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The Episcopal Church Foundation Announces Dail St. Claire as New President and Chief Executive Officer 12-03-2024 12:02 AM CET | Politics, Law & Society Press release from: Getnews / PR Agency: Presswire Image: https://www.getnews.info/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/1733167991.jpeg The Episcopal Church Foundation (ECF) announces that Dail St. Claire has been appointed President and Chief Executive Officer, effective today. Donald Romanik stepped down from his role on November 30, 2024. NEW YORK - December 2, 2024 - After a ten-month nationwide executive search, the ECF Board of Directors unanimously voted to appoint Dail St. Claire, who has served ECF and its Endowment for over a decade as Board Director and Advisor. "We are thrilled to welcome Dail St. Claire as ECF's new President and CEO," said Todd Anderson, Chair of ECF's Board of Directors. "Dail's vision, expertise, and deep commitment to the Episcopal Church's mission, as well as her familiarity with ECF, positions her to lead us into the challenging next phase of our work with lay leaders and ministries. We thank Donald Romanik for his exceptional leadership, dedication, and service." "It is a privilege to be ECF's President and CEO," said St. Claire. "I look forward to building on our rich history of fostering lay-clergy partnerships and strengthening faith communities with our dedicated staff and board, lay leaders, ministers, dioceses, and partners navigating this time of change and healing in our communities and nation. I am committed to a partnership between ECF and our Honorary Chair, Presiding Bishop Sean Rowe, in his vision of building a sustainable future for 'one Church in Christ'. With a career that spans asset/wealth management, finance, and philanthropy, St. Claire brings over three decades of experience to ECF. St. Claire, a 2x Founder of a financial services firm, private equity fund, and mutual fund trust company, fosters innovative partnerships and drives operational efficiencies. She has a successful track record of growing and scaling small and mid-sized businesses in highly regulated industries and launching start-ups as President, COO, CIO, and Advisor. St. Claire co-designed a digital asset banking platform with a sustainable development framework. While managing global equity and liquidity assets for New York City's $280 billion public pension funds at the beginning of her career in 1991, St. Claire also managed the first public pension emerging manager program comprised of diverse-owned managers. St. Claire has served as ECF's Finance Committee Chair, overseeing its self-directed endowment fund as a board member and advisor. She is a board member of the Institute for Sustainable Communities, and a member of the Economic Club of New York, and The Common Good. St. Claire holds a BA from the University of California, San Diego, and an MA in Public Policy from the University of Chicago, Harris School. She is an RRCA-certified running and fitness coach and has run 15 marathons. Founded in 1949, ECF is an independent foundation that services Episcopal faith communities and supports lay leadership and clergy. ECF's self-directed Endowment was formed in 1955. Its services and programs include Endowment Management Services. For more information, visit www.ecf.org [ http://www.ecf.org/ ] Media Contact Company Name: ECF Contact Person: Media Relations Email: Send Email [ http://www.universalpressrelease.com/?pr=the-episcopal-church-foundation-announces-dail-st-claire-as-new-president-and-chief-executive-officer ] Country: United States Website: https://www.ecf.org This release was published on openPR.By BILL BARROW ATLANTA (AP) — 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 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. 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. “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 hardhats 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.” 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. 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. 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. And 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 races 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. 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 Democrats’ national campaign arm. Then he declared his own candidacy for 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. 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 nonwhite 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 the 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. 