Radia, Kirit. "US and Russia ‘Closer’ to Resolving Ukraine Crisis." ABC News.
29 Mar 2014. Web. 29 Mar 2014.
Link: http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/headlines/2014/03/us-and-russia-closer-to-resolving-ukraine-crisis/
A sudden turn of events occurred yesterday when Russian President Vladimir Putin gave President Obama a surprising phone call regarding issues over the standoff in Ukraine. Although both countries disagree heavily on many issues, the phone call between the leaders of the two countries signifies that an agreement could be coming soon. The major concern that the US has over the Russian aggression is the fact that Russia could potentially invade Eastern Ukraine at any moment, even though Russia has repeatedly denied any military intentions. This concerns are a result of the militarization of the region just behind the Ukraine-Russia border, where tens of thousands of troops as well as large amounts of ammunition are located. This also comes after Russia was "kicked out" of the G8 summit, just one of the many sanctions placed on Russia as a punishment for the annexation of Crimea. One can only hope now that the talk between the two presidents will lead to a peaceful conclusion, and that no violence will result.
Saturday, March 29, 2014
New Way to Save Money for the Government (Week 4)
Stix, Madeleine. "Teen to government: Change your typeface, save
millions." CNN. 29 Mar 2014. Web. 29 Mar 2014.
Link: http://www.cnn.com/2014/03/27/living/student-money-saving-typeface-garamond-schools/index.html?hpt=hp_t2
Ever since the financial and fiscal crisis began in 2008, saving money has been a top priority for the government, leading to a series of mass spending cuts and new reforms. However, while Republicans and Democrats debate over the nation's spending bill, 14-year old Suvir Mirchandani from Pittsburgh has a revolutionary idea that could save a lot of money: Changing the font that the government uses. According to Suvir's research, each federal employee prints on average 7,200 pages each year, which means a significant amount of ink, which costs about $75 an ounce, is needed to print all that. Therefore, Suvir proposes that the government should switch to "Garamond," a typeface that looks similar to Times New Roman (the font the government currently uses) but in reality saves about 30% on the amount of ink needed, due to "thinner" letters. With this said, Suvir calculated that a switch could save the government $234 million dollars, an unprecedented amount! This method of saving money could also be applied to local public schools, with upwards of $20,000 of annual savings. This could definitely be a breakthrough innovation that would save money around the country.
millions." CNN. 29 Mar 2014. Web. 29 Mar 2014.
Link: http://www.cnn.com/2014/03/27/living/student-money-saving-typeface-garamond-schools/index.html?hpt=hp_t2
Ever since the financial and fiscal crisis began in 2008, saving money has been a top priority for the government, leading to a series of mass spending cuts and new reforms. However, while Republicans and Democrats debate over the nation's spending bill, 14-year old Suvir Mirchandani from Pittsburgh has a revolutionary idea that could save a lot of money: Changing the font that the government uses. According to Suvir's research, each federal employee prints on average 7,200 pages each year, which means a significant amount of ink, which costs about $75 an ounce, is needed to print all that. Therefore, Suvir proposes that the government should switch to "Garamond," a typeface that looks similar to Times New Roman (the font the government currently uses) but in reality saves about 30% on the amount of ink needed, due to "thinner" letters. With this said, Suvir calculated that a switch could save the government $234 million dollars, an unprecedented amount! This method of saving money could also be applied to local public schools, with upwards of $20,000 of annual savings. This could definitely be a breakthrough innovation that would save money around the country.
Frustrated Father says Common Core is "Ridiculous" (Week 4)
Math Homework."Yahoo! Shine. 25 Mar 2014. Web. 29 Mar 2014.
Link: https://shine.yahoo.com/parenting/common-core-parent-facebook-post-indiana-school-181841158.html
The new Common Core system that has been established as an effort to keep American kids competitive with other students around the world has been receiving an increasing number of complaints since the beginning of this year. The common theme that is apparent throughout the backlash against the Common Core is the excessive over-complication of simple problems, such as 427-316, that could be solved in a matter of seconds. As the the parent says in the above photo: "In the real world, simplification is valued over complication." It's hard to imagine that this type of assignment could have any advantage over previous teaching methods, and it's much more likely that this change has a negative effect due to the convoluted nature of the problems, which could lead to confusion. However, time will only tell on the effectiveness of this new system.
