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A Few of the Dumbest Quotes from Powerful People in 2020
Home » Funny Quotes » A Few of the Dumbest Quotes from Powerful People in 2020
December 20, 2020 By Tina Gray Leave a Comment
Not all quotes are brilliant, and in fact, many are exceedingly dumb quotes. This time, we'll have a bit of fun looking at a few.
Having money doesn't necessarily make you elite, smarter, or fitter for survival. However, power, fame, and money do tend to corrupt. As Sir John Dalberg-Acton once wrote, "Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely." While this may not be absolutely true, it sure sounds probable in today's world.
Little wonder there are plenty of glaringly dumb quotes from the rich and powerful. We'll look at just a few of them because otherwise, this might take forever and a day.
Dumbest Quotes by a Lord?
Even though powerful people can acquire fabulous wealth, they often have their dumb moments. Here in the U.S., the system seems designed to promote the wealthy, not necessarily the bright.
Often, the rich must find clever ways to justify hoarding their wealth while others struggle. One example is Conrad Black, former CEO of Hollinger Inc., a Canada-based company that went bankrupt in 2007. Black is a long-time friend and former New York neighbor of current President Donald Trump.
Hollinger Inc. was the world's third-largest media empire, publishing sites like the Daily Telegraph and The Chicago Sun-Times. Then, Black and associates allegedly "looted" $400M from the paper during 1997-2003, a figure approximately equal to the profits of the company.
According to the BBC, "Lord Black was convicted in 2007 for defrauding Hollinger International of $6.1 m by paying himself a tax-free bonus from the sale of newspaper assets without the approval of the company's board." Notably, Black was also found guilty of obstruction of justice, similar to Trump's impeachable offenses.
A Flattering Book and Presidential Pardon
Recently, President Trump pardoned him for the fraud conviction after Black wrote a book praising Trump. The book was titled, "Donald J Trump: A President Like No Other." Nevertheless, in 2016, Black remarked on how Trump had "brought the Archie Bunker vote" in a BBC Newsnight interview.
A U.S. jail in Florida released Black in 2012. Now, he plans to return to the House of Lords after saying Trump's pardon "makes it easier."
After the presidential pardon, Black said:
"Officially in the United States, I've never been charged, and I won in the end."
Just like that.
Blame Insufficient Self-Generosity
In 1981, the world knew future Lord Black of Crossharbour for his "frequent, bullish declarations of Darwinian Capitalism." One quote that particularly stands out was a response to criticism over his "increasingly byzantine" business arrangements.
"The only charge that anyone can level against us is one of insufficient generosity to ourselves."
One wonders if President Trump would agree with such a quote?
See more about Conrad Black and Trump's pardon via CBS News:
Dumbest Quotes by President Trump
Speaking of Donald Trump, it would be absurd to cover this subject without including him. Perhaps no other U.S. President has made as many ridiculous statements, much less the over 20,000 documented misleading claims in one term.
It's hard to narrow down one quote, but perhaps this one about climate change ranks up there from a Tweet on 6/10/12:
"The concept of global warming was created by and for the Chinese in order to make U.S. manufacturing non-competitive."
Tilting at Windmills
Or, perhaps President Trump's many bizarre quotes about windmills might have to be chosen? In the October debate with Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden, Trump suggested he knew more about win energy.
Biden mocked Trump over past claims that wind power can cause cancer, to which Trump replied:
"I know more about wind than you do. It's extremely expensive, kills all the birds, it's very intermittent, it's got a lot of problems."
We have a feeling Trump will be tilting at windmills for many years to come.
See the Biden, Trump argument over windmills below:
As a footnote, the Trump administration rolled back protections for birds in its final weeks.
As for Trump quotes, they just keep going, so here's a look at some of the top dumbest quotes from 2019 from NowThis:
Here are the most absurd, nonsensical, and unhinged Trump quotes of 2019 pic.twitter.com/WIPGNzSpmt
— NowThis (@nowthisnews) December 29, 2019
Elon Musk's Dumbest Quotes
Like Trump, Elon Musk is prone to saying dumb things on Twitter. The SpaceX and Tesla CEO may be at the forefront of space technology, but in the social media space, he admits his quotes can be "definitely extremely dumb."
One tweet, in particular, was very costly. In 2018, Musk tweeted that he had the "funding secured" to take Tesla private. However, it resulted in a Securities and Exchange Commission investigation and a $40 million fine, reported Business Insider.
Definitely Extremely Dumb
In an interview with Bloomberg Businessweek, Musk admitted he sometimes made dumb tweets.
"Look, you can either say things that are not controversial at all, and then you're boring, and nobody cares," Musk said. "Some of the things I say, I would like to retract them. It's not like I stand by all the tweets I've ever done. Some of them were definitely extremely dumb."
Dangerously Dumb
Admitting to saying something dumb is actually admirable. However, other tweets could be considered dangerous. For example, his tweets about the coronavirus pandemic have been particularly criticized. In California, there have been over 20,047 deaths from the virus to date and almost 1.4 million cases.
"In March, he described concern over the coronavirus outbreak as a "panic" and "dumb," and he's since tweeted incorrect information, such as his theory that children are "essentially immune" to the virus. Musk has also tweeted about flouting lockdown orders in California, where one of his Tesla factories is based, saying he's willing to be arrested. (Tesla has since been granted permission to operate in California.)" wrote Avery Hartmans for Business Insider.
After calling California's response to the pandemic "fascist," Musk is reportedly planning to move to Texas.
Recently, Musk continued to tweet to express controversial opinions about his test for COVID-19.
Dumbest Quotes by a 2020 Presidential Candidate
What would a dumbest quotes piece for 2020 be without including presidential candidate Kanye West? Like Trump, he's the gift that keeps on giving in that regard.
The 43-year-old rapper's "Birthday Party" got 60,000 votes out of an estimated total of 160 million and conceded but tweeted "Kanye 2024" anyway. One of the problems was he missed a filing deadline in most states, so he appeared on only 12 state ballots. Oh well, "God appoints the president" anyway, according to West.
"Because when we win, it's everybody's birthday party," he said.
Wakanda Forever?
He ran on a platform the included "cleaning up chemicals 'in our deodorant, in our toothpaste."
Interestingly, he said that he would model his management style at the White House after Wakanda, a fictional kingdom in the movie Black Panther.
His advisors at the time were his wife, Kim Kardashian-West, and – guess who –Elon Musk. West claimed he and Musk had been "talking about this for years" and that he "proposed to [Musk] to be the head of our space program." Brilliant.
The Spoiler Effect
West, a vocal Trump supporter, immediately came under scrutiny, accused of siphoning votes from candidate Joe Biden. When asked if he was doing so, he reportedly responded, "I'm not denying it, I just told you. To say that the Black vote is Democratic is a form of racism and white supremacy."
After wearing a MAGA hat, he claimed this was why:
"One of the main reasons I wore the red hat as a protest to the segregation of votes in the Black community. Also, other than the fact that I like Trump hotels and the saxophones in the lobby."
Dumbest Quote Ever?
During a rally in Charleston, South Carolina, West, who goes by "ye" on Twitter, made perhaps his dumbest quote of all time.
In what the BBC called a "bewildering rant," West claimed that the 19th-century abolitionist Harriet Tubman "never actually freed the slaves, she just had the slaves go to work for other white people."
Surely, that's one dumb quote for the record books.
See West at his South Carolina rally from 11Alive below:
Featured image: Screenshots via YouTube
Tina Gray
Tina Gray is a freelance journalist, theatre enthusiast and aspiring author. She has a passion for telling stories through various mediums and regularly writes for various online publications. Her short stories will soon be published in her first volume. Currently, she resides in the San Fernando Valley and is studying screenwriting.
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package com.gemstone.gemfire.distributed.internal.locks;

import junit.framework.*;
import java.util.*;

import com.gemstone.gemfire.CancelCriterion;
import com.gemstone.gemfire.LogWriter;
import com.gemstone.gemfire.SystemFailure;
import com.gemstone.gemfire.internal.LocalLogWriter;
import com.gemstone.gemfire.internal.LogWriterImpl;

import dunit.DistributedTestCase;
import dunit.DistributedTestCase.WaitCriterion;

/**
 * Tests the Collaboration Lock used internally by dlock service.
 *
 * @author Kirk Lund
 * @since 4.1.1
 */
public class CollaborationJUnitTest extends TestCase {

  protected LogWriter log = new LocalLogWriter(LogWriterImpl.INFO_LEVEL);
  protected Collaboration collaboration;

  public CollaborationJUnitTest(String name) {
    super(name);
  }

  public void setUp() throws Exception {
    this.collaboration = new Collaboration(new CancelCriterion() {

      public String cancelInProgress() {
        // TODO Auto-generated method stub
        return null;
      }

      public RuntimeException generateCancelledException(Throwable e) {
        // TODO Auto-generated method stub
        return null;
      }

