Sivagiri: Pilgrimage officially commences todayDylan Hernández: MLS deal with Apple TV could be hurting league's efforts to grow its fan baseThe Catholic Archbishop of Sokoto Diocese, Bishop Matthew Kukah, has said that President Bola Tinubu and his predecessor, Muhammadu Buhari never prepared for governance before assuming power. The clergyman described the duo as products of an “accidental leadership cycle.” While delivering a keynote address during the commissioning of the new Start-Rite School building and the 4th Amaka Ndoma-Egba Memorial Lecture in Abuja, Bishop Kukah highlighted a recurring pattern of unpreparedness among the country’s leaders. According to him, “if we look at Nigeria’s leadership journey, you will find that almost every leader who came to power did so by accident. “President Tinubu, despite claiming to be prepared for the role, is clearly struggling. We are still trying to find our footing. He took over from Buhari, who had already disengaged from governance. “Buhari succeeded Jonathan, a man who never envisioned himself as president but was thrust into leadership due to circumstances. Jonathan took over from Yar’Adua, who planned to return to teaching after his governorship. “Yar’Adua succeeded Obasanjo, who was unexpectedly released from prison to become president. Before that, Obasanjo replaced Abacha, who was poised to rule indefinitely until nature intervened. Abacha followed Shonekan, a business executive abruptly drafted to lead the country. The cycle is evident, and the missing link in all of this is knowledge and preparation.” The Catholic Archbishop further argued that while Nigeria has embraced democratic principles like, its democratic process has repeatedly failed to deliver competent leadership. Also speaking at the event, the Chairman of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa (rtd)highlighted the need to imbibe leadership qualities early in life. He likened many of Nigeria’s challenges to failures in leadership and accountability. The NDLEA boss also pointed out disturbing trends within the drug trade, revealing the involvement of visually impaired individuals in trafficking illicit substances. “Recently, the NDLEA uncovered a cartel involving visually impaired individuals. We arrested a blind man transporting a large consignment of cannabis from Lagos to Kano. “During interrogation, he claimed he didn’t know the package’s contents and provided the name of another blind individual in Lagos. This led us to another blind man, and eventually, we traced the ultimate handler, who was also blind,” he noted. Founded in 2008 with just seven pupils, Start-Rite School has grown into a leading institution in Abuja, now serving over 800 students across nursery, primary, and secondary levels. ALSO READ FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE Be committed to nation-building, Bishop Kukah charges Nigerians Get real-time news updates from Tribune Online! Follow us on WhatsApp for breaking news, exclusive stories and interviews, and much more. Join our WhatsApp Channel now
NoneLoo-less town's battle illustrates national problem
The more the merrier, which is what we’re seeing with the 12-team College Football Playoff. This has been a wild season. Interest must be at an all-time high. The 16-team playoff is right around the corner. Giving more teams chances to win a championship is what it’s all about. The Eagle’s 24-mammal Prognosticator Panel is no different. Five pickers are within five picks of the leader, retired air traffic controller Thomas Wells. I can remember when The Eagle’s picking panel had only 10 pickers, mostly from in-house. When they gave yours truly control, I increased the panelists to 16, allowing for more participation from readers and prominent folks around town. I also added my dog, with the key to finish ahead of the dog. Heck, back in the day, we had “I beat the Dog” T-shirts. The response was good, so we found a way to expand the panel to 18, to 21 and its current format. Winning was great, but if you just made the top row, you felt you accomplished something. Heck, just picking games makes you a winner. This year the guest panelists were led by graduates of Texas A&M and Texas in our salute to the return of the Lone Star Showdown rivalry in football, thus we divided the panel into four teams with Team Texas A&M and Team Texas leading the way. After making 180 grueling picks it’s dead even with Team Texas tied for the lead with Team Z, which includes graduates from Baylor, Stephen F. Austin, Sam Houston State, Mississippi State, Texas Tech and Thomas, a devoted fan of Ole Miss. The team concept allows for more mammals to be in title contention this late in the season, but it comes with a price. This Prog Panel will be the first to pick for 16 weeks, because the regular season had two byes and we normally don’t pick championship week, since the Aggies haven’t been in a conference championship since 1998. But we thought we’d honor our Longhorn graduates on the panel, since we would have picked this week had A&M won. And let’s big honest, with college football interest at an all-time high our readers deserve another week of Prog before the grand finish of state high school football championships and the