Sunday, March 23, 2014
Egyptian Court Orders Freedom for Activist (Week 3)
Kennedy, Merrit. "Egyptian Court Orders Prominent Activist Freed On Bail." NPR.
N.p., 23 Mar 2014. Web. 23 Mar 2014.
Link: http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2014/03/23/293437921/egyptian-court-orders-prominent-activist-freed-on-bail
An Egyptian court ruled today to release on bail Abdel Fattah, an Egyptian political activist, who was charged for violating a protest law. Fattah received freedom after having to endure months of political imprisonment, including two days of solitary confinement with no light and enduring a hunger strike. The law that Fattah violated, one that has caused much controversy, specifically bans demonstrations that aren't "approved" by the government; ironically, Fattah protested against that law the day after it was established which sent him to jail. Fattah is also one of Egypt's most popular bloggers known for criticizing the government, and was regarded as an important political symbol in the revolutions in Egypt in 2011. The release of Abdel Fattah can be regarded as a major achievement for left-winged Egyptians who hope for more reforms in the future in their nation.
N.p., 23 Mar 2014. Web. 23 Mar 2014.
Link: http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2014/03/23/293437921/egyptian-court-orders-prominent-activist-freed-on-bail
An Egyptian court ruled today to release on bail Abdel Fattah, an Egyptian political activist, who was charged for violating a protest law. Fattah received freedom after having to endure months of political imprisonment, including two days of solitary confinement with no light and enduring a hunger strike. The law that Fattah violated, one that has caused much controversy, specifically bans demonstrations that aren't "approved" by the government; ironically, Fattah protested against that law the day after it was established which sent him to jail. Fattah is also one of Egypt's most popular bloggers known for criticizing the government, and was regarded as an important political symbol in the revolutions in Egypt in 2011. The release of Abdel Fattah can be regarded as a major achievement for left-winged Egyptians who hope for more reforms in the future in their nation.
More Clues but Still No Answers (Week 3)
Ellis, Ralph, and Ben Brumfield. "Satellite images from France aid in search for
missing Malaysian airliner." CNN. N.p., 23 Mar 2014. Web. 23 Mar 2014.
Link: http://www.cnn.com/2014/03/23/world/asia/malaysia-airlines-plane/index.html?hpt=hp_t1
The release of an image taken by a French satellite is yet another clue that could help in the discovery of Malaysian Airlines Flight 370, which has now been missing for over 16 days. This comes after the restriction of the search area to a 60,000 square kilometer region in the southern Indian Ocean, as well as two other satellite images that were released earlier this week by the US and China. However, even with all these clues to where the plane wreckage could be, still nothing has turned up as a result of the search. Besides the vastness of the search area, what makes the search even more difficult is the fact that the believed location of the plane is regarded as one of the most remote areas on Earth, and is approximately four hours from the Australian coastline. This means that search planes would only have about two to three hours of search time over the waters per day. In addition to this, there is a "deadline" for locating the area of the plane's wreckage, as after 30 days, the batteries for the "pingers" in the black boxes which are crucial for figuring out the details in the final hours of the planes flight will die out, which would make the search exponentially more difficult. As the search goes on, more and more people are wondering whether or not flight MH370 will ever be found.
missing Malaysian airliner." CNN. N.p., 23 Mar 2014. Web. 23 Mar 2014.
Link: http://www.cnn.com/2014/03/23/world/asia/malaysia-airlines-plane/index.html?hpt=hp_t1
The release of an image taken by a French satellite is yet another clue that could help in the discovery of Malaysian Airlines Flight 370, which has now been missing for over 16 days. This comes after the restriction of the search area to a 60,000 square kilometer region in the southern Indian Ocean, as well as two other satellite images that were released earlier this week by the US and China. However, even with all these clues to where the plane wreckage could be, still nothing has turned up as a result of the search. Besides the vastness of the search area, what makes the search even more difficult is the fact that the believed location of the plane is regarded as one of the most remote areas on Earth, and is approximately four hours from the Australian coastline. This means that search planes would only have about two to three hours of search time over the waters per day. In addition to this, there is a "deadline" for locating the area of the plane's wreckage, as after 30 days, the batteries for the "pingers" in the black boxes which are crucial for figuring out the details in the final hours of the planes flight will die out, which would make the search exponentially more difficult. As the search goes on, more and more people are wondering whether or not flight MH370 will ever be found.