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.Darnold gives Vikings another gem with career-high 377 yards in 27-25 win over Packers MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Sam Darnold added another exploit to his career-altering season, passing for a personal-best 377 yards and three touchdowns as the Minnesota Vikings hung on to beat the Green Bay Packers 27-25 for their ninth consecutive victory. The Vikings are 14-2. They set up a final-week showdown in Detroit for both the division title and the No. 1 seed for the playoffs in the NFC. Jordan Love’s only touchdown pass for the Packers came with 2:18 left to pull the Packers within two points. Darnold responded with two completions for first downs to seal the game. Saquon Barkley tops 2,000 yards rushing and moves within 100 of Dickerson's record PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Saquon Barkley became the ninth running back in NFL history to top 2,000 yards rushing in a season, reaching the milestone with a 23-yard run in the fourth quarter against the Dallas Cowboys. That rush gave Barkley 2,005 yards with one game left and left him exactly 100 yards from Eric Dickerson’s record of 2,105, set in 1984 for the Los Angeles Rams. Barkley could potentially top the record in next week’s finale against the New York Giants. However, that game will be mostly meaningless for the Eagles, who could opt to rest Barkley to protect him from injury ahead of the playoffs. Moment of silence for former President Jimmy Carter held before the Falcons-Commanders game LANDOVER, Md. (AP) — A moment of silence was held for former President Jimmy Carter before the Atlanta Falcons' game at the Washington Commanders. The Georgia native served as the 39th president of the United States at the White House less than 10 miles away from 1977-81. Falcons owner Arthur Blank in a statement called Carter an inspirational global humanitarian. Carter died earlier Sunday at the age of 100 in Plains, Georgia. He also has a connection to the NFL as the first president to host the Super Bowl champions at the White House when he welcomed the Pittsburgh Steelers there in 1980. NFC's No. 1 seed comes down to Vikings-Lions showdown at Detroit in Week 18 The NFC’s No. 1 seed will come down to the final week when the Detroit Lions host the Minnesota Vikings. The winner takes the NFC North and gets a first-round playoff bye and home-field advantage until the Super Bowl. The loser gets the No. 5 seed and must play on the road in the wild-card round. The Vikings held on for a 27-25 victory over the Green Bay Packers to set up the high-stakes showdown in Week 18. The Lions visit the San Francisco 49ers on Monday night. Win, lose or tie, they have to beat the Vikings for a second time this season. Herro leads Heat over Rockets in game marred by fight and ejections in final minute HOUSTON (AP) — Tyler Herro scored 27 points before being one of six people ejected after a fight in the final minute of the Miami Heat’s 104-100 victory over the Houston Rockets on Sunday night. Herro was thrown to the ground by the Rockets’ Amen Thompson with 35 seconds left and the Heat leading 99-94. Players and coaches from both benches then came onto the court. Both players were thrown out along with Rockets guard Jalen Green, coach Ime Udoka and assistant coach Ben Sullivan. Terry Rozier was also ejected for Miami. Bills clinch the AFC's No. 2 seed with a 40-14 rout of the undisciplined Jets ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) — Josh Allen threw two touchdown passes and ran for another score and the Buffalo Bills clinched the AFC’s No. 2 seed with a 40-14 rout of the New York Jets. The Bills put the game away by capitalizing on two Jets turnovers and scoring three touchdowns over a 5:01 span in the closing minutes of the third quarter. Buffalo’s defense forced three takeaways overall and sacked Aaron Rodgers four times, including a 2-yard loss for a safety in the second quarter. The five-time defending AFC East champion Bills improved to 13-3 to match a franchise single-season record. Saquon Barkley tops 2,000 yards rushing as Eagles beat Cowboys 41-7 to clinch NFC East PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Saquon Barkley rushed for 167 yards to top 2,000 on the season, backup quarterback Kenny Pickett ran and threw for scores before departing with injured ribs, and the Philadelphia Eagles clinched the NFC East title by routing the Dallas Cowboys 41-7. Barkley has 2,005 yards and needs 101 in next week’s mostly meaningless regular-season finale to top Eric Dickerson and his 2,105 yards for the Los Angeles Rams in 1984. The Eagles led 24-7 in the third quarter when Pickett was drilled by defensive end Micah Parsons, ending his first start in place of the concussed Jalen Hurts. Penn State coach James Franklin says Nick Saban should be college football's commissioner SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (AP) — Penn State coach James Franklin believes college football needs a commissioner and he even has a candidate in mind: former Alabama coach Nick Saban. Franklin made the suggestion Sunday at Penn State’s College Football Playoff quarterfinals media day ahead of the Fiesta Bowl. The sixth-seeded Nittany Lions are preparing for their game against No. 3 seed Boise State on Tuesday. The veteran coach was responding to a question about Penn State’s backup quarterback situation after Beau Pribula transferred to Missouri before the playoff. Pribula’s decision highlighted some of the frustrating aspects of a new college football world in the Name, Image and Likeness era and the transfer portal, forcing players to make tough decisions at inopportune times. LeBron James at 40: