Once again, we’ve made it to the end of a decade... and another year... as well as another day. We live in days, of course, but once in a while we force ourselves to think of the year-long unit and almost never, tonight being one of the exceptions, do we think of the decade-long unit. So here we are. It’s been a very distinct 10-year unit for me — a great 10 years. And here’s to the next 10 years.
Have you got any resolutions? I made some resolutions back in September, because I think of the year as starting in September. The academic year always gave me a crisp sense of beginning. I had a general resolution that was something like: Do something new every day. Every day! I think that can be done, if you take a fine-grained look at what is new. I did do 3 new things beginning in September, and I’ve kept them up and intend to keep going into 2020. I wanted to see the sunrise and photograph it. I combined that with learning to run, which I’d never been able to do before. And I wanted to figure out a way to eat that would make me lose some weight, and in fact, I’ve lost 15 pounds!
I would like to add more new things. Maybe a new writing project. I’m thinking of moving about more in where I write. I bought one of these backpacks today to take my laptop around town and see if I can’t do something new in a new environment.
New, new, new. What’s new with you?
December 31, 2019
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114 comments:
Happy New Year - keep blogging. I'll keep reading.
Right now, its Sinatra at the Sands, a roaring fire and Billecarte-Salmon. Too dissolute for resolutions.
I’m just watching the Twilight Zone episodes on the SyFy channel.
Congrats! I miss running, I used to run 20 miles a week but bad knees now, I miss those endorphins popping.
My new thing is getting accepted to a PhD program at an older age. I will be part time but with a previous masters it will be shorter. I won't quit work though. I relish the classwork and want the dissertation to ensue.
I decide to retire in three months. I just can't take it any longer. I plan on trying to get my head on straight after the last few years in my hopelessly lost Gvt. Agency, train up the dog and take the RV out more...maybe hit Paris or Alaska.
And I'll keep reading this blog.
Happy New Year, all!
New basset hound. Our last basset died in October so we adopted another about 5 years old. She is my 5th basset and 3rd rescue. Very sweet. We got home Saturday night at 11:30 after a 12 hour drive from the shelter in LA.
I let her out in the backyard to go potty. I had taken the precaution of turning on the pool light so she could see the pool. She then proceeded to walk right into the pool. I thought for a second I would have to jump into the 50 degree pool but managed to grab her collar and pull her out. She has not gone near the pool since.
okay, Not to pick nits; but if we get down to brass tacks, we'll have to realize that this decade doesn't end until the end of NEXT year.
(now, you'll say something about, how a decade is just '10 years', in which case; didn't the decade end LAST year?)
Good for you, Althouse, on your running. I loved to run, and ran the New York Marathon. The problem was that that kind of mileage was a bit too much for my lower legs. So my thing now is to walk 18 holes and carry my own bag. 36 holes is not out of the question.
I am so happy for you, to be able to run without injury. I wish you a long and happy run into 2020 and beyond.
This "Happy New Year" Request goes out to Lisa P. from Peter S.
Peter writes: Sorry about pressing my case a little too vigorously. I guess I just wanted you to have an "insurance policy" in case your marriage didnt work out. I understand why you felt the need to get a restraining order against me. I forgive you and I assure you we will be together for eternity. Also, give my best to your husband.
Getting a cat.
Spring.
Chloe, our yellow Lab is a natural born killer, which is why we haven't gotten one for all these years, but she's older now, and it's my will vs. hers.
Not a cat person per se, but the wife is, and going to make it happen for her this spring.
Oh, and chickens. I guess. Got a chicken feeder for Christmas, so I guess that's a clue.
Going to be fun trying to keep everybody from killing each other, but I' sure everything is going to work out fine.
Just fine.
I do the same thing every day, but pick things I like.
Happy new year everyone! My resolution: to orient in a vertical position at least part of the day for the next year. Hope I keep it!
My new thing for 2020 will be a job, as my company is closing our local office, and my job is going away. ( I have until the end of March before I'm out of a job, and I have a severance package that will keep me paid a while beyond that, so I'm confident I will do okay. )
Between losing my son, losing my job, and getting cancer, I'm ready for 2019 to be done.
