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qbet88 Speaker schedules opposition motions after Tories opt against own non-confidence voteROME — More than 800 turkeys were dropped off at the Rome Rescue Mission on Friday, collected and donated through the annual Rizio & Calandra Plumbing/Excavating Turkey Challenge, company officials said. Since 2020, the company has been challenging other businesses to match or exceed their turkey donations to the mission. “They like it. It’s a fun little thing to go back and forth,” said owner Joseph Calandra, with donors one-upping each other. “Without everybody else, this wouldn’t be what it is.” Calandra said the challenge started during the COVID-19 pandemic after a chance encounter with former Rome Mission Executive Director Matt Miller, who died earlier this year. According to Calandra, Miller told him they were “low on turkeys” during the pandemic for the Mission’s annual Thanksgiving meals. So Calandra said he started the challenge and was able to donate around 330 turkeys that first year. They continued to challenge other businesses and started accepting donations from individuals as well over the years. Calandra said he was considering backing off this year because his work was getting busy, but another chance encounter with the new Acting Executive Director, Lisa Patierno, put him back at it when she again said they were low on turkeys. “You’ve got to help people if you can,” said Calandra. “It’s the holidays. You should never go hungry, ever, but especially not during the holidays.” Within two weeks of posting the challenge to social media, Calandra said on Friday that they raised enough money to purchase more than 800 turkeys from Palmer Food Services and Smith Packing in Utica. They dropped off the frozen birds to the Rome Rescue Mission on East Dominick Street Friday afternoon. Joining Rizio & Calandra Plumbing/Excavating in this year’s Turkey Challenge and helping feed those in need in the community are: WoodmenLife Chapter 1026 Rome, NY; Harvey Materials Corp; Davidson of Rome; Puma Accounting-Income Tax, Bookkeeping & Payroll; LCS Janitorial Service & Supply; Hillside Seasonal Services; Ferlo’s Original Bakery; Flints Heating; Patrick Heating; American Pie of Rome; Joey’s Pizzeria; Back Nine Restaurant and Sports Bar; Stans Seafood; Makeup by Nicole Marie; Rome Collision; DiCastro’s Brick Oven Restaurant; Franklin Hotel; Toccolana Club; EJA Moving; Cycle Shack; Chubb’s Construction & Seamless Gutters; Utica Plumbing Supply Rome Division; Victory Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram; Collins Farm and Creamery; Change of Season Property Maintenance; Yager Construction; Northern Wine & Spirits; Lee Bates and Sons Water Well Drilling; Amy Goetz Mellace; The Prodigal Daughter; Anthony Levadoti; Chimos Catering; Pat & Jz Kessler; The RIKO Team; Karim Madmoune; Precision Paving & Sealing; Paul Boulanger; Tricia Austin Macri; The Galiano Club; Jojos Empanadas; Theresa Anne; Natalie Lusher & Debbie Bear; The Travis’s; Joe & Jackie Fleet Cavano; The Goodman Family; Frank Sanzone; Suzanne Tagliaferri; Jackie Dominic; The Fumarolas; The Phorenecs; The Safins; and Tricia Cianfrocco. Calandra said they also share the names of all their donors on their {a style=”font-size: 12px;” href=” https://www.facebook.com/romeplumber/posts/pfbid0235vTHSLUyx52h8qVvnyE4VknEw2MvktQqxwMwWZ1YiEuN8Y641xPCC8JWCqPZ8Pvl ” target=”_blank”}Facebook page{/a}.

