Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Since when do we limit our critiques to things we could do better ourselves?

I did not have this on my fuck 2022 bingo card.

Meanwhile over at truth Social, the former president is busy confessing to crimes.

Ron DeSantis, the grand wizard, oops, governor of FL

Schmidt just says fuck it, opens a tea shop.

JFC, are there no editors left at that goddamn rag?

You cannot shame the shameless.

Wow, you are pre-disappointed. How surprising.

… riddled with inexplicable and elementary errors of law and fact

I was confident that someone would point it out and thought why not me.

Historically it was a little unusual for the president to be an incoherent babbling moron.

We’re not going back!

The revolution will be supervised.

I’d try pessimism, but it probably wouldn’t work.

Despite his magical powers, I don’t think Trump is thinking this through, to be honest.

“I never thought they’d lock HIM up,” sobbed a distraught member of the Lock Her Up Party.

Don’t expect peaches from an apple tree.

He wakes up lying, and he lies all day.

Nancy smash is sick of your bullshit.

This year has been the longest three days of putin’s life.

“And when the Committee says to “report your income,” that could mean anything!

Peak wingnut was a lie.

Impressively dumb. Congratulations.

“What are Republicans afraid of?” Everything.

You are here: Home / Pet Blogging / Cat Blogging / Apparently I Need a Hug

Apparently I Need a Hug

by | 110 Comments

This post is in: 

I have been informed by a reliable source that I need a hug, and it is true, I have been especially cranky lately. Lot going on personally this time of year, plus, virtually everything going on in the news is bad, and I am sick and tired of people stirring up drama.

As such, pet pictures:

Now, naptime, and this post is certified a stress free zone. Contentious and whiny bullshit will just have to go in the previous post.

Reader Interactions

110Comments

  3. 3.

    dr. bloor

    If you’re having trouble finding a hug (vacuum cleaner-related hijinx with Tunch have a way of doing that), you might want to throw a few bucks at a full-spectrum light box. That time of the year, after all.

  5. 5.

    South of I-10

    Have a nice nap! By the way, JJill advertising instead of Joe the Plumber’s mug is change I can believe in. Clicks through to see if there is a sale . . .

  7. 7.

    The Moar You Know

    Buy a drumset. I just stopped playing mine. Makes me feel better (nothing like beating the shit out of things to calm you down), makes my neighbors feel worse.

  9. 9.

    Trinity

    @dr. bloor: I have suffered from S.A.D. for 15 years. I just bought a lightbox two weeks ago. And I am not over exaggerating when I say that it has changed my life for the better.

  10. 10.

    harlana pepper

    How is it that you bitch out a large group of people and then turn around and get hugs? I’d like to know. It’s never worked for me.

  11. 11.

    KG

    Don’t know if anyone mentioned it yet, but I just saw on yahoosports that McGehee was released from the hospital today and returned home. They expect a full recovery.

  12. 12.

    harlana pepper

    As for light-therapy, I bought one of those, but it was so damn bright, I couldn’t deal with it. Hurt my eyes.

  14. 14.

    Rosali

    Can we talk about kitty litter? I had the Litter Maid self-cleaning box for 6 years and was very happy with it. It worked as advertised. When that broke, I went to buy a new one and found that I could only get the Litter Maid Elite version. I guess this is supposed to be an improvement but it has not worked properly from Day 1. I bought one and returned it to Target for another one and found that the 2nd one doesn’t work either. I think it’s a design flaw. Has anyone here had the same experience with the Litter Maid Elite?

  17. 17.

    Keith

    I had a Littermaid Elite a few years ago, but ditched it. My cats made clumps that were wayyyy too big for it, so I’d hear that ear-rattling clicking coming from the thing when the rake was overloaded. I eventually moved to that dark green rotating one that PetSmart has, but the problem with it was that the rake would somehow cause the tray rim to slip and start spinning with the tray itself (leading to similarly loud clicking noises)
    Solution so far has been the overly expensive Litter Robot, but its design is rakeless, and other than the fact that it requires expensive litter, it’s been flawless.

  18. 18.

    Cris

    I had the Litter Maid self-cleaning box for 6 years and was very happy with it.

    My household recently ballooned from one indoor cat to four, and I’m having trouble keeping up. The self-cleaning box has become much more interesting to me as a result.

