Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Interested in becoming a member of Staten Island Views?
If you have read some of the posts and you would like to let people see what you think (other than commenting on existing stories), then become a member of Staten Island Views. As a member you will be able to submit your own subjects for review by our community. To be considered, submit a short essay on your position on a topic of your choosing. Spelling, grammar, and sound logic (I do not have to agree with your view, but you should present good logic to support it) will be considered. If your submission is recognized you will receive further instructions on what to do next. This offer is limited to Staten Island residents (or former residents) that care about the community of Staten Island. Good luck and start writing!
Friday, July 25, 2008
He ventured forth to bring light to the world
Blasphemous...but really funny. I guess some people have too much time on their hands.
From The Times
July 25, 2008
The anointed one's pilgrimage to the Holy Land is a miracle in action - and a blessing to all his faithful followers
By Gerard Baker
And it came to pass, in the eighth year of the reign of the evil Bush the Younger (The Ignorant), when the whole land from the Arabian desert to the shores of the Great Lakes had been laid barren, that a Child appeared in the wilderness.
The Child was blessed in looks and intellect. Scion of a simple family, offspring of a miraculous union, grandson of a typical white person and an African peasant. And yea, as he grew, the Child walked in the path of righteousness, with only the occasional detour into the odd weed and a little blow.
When he was twelve years old, they found him in the temple in the City of Chicago, arguing the finer points of community organisation with the Prophet Jeremiah and the Elders. And the Elders were astonished at what they heard and said among themselves: “Verily, who is this Child that he opens our hearts and minds to the audacity of hope?”
In the great Battles of Caucus and Primary he smote the conniving Hillary, wife of the deposed King Bill the Priapic and their barbarian hordes of Working Class Whites.
And so it was, in the fullness of time, before the harvest month of the appointed year, the Child ventured forth - for the first time - to bring the light unto all the world.
He travelled fleet of foot and light of camel, with a small retinue that consisted only of his loyal disciples from the tribe of the Media. He ventured first to the land of the Hindu Kush, where the
Taleban had harboured the viper of al-Qaeda in their bosom, raining terror on all the world.
And the Child spake and the tribes of Nato immediately loosed the Caveats that had previously bound them. And in the great battle that ensued the forces of the light were triumphant. For as long as the Child stood with his arms raised aloft, the enemy suffered great blows and the threat of terror was no more.
From there he went forth to Mesopotamia where he was received by the great ruler al-Maliki, and al-Maliki spake unto him and blessed his Sixteen Month Troop Withdrawal Plan even as the imperial warrior Petraeus tried to destroy it.
And lo, in Mesopotamia, a miracle occurred. Even though the Great Surge of Armour that the evil Bush had ordered had been a terrible mistake, a waste of vital military resources and doomed to end in disaster, the Child's very presence suddenly brought forth a great victory for the forces of the light.
And the Persians, who saw all this and were greatly fearful, longed to speak with the Child and saw that the Child was the bringer of peace. At the mention of his name they quickly laid aside their intrigues and beat their uranium swords into civil nuclear energy ploughshares.
From there the Child went up to the city of Jerusalem, and entered through the gate seated on an ass. The crowds of network anchors who had followed him from afar cheered “Hosanna” and waved great palm fronds and strewed them at his feet.
In Jerusalem and in surrounding Palestine, the Child spake to the Hebrews and the Arabs, as the Scripture had foretold. And in an instant, the lion lay down with the lamb, and the Israelites and Ishmaelites ended their long enmity and lived for ever after in peace.
As word spread throughout the land about the Child's wondrous works, peoples from all over flocked to hear him; Hittites and Abbasids; Obamacons and McCainiacs; Cameroonians and Blairites.
And they told of strange and wondrous things that greeted the news of the Child's journey. Around the world, global temperatures began to decline, and the ocean levels fell and the great warming was over.
The Great Prophet Algore of Nobel and Oscar, who many had believed was the anointed one, smiled and told his followers that the Child was the one generations had been waiting for.
And there were other wonderful signs. In the city of the Street at the Wall, spreads on interbank interest rates dropped like manna from Heaven and rates on credit default swaps fell to the ground as dead birds from the almond tree, and the people who had lived in foreclosure were able to borrow again.
