Jimmy Carter: president, global mediator, Nobel laureateBy KELVIN CHAN, Business Writer LONDON (AP) — Looking for a new social media platform because X, Threads and Mastodon just aren’t cutting it? You could try Bluesky . People seeking to avoid chaos, noise and political bluster in the aftermath of the U.S. elections are noticing a different mood on the Bluesky social platform, where the vibe is seemingly welcoming and there are noticeably fewer trolls. The site announced it had rapidly added more than a million new users in the week after Election Day, and has emerged as one of the fastest growing rivals to Elon Musk’s X and similar platforms. If you’re tempted to check out the new space, here’s a guide on how Bluesky works: Getting started Maybe you’re not ready to commit to adding yet another social media account. No problem — you can still look around on Bluesky without signing up because all posts and profiles are public. You might get a sense of deja vu because the platform’s look and feel are very similar to X. That should be no surprise because Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey was an early Bluesky champion. (Dorsey’s no longer involved with Bluesky, which is owned and run by its executive team as a public benefit corporation.) If you take the plunge and get an account, you’ll need a username. You’ll notice Bluesky handles are a little bit different because they end by default in the site’s domain, .bsky.social. You can personalize your handle to make it more memorable, by using your own website’s domain or buying a custom one through Bluesky. But it might not be something most newbie users need or want to do right away. How do I find interesting people? Bluesky boasts that it gives users “algorithmic choice” to tailor the content they’re shown instead of leaving it up to the whims of a centralized system. “Our online experience doesn’t have to depend on billionaires unilaterally making decisions over what we see,” it says . What it means is that you can follow custom feeds set up by other users, or design your own. If you tap #Feeds in the menu on the left, you’ll see some default offerings like Cat Pics and Gardening. My Bangers is a list of your most popular posts by likes and Catch Up shows the site’s most popular posts from the past 24 hours. You can find more by doing a search and tapping the Feeds button. There’s also the usual “Discover” feed of suggested posts and a chronological feed of accounts that you follow. To help new users settle in, Bluesky has starter packs of recommended feeds and accounts to follow, which anyone can create and share. They don’t show up in Bluesky’s search results but can be found in directories online . Or someone might share one with you. After I signed up, a colleague pointed me to one for major news outlets . There are tens of thousands of starter packs, ranging from broadly appealing topics like Taylor Swift to niche interests like cargo bikes or U.K. comedians . You can follow the whole pack or scroll down the list to choose individual accounts. What about people you followed on X? There’s a browser extension tool called Sky Follower Bridge that will help you find X users who’ve migrated to Bluesky. But check before clicking the follow button to make sure it’s not a different user using the same display name or handle. How to post Ready to join the conversation? You can write posts or reply to others but keep it short because there’s a limit of 300 characters — 20 more than on X. You can also upload photos and videos, though videos can’t be longer than 60 seconds. GIFs and emojis are, of course, available too. You can still @ people by typing in their username, like posts by tapping a heart icon or use hashtags to highlight a theme. Bluesky has added a menu to hashtags, so when you click on one you’ll get different options for seeing, or muting, posts on that topic. What about trolls? Bluesky’s decentralization ethos extends to the content control options it offers. For starters, users can choose in their settings menu whether to see replies, reposts or quote posts in their feed. Specific words or tags can be muted temporarily, or forever, while accounts can be muted or blocked individually, or in bulk by adding them a moderation list. You can even fine tune the level of adult content that shows up in your feed. Bluesky has a team of content moderators to police the site for material that’s illegal or breaks the rules. But it’s also taking a different approach by open sourcing its content moderation system in an attempt to resolve problems with traditional moderation services which it says “lack transparency and user control.” So, individuals or groups can set up their own content filters, or labelers, that go beyond what Bluesky offers. These labelers can be used to categorize content or users, which can then be blocked or hidden. But they could also be used for informational or creative purposes, like curating or verifying content. There are labelers to identify images generated by artificial intelligence or to fact check news posts. You can find lists of labelers online. After I subscribed to a U.S. politics labeler, some posts in my feeds were flagged “!Donald Trump” or “!Democrat politician” and hidden unless I click Show. Follow Kelvin Chan on Bluesky Is there a tech challenge you need help figuring out? Write to us at onetechtip@ap.org with your questions.President Jimmy Carter may have only had one term in the White House, but he remained a familiar figure on the world stage long after clearing his desk at the Oval Office. Despite a resounding defeat at the hands of Ronald Reagan in 1980, the Democrat forged a new path promoting causes such as electoral probity abroad, social justice and drives to rid the world of medical conditions. His first foreign visit as president was to the UK where then prime minister James Callaghan, as well as the usual visits in London, took his guest to the North East with a visit to Newcastle, Sunderland and Washington – the village bearing the name of the first ever