Rosalynn Carter’s death over the weekend prompted tributes from around the world, with each and every one paying respect to her compassion, dignity, dedication and humanitarian instincts. It was particularly telling that those who stood on the White House shoulders of the Carters were especially effusive in their praise, recognising Mrs Carter’s multiple achievements both in the presidential years and in the decades afterwards.
President Joe Biden and his wife, Jill, said that she inspired a nation and the world. Their predecessors in the White House, stretching from the Clintons through to the Trumps, recognised her remarkable achievements both as a first lady and wife of 77 years to Jimmy Carter, the 39th US president, and more broadly to her commitment to mental health advocacy.
The role of first lady, which was Mrs Carter’s from 1977 until 1981, is a unique and difficult one to fill, heavily scrutinised in the US and the broader world, especially because there is no how-to handbook to guide a person through their White House years. A George W Bush Presidential Library research paper once noted that first ladies are “criticised for doing too much and for not doing enough … each woman has had to make her own rules and role”.
Rightly or wrongly, most first ladies end up being defined by the White House years and most presidents end up being consumed by the burdens of office.
Just as a US president is permanently identified as such, whether in or out of office, so it is that the naming convention of first lady is also indelibly ascribed to that person, whether they self-identify as such or not.
That makes it particularly interesting when evaluating the lives of the Carters, who spent more than four decades in public service after the end of Jimmy’s presidential term.
Rosalynn Carter went on to achieve many things. She developed a long-running second act in public life, a near impossible feat, and became a staunch and effective humanitarian leader through her work at the Carter Centre, the non-governmental organisation set up in 1982 to eradicate disease, resolve conflicts and support freedom.
In this current moment of both sadness and celebration of her life, she leaves behind both an impressive legacy and a large void.
For the past five years, The National has worked with the Carter Centre to run the mental health journalism fellowship programme in the UAE that bears Rosalynn Carter’s name. The programme provides training, funding and mentorship to journalists around the world. This year, fellows were appointed in the US, South America, Europe and the Middle East, part of a genuinely global reporting network.
Since 2018, nine journalists in the UAE have worked with the programme – the majority of that number are either freelance or work for other news outlets – which seeks to help increase the quality and improve the accuracy of mental health reporting.
In conventional, non-pandemic years, the bookends of each non-residential fellowship year are three-day September meetings in Atlanta, at the Centre, where journalists, experts, advisers and administrators gather to listen, learn, speak and swap ideas on the mental health landscape.
Mrs Carter would avidly engage with the cohort of incoming and outgoing journalism fellows as they discussed the reporting projects they were about to begin or had undertaken. She often described it as her favourite time to be at the Centre and it was her life’s work to improve access to public and mental health services. It’s no surprise that she was sometimes described as the “first lady of mental health”.
For those of us who travelled from the UAE to those meetings, her encouragement and dedication were both infectious and inspirational.
But more than that, for the reporters and editors in the UAE who have been through the programme over the past five years, it has enabled them to report on trauma, mental health provision and start-ups, living with disabilities and more in a balanced and nuanced way.
For those of us who travelled from the UAE to those meetings, her dedication was inspirational
The lessons each one of our fellows have taken from their attachment to the programme will last them throughout their careers in journalism.
The practical guidance we can also now deliver to colleagues within our own newsroom on how to fairly report on these issues, makes a difference every day in a post-pandemic, increasingly conflict-riven world, where there is a mental health angle in almost every story we produce.
We don’t claim to get everything right, but we are working hard to free our reporting from bias and harm – and will continue to do so.
There have been significant changes in the mental health landscape of the UAE in the past few years. Networks of support are strengthening, and more treatment is available within medical insurance cover than ever before. There is visibility, understanding and practical solutions are now available. Some parts of family law have been updated.
Even on the basic metric of discussion of mental health, there was very little when this news organisation started its life in 2008, and now there is more open dialogue and better recognition that mental health can be treated, just as with physical ailments.
There is, of course, plenty of work that still needs to be done, but we believe that this newsroom has played an active role in helping to chart a path forwards.
