View Full Version : Vee's Thread of GAD and World Domination
Welcome to my venting session...
So there have been 20 mass shootings here in the US since the Atlanta shootings against Asian women. Some people won't even call that a hate crime. Yesterday, we had one in the town next to us. Five people were killed, including a 9 year old boy. The shooter used bike locks to lock the gates and entrances so he could spray bullets. They have him in custody.
It made one national news outlet, that I could see. I guess this is common place now. I guess if no one was going to do anything after Sandy Hook, where little kids were killed, nothing will happen after these. Especially since crazies like Alex Jones think they're all conspiracies to take away their guns.
Switching subjects, I'm tired of parents who don't care about the education of their kids. I know we're all depressed, and the pandemic sucks, and no one has any money, but I can't be the only one who cares about whether your kids gets an education. I can't really do anything since I'm behind a computer screen. I can't blame the kid for not doing any work when I call home and the parent is like, "Eh, what do you want me to do?" During the regular school year, I'd reward the kid somehow for doing my work. But since I'm not around them...how do I do it this year? I'm not rich enough to mail home gift cards or hot cheetos to everyone.
Oh, and when I call home, I'm informed they may miss my class because they're traveling for Spring Break. Oh, and so are many of my coworkers. So wait...I thought we were in a middle of a pandemic? I thought we were not supposed to travel unless absolutely necessary? Now many of my coworkers have gotten the vaccine because they're educators, but their kids haven't. And not all adults all eligible yet. But hey, I guess the pandemic is over when people say it is, right? Who cares about the fourth wave?
It's okay if none of you have advice. I just needed to vent. I keep telling myself it's only a few more years until I take over the world...
So...When you do take over the world what would you do first, Vee? Would would be the most important thing you would want to happen?
It must be so frustrating to have to deal with apathetic parents who just don't care about the importance of education and what their children are doing/not doing.
Carry on venting...
Hi Vee:D
You know what I reckon! If Kanye can run for Pres,you can too.
I can be the Education Minister over there,I will sort out the mf’s.
I believe if more women were in higher government positions and had a set of balls Guns could be banned.
All the shootings over there have been on the news here,I remember Sandy Hook I was over there when it occurred,bloody horrific along with the shooting of those Asian women,it makes my blood boil.
Hope you are well Vee,Oh did you ever get the water feature for your garden?:flowers:
I concur with your vent V.... Maybe it's because I'm getting older and I've really become jaded, or maybe I have no idea and it's a combination of things, but the last 4 years and especially the last year has made me realize how incredibly f'd up people and mankind are. I used to truly feel that people were inherently decent. Now, it's the opposite. They say respect is earned. Now it feels like that respect and inherent trust must always be earned as well.
FMP
Pamplemousse
02-04-21, 13:02
Welcome to my venting session...
So there have been 20 mass shootings here in the US since the Atlanta shootings against Asian women. Some people won't even call that a hate crime. Yesterday, we had one in the town next to us. Five people were killed, including a 9 year old boy. The shooter used bike locks to lock the gates and entrances so he could spray bullets. They have him in custody.
It made one national news outlet, that I could see. I guess this is common place now. I guess if no one was going to do anything after Sandy Hook, where little kids were killed, nothing will happen after these. Especially since crazies like Alex Jones think they're all conspiracies to take away their guns.
Yeah, how is his libel trial going? :roflmao:
Speaking as an outsider Vee, your country has 4.4% of the world's population and >40% of the world's guns. They have become sacrosanct and whilst you still have bodies like the NRA and a mantra of "it takes a good guy with a gun to stop a bad guy with a gun", you'll have normalised it. The fact that the incident you cited barely made the news shows that either you have "massacre fatigue" or you just accept this behaviour as 'normal'.
You've a long way to go, I'm afraid.
If it's any consolation, I'm saddened at the decline in public standards and political discourse in the UK in the last five years which is why I try and stay away from it all.
Yeah, how is his libel trial going? :roflmao:
Speaking as an outsider Vee, your country has 4.4% of the world's population and >40% of the world's guns. They have become sacrosanct and whilst you still have bodies like the NRA and a mantra of "it takes a good guy with a gun to stop a bad guy with a gun", you'll have normalised it. The fact that the incident you cited barely made the news shows that either you have "massacre fatigue" or you just accept this behaviour as 'normal'.