    });
    this.collaboration.enableDebug(this.log.convertToLogWriterI18n());
  }

  public void tearDown() throws Exception {
    this.collaboration = null;
  }

  protected volatile boolean flagTestBlocksUntilRelease = false;
  protected volatile boolean threadBStartedTestBlocksUntilRelease = false;
  public void testBlocksUntilRelease() throws Exception {
    this.log.info("[testBlocksUntilRelease]");
    Thread threadA = new Thread(group, new Runnable() {
      public void run() {
        collaboration.acquireUninterruptibly("topicA");
        try {
          flagTestBlocksUntilRelease = true;
          while(flagTestBlocksUntilRelease) {
            try {
              Thread.sleep(10);
            }
            catch (InterruptedException ignore) {fail("interrupted");}
          }
        }
        finally {
          collaboration.release();
        }
      }
    });

    // thread one acquires
    threadA.start();
    WaitCriterion ev = new WaitCriterion() {
      public boolean done() {
        return CollaborationJUnitTest.this.flagTestBlocksUntilRelease;
      }
      public String description() {
        return "waiting for thread";
      }
    };
    DistributedTestCase.waitForCriterion(ev, 5 * 1000, 200, true);
    assertTrue(this.collaboration.hasCurrentTopic(threadA));

    // thread two blocks until one releeases
    Thread threadB = new Thread(group, new Runnable() {
      public void run() {
        threadBStartedTestBlocksUntilRelease = true;
        collaboration.acquireUninterruptibly("topicB");
        try {
          flagTestBlocksUntilRelease = true;
          WaitCriterion ev2 = new WaitCriterion() {
            public boolean done() {
              return !flagTestBlocksUntilRelease;
            }
            public String description() {
              return "waiting for release";
            }
          };
          DistributedTestCase.waitForCriterion(ev2, 20 * 1000, 200, true);
        }
        finally {
          collaboration.release();
        }
      }
    });

    // start up threadB
    threadB.start();
    ev = new WaitCriterion() {
      public boolean done() {
        return threadBStartedTestBlocksUntilRelease;
      }
      public String description() {
        return "waiting for thread b";
      }
    };
    DistributedTestCase.waitForCriterion(ev, 5 * 1000, 200, true);

    // threadA holds topic and threadB is waiting...
    assertTrue(this.collaboration.hasCurrentTopic(threadA));
    assertFalse(this.collaboration.hasCurrentTopic(threadB));

    // let threadA release so that threadB gets lock
    this.flagTestBlocksUntilRelease = false;
    DistributedTestCase.join(threadA, 30 * 1000, null);

    // make sure threadB is doing what it's supposed to do...
    ev = new WaitCriterion() {
      public boolean done() {
        return flagTestBlocksUntilRelease;
      }
      public String description() {
        return "threadB";
      }
    };
    DistributedTestCase.waitForCriterion(ev, 5 * 1000, 200, true);
    // threadB must have lock now... let threadB release
    assertTrue(this.collaboration.hasCurrentTopic(threadB));
    this.flagTestBlocksUntilRelease = false;
    DistributedTestCase.join(threadB, 30 * 1000, null);

    // collaboration should be free now
    assertFalse(this.collaboration.hasCurrentTopic(threadA));
    assertFalse(this.collaboration.hasCurrentTopic(threadB));
    assertFalse(this.collaboration.hasCurrentTopic());
  }

  protected volatile boolean threadAFlag_TestLateComerJoinsIn = false;
  protected volatile boolean threadBFlag_TestLateComerJoinsIn = false;
  protected volatile boolean threadCFlag_TestLateComerJoinsIn = true;
  protected volatile boolean threadDFlag_TestLateComerJoinsIn = false;
  public void testLateComerJoinsIn() throws Exception {
    this.log.info("[testLateComerJoinsIn]");

    final Object topicA = "topicA";
    final Object topicB = "topicB";

    // threads one and two acquire
    Thread threadA = new Thread(group, new Runnable() {
      public void run() {
        collaboration.acquireUninterruptibly(topicA);
        try {
          threadAFlag_TestLateComerJoinsIn = true;
          WaitCriterion ev = new WaitCriterion() {
            public boolean done() {
              return !threadAFlag_TestLateComerJoinsIn;
            }
            public String description() {
              return null;
            }
          };
          DistributedTestCase.waitForCriterion(ev, 60 * 1000, 200, true);
        }
        finally {
          collaboration.release();
        }
      }
    });
    threadA.start();
    WaitCriterion ev = new WaitCriterion() {
      public boolean done() {
        return threadAFlag_TestLateComerJoinsIn;
      }
      public String description() {
        return "wait for ThreadA";
      }
    };
    DistributedTestCase.waitForCriterion(ev, 30 * 1000, 200, true);
    assertTrue(this.collaboration.hasCurrentTopic(threadA));
    assertTrue(this.collaboration.isCurrentTopic(topicA));

    Thread threadB = new Thread(group, new Runnable() {
      public void run() {
        collaboration.acquireUninterruptibly(topicA);
        try {
          threadBFlag_TestLateComerJoinsIn = true;
          WaitCriterion ev2 = new WaitCriterion() {
            public boolean done() {
              return !threadBFlag_TestLateComerJoinsIn;
            }
            public String description() {
              return null;
            }
          };
          DistributedTestCase.waitForCriterion(ev2, 60 * 1000, 200, true);
        }
        finally {
          collaboration.release();
        }
      }
    });
    threadB.start();
    ev = new WaitCriterion() {
      public boolean done() {
        return threadBFlag_TestLateComerJoinsIn;
      }
      public String description() {
        return "";
      }
    };
    DistributedTestCase.waitForCriterion(ev, 60 * 1000, 200, true);
    assertTrue(this.collaboration.hasCurrentTopic(threadB));

    // thread three blocks for new topic
    Thread threadC = new Thread(group, new Runnable() {
      public void run() {
        threadCFlag_TestLateComerJoinsIn = false;
        collaboration.acquireUninterruptibly(topicB);
        try {
          threadCFlag_TestLateComerJoinsIn = true;
          WaitCriterion ev2 = new WaitCriterion() {
            public boolean done() {
              return !threadCFlag_TestLateComerJoinsIn;
            }
            public String description() {
              return null;
            }
          };
          DistributedTestCase.waitForCriterion(ev2, 60 * 1000, 200, true);
        }
        finally {
          collaboration.release();
        }
      }
    });
    threadC.start();
    ev = new WaitCriterion() {
      public boolean done() {
        return threadCFlag_TestLateComerJoinsIn;
      }
      public String description() {
        return null;
      }
    };
    DistributedTestCase.waitForCriterion(ev, 60 * 1000, 200, true);
    assertFalse(this.collaboration.hasCurrentTopic(threadC));
    assertFalse(this.collaboration.isCurrentTopic(topicB));

    // thread four (lateComer) acquires current topic immediately
    Thread threadD = new Thread(group, new Runnable() {
      public void run() {
        collaboration.acquireUninterruptibly(topicA);
        try {
          threadDFlag_TestLateComerJoinsIn = true;
          while(threadDFlag_TestLateComerJoinsIn) {
            try {
              Thread.sleep(10);
            }
            catch (InterruptedException ignore) {fail("interrupted");}
          }
        }
        finally {
          collaboration.release();
        }
      }
    });
    threadD.start();
    ev = new WaitCriterion() {
      public boolean done() {
        return threadDFlag_TestLateComerJoinsIn;
      }
      public String description() {
        return null;
      }
    };
    DistributedTestCase.waitForCriterion(ev, 60 * 1000, 200, true);
    assertTrue(this.collaboration.hasCurrentTopic(threadD));

    // release threadA
    this.threadAFlag_TestLateComerJoinsIn = false;
    DistributedTestCase.join(threadA, 30 * 1000, null);
    assertFalse(this.collaboration.hasCurrentTopic(threadA));
    assertTrue(this.collaboration.hasCurrentTopic(threadB));
    assertFalse(this.collaboration.hasCurrentTopic(threadC));
    assertTrue(this.collaboration.hasCurrentTopic(threadD));
    assertTrue(this.collaboration.isCurrentTopic(topicA));
    assertFalse(this.collaboration.isCurrentTopic(topicB));

    // release threadB
    this.threadBFlag_TestLateComerJoinsIn = false;
    DistributedTestCase.join(threadB, 30 * 1000, null);
    assertFalse(this.collaboration.hasCurrentTopic(threadB));
    assertFalse(this.collaboration.hasCurrentTopic(threadC));
    assertTrue(this.collaboration.hasCurrentTopic(threadD));
    assertTrue(this.collaboration.isCurrentTopic(topicA));
    assertFalse(this.collaboration.isCurrentTopic(topicB));

    // release threadD
    this.threadDFlag_TestLateComerJoinsIn = false;
    DistributedTestCase.join(threadD, 30 * 1000, null);
    ev = new WaitCriterion() {
      public boolean done() {
        return threadCFlag_TestLateComerJoinsIn;
      }
      public String description() {
        return null;
      }
    };
    DistributedTestCase.waitForCriterion(ev, 60 * 1000, 200, true);
    assertTrue(this.collaboration.hasCurrentTopic(threadC));
    assertFalse(this.collaboration.hasCurrentTopic(threadD));
    assertFalse(this.collaboration.isCurrentTopic(topicA));
    assertTrue(this.collaboration.isCurrentTopic(topicB));