I guess I will be adding cancer treatments as another new thing. Meet with a Multiple Myeloma specialist down at Dana Farber in two weeks, and at that point we will work out a treatment plan.
Sounds like fun!
Ignorance is Bliss said...
_________
Said a Prayer.
Not something I do often.
God bless.
Happy New Year to everyone. I intend to go to bed at approximately the normal time, but my daughter always has a friend over and they stay up to eat cookies and watch the ball drop.
I used to make it a point to not do anything new in early January as a rejection of New Years resolutions. Now, though, it seems a perfectly good time to take a run at something I've wanted to do. Sometimes it sticks, sometimes it doesn't (I joined a gym last January and still go 2 or 3 times a week; the results aren't earth shattering, but I look a bit better and feel a lot better. But I can't get the hang of journaling--nothing worth writing about happens most days and I'll never go back and read it anyway.)
Every year life throws a new challenge at us. Mine in 2019 was a diagnosis of Parkinson's disease. From what I can tell there are only three things you can do in response: (1) Maintain a positive attitude. (2) Engage in strenuous cardio vascular exercise every day. (3) Take your medications with precision.
So I guess my resolutions for 2020 are the three points listed above.
My wish for all of you is that you will "pluck the day" each day of 2020. I'll be rooting for you.
Ignorance, I'm sorry to hear your tale. Good riddance to 2019.
FWIW, cancer treatments are far better than they used to be. Your hair will still fall out, but you won't be nauseous all the time and you won't lose a ton of weight (in fact, you're more likely to gain weight). My wife is having a double mastectomy in 2 weeks (which we didn't think was even an option since she already had a mastectomy 10 years ago). These days, many cancers (not all, not yet) are more chronic illness than death sentence. Treatment is just a bunch of hoops you have to jump through. They're not pleasant hoops, but if you jump through them, you are likely to get the result you want.
Good luck.
Since there was no Year Zero. The decade ends on 12/31/2020. Honest. Year 1 through 10 was the first decade A.D. Happy New year, though!
New grandson.
Never gotten past the expectation that I should be out partying. Last time I had a great NYE was 1998, when we had a small dinner party with friends. Since then I sit quietly with a good book. Neighbor's shotgun will let me know it's 2020
Is it Granada I see? Or only Asbury Park?
Gilbar;
As I told my grandson, if someone says “Count to 10”. You don’t go:
“0..1..2..3..4..5..6..7..8..9!”
I've lost 10 pounds this year. Yay! I'd like to see one of my kids find a life partner. Life is so much better when shared. We'll see if that happens. I am patient.
Was it keto?
If not, what?
I’m glad to be a America where at least I know I am free. Free to learn new things and free to enjoy LaAlthouse’s latest thoughts.
@Ignorance is Bliss: I wish I had some really good words to offer, but all that comes to me right now is "cancer sucks". May 2020 be the year you defeat cancer...
2020 is The Purge; 1 box, drawer, or closet a day, less vacations.
Meet with a Multiple Myeloma specialist down at Dana Farber in two weeks, and at that point we will work out a treatment plan.
Good luck. I am not up to date on cancer treatment so that is all I can offer.
Glad 2019 is almost over.
So Best Wishes for a better 2020!
In 2020 I sell my script, “Bride of Frankenstein.”
35 years ago-
In a bar in Tucson, live Rock-N-roll, beer flowing, with my buddies, chasing skirts, thinking 'life doesn't get better than this!'
35 years later-
At home, snow falling in Michigan, classical music, NAPA chardonnay, peaceful bliss, thinking 'life doesn't get any better than this'.
Yah, IiB, terrible stuff. Better 2020 for you and all the other sufferers.
The wife may retire early next year; we'll see. Business has been so slow it may not make much difference in income if she starts drawing SS. When I think about that I'm reminded of what I heard once from a woman whose husband was retiring--"He better find stuff to do, because I married him for better or worse--not for lunch."
Narr
I resolve to be an even better Narr
A flight of C-17s are half way across the Atlantic from Ft Bragg to Iraq. A base within Ft Bragg Houses The First Special Forces Detachment-Delta.