You've a long way to go, I'm afraid.
If it's any consolation, I'm saddened at the decline in public standards and political discourse in the UK in the last five years which is why I try and stay away from it all.
And all the whataboutery and one-upmanship that has come with it.
I think public standards in general have been in a bad way here for donkeys years, but politics, especially over the past 5 years has become more oddball by the day.
For example, people moan non-stop about the austerity measures imposed by the Tory govts over the past decade but still at the same time seem to consider it one of the lesser evils over say, 'them pesky foreigners' and 'benefit scroungers' which many still seem to associate (rightly or wrongly) with Labour govts, in particular those who routinely worship The Scum, Daily Fail, etc.
And I bet if Bozzer was found guilty of anti-Semitism hardly anyone would bat an eyelid, but still gleefully woe betide Jezzer and Keir over it, and no doubt play the 'Broken Britain' card!
Luckily the UK still isn't a full-on 'gun' state/society though.
Though some pedant will no doubt pipe up with 'What about Hungerford, Dunblane, Cumbria, plus some of our cities being nicknamed 'Gunchester', 'Shottingham', etc, back in the 90s?'
Yes all extremely tragic situations/events, though fortunately rare in the grand scheme of things, and almost all of them did lead to our firearm laws being tightened even more.
So...When you do take over the world what would you do first, Vee? Would would be the most important thing you would want to happen?
It must be so frustrating to have to deal with apathetic parents who just don't care about the importance of education and what their children are doing/not doing.
Carry on venting...
Trouble is, parents (and teachers) are simply damned if they do and damned if they don't when it comes to disciplining and educating kids.
There's not much I can add to previous posters here. Living in a society where going berserk with a gun has become unremarkable is frightening. And as has been said, access to guns/ownership of them, that facilitates an oddball with a grudge becoming a literal terminating lunatic all the more probable.
We've had a handful of spree killings here. Hungerford, Dunblane and the Cumbria shootings of 2010 standing out. But its remained a handful and other gun/bomb related atrocities have been politically motivated. Does that make them any more acceptable? I don't know.
MyNameIsTerry
03-04-21, 03:10
Vee, some day I hope all this has become a thing of the past for you guys. It will always happen, whether a knife or sword or even a motor vehicle, but the more weapons removed the better. Along with this the paranoia some Americans seem to have about big government. Maybe the time will come when you have our cigarette moment where society shifts and it all changes. They said the same about getting rid of all those "freedoms" and the companies owned the big MP's.
It's hard for teachers to ensure students are doing the work, the parents have got to be on board. You know this better than any of us. You can only do so much and doing your best IS good enough, I have no doubt about that. You don't strike me as many of the teachers I had who were just going through the motions on some form of conveyor belt as you care about their wellbeing far beyond what I remember. I had a few teachers like that but they were the minority and they stay with me to this day because they were much more than teachers. Some of your students are going to be saying that about you in years to come.
I used to work hard at school and then I went to sixth form college and did the same. But I had a long period of illness towards the end of my first year and when I returned I wasn't the same person. I gave up, started drinking more and failed most of it. The teachers were (sadly) uninspiring. I wanted to pursue history and much of that was because of my inspirational teacher so I was disappointed as the next 2 teachers were mostly phoning it in. But years later I regained my commitment within work roles and worked very hard (too hard, that's why I'm on here!) as well as looking back to education. As I get older my views change and I see just how important it is even if I forgot back then and it's never too late. So, even if these students don't make it early on maybe they will later and what you gave them will still be in their heads.
Our best may not mean everyone makes it but perhaps even if you get through to that one person you have succeeded? You've changed someone's life.
Sorry, I've been busy. Grades were due as it's the end of the trimester and we're going on Spring Break. Also it's been Passover. I've decided when Passover is over, and I can eat bread again, the first thing I'm going to do is make homemade pizza. Good or bad events, stress, just add up. The good news is, I will have a much needed break from the computer and trying to cajole teens into doing some work this week.