    // release threadC
    this.threadCFlag_TestLateComerJoinsIn = false;
    DistributedTestCase.join(threadC, 30 * 1000, null);
    assertFalse(this.collaboration.hasCurrentTopic(threadC));
    assertFalse(this.collaboration.isCurrentTopic(topicA));
    assertFalse(this.collaboration.isCurrentTopic(topicB));
  }

  protected List waitingList = Collections.synchronizedList(new ArrayList());
  protected List fairnessList = Collections.synchronizedList(new ArrayList());
  protected volatile boolean runTestFairnessStressfully = true;
  public void testFairnessStressfully() throws Exception {
    this.log.info("[testFairnessStressfully]");
    final int numThreads = 20;
    Thread threads[] = new Thread[numThreads];

    Runnable run = new Runnable() {
      public void run() {
        boolean released = false;
        try {
          String uniqueTopic = Thread.currentThread().getName();
          while(runTestFairnessStressfully) {
            waitingList.add(uniqueTopic);
            collaboration.acquireUninterruptibly(uniqueTopic);
            try {
              released = false;
              fairnessList.add(uniqueTopic);
              waitingList.remove(uniqueTopic);
            }
            finally {
              // wait for the other threads to line up...
              WaitCriterion ev = new WaitCriterion() {
                public boolean done() {
                  return !runTestFairnessStressfully || waitingList.size() >= numThreads - 1;
                }
                public String description() {
                  return "other threads lining up";
                }
              };
              DistributedTestCase.waitForCriterion(ev, 60 * 1000, 200, true);
              collaboration.release();
              released = true;
            }
          }
        }
        finally {
          if (!released) {
            collaboration.release();
          }
        }
      }
    };

    try {
      // many threads loop: acquire and release with unique topic
      for (int t = 0; t < threads.length; t++) {
        threads[t] = new Thread(group, run, String.valueOf(t));
        threads[t].start();
      }

      log.info("Started all threads... waiting for test to complete.");

      // wait for numThreads * 10
      WaitCriterion ev = new WaitCriterion() {
        public boolean done() {
          return fairnessList.size() >= numThreads * 20;
        }
        public String description() {
          return "waiting for numThreads * 10";
        }
      };
      DistributedTestCase.waitForCriterion(ev, 5 * 60 * 1000, 200, true);
    }
    finally {
      if (this.runTestFairnessStressfully) {
        this.runTestFairnessStressfully = false;
      }
    }

    for (int t = 0; t < threads.length; t++) {
      DistributedTestCase.join(threads[t], 30 * 1000, null);
    }

    // assert that all topics are acquired in order
    // count number of occurrences of each thread
    int count[] = new int[numThreads];
    for (int i = 0; i < count.length; i++) { // shouldn't be necessary
      count[i] = 0;
    }
    synchronized(this.fairnessList) {
      for (Iterator iter = this.fairnessList.iterator(); iter.hasNext();) {
        int id = Integer.valueOf((String)iter.next()).intValue();
        count[id] = count[id]+1;
      }
    }

    int totalLocks = 0;
    int minLocks = Integer.MAX_VALUE;
    int maxLocks = 0;
    for (int i = 0; i < count.length; i++) {
      int locks = count[i];
      this.log.fine("testFairnessStressfully thread-" + i + " acquired topic " +
        locks + " times.");
      if (locks < minLocks) minLocks = locks;
      if (locks > maxLocks) maxLocks = locks;
      totalLocks = totalLocks + locks;
    }

    this.log.info("[testFairnessStressfully] totalLocks=" + totalLocks +
                  " minLocks=" + minLocks +
                  " maxLocks=" + maxLocks);

    int expectedLocks = (totalLocks / numThreads) + 1;

    // NOTE: if you turn on fine logs, this deviation may be too small...
    // slower machines may also fail depending on thread scheduling
    int deviation = (int)(expectedLocks * 0.25);
    int lowThreshold = expectedLocks - deviation;
    int highThreshold = expectedLocks + deviation;

    this.log.info("[testFairnessStressfully] deviation=" + deviation +
                  " expectedLocks=" + expectedLocks +
                  " lowThreshold=" + lowThreshold +
                  " highThreshold=" + highThreshold);

    // if these assertions keep failing we'll have to rewrite the test
    // to handle scheduling of the threads...

    assertTrue("minLocks is less than lowThreshold",
               minLocks >= lowThreshold);
    assertTrue("maxLocks is greater than highThreshold",
               maxLocks <= highThreshold);
  }

  public void testHasCurrentTopic() throws Exception {
    this.log.info("[testHasCurrentTopic]");
    assertTrue(!this.collaboration.hasCurrentTopic());
    this.collaboration.acquireUninterruptibly("testHasCurrentTopic");
    try {
      assertTrue(this.collaboration.hasCurrentTopic());
    }
    finally {
      this.collaboration.release();
    }
    assertTrue(!this.collaboration.hasCurrentTopic());
  }

  protected volatile boolean flagTestThreadHasCurrentTopic = false;
  public void testThreadHasCurrentTopic() throws Exception {
    this.log.info("[testThreadHasCurrentTopic]");
    Thread thread = new Thread(group, new Runnable() {
      public void run() {
        collaboration.acquireUninterruptibly("testThreadHasCurrentTopic");
        try {
          flagTestThreadHasCurrentTopic = true;
          WaitCriterion ev = new WaitCriterion() {
            public boolean done() {
              return !flagTestThreadHasCurrentTopic;
            }
            public String description() {
              return null;
            }
          };
          DistributedTestCase.waitForCriterion(ev, 60 * 1000, 200, true);
        }
        finally {
          collaboration.release();
        }
      }
    });

    // before starting thread, hasCurrentTopic(thread) returns false
    assertTrue(!this.collaboration.hasCurrentTopic(thread));
    thread.start();
    WaitCriterion ev = new WaitCriterion() {
      public boolean done() {
        return flagTestThreadHasCurrentTopic;
      }
      public String description() {
        return null;
      }
    };
    DistributedTestCase.waitForCriterion(ev, 60 * 1000, 200, true);

    // after starting thread, hasCurrentTopic(thread) returns true
    assertTrue(this.collaboration.hasCurrentTopic(thread));
    this.flagTestThreadHasCurrentTopic = false;
    DistributedTestCase.join(thread, 30 * 1000, null);

    // after thread finishes, hasCurrentTopic(thread) returns false
    assertTrue(!this.collaboration.hasCurrentTopic(thread));
  }

  public void testIsCurrentTopic() throws Exception {
    this.log.info("[testIsCurrentTopic]");
    Object topic = "testIsCurrentTopic";
    assertTrue(!this.collaboration.isCurrentTopic(topic));
    this.collaboration.acquireUninterruptibly(topic);
    try {
      assertTrue(this.collaboration.isCurrentTopic(topic));
    }
    finally {
      this.collaboration.release();
    }
    assertTrue(!this.collaboration.isCurrentTopic(topic));
  }

  protected final ThreadGroup group =
      new ThreadGroup("CollaborationJUnitTest Threads") {
        public void uncaughtException(Thread t, Throwable e)
        {
          if (e instanceof VirtualMachineError) {
            SystemFailure.setFailure((VirtualMachineError)e); // don't throw
          }
          String s = "Uncaught exception in thread " + t;
          log.error(s, e);
          fail(s);
        }
      };
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


