А я вам что говорил!

Арбат в конце марта поделился своим прогнозом на то, "как изменится мир после всего этого". Цитирую интересующую нас часть:

Сейчас многие, кто думал, что образование, теоретически, можно получать "по скайпу", обнаружат, что, да, можно. И удобно - для обеих сторон. Более того, исчезает ощущение, что "online" это какое-то ненастоящее образование, исчезает стигма, - точно так же, как несколько лет назад исчезла стигма знакомства через интернет.

Я в то же время запостил запись "Online Classes":

С начала карантина я вижу у разных жжистов рассуждения о том, что вот сейчас образование вынуждено перевели online, люди увидят, что необязательно ходить на занятия, можно, глядя в экран компьютера, получать ту же информацию, и мир образования уже никогда не будет прежним.

[...]

А произошло следующее. Преподавателям в университетах, технических колледжах и школах сказали, что вот с завтрашнего дня... Ну, не с завтрашнего дня, а через неделю, или, как в нашем случае, например, через две недели, мы возобновляем занятия online. Go!

[...]

Теперь подумайте: какого качества продукт получится в большинстве случаев, и какой рекламой онлайн образования этот продукт послужит?

С тех пор прошло больше трех месяцев, весенний семестр закончился. Было бы интересно выяснить, кто из нас оказался прав в своем прогнозе. Как бы это узнать? Где найти непредвзятого эксперта, который смог бы нас рассудить?

Нашел! Дональд наш Джей. Трамп! Человек, которого никто не обвинит в ангажированности, и который является непререкаемым авторитетом в любой области. Кто же, как не он, может вынести вердикт онлайн-обучению?! Ему и слово.

Donald J. Trump:

Now that we have witnessed it on a large scale basis, and firsthand, Virtual Learning has proven to be TERRIBLE compared to In School, or On Campus, Learning. Not even close! Schools must be open in the Fall. If not open, why would the Federal Government give Funding? It won’t!!!

TERRIBLE! Еще вопросы есть? То-то и оно.

P.S. Если серьезно, то, конечно, онлайн-обучение, само по себе, совершенно не terrible. И, в любом случае, мнение Трампа тут не имеет никакого значения. Но, как я пророчески написал в марте, в силу экстраординарных обстоятельств, перевод всех курсов в онлайн посреди семестра никак не мог послужить хорошей рекламой этой формы обучения.

Hello!

Вечер пятницы. Новости.

Роджер Стоун во вторник должен был отправиться в тюрьму, так что, как и ожидалось, Трамп его помиловал.

Statement from the Press Secretary Regarding Executive Grant of Clemency for Roger Stone, Jr.

Today, President Donald J. Trump signed an Executive Grant of Clemency commuting the unjust sentence of Roger Stone, Jr.

Roger Stone is a victim of the Russia Hoax that the Left and its allies in the media perpetuated for years in an attempt to undermine the Trump Presidency. There was never any collusion between the Trump Campaign, or the Trump Administration, with Russia. Such collusion was never anything other than a fantasy of partisans unable to accept the result of the 2016 election. The collusion delusion spawned endless and farcical investigations, conducted at great taxpayer expense, looking for evidence that did not exist. As it became clear that these witch hunts would never bear fruit, the Special Counsel’s Office resorted to process-based charges leveled at high-profile people in an attempt to manufacture the false impression of criminality lurking below the surface. These charges were the product of recklessness borne of frustration and malice.This is why the out-of-control Mueller prosecutors, desperate for splashy headlines to compensate for a failed investigation, set their sights on Mr. Stone. Roger Stone is well known for his nearly 50 years of work as a consultant for high-profile Republican politicians, including President Ronald Reagan, Senator Bob Dole, and many others. He is also well known for his outspoken support for President Donald J. Trump and opposition to Hillary Clinton.

Mr. Stone was charged by the same prosecutors from the Mueller Investigation tasked with finding evidence of collusion with Russia. Because no such evidence exists, however, they could not charge him for any collusion-related crime. Instead, they charged him for his conduct during their investigation. The simple fact is that if the Special Counsel had not been pursuing an absolutely baseless investigation, Mr. Stone would not be facing time in prison.

In addition to charging Mr. Stone with alleged crimes arising solely from their own improper investigation, the Mueller prosecutors also took pains to make a public and shameful spectacle of his arrest. Mr. Stone is a 67-year-old man, with numerous medical conditions, who had never been convicted of another crime. But rather than allow him to surrender himself, they used dozens of FBI agents with automatic weapons and tactical equipment, armored vehicles, and an amphibious unit to execute a pre-dawn raid of his home, where he was with his wife of many years. Notably, CNN cameras were present to broadcast these events live to the world, even though they swore they were not notified—it was just a coincidence that they were there together with the FBI early in the morning.

Not only was Mr. Stone charged by overzealous prosecutors pursing a case that never should have existed, and arrested in an operation that never should have been approved, but there were also serious questions about the jury in the case. The forewoman of his jury, for example, concealed the fact that she is a member of the so-called liberal “resistance” to the Trump Presidency. In now-deleted tweets, this activist-juror vividly and openly attacked President Trump and his supporters.

Mr. Stone would be put at serious medical risk in prison. He has appealed his conviction and is seeking a new trial. He maintains his innocence and has stated that he expects to be fully exonerated by the justice system. Mr. Stone, like every American, deserves a fair trial and every opportunity to vindicate himself before the courts. The President does not wish to interfere with his efforts to do so. At this time, however, and particularly in light of the egregious facts and circumstances surrounding his unfair prosecution, arrest, and trial, the President has determined to commute his sentence. Roger Stone has already suffered greatly. He was treated very unfairly, as were many others in this case. Roger Stone is now a free man!