bowl games. Besides, Eagle managing editor Rick Weegman and I need 20 more picks to try and catch Thomas. “This has been one of the longest picking years ever,” said SportsTalk’s Chip Howard, a nine-time champ. “It’s obvious that it has favored those that know very little about the sport.” My dog, Chester, basically said the same thing. It’s been a grind. He was on the top row for several weeks and is now just a pick out of the cellar. He’s often beat down. I’ve often caught him crying when I come home, but it’s his fault, I’ve told him time and time to stay off social media. Those dog-based websites are worse than the team-based ones. It was a good week for the Texas graduates as Team Texas went 80-40, picking up 13 picks. What a comeback. They were feeling it, too. “Last week, I said, ‘I’m thinking my team is going to make up some ground in this week’s prediction,’” said Doug Wunneburger, a professor in the Texas A&M Landscape Architecture and Urban Planning Department in the College of Architecture who moved within three picks of regaining the lead. Amy Vance, who works in the Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station, and Clay Falls, Bryan ISD media and community relations director, are both in the bottom row, but had stellar weeks in helping Team Texas. “The Longhorn defense does it again!” Amy said. “WOW! The Horns pick up right where they left off 13 years ago — on top! Woo Hoo! 77-37-5. The Aggies would have to win the next 40 games to tie our record. Ain’t gonna happen.” She thinks some of that Longhorn magic is rubbing off on SMU, which plays Clemson for the Atlantic Coast Conference title. “Having lived in Dallas for 20 years, it is nice to see SMU in the mix again,” she said. “Go Mustangs!” Clay went 15-5 last week. “As I predicted last week, the Horns won by 10,” Clay said. “It was a fun game but that pick-six by Will Lee and that blocked punt sure made me nervous. It’s such a great rivalry game. I fully expect the Aggies to have bragging rights next year or two. It’s going to go back and forth every few years. Glad to have the in-state matchup back.” You gotta give Clay props, he’s hooking with the horns, but he also knows where he works and lives. A pair of former Eagle publishers, Donnis Baggett and Crystal Dupre, who are both two-time Prog champs, had solid weeks in helping Team Z into the lead. “Whew! It’s been an up-and-down season, hasn’t it?” said Donnis, who is with the Lucky B Ranch and had some luck. “Here’s to some great playoff games to watch, a tight field among the Prog teams at the finish line, and a merry Christmas to all.” Crystal, who is typically on the top row every year, went 15-5 last week to escape the bottom row. “At least I got off the bottom row before heading into bowl games!” said Crystal, Finis Welch Foundation development director. “Small victories count this year.” The Houston Chronicle’s Brett Zwerneman, another two-time champ, went 14-6 to not only escape the cellar, but help lead the way for Team Z. “In an effort to climb back in the cellar I turned my picks this week over to my 15-year-old son Will, a sophomore at Bryan High, who told me I had brought ‘shame to the family name’ this fall with my picks,” Z-Man said. “Let’s see if this burgeoning writer for Bryan's "The Norseman" can do any better.” Retired A&M women’s basketball coach Gary Blair is ecstatic to be on Team Z. He’s good at spelling and pronouncing letters. “It’s all about Team Z as we come from last to first,” Gary said. “Now, we all want the individual championship, but it is about the six of us — Steve, Donnis, Thomas, Crystal, Z-Man and your Coach Gary. Protect the lead, win at all cost and lunch with confetti at Margie’s Downtown Bryan on Coach Blair. Best old-style burger in BCS. That will help us forget about the Bevo loss until next year.” Wow. Gary buying for his team? I’m entering the transfer portal, which opens Monday. Team Media is in last place in part because of Chester (don’t ask him about it the next time you see us walking in the neighborhood). Louie Belina of the Louie Belina Show & ZONE program director, who finished on the top row last year in his rookie season, has been loitering around the bottom row this year. He was one of five pickers to go 9-11. Louie’s picking slipped this year, but not his wit. “I apologize on behalf of me (and the dog since he really can’t speak) for destroying all hopes and dreams of the media team not finishing last,” Louie said. “I am at least consistent, started awful and finishing awful. I am taking Army over Tulane and it does not matter who they would play. America. The college football selection committee makes the 3 Stooges look like a Mensa meeting. Always take Incarnate Word, always. Georgia may not be special this year, but they own Texas. Crummiest Game of the Year: Jaguars and Titans — everyone who watches loses. Happy Holidays.” Zwernemann Flooring’s Scott Raisor, who is a former champ of SportsTalk’s Friday’s Fearless Football Forecast contest, is hanging onto the top row with a slim chance of climbing over seven folks. “Sometimes it’s best not to say anything ... let my picks speak for themselves,” Scott said. Scott must have been the guy calling the fourth-and-1 plays for A&M. Bryan Broadcasting