After the presidency, Jimmy Carter dedicated his life to building houses with Habitat for Humanity, eradicating the world of guinea worm and promoting global human rights, earning him the nickname of the “best former president America ever had”.
Written off by many as a hayseed peanut farmer, Mr Carter was overlooked as quite possibly the most liberal and feminist person to hold the highest office in the land.
A champion of civil rights, as Georgia’s governor, Mr Carter spoke out against his own lieutenant governor, segregationist Lester Maddox. The first thing he did as governor was hang a portrait of Martin Luther King Jr in the Capitol statehouse.
It was this breath of fresh air that caught the attention of many performers, most of whom landed on Mr Carter’s radar through his children.
Mr Carter was introduced to the music of Bob Dylan by his sons, and said the folk singer’s songs “permeated” the governor’s mansion in Atlanta. And when Dylan played a concert in the city, Mr Carter invited him to pay a visit.
“The first thing he did was quote my songs back to me and it was the first time that I realised that my songs had reached into the establishment,” Dylan said in the 2020 documentary, Jimmy Carter: Rock and Roll President.
“He put my mind at ease by not talking down to me and showing me that he had a sincere appreciation of the songs that I had written.”
Mr Carter and Dylan formed a lifelong friendship, which led to many others in the rock 'n' roll community, including with the Allman Brothers, Willie Nelson, the Marshall Tucker Band, and Johnny and June Carter Cash.
Jimmy who?
When the popular Georgia governor threw his cap into the 1976 presidential race, the refrain of “Jimmy who?” echoed throughout the state and across the US. To help him gain traction and raise funds, Phil Walden, the founder of Capricorn Records, called on his label’s artists to hit the campaign trail on his behalf.
The Allmans, John Denver and Charlie Daniels were just a few artists answering the call. And when crowds in the Pacific North-West were small, Mr Carter phoned in a favour from Jimmy Buffett, who drew 15,000 supporters to an Oregon campaign event.
Mr Carter would soon gain an endorsement from Rolling Stone journalist Hunter S Thompson, with whom he also developed a close friendship.
Producer and musician Nile Rodgers, who was at the time a member of the Black Panther party, said that Mr Carter made him feel like there was finally candidate who saw the world the way he did.
39th president
Paul Simon, Aretha Franklin and Linda Ronstadt were among the performers at Mr Carter’s inauguration concert.
It was attended by Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward, Warren Beatty, Cher and Gregg Allman, John Lennon and Yoko Ono, Muhammed Ali, Saturday Night Live stars Chevy Chase and Dan Aykroyd, Jack Nicholson, Shirley MacLaine and Atlanta Braves baseball player Hank Aaron.
Musicians such as Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young were also known to drop by the White House while others were extended invitations to dinner or to perform – including Dolly Parton, Diana Ross, Muddy Waters and Nelson.
Jazz barbeques held on the South Lawn featured performances by Dizzy Gillespie, Herbie Hancock, George Benson and Chick Corea.
Carter the feminist
In his life after the presidency, Mr Carter said that the biggest human rights issue was the world’s treatment of women and girls, which he addressed in his 2014 book A Call to Action: Women, Religion, Violence and Power. During a 2015 TedTalk, he dedicated his entire time to speaking out against the mistreatment of women and girls.
"Our overall commitment at the Carter Centre is to promote human rights, and knowing the world as I do, I can tell you without any equivocation that the number one abuse of human rights on Earth, strangely not addressed quite often, is the abuse of women and girls," he said.
Mr Carter often urged the public to support and recognise the contributions of women to the nation's heritage and brought many women into positions of power.
In 1978, Congress passed and he signed a joint resolution with the intent of extending the ratification deadline of the Equal Rights Amendment to June 30, 1982.
The National Organisation for Women and ERAmerica, a coalition of almost 80 organisations, led the pro-ERA efforts. Key feminists such as Gloria Steinem and congresswoman Bella Abzug spoke out in favour of the amendment.
Carter's legacy
Mr Carter as president introduced the world to Madeleine Albright, who was hired to help negotiate the historic peace accords between Egypt's Anwar Sadat and Israel's Menachem Begin.
He also appointed five times more women to the federal bench than all his predecessors combined, in a landmark commitment to women’s equality and merit selection.
In his first month in office, Mr Carter issued an executive order to establish panels to look for judges “whose character, experience, ability and commitment to equal justice under law fully qualify them to serve in the federal judiciary”.
The late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg was only one of them. Mr Carter appointed her to the US Court of Appeals in 1980, paving her path to the Supreme Court.
“A powerful legal mind and a staunch advocate for gender equality, she has been a beacon of justice during her long and remarkable career," he said after her death in 2020.
By the time Mr Carter left office in 1981, an unprecedented one in six of his 259 judicial appointments were women, as compared with less than one per cent of each of his predecessors’ appointments.
He concluded his 2015 talk by saying: "I have four children, 12 grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren, and I think often about them and about the plight that they will face – whether they live in America or Egypt or another foreign country – in having equal rights.
"I hope that all of you will join me in being a champion for women and girls around the world and protect their human rights."
The former president, who was elected in 1976, died on Sunday, his family said. He was 100.
Tightening the screw on rogue recruiters
The UAE overhauled the procedure to recruit housemaids and domestic workers with a law in 2017 to protect low-income labour from being exploited.
Only recruitment companies authorised by the government are permitted as part of Tadbeer, a network of labour ministry-regulated centres.
A contract must be drawn up for domestic workers, the wages and job offer clearly stating the nature of work.
The contract stating the wages, work entailed and accommodation must be sent to the employee in their home country before they depart for the UAE.
The contract will be signed by the employer and employee when the domestic worker arrives in the UAE.
