Rest, Jimmy

The passing of former President Jimmy Carter at the age of 100 marks the end of an extraordinary life defined by public service, humility, and a deep commitment to humanity. Often regarded as a leader whose true brilliance emerged after leaving the White House, Carter’s presidency contained significant achievements that shaped the nation and the world. From championing human rights to brokering peace, his contributions as the 39th President of the United States deserve recognition alongside his globally admired post-presidential work. As we remember his legacy, let us take a moment to explore the pivotal accomplishments of his administration.

Key achievements of Jimmy Carter’s Presidency include:

• The Camp David Accords (1978): One of his most notable achievements was mediating the Camp David Accords between Egypt and Israel. This landmark agreement not only secured peace between the two nations but also established a framework for diplomatic dialogue in the Middle East, earning him widespread acclaim.
• Department of Energy and Energy Reforms: Amid the 1970s energy crisis, Carter prioritized energy independence by establishing the Department of Energy in 1977. His administration promoted conservation, alternative energy development, and environmental sustainability .. issues that remain critical today.
• Human Rights Advocacy: Carter placed human rights at the forefront of U.S. foreign policy, challenging authoritarian regimes and promoting democratic values worldwide. His moral stance redefined America’s global role and left a lasting impact on international relations.
• Panama Canal Treaties (1977): Back in the news today, Carter negotiated treaties with Panama that transferred control of the Panama Canal back to Panama. This move strengthened U.S.-Latin America relations and demonstrated his commitment to fair diplomacy.
• Environmental Protections: His administration prioritized environmental conservation, signing legislation that protected millions of acres of Alaskan wilderness and created national parks, wildlife refuges, and reserves.
• Inflation Reduction Efforts: Though economic challenges defined much of his presidency, Carter took significant steps to combat inflation, including appointing Paul Volcker as Chairman of the Federal Reserve—a move that later contributed to economic stabilization.
• Focus on Public Health: Carter signed the Hospital Cost Containment Act and increased funding for disease prevention programs, including early efforts to address mental health and substance abuse issues.
• Advances in Science and Technology: Under Carter’s leadership, the U.S. increased investment in scientific research, space exploration, and technological innovation, laying the groundwork for advancements in energy, healthcare, and defense.

Post-presidency, he chose a life of service. While his time in office was marked by both triumphs and challenges, Carter’s post-presidential life solidified his reputation as a beacon of humility and compassion. Through the Carter Center, he worked tirelessly to combat poverty, promote democracy, and eradicate diseases like Guinea worm. His hands-on efforts with Habitat for Humanity showcased his unwavering dedication to helping others, even in his later years.

President Carter was elected in the first year in which I was able to vote, and I voted for him. I recall wearing a tee shirt with “The Grin Will Win” that summer. I worked with the Department of Energy in Hanford in the 90s, another Carter success.

While his presidency may have been met with mixed reviews at the time, history has revealed the depth of his contributions and the foresight behind many of his policies. His leadership, grounded in moral conviction and a genuine desire to uplift humanity, left an indelible mark on the world. As we bid farewell to a remarkable statesman and humanitarian, we honor his legacy by striving for peace, justice, and a commitment to the greater good.

Rest, Jimmy. You’ve earned it.

Windows Server 2008 “Stage 3 of 3” Fixes

Lots of chatter on the web about this .. of course, who uses Windows Server 2008 when Windows Server 2008 R2 and Windows Server 2012 have been released?

Well, unfortunately, I do .. if only for a little while longer (famous last words, for a production server).

Anyhow, these symptoms appear from a routine update operation:

• You order a system restart.
• The system displays the “Configuring Windows Updates – do not unplug .. “.
• The system goes into POST operations.

From here, all is well, until it displays the message: “Configuring Windows Updates – Stage 3 of 3 0% Complete”, from which it never recovers.

There are several unrelated causes for this, per other aggrieved users .. your mileage may vary. However, you simply cannot fix issues with the system when it’s in the “3 of 3” state, so here’s how to get back to the console to debug:

• Try pressing Control-Alt-Delete. In about half the cases, you will get the login screen, but it can take a few minutes to appear. If you can, log on and check your system logs for evidence of the hang (LSASS.EXE deadlock is a likely culprit .. try fixing that first).
• If you cannot get into the system gracefully, hold down the power button until the system switches off. Restart the machine in normal mode.
• If the system hangs at the “3 of 3” state, hold down the power button again until the system switches off. Restart the system in safe mode with networking.
• Once restarted in safe mode, the system will likely show the “3 of 3” state, but this time, should get to 100%.
• Navigate to C:\WINDOWS\WINSXS and look for a file called “pending.xml”. If you find it, delete it and restart the system in normal mode.

From here, you’re troubleshooting .. I like the deadlock reference above for starts. This condition was fixed in the hotfix referenced by KB2379016: “A computer that is running Windows Vista or Windows Server 2008 stops responding and hangs at the "Applying User Settings" stage of the logon process”, I’d give that a try first.

TED Talk on Autism: The world needs all kinds of minds

Temple Grandin at TED this year, posted on YouTube: “The world needs all kinds of minds”:

More TED Talks.

Original Post: March 24, 2010

I’m a fan of words ..

.. which manifests itself as puns and re-wording, mostly.

On re-wording, I’ll grab the part of the word that tickles me the most and re-describe the meaning of the previous sentence .. to the joy / annoyance of my listener.

To stay sharp, I follow the Word of the Day RSS feed from Wordsmith.org .. this weeks’ theme was a special treat for me: Forgotten Positives .. positive versions of words commonly expressed in the negative .. you’ll get the idea:

• evitable
• wieldy
• exorable
• gainly
• corrigible

Like these? Want more? Sign up for A Word A Day RSS feed, or subscribe to A Word A Day email newsletter.

Original Post: May 8, 2009

Are we over-reporting the news?

By "we", I mean all of "we": the media, bloggers, individuals who write to the media and bloggers; anyone who tells (or re-tells) a tale.

I find myself in a quiet room today, where I can hear the news channel on the telly. The repetition got me to thinking:

• It seems we’re second-guessing everything that anyone or anything (the stock market, for example) is doing.
• It seems we’re fan-, celebrity- and politician-obsesses to the point that we’re reporting on the very act of following these people.
• News stories are now the opinions coming from the common person-on-the-street.
• Is the information being reported even news?

Should the new job of media include the condensation and aggregation all this information into something that can actually be consumed? Is media up to the task?

Is "reporting" enough? Should we plead for more analysis .. or should we plead for silence?

Seems like everyone is trying too hard.

Original Post: December 3, 2008