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Dead To Me Season 3: Release Date, Cast, Plot And All Detail
DigitalOcean's IPO filing shows a two-class cloud market – NewsNifty
'Dead ' is a dim parody show which follows the fellowship among Jen and Judy, who meet under uncommon conditions. In spite of the fact that their bond is unpredictable, it develops in light of the fact that the secret around Jen's significant other's demise unfurls, alongside Judy's privileged insights. Upon its debut on May 3, 2019, the arrangement had been spilled by in excess of 30 million viewers.
Together with basic praise and a solid fan following, has gotten a few Primetime Emmy grants designations, remembering Outstanding Comedy Series and Outstanding Lead Actress for a Comedy Series for Christina Applegate and Linda Cardellini. As season 2 completions to a wound cliffhanger, the fans can hardly wait to hear what is straightaway. Will there be a season 3? We should take a look!
'Dead to Me' season 2 was delivered completely on May 8, 2020, on Netflix. The following season comprises of ten scenes utilizing a running time of 29-34 minutes each.
In terms of season 3, here is the thing that we comprehend. The show was recharged for its next sudden spike in demand for July 6, 2020. Lamentably, it was reported to be the latest year. Made Liz Feldman didn't picture it as a long-running arrangement and needed to end after three seasons. "We accepted that this was the ideal method to tie up the story of those ladies." The thought of the best approach to end the arrangement went to her while the show was as yet underway for season 2.
ALSO READ : No Payment Needed, Netflix offers 2-Day Free Access in India
'Dead ' to me season 3 was planned to begin shooting in January 2021 and envelop with a couple of months in April. Be that as it may, there is no information to confirm if the season has begun recording. Plus, Netflix needed to stop creation of the LA-based movies and arrangement in mid 2021 in light of the fact that the occasions for Covid-19 in the district started to rise once more. In the event that the circumstance is managed and the show starts shooting presently, we may notice a spic and span season before the year's over. Remembering these elements, we could anticipate that dead period 3 should deliver at some point in late 2021.
Christina Applegate, Linda Cardellini, and James Marsden will repeat their jobs as Jen Harding, Judy Hale, and Ben Wood, individually, in the third trip of the show. Ben Wood is the indistinguishable twin sibling of Steve Wood, who lapses in season 1. Marsden assumes these two parts in the arrangement, despite the fact that he shows up as Steve simply in flashback successions in season 2.
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Among the extra cast individuals expected to return in season 3, a couple of the names involve Max Jenkins (Christopher Doyle), Sam McCarthy (Charlie Harding), Luke Roessler (Henry Harding), Valerie Mahaffey (Lorna Harding), Diana-Maria Riva (Ana Perez), Brandon Scott (Nick Prager), Suzy Nakamura (Karen), and Keong Sim (Pastor Wayne). It's impossible that we'll see Natalie Morales (Michelle) again in season 3 since her association with Judy seems to have run its program.
Season 2 finishes on an emotional note. Jen requests that Judy be the legitimate watchman to her children and continues to Detective Perez to recognize that she killed Steve. Be that as it may, she and Perez can't get where Steve's body is covered. Following a sincere discourse with Detective Perez, she chooses to permit Jen free, causing Jen a deep sense of shock. Judy finds a couple of piles of $100 notes covered up in the sponsorships of her compositions. Ben is attempted to be en route to recognize Steve's figure when he smashes to the new vehicle that Jen and Judy purchase for Charlie. Ben is smashed and rates off after the accident, leaving the two hurt ladies in shock.
Season 3 may get the story strings spread out in the following season. Taking into account that Steve's body has been discovered, this could change Jen's predetermination, who had been given up by Detective Perez. It isn't obvious if Jen and Judy get the opportunity to see who struck their vehicle. Ben was smashed when his vehicle collided with Jen and Judy, so we additionally couldn't say whether he's mindful of who he hurt in that mishap. In a meeting, Marsden shared that Ben is a man who makes an honest effort to do the ideal thing in any event, when nobody is watching.
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But, outer powers could overpower Ben, tossing him into a profound existential emergency. Could this mean he will confess all in regards to the mishap, or could it bring about a humiliating showdown with Jen and Judy? We should likewise recollect that Charlie is a litigant in Steve's vanishing, and at the season 2 finale, he finds that the letter Jen had formed for Judy. All things considered, getting his hands on Jen's letter for Judy possibly Charlie's way outside. The inquiry is, should Charlie peruses the letter, how might he feel towards his mother and Judy? All things considered, he is rankled and uses that information to get back at them.
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Самсон погрожує своєму тестеві () — картина Рембрандта, написана 1635 року. Зберігається в Берлінській картинній галереї.

Сюжет
За біблійними переказами, Самсон, герой народу Ізраїля, одружився з дочкою філістимлянина, представника ворожого народу. Дізнавшись про шлюб з Самосоном, батько дочки вирішив не пускати його у дім й навіть стверджував, ніби його дочка вже віддана іншому. Розгніваний Самсон вирішив нарешті помститися філістимлянам.

1. А по часі сталося в днях жнив пшениці, і відвідав Самсон з козлям свою жінку та й сказав: Нехай увійду я до моєї жінки, до кімнати. Та батько її не дав йому ввійти.
2. І сказав її батько: Я дійсно подумав був, що ти справді зненавидів її, а тому я дав її твоєму дружкові. Чи молодша сестра її не ліпша від неї? Нехай же вона буде тобі замість неї.
3. І сказав їм Самсон: Цього разу я не буду винний перед филистимлянами, коли я зроблю їм зло. (Книга Суддів 15:1-3)

Опис
Рембрандт зобразив Самосна перед зачиненими дверима будинку тестя якраз у той момент, коли молодий герой вирішує помститися ненависним філістимлянам. Рембрандт і в цій картині виступив, як майстер зображення світла; так яскраво освітленим на картині є обличчя Самсона та його загрозливо здійнятий, важкий кулак, тоді як тінь від нього падає на будинок. У віконці на мить показується старий батько дівчини, який виглядає доволі наляканим. Та все-таки основна увага на картині зосереджена на постаті Самсона. Художник майстерно виписав пишну одіж, розкішний меч та діадему на довгому волоссі Самсона. Саме у волоссі, за переказами, крилася небувала сила героя.

На час створення картини Рембрандт жив у Амстердамі всього декілька років, чимало сюжетів для своїх картин він знаходив під впливом теартальних вистав у місті. Особливе освітлення зображеної сцени надає картині драматичності й певної театральності.

Посилання
 RKD images
 Bildindex der Kunst und Architektur

Картини 1635
Картини Рембрандта
Картини Берлінської картинної галереї
Картини за сюжетами Старого Заповіту

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


I was never a big fan of steampunk until Kraftyhands brought out the Steampunk Emporium CD and I was making samples......then I got it.
Tags have also always been a bit of a challenge, not quite sure where to start with them.
I chose the image I wanted and gathered together green and brown distress inks, wooden key, piece of an old book and some cogs cut out of craft card. The tag is a bought one made of card measuring about 20 cm by 11 cm.
The background is made with torn pieces of background paper that looks like wood and glued flat.
The edge of the tag was inked and then edged with copper embossing powder.
A torn piece of the book was inked, had some texture paint added and then edged in gold embossing. It was glued onto the tag with pads and curved to give a ripple effect.
I tore the image of the girl into a rough rounded shape and the edge of that was also embossed in gold.
The wooden key and the cogs were inked in green distressing ink and also embossed in gold which gave them a rusty appearance.
I wanted to add some text, so this was printed on the computer and then inked curved into shape and added.
Hi Laura . Clever , interesting arrangement of die cut cogs ,wooden key and other embellishments which must give an awesome dimension to this amazing tag .