A milestone birthday arrives Monday for the NBA's all-time scoring leader When LeBron James broke another NBA record earlier this month, the one for most regular-season minutes played in a career, his Los Angeles Lakers teammates handled the moment in typical locker room fashion. They made fun of him. Dubbed The Kid from Akron, with a limitless future, James is now the 40-year-old from Los Angeles with wisps of gray in his beard, his milestone birthday coming Monday, one that will make him the first player in NBA history to play in his teens, 20s, 30s and 40s. He has stood and excelled in the spotlight his entire career. Rising Sun Devils: Arizona State looks to pull off another big surprise at the Peach Bowl ATLANTA (AP) — As they prepare for Arizona State’s biggest game in nearly three decades, the guys who made it happen aren’t the least bit surprised to be rated a nearly two-touchdown underdog in the College Football Playoff. That’s a familiar position for the Sun Devils. They've been an underdog most of the season. Of the eight teams still vying for a national championship, there’s no bigger surprise than 11-2 Arizona State. The Sun Devils went 3-9 a year ago and were picked to finish dead last in their first season in the Big 12 Conference. Now, they're getting ready to face Texas in the Peach Bowl quarterfinal game on New Year’s Day.okbet 888 。

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’s former foreman has opened up about his experience on and revealed why he decided to step back this year. The carpenter and builder, often referred to as ‘The Blockinator’, starred on 16 seasons as chief foreman but only made a handful of appearances this season. While he previously said he chose not to appear on 2024 in a full-time position so he could spend more time with his two daughters, he’s now revealed that his decision also had to do with the contestants. Speaking on this month, Keith admitted that he had grown tired of dealing with difficult cast members who didn’t respect his authority. “Imagine you’re a builder and you’ve got some contestants who’ve got no idea about building, and you’re giving them an instruction and they tell you to get stuffed,” he remarked. “All these amateurs have got no idea what they’re doing. We’re building beautiful homes for people, and I never got why people would argue with me. It just didn’t make sense. If I’m a subbie [subcontractor] going on site and I’ve got a foreman giving me instruction, you’ve just gotta follow it. There’s no ifs or buts, otherwise, you’re off.” He continued: “I used to get grumpy on telly, but there was a reason for it. [I had] some d**khead just giving me grief, and it wasn’t warranted.” Keith famously clashed with several contestants during his time on the show, including 2023 couple . He “spat the dummy” after the Queensland couple repeatedly asked for feedback on their build, with Keith arguing that his job wasn’t to “hold every builder’s hand for every piece that goes in”. Elsewhere in the interview, Keith admitted he had fond memories of and described the experience as a “big adrenaline rush”. “I must admit, when I was doing initially, I was actually doing other projects, and when I was on those other projects it was quite boring,” he said. “One thing we did learn was how to do things quickly, and we had to work hard.” While he is yet to announce whether he will return for , he admitted he’s been enjoying his time away from the show and “not having the stress of working 24 hours a day”. This year’s season saw , who previously competed on the show in 2012 and 2013 before joining as a foreman in 2015, step up to take over Keith’s role. fans when he made a brief appearance on this year’s season of , with the 50-year-old sporting a brand new set of teeth. Keith underwent a dental transformation earlier this year and shared videos on social media in collaboration with in February documenting his journey. Dr Belinda Feldman explained in one of the that they used a procedure called DSD Direct, an evolution of an injectable resin guide technique, to reshape Keith’s teeth and give him a brand new smile. “I didn’t like my teeth and my smile, and being a TV presenter, it’s very important to have a good smile and good teeth,” he said in the video. “I was finding I was actually hiding my teeth from the camera.” Keith’s transformation certainly didn’t go unnoticed on social media, with one person commenting: “Keith has new teeth!” “Yes! They look great,” another replied, while a third said, “Yes, they are very noticeable”. “Looking good Keith,” someone else shared, followed by a different user who remarked, “Living for this transformation of Keith”.Jimmy Carter, 39th US president, Nobel winner, dies at 100