    Thanks for your capsule review — if the new release does indeed suck, I won’t plan on buying one. (I suppose I could get a 1.0 version on ebay.)

  19. 19.

    The Moar You Know

    Less than 24 hours until Bush is out the door. Who will he pardon? Who will he throw under the bus?

  20. 20.

    burnspbesq

    I know that as a fan of women’s college basketball, I am supposed to be excited by the prospect of a 1 vs. 2 matchup. But it’s Carolina and UConn, so I find myself wishing that the ground would open and swallow both teams, both coaching staffs, and the 19,000 or so insufferable Tar Heel fans who will be in attendance at the Dean Dome.

    Does that make me a bad person?

  21. 21.

    sus

    I bought one of those automatic litter boxes a few years ago. Didn’t work from Day 1. And, I hate to return things, so by the time I got around to it, it was too late.

    I have recently been adopted by a new cat. My aunt dropped her off so she could go on a trip for a week. That was in September or October. And… I have a feeling…

    Anyway, my previous cats were declawed. This one does no damage, but rips through the litter liners. A mess to change the litter. I don’t like that clumping stuff. Tried it.

    I now buy those disposable roasting pans from the Dollar Tree store. The large one fits into the larger size covered litter box my little kittyangel uses. And, she can’t rip it apart. It just lifts out to dispose of in the trash bag when I change.

    I still gotta scoop though. Oh well.

  22. 22.

    MMM

    Mr. Cranky,

    Steelers won yesterday

    You have a job

    McCain is not becoming President tomorrow

    Tunch looks like he lost an ounce or two….

  25. 25.

    Sean

    Dude, no hugs from me, but just remember: pro football still has meaning for you. My Skins croaked six weeks ago. Guacamole is all I have to look forward to on Superbowl Sunday. You’ve got a kickass team to root for. Something to be happy about.

    Sadly, the Hoyas are going to kick the shit out of your beloved ‘eers on Thursday. But the Hoyas will be fun to watch, so you’ve got that going for you.

  26. 26.

    sus

    "Ok, I will play. Someone pick out a light for me. I will order it right now."

    If you can get a bulk discount, I’m in for one too.

  27. 27.

    JL

    Well I had an excellent day. I work free of charge (okay volunteer) at a local charities. One side of the building houses a food bank and the other side houses a clothes closet. Except for a few managers and social workers, the operation is staffed by volunteers. If folks need assistance they can get coupons for free items in the clothes closet and then purchase extras at nominal cost. My job is to sort through linens and select the appropriate items to put out in the store. It is such an undesirable job, that I’m pretty much it for the linens and I only work on Mondays. (think of a small room filled with large plastic bags.) Anyway today we had so many volunteers show up, from 13 year olds to 70 year olds. It was amazing. I know that next week we’ll be back to normal but it was such a wonderful feeling to see folks volunteer for the first time.

  29. 29.

    burnspbesq

    Wonder who’s going to be running men’s basketball practice at Oregon State for the next couple of days, while Coach Robinson is otherwise occupied … do you suppose there will be a pickup game tomorrow morning? Two on two, Obama and Reggie against Robinson and Holder?

  30. 30.

    Rosali

    I just checked out the product reviews on Amazon for the Litter Maid Elite and saw that it had a 1-star rating and many, many complaints. I should’ve read Amazon before buying it. (I love Amazon product reviews.) I took the 1st one back to Target after it was all poopy. My advice to cat owners: Get the LM basic model. It’s cheaper and works best.

  31. 31.

    Skepticat

    You might try just Phillips Natural Light bulbs, which produce pretty much the same spectrum at much less cost. (And yes, they do make a positive difference.)

    (Not for cat litter, for John’s mood enhancement.)

  33. 33.

    MattF

    A suggestion– get yourself a bottle of good Scotch. And, um, have a drink… or two. (cough).

    If you’re not into ‘rough’ flavored single-malts, get the 15-year Glenfiddich, around $50 for a bottle. Smooth and sweet. Even people who don’t like Scotch much like it.

  34. 34.

    Anton Sirius

    I have a Christmas ornament still hanging in my room from the curtain rod, kind of a gold disco ball sort of thing that had no business being on any tree, real or plastic.