text:
Transcript: Orszag Press Briefing via conference call, 3/25/09
Office of the Press Secrectary
OFFICE OF MANAGEMENT AND BUDGET DIRECTOR PETER ORSZAG
ON HOUSE AND SENATE BUDGET PLANS
Via Teleconference
9:49 A.M. EDT
MR. BAER: Hi, thank you, everyone, for getting on. Peter is going to say a few words, talking about the House and Senate budget marks, and then we'll open up to questions.
DIRECTOR ORSZAG: Thank you, Ken, and thank you to everyone on the phone. A few comments.
First, we are very pleased that the House and Senate Budget Committees are taking up resolutions that are fully in line with the President's key priorities for the budget. Not only do they embody the four key principles that the President has put forward for the budget, but they are 98 percent the same as the budget proposal the President sent up in February.
With regard to the four principles, as the President said last night and as we have emphasized since the budget was sent up, we want to make sure that the budget reflects key investments in health care, in energy, in education and cuts the deficit in half. And both the House and Senate Chairmen's marks do precisely that. First, with regard to cutting the deficit in half, the House Budget Committee's resolution hits $586 billion in 2013; the Senate Budget Committee's resolution hits $570 billion in 2013. Both of those meet the standard of cutting the deficit in half.
With regard to health care, exactly as under our budget submission, both the House and Senate include deficit-neutral reserve funds to kick-start the health reform process. I think there's been some misunderstanding about what a budget resolution does. The way the budget resolution implements the proposals that the President put forward and the concept that the President put forward is through a deficit-neutral reserve fund. The reserve fund that we had in our budget was also deficit-neutral, and so, again, the budget resolution is just reflecting precisely the approach that the President put forward in our budget.
With regard to energy, again, exactly as under the President's budget. We had a deficit-neutral reserve fund, and both the House and Senate marks also have a deficit-neutral reserve fund for clean energy.
With regard to education, in addition to the $100 billion that was in the Recovery Act, the Chairmen's marks in both the House and Senate include funding for the proposed increases in Pell Grants that the President put forward, albeit they do it on the discretionary side rather than the mandatory side. And in addition to that, they create a deficit-neutral reserve fund, which would permit mandatory proposals in the education sphere, including perhaps making the Pell Grant mandatory.
Now, clearly there were some adjustments that were made, but let's examine what the adjustments are. With regard to discretionary spending, out of the 18 functional categories in the budget, 13 are exactly the same in the Senate; 12 are exactly the same in the House. And even when you incorporate the differences, if you look at overall discretionary spending, the difference relative to the House compared to the President's budget proposal is 0.6 percent, and in the Senate it's 1.2 percent. So, again, some differences, but relatively modest.
Another thing that has been noted is that we had tied the extension of Making Work Pay to revenue from cap and trade. The House and Senate budget resolutions do adopt a different approach. I would note with regard to Making Work Pay that we have already in the Recovery Act gotten two years of that tax credit. So we have two years to figure this out.
And as -- as we -- and we have time to figure it out, we are also forming and tasking the Volcker board, the PERAB, with three tasks: one is tax simplification; the second is closing tax loopholes and reducing tax evasion; and the third is reducing corporate welfare. And it's worth noting that with regard to that first category, one of the key things that the Volcker board will be examining is ways of unifying, streamlining, making more consistent the various credits that are out there: Making Work Pay, the Earned Income Tax Credit, the Child Tax Credit, and what have you. And in addition, with regard to the tax gap, there are hundreds of billions of dollars in uncollected taxes each year.
The Task Force on Tax Reform that will be formed by the Volcker board will be examining ways of being even more aggressive on reducing the tax gap, which could provide funding for tax provisions, including an extension of the Making Work Pay tax credit.
I would also note that the President believes that the following prospective members of the board would be especially well-suited to carry out the mission of the task reform task force, in particular Laura Tyson; Roger Ferguson, the CEO of TIAA-CRED; Bill Donaldson, the former SEC Chairman; and Marty Feldstein, a professor of economics at Harvard University.
That task force will report back to the board, and the full board will report back to the President with options for tax reform by Friday, December 4th. So there have been some changes made, but again, the vast bulk of what is in both the marks are aligned with the key priorities of the President. And I think it's very clear that if you look at the budget resolutions that are being adopted by both the House and Senate, they are from the same family as the President's budget.
The resolutions may not be identical twins to what the President submitted, but they are certainly brothers that look an awful lot alike.
And with that, I will turn it over back to Kenny for questions.
Q Yes, Mr. Orszag, thanks for doing this. On the Volcker board, can you talk a little bit more about the tax gap? How many billions do you expect might be raised, or can you give a range? I know there's been any number of studies on this.
And second, when will this Volcker board actually be named or announced?
DIRECTOR ORSZAG: Okay, so first with regard to the tax gap. The tax gap announced is something like $300 billion a year. We had, in the budget, some proposals to start to reduce that, but there -- I think there's widespread concern, frankly, that perhaps even this $300 billion estimate is too low because of the complexity of some of the transactions that are involved, especially involving international transactions and transfer pricing and a whole variety of other topics. So I don't want to give you a precise quantitative estimate. I do want to say $300 billion a year or more is a lot of money, and we are interested in being as aggressive as possible in trying to reduce that number. And that's something that I know Chairman Baucus and Chairman Rangel are also very keen on reducing.
Q Do you have a date?
DIRECTOR ORSZAG: With regard to naming members of the task force, two points: one is -- sorry, with regard to the date, I already said that the board will report back to the President by Friday, December 4th. In terms of formally naming the task force, my understanding is the President can signal his desire for those four people to serve on the task force, but it is up to the PERAB itself to appoint those members. So I will defer questions to the PERAB, or perhaps to Austan Goolsbee, who is the staff director, on the process for naming that task force.
Q Thank you.
Q Peter, on the health reserve fund, can you just walk us through how the President's proposal was able to peg that 10-year number at $684 billion and why we don't see numbers pegged in Senator Conrad's blueprint, for instance?
DIRECTOR ORSZAG: Actually, you know, we wanted to provide some specificity about what could go into the reserve fund, but the legislative process plays out in a way that it's not up to the budget resolution to -- let me step back for a second. If you look at table -- in our document -- table S-6, and in particular look at the bottom of it, which is on page -- let me just pull it up -- page 128 -- you see also a deficit-neutral reserve fund. The net total of health reform in our budget was zero-zero-zero-zero. We just identified some of the gross savings that could go into that reserve fund and then would be used for the health reform effort.
In the budget resolution, you just take the bottom line. The budget resolution is written at a high-level generality, and what it needs to do is take that bottom line, which is what it did.
So under both our budget proposal and under the deficit-neutral health reserve fund in the House and Senate mark, what will now happen is the committees are now tasked with reporting out health reform legislation that nets to zero, just as under our budget.
Now, it is true that the level of specificity in our budget proposal it was -- you know, was greater, or there was more specificity about what could go into that reserve fund and in the budget resolution. But that's natural. That's what sort of happens at a -- during a budget resolution. A budget resolution is not legislation and it's typically written at a higher level of aggregation and with less granularity than the President's budget submission is.
Q But they're going to have to -- they're going to have fund that money now, right? I mean, do you have a sense of what, over a five (inaudible) period, (inaudible) that total dollar figure will be? And, you know, it seems like they're saying we don't actually know where that money is going to come from.
DIRECTOR ORSZAG: No, I guess my point is that the legislative process was always going to have to come up with the offset. We put forward specific offsets in the budget proposal, but even those would have to be taken up by the Finance Committee, and whether the -- I guess maybe the way I could put it is whether the budget resolution included specific offsets or not is not particularly relevant. What the key thing is that the Finance Committee has been assigned the task of coming up with the deficit-neutral health reform, exactly consistent with what we had put forward, and the Finance Committee and Ways and Means Committee then needs to follow up to write that legislation, which is, by the way, exactly what would happen in any budget cycle and no different than -- you know, if the budget resolution could have put all of our offsets in there, it would have been kind of misaligned with the way budget resolutions are typically written and it wouldn't have been binding on the Finance Committee anyway.
The budget resolutions are supposed to define a dollar figure for the Finance Committee or the Ways and Means Committee to hit, and under our budget proposal that dollar figure on a net-deficit basis was zero, which is exactly what the House and Senate resolutions embody.
Q Thanks, Peter. I was wondering if you could respond to one of the criticisms that some of the Republicans are putting forth -- forward about your budget, which is that -- you know, they're comparing the situation that President Obama sees himself with the situation that Bill Clinton inherited. And they say, well, when Clinton came into office he made a bunch of tough choices, he raised taxes, and he used that to defray the deficit and build confidence in the markets; whereas Obama makes a bunch of tough choices but uses it to expand the role of government in things like energy and health care. Can you talk about that?
DIRECTOR ORSZAG: Sure. Let me first start with I think it's easy to lob criticisms, but part of governing needs -- or part of the policy process needs to involve putting forward alternatives. I haven't seen on the Senate side an alternative budget and my understanding is there won't be one. So it's kind of -- it seems off to be criticizing without putting forward an alternative.
The alternative that has been put forward by Representative Ryan in an op-ed in The Wall Street Journal a few weeks ago embodies $3 trillion in tax cuts, including for very high-income individuals and for corporations. It involves -- and let's look at this from a fiscal perspective -- it involves setting up privatization under Social Security and having the federal government bear all the downside risk there. So if that system had been in place over the past few years, the federal government would have incurred massive amounts of liabilities to make individual accounts whole for the stock market declines that have occurred. And it involves an approach to health care in which you're given a check for 80 percent of the cost of health care, which then declines over time, and told to go off and just sort of fend for yourself.
So in terms of an alternative vision, I think -- at least it's my impression, that that is the only thing that's been out there. And I think the flaws in it are pretty clear. And with regards directly to your question, I'd also note that, you know, you had said that in 1993 Bill Clinton proposed tax increases. Well, people are saying we're proposing tax increases now.
We are, in terms of health care, approaching this in a somewhat different way than was the case in the early 1990s. But I don't think it's accurate to say, just pursuant to what we were just discussing with regard to the deficit-neutral health reserve fund, it's not accurate to say it's a massive expansion of government. And in fact, as I noted, it -- the health reform effort will be deficit-neutral.
And then the final point I would make is the point that the President made last night and has made on "60 Minutes" and before that, which is if you've asked corporate leaders over the past decade or two what the key to our long-term productivity is, they would -- they have answered consistently: a more efficient health care system; a more efficient energy base and reduced dependence on foreign oil; and improved education, along with a -- you know, raising national savings, which involves reducing the deficit.
So on our four key principles they're very much in line with what even corporate leaders have been saying for a long time is the key to our future prosperity. And I think that's precisely right. I've said this before. But I reject the notion that the key to future prosperity is the top marginal tax rate.
Q Thanks for taking my question. I'd like to just ask real quick, if I could, about farm subsidies. I know in the budget proposal that came out, the President proposed a $250,000-a-year cap on farm subsidies. And they estimated that about over 10 years, the steps would save $10 billion.
But House and Senate lawmakers and farm groups have opposed it, Kent Conrad has opposed it. And they've asked congressional budget writers to ignore it. Is the subsidy cut proposal dead in Congress? And what would be the next step after that if it didn't gain any additional traction?
DIRECTOR ORSZAG: Well, I think that Senator Conrad and Chairman Peterson and others have been working on proposals to find savings in agriculture. And I'm confident that we will, working with them, come up with proposals that do reduce agricultural subsidies, especially for large corporate -- large farms, while protecting small and family farms.
Q But what about the subsidy cut though? I mean, it's been widely criticized and hasn't gained much support in Congress. I mean, what about that component? Is that something that you're still confident can move forward? Or again, to look for other --
DIRECTOR ORSZAG: I'm just going to go back again and say there's lots of different ways of getting at this issue, and we will be working with not only Senator Conrad, but also Chairman Peterson and others to fashion legislation that saves money on agricultural subsidies, especially to large farms. And there are lots of different ways of doing that.
Q Will subsidy cuts at the end of the day be one of them?
DIRECTOR ORSZAG: Yes, I think so. I mean, again, I think -- I think one of the approaches -- again, there are lots of different components of agricultural support, and both Chairman Peterson and Senator Conrad have been talking about ways of making the system more efficient, especially by reducing subsidies to large farmers.
Q Hi, Peter. Thanks for joining us this morning. Two questions, both are related to the task force. One is, could you be clear -- a little clearer, do you intend to raise revenue only through enforcement of the tax gap, or do you also intend to raise revenue from tax simplification and the review of the corporate structure?
And secondly, a related question, you know, when you all unveiled this budget you talked a lot about fiscal responsibility, and the end result is spiraling debt, basically. And I'm wondering if you see this task force as a means to begin to address that.
DIRECTOR ORSZAG: Well, let me answer that second question first. Again, I don't know what spiraling debt you're referring to, but we're inheriting a budget situation that is a mess, and that we're working our way out of. And under both budget resolutions, the deficit is reduced in half -- by more than half by 2013, and actually then is either stable or declining between 2013 and 2014. So I guess I just -- I take issue with the conjecture that we're -- you know, there's spiraling debt here.
Q Well, I was referring to your original proposal.
DIRECTOR ORSZAG: Sorry?
Q I was referring to the CBO --
DIRECTOR ORSZAG: Okay. Let's actually turn to that because again, for the first five years there's not that big of a difference. There are some differences in the estimation for the back five years. That is driven disproportionately by economic growth, along with a whole host of other factors.
And I have, as you know, a lot of respect for the Congressional Budget Office. I would just say that with regard to 10-year growth estimates, there are legitimate differences and, again, if you look at the end-year -- you know, the steady stayed out in years six, seven, eight, nine, 10 -- we are actually much closer to the Federal Reserve and to the blue chip than CBO is -- which is not to say CBO is necessarily wrong, but just to say I wouldn't necessarily conclude that they're right. And that is the key driver of years five through 10.
With regard to the task force, the only constraints on its activities are that there will be no tax increases during 2009 or 2010, and the proposals should not raise taxes on American families making less than $250,000.
So beyond those two constraints, the task force is open to consider options of any sort that it sees fit.
Q But will there be a goal of raising additional revenue, or you're just leaving it completely up to Volcker and company?
DIRECTOR ORSZAG: We don't have any revenue target for the task force, but again, I think there's been a bunch of academic thinking on streamlining the existing credit, and it would be useful to have a more fully fleshed-out set of proposals on that. Again, with regard to the tax gap, I don't think anyone is proposing increasing it. So that would only -- especially on the tax gap, that would only point to increased revenue if we did a better job of collecting the taxes that were owed.
DIRECTOR ORSZAG: Next question, please.
Q Hey, Peter. Does the administration have an opinion yet on whether to use reconciliation this year?
DIRECTOR ORSZAG: I'm going to continue saying what I have long said, which is, reconciliation is not where we'd like to start, but we are not willing to take it off the table. And there clearly are some differences between the Senate and the House on this topic. And that will be, you know, worked out. Assuming that both resolutions are adopted by the respective bodies, that would be something that would be worked out in conference.
I think we're getting close on time, so we're going to spiral through questions quickly here. Next question, please.
Q Good morning, Peter. Thanks for doing this. I agree with you that the budget resolution is a dollar amount, but it's also sort of a first go-round on the politics of these underlying budget and tax decisions. And isn't it fair to say that on cap and trade, the charity tax change you proposed, and the tax credit, all three of those are in a higher degree of jeopardy than they were when you proposed the budget, and what is the administration going to do to change that?
And then secondarily, there's an Al Kamen blog last night that the OMB is trying to change or excise the term "global war on terror." I'd like you to address that, if you could.
DIRECTOR ORSZAG: Yes, I sometimes am amused by things that I read in the press. I saw that blog. I am not aware of any communication that I've had on that topic. And I'm here with Kenny Baer who is telling me --
MR. BAER: It was a communication by a mid-level career civil servant. There was no official memo or guidance given out by OMB. I think I spoke to your colleague about this earlier this morning, so let's get back to the budget.
DIRECTOR ORSZAG: And on the budget, I guess what I would say is, again, everyone is -- you know, you all are looking for small differences between what the President sent up and what the House and Senate are considering -- 98 percent the same, and in the four key areas that the President identified, exactly and fully in line.
So, yes, there are some differences, but I think the big story is how similar these two things are rather than the small adjustments that were inevitable. It was never going to be the case -- I mean, I think setting an expectation that they were just going to, you know, take the PDF and retype it and then vote on that was never going -- never going to be -- never going to happen. That's not the way we've set up our system of governing. And so it's not surprising that there are some adjustments that are made, but we're very pleased that the main thrust and bulk of these resolutions are in line with the President's priorities.
Q But having covered the campaign, Peter, the tax credit and cap and trade are central features of the President's --
DIRECTOR ORSZAG: Well, let's (inaudible) -- we have the tax credit for two years. We've got two years to figure this out. I mean, I think it's been little remarked that we actually got that tax proposal into law within the first month.
With regard to climate change, there's already legislation that is being considered on the House side. The Senate is also active. The fact that it's not treated in the budget resolution the same way that we proposed in no way means that the House and Senate can't take the legislation up. And in fact, I think some may argue that the political economy of getting climate change done this year may actually be better outside of the -- outside of the budget resolution than inside of it.
Q Thanks, Peter.
Q Hi, Peter. As you know, next week the President is going to be going to the G20. One of the big subjects that is being pressed by the Europeans is tax gap issues, especially offshore tax havens. And, I mean, you've given this December 4th deadline, but I wonder if there is some kind of message that the President might be taking to the G20 next week out of this effort to say that you are taking the European concerns on tax evasion very seriously.
DIRECTOR ORSZAG: Well, I would say we have $210 billion in our budget precisely on this topic, and that will be -- I think will not wait for December. And what the Volcker board is going to do is to try to be even more aggressive than that.
So I think in terms of our activities, we've sort of got a two-stage process. Let's get some of the specific legislative proposals done, and then we need more work on how we can be even more aggressive in trying to tackle it, and I think that's fully consistent with what other countries are trying to do also.
Q I mean, do you specifically think, would you -- in these guidances, would you specifically say that offshore tax havens is something that you want the Volcker board to look at?
DIRECTOR ORSZAG: Yes.
Q Okay. DIRECTOR ORSZAG: Okay, thank you very much, everybody. Take care.
10:18 A.M. EDT