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Information Technology Operations Analytics Market: Trends, Size, Share, Growth, and Demand 2031SAN DIEGO, Dec. 02, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Robbins Geller Rudman & Dowd LLP announces that purchasers or acquirers of Customers Bancorp, Inc. (NYSE: CUBI) publicly traded securities between March 1, 2024 and August 8, 2024, inclusive (the “Class Period”), have until January 31, 2025 to seek appointment as lead plaintiff of the Customers Bancorp class action lawsuit. Captioned Chang v. Customers Bancorp, Inc ., No. 24-cv-06416 (E.D. Pa.), the Customers Bancorp class action lawsuit charges Customers Bancorp and certain of Customers Bancorp’s top current and former executives with violations of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. If you suffered substantial losses and wish to serve as lead plaintiff of the Customers Bancorp class action lawsuit, please provide your information here: https://www.rgrdlaw.com/cases-customers-bancorp-inc-class-action-lawsuit-cubi.html You can also contact attorneys J.C. Sanchez or Jennifer N. Caringal of Robbins Geller by calling 800/449-4900 or via e-mail at info@rgrdlaw.com . CASE ALLEGATIONS: Customers Bancorp operates as a bank holding company. The Customers Bancorp class action lawsuit alleges that defendants throughout the Class Period made false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose that: (i) Customers Bancorp had inadequate anti-money laundering practices; and (ii) as a result, Customers Bancorp was not in compliance with its legal obligations, which subjected Customers Bancorp to heightened regulatory risk. The Customers Bancorp class action lawsuit further alleges that on April 12, 2024, Customers Bancorp announced that CFO, defendant Carla A. Leibold, had been fired for “cause” for violating Customers Bancorp policy. On this news, the price of Customers Bancorp stock fell nearly 5%, according to the complaint. Customers Bancorp subsequently disclosed that Ms. Leibold’s termination was a “separation by mutual agreement,” according to the complaint. Then, on August 8, 2024, during market hours, the Federal Reserve issued a press release entitled “Federal Reserve Board issues enforcement action with Customers Bancorp, Inc. and Customers Bank,” which attached a written agreement between Customers Bancorp and the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia stating that the Federal Reserve “identified significant deficiencies related to the Bank’s risk management practices and compliance with the applicable laws, rules, and regulations relating to anti-money laundering (‘AML’), including the Bank Secrecy Act,” according to the complaint On this news, the price of Customers Bancorp stock fell more than 15%, according to the Customers Bancorp class action lawsuit. Finally, the Customers Bancorp class action lawsuit further alleges that on August 8, 2024, after market hours, Customers Bancorp disclosed a consent order by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Department of Banking and Securities, Bureau of Bank Supervision, relating “principally to aspects of compliance risk management, including risk management practices governing digital asset-related services; oversight by the Board of Directors of Customers Bancorp and the Bank; compliance with anti-money laundering regulations under the Bank Secrecy Act; and compliance with the regulations of the Office of Foreign Assets Control,” and further stating that “these deficiencies give the Bureau reason to believe that the Bank had engaged in unsafe or unsound banking practices relating to BSA/AML Requirements.” On this news, the price of Customers Bancorp stock fell further, according to the complaint. THE LEAD PLAINTIFF PROCESS: The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 permits any investor who purchased or acquired Customers Bancorp publicly traded securities during the Class Period to seek appointment as lead plaintiff in the Customers Bancorp class action lawsuit. A lead plaintiff is generally the movant with the greatest financial interest in the relief sought by the putative class who is also typical and adequate of the putative class. A lead plaintiff acts on behalf of all other class members in directing the Customers Bancorp class action lawsuit. The lead plaintiff can select a law firm of its choice to litigate the Customers Bancorp class action lawsuit. An investor’s ability to share in any potential future recovery is not dependent upon serving as lead plaintiff of the Customers Bancorp class action lawsuit. ABOUT ROBBINS GELLER: Robbins Geller Rudman & Dowd LLP is one of the world’s leading law firms representing investors in securities fraud cases. Our Firm has been #1 in the ISS Securities Class Action Services rankings for six out of the last ten years for securing the most monetary relief for investors. We recovered $6.6 billion for investors in securities-related class action cases – over $2.2 billion more than any other law firm in the last four years. With 200 lawyers in 10 offices, Robbins Geller is one of the largest plaintiffs’ firms in the world and the Firm’s attorneys have obtained many of the largest securities class action recoveries in history, including the largest securities class action recovery ever – $7.2 billion – in In re Enron Corp. Sec. Litig. Please visit the following page for more information: https://www.rgrdlaw.com/services-litigation-securities-fraud.html Past results do not guarantee future outcomes. Services may be performed by attorneys in any of our offices. Contact: Robbins Geller Rudman & Dowd LLP J.C. Sanchez, Jennifer N. Caringal 655 W. Broadway, Suite 1900, San Diego, CA 92101 800-449-4900 info@rgrdlaw.com

