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5 times Jimmy Carter proved the haters wrong.

His post-presidency has been legendary, but his presidency wasn't half bad either.

After being diagnosed with brain cancer in August, Jimmy Carter recently shared the good news that he's cancer-free. But even before that, the dude had already won life.

Photo by Larry Busacca/Getty Images.


Despite his many detractors, Carter is straight-up one of America's most effective statesmen and all-around good guys of the 20th and 21st centuries. Yes, even during his presidency.

In order to properly honor and pay tribute to a man who, after 91 years, continues to prove the haters wrong time and time again, here is a by-no-means-complete list of his major accomplishments, wins, and assorted awesome deeds.

1. He brokered the Camp David Accords, the first-ever peace treaty between Israel and one of its Arab neighbors.

It's hard to believe, but in 1978, the Middle East conflict was even more of a funhouse-mirror disaster pile than it is today. Two all-out wars between Israel and various combinations of Syria, Jordan, Egypt, Lebanon, and Iraq in the span of six years had many in the region wondering when the next unrelenting crapstorm was going to explode.

In 1977, Egypt and Israel began negotiating a tentative peace, but talks eventually hit a roadblock and both sides began preparing to deploy their shame fingers for the ol' affixing o' the blame. That's when Jimmy Carter picked up the batphone and said (and I'm paraphrasing here): "Hold up. Put your pants on. You're both coming to Maryland and not leaving until we figure this junk out." And figure that junk out they did. The peace treaty was signed the following September, and despite their many disagreements over the years, the two countries have remained at peace to this day.

2. He stared down a debilitating disease that affects some of the world's poorest and most vulnerable people for 30 years ... and won.

Guinea Worm Disease is the stuff of sci-fi nightmares. Basically, a giant worm invades your body through contaminated drinking water and feeds off you until it's ready to burst back out through an excruciating, infected lesion. It's terrible and painful, and Jimmy Carter was having none of it.

According to Carter Center statistics, in 1986, 3.5 million people worldwide suffered from the disease. By educating people in affected areas about prevention and teaching local health care providers how to provide treatment, Carter and his organization managed to help slash that number to 126 reported cases in 2014. That's incredible.

Still, it's not quite enough for the big man.

When Carter was asked at a recent press conference what he'd still like to achieve now that he's been diagnosed with brain cancer, here's how he responded.


Stone. Cold.

3. He pulled out of the Southern Baptist Convention when the group decided it would no longer allow women pastors.

Jimmy Carter is a born-again Christian and a dedicated Baptist. He teaches Sunday school to this day. But he has no patience for people who believe that excluding others is what J would D.

In 2000, the Southern Baptist Convention announced that women would not be allowed to be pastors anymore. And Jimmy Carter up and deuced out of there. After 76 years.

Carter has remained outspoken on issues regarding sexism in the church and the mistreatment of women and girls worldwide.

Dude can't stop, won't stop.

4. He categorically said that Jesus would approve of same-sex marriage.

When not negotiating historic peace treaties and eradicating terrible diseases from God's green earth, Jimmy Carter can be found using his devout Baptist cred to steamroll religious objections to same-sex marriage.

In an interview with the Huffington Post last month, Carter said: "I believe that Jesus would approve of gay marriage. ... I think Jesus would encourage any love affair that was honest and sincere."

We can only hope that that when we turn 91, we all go as hog-wild IDGAF as Jimmy Carter has.

5. He wore sweaters in the White House and made people care about conserving energy.

The OPEC crisis of 1973-1974 — in which an embargo imposed by Middle Eastern oil-producing states created mass gasoline shortages — demonstrated that the United States was highly vulnerable to disruptions in its fuel supply. Recognizing that conserving energy and limiting fossil fuel consumption would be key to combatting such shocks going forward, Carter prepared to ask Americans to make those sacrifices. But in order to do that, he knew he needed to walk the walk, not just talk the talk.

Which he did. By giving a speech. While wearing a sweater indoors to demonstrate that he, too, had turned down the heat.