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text:
Q: JavaScript: What is the difference between ', ", and `? I've been learning JavaScript for not too long, and somethings that I notice a lot, but doesn't make sense to me are the different operators (if I can call them that) that defines a string. What I mean by that is the single quote ('), the double quote (") and the apostrophe-thing(`). I have come to realize that ``` is used when you want to use the variable or something (eg
console.log(`this is my string ${ str }`)

or something like that. I don't know too much about these and I would like to know what their different purposes are (or in the very least, what they are called)
Thanks!
P.S. I realize that this question topic causes some problems with the markdown. I have no idea how to fix it.

A: The apostrophe thing ` is general used for multi line strings while single and double quotes are used for single line strings. Single quotes are used to enclose double quotes.
For example: say I have a string like so: "I ate a fruit". If I want to print that string with the quotation marks I would use console.print(' "I ate a fruit" ').

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


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Dr. Braudenhoff was in great stress, so he left his tired body fall in a chair. He was somewhat nervous and somewhat sad. He wanted to drink a lot and forget about everything. He wanted to sleep for many hours, but he couldn't. He had something to prepare. But he felt a sudden chill in the spine only in thinking of what Histlenheimer said to him. He didn't hate Histlenheimer, the two used to live at the same street when Braudenhoff was younger, so they knew themselves well. He just didn't care for all those Third Reich things, like Eugenics and other stupid thoughts, but Histlenheimer insisted with him about the plans of the Führer. "Different thoughts, that was the problem". Although Histlenheimer used to give support to Dr. Braudenhoff activities, he sometimes put the doctor in difficult situations like this one.
So Dr. Braudenhoff was about to throw everything that was near him in the wall when he realized that the envelope the nurse had given him before was in his hands. He became curious and decided to open the envelope. It contained some records and documents of his new gift. Suddenly he became interested "Number ######, Stella R., born in 1927, Hungarian, Jewish, no apparent diseases, the historic since of her arrival in the camp and many other useless information. Stella. Stella… Stella…………….. Braudenhoff…" Then the doctor became ashamed of his thoughts and closed the documents. Of course he was touched by the beauty and the innocence of the Jewish girl, but it was like a dream, like an escape from the reality. First he didn't know anything about her. Second he (and her too, of course) would be executed if he didn't do what he was supposed to do. "What I am supposed to do? TO KILL STELLA? Damned people! Why do they oblige me to do this? WHY? WHY?" And he threw the envelope away, stood up and kicked the chair. "Demons, demons, demons. Oh no, why this, my God, why this? I can´t. I can´t'. He fell on his knees, with the hands in the face. "I caaaaan´t! I shall not. Noooooooooo!".
Dr. Braudenhoff was mad and upset, but anything in order to avoid his fate would be useless. So he decided to lie in the bed and take a nap, if it was possible. He was disturbed, but after some minutes fell asleep and dreamed about his sister being murdered. He woke up in panic, the heart beating fast. Then he realized it was just a dream and looked at the clock. It was five o'clock and he didn't have eaten anything the whole day long. He slowly entered the bathroom, took a brief cold shower, trying to become alert. But the thing he should do next was the last thing that would encourage him. So he dressed his medical tunic, checked that the smell of flesh had already faded, ate a little sandwich and he was ready for The thing he should never have done.