president. President Jimmy Carter on his first foreign trip since becoming president of the United States, with James Callaghan after the then-prime minister had greeted him on arrival at Heathrow Airport (Archive/PA) President Jimmy Carter holds up a scroll presented to him by the Lord Mayor of Newcastle Councillor Hugh White (Archive/PA) He also received a miner’s lamp from 12-year-old Ian McEree in Washington. Ian McEree, 12, presents an old miner’s lamp to US President Jimmy Carter on behalf of Washington village (Archive/PA) US President Jimmy Carter followed by then prime minister Mr James Callaghan in Sunderland when they visited the Corning Glass Factory (Archive/PA) The practising Baptist continued his globetrotting ways after leaving power, even without Air Force One as his vehicle. He was also part of the Elders, a group of experienced statesmen and women drawn from all corners of the world. After the Summit of Seven, the four-nation meeting at No 10 Downing Street – British PM James Callaghan, French president Giscard d-Estaing, US President Jimmy Carter and West German Chancellor Helmut Schmidt (Archive/PA) The Queen Mother walks with President Jimmy Carter in the Blue Drawing Room at Buckingham Palace (Archive/PA) Ex-US president Jimmy Carter during Bible class (Rui Vieira/PA) Jimmy Carter delivers a lecture on the eradication of the Guinea worm, at the House of Lords in London (Neil Hall/PA)In a society where celebrities often hold a powerful influence over their fans, Xiaohua's declaration served as a refreshing reminder that idolatry is not always about blind adulation, but can also be a source of inspiration and empowerment. By embracing her husband's idol and confidently asserting her own sense of style, Xiaohua challenged traditional notions of beauty and self-expression.
In conclusion, Xiaohua's playful yet powerful message to Dao Lang serves as a compelling example of the ways in which idolatry and admiration can transcend traditional boundaries and spark meaningful conversations about beauty, self-expression, and individuality. As we continue to navigate the complexities of modern society, let us remember that true admiration is not about copying others, but about celebrating the things that make us truly unique.AMMAN — Bronze Age architecture was characterised by city walls constructed from massive stone blocks. To overpower defenders and breach these fortifications, new siege technologies were developed. Besieging armies often employed slingers and archers to harass the town’s defenders or even set fire to the walls, supported by chariot-based archers who tracked down those attempting to escape. However, projectiles alone were insufficient to break into a town during a siege. Aaron Burke from the University of California, Los Angeles, identified four primary methods by which a town’s defences could be overcome: escalating, or scaling the walls; breaching the gates or walls; tunnelling beneath the fortifications; or employing deception. “Historical evidence indicates that successfully entering a town during a siege through these methods almost always guaranteed the victory of the attacking force,” Burke noted. “This is because the town’s defenders relied almost entirely on their fortifications, which were the cornerstone of their defence efforts.” "Success was often achieved by using several of these tactics simultaneously at different points around the town’s walls. This strategy would wear down the defenders and prevent them from concentrating their defences at one vulnerable point. Although siege ladders are not explicitly mentioned, they were likely part of this approach," Burke added. "One of the most commonly used siege techniques involved the construction of a siege ramp made of earth against the town walls. This allowed troops or a battering ram to be moved up the ramp to strike the walls." "While this method was sometimes successful, it could be countered by similar earthworks built by the defenders within the town. These internal earthworks were designed to reinforce the section of the wall being battered by the ram, Burke said. Another significant technique was the siege tower, referenced in the Mari archives from the Middle Bronze Age in Mesopotamia. According to the Mari texts, these towers were often built on-site, unlike battering rams, which could be transported to the siege site by wagon or boat. "Iconographic evidence from the Middle Kingdom Egyptian reliefs at the Tomb of Intef in Egypt also depicts siege towers, indicating their use in warfare against Asiatic towns," Burke said, adding that these towers, constructed from timber, were wheeled up against the town walls. Siege towers functioned as large, protected ladders, though the design of the fortifications, such as fosse (moats) and sloping ramparts, often prevented their successful use. Consequently, siege towers likely functioned as freestanding platforms, providing elevated positions for archers to deliver suppressive fire, protecting other operations like sapping, tunnelling, and escalade, he continued, adding when tall enough, the towers allowed archers to fire upon soldiers atop the battlements or within the town. Regarding breaching, tunnelling, and sapping, reliefs from an Old Kingdom Egyptian tomb of Iny at Deshashe depict an early attempt to break through a town wall. "Two individuals in the scene use crowbar-like implements to attack a corner of a fortress wall, while a ladder is raised against it behind them," Burke explained. "This image likely represents one of the most basic methods of wall penetration in antiquity, provided the defenders were distracted. However, classical sources indicate that such attempts often met stiff resistance and frequently failed." When scaling the walls with ladders was ineffective, and breaking through the wall at ground level was impossible, besiegers resorted to tunnelling under the walls in hopes of causing a collapse. "The idea was that the tunnel would undermine the foundation of the wall, leading it to crumble into the cavity created," Burke said.