Only recruitment agencies registered with the ministry can undertake recruitment and employment applications for domestic workers.
Penalties for illegal recruitment in the UAE include fines of up to Dh100,000 and imprisonment
But agents not authorised by the government sidestep the law by illegally getting women into the country on visit visas.
MATCH INFO
What: 2006 World Cup quarter-final
When: July 1
Where: Gelsenkirchen Stadium, Gelsenkirchen, Germany
Result:
England 0 Portugal 0
(Portugal win 3-1 on penalties)
Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh590,000
if you go
The flights
Flydubai flies to Podgorica or nearby Tivat via Sarajevo from Dh2,155 return including taxes. Turkish Airlines flies from Abu Dhabi and Dubai to Podgorica via Istanbul; alternatively, fly with Flydubai from Dubai to Belgrade and take a short flight with Montenegro Air to Podgorica. Etihad flies from Abu Dhabi to Podgorica via Belgrade. Flights cost from about Dh3,000 return including taxes. There are buses from Podgorica to Plav.
The tour
While you can apply for a permit for the route yourself, it’s best to travel with an agency that will arrange it for you. These include Zbulo in Albania (www.zbulo.org) or Zalaz in Montenegro (www.zalaz.me).
more from Janine di Giovanni
Dust and sand storms compared
Sand storm
- Particle size: Larger, heavier sand grains
- Visibility: Often dramatic with thick "walls" of sand
- Duration: Short-lived, typically localised
- Travel distance: Limited
- Source: Open desert areas with strong winds
Dust storm
- Particle size: Much finer, lightweight particles
- Visibility: Hazy skies but less intense
- Duration: Can linger for days
- Travel distance: Long-range, up to thousands of kilometres
- Source: Can be carried from distant regions
Barbie
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Where to donate in the UAE
The Emirates Charity Portal
You can donate to several registered charities through a “donation catalogue”. The use of the donation is quite specific, such as buying a fan for a poor family in Niger for Dh130.
The General Authority of Islamic Affairs & Endowments
The site has an e-donation service accepting debit card, credit card or e-Dirham, an electronic payment tool developed by the Ministry of Finance and First Abu Dhabi Bank.
Al Noor Special Needs Centre
You can donate online or order Smiles n’ Stuff products handcrafted by Al Noor students. The centre publishes a wish list of extras needed, starting at Dh500.
Beit Al Khair Society
Beit Al Khair Society has the motto “From – and to – the UAE,” with donations going towards the neediest in the country. Its website has a list of physical donation sites, but people can also contribute money by SMS, bank transfer and through the hotline 800-22554.
Dar Al Ber Society
Dar Al Ber Society, which has charity projects in 39 countries, accept cash payments, money transfers or SMS donations. Its donation hotline is 800-79.
Dubai Cares
Dubai Cares provides several options for individuals and companies to donate, including online, through banks, at retail outlets, via phone and by purchasing Dubai Cares branded merchandise. It is currently running a campaign called Bookings 2030, which allows people to help change the future of six underprivileged children and young people.
Emirates Airline Foundation
Those who travel on Emirates have undoubtedly seen the little donation envelopes in the seat pockets. But the foundation also accepts donations online and in the form of Skywards Miles. Donated miles are used to sponsor travel for doctors, surgeons, engineers and other professionals volunteering on humanitarian missions around the world.
Emirates Red Crescent
On the Emirates Red Crescent website you can choose between 35 different purposes for your donation, such as providing food for fasters, supporting debtors and contributing to a refugee women fund. It also has a list of bank accounts for each donation type.
Gulf for Good
Gulf for Good raises funds for partner charity projects through challenges, like climbing Kilimanjaro and cycling through Thailand. This year’s projects are in partnership with Street Child Nepal, Larchfield Kids, the Foundation for African Empowerment and SOS Children's Villages. Since 2001, the organisation has raised more than $3.5 million (Dh12.8m) in support of over 50 children’s charities.
Noor Dubai Foundation
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum launched the Noor Dubai Foundation a decade ago with the aim of eliminating all forms of preventable blindness globally. You can donate Dh50 to support mobile eye camps by texting the word “Noor” to 4565 (Etisalat) or 4849 (du).
Voy!%20Voy!%20Voy!
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DMZ facts
- The DMZ was created as a buffer after the 1950-53 Korean War.
- It runs 248 kilometers across the Korean Peninsula and is 4km wide.
- The zone is jointly overseen by the US-led United Nations Command and North Korea.
- It is littered with an estimated 2 million mines, tank traps, razor wire fences and guard posts.
- Donald Trump and Kim Jong-Un met at a building in Panmunjom, where an armistice was signed to stop the Korean War.
- Panmunjom is 52km north of the Korean capital Seoul and 147km south of Pyongyang, North Korea’s capital.
- Former US president Bill Clinton visited Panmunjom in 1993, while Ronald Reagan visited the DMZ in 1983, George W. Bush in 2002 and Barack Obama visited a nearby military camp in 2012.
- Mr Trump planned to visit in November 2017, but heavy fog that prevented his helicopter from landing.
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
CREW
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SPECS
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THE SPECS
Range Rover Sport Autobiography Dynamic
Engine: 5.0-litre supercharged V8
Transmission: six-speed manual
Power: 518bhp
Torque: 625Nm
Speed: 0-100kmh 5.3 seconds
Price: Dh633,435
On sale: now
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – FINAL RECKONING
Director: Christopher McQuarrie
Starring: Tom Cruise, Hayley Atwell, Simon Pegg
Rating: 4/5
THE BIO
Favourite author - Paulo Coelho
Favourite holiday destination - Cuba
New York Times or Jordan Times? NYT is a school and JT was my practice field
Role model - My Grandfather
Dream interviewee - Che Guevara