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League fines Hawks $100,000 for Young missing NBA Cup gameThis story was originally produced by the Concord Monitor . NHPR is republishing it in partnership with the Granite State News Collaborative . Bill Ohm, a state representative from Nashua, hopes to increase transparency in the State House by compelling his fellow lawmakers to disclose certain campaign contributions in a more timely manner. He wants legislators to report contributions of $1,000 or more from any industry to the state’s Legislative Ethics Committee, “promptly” or within 30 days under his proposed bill. Candidates are already required to report all contributions to the Secretary of State’s office, which are publicly available but not always quick to come in. His legislation would create a new reporting requirement directly to the ethics committee. His motivations stem from an issue that began more than a decade ago and is still prevalent today: New Hampshire’s lottery and gambling industry. Back in the early 2010s, he said, concerns arose about undue influence by the gambling industry if the state were to establish a casino like the ones in Massachusetts and Connecticut. New Hampshire stuck with its charitable gaming model, which allows smaller-scale betting establishments that must give a portion of the proceeds to non-profits and charities. The state has 12 active casinos, and the industry has grown rapidly in recent years. “My intention is just that should this industry be established, which looks like it’s coming our way, that we have full disclosure of their contributions to elected officials,” Ohm said. Ohm said he’s not specifically aware of any lawmakers who’ve received contributions from casinos or online gambling firms but said the change in reporting requirements would be an effort to promote transparency and create a “safety valve” for good government. As for enforcement, he said it would fall to ethics sanctions already on the books. “Not restricting the amounts, not questioning the motivation, but just requesting prompt disclosure,” Ohm said. Industries are able to donate, “but you’ve got to be prompt about the disclosure if you take the casino or any other industry money that’s of any substantial amount.” Ohm thinks it’s necessary, in part, because legislating in New Hampshire is basically a volunteer position. Lawmakers are paid $100 per year with gas mileage reimbursements. While it helps in the sense that campaigning doesn’t cost much, Ohm said, it can present conflicts. “The flip side is that if you did get a lot of money, that could have a potential to cloud your thinking on how to vote, and I just want to make sure everything’s disclosed,” Ohm said. “I think we have honorable legislators, I think we have good ethics, but it’s just a guardrail to make sure that if you take the money, you’ve got to disclose it.” In a similar vein, the Legislature passed a law last year outlining circumstances where lawmakers must recuse themselves from bills where they have a conflict of interest. These articles are being shared by partners in the Granite State News Collaborative. For more information, visit collaborativenh.org .

Investing in remains an attractive strategy given a volatile macro environment and shifting economic landscapes. In addition to a stable stream of recurring income, quality dividend stocks allow you to benefit from long-term capital gains. While the broader equity indices are trading near all-time highs, investors can still find fundamentally strong undervalued dividend stocks that can deliver outsized returns in 2025 and beyond. Canadian investors looking to deploy $1,000 right now can consider gaining exposure to energy infrastructure giant ( ) and clean energy powerhouse ( ). The two companies offer attractive dividend yields and possess certain competitive advantages, making them enticing investments. Let’s dive deeper. Valued at a of $131 billion, Enbridge is among the largest companies in Canada. It pays shareholders an annual dividend of $3.77 per share, translating to a forward yield of 6.3%. Notably, its dividends have risen by 10% annually over the last 29 years. Despite an uncertain macro environment, Enbridge demonstrated strong financial performance and strategic execution in the third quarter (Q3). In fact, it remains on track to end 2024 at the top end of its adjusted EBITDA (earnings before interest, tax, depreciation, and amortization) and distributable per share (DCF) guidance. The company had initially estimated EBITDA between $17.7 billion and $18.3 billion, with DCF per share of $5.40 and $5.80 per share in 2024. Given its midpoint DCF per share estimates, Enbridge has a payout ratio of 67%, which provides it with enough room to target accretive acquisitions and lower balance sheet debt. In the first nine months of 2024, Enbridge added $7 billion to its secured growth program and completed the acquisition of three natural gas utilities from . It expects to grow EBITDA at a compounded annual growth rate of at least 7% through 2026 due to a robust capital-allocation framework. Additionally, it has an annual investment capacity of $8 billion, $6 billion of which was allocated towards low-capital intensity expansions, modernization, and utilities rate base investments. Analysts expect ENB to expand adjusted earnings from $2.78 per share in 2024 to $3.2 per share in 2026. So, priced at 18.8 times , ENB stock is reasonably priced and should be part of your dividend portfolio in 2025. Brookfield Renewable Partners delivered a strong performance in Q3, achieving record funds from operations (FFO). Moreover, the company confirmed it is on track to meet its FFO per unit growth target of +10% for 2024. Brookfield attributed its Q3 results to asset development, acquisitions, and strong pricing across its portfolio. Its diverse business model across global power markets and its focus on mature low-cost technologies have allowed Brookfield Renewable to perform admirably in recent years. The company pays shareholders an annual dividend of US$1.42 per share, up from US$0.87 per share in 2011. Analysts forecast its adjusted FFO per share to expand from US$1.53 in 2023 to US$2 in 2026, indicating its dividend payout should continue to grow. Priced at less than 12 times forward FFO, BEP stock is relatively cheap, given its tasty dividend yield of over 6%. Analysts tracking the remain bullish and expect it to gain over 25% in the next 12 months.