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Azincourt Energy (CVE:AAZ) Trading Up 50% – Time to Buy?
Longtime Fort Worth workwear brand Dickies will relocate its headquarters to Costa Mesa, California. VF Corp., the company that acquired Dickies in 2017 , confirmed the move in an email to the Fort Worth Report. “VF has decided that it will be relocating the Dickies brand’s headquarters from Fort Worth, Texas, to an existing brand campus the company maintains in Costa Mesa, California,” said Ashley McCormack, director of external communications for VF Corp. “This move allows VF to further consolidate its US real estate portfolio as part of its stated business turnaround strategy. “While this was a tough call, we are confident this change will help us revitalize Dickies so we can carry on the brand’s heritage for years to come.” Dickies was established in Fort Worth in 1922. After decades at its West Vickery Boulevard location, the manufacturer moved downtown last year. The company leased about 84,000 square feet on the top floor of The Tower complex at 500 Taylor St. That property has a market value of $609,517, according to records from the Tarrant Appraisal District. Appraisal district records show the company owns two other properties in Tarrant County, including one $223.8 million distribution center at 9400 Blue Mound Road and another $1.9 million center at 201 Intermodal Parkway in Haslet. Get essential daily news for the Fort Worth area. Sign up for insightful, in-depth stories — completely free. The brand emerged in 1918, when founding business partners C.N. Williamson and E.E. “Colonel” Dickies launched a vehicle and harness business. Four years later, the company shifted its business strategy to create durable denim bib overalls for ranchers and other farm workers. The change was good for business and the company began to grow. During the Great Depression in the 1930s, Dickies expanded its workforce and output by offering all-you-can-eat meals free to workers on the production line. In World War II, the company was sequestered by the U.S. government for military uniform production, halting its consumer business. The brand resurfaced to consumers post-war and gained an international following when Texas oilmen introduced the denim overalls to Middle East oil fields in the 1950s. “As the Dickies name spread around the world, it became synonymous with the type of rugged Texas lifestyle from which it was born,” the company said in its history. The brand expanded in the late 1960s to include the signature 874 twill work pants that the company said were “considered practically indestructible.” That item became a bestseller and remains a popular apparel item. The iconic work pants became a fashion favorite during the rise of hip-hop and skateboard culture in the 1980s, when its reputation revolved around durability and toughness. During the 1990s and beyond the brand became a high-fashion staple among trendsetters and influencers, a popularity that took it to big city runways. The company celebrated its 100-year anniversary in 2022. The anniversary also saw the workwear company celebrated in Vogue Business . This year, GQ Magazine named the brand as must-have clothing. “The world became their playground, and Dickies became their pant of choice,” the company said. But while the thread that ran through the company’s aesthetic remained recognizably durable workwear, ownership changed hands In 2017. That was the year Williamson-Dickies Manufacturing Co. was purchased for $820 million by VF Corp., the parent company of notable brands such as Vans, The North Face and Timberland. Dickies continues to have a strong presence in Fort Worth. The city’s largest arena bears its name, thanks to a naming rights agreement approved in 2017, the revenue from which goes toward operations, maintenance and capital improvements. The terms of the agreement were not disclosed. The Dickies Skate Plaza in the Near Southside is also named for the company. The VF Foundation, the philanthropic branch of Dickies’ parent company, VF Corp., donated $300,000 for the construction of the plaza and park. But in recent years, the parent company has seen revenues decline . VF is currently revamping its business model under the leadership of CEO Bracken Darrell, who was appointed in 2023. VF Corp has been selling non-core businesses, including streetwear brand Supreme for $1.5 billion in July after acquiring the label for $2.1 billion in 2020. In its second quarter earnings results, posted in late October, VF said its revenue reached $2.8 billion, down 6% from last year’s results. The company said sales of its North Face and Vans brands were down 3% and 11% respectively compared to last year. For fiscal year 2025, VF said it expects free cash flow from continuing operations plus proceeds from non-core physical asset sales that are expected to garner $425 million. VF Corp. said the move will impact a “significant number of positions held by our Dickies associates at the Fort Worth headquarters,” but did not say how many employees would be affected. The move will be complete in May 2025, according to a VF Corp. spokeswoman. Dickies will continue to have employees in the area at its Fort Worth distribution facility, as well as the warehouse and stores in the area. Bob Francis is business editor for