Speaking to some of our former UAE fellows since Mrs Carter’s death, there is a cast-iron desire to carry on with their work in mental health reporting.
If The National has been at all effective in helping advance those conversations, then a significant part of that is due to the inspiration and support provided by Rosalynn Carter’s work and fortitude.
She is mourned today around the world. Her legacy as an advocate for better mental health provision will thrive for decades to come.
Nick March is an assistant editor-in-chief at The National and the administrator for the UAE country programme of the Rosalynn Carter Fellowships for Mental Health Journalism
Results
- Brock Lesnar retained the WWE Universal title against Roman Reigns
- Braun Strowman and Nicolas won the Raw Tag Team titles against Sheamus and Cesaro
- AJ Styles retained the WWE World Heavyweight title against Shinsuke Nakamura
- Nia Jax won the Raw Women’s title against Alexa Bliss
- Daniel Bryan and Shane McMahon beat Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn
- The Undertaker beat John Cena
- The Bludgeon Brothers won the SmackDown Tag Team titles against the Usos and New Day
- Ronda Rousey and Kurt Angle beat Triple H and Stephanie McMahon
- Jinder Mahal won the United States title against Randy Orton, Rusev and Bobby Roode
- Charlotte retained the SmackDown Women’s title against Asuka
- Seth Rollins won the Intercontinental title against The Miz and Finn Balor
- Naomi won the first WrestleMania Women’s Battle Royal
- Cedric Alexander won the vacant Cruiserweight title against Mustafa Ali
- Matt Hardy won the Andre the Giant Battle Royal
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
World Cricket League Division 2
In Windhoek, Namibia - Top two teams qualify for the World Cup Qualifier in Zimbabwe, which starts on March 4.
UAE fixtures
Thursday February 8, v Kenya; Friday February 9, v Canada; Sunday February 11, v Nepal; Monday February 12, v Oman; Wednesday February 14, v Namibia; Thursday February 15, final
The years Ramadan fell in May
What is cyberbullying?
Cyberbullying or online bullying could take many forms such as sending unkind or rude messages to someone, socially isolating people from groups, sharing embarrassing pictures of them, or spreading rumors about them.
Cyberbullying can take place on various platforms such as messages, on social media, on group chats, or games.
Parents should watch out for behavioural changes in their children.
When children are being bullied they they may be feel embarrassed and isolated, so parents should watch out for signs of signs of depression and anxiety
What it means to be a conservationist
Who is Enric Sala?
Enric Sala is an expert on marine conservation and is currently the National Geographic Society's Explorer-in-Residence. His love of the sea started with his childhood in Spain, inspired by the example of the legendary diver Jacques Cousteau. He has been a university professor of Oceanography in the US, as well as working at the Spanish National Council for Scientific Research and is a member of the World Economic Forum’s Global Future Council on Biodiversity and the Bio-Economy. He has dedicated his life to protecting life in the oceans. Enric describes himself as a flexitarian who only eats meat occasionally.
What is biodiversity?
According to the United Nations Environment Programme, all life on earth – including in its forests and oceans – forms a “rich tapestry of interconnecting and interdependent forces”. Biodiversity on earth today is the product of four billion years of evolution and consists of many millions of distinct biological species. The term ‘biodiversity’ is relatively new, popularised since the 1980s and coinciding with an understanding of the growing threats to the natural world including habitat loss, pollution and climate change. The loss of biodiversity itself is dangerous because it contributes to clean, consistent water flows, food security, protection from floods and storms and a stable climate. The natural world can be an ally in combating global climate change but to do so it must be protected. Nations are working to achieve this, including setting targets to be reached by 2020 for the protection of the natural state of 17 per cent of the land and 10 per cent of the oceans. However, these are well short of what is needed, according to experts, with half the land needed to be in a natural state to help avert disaster.
RESULT
Manchester United 2 Burnley 2
Man United: Lingard (53', 90' 1)
Burnley: Barnes (3'), Defour (36')
Man of the Match: Jesse Lingard (Manchester United)
WHAT IS A BLACK HOLE?