Bill Hicks helped Team Texas move into the lead with a 15-5 record that got a video review assist. Bill was originally credited with a 14-6 week, but yours truly made a mistake. We double-check all picks before appearing in print, but that one slipped by us. It was huge, though, not only for Team Texas, but he picked Franklin to beat Hitchcock. That’s the one I messed up. We didn’t want the folks in Booger County getting mad at Broadcast Bill. The games High school: Franklin vs. Columbus, Lexington vs. Tidehaven, Grapeland vs. Bremond, Brazos Christian vs. Dallas First Baptist, Angleton vs. La Porte College: Western Kentucky at Jacksonville State, UNLV at Boise State, Tulane at Army, Iowa State vs. Arizona State, Ohio vs. Miami (Ohio), Georgia vs. Texas, Marshall at Louisiana-Lafayette, Oregon vs. Penn State, Clemson vs. SMU. Crummy Game of the Week: FCS playoffs: Villanova (10-3) at Incarnate Word (10-2) NFL: Seattle at Arizona, Chicago at San Francisco, L.A. Chargers at Kansas City, Jacksonville at Tennessee, Cincinnati at Dallas
In a single term as governor of Georgia, Jimmy Carter propelled the state into a new era. The acronyms for state offices that still populate news stories about Georgia government – DOT, DNR – are lasting reminders of the massive reorganization that was a hallmark of his administration. But his legacy had already been largely determined by the time he sat down from giving his inauguration speech on Jan. 12, 1971. “I say to you quite frankly that the time for racial discrimination is over. Our people have already made this major and difficult decision,” Carter said as he stood in front of the Capitol, pronouncing the end of a painful era with an engineer’s perfunctory certainty. The shock value of those words would fade quickly as Georgia raced ahead over the following years. But on that stage, that day, they came as a thunderclap. The former governor, Lester Maddox, had sold his Atlanta restaurant rather than serve black customers. George Wallace, running in the presidential primaries on a defiantly segregationist platform, carried the state in the 1968 election. And the rural populist campaign Carter ran for governor against “Cufflinks Carl” Sanders reminded many observers of the Alabama governor’s anti-establishment style, with whiffs of appeals to segregationists. Although his family was considered relatively liberal on such matters, Carter had straddled the race issue in his campaign, remarking to a reporter that he had “no trouble pitching for Wallace votes and Black votes at the same time.” Dick Pettys, who was a young reporter for the Associated Press, remembers the impact of the governor’s inauguration speech, which would land Carter on the cover of Time magazine as one of the “New South” governors making a departure from the segregated past. “That just blew everybody away, because they thought he was a Democrat just like all the other Democrats,” Pettys recalled. Carter made the bold statement at the suggestion of David Rabhan, a retired Air Force colonel and businessman who piloted his campaign plane. Rabhan would later spend a decade in an Iranian prison on an espionage charge, with Carter lobbying for his release post-presidency. But Carter’s racial views had already undergone a complex evolution. Carter’s first political race, for state Senate in 1962, came about because of an opening that was an indirect result of the landmark Baker v. Carr U.S. Supreme Court case affirming the “one man, one vote” principle. In his book “Turning Point: A Candidate, a State and a Nation Come of Age,” Carter described how he came to see his own aspirations, returning to his home state from the Navy, at the same time that African Americans in Georgia began demanding their share in the political system. His Navy career as an officer working on Adm. Hyman Rickover’s nuclear submarine project was shortened by the the death of his father and the demands of his family’s peanut warehouse business. When he returned to Plains, Carter brought ideas about modernizing the state, as well as a methodical, tireless style. This quality was in evidence after Carter finished third in the Democratic primary in his first bid for governor in 1966. He quickly set about keeping his political network alive after his loss, traveling the state in preparation for the 1970 race, defeating Sanders, the early favorite, by nearly 20 points, and Republican Hal Suit by a similar margin. His major campaign pledge was to bring order to the tangle of agencies, boards and commissions in state government. He made good with a reorganization bill which passed the House by one vote. His work still forms the basic organization plan of much of state government. Carter brought new faces into state government, including banker Bert Lance, who was given the most politically sensitive job, replacing the powerful state highway director, Jim Gillis, whom Carter had promised to fire during the campaign. Lance, who would become director of the federal Office of Management and Budget under President Carter, oversaw the conversion of the Highway Department into the Department of Transportation and helped Carter in his dealings with legislators — no easy job in itself. Lance recalled in his autobiography one