the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at bob.francis@fortworthreport.org. Eric E. Garcia is a senior business reporter at the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at eric.garcia@fortworthreport.org . Emily Wolf is the local government accountability reporter for the Fort Worth Report. Contact her at emily.wolf@fortworthreport.org At the Fort Worth Report, news decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy here. Your support makes TWICE the impact today. As November draws to a close , time is running out to double your impact. Thanks to the generosity of the Nicholas Martin Jr. Family Foundation, every dollar you give will be matched—up to $15,000. Will you give today to help trusted, local reporting thrive in Fort Worth and Tarrant County? Related Fort Worth Report is certified by the Journalism Trust Initiative for adhering to standards for ethical journalism . Republish This Story Republishing is free for noncommercial entities. Commercial entities are prohibited without a licensing agreement. Contact us for details. 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If you share our stories on social media, please tag us in your posts using @FortWorthReport on Facebook and @FortWorthReport on Twitter. by Bob Francis, Emily Wolf and Eric E. Garcia, Fort Worth Report November 21, 2024
Jimmy Carter, the United States’ longest-lived president, was never afraid of speaking his mind. Forthright and fearless, the Nobel Prize winner took pot-shots at former prime minister Tony Blair and ex-US president George W Bush among others. His death came after repeated bouts of illness in which images of the increasingly frail former president failed to erase memories of his fierce spirit. Democrat James Earl “Jimmy” Carter Jr swept to power in 1977 with his Trust Me campaign helping to beat Republican president Gerald Ford. Serving as 39th US president from 1977 to 1981, he sought to make government “competent and compassionate” but was ousted by the unstoppable Hollywood appeal of a certain Ronald Reagan. A skilled sportsman, Mr Carter left his home of Plains, Georgia, to join the US Navy, returning later to run his family’s peanut business. A stint in the Georgia senate lit the touchpaper on his political career and he rose to the top of the Democratic movement. But he will also be remembered for a bizarre encounter with a deeply disgruntled opponent. The president was enjoying a relaxing fishing trip near his home town in 1979 when his craft was attacked by a furious swamp rabbit which reportedly swam up to the boat hissing wildly. The press had a field day, with one paper bearing the headline President Attacked By Rabbit. Away from encounters with belligerent bunnies, Mr Carter’s willingness to address politically uncomfortable topics did not diminish with age. He recently said that he would be willing to travel to North Korea for peace talks on behalf of US President Donald Trump. He also famously mounted a ferocious and personal attack on Tony Blair over the Iraq war, weeks before the prime minister left office in June 2007. Mr Carter, who had already denounced George W Bush’s presidency as “the worst in history”, used an interview on BBC radio to condemn Mr Blair for his tight relations with Mr Bush, particularly concerning the Iraq War. Asked how he would characterise Mr Blair’s relationship with Mr Bush, Mr Carter replied: “Abominable. Loyal, blind, apparently subservient. “I think that the almost undeviating support by Great Britain for the ill-advised policies of President Bush in Iraq have been a major tragedy for the world.” Mr Carter was also voluble over the Rhodesia crisis, which was about to end during his presidency. His support for Robert Mugabe at the time generated widespread criticism. He was said to have ignored the warnings of many prominent Zimbabweans, black and white, about what sort of leader Mugabe would be. This was seen by Mr Carter’s critics as “deserving a prominent place among the outrages of the Carter years”. Mr Carter has since said he and his administration had spent more effort and worry on Rhodesia than on the Middle East. He admitted he had supported two revolutionaries in Mugabe and Joshua Nkomo, and with hindsight said later that Mugabe had been “a good leader gone bad”, having at first been “a very enlightened president”. One US commentator wrote: “History will not look kindly on those in the West who insisted on bringing the avowed Marxist Mugabe into the government. “In particular, the Jimmy Carter foreign policy... bears some responsibility for the fate of a small African country with scant connection to American national interests.” In recent years Mr Carter developed a reputation as an international peace negotiator. He won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002 for his commitment to finding peaceful solutions to international conflicts, his work with human rights and democracy initiatives, and his promotion of economic and social programmes. Mr Carter was dispatched to North Korea in August 2008 to secure the release of US citizen Aijalon Mahli Gomes, who had been sentenced to eight years of hard labour after being found guilty of illegally entering North Korea. He successfully secured the release of Mr Gomes. In 2010 he returned to the White House to greet President Barack Obama