He was savagely mocked for it at the time. But ... dude was right. And years later, now that the need to limit fossil fuel use has taken on even more urgency, it looks awfully forward-thinking, doesn't it?

Thanks, Jimmy Carter. Here's hoping you give us another 91 years of awesome.

Identity

Celebrate International Women's Day with these stunning photos of female leaders changing the world

The portraits, taken by acclaimed photographer Nigel Barker, are part of CARE's "She Leads the World" campaign.

Images provided by CARE

Kadiatu (left), Zainab (right)

True

Women are breaking down barriers every day. They are transforming the world into a more equitable place with every scientific discovery, athletic feat, social justice reform, artistic endeavor, leadership role, and community outreach project.

And while these breakthroughs are happening all the time, International Women’s Day (Mar 8) is when we can all take time to acknowledge the collective progress, and celebrate how “She Leads the World.

This year, CARE, a leading global humanitarian organization dedicated to empowering women and girls, is celebrating International Women’s Day through the power of portraiture. CARE partnered with high-profile photographer Nigel Barker, best known for his work on “America’s Next Top Model,” to capture breathtaking images of seven remarkable women who have prevailed over countless obstacles to become leaders within their communities.

“Mabinty, Isatu, Adama, and Kadiatu represent so many women around the world overcoming incredible obstacles to lead their communities,” said Michelle Nunn, President and CEO of CARE USA.

Barker’s bold portraits, as part of CARE’s “She Leads The World” campaign, not only elevate each woman’s story, but also shine a spotlight on how CARE programs helped them get to where they are today.

About the women:

Mabinty

international womens day, care.org

Mabinty is a businesswoman and a member of a CARE savings circle along with a group of other women. She buys and sells groundnuts, rice, and fuel. She and her husband have created such a successful enterprise that Mabinty volunteers her time as a teacher in the local school. She was the first woman to teach there, prompting a second woman to do so. Her fellow teachers and students look up to Mabinty as the leader and educator she is.

Kadiatu

international womens day, care.org

Kadiatu supports herself through a small business selling food. She also volunteers at a health clinic in the neighboring village where she is a nursing student. She tests for malaria, works with infants, and joins her fellow staff in dancing and singing with the women who visit the clinic. She aspires to become a full-time nurse so she can treat and cure people. Today, she leads by example and with ambition.

Isatu

international womens day, care.org

When Isatu was three months pregnant, her husband left her, seeking his fortune in the gold mines. Now Isatu makes her own way, buying and selling food to support her four children. It is a struggle, but Isatu is determined to be a part of her community and a provider for her kids. A single mother of four is nothing if not a leader.

Zainab

international womens day, care.org

Zainab is the Nurse in Charge at the Maternal Child Health Outpost in her community. She is the only nurse in the surrounding area, and so she is responsible for the pre-natal health of the community’s mothers-to-be and for the safe delivery of their babies. In a country with one of the world’s worst maternal death rates, Zainab has not lost a single mother. The community rallies around Zainab and the work she does. She describes the women who visit the clinic as sisters. That feeling is clearly mutual.

Adama

international womens day, care.org

Adama is something few women are - a kehkeh driver. A kehkeh is a three-wheeled motorcycle taxi, known elsewhere as a tuktuk. Working in the Kissy neighborhood of Freetown, Adama is the primary breadwinner for her family, including her son. She keeps her riders safe in other ways, too, by selling condoms. With HIV threatening to increase its spread, this is a vital service to the community.

Ya Yaebo

international womens day, care.org

“Ya” is a term of respect for older, accomplished women. Ya Yaebo has earned that title as head of her local farmers group. But there is much more than that. She started as a Village Savings and Loan Association member and began putting money into her business. There is the groundnut farm, her team buys and sells rice, and own their own oil processing machine. They even supply seeds to the Ministry of Agriculture. She has used her success to the benefit of people in need in her community and is a vocal advocate for educating girls, not having gone beyond grade seven herself.

On Monday, March 4, CARE will host an exhibition of photography in New York City featuring these portraits, kicking off the multi-day “She Leads the World Campaign.