The Latest: Former President Jimmy Carter is Dead at age 100While women make up half of Southeast Asia’s population, regional efforts to mainstream gender issues so far remain a formidable challenge. However, notable strides have been made in recent years primarily through the cooperation between UN Women and the Asean Committee on Women, as well as the Asean Commission on the Promotion and Protection of the Rights of Women and Children with the support of Asean donor partners. In Asean’s half-century history, every Asean secretary-general (SG) has been male. Kao Kim Hourn from Cambodia is currently the 15th SG whose five-year term will end in three years and it will be Indonesia’s turn to nominate the next candidate for the top post. Will Indonesia break this male trend by fielding the first female Asean SG in 2028? As Asean’s chief administrative officer, the SG must first and foremost demonstrate superb administrative skills. Moreover, s/he should also be well conversant on all subject areas of Asean cooperation. Finally, the SG should be able to comfortably represent and speak on behalf of the 700 million people residing in the region across all key segments of society, be they government, business, academia, civil society, or local communities, about Asean, what it stands for and is capable of achieving for the benefit of its peoples. Under the Asean Charter, the selection and appointment of the SG should give due consideration to integrity, capability, and professional experience, and gender equality. While the first few criteria mentioned are generally met by past candidates for the post, the last criteria on gender equality remains elusive. Since the idea of having a female SG is a novel subject matter within the Asean context, it would probably benefit from raising public awareness and promotion among all Asean member countries, which the SG is supposed to serve, in terms of gaining acceptance for the idea of encouraging more female leadership at executive levels of Asean institutions and bodies in line with the objectives stipulated in the endorsed Asean Gender Mainstreaming Strategic Framework. Perhaps this might entail a campaign to start sensitizing the gender deficit issue in connection with Asean’s top post. This could include public workshops, seminars, and even talk shows and conducting opinion surveys at various levels and across all segments of society within Indonesia and among the rest of the Asean member countries. Various forms of social media would also need to be actively deployed to further reach out to the public within the Asean region. It would be an important breakthrough if Indonesia could show regional leadership in addressing the gender gap issue by nominating a female candidate for the next Asean SG. Many of Asean’s external partners have included women empowerment and gender equity issues as priority areas in their cooperation activities with Asean. Efforts should be made to develop programs and activities to advance female leadership, especially at the higher echelons of the Asean Secretariat and other Asean institutions. Taking a leaf from other organizations within the region, the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific did not have its first female head until 60 years after its establishment. It has now had three successive female chiefs since 2007 and the current head is Armida Salsiah Alisjahbana from Indonesia. Similarly, the Mekong River Commission, another inter-governmental organization, will have its first female chief, from Thailand, come January 2025, again after many decades of the organization’s existence. It is time for Asean to walk the talk and prioritize gender equality at leadership levels. The appointment of a first female SG would be a good start and doing so to coincide with the heralding of Asean’s 60th anniversary commemoration in three years would indeed be applauded. After all, women make up half of Asean’s population and as such they deserve their fair share of representation at the apex level of Asean’s policy and decision-making processes. This would send a very strong message that finally women are no longer left behind in holding the top echelon posts in the Asean Secretariat. The Jakarta Post/Asia News Network —————- Dewi Fortuna Anwar is a research professor at the National Research and Innovation Agency of Indonesia; Sharon Seah is a senior fellow at the Asean Studies Centre, ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute, and Apichai Sunchindah is the former executive director of the Asean Foundation. —————- The Philippine Daily Inquirer is a member of the Asia News Network, an alliance of 22 media titles in the region. Subscribe to our daily newsletter By providing an email address. I agree to the Terms of Use and acknowledge that I have read the Privacy Policy .SIOUX CITY — Sioux City Police Chief Rex Mueller told the City Council Monday that the new design for a sculpture outside the police department's headquarters will represent the "bond" between the community and his department. The