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When Jimmy Carter set out to forge a legacy in his post-White House years, he not only created the Carter Center, but also wrote stacks of books documenting his political and personal history. He was not the most prolific U.S. president (Theodore Roosevelt authored about three dozen works), but Carter and his word processor galloped through a multitude of genres before his death at age 100 on Sunday. His 32 books include personal histories, political memoirs, a novel, poems, spiritual lessons, guides to aging, Middle East critiques, lectures and a children’s book. Some became best sellers, all are valuable to historians. Many, especially those about his Georgia experiences, are rewarding reads. Even so, Carter’s writing can be exasperating. The trained engineer was not prone to the creative phrase or an engaging narrative voice. In “Sources of Strength” (1997) he notes that while his evangelist sister Ruth Carter Stapleton prayed as though she was talking with a friend, “my prayers are usually more formal, as I speak somewhat cautiously to Almighty God.” Jimmy Carter wrote like he prayed. Even in his personal memoirs, readers are often kept at a distance, as if an inner Secret Service agent were standing guard over his deepest self. New York Times critic Michiko Kakutani found that in “Always a Reckoning” (1995), Carter’s poems “plod earnestly from Point A to Point B without ever making the leap into emotional hyperspace.” Washington Post reviewer Jonathan Yardley declared Carter’s “White House Diary” (2010) to be “stupendously dull.” Many of his books repeat themselves or read like over-extended opinion pieces. There are hints that Carter didn’t appreciate being edited. Peter Osnos, who says he worked closely with Carter on “Living Faith” (1996), read the first draft and made suggestions that led to “several very stiff exchanges.” When Carter co-authored “Everything to Gain” (1987) with wife Rosalynn, he wrote only half-jokingly that the process threatened “the stability of our marriage.” It’s possible this disinclination to editorial input cost him in his peacemaking pursuits. “Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid” (2006) created a national and local furor. Some members of the Carter Center advisory board resigned and Jewish organizations bought ads to sharply protest Carter’s stance. In “We Can Have Peace in the Holy Land” (2009), Carter blames much of the outrage on his use of “apartheid” in the title. Questions arise: Did no editor or colleague raise a red flag over the word? Would Carter have heeded their reservations? The irony is that Carter’s books are valuable precisely because they are his own work and bespeak the earnestness Kakutani laments in his poetry. In “Sources of Strength,” perhaps the key piece in the jigsaw puzzle of his personality, Carter writes that “the most important goal most people share...is...to live in a truly meaningful way.” His written words also reveal the virtues, tics, talents and contradictions of the man. “White House Diary” attacks the late Sen. Ted Kennedy — with what seems disproportionate venom — for, among other things, condemning Carter’s health care plan. Yet in the earlier “Living Faith” (1996), the former president preaches forgiveness, then laments his own hypocrisy: “Most of my lingering resentments relate to our time in Washington. In some cases, I have said, ‘I can’t forgive that jerk!’” Carter’s books, at bottom, are about struggle: to overcome his personal faults, to bring meaning to his life and legacy, to battle injustice, to free the hostages in Iran, to come to terms with losing the presidency, to negotiate peace, to harness slippery language. The last struggle may have been the most challenging. William Zinsser, in his guide “On Writing Well,” cited President Carter for signing an executive order directing that federal regulations be written “simply and clearly.” But as Carter mused in a post-White House poem: “Now when I seek efficient words / to say what I believe is true / or have a dream I want to share / the vagueness is still there.” Language in federal regulations was one thing; language in literature proved to be another. RECOMMENDED READING An Hour Before Daylight: Memories of a Rural Boyhood (2001): The best seller traces Carter’s boyhood during the Depression in Georgia, is honest about Southern race issues and provides background on formation of his values. Turning Point: A Candidate, a State, and a Nation Come of Age (1992): The story of Carter’s 1962 campaign for the Georgia Senate draws a shocking portrait of local politics. Oddly, Carter never wrote a book on his term as governor. Living Faith (1996), Sources of Strength (1997): The closest we get to the inner man, Carter explains in the first book how his creed developed through life. The second contains 52 Sunday school lessons that provide eye-opening glimpses of a remarkable psyche. Beyond the White House: Waging Peace, Fighting Disease, Building Hope (2007): Describes the amazing scope of the Carter Center’s work, from negotiations in Haiti to eradicating Guinea worm in Ghana. The Hornet’s Nest: A Novel of the Revolutionary War (2003): This is flawed fiction about Deep South patriots in the Revolutionary War, but it deserves better than one snooty review headline: “Founding Bubbas.” As The Texas Observer noted, it is also “a studious reminder not to take the South for granted.”
NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — What began as a childhood hobby more than six decades ago has led to what might be Africa's largest butterfly collection in a suburb of Kenya's capital. Steve Collins, 74, was born and raised in western Kenya. By the age of 5, he was fascinated by butterflies and started building a collection that has grown to more than 4.2 million, representing hundreds of species. “My parents encouraged us to look for butterflies after visiting the Congo and were gifted a trapping net by some friends," Collins said. “By the time I was 15 years old, I was already visiting other countries like Nigeria to study more about butterflies.” During his 20-year career as an agronomist, Collins dedicated his free time to research. He established the African Butterfly Research Institute in 1997. Now, running out of space and time, he hopes to hand it over to the next generation. On his 1.5 acres (0.6 hectare) of land, hundreds of indigenous trees and flowering bushes form a well-knit forest. Hundreds of butterflies dance from one flower to another, at times landing on Collins' hand. His collection is private, although it was initially open to the public when he ran it as an education center between 1998 and 2003. Collins has 1.2 million butterflies from across Africa delicately pinned in frames and stored in rows of shelves, with another 3 million in envelopes. “They need to be kept in dark spaces," he said. “The form of storage also ensures the dried butterflies are not eaten by other insects, parasites and predators. We also ensure we apply insecticides once a year to keep them safe.” Julian Bayliss, an ecologist specializing in Africa and a visiting professor at Oxford Brookes University, said he has collected butterflies for Collins over two decades. “There is a large part of that collection that is completely irreplaceable because a large part of Africa’s habitat is being destroyed,” Bayliss said. Africa is vulnerable to climate change, with periods of prolonged drought and serious flooding destroying forests and other butterfly habitats. Bayliss suggested digitizing the collection to make it accessible worldwide. Whoever takes it over "needs to be an institution that is well-founded, well-funded and secure,” he said. Scott Miller, an entomologist at the Smithsonian Institution, met Collins almost 30 years ago. He said such collections provide critical information that could show environmental changes over 60 years. “These physical specimens, you can actually keep going back to them to get new layers of information as you learn more or you get a different technology or you get different questions," he said. Collins is concerned that soon he will no longer be able to sustain his research. He said his most prized butterfly costs $8,000 — which he keeps from sight, concerned about possible theft — and hopes to sell the collection to an individual or research institution. The costs of running his institute are high. An annual budget posted in 2009 on the Lepidopterists' Society of Africa website was $200,000. Collins estimates that the specimens and other assets are worth $8 million. “This has been my hobby for decades, and I can’t put a price on what I have done so far. I’m currently seeking to ensure the species are in safe hands when I’m out of this world,” he said. Associated Press journalist Khaled Kazziha in Nairobi, Kenya, contributed to this report.