If you all didn't know, my school district and several other inner city districts have decided just to stay online, since the school year is almost over. As far as the pandemic goes, California has now dropped to the lowest positivity levels of the nation for Covid. Although I worry everyone traveling might make it go back up, I'm telling myself not to worry about things I can't control.
@Pulisa, I struggle with this question all the time. I think the first thing I will do is start with what I know: education. Provide it for all that want it, and send the zealots to my re-education camps ;)
@Lola, no, I put in a fire pit instead. I might still invest in a water feature, but I haven't gotten there yet. The winds took out part of my patio awning roof, and I gotta spend the money to get that fixed before I do anything else.
@ Lola, FM, LB, PM, Terry: regarding the gun issue, it's nucking futz here. Congress feared studying the issue of gun crime due to the Dickey Amendment from 1996. Only in the last two years has any research been done, and all of it fought all the way by the NRA. Money controls our government as much as it does many others, and the NRA's funds run deep. And Republicans have spent the last four years gutting our campaign finance laws, making it a lot easier for corporations, PACs and other lobbyist groups to make it easier to influence lawmaking and elections. Unfortunately, I have to agree with this dude on tiktok: https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMefb2d6v/
@FMP, yeah, I come on here and vent when it gets too much. All I can really do.
@Terry, yes, that's what I keep telling myself. As long as I help someone this year, I've done something. I keep telling myself what FM told me earlier this year, that online I'm not going to have as much influence on kids as I would in person. I get frustrated easily, because the one way I feel I can change the world and make a difference is through education, and online, it's hard to educate anyone, as we've all learned this year.
Thanks you all for listening to my venting session! I appreciate each and every one of you, even if I don't say it very often :hugs:
Pamplemousse
03-04-21, 19:42
@ Lola, FM, LB, PM, Terry: regarding the gun issue, it's nucking futz here. Congress feared studying the issue of gun crime due to the Dickey Amendment from 1996. Only in the last two years has any research been done, and all of it fought all the way by the NRA. Money controls our government as much as it does many others, and the NRA's funds run deep. And Republicans have spent the last four years gutting our campaign finance laws, making it a lot easier for corporations, PACs and other lobbyist groups to make it easier to influence lawmaking and elections.
Sadly Vee, in the last five to ten years the UK Government has proven it's now available to the highest bidder and will chuck money around like confetti to the friends of cabinet ministers. It makes some old African governments look a model of probity now. Not for nothing do I call the UK a "Banana Monarchy".
Sadly Vee, in the last five to ten years the UK Government has proven it's now available to the highest bidder and will chuck money around like confetti to the friends of cabinet ministers. It makes some old African governments look a model of probity now. Not for nothing do I call the UK a "Banana Monarchy".
I feel like in some ways though, you're ahead of us. You all made Uber treat it's full-time employees like full-time employees, and give them benefits. We couldn't do that here in CA; and that was on the ballot in the last election.
CA actually has some of the strictest gun laws in the nation, but we also have the most mass shootings if you define a mass shooting as having 4+ victims. We also have the most people. We also have mass shootings from perpetrators that come here out of state. But if you count mass shootings with 2+ victims, Louisiana is the most dangerous state. Texas, the state with the least restrictive gun laws has a fatality rate that is 40% more than California. Chicago, Illinois though, is still the city with the worst murder rate.
Although I'm sure LB will have a field day with all of these statistics, my point is that our policy of federalism is both constraining and freeing. Gun laws are left up to the state governments, as there is nothing in the national laws that holds them in the purview of the national government, other than the 2nd amendment. Unless the Supreme Court were to receive a case, or Congress were to pass a national law, it would be very hard for anything to happen nation wide. Even an executive order would only last as long as that president was in office, and that's if SCOTUS were not to rule against it. At the same time, federalism is also nice, because you can move to a state with the gun laws that you approve of...
Gun laws are terrifying. I’m sorry about the latest mass shooting, how they are treated as a byproduct of being able to own guns.
I’m sorry that being a teacher must be so frustrating too sometimes- I’m sure there are great bits, but that’s not what this thread is about.
My own country is a bit of an embarrassment right now: The Royal Family, Brexit.. Piers Morgan.