1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull
2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight
3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge
4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own
5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed
The biog
Name: Abeer Al Shahi
Emirate: Sharjah – Khor Fakkan
Education: Master’s degree in special education, preparing for a PhD in philosophy.
Favourite activities: Bungee jumping
Favourite quote: “My people and I will not settle for anything less than first place” – Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid.
Emirates Cricket Board Women’s T10
ECB Hawks v ECB Falcons
Monday, April 6, 7.30pm, Sharjah Cricket Stadium
The match will be broadcast live on the My Sports Eye Facebook page
Hawks
Coach: Chaitrali Kalgutkar
Squad: Chaya Mughal (captain), Archara Supriya, Chamani Senevirathne, Chathurika Anand, Geethika Jyothis, Indhuja Nandakumar, Kashish Loungani, Khushi Sharma, Khushi Tanwar, Rinitha Rajith, Siddhi Pagarani, Siya Gokhale, Subha Srinivasan, Suraksha Kotte, Theertha Satish
Falcons
Coach: Najeeb Amar
Squad: Kavisha Kumari (captain), Almaseera Jahangir, Annika Shivpuri, Archisha Mukherjee, Judit Cleetus, Ishani Senavirathne, Lavanya Keny, Mahika Gaur, Malavika Unnithan, Rishitha Rajith, Rithika Rajith, Samaira Dharnidharka, Shashini Kaluarachchi, Udeni Kuruppuarachchi, Vaishnave Mahesh
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Alaan%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202021%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dubai%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Parthi%20Duraisamy%20and%20Karun%20Kurien%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20FinTech%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%20stage%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%247%20million%20raised%20in%20total%20%E2%80%94%20%242.5%20million%20in%20a%20seed%20round%20and%20%244.5%20million%20in%20a%20pre-series%20A%20round%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
More on Quran memorisation:
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
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Violence%20
%3Cp%3EInstances%20of%20violence%20against%20Syrian%20refugees%20are%20not%20uncommon.%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EJust%20last%20month%2C%20security%20camera%20footage%20of%20men%20violently%20attacking%20and%20stabbing%20an%20employee%20at%20a%20mini-market%20went%20viral.%20The%20store%E2%80%99s%20employees%20had%20engaged%20in%20a%20verbal%20altercation%20with%20the%20men%20who%20had%20come%20to%20enforce%20an%20order%20to%20shutter%20shops%2C%20following%20the%20announcement%20of%20a%20municipal%20curfew%20for%20Syrian%20refugees.%3Cbr%3E%E2%80%9CThey%20thought%20they%20were%20Syrian%2C%E2%80%9D%20said%20the%20mayor%20of%20the%20Nahr%20el%20Bared%20municipality%2C%20Charbel%20Bou%20Raad%2C%20of%20the%20attackers.%3Cbr%3EIt%20later%20emerged%20the%20beaten%20employees%20were%20Lebanese.%20But%20the%20video%20was%20an%20exemplary%20instance%20of%20violence%20at%20a%20time%20when%20anti-Syrian%20rhetoric%20is%20particularly%20heated%20as%20Lebanese%20politicians%20call%20for%20the%20return%20of%20Syrian%20refugees%20to%20Syria.%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
CABINET%20OF%20CURIOSITIES%20EPISODE%201%3A%20LOT%2036
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ANATOMY%20OF%20A%20FALL
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Points about the fast fashion industry Celine Hajjar wants everyone to know
- Fast fashion is responsible for up to 10 per cent of global carbon emissions
- Fast fashion is responsible for 24 per cent of the world's insecticides
- Synthetic fibres that make up the average garment can take hundreds of years to biodegrade
- Fast fashion labour workers make 80 per cent less than the required salary to live
- 27 million fast fashion workers worldwide suffer from work-related illnesses and diseases
- Hundreds of thousands of fast fashion labourers work without rights or protection and 80 per cent of them are women
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The%20specs
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Qyubic
Started: October 2023
Founder: Namrata Raina
Based: Dubai
Sector: E-commerce
Current number of staff: 10
Investment stage: Pre-seed
Initial investment: Undisclosed