Saturday, March 22, 2014
Russia Attempts to Consolidate in Syria (Week 3)
Watkins, Tom, Ivan Watson, and Frederik Pleitgen. "Russia moves to consolidate
control over Crimea." CNN. N.p., 22 Mar 2014. Web. 22 Mar 2014.
http://www.cnn.com/2014/03/22/world/europe/ukraine-crisis/index.html?hpt=hp_c2
Ever since the Crimean's voted to join Russia and Putin's annexation of the region, the social unrest in the region has escalated considerably. The situation was further accentuated today as shots were reportedly fired by Russian forces as they moved into Belbek Airbase. As of now, it is being reported that one journalist in the region has been injured, but the tension in the region is higher now. Moreover, the aggression by the Putin and the Russian army will likely bring about more sanctions against Russia, which would only negatively hurt their economy. In addition to this, some countries are viewing Russia's persistent aggression in the Crimean region, as well as other neighboring parts, as a precursor to war, meaning that future conflicts that could be more deadly and costly are potentially inevitable.
control over Crimea." CNN. N.p., 22 Mar 2014. Web. 22 Mar 2014.
http://www.cnn.com/2014/03/22/world/europe/ukraine-crisis/index.html?hpt=hp_c2
Ever since the Crimean's voted to join Russia and Putin's annexation of the region, the social unrest in the region has escalated considerably. The situation was further accentuated today as shots were reportedly fired by Russian forces as they moved into Belbek Airbase. As of now, it is being reported that one journalist in the region has been injured, but the tension in the region is higher now. Moreover, the aggression by the Putin and the Russian army will likely bring about more sanctions against Russia, which would only negatively hurt their economy. In addition to this, some countries are viewing Russia's persistent aggression in the Crimean region, as well as other neighboring parts, as a precursor to war, meaning that future conflicts that could be more deadly and costly are potentially inevitable.
Sunday, March 16, 2014
War in Syria Impacts Children (Week 2)
Chuck, Elizabeth. "Syria's Children Suffering, Dying Three Years Into
Conflict." NBC News. N.p., 11 03 14. Web. 16 Mar 2014.
Link: http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/syrias-children/syrias-children-suffering-dying-three-years-conflict-n46151
It's been three years since the civil war in Syria broke out between Syrian civilians and the Syrian government, and the war has definitely taken its toll on many of its citizens, children in particular. As of January of 2014, it is estimated that over 10,000 children have lost their lives in the war, and more than 5.5 million children have been deprived of food, medicine, and education. The UNICEF report "Under Siege: The Devastating Impact on Children of Three years of Conflict in Syria" states that "[t]he children of Syria cannot afford another year of conflict." The shocking thing is that just three years ago, Syria emphasized categories such as education and prided itself on its 90 percent literacy rate. Now however, schools and villages are reduced to rubble after constant bombardment from the Syrian government and the main focus for families now is to just make it through to the next day. In 2013 alone, the amount of children impacted by the crisis in Syria catapulted from 1.8 million to 5.5 million, and the number of children which were displaced jumped from 920,000 to nearly 3 million. In addition to this, the number of child refugees increased from 260,000 to 1.2 million. These statistics just show how dire the situation in Syria is, and how help and aid is desperately needed in those societies.
Conflict." NBC News. N.p., 11 03 14. Web. 16 Mar 2014.
Link: http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/syrias-children/syrias-children-suffering-dying-three-years-conflict-n46151
It's been three years since the civil war in Syria broke out between Syrian civilians and the Syrian government, and the war has definitely taken its toll on many of its citizens, children in particular. As of January of 2014, it is estimated that over 10,000 children have lost their lives in the war, and more than 5.5 million children have been deprived of food, medicine, and education. The UNICEF report "Under Siege: The Devastating Impact on Children of Three years of Conflict in Syria" states that "[t]he children of Syria cannot afford another year of conflict." The shocking thing is that just three years ago, Syria emphasized categories such as education and prided itself on its 90 percent literacy rate. Now however, schools and villages are reduced to rubble after constant bombardment from the Syrian government and the main focus for families now is to just make it through to the next day. In 2013 alone, the amount of children impacted by the crisis in Syria catapulted from 1.8 million to 5.5 million, and the number of children which were displaced jumped from 920,000 to nearly 3 million. In addition to this, the number of child refugees increased from 260,000 to 1.2 million. These statistics just show how dire the situation in Syria is, and how help and aid is desperately needed in those societies.
