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Time of India
6 hours ago
- General
- Time of India
USPS honors Jimmy Carter with forever stamp: How was the 39th US president as a student
The US Postal Service has immortalized a century of service with a new Forever stamp honouring Jimmy Carter , the 39th president of the United States. Unveiled on August 16 at the Jimmy Carter National Historical Park, the stamp features a 1982 oil-on-linen portrait by Herbert E. Abrams, originally painted as a life study for Carter's White House portrait. The release marks more than a tribute to a former president; it celebrates a life devoted to public service, diplomacy, and global humanitarian work that extended far beyond the Oval Office. The stamp, priced at the current First-Class Mail 1-ounce rate, will be available from October 1. Carter, who passed away on December 29, 2024, at the age of 100, is remembered for a presidency defined by ambition and idealism. From brokering the Camp David Accords to signing the SALT II treaty with the Soviet Union and normalizing relations with China, Carter sought to reshape US foreign policy with principle-driven diplomacy. Domestically, he championed energy reform, created a federal mental health commission, and expanded the National Park System, leaving a footprint of civic responsibility. Yet it was in the decades after leaving office, through the Carter Center, Nobel Peace Prize-winning work, and advocacy for democracy and health worldwide, that Carter's enduring influence truly took hold. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Is it better to shower in the morning or at night? Here's what a microbiologist says CNA Read More Undo Roots in plains: The making of a statesman Before Carter became a global figure, he was a boy of the Deep South, growing up amid the dusty roads and peanut fields of Plains, Georgia. Born on October 1, 1924, to Bessie Lillian Gordy and James Earl Carter Sr., he was the eldest of four children. From an early age, Carter learned responsibility and enterprise, tending his own acre of peanuts and managing tenant housing on his family farm. These experiences were lessons in pragmatism and leadership, shaping a young mind that combined curiosity with a sense of duty. At Plains High School, Carter's diligence and intellectual curiosity became evident. He was an avid reader, a basketball player, and a member of Future Farmers of America, where he discovered a passion for woodworking. His academic drive led him first to Georgia Southwestern College and then to Georgia Tech, where he pursued engineering studies and joined the Reserve Officers' Training Corps. Mentored by civil rights advocate Blake Van Leer, Carter seized an opportunity that would define his trajectory: An appointment to the United States Naval Academy in 1943. An academy of discipline and determination Annapolis tested both intellect and character. Carter, known for his quiet resolve, navigated the academy's rigorous culture with focus and persistence. He excelled academically, graduating 60th out of 821 midshipmen in 1946 with a Bachelor of Science, while also shining as a sprint football player and cross-country runner. It was here that he met Rosalynn Smith, his future wife and lifelong partner in both love and service. These formative years instilled the discipline, resilience, and strategic thinking that would later define his political and humanitarian career. From local politics to global impact After serving briefly in the Navy and returning to Plains to manage the family farm, Carter entered politics, serving as a Georgia state senator and later governor. In 1976, he emerged as a political dark horse, securing the Democratic nomination and narrowly defeating incumbent Gerald Ford to become president. Though his presidency faced domestic and international challenges, Carter's post-presidential years redefined the role of a former president. Through the Carter Center, he negotiated peace, monitored elections, fought neglected diseases, and advocated tirelessly for human rights. His work earned him the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize , cementing a legacy that transcended party lines and electoral politics. A stamp, a legacy, a century of service The USPS stamp does more than commemorate a man; it tells a story of a life that bridged local roots and global influence, modest beginnings and historic achievements. From the peanut fields of Plains to Nobel laureate recognition, Carter's journey reflects an enduring commitment to civic duty, moral courage, and quiet perseverance. As Americans place the stamp on letters and postcards, they carry not just a portrait but a century-long testament to leadership that blended principle, compassion, and vision. Ready to navigate global policies? Secure your overseas future. Get expert guidance now!