Sioux City Council heard a presentation about Brodin Studios' proposal for a custom bronze statute that would feature a turn of the century patrol officer and a child. The sculpture would be placed on the sidewalk right outside the front doors of the police department on Douglas Street. Mueller Tim Hynds, Sioux City Journal "I think this is just a positive change. I think it'll be much more well-accepted. Any public art that we can have downtown will be positive," Mueller said. The project would be primarily financed by the Gilchrist Foundation and several private donors. There would be no financial impact on the city, as the Friends of the Sioux City Police Department, a nonprofit, would maintain funds to clean, maintain and repair the sculpture. In 2020, the Friends of the Sioux City Police Department received a Gilchrist Foundation grant for a public art sculpture to be placed on the sidewalk in front of the department's headquarters. Although the council approved the initial design, which was abstract and created by a local artist, it didn't receive much support from the community, according to city documents. "I was happy to see this resurrected," Councilman Matthew O'Kane said of the sculpture project. Mueller said the department wanted "representational art" from the beginning, but that the local artist the department was initially working with "wanted to take it in a different direction." "It was a very interesting piece -- very, very abstract. I thought with the explanation, it was very, very neat, but I just don't think that it had the public support. I think going in this direction is going to be more acceptable to the public, and we've got a nice spot for it," Mueller said. The Sioux City Police and Fire Headquarters building, 601 Douglas St., is shown. Jesse Brothers, Sioux City Journal Brodin Studios, of Kimball, Minnesota, would create a "completely original custom sculpt" with vintage images and scans of actual badges and equipment from the department. The life-size bronze sculpture would be mounted on a cement base topped with a black marble base with the department's mission statement etched into the supporting structure, along with a dedication plaque. "This is going to be a custom item that will actually be made to look exactly like officers and their equipment did, for instance, back in the day," said Mueller, who said the department will send some items from its museum to Brodin Studios to serve as references. "This will be a late 19th-century officer. The whole point being that back before automobiles, the guy that walked the beat and knew everybody in his neighborhood." Mayor Bob Scott asked if there would be room outside the building for another sculpture in the future, if the fire department wanted to do a similar project. The Douglas Street police department also serves as Sioux City Fire Rescue's headquarters. "This is going to have a limited footprint," Mueller said. "That's a pretty good plot of space. If they would ever want to do something, I think there's plenty of room to do so." The council unanimously approved a resolution authorizing an annual contribution of more than $321,000 to the Sioux City Regional Convention & Visitors Bureau (SCRCVB), which does business as Explore Siouxland. The council also green-lighted a letter of understanding between the SCRCVB and the city. The contribution, which totals $321,621, will commence Dec. 16, 2024 and end June 30, 2025. The SCRCVB focuses on bringing in new events and marketing Sioux City as a destination for tourists, conventions and sporting events. Explore Siouxland Executive Director Kristi Franz gives a report to the Sioux City Council on Dec. 2. The council approved a commitment of a minimum of $100,000 and 50% of any hotel/motel taxes collected beyond $2.4 million. Since $2,843,241.80 was collected in hotel/motel taxes in 2024, the SCRCVB will receive $221,620.90 of the hotel/motel taxes. "This Letter of Understanding will be funded using FY 2025 Tourism operating funds; however, a budget add of $112,877.90 will be necessary to ensure available budget," city documents stated. Local leaders refocused their tourism efforts after Sioux City eliminated the city department that oversaw not only tourism, but also the Tyson Events Center and the Convention Center. The change occurred after the city hired OVG360, formerly Spectra, a Philadelphia-based venue management firm, to run the Tyson. The Convention & Visitors Bureau Board manages the new CVB, while the Events Facilities Advisory Board continues to oversee the city-owned venues. The Journal’s Jared McNett shows how to download and browse the Sioux City Journal's app. Jesse Brothers