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Lending reforms to aid real estate firms in 2025West Ham show support for hospitalized Antonio before Premier League matchNollywood actress and producer, Toyin Abraham has once again appealed to her fans, saying she will not allow politics to affect her relationship with them again. Toyin Abraham made this appeal during her meet-and-greet session in Oshogbo, Osun State, as part of the promotional campaign for her new movie, Alakada: Bad and Boujee. Toyin shared a video from the event on her social media pages, capturing the warm reception from fans. READ ALSO: Amid the praises, a user commented, “In all you do, Mum Ire, don’t let politics come between you and your fans again. “Your fans really love you.” In response, the actress vowed, “I promise,” with a heartfelt reply accompanied by prayer emojis. This interaction highlights Toyin Abraham’s efforts to rebuild and strengthen her bond with fans after facing backlash for her political endorsement during the 2023 elections. Her latest movie has enjoyed significant box office success, raking in ₦134 million within its first week, showing a resurgence of public support. As she continues engaging with audiences across Nigeria, Toyin’s focus remains on celebrating her artistry and fostering unity among her fan base.

NEW YORK (AP) — Top-ranked chess player Magnus Carlsen is headed back to the World Blitz Championship on Monday after its governing body agreed to loosen a dress code that got him fined and denied a late-round game in another tournament for refusing to change out of jeans . Lamenting the contretemps, International Chess Federation President Arkady Dvorkovich said in a statement Sunday that he'd let World Blitz Championship tournament officials consider allowing “appropriate jeans” with a jacket, and other “elegant minor deviations” from the dress code. He said Carlsen's stand — which culminated in his quitting the tournament Friday — highlighted a need for more discussion “to ensure that our rules and their application reflect the evolving nature of chess as a global and accessible sport.” Carlsen, meanwhile, said in a video posted Sunday on social media that he would play — and wear jeans — in the World Blitz Championship when it begins Monday. “I think the situation was badly mishandled on their side,” the 34-year-old Norwegian grandmaster said. But he added that he loves playing blitz — a fast-paced form of chess — and wanted fans to be able to watch, and that he was encouraged by his discussions with the federation after Friday's showdown. “I think we sort of all want the same thing,” he suggested in the video on his Take Take Take chess app’s YouTube channel. “We want the players to be comfortable, sure, but also relatively presentable.” The events began when Carlsen wore jeans and a sportcoat Friday to the Rapid World Championship, which is separate from but held in conjunction with the blitz event. The chess federation said Friday that longstanding rules prohibit jeans at those tournaments, and players are lodged nearby to make sartorial switch-ups easy if needed. An official fined Carlsen $200 and asked him to change pants, but he refused and wasn't paired for a ninth-round game, the federation said at the time. The organization noted that another grandmaster, Ian Nepomniachtchi, was fined earlier in the day for wearing sports shoes, changed and continued to play. Carlsen has said that he offered to wear something else the next day, but officials were unyielding. He said “it became a bit of a matter of principle,” so he quit the rapid and blitz championships. In the video posted Sunday, he questioned whether he had indeed broken a rule and said changing clothes would have needlessly interrupted his concentration between games. He called the punishment “unbelievably harsh.” “Of course, I could have changed. Obviously, I didn’t want to,” he said, and “I stand by that.”Steris PLC stock underperforms Monday when compared to competitorsWhat we think will get announced at the Game Awards 2024Jalen White runs for 125 yards and 3 TDs; Georgia Southern beats Appalachian St. 29-20

Some investors want to swing for the fences. That might be OK to try with a small amount of fun money, especially when you are young. But that kind of investing has a low probability of success, albeit with a high potential reward. On the other hand, building a nest egg for retirement is best done over time and with a diversified portfolio. So if I had to choose just a single stock to buy and hold, it would be the one and only Berkshire Hathaway ( BRK.A -0.39% ) ( BRK.B -0.56% ) . That's because you get not only a diversified group of stocks chosen by one of the best investing minds of all time, but also a unique set of diversified operating businesses. Yes, Warren Buffett is diversified Berkshire stock immediately gives you ownership in a wide array of individual stocks. Buffett has steered the company over decades into the portfolio that the company holds today. As of its most recently filed Form 13F , the company listed over 40 individual equities worth about $300 billion. Some may then wonder why they