Love to you Vee. Happy to vote for you when you launch your own world domination campaign:
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MyNameIsTerry
04-04-21, 07:10
Vee, maybe Uber but it's still a mess with self employed workers struggling. Self employment is great when you have a profession but very poor if not. The latter just opens the door to fat cats saving money and offering less security. We finally got rights for temp workers then along comes the gig economy and puts a lot of people back to square one.
MyNameIsTerry
04-04-21, 07:13
Gun laws are terrifying. I’m sorry about the latest mass shooting, how they are treated as a byproduct of being able to own guns.
I’m sorry that being a teacher must be so frustrating too sometimes- I’m sure there are great bits, but that’s not what this thread is about.
My own country is a bit of an embarrassment right now: The Royal Family, Brexit.. Piers Morgan.
Love to you Vee. Happy to vote for you when you launch your own world domination campaign:
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https://i.makeagif.com/media/1-03-2017/_YaxWd.gif
Piers Morgan always seems to bounce back. His last stint for a paper should have been his end but the unflushable just floated back up again!
Sadly Vee, in the last five to ten years the UK Government has proven it's now available to the highest bidder and will chuck money around like confetti to the friends of cabinet ministers. It makes some old African governments look a model of probity now. Not for nothing do I call the UK a "Banana Monarchy".
I think a lot of it is also down to voting hesitancy and general political apathy.
A lot of people have said the Johnson govt are the worst they've ever known in their lifetime, but are still adamant that things would be far worse under Labour or the Lib Dems!
Especially those who have been indoctrinated by the likes of Karen on Facebook!
Oddly enough, some people now seem to regard the prospects of contracting Covid the lesser of the two evils compared to being jabbed and risk developing blood clots!
Gun laws are terrifying. I’m sorry about the latest mass shooting, how they are treated as a byproduct of being able to own guns.
I’m sorry that being a teacher must be so frustrating too sometimes- I’m sure there are great bits, but that’s not what this thread is about.
My own country is a bit of an embarrassment right now: The Royal Family, Brexit.. Piers Morgan.
Love to you Vee. Happy to vote for you when you launch your own world domination campaign:
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Thanks, Scass :hugs:There are great things about teaching. I really do love my work. I've just never had so many negative parents as I've had this year. Maybe it's a result of the pandemic? Everyone's cranky and frustrated? Usually during normal years, when I call home it's, "Thank you so much for contacting me." And I have some great parents this year that are like that. But last week, when I was contacting parents about end of trimester grades, I'd get like 5 negative ones in a row. And you know how the ratio works, one negative seems to wipe out like 10 positive. And even if some parents think History isn't important (I've heard from one that a kid can just look up what happened on wikipedia), I teach English too. Usually people agree that language is important. Sheesh LOL
The Brexit thing did make you all look bad... As for the Royal Family, I'd say most Americans already knew that stuff and were not surprised. Most of us still can't believe an institution exists based on who your parents are... I mean, we know stuff like that happens here, like little legacies get into Harvard and such, but people try to hide that LOL
Your loyalty towards my regime has been duly noted ;)
Vee, maybe Uber but it's still a mess with self employed workers struggling. Self employment is great when you have a profession but very poor if not. The latter just opens the door to fat cats saving money and offering less security. We finally got rights for temp workers then along comes the gig economy and puts a lot of people back to square one.
Yeah, we are really struggling with this over here too. We need other states to join in the fight against them.
And I just wanted to say, Happy Holidays to everyone, whatever you celebrate! Passover has special meaning this year, as I am grateful for all those Covid did pass over!
Thanks, Scass :hugs:There are great things about teaching. I really do love my work. I've just never had so many negative parents as I've had this year. Maybe it's a result of the pandemic? Everyone's cranky and frustrated? Usually during normal years, when I call home it's, "Thank you so much for contacting me." And I have some great parents this year that are like that. But last week, when I was contacting parents about end of trimester grades, I'd get like 5 negative ones in a row. And you know how the ratio works, one negative seems to wipe out like 10 positive. And even if some parents think History isn't important (I've heard from one that a kid can just look up what happened on wikipedia), I teach English too. Usually people agree that language is important. Sheesh LOL
The Brexit thing did make you all look bad... As for the Royal Family, I'd say most Americans already knew that stuff and were not surprised. Most of us still can't believe an institution exists based on who your parents are... I mean, we know stuff like that happens here, like little legacies get into Harvard and such, but people try to hide that LOL
Your loyalty towards my regime has been duly noted ;)
I’m cranky and frustrated and negative, but I think my daughters teacher is one of the best people ever. You just don’t mess with teachers, unless they are rubbish, but I don’t believe you are rubbish.
