NASHVILLE –

If there’s such a thing as a Father of Craft Beer, the late President Jimmy Carter may be it.

It’s strange to think about now, but home brewing used to be against the law. “I am so grateful this is not illegal,” said Jordan Powell, an avid home brewing enthusiast. “It’s definitely interesting that a President who didn’t really care for beer decided to pass this law.”

In 1978, President Carter signed into law a bill that legalized homebrewing. Like most inventions, this new style of ale didn’t stay inside garages for long.

Brandon Jones now brews craft beer at local favorite, Yazoo Brewing Company. “I think everybody was inspired by a good batch of home brew, or a bad batch of home brew at some point,” said Jones, who is one of the head brewers at Yazoo.

He learned how to brew at home too, only instead of a garage, he had an apartment at the time. “My wife, fiance at the time, bought me a little brew kit to make two gallons at a time,” said Jones.

Jones says, there’s no doubt in his mind, that craft breweries would have never existed without President Carter. “I don’t think you would have ever fostered that creativity, I don’t think you would have ever fostered that sense of community, which is so important to small breweries,” said Jones.

As for Powell, he plans to keep creating unique creations in his detached garage. “I made a chocolate-covered cherry sour stout, one time, just because I thought that sounded good,” said Powell. “I think that’s every serious home brewer’s dream is to have their own brewery where people can come and have the beer that they made.”

Who knows what creative creations we’ll taste next, all thanks to a President who fostered yet another good idea born in a garage. “Jimmy Carter is essentially the grandfather of the craft beer scene that we know and love today in the United States,” said Powell.

Carter, himself, wasn’t a beer fan. According to several reports, other than the occasional white wine, Carter did not drink alcohol.

A new global ranking may raise doubts about Canada’s reputation of being open to other countries.

While Singapore kept its status as the country with the world’s most powerful passport, Canada was considered among the “top 5 losers” in a new global ranking released Wednesday.

Canada sat at seventh among 199 passports, falling three places over the past decade, according to the 2025 Henley Passport Index.

The Henley Passport Index ranks all the world’s 199 passports based on the number of destinations they can enter without a visa. It uses official data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA). Read more about the methodology here.

Canada shared the seventh spot with Malta and Poland, with the three countries allowing visa-free access to 188 out of 227 destinations.

Singapore was the lone country at the top with visa-free access to 195 out of 227 destinations, followed by Japan (193) in second, and Finland, France, Germany, Italy, South Korea and Spain in the third position (192), according to the index.

Other climbers and losers

China was among the biggest climbers, rising from 94th place in 2015 to 60th in 2025 with its visa-free score growing by 40 destinations.

The United Arab Emirates was also among the biggest climbers over the past decade, landing in 10th place with visa-free access to 185 destinations.

Meanwhile, Venezuela plunged the most in ranking between 2015 and 2025, falling from 30th to 45th. The United States was the country with the second-biggest decline in ranking, dropping from second to ninth position over the past decade.

Once the top of the index in 2015, the United Kingdom now sits in fifth place.

Afghanistan remained at the bottom of the list as it only allowed visa-free access to 26 destinations, losing visa-free access to two more places over the past year.

In comparison, Singaporeans are able to travel to 169 more destinations visa-free than Afghan passport holders. Consequently, the index, in a press release Wednesday, called this the “largest mobility gap” in its 19-year history.

Some people love to wash their car, and for others, it’s their most hated chore. It’s a necessity for car owners, so no matter where you fall on the love-hate spectrum, you want a car wash that’s going to give your car a deep clean that lasts. Automatic car washes are at almost any gas…

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Even when you are lucky enough to start with an empty room, it can be overwhelming to design an interior that you can enjoy for years to come. Following some basic interior design principles, you can transform your space into a relaxing room you will be comfortable and happy with. Decide what your focal point will be and build out from there.  For best results, keep proportion and scale in mind as you decorate as well as these tips!

 Deciding on Your Focal Point
Do you have a magnificent bay window with an incredible view?  Is there an ornate mantle that is the reason you fell in love with your home? Or is there something you absolutely MUST HAVE in the room? Situate your furniture around your chosen focal point to create balance and equilibrium. If your room does not already have an existing focal point, create one with oversized art or add an accent point like a free-standing fireplace, they come in a variety of sizes and styles. Symmetrically balance the room evenly so that both sides mirror one another.  This will help your chosen focal point stand out all the more! Use matching accent tables to flank your sofa or use different pieces of furniture to create a copacetic visual impact, like two similar armchairs to balance a sofa.
Repetition for Rhythm
Rhythm creates a flow and helps direct the eye to the differing visual elements in your room. Just as the notes of a favorite song repeat to create the rhythm, repetition in decor will create a rhythm throughout a home. Establish visual interests with a rhythm throughout your space by placing similar colours or patterns at intervals and repeat in artwork, cushions or area rugs.

Perfect Proportion and Suitable Scaling
Who doesn’t love a large, overstuffed chair? But if your room is on the smaller size it may look out of place and make your room seem even smaller than it is. Keep proportion in perspective. Proportion is the ratio between a piece of furniture and the size of a room. Scale is the size of a piece of furniture in relation to the other pieces of furniture in the room. A super large chair will overpower an apartment of loft size sofa or loveseat and create a sense of unbalance in the room.

Have your room humming harmoniously
Creating harmony will enhance how much you will continue to love your finished. Pull the room with a subdued colour palette for a pleasing, harmonious vibe.   together for a pleasing, harmonious look with a subdued color palette. You can also use a single colour for elements that vary in size and shape. Check out our blog on Doing White on White Right! for more tips!

What is the focal point in your room?  What is your best tip to find harmony and balance through your home?