Learn more, view the portraits, and join CARE’s International Women's Day "She Leads the World" celebration at CARE.org/sheleads.


Health

Over or under? Surprisingly, there actually is a 'correct' way to hang a toilet paper roll.

Let's settle this silly-but-surprisingly-heated debate once and for all.

Elya/Wikimedia Commons

Should you hang the toilet paper roll over or under?


Humans have debated things large and small over the millennia, from the democracy to breastfeeding in public to how often people ought to wash their sheets.

But perhaps the most silly-yet-surprisingly-heated household debate is the one in which we argue over which way to hang the toilet paper roll.

The "over or under" question has plagued marriages and casual acquaintances alike for over 100 years, with both sides convinced they have the soundest reasoning for putting their toilet paper loose end out or loose end under. Some people feel so strongly about right vs. wrong TP hanging that they will even flip the roll over when they go to the bathroom in the homes of strangers.

Contrary to popular belief, it's not merely an inconsequential preference. There is actually a "correct" way to hang toilet paper, according to health experts as well as the man who invented the toilet paper roll in the first place.

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Categories are great for some things: biology, herbs, and spices, for example.

Image via

But bodies? Well, putting bodies into categories just gets weird. There are around 300 million people in America, but only 12 or so standard sizes for clothing: extra-extra-small through 5x.


That's why designer Mallorie Dunn is onto something with her belief — people have different bodies and sizing isn't catching up.

Dunn has found that the majority of clothing sizes stop at an extra-large, yet the majority of women in America are over that. "And that just doesn't make sense," she says.

All images via Smart Glamor, used with permission.

Human spice rack, only, a LOT more variations of flava. ;)


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Psychologist explains why everyone feels exhausted right now and it makes so much sense

Psychologist Naomi Holdt beautifully explained what's behind the overarching exhaustion people are feeling and it makes perfect sense.

Photo by Jamie Street on Unsplash

It seems like most people are feeling wiped out these days. There's a reason for that.

We're about to wrap up year three of the COVID-19 pandemic, and it's been a weird ride, to say the least. These years have been hard, frustrating, confusing and tragic, and yet we keep on keeping on.

Except the keeping on part isn't quite as simple as it sounds. Despite the fact that COVID-19 is still wreaking havoc, we've sort of collectively decided to move on, come what may. This year has been an experiment in normalcy, but one without a testable hypothesis or clear design. And it's taken a toll. So many people are feeling tired, exhausted, worn thin ("like butter scraped over too much bread," as Bilbo Baggins put it) these days.

But why?

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Most people imagine depression equals “really sad," and unless you've experienced depression yourself, you might not know it goes so much deeper than that. Depression expresses itself in many different ways, some more obvious than others. While some people have a hard time getting out of bed, others might get to work just fine — it's different for everyone.

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via Pexels

Work at it every single day folks.

The best advice isn’t always obvious, or else we would have thought of it ourselves. It often comes out of left field and can be counterintuitive. When it comes to marriage, the best advice tends to be centered around keeping a focus on the long game.

One of the best pieces of marriage advice I ever received was, “Buy her a bottle of shampoo from time to time without her asking.” Now, that doesn’t mean to get shampoo specifically, but just pick up something here and there to show you care and are thinking about her.

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Family

Video of husband realizing his wife's stocking went unfilled for 10 years has moms talking

What was meant as a joke felt all too real to moms responsible for creating holiday magic.

@whataboutaub/TikTok

It took ten years for a husband to realize his wife received and empty stocking every year

Back in 2021, wife and mom Aubree Jones posted a video to her TikTok that she thought would provide a relatable chuckle among other moms.

Instead, other moms found it heartbreaking.

In the clip, titled “PSA for husbands everywhere,” Aubree’s husband, Josh, is filming their family unwrapping presents on Christmas morning. He goes around to each of the family members’ stockings, until he comes upon an empty one.

“Whose is this?” Josh asks. “Is this an extra one?”

Aubree answers, “No, that’s mine,” with a smile.

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