Black gold gushed from the ground at prices well below $140 per barrel. In hospitals across the land the sick were cured even though they were uninsured. And all because the Child had pronounced it.
And this is the testimony of one who speaks the truth and bears witness to the truth so that you might believe. And he knows it is the truth for he saw it all on CNN and the BBC and in the pages of The New York Times.
Then the Child ventured forth from Israel and Palestine and stepped onto the shores of the Old Continent. In the land of Queen Angela of Merkel, vast multitudes gathered to hear his voice, and he preached to them at length.
But when he had finished speaking his disciples told him the crowd was hungry, for they had had nothing to eat all the hours they had waited for him.
And so the Child told his disciples to fetch some food but all they had was five loaves and a couple of frankfurters. So he took the bread and the frankfurters and blessed them and told his disciples to feed the multitudes. And when all had eaten their fill, the scraps filled twelve baskets.
Thence he travelled west to Mount Sarkozy. Even the beauteous Princess Carla of the tribe of the Bruni was struck by awe and she was great in love with the Child, but he was tempted not.
On the Seventh Day he walked across the Channel of the Angles to the ancient land of the hooligans. There he was welcomed with open arms by the once great prophet Blair and his successor, Gordon the Leper, and his successor, David the Golden One.
And suddenly, with the men appeared the archangel Gabriel and the whole host of the heavenly choir, ranks of cherubim and seraphim, all praising God and singing: “Yes, We Can.”
From The Times
July 25, 2008
The anointed one's pilgrimage to the Holy Land is a miracle in action - and a blessing to all his faithful followers
By Gerard Baker
And it came to pass, in the eighth year of the reign of the evil Bush the Younger (The Ignorant), when the whole land from the Arabian desert to the shores of the Great Lakes had been laid barren, that a Child appeared in the wilderness.
The Child was blessed in looks and intellect. Scion of a simple family, offspring of a miraculous union, grandson of a typical white person and an African peasant. And yea, as he grew, the Child walked in the path of righteousness, with only the occasional detour into the odd weed and a little blow.
When he was twelve years old, they found him in the temple in the City of Chicago, arguing the finer points of community organisation with the Prophet Jeremiah and the Elders. And the Elders were astonished at what they heard and said among themselves: “Verily, who is this Child that he opens our hearts and minds to the audacity of hope?”
In the great Battles of Caucus and Primary he smote the conniving Hillary, wife of the deposed King Bill the Priapic and their barbarian hordes of Working Class Whites.
And so it was, in the fullness of time, before the harvest month of the appointed year, the Child ventured forth - for the first time - to bring the light unto all the world.
He travelled fleet of foot and light of camel, with a small retinue that consisted only of his loyal disciples from the tribe of the Media. He ventured first to the land of the Hindu Kush, where the
Taleban had harboured the viper of al-Qaeda in their bosom, raining terror on all the world.
And the Child spake and the tribes of Nato immediately loosed the Caveats that had previously bound them. And in the great battle that ensued the forces of the light were triumphant. For as long as the Child stood with his arms raised aloft, the enemy suffered great blows and the threat of terror was no more.
From there he went forth to Mesopotamia where he was received by the great ruler al-Maliki, and al-Maliki spake unto him and blessed his Sixteen Month Troop Withdrawal Plan even as the imperial warrior Petraeus tried to destroy it.
And lo, in Mesopotamia, a miracle occurred. Even though the Great Surge of Armour that the evil Bush had ordered had been a terrible mistake, a waste of vital military resources and doomed to end in disaster, the Child's very presence suddenly brought forth a great victory for the forces of the light.
And the Persians, who saw all this and were greatly fearful, longed to speak with the Child and saw that the Child was the bringer of peace. At the mention of his name they quickly laid aside their intrigues and beat their uranium swords into civil nuclear energy ploughshares.
From there the Child went up to the city of Jerusalem, and entered through the gate seated on an ass. The crowds of network anchors who had followed him from afar cheered “Hosanna” and waved great palm fronds and strewed them at his feet.
In Jerusalem and in surrounding Palestine, the Child spake to the Hebrews and the Arabs, as the Scripture had foretold. And in an instant, the lion lay down with the lamb, and the Israelites and Ishmaelites ended their long enmity and lived for ever after in peace.
