold War tensions, volatile oil markets, social unrest over racism, women’s rights, and America’s global role.

At 100 Years Old, The Man Is Still An Active Volunteer

Jimmy Carter’s foreign policy triumphs included keeping Egyptian President Anwar Sadat, and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin at the negotiating table for 13 days in 1978. That Camp David experience inspired the post-presidential Center where Carter would leave his imprint. Domestically, Jimmy Carter deregulated the airline, railroad, and trucking industries and established the departments of Education and Energy and the Federal Emergency Management Agency. He established national parks and wildlife refuges on millions of acres in Alaska. He appointed a record number of women and non-whites to federal positions. He never received a Supreme Court nomination, but he did appoint civil rights lawyer Ruth Bader Ginsburg to the nation’s ≥second-highest court, putting her in line for a promotion in 1993.

Jimmy Carter also expanded on Nixon’s opening to China, and while tolerating autocrats in Asia, he pushed Latin America away from dictatorships and toward democracy.

Despite this, Jimmy Carter’s electoral coalition splintered due to double-digit inflation, gasoline lines, and Iran’s 444-day hostage crisis. In April 1980, eight Americans were killed in a failed hostage rescue, contributing to his landslide defeat.

Jimmy Carter largely disappeared from electoral politics in the years following his defeat. Democrats were wary of embracing him. Republicans used him as a punchline, portraying him as a helpless liberal. In reality, Jimmy Carter governed as a technocrat, more progressive on race and gender equality than he had campaigned, but a budget hawk who frequently irritated more liberal Democrats, including Ted Kennedy, the Massachusetts senator who ran a damaging primary campaign against the sitting president in 1980.

Carter said after he left office that he had underestimated how important it was to deal with Washington power brokers, such as the media and lobbying groups in the nation’s capital. However, he insisted that his overall strategy was sound and that he had achieved his primary goals — to “protect our nation’s security and interests peacefully” and “enhance human rights here and abroad” — despite falling dramatically short of a second term.

Years later, when he was 100 and was told he had cancer, he said he was happy with his long life.

“I’m perfectly fine with whatever happens,” he said in 2015. “I’ve had an exciting, adventurous, and rewarding life.”

SOURCE – (AP)

News

Trudeau Rocks to Taylor Swift While Montreal Burns

Published

24 hours ago

2024-11-24

Geoff Brown

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has come under fire yet again after a video surfaced on X, showing him dancing at a Taylor Swift performance while anti-Nato protestors ransacked downtown Montreal.

Trudeau attended Taylor Swift’s concert in Toronto on Friday night. Before Taylor Swift approached the stage, X shared a viral video of him dancing and singing along to the song “You Don’t Own Me.”

The image of Trudeau dancing amid violent protests in Montreal generated widespread indignation online. Some social media users even compared Trudeau to the ancient Roman dictator Nero, known for “fiddling while Rome burned.”

Don Stewart, a Member of Parliament (MP) representing part of Toronto, called out the prime minister in a post on X.

Lawless protestors run roughshod over Montreal in violent protest.

The Prime Minister dances.

This is the Canada built by the Liberal government.

Bring back law and order, safe streets and communities in the Canada we once knew and loved. pic.twitter.com/PVJvR6gtmf

— Don Stewart (@donstewartmp) November 23, 2024

“Lawless protesters run roughshod over Montreal in violent protest. The Prime Minister dances,” Stewart wrote. “This is the Canada built by the Liberal government.”

“Bring back law and order, safe streets and communities in the Canada we once knew and loved,” the MP added.

On Saturday, the day after Taylor Swift’s concert, Trudeau condemned the anti-NATO protests, calling them “appalling.”

Anti-NATO activists set off smoke bombs and marched through Montreal’s streets waving Palestinian flags. According to the Montreal Gazette, rioters set fire to automobiles and battled with police.

Pro-Palestinian protests

Protesters also tossed tiny explosives and metal objects at officers. At one point, the mob torched an effigy of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Police used tear gas and batons to disperse the gathering, and three persons were arrested for attacking officers and impeding police operations.

Masked protesters were seen burning flares and bashing storefront windows in videos and photographs shared on social media. Pro-Palestinian protests have been taking place across Canada since the Israel-Gaza conflict began late last year.

Critics have lambasted Trudeau for doing nothing to stop the violent pro-Palestinian marches, with some claiming he has fueled anti-Israel sentiment in Canada.

On Friday, Trudeau stated that Canada would respect the orders of the International Criminal Court (ICC), which issued an arrest warrant for Mr Netanyahu, even if it meant arresting the Israeli prime leader on Canadian soil.