Tense House speaker fight arrives WednesdayTHE shock of a very right-wing Donald Trump winning a second term as President of the United States – that so-called “shining example of democracy” – made me think about what is happening in Malaysia. I remember hearing “Suara rakyat suara keramat” (the voice of the people is a sacred voice) during those days of the call for “Reformasi” led by Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim following the Permatang Pauh Declaration in 1998. I was then, and have been since, a strong proponent of democracy. But today, I have actually begun doubting whether we, the rakyat, actually have a “suara keramat” or a “suara keparat” (voice of a scoundrel). The idea of democracy is said to have begun with the ancient Greeks; the word itself is formed from the Greek words demos (people) and kratos (power or rule), meaning “rule by the people”. All free men participated in decision-making by voting for their representatives in assemblies – one man, one vote. Free men meant those who owned property, were not slaves, and who were willing to defend their country to the death. These were obviously educated men who knew what was at stake in their small world. And, no, women were not allowed to vote. So some 2,500 years on, we have the same idea of one person, one vote (women were finally allowed to vote just a little over a century ago). But the people who can now vote are quite different from that small group of educated men. Now voters may not be educated, may not own property, and may be too old to defend the country. Also different from the Greeks, we now have social media, through which one vote may influence thousands of other votes. I’m not so sure it is still one vote, one person anymore. Also different from the Greeks, we, the people, experience an industrial style of education without any philosophical, creative or even critical thinking. In this, we are very different from the ancient Greeks, who were known to highly value philosophy. There are three things I worry about in today’s democracy – what I consider the “sins” of a democracy. Firstly, as I have written before, the voters have no grounding in politics and how a country works. Thus, left floundering, many give in to instilled fears and choose along racial, religious and populist lines when it comes time to vote. If one is a Malay, one votes for a Malay or Malay-dominated party; the same thing happens with other races. This I call “the sin of tribal preference”. The second sin I see emerging from civil society: The idea of civil society is to be the conscience of the nation by airing views and protests – in a calm and dignified manner, mind you. What I can see now is some well-known civil society organisations (CSOs) demanding many reforms in a reckless, demeaning and unfair manner.What do I mean by unfair? Well, people who criticise the government for not carrying out reforms must understand that the government cannot act in a vacuum. CSOs must understand the context of the culture of politics and entrenched administrators as well as the views of a majority race. Politics is about managing all these views; CSOs have the luxury of only managing their own conscience and self-righteousness. Secondly, I am disgusted to see civil society using derogatory means to make their points by grandstanding on issues while shouting or writing as if ministers do not have any feelings. I have seen expressions like “the minister doesn’t seem to have a clue”, “the PM does not seem to care at all about other rakyat of different faiths” or “the PM deserves a D grade”. These criticisms fail in three important ways: Firstly, the criticism is usually unclear in scope and expectation. Change what? How to change and which part exactly? Secondly, the criticism does not take into account administrative procedures and – most importantly – party politics. Party politics among different coalition partners is a real thing and cannot be ignored, and there is, I’m sure some sort of private quid pro quo dealing going on. That is unavoidable. I am not justifying it but it is silly and naive not to understand that it exists and has to be dealt with. Finally, I feel that “grading” a prime minister is rather childish and clearly doesn’t work because grading requires the grader to have been in the position of who the grade is for; grading requires moderation from different sources. Since just one CSO takes on this task, what practical use is it? Also, I personally feel it’s rather rude. The Islamic way of advising leaders, and I believe that it is also the Asian way, is to speak privately, with carefully selected words – with hemah, or wisdom and tact. Not having their grouses splattered all over the media. The final democratic sin is one that we, the rakyat, commit when we refuse to check the facts of an issue and simply make them go viral on Internet platforms, complete with all the lies, propaganda and misinformation. When the facts of the matter are established, the damage is already done. If this country fails and falls into poverty and chaos, I would no longer blame the politicians or the administrators but point the finger back at ourselves, the rakyat, for refusing to learn to change, for allowing knee-jerk reactions and bad manners to threaten unity, and for making untruths go viral willingly and joyfully. We would have only ourselves to blame. Prof Dr Mohd Tajuddin Mohd Rasdi is Professor of Architecture at the Tan Sri Omar Centre for Science, Technology and Innovation Policy Studies at UCSI University. The views expressed here are entirely the writer’s own.Peanut seller turns out to be operator of Rs 2,000 banknote exchange racket; 4 held