should bother buying Berkshire stock when they can just get a mix of the overall stock market by owning index mutual funds or exchange-traded funds (ETFs) . In fact, in addition to the individual stocks, Berkshire also holds two different S&P 500 index ETFs in its portfolio. With Berkshire Hathaway, though, you get full-time management and oversight. That has led to the company making very successful investments in five Japanese industrial conglomerates that aren't in any U.S. index. Berkshire owns about 9% of each of the five, including recognizable names Mitsubishi and Mitsui . Investors also get more than just the equity portfolio . The market sector breakdown of that portfolio is shown here. Note that two of the 11 sectors, utilities and real estate, show no stock holdings. Berkshire has exposure to utilities and real estate through its operating businesses. Berkshire's growing operating earnings While the company only owns portions of the businesses represented in its equity portfolio, Berkshire has full ownership of multiple operating businesses in various sectors. Those include Berkshire Hathaway Energy (BHE), a utility that generates, transmits, and supplies energy; as well as major North American rail operator Burlington Northern Santa Fe. Other large businesses are Berkshire's insurance and reinsurance businesses, its HomeServices of America residential real estate brokerage firm, and various manufacturing and building products businesses. Berkshire shareholders should appreciate owning these successful businesses as operating earnings have increased from $27.6 billion in 2021 to $30.9 billion in 2022, and $37.4 billion in 2023. Managing expectations That helps explain why Berkshire stock has outpaced the S&P 500 by more than double over the last five years. That's also helped the company reach a record-high level of cash and equivalents on its balance sheet. But Warren Buffett and his younger investment managers, Todd Combs and Ted Weschler, don't currently see a place to spend much of that $325 billion. Berkshire has grown so much that investors should have tempered expectations for future performance. In the last annual report, Buffett himself said, "All in all, we have no possibility of eye-popping performance." That doesn't mean Berkshire Hathaway should be avoided, though. It's a holding that can anchor most any retirement portfolio. Shareholders can take the same approach Buffett has concerning returns that may not be explosive. He stated, "Nevertheless, managing Berkshire is mostly fun and always interesting." So is owning Berkshire stock .

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The billing of London-born former Chelsea boss Hayes against England’s Dutch manager Sarina Wiegman – arguably the best two bosses in the women’s game – had generated more buzz in the build-up than the players on the pitch, despite it being a rare encounter between the two top-ranked sides in the world. Hayes enjoyed her return to familiar shores but felt the US lacked the “killer piece” after they looked the likelier side to make the breakthrough. Asked what was going through her mind during the national anthem, Hayes said: “I was definitely mouthing (it), and Naomi (Girma) and Lynn (Williams) could see that I was struggling with where to be and all that. “I got to the end of the anthems and I thought, ‘that’s so ridiculous. I’m proud to be English and I’m proud of our national anthem, and I’m also really proud to coach America’. “Two things are possible all at once. I don’t want to fuel a nationalist debate around it. The realities are both countries are really dear to me for lots of reasons, and I’m really proud to represent both of them.” The Lionesses did not register a shot on target in the first half but grew into the game in the second. US captain Lindsey Horan had the ball in the net after the break but the flag was up, while Hayes’ side had a penalty award for a handball reversed after a VAR check determined substitute Yazmeen Ryan’s shot hit Alex Greenwood’s chest. Hayes, who left Chelsea after 12 trophy-packed years this summer, said: “I’ve been privileged to coach a lot of top-level games, including here, so there’s a familiarity to being here for me. “It’s not new to me, and because of that there was a whole sense of I’m coming back to a place I know. I have a really healthy perspective, and I want to have a really healthy perspective on my profession. “I give everything I possibly can for a team that I really, really enjoy coaching, and I thrive, not just under pressure, but I like these opportunities, I like being in these situations. They bring out the best in me. “You’ve got two top teams now, Sarina is an amazing coach, I thought it was a good tactical match-up, and I just enjoy coaching a high-level football match, to be honest with you. I don’t think too much about it.” Hayes had travelled to London without her entire Olympic gold medal-winning ‘Triple Espresso’ forward line of Trinity Rodman, Mallory Swanson and Sophia Smith, all nursing niggling injuries. Before the match, the 48-year-old was spotted chatting with Wiegman and her US men’s counterpart, fellow