of those dealings when a senator dropped by and presumed to tell the new governor how to get along with the state Senate. “I was watching Carter’s forehead. He has a vein that throbs when he’s getting mad, and that thing was going, Pow! Pow!” Carter is recognized as the state’s first environmentalist governor, highlighted by his action in stopping a planned dam on the Flint River at what is now Sprewell Bluff State Park west of Thomaston. Later, as president, he would push and sign the documents that created the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area in metro Atlanta, and other bills that set aside millions of acres in Alaska and the lower 48 states. During the 1979 energy crisis, he had solar panels installed on the roof of the White House. President Ronald Reagan had them dismantled in 1986. While governor, he appointed more Blacks and women to positions in state government than any of his predecessors, enforced zero-based budgeting in the newly created departments, and won passage of a modest education plan. But by the end of his term, Carter’s relationship with the General Assembly had frayed. “He was fixated on doing things on time, and that irritated people to no end,” Pettys recalled. In those days, state law didn’t allow governors to run for a consecutive term. After four years of bruising political battles, it’s far from certain he could have been reelected. But more than a year before he left office, Carter had already announced he was running for president, and set his sights on broader horizons.
Kobe Sanders scores 27 points, Nevada never trails in 90-78 win over Oklahoma State‘We literally lost everything’: Woman issues warning after Quantum Fiber Wi-Fi box allegedly burned down her houseFormer President Jimmy Carter has died at the age of 100. The 39th president of the United States was a Georgia peanut farmer who sought to restore trust in government when he assumed the presidency in 1977 and then built a reputation for tireless work as a humanitarian. He earned a Nobel Peace Prize in 2002. Carter died Sunday, more than a year after entering hospice care, at his home in Plains, Georgia. At age 52, Carter was sworn in as president on Jan. 20, 1977, after defeating President Gerald R. Ford in the 1976 general election. Carter left office on Jan. 20, 1981, following his 1980 general election loss to Ronald Reagan. Here's the latest: Carter’s relationship with his wife Rosalynn spanned a near-lifetime Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter had one of the great love stories and political partnerships in U.S. presidential history. The former president sometimes called his wife, who died Nov. 19. 2023, “Rosie,” which is a good way to remember how her name actually is pronounced. It is “ROSE-uh-lyn,” not, repeat NOT, “RAHZ-uh-lyn.” They were married more than 77 years but their relationship went back even further. Jimmy’s mother, “Miss Lillian,” delivered Eleanor Rosalynn Smith at the Smith home in Plains on Aug. 18, 1927. The nurse brought her eldest child back a few days later to visit, meaning the longest-married presidential couple met as preschooler and newborn. She became his trusted campaign aide and White House adviser, surprising Washington by sitting in on Cabinet meetings. Then they traveled the world together as co-founders of The Carter Center. Most of the nation saw the former president for the last time at Rosalynn Carter’s funeral. Grandson Jason Carter says Plains kept his grandparents humble READ: Jason Carter is now the chairman of The Carter Center’s board of governors. He said his grandparents “never changed who they were” even after reaching the White House and becoming global humanitarians. He says their four years in Washington were just one period of putting their values into action and that the center his grandparents founded in Atlanta is a lasting “extension of their belief in human rights as a fundamental global force.” Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter traveled the world advocating for democracy and fighting disease, but Jason Carter said they weren’t motivated by pity, or arrogance that a former American president had all the answers — they ventured to remote places because they could “recognize these people.” They too were from “a 600-person village” and understood that even the poorest people “have the power ... the ability ... the knowledge and the expertise to change their own community.” President Biden mourns his predecessor As reaction poured in from around the world, President Joe Biden mourned Carter’s death, saying the world lost an “extraordinary leader, statesman and humanitarian” and he lost a dear friend. Biden cited Carter’s compassion and moral clarity, his work to eradicate disease, forge peace, advance civil and human rights, promote free and fair elections, house the homeless and advocacy for the disadvantaged as an example for others. Biden said he is ordering a state funeral for Carter in Washington. Pelosi says Carter’s life ‘was saintly’ in devotion to peace Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is remembering Carter as a man steeped “in devotion to public service and peace.” The California Democrat said in a statement Sunday that Carter was committed