Crimea Votes to Join Russia (Week 2)
Smith-Park, Laura, Diana Magnay, and Nick Walsh. "Ukraine crisis: Early results
show Crimea votes to join Russia." CNN. N.p., 16 03 14. Web. 16 Mar 2014.
Link: http://www.cnn.com/2014/03/16/world/europe/ukraine-crisis/index.html?hpt=hp_c2
Today, the people of Crimea voted on a referendum on whether or not they would leave Ukraine and join Russia. With over 75% of the votes counted as of 8:30 p.m. ET, there is an overwhelming majority for the latter, with almost 96% of the voters voting to become a part of Russia. However, although the voters might believe that joining the Russian Federation would be the best path to success, other nations around the world, the US in particular, believe that this is a violation of international law and are refusing to recognize the decision. Due to the crisis in Crimea, the hostility between Russia and the United States has risen to a point that hasn't been seen since the cold war era. As a result, because of Russia's aggressive motivations in the Crimean region, the US could start placing sanctions on Russia as soon as terrible in an attempt to "punish" them for what the US believes as misconduct.
show Crimea votes to join Russia." CNN. N.p., 16 03 14. Web. 16 Mar 2014.
Link: http://www.cnn.com/2014/03/16/world/europe/ukraine-crisis/index.html?hpt=hp_c2
Today, the people of Crimea voted on a referendum on whether or not they would leave Ukraine and join Russia. With over 75% of the votes counted as of 8:30 p.m. ET, there is an overwhelming majority for the latter, with almost 96% of the voters voting to become a part of Russia. However, although the voters might believe that joining the Russian Federation would be the best path to success, other nations around the world, the US in particular, believe that this is a violation of international law and are refusing to recognize the decision. Due to the crisis in Crimea, the hostility between Russia and the United States has risen to a point that hasn't been seen since the cold war era. As a result, because of Russia's aggressive motivations in the Crimean region, the US could start placing sanctions on Russia as soon as terrible in an attempt to "punish" them for what the US believes as misconduct.
Flight MH370 Still a Mystery (Week 2)
Starr, Barbara, Chelsea Carter, and Jethro Mullen. "CNN Exclusive: Analysis
shows 2nd possible Indian Ocean path for airliner." CNN, 14 03 14. Web. 14
Mar 2014.
Link: http://www.cnn.com/2014/03/14/world/asia/malaysia-airlines-plane/index.html?hpt=hp_t1
It has now been over seven days since Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 suddenly vanished from radar and still investigators haven't succeeded in limiting the search area for the plane. Previous "clues" that were originally thought to be in connection with the plane, such as oil slicks or satellite imagery, have been discredited. Now however, attention has turned to "pings" that satellites orbiting the earth may have picked up from the plane, which suggest that the plane must have been flying for at least five hours since the loss of connection. In addition to this, the data from the satellites suggests that the plane may have made another turn as it entered the Indian Ocean, which means that the search area in the Indian Ocean extends thousands of miles in all directions. However, the discovery that the plane may have flown for this long makes the search exponentially more difficult. Now, as signs point more to the fact that this incident was intention, only time will tell what really happened on flight MH370.
shows 2nd possible Indian Ocean path for airliner." CNN, 14 03 14. Web. 14
Mar 2014.
Link: http://www.cnn.com/2014/03/14/world/asia/malaysia-airlines-plane/index.html?hpt=hp_t1
It has now been over seven days since Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 suddenly vanished from radar and still investigators haven't succeeded in limiting the search area for the plane. Previous "clues" that were originally thought to be in connection with the plane, such as oil slicks or satellite imagery, have been discredited. Now however, attention has turned to "pings" that satellites orbiting the earth may have picked up from the plane, which suggest that the plane must have been flying for at least five hours since the loss of connection. In addition to this, the data from the satellites suggests that the plane may have made another turn as it entered the Indian Ocean, which means that the search area in the Indian Ocean extends thousands of miles in all directions. However, the discovery that the plane may have flown for this long makes the search exponentially more difficult. Now, as signs point more to the fact that this incident was intention, only time will tell what really happened on flight MH370.