ex-Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino, who was also in attendance. England were also missing a number of key attackers for the friendly including Lauren Hemp, Lauren James and Ella Toone, all ruled out with injury. Wiegman brushed aside suggestions from some pundits that her side were content to settle for a draw. She said: “I think we were really defending as a team, very strong. We got momentum in the second half, we did better, and of course both teams went for the win. “So many things happened in this game, also in front of the goal, so I don’t think it was boring. “We wanted to go for the win, but it was such a high-intensity game, you have to deal with a very good opponent, so you can’t just say, ‘Now we’re going to go and score that goal’. “We tried, of course, to do that. We didn’t slow down to keep it 0-0. I think that was just how the game went.”50 Cent Suggests Jay-Z Could Be Dropped By NFL As Producer Of Super Bowl Halftime Show After Rape AllegationsThe Saints are making contingency plans to play without QB Derek Carr as they try to stay alive

Jimmy Carter, the peanut farmer who won the presidency in the wake of the Watergate scandal and Vietnam War, endured humbling defeat after one tumultuous term and then redefined life after the White House as a global humanitarian, has died. He was 100 years old. The longest-lived American president died on Sunday, more than a year after entering hospice care, at his home in the small town of Plains, Georgia, where he and his wife, Rosalynn, who died at 96 in November 2023, spent most of their lives, The Carter Center said. “Our founder, former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, passed away this afternoon in Plains, Georgia,” the center simply said in posting about Carter’s death on the social media platform X. Businessman, Navy officer, evangelist, politician, negotiator, author, woodworker, citizen of the world — Carter forged a path that still challenges political assumptions and stands out among the 45 men who reached the nation’s highest office. The 39th president leveraged his ambition with a keen intellect, deep religious faith and prodigious work ethic, conducting diplomatic missions into his 80s and building houses for the poor well into his 90s. “My faith demands — this is not optional — my faith demands that I do whatever I can, wherever I am, whenever I can, for as long as I can, with whatever I have to try to make a difference,” Carter once said. A PRESIDENT FROM THE PLAINS A moderate Democrat, Carter entered the 1976 presidential race as a little-known Georgia governor with a broad smile, outspoken Baptist mores and technocratic plans reflecting his education as an engineer. His no-frills campaign depended on public financing, and his promise not to deceive the American people resonated after Richard Nixon’s disgrace and U.S. defeat in southeast Asia. “If I ever lie to you, if I ever make a misleading statement, don’t vote for me. I would not deserve to be your president,” Carter repeated before narrowly beating Republican incumbent Gerald Ford, who had lost popularity pardoning Nixon. Carter governed amid Cold War pressures, turbulent oil markets and social upheaval over racism, women’s rights and America’s global role. His most acclaimed achievement in office was a Mideast peace deal that he brokered by keeping Egyptian President Anwar Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin at the bargaining table for 13 days in 1978. That Camp David experience inspired the post-presidential center where Carter would establish so much of his legacy. Yet Carter’s electoral coalition splintered under double-digit inflation, gasoline lines and the 444-day hostage crisis in Iran. His bleakest hour came when eight Americans died in a failed hostage rescue in April 1980, helping to ensure his landslide defeat to Republican Ronald Reagan. Carter acknowledged in his 2020 “White House Diary” that he could be “micromanaging” and “excessively autocratic,” complicating dealings with Congress and the federal bureaucracy. He also turned a cold shoulder to Washington’s news media and lobbyists, not fully appreciating their influence on his political fortunes. “It didn’t take us long to realize that the underestimation existed, but by that time we were not able to repair the mistake,” Carter told historians in 1982, suggesting that he had “an inherent incompatibility” with Washington insiders. Carter insisted his overall approach was sound and that he achieved his primary objectives — to “protect our nation’s security and interests peacefully” and “enhance human rights here and abroad” — even if he fell spectacularly short of a second term. And then, the world Ignominious defeat, though, allowed for renewal. The Carters founded The Carter Center in 1982 as a first-of-its-kind base of operations, asserting themselves as international peacemakers and champions of democracy, public health and human rights. President Jimmy Carter is interviewed in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington on Jan. 24, 1977. Associated Press file “I was not interested in just building a museum or storing my White