    This morning my cat figured out to climb on top of the dresser, stand on her hind legs and work that craptastic ornament like a speed bag.

    Stress? What is this ‘stress’ of which you speak?

  37. 37.

    harlana pepper

    Just watch the inauguration tomorrow and get all tingly. That’ll do the trick.

    [ducks]

  41. 41.

    Chris Johnson

    How is it that you bitch out a large group of people and then turn around and get hugs? I’d like to know. It’s never worked for me.

    Well, he was a Republican once :) I guess this proves that stockholm syndrome is in fact a purely human condition!

    Hang in there John :)

  43. 43.

    Tsulagi

    You have been cranky. Cat piss on your Birks? Have seen hardly any of the pre-inauguration coverage so I haven’t reached irritable saturation.

    I’ve been in a good mood since it’s gotten down to a matter of hours until the idiot is gone. Less than 20 now. He’s been like a blind, retarded asshole in a china closet. Just hope the officer following him around with the big briefcase goes on a really long smoke break. Could see Tard itching to push the big red nuke button just for shits and giggles or to piss on the partying tomorrow

  44. 44.

    Cris

    During light therapy, you sit or work near a device called a light therapy box. The light therapy box gives off bright light that mimics natural outdoor light.

    What do you call it when you sit or work outdoors?

  45. 45.

    bago

    Never knew you were so… Peaty. In website news, usage of snarky alt-text on image tags is approved.

  46. 46.

    John Cole

    @dr. bloor: I hope you all won’t think less of me (is that possible) if I just ask someone to provide a link to one that is reliable so I can buy the thing. I really don’t want to spend a month researching this.

  47. 47.

    MikeJ

    What do you call it when you sit or work outdoors?

    Around here in the wintertime? Wet. Although it was just foggy yesterday and today. Went hiking on a ridge along the Sound. In the trees the for was so dense you could only see 10 yards down the path. The upside was that everything that wasn’t grey was really, really, GREEN or RED or whatever color it was supposed to be. It was like being in a video game where they didn’t want to render objects in the distance but the things nearby got really high polygon counts.

  51. 51.

    Brian J

    I still remember the conversation with my mom when I called her in college where she vented for quite some time–so long, in fact, that she stopped a few times to make sure I was there, as she was doing all of the talking and I was simply listening to her get more and more anxious. When she was done, I asked her, "Well, what about me? Have I done anything to piss you off? She replied, "No, but you’ll be home at the end of the week for a vacation, so I’m sure you’ll be on the list soon enough."

    Anyway, I have the next two days off, so I’m in a pretty decent mood, but I can imagine that you’d get to be annoyed with humanity. Everyone gets like that at some point, me especially. If you have a spare moment and are looking for something that will make you laugh like "30 Rock" does, find "Arrested Development" on DVD. Even if it doesn’t click right away, give it a few episodes. It will eventually get you and you will be glad you gave it a shot.

  52. 52.

    J.

    KITTIES! : )

    What you really need is to be licked, not a hug. And definitely some light therapy. Hold off on the scotch though.

  55. 55.

    sus

    Over $200? I don’t know. My wallet is thin these days.

    I checked ebay. Here are a few alternatives. They are all over the 10,000 LUX (whatever that is) that dr. bloor recommends:

    http://cgi.ebay.com/SUNRAY-LIGHT-BOX-SUNRAY-II-LIGHT-THERAPY-SAD-LIGHT_W0QQitemZ300287396485QQcmdZViewItemQQptZNatural_Therapies?hash=item300287396485&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=66%3A2%7C65%3A1%7C39%3A1%7C240%3A1318

    http://cgi.ebay.com/Caribbean-Sun-Box-light-therapy-SAD-lightbox-10-000-LUX_W0QQitemZ140295749925QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item140295749925&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=66%3A2%7C65%3A1%7C39%3A1%7C240%3A1318

    http://cgi.ebay.com/Daylight-Full-Spectrum-SAD-Sun-Light-Box-Therapy-Lite_W0QQitemZ220336826304QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item220336826304&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=66%3A2%7C65%3A1%7C39%3A1%7C240%3A1318

    And… a travel one? (I don’t know… that’s what it says)
    http://cgi.ebay.com/PORTABLE-ARTIFICIAL-SUNLIGHT-SUN-LIGHT-BOX-SAD-THERAPY_W0QQitemZ300287466505QQcmdZViewItemQQptZNatural_Therapies?hash=item300287466505&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=66%3A2%7C65%3A1%7C39%3A1%7C240%3A1318

    ===========

    I’d make those nice links, but I don’t understand XHTML.