Washington Post
24-07-2025
- Politics
- Washington Post
Public broadcasting is for MAGA, too
Congress approved President Donald Trump's request to cancel $1.1 billion in government funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. Trump's executive order Ending Taxpayer Subsidization of Biased Media said that neither PBS nor NPR 'presents a fair, accurate, or unbiased portrayal of current events to taxpaying citizens.' As a former PBS producer, I take exception to his claim. Like my colleagues at PBS stations nationwide, I covered controversial stories from a wide variety of perspectives, including interviews with subjects of opposing political viewpoints, with respect and empathy. Public broadcasting is for MAGA, too. To illustrate: PBS put my documentary, 'Battle at Weber Creek,' on YouTube. It focuses on the dispute between Alaskan gold miner Joe Vogler and the National Park Service over transport of heavy mining equipment along a historic trail through the Yukon-Charley Rivers National Preserve. Vogler had used the trail for years before the preserve was established in 1978 as part of the National Park System. His armed confrontation with the preserve's superintendent at remote Weber Creek raised serious issues for environmentalists, gold miners, National Park Service officials, elected representatives and local landowners, all of whom expressed diverse opinions to inform a national audience. The documentary was balanced to appeal to local as well as national viewers, and the response was overwhelmingly positive from a wide and highly diverse audience, including Alaska's gold-mining community. To present contrasting viewpoints on issues of interest to broad audiences around the United States is what public broadcasting does best. Its funding must be restored. Robert A. Hooper, San Diego The writer is a former producer at PBS member station KUAC in Fairbanks, Alaska. The Post's July 16 interview with PBS president and chief executive Paula Kerger, 'PBS faces 'existential' threat, its chief says,' missed an opportunity to press for facts about the impact of funding reductions to public broadcasting. The questions focused almost exclusively on the politics of the proposed cuts. Kerger characterized PBS as 'an aggregation of local stations,' to which most of the organization's funding is directed. She cited the Smoky Hills, Kansas, station, which airs 'a call-in medical show' and gets 54 percent of its money from the federal government. The Post's follow-up question: 'Will rural stations be hit hardest?' Kerger responded by mentioning PBS's 'great stations everywhere' — in D.C., New York and Boston, as well as in the small towns of Cookeville, Tennessee, and Granite Falls, Minnesota. The interviewer should have pressed Kerger on the number of viewers in rural markets; on the federal dollars spent per viewer; on whether PBS could redirect dollars from richer, big-city markets with more broadband options; whether state governments could kick in some money; or even the basic policy question of whether the federal government should be helping fund this service at all given the plethora of sources of information. Instead, the interviewer focused on whether the proposed budget cuts are 'specific to PBS and NPR and the CPB' or 'part of a larger salvo from this administration against media.' The issue of federal funding for public broadcasting is much more complicated and nuanced than presented in this interview. Taxpayers have been bombarded with 'the sky is falling' arguments over nearly every aspect of the federal budget process. Journalists can help by giving us facts instead of amplifying rhetoric. Joseph A. Capone, Oakton In 1993, a group of people, some of them refugees from countries with authoritarian regimes, were in my apartment watching David Letterman. Letterman was making various hard-hitting jokes about 'Tubby.' We were all laughing until one person in the group asked, 'Who is Tubby?' I told them it was a reference to President Bill Clinton. Suddenly, I saw shock on the faces of my guests. They thought Letterman would be off the air in minutes and dead by the next day. I explained to them that this is America. Some people are well paid for making fun of the president. Letterman went on to make fun of America and other presidents for decades to come. Today I wonder if the refugees were onto something. Charles Plushnick, New York What do good companies do when faced with declining audiences and revenue? They analyze options and make adjustments. CBS has said it was losing money on 'The Late Show With Stephen Colbert.' Is CBS different from any other company? Sometimes the simplest answer is the truth. Steve Henry, Springfield When CBS chief executive George Cheeks announced the cancellation of 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert,' he called it 'purely a financial decision.' Cheeks has built his career on being genial, nonconfrontational and operationally smooth. But leadership isn't about being agreeable in times of turbulence. It's about taking a stand when the stakes are cultural, not just financial. Colbert wasn't just a talk show host. He was, for millions, a moral compass cloaked in comedy. And that's the real reason he's gone. There were other options. Cheeks could've shortened the production week, trimmed the budget or renegotiated Colbert's contract. George Cheeks didn't make a tough call. He made a weak one. Jeffrey Barge, Cleveland Ryan Zickgraf's July 18 Friday Opinion essay, 'The scroll never stops. Will we?,' captures Neil Postman's prescient warning that democracy is being overentertained rather than overthrown. But although the argument about tech's grip on our attention is right, it misses the deeper issue: We are not just distracted; we are reprogramming our