The newly amended International Crimes (Tribunals) Act will allow for the prosecution of the army, navy, air force, police, Rapid Action Battalion, Border Guard Bangladesh and all intelligence agencies. A gazette was issued to this effect yesterday. "'Intelligence agency" means any "authority, force or entity, established by or under any law which is responsible for the collection, analysis and exploitation of information in support of law enforcement, national security and public safety", specified the amendment. The amended law says, "The provisions of this article shall apply only to persons in a position effectively to exercise control over or to direct the political or military action of a State." The newly amended law also provides explicit instructions to protect accused and detained persons from torture and forcible detention, and orders all accused to be brought to the tribunal within 24 hours of arrest. The accused and detained will have legal rights to protection under the Torture and Custodial Death (Prevention) Act, 2013. "Evidence obtained by means of a violation of internationally recognised human rights shall not be admissible." The law also mandates that the prosecution must disclose to the defence any evidence in its possession that portrays that an accused person may be innocent. The defence can present evidence or additional witnesses at any stage of the trial. The amended law also specified the scope of culpability for crimes against humanity. It detailed that those who can be tried include not only those who have ordered, solicited, incited or assisted in the commission of the crimes specified in the law, but also those who had knowledge that the crime was to be committed. The contribution must be "intentional", says the law. "However, a person who abandons the effort to commit the crime or otherwise prevents the completion of the crime shall not be liable to punishment under this Statute for the attempt to commit that crime if that person completely and voluntarily gave up the criminal purpose," added the law. The modified law stated that any commander, superior officer or leader who "fails to take necessary measures to prevent the commission of such crimes" or "consciously disregarded information which clearly indicated that the subordinates were committing or about to commit such crimes, is guilty of these crimes". A provision has been included in the law that will allow the tribunal to award monetary compensation to victims. The law also allows publication of court proceedings for transparency. The tribunal has been allowed to make the decision to record the hearings and broadcast audio-visual recordings as long as the safety, privacy and dignity of the participants are protected. "Representatives of United Nations bodies and agencies, as well as national or international human rights organisations, may attend public hearings, trials and other proceedings," said the law. The chief prosecutor of the tribunal will brief the press about the amended law today.Fortune: U.S. Government Debt Load Now Seen As the Biggest Risk to Financial StabilityNeal Maupay: Whenever I’m having a bad day I check Everton score and smile
Sam Darnold completed 33 of 43 passes for a career-best 377 yards to go with three touchdowns and one interception, and the Minnesota Vikings escaped with a 27-25 win over the Green Bay Packers on Sunday afternoon in Minneapolis. Justin Jefferson had eight catches for 92 yards for Minnesota (14-2), which won its ninth game in a row. Jalen Nailor, Jordan Addison and Cam Akers had one touchdown reception apiece for the Vikings. Jordan Love completed 19 of 30 passes for 185 yards and one touchdown for Green Bay (11-5). Josh Jacobs and Emanuel Wilson each rushed for a touchdown and Malik Heath had a touchdown catch for the Packers, who lost to the Vikings for the second time this season. Minnesota's nine-game winning streak matches its third longest in franchise history. The Vikings are enjoying their longest stretch of success since 1975, when they won 10 straight. Green Bay rallied with back-to-back touchdowns in the fourth quarter to pull within two. Wilson scored on a 5-yard run to cut the Packers' deficit to 27-18 with 6:12 to go. Love brought Green Bay within 27-25 with 2:18 to play. He fired a 3-yard touchdown pass to Heath, who scored on a quick slant. The Vikings got the ball on the following kickoff and never gave it back to Green Bay. Darnold secured the win when he lobbed a pass to Akers for a first down to set up the victory formation. The Packers opened the scoring late in the first quarter with a 22-yard field goal by Brandon McManus. Minnesota responded to grab a 13-3 lead at the half. Darnold found Nailor for a 31-yard touchdown with 11:52 remaining in the first half. Nailor was wide open and made a basket catch near the back of the end zone. Reichard rounded out the first-half scoring with field goals from 25 yards and 50 yards. The Vikings increased their lead to 20-3 on the opening drive of the second half. Addison made a diving grab for an 18-yard touchdown. Green Bay pulled within 20-10 with 5:07 left in the third quarter. Jacobs scored on a 2-yard run. Darnold's third touchdown pass, this time to Akers, made it 27-10 in favor of the Vikings with 51 seconds remaining in the third quarter. --Field Level Media