  59. 59.

    Deborah

    I can’t do photos, but our smaller kitten (5 pounds) is following our dog (70 pounds) around, fixedly studying her. She seems to view the dog as the big cat, and is trying to figure out how to become that size. Once a day or so she will go determinedly eat a piece of dog kibble.

  60. 60.

    jake 4 that 1

    @John Cole: No, wait, wait! Get an AeroGarden. The light is great and you can grow herbs or whatever in the winter. Back when we could sleep with our bedroom door open without risking suffocation by feline the light from the kitchen worked on me like sunrise and I was never tired when I got up.

    NB: Do not get the God damned green beans unless you can run a fan on those mutant suckers.

  62. 62.

    dr. bloor

    No, wait, wait! Get an AeroGarden. The light is great and you can grow herbs or whatever in the winter.

    A rather, um, limited selection of seeds on their site if the goal is mood improvement.

  63. 63.

    smiley

    @John Cole:
    I really don’t want to spend a month researching this.

    Put on your Michelin Man suit and go sit out side for a half hour. I tend to think it’s the oxygen air rather than the light. Works for me anyway.

  64. 64.

    Ripley

    Speaking as a practicing psychologist (with my own weather-related mood difficulties), I’ve seen people respond well to light boxes, I’ve seen people not respond at all, and, rarely, seen a few go full-on manic. Best if other things are in place – friends to spill your guts to, relaxation techniques, hope (imagine that, as Tuesday approaches…), a vacation to a sunny place even. Therapy helps some people – not interminable-noodling-therapy, but focused and brief, to address some of the stuff above.

    Short version: give the light box a try. The latest variation is LED-based, more focused light, with some promising early data, here’s a link: TrueSun.

    And yeah, of course there’s data suggesting it’s akin to voodoo, but Google ‘aspirin’ and you’ll find the same thing. Be your own test case: follow directions (and DO follow directions), and if it helps then it works.

    If it doesn’t, do what I did: I moved from central PA to southern New Mexico. Sunny and mid-60s today, and yesterday, and tomorrow. Sigh of relief….

  65. 65.

    harlana pepper

    I think if you rubbed your kitteh’s belleh like in one of the pics above, it would bring your blood pressure down to normal/low.

  66. 66.

    dr. bloor

    @sus:

    The secondary market is fine for a good one, although the problem with the smaller and "travel" sizes can be that you basically have to shove them up your nose to get the proximity needed for a good therapeutic effect. The woman in the demo picture on the travel lamp link looks to be too far away from it to get anything.

  67. 67.

    harlana pepper

    That is, erhm, unless he is one of those that do not like somebody teching his belleh in which case disregard previous advice immediately

    Funny, all three of those look much like all three of mine.

  68. 68.

    harlana pepper

    I would like to say that the manual for my light said I should sit like, 4 feet away from it, something like that, for a period of time. Whoa, I could not take it, it was like a laser burning my eyes. So then I took it to work where I had to place it a few feet further away and everybody kept asking me if it was an x-ray machine. So I got tired of that and finally took it down.

  69. 69.

    Deborah

    Light therapy: A friend who’s a therapist swore by a hat version she was given for the teens in her practice, but found really helped her too. And you could just put it on and go about your morning, so you didn’t need extra time.

  70. 70.

    Notorious P.A.T.

    I could use a hug too, because I emailed a certain someone who runs a certain website a picture of my pet and he won’t post it.

  71. 71.

    smiley

    @Deborah: That’s called imprinting. Some Noble prize winning ethologists did a lot of work on it in the early 20th century. Basically, it means that new born, or relatively newborn, animals will "imprint" on whatever they see first. One of the most famous examples was when Conrad Lorenz raised a batch (gaggle?) of goslings after they hatched in the absence of their mother and saw him first out of the shell. They followed him everywhere. He was their mother.