House records and memorabilia,” Carter wrote in a memoir published after his 90th birthday. “I wanted a place where we could work.” That work included easing nuclear tensions in North and South Korea, helping to avert a U.S. invasion of Haiti and negotiating cease-fires in Bosnia and Sudan. By 2022, The Carter Center had declared at least 113 elections in Latin America, Asia and Africa to be free or fraudulent. Recently, the center began monitoring U.S. elections as well. Carter’s stubborn self-assuredness and even self-righteousness proved effective once he was unencumbered by the Washington order, sometimes to the point of frustrating his successors. He went “where others are not treading,” he said, to places like Ethiopia, Liberia and North Korea, where he secured the release of an American who had wandered across the border in 2010. “I can say what I like. I can meet whom I want. I can take on projects that please me and reject the ones that don’t,” Carter said. He announced an arms-reduction-for-aid deal with North Korea without clearing the details with Bill Clinton’s White House. He openly criticized President George W. Bush for the 2003 invasion of Iraq. He also criticized America’s approach to Israel with his 2006 book “Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid.” And he repeatedly countered U.S. administrations by insisting North Korea should be included in international affairs, a position that most aligned Carter with Republican President Donald Trump. Among the center’s many public health initiatives, Carter vowed to eradicate the guinea worm parasite during his lifetime, and nearly achieved it: Cases dropped from millions in the 1980s to nearly a handful. With hard hats and hammers, the Carters also built homes with Habitat for Humanity. The Nobel Committee’s 2002 Peace Prize cites his “untiring effort to find peaceful solutions to international conflicts, to advance democracy and human rights, and to promote economic and social development.” Carter should have won it alongside Sadat and Begin in 1978, the chairman added. Carter accepted the recognition saying there was more work to be done. “The world is now, in many ways, a more dangerous place,” he said. “The greater ease of travel and communication has not been matched by equal understanding and mutual respect.” AN EPIC AMERICAN LIFE Carter’s globetrotting took him to remote villages where he met little “Jimmy Carters,” so named by admiring parents. But he spent most of his days in the same one-story Plains house — expanded and guarded by Secret Service agents — where they lived before he became governor. He regularly taught Sunday School lessons at Maranatha Baptist Church until his mobility declined and the coronavirus pandemic raged. Those sessions drew visitors from around the world to the small sanctuary where Carter will receive his final send-off after a state funeral at Washington’s National Cathedral. The common assessment that he was a better ex-president than president rankled Carter and his allies. His prolific post-presidency gave him a brand above politics, particularly for Americans too young to witness him in office. But Carter also lived long enough to see biographers and historians reassess his White House years more generously. His record includes the deregulation of key industries, reduction of U.S. dependence on foreign oil, cautious management of the national debt and notable legislation on the environment, education and mental health. He focused on human rights in foreign policy, pressuring dictators to release thousands of political prisoners. He acknowledged America’s historical imperialism, pardoned Vietnam War draft evaders and relinquished control of the Panama Canal. He normalized relations with China. “I am not nominating Jimmy Carter for a place on Mount Rushmore,” Stuart Eizenstat, Carter’s domestic policy director, wrote in a 2018 book. “He was not a great president” but also not the “hapless and weak” caricature voters rejected in 1980, Eizenstat said. Rather, Carter was “good and productive” and “delivered results, many of which were realized only after he left office.” Madeleine Albright, a national security staffer for Carter and Clinton’s secretary of state, wrote in Eizenstat’s forward that Carter was “consequential and successful” and expressed hope that “perceptions will continue to evolve” about his presidency. “Our country was lucky to have him as our leader,” said Albright, who died in 2022. Jonathan Alter, who penned a comprehensive Carter biography published in 2020, said in an interview that Carter should be remembered for “an epic American life” spanning from a humble start in a home with no electricity or indoor plumbing through decades on the world stage across two centuries. “He will likely go down as one of the most misunderstood and underestimated figures in American history,” Alter told the Associated Press. SMALL-TOWN START James Earl Carter Jr. was born Oct. 1, 1924, in Plains and spent his early years in nearby Archery. His family was a minority in the mostly Black community, decades before the civil rights movement played out at the dawn of Carter’s political