to “honoring the spark of divinity within every person,” something she said manifested in “teaching Sunday school in his beloved Marantha Baptist Church, brokering the landmark Camp David Accords to pave the way to peace or building homes with Habitat for Humanity.” Pelosi also said Carter led “perhaps the most impactful post-presidency in history.” Historical praise from the United Kingdom British Prime Minister Keir Starmer noted in a post on X the special contribution Carter made by brokering the Camp David Accords between Israel and Egypt and through his work with the Carter Center. “Motivated by his strong faith and values, President Carter redefined the post-presidency with a remarkable commitment to social justice and human rights at home and abroad,” Starmer said. Commemoration in New York City To commemorate Carter’s death, officials with the Empire State Building said in a post on social media that the iconic New York City landmark would be lit in red, white and blue on Sunday night, “to honor the life and legacy” of the late former president. The Obamas recall Carter's Sunday services In a statement issued Sunday, former President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama said Carter’s beloved Maranatha Baptist Church “will be a little quieter on Sunday,s” but added that the late former president “will never be far away -- buried alongside Rosalynn next to a willow tree down the road, his memory calling all of us to heed our better angels.” Noting the “hundreds of tourists from around the world crammed into the pews” to see the former president teach Sunday school, as he did “for most of his adult life,” the Obamas listed Carter’s accomplishments as president. But they made special note of the Sunday school lessons, saying they were catalysts for people making a pilgrimage to the church. “Many people in that church on Sunday morning were there, at least in part, because of something more fundamental: President Carter’s decency.” A somber announcement The longest-lived American president died 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. “Our founder, former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, passed away this afternoon in Plains, Georgia,” The Carter Center said in posting about his death on the social media platform X. It added in a statement that he died peacefully, surrounded by his family. A Southerner and a man of faith In his 1975 book “Why Not The Best,” Carter said of himself: “I am a Southerner and an American, I am a farmer, an engineer, a father and husband, a Christian, a politician and former governor, a planner, a businessman, a nuclear physicist, a naval officer, a canoeist, and among other things a lover of Bob Dylan’s songs and Dylan Thomas’s poetry.” 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. After he left office and returned home to his tiny hometown of Plains in southwest Georgia, Carter regularly taught Sunday School lessons at Maranatha Baptist Church until his mobility declined. Those sessions drew visitors from around the world. Former Vice President Gore remembers Carter for life "of purpose” Former Vice President Al Gore praised Jimmy Carter for living “a life full of purpose, commitment and kindness” and for being a “lifelong role model for the entire environmental movement.” Carter, who left the White House in 1981 after a landslide defeat to Ronald Reagan. concentrated on conflict resolution, defending democracy and fighting disease in the developing world. Gore, who lost the 2000 presidential election to George W. Bush, remains a leading advocate for action to fight climate change. Both won Nobel Peace Prizes. Gore said that “it is a testament to his unyielding determination to help build a more just and peaceful world” that Carter is often “remembered equally for the work he did as President as he is for his leadership over the 42 years after he left office.” During Gore’s time in the White House, President Bill Clinton had an uneasy relationship with Carter. But Gore said he is “grateful” for “many years of friendship and collaboration” with Carter. The Clintons react to Jimmy Carter's death Former President Bill Clinton and his wife, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, remember Carter as a man who lived to serve others. “Hillary and I mourn the passing of President Jimmy Carter and give thanks for his long, good life. Guided by his faith, President Carter lived to serve others — until the very end." The statement recalled Carter's many achievements and priorities, including efforts “to protect our natural resources in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, make energy conservation a national priority, return the Panama Canal to Panama, and secure peace between Egypt and Israel at Camp David." After he left office, the Clinton statement said, Carter continued efforts in "supporting honest elections, advancing peace, combating disease, and promoting democracy; to his and Rosalynn’s devotion and hard work at Habitat for Humanity — he worked tirelessly for a better, fairer world,” the statement said. Copyright 2024 The Associated Press . All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Assad regime on brink as Syrian rebels begin to encircle Damascus