  74. 74.

    harlana pepper

    Okay, this being nice is all fun and everything, but I’m going back down to one of the other threads and bash Tom Freidman’s head in with a shovel.

  75. 75.

    jrg

    You don’t need a hug, you need to freebase some coffee.

    After reading that link, I feel less sorry for the girl whose story you posted here. That crazy bitch was probably planning to use the school kitchen to turn ibuprofen into heroin. Best to catch ’em young.

  76. 76.

    Notorious P.A.T.

    I know that as a fan of women’s college basketball, I am supposed to be excited by the prospect of a 1 vs. 2 matchup. But it’s Carolina and UConn

    Wow! North Carolina and U Conn are 2 of the top 4?!?!? Who woulda thunk it? ? ? I’m gonna go waaaaaaaaaay out on a limb here and predict that Tennessee will end up being in the top 4 as well.

  79. 79.

    Trinity

    @John Cole: This is the one I bought. It was pricey and worth every damn cent. I use it every morning for 45-60 minutes. I was a true skeptic about this but after 15 years of trying everything (therapy, pharmies, herbs, exercise, diet…) this is the only thing that has benefited not only my mood and energy levels but also my sleep is much improved.

  82. 82.

    burnspbesq

    @Notorious P.A.T.:

    Tennessee is rebuilding this year. Right now Oklahoma is number three and Duke, which continues to win despite playing the ugliest basketball seen in the women’s game since the days of six-on-six with two rovers, is number four. We Duke fans are happy that our team is winning but despairing for the future of the program under McCallie.

  83. 83.

    Litlebritdifrnt

    I suffer from S.A.D. terribly in the winter, but usually NC winters are not too bad, we can have absolutely glorious days in the 70s when I can get out and potter in the garden. Tomorrow however we are expecting 6 – 12" of snow in which case the ENTIRE region has gone off its collective rockers and is buying food and stuff like the world is going to end. I can’t wait until tomorrow when I see all those smug SUV drivers spinning off the roads cause they wrongly think "Oh I have an SUV I don’t need to worry about the snow" Four years in Scotland taught me how to drive in snow, condensed into the fewest words possible = very slowly and carefully, doesn’t matter how big or little your vehicle is, once those tires lose traction baby you are going to be on the ride of your life (and you will be lucky if you do not end up upsidedown in a ditch).

  84. 84.

    JL

    John, Moxie and I both give great hugs. Nobody thinks that Obama is the Messiah and that he alone can solve all our problems but some of us think that he is actually the best person at this time to at least try to dig us out of this terrible situation that we are in. What I plan on doing is listening to great music and watching tomorrows inauguration with great joy. Starting Wednesday I’ll probably just listen to JSF and Laura’s song to start the day.

  86. 86.

    Litlebritdifrnt

    PS) I have been watching BBC America most of the day (I so love Cash in the Attic), and clicking between that and MSNBC. I have to agree that the pre-inauguration coverage is getting over the top, but being a Brit I can relate, it is almost like a Royal Wedding is about to happen, so the entire country is revelling in its countriness, it is our event, etc. I will however be waiting for the first reporter to state on Jan 20 (while clutching ear piece) "we have just heard that our hidden microphones have recorded the first flush in the Oval Office private bathroom since Obama moved in, yes it’s official folks, the first dump in the Oval Office crapper, you heard it here first" I am only half joking.

  88. 88.

    sus

    "The Clergy Housing Allowance Clarification Act of 2002 was approved unanimously by Congress, then signed into law by George W. Bush on May 20, 2002, rendering the IRS case against Warren moot. "I have filed hundreds of briefs in federal courts," Chemerinsky told me, "and this is the only time that Congress passed a law to make a specific pending case moot." He added, "It is very rare for Congress to pass a law to make a pending case moot before there was a decision."

    ==========
    From the above-mentioned article on Warren. I knew he had a big church, but I didn’t realize his power. wow.

  89. 89.

    Pastafarian

    Hey, that’s my Banshee in the top picture! She’s 17 years old and still in decent health. Grumpier and slower than she used to be, but then again, so am I. She’s always had that melancholy look and spends most of her time feeling sorry for herself.

    Here’s an e-hug, John.

  90. 90.