As word spread throughout the land about the Child's wondrous works, peoples from all over flocked to hear him; Hittites and Abbasids; Obamacons and McCainiacs; Cameroonians and Blairites.
And they told of strange and wondrous things that greeted the news of the Child's journey. Around the world, global temperatures began to decline, and the ocean levels fell and the great warming was over.
The Great Prophet Algore of Nobel and Oscar, who many had believed was the anointed one, smiled and told his followers that the Child was the one generations had been waiting for.
And there were other wonderful signs. In the city of the Street at the Wall, spreads on interbank interest rates dropped like manna from Heaven and rates on credit default swaps fell to the ground as dead birds from the almond tree, and the people who had lived in foreclosure were able to borrow again.
Black gold gushed from the ground at prices well below $140 per barrel. In hospitals across the land the sick were cured even though they were uninsured. And all because the Child had pronounced it.
And this is the testimony of one who speaks the truth and bears witness to the truth so that you might believe. And he knows it is the truth for he saw it all on CNN and the BBC and in the pages of The New York Times.
Then the Child ventured forth from Israel and Palestine and stepped onto the shores of the Old Continent. In the land of Queen Angela of Merkel, vast multitudes gathered to hear his voice, and he preached to them at length.
But when he had finished speaking his disciples told him the crowd was hungry, for they had had nothing to eat all the hours they had waited for him.
And so the Child told his disciples to fetch some food but all they had was five loaves and a couple of frankfurters. So he took the bread and the frankfurters and blessed them and told his disciples to feed the multitudes. And when all had eaten their fill, the scraps filled twelve baskets.
Thence he travelled west to Mount Sarkozy. Even the beauteous Princess Carla of the tribe of the Bruni was struck by awe and she was great in love with the Child, but he was tempted not.
On the Seventh Day he walked across the Channel of the Angles to the ancient land of the hooligans. There he was welcomed with open arms by the once great prophet Blair and his successor, Gordon the Leper, and his successor, David the Golden One.
And suddenly, with the men appeared the archangel Gabriel and the whole host of the heavenly choir, ranks of cherubim and seraphim, all praising God and singing: “Yes, We Can.”
Thursday, July 24, 2008
It is no longer a question of 'win or lose' in IRAQ, it is simply stay or go.
I received the following response to a request for what victory in Iraq entails (my comments follow each point);
1) A rebuilt infrastructure
That we destroyed by believing Bush's lies. If we are replacing what we destroyed...THAT IS NOT VICTORY, that is very close, however, to an apology.
2) A stable democracy that will/does not kill its own people.
An impossible feat, there are NO GUARANTEES that the democracy will stand 10, 20 or 100 years from now, without a large consistent military presence...surely you don't think that ALL of the opposition to peace and stability is gone?
3) A stable Iraq that does not work with any terrorist organization.
Another impossibility... the government may not officially support or harbor terrorists, but if they can't clamp down on what is going on in the country now, even with the surge and a somewhat stable government in power, then what will happen without the presence of the US military?
4) Create a professional military that is strong enough to defend itself from all threats both foreign and domestic
Something else we destroyed and would not have to replace, if we hadn't done such a bangup job.
5) The continued killing of terrorists
By who? And what if a terrorist backed regime takes over?....why would they kill themselves?
Listen it is no longer a question of win or lose and it never has been, the only reason that Iraq is the way it is now is due to our military presence (and that covers both the positives and the negatives). When we leave, whether anyone likes it or not nature will take its course. The only way to prevent that is to stay indefinitely. Staying indefinitely is neither a win nor a loss...there is NO WIN OR LOSE....only Stay OR GO! Get it?
1) A rebuilt infrastructure
That we destroyed by believing Bush's lies. If we are replacing what we destroyed...THAT IS NOT VICTORY, that is very close, however, to an apology.
2) A stable democracy that will/does not kill its own people.
An impossible feat, there are NO GUARANTEES that the democracy will stand 10, 20 or 100 years from now, without a large consistent military presence...surely you don't think that ALL of the opposition to peace and stability is gone?
3) A stable Iraq that does not work with any terrorist organization.
Another impossibility... the government may not officially support or harbor terrorists, but if they can't clamp down on what is going on in the country now, even with the surge and a somewhat stable government in power, then what will happen without the presence of the US military?