Trudeau Called the Greatest Threat to NATO

Trudeau Called the Greatest Threat to NATO

News

Calgary Zoo Admits Human Error in Death of Baby Gorilla

Published

1 day ago

2024-11-24

Geoff Brown

The zookeeper's negligence caused the death of a 2-year-old baby gorilla

The Calgary Zoo has admitted in a public statement that a zookeeper’s negligence caused the death of a 2-year-old baby gorilla. Eyare, a newborn gorilla, died last week after being slammed in the head by a hydraulic door.

The accident occurred when a zoo worker attempted to separate Eyare from the rest of the gorilla tribe for a solitary training session.

The gorilla died from significant head injuries, according to the zoo’s statement.

“This tragedy has struck us all in the deepest way imaginable,” Colleen Baird, director of animal care at the Calgary Zoo, said during a news conference. “Eyare’s brief but meaningful existence gave so much joy to our community, and all will sorely miss her. We will do everything possible to prevent repeat accidents.”

According to Baird, the staff member involved was immediately removed from the workplace and will be reassigned to another area of the zoo. The Calgary Zoo stated that it would take preventive steps, such as specialist personnel training and animal behavioral training, to avoid a similar incident.

Calgary Zoo Questioned

It is not the first time an animal at the zoo has died from negligence at the Calgary Zoo. A capybara was accidentally crushed by a hydraulic door similar to the one that killed Eyare in 2019.

An otter died in 2016 after being entangled in an “unauthorized” pair of jeans that a zookeeper had dropped in its enclosure. In 2013, a penguin died in “a freak accident” after swallowing a stick.

Animal Justice, a Canadian group that promotes animal welfare, has called for an independent investigation of animal safety and oversight at the Alberta facility.

“The Calgary Zoo appears to have a higher rate of animal deaths compared to other zoos, and in light of Eyare’s death there should be a systematic review of the zoo’s operations and practices, conducted transparently by the government or another outside party,” according to Camille Labchuk, the executive director of Animal Justice.

The Calgary Zoo refuted that it has more animal deaths than other zoos, emphasizing that it adheres to operating requirements and has maintained accreditation by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ independent Accreditation Commission since 1978.

“We love and care for more than 4,000 animals representing over 100 species that call our zoo home,” stated a Calgary Zoo representative.

“Human error-related deaths in animals are quite infrequent. We have lost two animals in the last ten years: a North American river otter in 2016 and ‘Eyare’ this week.

While rare, even one human-caused death is too many. These unfortunate instances have served as vital learning experiences, prompting us to examine and tighten protocols to provide the greatest level of care.”

Baird said at the news conference that using hydraulic doors is “common practice with accredited zoos,” adding that the facility will consider switching to alternate doors to improve safety.

The Calgary Zoo, which established the Wilder Institute in 2021, caters to nearly 4,000 creatures, including six more western lowland gorillas.

Beluga Whales Dies at Canada’s Marineland

Outrage Erupts After 17th Beluga Whale Dies at Canada’s Marineland

News

Canada’s Lotto Max Jackpot Climbs to $80M

Published

1 day ago

2024-11-24

Geoff Brown

Lotto Max in Canada has reached $80 million for only the second time in Canadian lottery history. Friday’s draw sought a winner for a $75 million pool, but the top reward remained unclaimed as of Saturday, increasing the jackpot.

Only once did the jackpot reach $80 million in September, when it broke the previous record. Before that, the prize was $75 million, a record.

The Lotto Max prize maximum was boosted earlier this year, enabling for jackpots of more than $70 million. The cap is now at $80 million.
While a greater fee may encourage more people to play, the odds of winning the lottery remain extremely low.

According to the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation, the odds for a $5 ticket are around one in 33,294,800.

While there was no jackpot winner in Friday’s draw, someone did match six of the seven winning numbers, plus a bonus, earning them a payout of more than $320,000.

Lotto Max History

Lotto Max is one of three national lottery games in Canada, overseen by the Interprovincial Lottery Corporation. The game was introduced on September 19, 2009, and its inaugural draw occurred on September 25, 2009. It replaced Lotto Super 7.

The odds of winning the Lotto Max are 1 in 33,294,800. This is correct to a point but misleading.

Let’s have a look at the rules:

Players choose 7 numbers out of 50
Numbers cannot be repeated
Numbers are automatically sorted into ascending order
Each play buys 3 lines
Each play costs $5

Seeing that players choose 7 out of 50 non-repeating numbers, the equation for the total number of possible combinations (this is different from permutations where the order in which the numbers appear is significant) when playing the Lotto Max is 50! / (7! x 43!)