text:
Owen & Engine finally returns, led by a mellower Bo Fowler — who is forging a possible new way forward for Chicago restaurants
Chicago Public Schools chief says Monday classes are canceled unless there's a 'breakthrough' in COVID-19 talks with teachers union
By Tracy Swartz and Tatyana Turner
Chicago Public Schools CEO Pedro Martinez said Friday that classes are canceled Monday "until we get to some breakthrough in the negotiations" with the Chicago Teachers Union over COVID-19 safety protocols, though some individual schools may offer services and programs.
Martinez also said the district explored temporarily transitioning to remote learning amid the standoff with the union, but he worried the programs would not be of high quality.
"This is already so incredibly difficult for our families," Martinez said Friday in an online discussion with community leaders. "For me to just increase the pressure on both the staff and our families to try to put up a program that we know the quality won't be what our children deserve, I just couldn't do it."
CPS CEO Pedro Martinez addresses the press about COVID-19 and CPS during a news conference at City Hall on Wednesday. (John J. Kim / Chicago Tribune)
Martinez said Friday he is "cautiously optimistic that we're making ground on the big issues" with the union — including devising a metric that would shift a school to virtual learning and increasing COVID-19 testing in schools — and promised to negotiate through the weekend if necessary. Classes were canceled Friday across the district for the third day in a row, but CPS officials said individual schools could reopen for in-person activities if enough staff members were present.
Some principals said they planned to offer activities Monday. Coonley Elementary School in the North Center neighborhood said it would host reading and math enrichment, basketball and yoga sessions. Attendance will be taken Monday only for COVID-19 contact tracing purposes, Principal Brennen Humphrey said in a note to parents.
Bronzeville Classical Elementary School Principal Nicole Spicer looked beyond Monday in a letter to families. "CPS schools are closed until Friday, January 14, 2022. We will update BCS families if this date changes," Spicer wrote Friday afternoon, adding that the school "will not distribute devices during this eight-day work stoppage." Independent work packets will be available.
South Loop Elementary School and Whitney M. Young Magnet High School said they will not be open for instruction or activities Monday, with Whitney Young Principal Joyce Kenner encouraging parents not to contact faculty or staff because they do not have access to their emails or virtual classrooms.
Steinmetz College Prep in the Belmont Central neighborhood canceled Monday classes as well "based on the expected staffing levels." Lane Tech College Prep told parents it is planning to welcome students Monday, Wednesday and Friday for in-person "winter enrichment" activities such as basketball and college admission planning, if the district does not reach a deal with the union.
The principal of Kate Starr Kellogg Elementary School alerted families early Friday afternoon the Beverly school would not offer in-person or remote instruction Monday. Parents should not plan to send their children to school.
Adan Meza, right, a first-year social studies teacher at Juarez High School in Chicago's Pilsen neighborhood, hands information to resident Fan Wang, left, on Friday as Chicago Teachers Union members go door to door to make the public aware of their demands, including temporary remote learning or proper testing, safe staffing levels, high quality masks for students and staff members, vaccinations and clean schools. (Chris Sweda / Chicago Tribune)
"I do not anticipate that we will have sufficient staffing for in person instruction until an agreement is made between CPS and CTU. I will send notification should anything change," Principal Cory Overstreet wrote in a note to parents.
"All after-school programs, athletic practices, and other school events are also canceled. We hope to be able to welcome our students back to our school as soon as possible and will provide an update on our school's plan for next week shortly."
In his Friday remarks, Martinez said principals have wanted flexibility during the standoff. Yet more than 100 school administrators signed a letter Thursday saying they do not want to take on the "demoralizing task" of determining if their school has enough staff members to teach students in person amid the ongoing omicron surge.
"This is a districtwide crisis and we need a districtwide strategy. It should not be an ad hoc reactionary response that creates inequities that are predictable among social and economic lines," read a statement issued Thursday by the Chicago Principals and Administrators Association, which said it had been signed by more than 100 principals and assistant principals as the in-person learning dispute continued.
CTU President Jesse Sharkey said in a statement that the union saw movement in negotiations Thursday, "more than we've seen in the last few months."
But Sharkey said the union is sticking to its demands of a negative COVID-19 test result to return to buildings; a "massive increase" in the district's in-school weekly testing program; and a shift to remote learning at any school where 20% or more of the staff is in isolation or quarantine, or when the school's safety committee decides a transition is necessary.
Chicago Teachers Union members, some of them teachers at Juarez High School in Chicago's Pilsen neighborhood, stand outside the school Friday before going door to door to make the public aware of their demands. (Chris Sweda / Chicago Tribune)
Martinez said Friday the district is exploring being able to test at least 10% of unvaccinated people in schools per week in addition to the students and staff members who signed up for the district's weekly nasal swab program that has been voluntary for students and mandatory for unvaccinated staff members.
"We would still get permission from parents. So what we would want is just to get enough consent so that at a minimum, we're doing 10% of unvaccinated individuals. It would always be with consent," Martinez said. "We'd still be doing testing of vaccinated individuals as well, because we know we have breakthrough cases. There's still anxiety."
CPS says about 91% of its staff is fully vaccinated. Just over half of CPS students aged 12 and older are fully vaccinated, according to the district, with about a quarter of the students 5 to 11 years old having received at least one dose.
As of late last month, 41,690 students and 24,933 staff members were registered for the weekly testing program, according to the district.
The problem is capacity. For months, the district has promised it could test 40,000 people a week, but the closest it has reached is nearly 34,000 tests the week before winter break. Martinez said the district is committed to building capacity, and it is in discussions with the state and federal government to acquire more tests.
Gov. J.B. Pritzker's office said Friday he has asked President Joe Biden's administration for more COVID-19 testing kits for CPS. The district had a program that allowed 150,000 students to take test kits home over the holidays and mail them back, but it was a bust. More than 330,000 students are enrolled in CPS, the nation's third-largest school district.
Martinez said Friday the union and the district are also "making progress" on a bench mark that would let a school move to remote learning.
Students attended school Monday and Tuesday before the union voted to refuse in-person work from Wednesday until Jan. 18 unless CPS stepped up its approach to COVID-19. CPS and city health officials have repeatedly said the protocols in place, such as indoor masking, weekly testing and prompt contact tracing, are sufficient.
"All the evidence that we have is that cases start in the neighborhood and they come into the schools," Martinez said Friday.
He said Friday the district has been "burning through" emergency days built into the calendar since classes were canceled Wednesday.
The days "don't have to be made up, but, sadly, we're going to run out of those days by a little bit past mid-next week, and then we won't have any more days to burn," he said.
CPS, meanwhile, continues to report record numbers of cases. CPS disclosed 862 new student COVID-19 cases and 651 new adult infections from Monday through Wednesday. That represents an increase from the nearly 1,000 new cases — the district's largest weekly total of 2021 — it reported as students and staff members headed into their two-week winter break last month.
English teacher Fannetta Jones, who teaches at Prosser Career Academy, grades her students' papers at home on Jan. 6, 2022, in Chicago. On Wednesday, Jones tried to log into her work email and realized that she'd been locked out of the Chicago Public Schools system. (Erin Hooley / Chicago Tribune)
CPS on Friday reported nearly 10,000 students and about 2,500 adults were in isolation because they tested positive for the virus or in quarantine because they came in contact with an infected person.
The district said about 13% of CTU teachers and around 16% of substitute teachers showed up for work Thursday. "A little bit more" reported to work Friday, Martinez said. Staff members who don't come to buildings don't get paid, unless they were authorized by the district to work remotely, Martinez said.
"I don't know of any society (or) any circumstance where somebody can say, 'Hey, I'm not going to come into work. I'm going to work the way I want to work, and from where I want to work, and how I want to work, and I still expect to be compensated,'" Martinez said.
Some teachers reported being locked out of their virtual classrooms after Tuesday's union vote. English teacher Fannetta Jones said she tried to log into the district system early Wednesday but was unsuccessful. The lack of access creates a barrier between her and her students, she said.
"When we voted, we voted to teach remotely, not to stop working completely," Jones said. "We want to teach and not lose any more time than we've lost within the space of this pandemic."
Tribune reporter Jeremy Gorner contributed.
tswartz@tribpub.com
tatturner@chicagotribune.com