and discuss international affairs amid rising tensions on the Korean peninsula. Proving politics runs in the family, in 2013 his grandson Jason, a state senator, announced his bid to become governor in Georgia, where his famous grandfather governed before becoming president. He eventually lost to incumbent Republican Nathan Deal. Fears that Mr Carter’s health was deteriorating were sparked in 2015 when he cut short an election observation visit in Guyana because he was “not feeling well”. It would have been Mr Carter’s 39th trip to personally observe an international election. Three months later, on August 12, he revealed he had cancer which had been diagnosed after he underwent surgery to remove a small mass in his liver. Mr Obama was among the well-wishers hoping for Mr Carter’s full recovery after it was confirmed the cancer had spread widely. Melanoma had been found in his brain and liver, and Mr Carter underwent immunotherapy and radiation therapy, before announcing in March the following year that he no longer needed any treatment. In 2017, Mr Carter was taken to hospital as a precaution, after he became dehydrated at a home-building project in Canada. He was admitted to hospital on multiple occasions in 2019 having had a series of falls, suffering a brain bleed and a broken pelvis, as well as a stint to be treated for a urinary tract infection. Mr Carter spent much of the coronavirus pandemic largely at his home in Georgia, and did not attend Joe Biden’s presidential inauguration in 2021, but extended his “best wishes”. Former first lady Rosalynn Carter, the closest adviser to Mr Carter during his term as US president, died in November 2023. She had been living with dementia and suffering many months of declining health. “Rosalynn was my equal partner in everything I ever accomplished,” Mr Carter said in a statement following her death. “She gave me wise guidance and encouragement when I needed it. As long as Rosalynn was in the world, I always knew somebody loved and supported me.”Afghan women turn to entrepreneurship under Taliban
There are already some great Apple Black Friday deals available, but this is one of the very best. Amazon has just dropped prices across the board on various Apple iPad models for Black Friday , including the newest Apple iPad. Right now, the 10th gen Apple iPad is down to $279 $249.99 after you clip the $29.01 off coupon on the product page. This is the best price we've seen ever since it was launched back in 2022 and I am 90% sure it will not drop again for Black Friday. Update: I was wrong. I thought the price wouldn't go down any further, but Amazon just added in a clippable coupon that brings it down to $249.99. That is an amazing deal. Apple iPad 10.9" 10th Gen for $279 $249.99 For most people, the iPad (not the Air, Mini, or Pro) is the best model to get because it offers nearly all the benefits of the iOS operating system and snappy performance at an affordable price. This model has significant improvements over its predecessor . For starters, it boasts a larger 10.9" screen without adding to the overall dimensions thanks to a slimmer bezel. It also has a faster A14 Bionic chip, which is a 20% increase in CPU performance and 10% increase in GPU performance over the A13. It's now compatible with the Magic Folio keyboard so you can convert it into a mini laptop for better workflow (making it one of the best iPads for students ). Other practical upgrades include the transition to a universal USB Type-C port, a better camera, and an updated Wi-Fi 6 protocol. The model on sale right now is equipped with 64GB of internal storage and Wi-Fi (not LTE) connectivity. All color options (Silver, Blue, Pink, and Yellow) are discounted and ship out in November. Choosing a model with more storage or celluluar connectivity will cost you a lot more. Value-wise, keep it simple and go with the base model. More Apple iPad Deals for Black Friday Should You Wait Until Black Friday? Black Friday is the best opportunity to score some great deals on electronics, and Apple products are no exception. You might be wondering just how low these prices can go. Although we have no direct feedback from Apple themselves, we have years of our own historical price trends to back up our predictions. At this point, Black Friday is close enough that there's certainly no harm waiting. We might see as much as a $50 or even $100 price drop on the more expensive models like the iPad Air or iPad Pro. The iPad and iPad Mini might drop another $20 at most if retailers are feeling generous. If Amazon isn't your preferred vendor (or if it runs out of stock), I expect these deals to be available at Best Buy and Walmart as well. The Apple Store will also host its own Black Friday Sale, although these deals usually aren't nearly as good. Looking for more iPad resources? If you're not sure which iPad is best for you, we have an iPad guide which details which iPad is ideal for which use case. If you intend want to get an iPad for schoolwork, we have an iPad guide for students as well. If you're looking for options outside of iOS, check out the best Android tablets of 2024. Eric Song is the IGN commerce manager in charge of finding the best gaming and tech deals every day. When Eric isn't hunting for deals for other people at work, he's hunting for deals for himself during his free time.