4) Create a professional military that is strong enough to defend itself from all threats both foreign and domestic
Something else we destroyed and would not have to replace, if we hadn't done such a bangup job.
5) The continued killing of terrorists
By who? And what if a terrorist backed regime takes over?....why would they kill themselves?
Listen it is no longer a question of win or lose and it never has been, the only reason that Iraq is the way it is now is due to our military presence (and that covers both the positives and the negatives). When we leave, whether anyone likes it or not nature will take its course. The only way to prevent that is to stay indefinitely. Staying indefinitely is neither a win nor a loss...there is NO WIN OR LOSE....only Stay OR GO! Get it?
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
The Iraq war will end...
but we will not 'win'.
I don't get the fascination with the word win. In the end when our men & women are back home or in Afghanistan, what will we have really accomplished? Start taking bets now on how long it takes for some military commander to seize power in Iraq and make our 'quest for democracy' a wasted effort. We gave far too much these past few years and have gained so little. Our troops fought valiantly and did the job they were sent to do, but I can't help feeling that this will all be for naught. There is no 'victory', no defeat either, but certainly no victory.
I don't get the fascination with the word win. In the end when our men & women are back home or in Afghanistan, what will we have really accomplished? Start taking bets now on how long it takes for some military commander to seize power in Iraq and make our 'quest for democracy' a wasted effort. We gave far too much these past few years and have gained so little. Our troops fought valiantly and did the job they were sent to do, but I can't help feeling that this will all be for naught. There is no 'victory', no defeat either, but certainly no victory.
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Stop the Violence!
Just returned from a candlelight vigil to highlight the recent rash of violence plaguing the North Shore. The vigils were held simultaeneously across the North Shore at various locations. The one I attended, at St. Philips Baptist Church, was somber and heartening. There were prayers and hymns, scripture and fellowship. The only thing missing was the presence of people capable of the type of violence that has plagued our community. I'm not trying to discount the importance of our gathering, I do however question its effectiveness. Our goal should be to reach those who live on the other side of civility. The people that have trouble dealing with issues of day to day violence and infect the minds of those around them. This issue has moved beyond the combatants of this unholy war and has begun to touch the innocents. Our focus is to change what drives the violence, to teach acceptable ways of resolving conflict, and to focus our brothers and sisters efforts on something other than sneakers, rims, and clothes. The call has been repeated....parents KNOW your children, know their friends, know where they are and where they go, check their rooms, their myspace pages, and get to know your child. If your child is on the wrong side of the law, correct them!, if you need help, ASK....you will be surprised how many resources there are to help now....that prevent burial expenses later.
Praise for FOX NEWS Network, not so much for Rev. Jesse Jackson
First the praise- good choice attempting to withhold the full comments by Jesse Jackson during his open mic rant. Still don't know why, but trying to protect his reputation and the true cause of his efforts are admirable.
Jesse Jackson is no longer able to call himself a 'Civil Rights Leader' He has debased his viability, and become impotent to the public at large. Harsh? Of course it is! He knows that as a purported leader he is held to a higher standard. As such his use of racially charged language to describe the people he claims to support is unforgivable. Not by me, and not by God....but by his own message. He can no longer lead a fight against injustice....someone will forever bring this up....and they wont be wrong. He needs to step down immediately to preserve the organizations he founded, if not he is destined to drag them down and make them equally insignificant as he is now.
Rev Jackson RESIGN NOW!
What a difference a few hours makes
Jesse Jackson is no longer able to call himself a 'Civil Rights Leader' He has debased his viability, and become impotent to the public at large. Harsh? Of course it is! He knows that as a purported leader he is held to a higher standard. As such his use of racially charged language to describe the people he claims to support is unforgivable. Not by me, and not by God....but by his own message. He can no longer lead a fight against injustice....someone will forever bring this up....and they wont be wrong. He needs to step down immediately to preserve the organizations he founded, if not he is destined to drag them down and make them equally insignificant as he is now.
Rev Jackson RESIGN NOW!