I’m pretty used to being part of a country that lots of other countries hate. But now they think we are racist AND stupid. It’s tough.
Looking forward to to your regime. I’m happy to be one of your ladies in waiting. But a sitting role please, I don’t like standing up for too long.
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And even if some parents think History isn't important (I've heard from one that a kid can just look up what happened on wikipedia), I teach English too. Usually people agree that language is important. Sheesh LOL
Its a shame parents think history isn't important Vee. For a start, we can learn from it, mistakes that we can try not to repeat. As for wikipedia, I'm not sure its 100% accurate. And stand-alone facts don't always give us context that you as a teacher can give. Also teaching styles can make a subject fun, much more fun than reading it on the internet, especially with a probable lack of incentive to seek it in the first place. Your enthusiasm shines through, don't let those negative parents get you down.
Its a shame parents think history isn't important Vee. For a start, we can learn from it, mistakes that we can try not to repeat. As for wikipedia, I'm not sure its 100% accurate. And stand-alone facts don't always give us context that you as a teacher can give. Also teaching styles can make a subject fun, much more fun than reading it on the internet, especially with a probable lack of incentive to seek it in the first place. Your enthusiasm shines through, don't let those negative parents get you down.
Thanks, FM. :hugs:
Yeah, one silver lining from the pandemic is that I no longer think I will be replaced by a robot. It has shown that kids learn best from other humans. Too many consecutive negative parents last week just got me down.
Hey V... something to consider. My sister and my daughter are teachers. My sister teaches special needs children and my daughter teaches pre-school. My sister has been teaching in person (sporadically) and the students as well as the parents and students are consistently tested. My daughter is another story. The school system had no comprehensive COVID plan and she decided not to return to classes. That said, she's been teaching privately the last year and actually doing better financially. The kids, parents and her get tested regularly and she's actually enjoying it more as there's less stress and better pay.... Just a thought.
FMP
I’m cranky and frustrated and negative, but I think my daughters teacher is one of the best people ever. You just don’t mess with teachers, unless they are rubbish, but I don’t believe you are rubbish.
I’m pretty used to being part of a country that lots of other countries hate. But now they think we are racist AND stupid. It’s tough.
Looking forward to to your regime. I’m happy to be one of your ladies in waiting. But a sitting role please, I don’t like standing up for too long.
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Many of us Brits ourselves seem to hate our own country and gleefully harp on about countries like Spain being far superior.
Hey, the grass almost always seems to be greener on the other side!
I don’t hate our country though and I wouldn’t want to live in another. I think some countries have great ideas and lifestyles but also have their problems. I just think that Trump enabled a lot of far right people to think that their opinions were worth something, and the world has changed for the worst because of it. There are also many people doing good things too, and their voices are still being heard. But often it feels like the far right and those resorting to activism are the only ones whose voices are listened to. Look at the Daily Mail, it’s popularity is huge. That casual racism and sexism that is littered through it gets louder and louder. This new UK news channel that sounds like it’s going to be our equivalent of Fox News is really worrying.
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Hey V... something to consider. My sister and my daughter are teachers. My sister teaches special needs children and my daughter teaches pre-school. My sister has been teaching in person (sporadically) and the students as well as the parents and students are consistently tested. My daughter is another story. The school system had no comprehensive COVID plan and she decided not to return to classes. That said, she's been teaching privately the last year and actually doing better financially. The kids, parents and her get tested regularly and she's actually enjoying it more as there's less stress and better pay.... Just a thought.