very understanding of truth. Zickgraf points to Gen Z's retreat into more 'analog' pursuits as a sign of hope, but this is a passive rebellion, walking away from problems instead of confronting them. This opt-out mentality isn't enough. The real crisis is a society that no longer demands critical thought. Instead, we have substituted spectacle for reason, performance for debate and outrage for reflection. If democracy is to survive this digital haze, it's not enough to just delete apps or 'go back to basics.' We need a resurgence of reasoned, intentional discourse — something that challenges the very algorithms shaping our worldview. If Zickgraf's two tribes of Gen Z offer a glimpse of a future, it's one where we'll need to do more than retreat: We'll need to actively reclaim the spaces where thought can flourish, beyond the scroll. Regina Nappo, Triangle, Virginia Issues such as the Jeffrey Epstein case, though of ethical, moral and perhaps legal concern, are no more than distractions and deflections. They won't motivate people to vote in 2026 or beyond. Though titillating and potentially capable of increasing the audience share for news networks, at the end of the day, they likely will not significantly impact the outcome of the election. Notes Dan Rather: 'It is easy to stay swept up in the Epstein tsunami. … If the story is having an effect on Trump's political viability, then it is worth reporting on and reading about. But not at the expense of life-and-death stories with global consequences.' As someone who studied political communication for 45 years, I am convinced that the Epstein case is essentially a 'not Trump' message and therefore will remain rhetorically ineffective. So, let me say it again: While talking about this issue is fair game, Democrats must offer vivid and compelling reasons why their vision and concrete plans for America are in the best interests of voters. After that, they can contrast their message to the policies of President Donald Trump and his Republican acolytes. Democrats must be disciplined and their messages tightly focused. Richard Cherwitz, Carmas, Washington Hunter Biden's claim that George Clooney and other high-profile Democrats undermined his father's bid for reelection does not hold up to scrutiny. On the contrary, President Joe Biden and his enablers undermined their own campaign by attempting to conceal Joe Biden's diminished mental acuity from voters. Voters deserve to know the truth about their leaders so they can make informed decisions. When George Clooney spoke the truth about Biden's mental capabilities, he was speaking truth to power. If only more high-profile Democrats had done the same. A few months ago, Joe Biden went on 'The View' to claim he would have beaten Donald Trump. Polls show otherwise. Now, Hunter is peddling his father's same misguided blustery machismo. If they would take the advice, please, of the legendary 'Mini-Me' character of Austin Powers movie fame, this Democrat and so many other Democrats would be happy. 'Zip it.' Bruce Kirby, Rockville Post Opinions wants to know: What would you add to a time capsule to represent America today? Share your response, and it might be published as a letter to the editor.
Yahoo
21-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Nick Offerman Was So Upset About This "Huge Mistake" Trump Made That He Stopped By "The Daily Show" To Give An Emotional Speech
Nick Offerman has called out President Donald Trump after his 'big, beautiful bill' — which he signed into law earlier this month — slashed hundreds of millions of dollars in funding to America's national parks. Related: 'Let me get this straight, Mr. President. You cut $267 million to get back $90 million. Now, I'm no mathematician but I believe that's called shitting the bed,' said Offerman in an appearance on Tuesday's episode of The Daily Show. 'But then again, I didn't go to Wharton Business College.' The Parks & Recreation star — who portrayed libertarian official Ron Swanson — turned to several news reports detailing how America's 'pastoral gifts' are 'under attack' as staffing levels have seen a notable dip across the National Park System since January, per the National Parks Conservation Association. One clip noted that park scientists, in some cases, have been forced to help clean toilets due to staffing shortages. Related: Offerman — who quipped that the situation is like "Good Will Hunting but in reverse" — stressed that the cuts are a 'huge mistake.' 'No scientist has the strength to clean the skid marks of a man who's been eating beans and campfire hot dogs for the past three days! They're weak,' he joked. Related: He went on to refer to Trump 'shaking down foreigners' after he issued an executive order earlier this month that calls for foreign tourists to face higher park entry fees, a move that the administration expects to generate more than $90 million annually. After highlighting how national parks contributed a record $55.6 billion to the U.S. economy and supported over 415,000 jobs just two years ago, Offerman explained why the parks are a 'true miracle.' 'It is an affordable vacation that everyone can take inside our own borders, whether you're traveling with your family or abandoning your constituents during a crisis,' quipped the actor as a photo of Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) amid his Cancun controversy appeared on screen. Offerman, who recently revealed why Ron Swanson would've 'despised' Trump, then mocked the president for speaking so 'fondly' of national parks in years past. Related: He turned to a 2020 clip of Trump who, when referencing sequoia trees at Yosemite National Park, appeared to pronounce the park's name as 'yo-semites.' 'It's Yosemite,' Offerman remarked. ''Yo, Semites,' is what a bad undercover cop might say to a group of Hasidic Jews.' Watch Nick on The Daily Show below: This article originally appeared on HuffPost. Also in In the News: Also in In the News: Also in In the News:
Yahoo
21-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Nick Offerman Was So Upset About This "Huge Mistake" Trump Made That He Stopped By "The Daily Show" To Give An Emotional Speech
Nick Offerman has called out President Donald Trump after his 'big, beautiful bill' — which he signed into law earlier this month — slashed hundreds of millions of dollars in funding to America's national parks. Related: 'Let me get this straight, Mr. President. You cut $267 million to get back $90 million. Now, I'm no mathematician but I believe that's called shitting the bed,' said Offerman in an appearance on Tuesday's episode of The Daily Show. 'But then again, I didn't go to Wharton Business College.' The Parks & Recreation star — who portrayed libertarian official Ron Swanson — turned to several news reports detailing how America's 'pastoral gifts' are 'under attack' as staffing levels have seen a notable dip across the National Park System since January, per the National Parks Conservation Association. One clip noted that park scientists, in some cases, have been forced to help clean toilets due to staffing shortages. Related: Offerman — who quipped that the situation is like "Good Will Hunting but in reverse" — stressed that the cuts are a 'huge mistake.' 'No scientist has the strength to clean the skid marks of a man who's been eating beans and campfire hot dogs for the past three days! They're weak,' he joked. Related: He went on to refer to Trump 'shaking down foreigners' after he issued an executive order earlier this month that calls for foreign tourists to face higher park entry fees, a move that the administration expects to generate more than $90 million annually. After highlighting how national parks contributed a record $55.6 billion to the U.S. economy and supported over 415,000 jobs just two years ago, Offerman explained why the parks are a 'true miracle.' 'It is an affordable vacation that everyone can take inside our own borders, whether you're traveling with your family or abandoning your constituents during a crisis,' quipped the actor as a photo of Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) amid his Cancun controversy appeared on screen. Offerman, who recently revealed why Ron Swanson would've 'despised' Trump, then mocked the president for speaking so 'fondly' of national parks in years past. Related: He turned to a 2020 clip of Trump who, when referencing sequoia trees at Yosemite National Park, appeared to pronounce the park's name as 'yo-semites.' 'It's Yosemite,' Offerman remarked. ''Yo, Semites,' is what a bad undercover cop might say to a group of Hasidic Jews.' Watch Nick on The Daily Show below: This article originally appeared on HuffPost. Also in In the News: Also in In the News: Also in In the News:
Yahoo
19-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
'S**ting The Bed!': Nick Offerman Says Trump Is Making A 'Huge Mistake' With This 1 Move
Nick Offerman has called out President Donald Trump after his 'big, beautiful bill' — which he signed into law earlier this month — slashed hundreds of millions of dollars in funding to America's national parks. 'Let me get this straight, Mr. President. You cut $267 million to get back $90 million. Now, I'm no mathematician but I believe that's called shitting the bed,' said Offerman in an appearance on Tuesday's episode of 'The Daily Show.' 'But then again, I didn't go to Wharton Business College.' The 'Parks & Recreation' star — who portrayed libertarian official Nick Swanson — turned to several news reports detailing how America's 'pastoral gifts' are 'under attack' as staffing levels have seen a notable dip across the National Park System since January, per the National Parks Conservation Association. One clip noted that park scientists, in some cases, have been forced to help clean toilets due to staffing shortages. Offerman — who quipped that the situation is like ''Good Will Hunting' but in reverse' — stressed that the cuts are a 'huge mistake.' 'No scientist has the strength to clean the skid marks of a man who's been eating beans and campfire hot dogs for the past three days! They're weak,' he joked. He went on to refer to Trump 'shaking down foreigners' after he issued an executive order earlier this month that calls for foreign tourists to face higher park entry fees, a move that the administration expects to generate more than $90 million annually. After highlighting how national parks contributed a record $55.6 billion to the U.S. economy and supported over 415,000 jobs just two years ago, Offerman explained why the parks are a 'true miracle.' 'It is an affordable vacation that everyone can take inside our own borders, whether you're traveling with your family or abandoning your constituents during a crisis,' quipped the actor as as a photo of Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) amid his Cancun controversy appeared on screen. Offerman, who recently revealed why Ron Swanson would've 'despised' Trump, then mocked the president for speaking so 'fondly' of national parks in years past. He turned to a 2020 clip of Trump who, when referencing sequoia trees at Yosemite National Park, appeared to pronounce the park's name as 'yo-semites.' 'It's Yosemite,' Offerman remarked. ''Yo, Semites,' is what a bad undercover cop might say to a group of Hasidic Jews.' Related... Ex-RNC Spokesperson Says Trump Is In 'Deep Trouble' With This Key Group 'Blackmail': Rosie O'Donnell Rips CBS For Kissing 'Madman' Trump's Ring After Colbert News Trump Celebrates 'Late Show' Cancelation: 'I Absolutely Love That Colbert Got Fired'