Sunday, March 9, 2014
Crackdown on Corruption Leads to Abuse (Week 1)
NPR Staff. "China's Crackdown On Corruption Opens Door To Abuse." . NPR, 09 03
2014. Web. 9 Mar 2014.
Link: http://www.npr.org/2014/03/09/288169738/china-s-crackdown-on-corruption-opens-door-to-abuse
In the past couple years, the Chinese President Xi Jinping has been taking significant measures to limit corruption within the communist party. However, while limiting corruption in the party is definitely a forward step, a sharp increase in torture and abuse of Chinese officials has occurred as a result. According to an associated press reporter Gillian Wong, "The way [the party] goes about investigating corruption tends to be so opaque -- within the party, controlled entirely by the party -- that it allows for these types of abuse to occur." As a result of this, thousands of Chinese officials have been secretly detained and faced brutal conditions in the prisons they were sent to. Punishments that detainees faced included starvation, sleep deprivation, and beatings. One inmate that faced said conditions described above was Zhou Wangyen, a director of the land resources bureau who was accused of accepting bribes of 100,000 yuan. Although Zhou denies these accusations, he was essentially forced to "admit" that he did accept bribes and resign from his position as the torture was too unbearable. It's clear that this form of abuse should not be acceptable in the modern era, and hopefully change will occur soon.
2014. Web. 9 Mar 2014.
Link: http://www.npr.org/2014/03/09/288169738/china-s-crackdown-on-corruption-opens-door-to-abuse
In the past couple years, the Chinese President Xi Jinping has been taking significant measures to limit corruption within the communist party. However, while limiting corruption in the party is definitely a forward step, a sharp increase in torture and abuse of Chinese officials has occurred as a result. According to an associated press reporter Gillian Wong, "The way [the party] goes about investigating corruption tends to be so opaque -- within the party, controlled entirely by the party -- that it allows for these types of abuse to occur." As a result of this, thousands of Chinese officials have been secretly detained and faced brutal conditions in the prisons they were sent to. Punishments that detainees faced included starvation, sleep deprivation, and beatings. One inmate that faced said conditions described above was Zhou Wangyen, a director of the land resources bureau who was accused of accepting bribes of 100,000 yuan. Although Zhou denies these accusations, he was essentially forced to "admit" that he did accept bribes and resign from his position as the torture was too unbearable. It's clear that this form of abuse should not be acceptable in the modern era, and hopefully change will occur soon.
Saturday, March 8, 2014
Minimum Wage Increase Hurts Economy? (Week 1)
Kestenbaum, David. "Does Raising The Minimum Wage Kill Jobs?." Planet
Money. NPR, 06 03 2014. Web. 8 Mar 2014.
Link: http://www.npr.org/blogs/money/2014/03/06/286861541/does-raising-the-minimum-wage-kill-jobs
Since Obama signed an executive order that mandated that the minimum wage be increased from $7.25 an hour to $10.10 an hour, which is set to take affect by 2015, the president has faced a lot of backlash from his opponents saying that this effort would actually hurt the economy. Their main argument is saying that if the minimum wage is increased, then companies and their employers will stop hiring new employees, and even cut current employees, a trend that is all to familiar to Americans. To examine the possible impacts of the increase in minimum wage, Economist David Card examined a similar case that occurred in 1992, when New Jersey decided to raise its minimum wage while its neighbor, Pennsylvania, did not. Card specifically focused on the impacts of minimum wage jobs in fast food chains in New Jersey compared to fast food chains in Pennsylvania. In contrary to public belief however, it turns out the raise in minimum wage had little to no impact on the jobs in the fast food industry in the two states. However, not everybody is fully convinced by this research; a recent study by the Congressional Budget Office in February said that raising the minimum wage would actually cut half a million jobs from the work force. In exchange however, 16 million people would benefit from the minimum wage increase. It's clear that this reform will have many positive and negative impacts, which will be cleared up further as it is enforced.
Money. NPR, 06 03 2014. Web. 8 Mar 2014.