career. Carter, who campaigned as a moderate on race relations but governed more progressively, talked often of the influence of his Black caregivers and playmates but also noted his advantages: His land-owning father sat atop Archery’s tenant-farming system and owned a main street grocery. His mother, Lillian, would become a staple of his political campaigns. Seeking to broaden his world beyond Plains and its population of fewer than 1,000 — then and now — Carter won an appointment to the U.S. Naval Academy, graduating in 1946. That same year he married Rosalynn Smith, another Plains native, a decision he considered more important than any he made as head of state. She shared his desire to see the world, sacrificing college to support his Navy career. Democratic presidential candidate Jimmy Carter gets a hug from his wife, Rosalynn, after the third presidential debate on Oct. 22, 1976, in Williamsburg, Va. Associated Press file Carter climbed in rank to lieutenant, but then his father was diagnosed with cancer, so the submarine officer set aside his ambitions of admiralty and moved the family back to Plains. His decision angered Rosalynn, even as she dived into the peanut business alongside her husband. Carter again failed to talk with his wife before his first run for office — he later called it “inconceivable” not to have consulted her on such major life decisions — but this time, she was on board. “My wife is much more political,” Carter told the AP in 2021. He won a state Senate seat in 1962 but wasn’t long for the General Assembly and its back-slapping, deal-cutting ways. He ran for governor in 1966 — losing to arch-segregationist Lester Maddox — and then immediately focused on the next campaign. Carter had spoken out against church segregation as a Baptist deacon and opposed racist “Dixiecrats” as a state senator. Yet as a local school board leader in the 1950s, he had not pushed to end school segregation even after the Supreme Court’s Brown v. Board of Education decision, despite his private support for integration. In 1970, Carter ran for governor again as the more conservative Democrat against Carl Sanders, a wealthy businessman Carter mocked as “Cufflinks Carl.” Sanders never forgave him for anonymous, race-baiting flyers, which Carter disavowed. Ultimately, Carter won his race by attracting both Black voters and culturally conservative whites. Once in office, he was more direct. “I say to you quite frankly that the time for racial discrimination is over,” he declared in his 1971 inaugural address, setting a new standard for Southern governors that landed him on the cover of Time magazine. ‘JIMMY WHO?’ His statehouse initiatives included environmental protection, boosting rural education and overhauling antiquated executive branch structures. He proclaimed Martin Luther King Jr. Day in the slain civil rights leader’s home state. And he decided as he received presidential candidates in 1972, that they were no more talented than he was. In 1974, he ran the Democrats’ national campaign arm. Then he declared his own candidacy in 1976. An Atlanta newspaper responded with the headline: “Jimmy Who?” The Carters and a “Peanut Brigade” of family members and Georgia supporters camped out in Iowa and New Hampshire, establishing both states as presidential proving grounds. His first Senate endorsement: a young first-termer from Delaware named Joe Biden. Yet it was Carter’s ability to navigate America’s complex racial and rural politics that cemented the nomination. He swept the Deep South that November, the last Democrat to do so, as many white Southerners shifted to Republicans in response to civil rights initiatives. A self-declared “born-again Christian,” Carter drew snickers by referring to Scripture in a Playboy magazine interview, saying he “had looked on many women with lust. I’ve committed adultery in my heart many times.” The remarks gave Ford a new foothold and television comedians pounced — including NBC’s new “Saturday Night Live” show. But voters weary of cynicism in politics found it endearing. Carter chose Minnesota Sen. Walter “Fritz” Mondale as his running mate on a “Grits and Fritz” ticket. In office, he elevated the vice presidency and the first lady’s office. Mondale’s governing partnership was a model for influential successors Al Gore, Dick Cheney and Biden. Rosalynn Carter was one of the most involved presidential spouses in history, welcomed into Cabinet meetings and huddles with lawmakers and top aides. The Carters presided with uncommon informality: He used his nickname “Jimmy” even when taking the oath of office, carried his own luggage and tried to silence the Marine Band’s “Hail to the Chief.” They bought their clothes off the rack. Carter wore a cardigan for a White House address, urging Americans to conserve energy by turning down their thermostats. Amy, the youngest of four children, attended District of Columbia public school. Washington’s social and media elite scorned their style. But the larger concern was that “he hated politics,” according to Eizenstat, leaving him nowhere to turn politically once economic turmoil and foreign policy challenges took their