What a difference a few hours makes
New African-American Leadership
The Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton reign of leadership is coming to an end. Not because they are no longer viable or necessary, but because their way of screaming into the camera while making backroom deals is not the way African-Americans need their leadership. We are in a position now to genuinely choose someone to speak for us...on the issues that affect us most. Not only can he speak to them, but he will soon be in a position to introduce some changes. The dynamics of discrimination have changed, it is time that the way we deal with it change as well. The old way has soured and been bastardized into something corporate. It has become more of a function of economics and less of laying bare the pure facts of each case. We're not done with Rev. Al and Rev. Jesse just yet...they still have a case or two left, but their time is certainly at hand.
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Just when you think there is progress in race relations...
someone tosses a 1950's curve ball. An african American family was given the runaround and refused a room at a Clarion Hotel in Scranton,PA. Personally, I believe the hotel is liable for the damage and should pay the suit, BUT only as a measure of poor hiring practices. I don't believ it is a policy of the hotel, but rather an employees poor choice. That said it is unfathomable to believe that this still takes place in 2008. How many other families have passed through that lobby when she was on duty? How many may have slept in their cars, or had accidents on their way elsewhere if they were too tired. When will this stop?
http://www.courthousenews.com/2008/07/14/World_s_Second-Largest_Hotel_Chain_Wouldn_t_Rent_To_Black_Family_Man_Says.htm
http://www.courthousenews.com/2008/07/14/World_s_Second-Largest_Hotel_Chain_Wouldn_t_Rent_To_Black_Family_Man_Says.htm
Monday, July 14, 2008
Politicains are like Roosters
John the farmer was in the fertilized egg business.
He had several hundred young layers (hens), called 'pullets', and ten
roosters, whose job it was to fertilize the eggs.
The farmer kept records and any rooster that didn't perform went into
the soup pot and was replaced.
That took an awful lot of his time, so he bought a set of tiny bells
and attached them to his roosters.
Each bell had a different tone so John could tell from a distance,
which rooster was performing.
Now he could sit on the porch and fill out an efficiency report simply
by listening to the bells.
The farmer's favourite rooster was old Butch, a very fine specimen he was, too.
But, on this particular morning John noticed old Butch's bell hadn't
rung at all!
John went to investigate.
The other roosters were chasing pullets, bells-a-ringing.
The pullets, hearing the roosters coming, would run for cover.
But, to Farmer John's amazement, old Butch had his bell in his beak,
so it couldn't ring.
He'd sneak up on a pullet, do his job and walk on to the next one.
John was so proud of old Butch, he entered him in the Renfrew County
Fair and he became an overnight sensation among the judges.
The result...
The judges not only awarded old Butch the No Bell Piece Prize but they
awarded him the Pulletsurprise as well.
Why are Politicians like Roosters? Only a politician could win the greatest prizes in the land by learning to sneak up on you and screw you before you ever knew what happened!
Joke credit: http://jqfs.blogspot.com/2008/06/no-bell-piece-prize-and-pulletsurprise.html
He had several hundred young layers (hens), called 'pullets', and ten
roosters, whose job it was to fertilize the eggs.
The farmer kept records and any rooster that didn't perform went into
the soup pot and was replaced.
That took an awful lot of his time, so he bought a set of tiny bells
and attached them to his roosters.
Each bell had a different tone so John could tell from a distance,
which rooster was performing.
Now he could sit on the porch and fill out an efficiency report simply
by listening to the bells.
The farmer's favourite rooster was old Butch, a very fine specimen he was, too.
But, on this particular morning John noticed old Butch's bell hadn't
rung at all!
John went to investigate.
The other roosters were chasing pullets, bells-a-ringing.
The pullets, hearing the roosters coming, would run for cover.
But, to Farmer John's amazement, old Butch had his bell in his beak,
so it couldn't ring.
He'd sneak up on a pullet, do his job and walk on to the next one.
John was so proud of old Butch, he entered him in the Renfrew County
Fair and he became an overnight sensation among the judges.
The result...
The judges not only awarded old Butch the No Bell Piece Prize but they
awarded him the Pulletsurprise as well.
Why are Politicians like Roosters? Only a politician could win the greatest prizes in the land by learning to sneak up on you and screw you before you ever knew what happened!
Joke credit: http://jqfs.blogspot.com/2008/06/no-bell-piece-prize-and-pulletsurprise.html
North Shore Rail line could cost 1.4 Billion $$
Get it started already!