Link: http://www.npr.org/blogs/money/2014/03/06/286861541/does-raising-the-minimum-wage-kill-jobs
Since Obama signed an executive order that mandated that the minimum wage be increased from $7.25 an hour to $10.10 an hour, which is set to take affect by 2015, the president has faced a lot of backlash from his opponents saying that this effort would actually hurt the economy. Their main argument is saying that if the minimum wage is increased, then companies and their employers will stop hiring new employees, and even cut current employees, a trend that is all to familiar to Americans. To examine the possible impacts of the increase in minimum wage, Economist David Card examined a similar case that occurred in 1992, when New Jersey decided to raise its minimum wage while its neighbor, Pennsylvania, did not. Card specifically focused on the impacts of minimum wage jobs in fast food chains in New Jersey compared to fast food chains in Pennsylvania. In contrary to public belief however, it turns out the raise in minimum wage had little to no impact on the jobs in the fast food industry in the two states. However, not everybody is fully convinced by this research; a recent study by the Congressional Budget Office in February said that raising the minimum wage would actually cut half a million jobs from the work force. In exchange however, 16 million people would benefit from the minimum wage increase. It's clear that this reform will have many positive and negative impacts, which will be cleared up further as it is enforced.
Friday, March 7, 2014
Obama Signs Order for Minimum Wage Increase (Week 1)
Clawson, Laura. "The minimum wage is 75 years old—and back to its 1950
level." Daily Kos Labor. Daily Kos Group, 22 10 2013. Web. 6 Mar 2014.
Sahadi, Jeanne. "Obama signs order on minimum wage."CNNMoney. CNN, 12
02 2014. Web. 6 Mar 2014.
Link: http://money.cnn.com/2014/02/12/news/economy/obama-executive-order-minimum-wage/
Link: http://www.dailykos.com/story/2013/10/22/1249638/-The-minimum-wage-is-75-years-old-and-back-to-its-1950-level
President Obama recently signed an executive order that mandated that the minimum wage be raised from $7.25 an hour to $10.10, an effort that Obama has been pushing for since he was re-elected president in 2012. Set to take affect in 2015, this sudden hike in the nation's minimum wage would be the first reform of its kind in over three quarters of a century, the last minimum wage increase being in 1938. Obama's main argument for this increase in the nation's minimum wage is that the current minimum wage of $7.25 is extremely outdated, and that inflation has taken its toll on the relative value of a dollar; for example, $7.25 in 1968 would've been worth as much as $10.75 today. The president believes that this reform would help boost our economy; "Not only is it good for the economy, it's the right thing to do. You work full time? You shouldn't be living in poverty," says the president. However, Obama does face some critics, who believe that a hike in the minimum wage would actually hurt the economy in the long wrong as it would discourage employers to hire new workers. This debate will likely continue in the weeks and months to come.
level." Daily Kos Labor. Daily Kos Group, 22 10 2013. Web. 6 Mar 2014.
Sahadi, Jeanne. "Obama signs order on minimum wage."CNNMoney. CNN, 12
02 2014. Web. 6 Mar 2014.
Link: http://money.cnn.com/2014/02/12/news/economy/obama-executive-order-minimum-wage/
Link: http://www.dailykos.com/story/2013/10/22/1249638/-The-minimum-wage-is-75-years-old-and-back-to-its-1950-level
President Obama recently signed an executive order that mandated that the minimum wage be raised from $7.25 an hour to $10.10, an effort that Obama has been pushing for since he was re-elected president in 2012. Set to take affect in 2015, this sudden hike in the nation's minimum wage would be the first reform of its kind in over three quarters of a century, the last minimum wage increase being in 1938. Obama's main argument for this increase in the nation's minimum wage is that the current minimum wage of $7.25 is extremely outdated, and that inflation has taken its toll on the relative value of a dollar; for example, $7.25 in 1968 would've been worth as much as $10.75 today. The president believes that this reform would help boost our economy; "Not only is it good for the economy, it's the right thing to do. You work full time? You shouldn't be living in poverty," says the president. However, Obama does face some critics, who believe that a hike in the minimum wage would actually hurt the economy in the long wrong as it would discourage employers to hire new workers. This debate will likely continue in the weeks and months to come.
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