FMP
I don't think I'll ever go the private school option; they are not unionized here and there's no job security. Plus, many of them here have terrible pay (worse than public schools because they are not unionized and can't bargain). I'm also not a real big believer in private education (at least here). Many parents pull their children and put them in private schools or charter schools instead of demanding changes to public school and making it better for everyone. Then public schools are left with the children who's parents are more apathetic or children with no parents (like foster care) to advocate for them.
I don’t hate our country though and I wouldn’t want to live in another. I think some countries have great ideas and lifestyles but also have their problems. I just think that Trump enabled a lot of far right people to think that their opinions were worth something, and the world has changed for the worst because of it. There are also many people doing good things too, and their voices are still being heard. But often it feels like the far right and those resorting to activism are the only ones whose voices are listened to. Look at the Daily Mail, it’s popularity is huge. That casual racism and sexism that is littered through it gets louder and louder. This new UK news channel that sounds like it’s going to be our equivalent of Fox News is really worrying.
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I whole-heartedly agree with you. Did you see that tiktok video I posted a few messages ago?
I don't think I'll ever go the private school option; they are not unionized here and there's no job security. Plus, many of them here have terrible pay (worse than public schools because they are not unionized and can't bargain). I'm also not a real big believer in private education (at least here). Many parents pull their children and put them in private schools or charter schools instead of demanding changes to public school and making it better for everyone. Then public schools are left with the children who's parents are more apathetic or children with no parents (like foster care) to advocate for them.
I'm not saying private school, I'm saying privately working for families that need teachers for their children. My daughter works for several families and teaches their pre-schoolers in addition to basically babysitting them several days a week. She's making really good money too! The parents as well as her test for COVID but now, they're getting the vaccine so that won't be necessary in the near future.
Positive thoughts
I'm not saying private school, I'm saying privately working for families that need teachers for their children. My daughter works for several families and teaches their pre-schoolers in addition to basically babysitting them several days a week. She's making really good money too! The parents as well as her test for COVID but now, they're getting the vaccine so that won't be necessary in the near future.
Positive thoughts
Ohhh... Yeah, maybe. I love my school though, and I do love my job. Virtual learning is just rough. It would have to be virtual learning for another year or two before I'd consider changing...
How is your daughter going to do her retirement? What happens to her pension? Is it a state system or is it run by social security there?
MyNameIsTerry
05-04-21, 01:40
The opposite over here, Vee. Private school is where the money is. State schools are where the hard work, poor conditions and low pay are. A cousin left teaching a few years ago because of this.
I don't know about over there but I always viewed History as opponent doors into law and politics? It's for academics as a subject, it won't be teaching you how to do things in today's world, but it was a very interesting subject (for me) that underpinning other sectors.
Remember not to allow an Article 50 in your takeover so their can't be a Vee-exit :yesyes:
I whole-heartedly agree with you. Did you see that tiktok video I posted a few messages ago?
Yes I think I did. I will have another look though....
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I don’t hate our country though and I wouldn’t want to live in another. I think some countries have great ideas and lifestyles but also have their problems. I just think that Trump enabled a lot of far right people to think that their opinions were worth something, and the world has changed for the worst because of it. There are also many people doing good things too, and their voices are still being heard. But often it feels like the far right and those resorting to activism are the only ones whose voices are listened to. Look at the Daily Mail, it’s popularity is huge. That casual racism and sexism that is littered through it gets louder and louder. This new UK news channel that sounds like it’s going to be our equivalent of Fox News is really worrying.
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I don't hate our country either.
The problem is, these negative perceptions and attitudes often end up becoming a self-fulfilling prophecy.
I also agree with you about the proliferation of extremist hard-right political views and misinformation, in particular over the past 15 years or so, but if there were any attempts to address said issues it would be met with derision and the authorities would no doubt be accused of stifling free expression, and turning us into a police state!
Whilst Trump and Co might now be gone (at least for the time being, dare I say it), the horse has already bolted from the stable, and of course this madness was already brewing long before the events of 2016, plus I think general political apathy and electoral hesitancy has also grown in prevalence over the same 15-year period the world over.
Even the main opposition parties in this country alone, sadly don't seem to have the bottle to address such issues, again, probably because they don't want to be seen to be stifling freedom of expression.
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