    JPK

    You deserve a hug, John. You’re a good guy. Even when I disagree with you. Good luck with the light box.

  91. 91.

    Mike in NC

    Eight inches of snow is the Apocalypse in NC.

    Holy crap! Where is this going to happen? We moved from the DC area a year ago and got rid of the snow shovels, scarves, boots, rocksalt and all that other northern paraphenalia. Off to check the weather channel…

  93. 93.

    Litlebritdifrnt

    John – think on it. Tomorrow the most unlikely candidate for president ever is about to be sworn in, I mean think about it, a two year senator with absolutely no experience to do anything, who got elected on the premise of hope. That is fucking awesome!

  94. 94.

    burnspbesq

    @Mike in NC:

    Triangle is going to get whacked. I’d bet nothing gets into or out of RDU tomorrow. Only the hardy or foolish will make it to the Duke-NC State game.

    Greensboro and Charlotte are going to get 2-4 inches.

  95. 95.

    kommrade reproductive vigor

    @dr. bloor: Ahem. They do sell a kit that allows you to plant any seed you want.

    One other thing John, start taking a vitamin D supplement. the average person is D deficient even in the summer and in the winter, we’re all hosed. The S.O. had a number of depression-like symptoms (low mood, aches and pains) but large doses of D have helped a lot.

  97. 97.

    Mike in NC

    @burnspbesq

    Greensboro and Charlotte are going to get 2-4 inches.

    Thanks a lot. Duly noted. I work in Wilmington so maybe there’s a chance to dodge the bullet.

  98. 98.

    new day rising

    Hey, the bottom photo is of my cat Gidget, happily rolling in the driveway. She’s a great cat, who we saved from certain death at the pound ten years ago. She has giant feet and twenty-four toes, six on each foot. (Check your cats rear feet and don’t be surprised if you count only four toes on each of those feet.) Her front paws are fearsome weapons, but are never against her people.

  99. 99.

    Cain

    @jake 4 that 1:

    @John Cole: No, wait, wait! Get an AeroGarden. The light is great and you can grow herbs or whatever in

    So, the FBI are watching everyone who buys this stuff right? Because I can think of a ‘whatever’ that this would be good for.

    cain

  103. 103.

    demimondian

    @kommrade reproductive vigor: I gotta suggest the D supplements. It’s not quite as bad in WV as it is up here, but it is technically impossible for a human to synthesize enough vitamin D during the Seattle winter.

    FDDD was put on huge supplements earlier this year, and the effect on her skin and mood has been astounding.

  104. 104.

    Krista

    Awww…here’s a hug for you John (which just goes to show how much I care, ’cause I’m not letting anybody hug me right now due to my pregnancy-enlarged bewbs feeling like boulders.)

    And if that doesn’t make you smile, just think of the fact that not only will Dick Cheney no longer be veep as of tomorrow, but he pulled his back quite badly while lifting boxes.

    (Yeah, I know, I shouldn’t be gloating at an old man’s pain, but this is Cheney we’re talking about — he’s responsible for a lot of suffering, is it so wrong for me to indulge in a little schadenfreude now that he’s suffering a bit?)

  105. 105.

    Cain

    @demimondian:

    @Cain: Please, be more specific. I’m sure that the DEA needs all the help they can get.

    Urgh.. too many damn law enforcement agencies.. Forgot about the damn DEA! s/FBI/DEA/

    cain

  106. 106.

    Conservatively Liberal

    The Church of Tunch
    John Cole, Minister

    I think there is more to this Tunch character than John is telling us. Hey John, what association does Tunch have with the Trinity United Church of Christ? Is your cat a terrorist sent by Rev.Wright? Has Tunch taken over your home and you are not free to tell us because he is holding a gun on you, or has he taken over your mind and is the reason you became a Democrat? Let us know in any way you can and if needed I will get Erick and his RedState Strike Force to take out that beast and free you from the nightmare that you are undoubtedly living.

    /wingnut

  110. 110.

    TheAssInTheHatOnMyCat(Formerly Comrade Tax Analyst)

    The Moar You Know
    Less than 24 hours until Bush is out the door. Who will he pardon? Who will he throw under the bus?

    Yeah, I know this thread is probably dead, but can we just throw BUSH in the cat box?

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