text:
CDC updates are straining already-pressed public health departments
With an already-weary public tuning out rules and with omicron surging, some public health professionals are struggling to explain recent changes in federal guidance.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the president's chief medical adviser, and CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky before a video call last week on the White House covid response.Anna Moneymaker / Getty Images
Jan. 8, 2022, 9:30 AM UTC / Updated Jan. 8, 2022, 1:13 PM UTC
By Evan Bush
Dr. Michael Kilkenny did not expect the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention news release he received on Dec. 27.
Four days earlier, the CDC had cut the isolation time for health care workers with Covid to seven days, if they were asymptomatic and had a negative test. The new announcement said that people with Covid could isolate for just five days after symptoms developed, instead of 10.
"When we got a press release on the 27th that seemed to contradict guidance we got on the 23rd — that was quite a bombshell for us," said Kilkenny, chief executive officer and health officer of the Cabell-Huntington Health Department, which serves Huntington, West Virginia, and the surrounding county.
Around the country, schools and health organizations scrambled to interpret the news release and adjust their policies — only to change course again when the CDC filled out details and its rationale in full guidance published about a week later.
"That gap left us guessing what we should actually do," Kilkenny said. "That's not good management and good communication. It leads to misunderstanding. It leads to distrust."
The CDC decision to cut isolation times in half for many people who have caught Covid-19 took local public health agencies by surprise and left some struggling to explain to their communities exactly what the changes meant and why federal officials had made them. Gaps in communication between federal, state and local officials have left some public health leaders fearing that they've lost trust with those they serve amid public confusion.
In interviews, three local public health leaders, one state leader and two leaders of medical associations offered a mixture of reactions to the CDC's recent shifts: frustration over lack of communication but also understanding that every public health officer faces challenges in making timely changes and offering clear guidance. None took issue with the guidance itself.
"We were hearing from the hospitals, in particular, great concern for how we were going to be able to keep operations going," said Dr. Philip Huang, the director of the Dallas County Health and Human Services department in Texas, who said his agency was looking at changes to local quarantine and isolation protocols before the CDC made its recommendations. "Was it ideal? No. I think though, these are extraordinary times with lots of variables and things happening."
The rapid spread of the omicron variant intensified a pandemic tension for public health officials: How to move quickly while also sending clear and consistent messages to a weary public. It didn't help that the variant was taking off during what many had hoped would be a holiday break.
CDC panel recommends booster shot for kids ages 12 to 15
Jan. 6, 202202:49
As omicron took hold in December, federal officials responded with a flurry of changes.
First, the CDC shortened its recommendations for isolation time for Covid-positive health workers to seven days after a negative test on Dec. 23. It said health workers who had received booster shots did not need to quarantine after exposures.
Then, on Dec. 27, the agency announced in a news release that it was shortening isolation time for the broader public to five days if symptoms were resolving, with another five days of masking afterward.
The agency did not publish a full update and rationale behind the new policies until Jan. 4, when it also clarified policies for special groups like those in health care, jails and homeless shelters.
Some health experts have criticized the policies, which lack testing requirements for the broader public. Meantime, many in the general public expressed confusion.
Federal officials have said they changed the guidelines over concerns that omicron's rapid spread would shut down essential services and also because they believe the majority of viral transmission takes place early in infection.
But local officials say they were left in the dark about what, exactly, they ought to be telling members of their community who had questions about the new advice.
"The press release of Dec. 27 surprised me," said Kilkenny, who added that he trusts the agency to make sound decisions based on science and that he follows the agency's recommendations almost religiously. "We act on guidance. We don't act on press release."
Lori Freeman, chief executive of the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO), said the CDC typically communicates in advance over major policy shifts. That didn't happen this time.
What parents need to know as CDC authorizes Covid booster for 12 to 15-year-olds
"There were no talking points, if you will, or details about the changing guidance," Freeman said, adding that local health officials "had a hard time answering questions and responding in a positive or informed way."
That left some officials out of step with the news of the day.
"The more it appears to be disjointed, that's when people begin to question the actual guidance," Freeman said.
And local public health leaders worry that their influence on important health measures has already waned dramatically.
"A good many of our public have stopped listening to us entirely. Certainly, I can't get any more people to get vaccinated or wear masks than what are doing it now based on anything I say," Kilkenny said.
Michael Fraser, the executive director of the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials, said omicron became an emergency at an unfortunate time, during the holidays when tired public health officials and the rest of the nation were eager for a break.
But omicron was spreading so fast that it was becoming, from his perspective, scary.
"I think we're really misplacing criticism on CDC right now," Fraser said. "We were extremely concerned and hospital capacity was very limited. They needed to do something."
Some states, like Michigan, initially refused to adopt the recommendations, but came around later after hearing more about the CDC's rationale, Fraser said.
And local health leaders said the new CDC guidance might better reflect what disruptions people are willing to deal with in some communities. Some people were not following the prior quarantine guidelines, which recommended that unvaccinated people quarantine for 14 days after an exposure.
"Our compliance for recommending that was very low after two years," said Lisa Macon Harrison, health director for Granville and Vance counties in North Carolina, adding that science must be balanced with the realities of what people are willing to do to reduce the spread of the virus.
Harrison, also the board president of NACCHO, said she would have preferred that federal, state and local agencies be in lockstep over how to talk about the new guidelines, but that wasn't always possible.
"It's frustrating not to be in the know on every decision and yes, I give grace to the fact that we're all in a pandemic response," Harrison said. "We sometimes have to make decisions faster than allows for inclusive discourse."
Evan Bush
Evan Bush is a science reporter for NBC News. He can be reached at Evan.Bush@nbcuni.com.


Toei Animation is not just focusing on continuing their Dragon Ball universe with the upcoming Dragon Ball Super Broly film. During a press conference on Wednesday, Toei Animation, Sammy, Sola Entertainment, & Marza Animation Planet announced that they will be teaming up to bring a Monkey King CG-animated film to the big screen!
It was revealed that John A. Davis, director of the 2001 Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius CG-animated movie will be helming the Monkey King movie & Naoto Oshima, designer of the Sonic the Hedgehog game will be drafting the story & drawing the original character designs. Shrek 2's screenplay writers J. David Stem & David N. Weiss are signed on to write the script.
As of now there is no release date set for the film, but it will be interesting to see how this plays out.


text:
How City Councils Work
By: Eric Baxter
District of Columbia Council Chairwoman Linda Cropp speaks as the council votes to clear the way for a baseball stadium financing agreement on Dec. 21, 2004, in Washington, D.C.
Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images
New Hampshire, the hotbed of presidential primary politics, is known for its town meetings. At these annual gatherings, every citizen eligible to vote can stand up and make his or her opinion heard. It's considered one of the truest forms of democracy in the United States.
In Manchester, the state's largest city, a town meeting style vote session would be impossible due to sheer numbers. Added to this volume is the complexity and diversity of decisions that even a small city requires. According to Manchester deputy city clerk Kathie Gardner, the key is the division of the city into wards or districts. Manchester has 12 wards within the city.
"Each one acts like a small town," Gardener says. "Each ward has its own character and needs. The aldermen do their best to serve their [ward's] needs."
Manchester's wards and aldermen are at the heart of a form of representative government called a city council. Each city is sectioned off into chunks of space, called wards or districts, and residents from each piece elect a representative, usually known as an alderman or a councilor. These representatives listen to their constituents and bring their concerns, questions and demands to the city. City councils administer through consensus, although consensus isn't always easy to reach.
Added to the mix in a city council is a mayor or city administrator. Depending on the city charter, this can be an elected position -- the mayor -- or a hired position -- the city administrator. Mayors and administrators can have lots of power with the council or very little, depending on the charter and how much clout and support they have.
However it's structured, the city councilor form of government is dynamic. Cities change, and their governments change with them. With all the change, personalities and politics in play, the city council system can become messy and imperfect. But, it's one of the ways a large body of people can have a voice in a local government.
Read on to find out more about how city councils work.
Previous 1 2 3 Next Page
Eric Baxter "How City Councils Work" 23 March 2010.
HowStuffWorks.com. <https://people.howstuffworks.com/government/local-politics/city-council.htm> 29 January 2023
What does a county assessor do?
How a State's Attorney Works


text:
Baseball News, Analysis, History, Schedule, Rumors
Austin Jackson signs with the Giants
By: Jordan Dickow | January 23, 2018 January 23, 2018
The San Francisco Giants continued their great offseason yesterday by acquiring outfielder Austin Jackson, per Jon Heyman. Jackson inked a two-year pact worth $6 million plus performance bonuses, which could raise the $6 million contract to $8.5 million. The deal has already been finalized, as Jackson passed his physical, per Ken Rosenthal.
With the Giants acquiring Andrew McCutchen and Jackson to play in the outfield, San Francisco has upgraded their struggling outfield. There was no starter in right field and that position was essentially run on a "by committee" basis. Jarrett Parker and Gorkys Hernandez shared time in right and survived last year with a combined two DRS. The Giants have solved this by putting McCutchen in right. He's played center field most of his career, but is an asset in right as he finished with a two DRS last season. Denard Span, who was traded over to Tampa Bay for Evan Longoria, came off a terrible defensive year. He ended last year with a -27 DRS. Jackson, who will take over in center field, isn't the same defender that saved 26 runs in center in 2011, but he can still play solid defense; he ended last season with a -2 DRS.
Jackson brings a right-handed bat that sees both righty and lefty pitchers very well. Last season, he batted .352 with four home runs, 15 RBI, and 19 walks off of southpaws. Jackson also hit right-handers well, batting .291 with three homers, 20 RBI, and 14 walks. With Jackson projected to bat 8th in the lineup, his ability to get on base against both handed pitchers will be key at the bottom of the order.
Jackson, who is set to turn 31 next month, played for the Cleveland Indians last season. He hit .318/.387/.482 (126 OPS+) with seven home runs in 318 plate appearances. This was Jackson's strongest offensive season in several years. Since 2014-16, he's batted .260/.311/.361 (89 OPS+) with 13 home runs in nearly 1,400 plate appearances.
With San Francisco signing Austin Jackson, they have now bowed out of the running for Lorenzo Cain. The Giants have been linked to Cain even after they acquired McCutchen, but Giants brass has stated that they are set on staying below the $197 million luxury tax cap.
The Giants are coming off a 96-loss season, but San Francisco has done a great job filling their needs with veteran talent. They've traded away their shallow farm system to retool and compete for the next couple of years, and acquiring former All-Stars in Longoria and McCutchen is certainly the way to go. As long as both Longo and McCutchen continue to provide solid production like they did last season, this retool should be successful. The acquisition of Jackson alone doesn't put the Giants over the hump to be Wild Card favorites, but perhaps adding an arm in their bullpen will put them even closer to getting back into the postseason.
Posted in MLB, News, San Francisco GiantsTagged Austin Jackson, Baseball, MLB, MLB Offseason, San Francisco Giants
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