toll. ACCOMPLISHMENTS, AND ‘MALAISE’ Carter partially deregulated the airline, railroad and trucking industries and established the Departments of Education and Energy and the Federal Emergency Management Agency. He designated millions of acres of Alaska as national parks or wildlife refuges. He appointed a then-record number of women and non-white people to federal posts. He never had a Supreme Court nomination, but he elevated civil rights attorney Ruth Bader Ginsburg to the nation’s second-highest court, positioning her for a promotion in 1993. He appointed Paul Volker, the Federal Reserve chairman whose policies would help the economy boom in the 1980s — after Carter left office. He built on Nixon’s opening with China, and though he tolerated autocrats in Asia, pushed Latin America from dictatorships to democracy. But he couldn’t immediately tame inflation or the related energy crisis. And then came Iran. After he admitted the exiled Shah of Iran to the U.S. for medical treatment, the American Embassy in Tehran was overrun in 1979 by followers of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. Negotiations to free the hostages broke down repeatedly ahead of the failed rescue attempt. The same year, Carter signed SALT II, the new strategic arms treaty with Leonid Brezhnev of the Soviet Union, only to pull it back, impose trade sanctions and order a U.S. boycott of the Moscow Olympics after the Soviets invaded Afghanistan. Hoping to instill optimism, he delivered what the media dubbed his “malaise” speech, although he didn’t use that word. He declared the nation was suffering “a crisis of confidence.” By then, many Americans had lost confidence in the president, not themselves. Carter campaigned sparingly for reelection because of the hostage crisis, instead sending Rosalynn as Sen. Edward M. Kennedy challenged him for the Democratic nomination. Carter famously said he’d “kick his ass,” but was hobbled by Kennedy as Reagan rallied a broad coalition with “make America great again” appeals and asking voters whether they were “better off than you were four years ago.” Reagan further capitalized on Carter’s lecturing tone, eviscerating him in their lone fall debate with the quip: “There you go again.” Carter lost all but six states and Republicans rolled to a new Senate majority. Carter successfully negotiated the hostages’ freedom after the election, but in one final, bitter turn of events, Tehran waited until hours after Carter left office to let them walk free. A WONDERFUL LIFE At 56, Carter returned to Georgia with “no idea what I would do with the rest of my life.” Four decades after launching The Carter Center, he still talked of unfinished business. “I thought when we got into politics we would have resolved everything,” Carter told the AP in 2021. “But it’s turned out to be much more long-lasting and insidious than I had thought it was. I think in general, the world itself is much more divided than in previous years.” Still, he affirmed what he said when he underwent treatment for a cancer diagnosis in his 10th decade of life. “I’m perfectly at ease with whatever comes,” he said in 2015. “I’ve had a wonderful life. I’ve had thousands of friends, I’ve had an exciting, adventurous and gratifying existence.” Former Associated Press journalist Alex Sanz contributed to this report. We invite you to add your comments. We encourage a thoughtful exchange of ideas and information on this website. 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Many of us have felt it, and now it’s official: “brain rot” is the Oxford dictionaries’ word of the year. Oxford University Press said Monday that the evocative phrase “gained new prominence in 2024,” with its frequency of use increasing 230% from the year before. Oxford defines brain rot as “the supposed deterioration of a person’s mental or intellectual state, especially viewed as the result of overconsumption of material (now particularly online content) considered to be trivial or unchallenging.” The word of the year is intended to be “a word or expression that reflects a defining theme from the past 12 months.” “Brain rot” was chosen by a combination of public vote and language analysis by Oxford lexicographers. It beat five other finalists: demure, slop, dynamic pricing, romantasy and lore. While it may seem a modern phenomenon, the first recorded use of “brain rot” was by Henry David Thoreau in his 1854 ode to the natural world, “Walden.” Oxford Languages President Casper Grathwohl said that in its modern sense, “’brain rot’ speaks to one of the perceived dangers of virtual life, and how we are using our free time.” “It feels like a rightful next chapter in the cultural conversation about humanity and technology. It’s not surprising that so many voters embraced the term, endorsing it as our choice this year,” he said. Last year’s Oxford word of the year was “rizz,” a riff on charisma, used to describe someone’s ability to attract or seduce another person. Collins Dictionary’s 2024 word of the year is “brat” – the album title that became a summer-living ideal.Israel, Lebanon's Hezbollah agree to ceasefire after nearly 14 months of fighting