1.4 Billion? DO IT!! In the long run we will end up paying much more in health, congestion, and other costs associated with a lackluster public transportation system. The key is getting the job done, done right, and within budget. The MTA (or whichever agency is charged with refurbishing the line) needs ti institute a bonus for on-time, on budget work. This should be a city-wide standard. I would rather see projects re-appropriated and re-bid, than to see the enormous amount of waste that currently takes place on city projects. Of course we don't want the rail line to bring another building boom (we have had our fair share on the north shore), but the boost in values and attraction to some of the now empty buildings will improve the area. DO IT NOW!! (before the price goes up)
1.4 Billion? DO IT!! In the long run we will end up paying much more in health, congestion, and other costs associated with a lackluster public transportation system. The key is getting the job done, done right, and within budget. The MTA (or whichever agency is charged with refurbishing the line) needs ti institute a bonus for on-time, on budget work. This should be a city-wide standard. I would rather see projects re-appropriated and re-bid, than to see the enormous amount of waste that currently takes place on city projects. Of course we don't want the rail line to bring another building boom (we have had our fair share on the north shore), but the boost in values and attraction to some of the now empty buildings will improve the area. DO IT NOW!! (before the price goes up)
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
Why NOT to drill now
Conservation and alternative fuels have been allegedly in place since the '70s. The only reason there is any immediate pressure for real conservation efforts is the price of oil. While we are at this dramatic junction...let this crisis continue to propel us forward. The reason we never took conservation seriously was due to the availability of oil. If oil, through drilling, is again available, we will continue to spin our wheels until we reach exactly this position a few years from now ...only worse. We currently have sufficient technological expertise to stretch the available oil, AND produce serious alternatives to the point that we will be able to self sustain AND put off drilling until it is ABSOLUTELY necessary....right now it is just convenient NOT NECESSARY.
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
Martin Luther King Jr. & Republican Hypocritical Logic
The NBRA (National Black Republican Association) has launched a campaign against presumed Democratic Presidential nominee Barack Obama that is heavily laden with racist and elitist commentary. They apparently feel they can get away with it because it is a black organization.
see- http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/06/30/black-republicans-launch_n_110042.html
The hypocrisy is that the NBRA is supporting a candidate that voted AGAINST the Martin Luther King Jr Holiday by invoking that Martin Luther King Jr. was a republican. John McCain voted AGAINST the MLK holiday even when most of his compatriots voted for it. To add insult to injury, he offers a response that is tantamount to being uninformed about the issue. Bottom line they are using racist smear by using the name of a man who dedicated his life against such action...now who is slapping who in the face.
I hope the NBRA is not looking for any new members soon!
see- http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/06/30/black-republicans-launch_n_110042.html
The hypocrisy is that the NBRA is supporting a candidate that voted AGAINST the Martin Luther King Jr Holiday by invoking that Martin Luther King Jr. was a republican. John McCain voted AGAINST the MLK holiday even when most of his compatriots voted for it. To add insult to injury, he offers a response that is tantamount to being uninformed about the issue. Bottom line they are using racist smear by using the name of a man who dedicated his life against such action...now who is slapping who in the face.
I hope the NBRA is not looking for any new members soon!
Wesley Clark-American Hero vs John McCain-American Hero
During General Wesley Clark’s interview he NEVER demeaned McCain's service. His statement is true based solely on what he referred to in response to the question. McCain's shoot-down, capture, and POW status alone do NOT qualify him to be Commander in Chief. HOWEVER from a military experience standpoint McCain has the upper-hand where potential war strategy command decisions are concerned.
Too bad the number one issue is the economy, but you can't blame the republicans for trying. Their new strategy is to push terrorism and the fear of another American soil attack. I don't think they realize that they are shooting themselves in the foot. Prior to their new scare tactics campaign, the republicans were more than proud to state how much safer we are because they are watching the fence....are they trying to say they are going to let one through?
Too bad the number one issue is the economy, but you can't blame the republicans for trying. Their new strategy is to push terrorism and the fear of another American soil attack. I don't think they realize that they are shooting themselves in the foot. Prior to their new scare tactics campaign, the republicans were more than proud to state how much safer we are because they are watching the fence....are they trying to say they are going to let one through?
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