Solidifying my opinion that Biden has never been on the internet. Probably thinks bluetooth is a dental problem
"Former Vice President Joe Biden suggested Monday that displaced coal miners should learn to code.
"Anybody who can go down 3,000 feet in a mine can sure as hell learn to program as well," Biden said at a New Hampshire event Monday. He added later: "Anybody who can throw coal into a furnace can learn how to program, for God's sake!"
I find 3 things to be grateful for every day. That gives me a positive outlook.
traditionalguy said...
A flight of C-17s are half way across the Atlantic from Ft Bragg to Iraq. A base within Ft Bragg Houses The First Special Forces Detachment-Delta.
Appreciate the update.
Blogger Forest said...
I find 3 things to be grateful for every day. That gives me a positive outlook.
So you're the guy that makes up for guys me that think of the 6 things they're failing at every hour-
Nice to meet you Ying, I'm Yang.
Best wishes to our kind Hostess and everyone here! I plan to watch the Zone tonight too, with my dear wife.
Michael K, good luck with your new dog. I hope she brings you years of joy.
For myself, I'm going to learn how to weld in 2020. There's always something that needs to be welded, once you know how. You have been warned.
"Getting a cat."
I'm sorry, but no. The cat is getting human servants.
"Anybody who can throw coal into a furnace can learn how to program, for God's sake!"
Looking forward to Biden's Android app coming out in November. It's called Find My Teeth.
Browndog: I hear you. I was a miserable teenager, but now 50-odd years on I'm as happy as two separate clams. I love being retired (having many interests) and look forward to seeing my roses again next spring, and maybe entering a pistol competition. Why not?
Quaestor: "Looking forward to Biden's Android app coming out in November. It's called Find My Teeth."
To be followed by, "Who Took My Keys?", and "Pop, Why are You Putting All The Nightlights In A Shoebox?"
Happy new years all
Im watching a firefly marathon.
On el rey network, this was a half dozen years before they trusted whedon with the avengers
Phil 314 said...
“Count to 10”. You don’t go:
“0..1..2..3..4..5..6..7..8..9!”
Thanx Phil! i'll have to remember that way of explaining to people.
I usually use the "Christ wasn't born in year zero"
or, "the first year of our Lord was 1"
and then you get hung up on religion/Dating methods as get distracted
You ask them to count to ten, and then say, see?
GOD Bless you Ignorance is Bliss!
You are in my Prayers
Phil 314 said...
As I told my grandson, if someone says “Count to 10”. You don’t go:
“0..1..2..3..4..5..6..7..8..9!”
I dare you to try this with a C programmer...
I’m watching RANCHO NOTORIOUS. After that, I’m going to look at all of Marlene Dietrich’s films from the 30’s. Why? Because she is unique and gorgeous and was one of a kind. von Sternberg was her best director, knowing just how to light and photograph Marlene. RN is a later flick by Fritz Lang, who did well by Miss Dietrich, but was no Joe von Sternberg when it c America to lighting.
My kiddos gave me some On ‘Cloud’ running shoes a few months ago. They’re superb. I’d been running with ASICS for a decade or so and they can’t compete. Highly recommended - especially for us old farts. :)
Prayers for those dealing with health issues. Please take care of the mental and emotional aspects, as well. And I offer that from experience...
Happy New Year, and thanks for the daily offerings, Althouse!!
She then proceeded to walk right into the pool.
Once had a dog that was an uncontrollable runner off-leash. We came across a long pier on one of our walks and took off the leash. "Where can she possibly go?". She ran off the end of the pier at full speed.
Congrats on achieving some of your resolutions and goals.
I am resolved to sell this house and buy a smaller, better fitting one in 2020. Have been working on my goal to make more interesting and better quality wood things. Biggest, for me, is the decision to move on from my current work situation to something new; not to retire, not yet.
All the best to you in 2020, may you find what you seek.
Happy New Year. Congratulations to all for 2020.
My goal is to get healthy this year. So, I will appreciate the successful secrets to eating well and losing weight.
I'm sorry, but no. The cat is getting human servants.
I know. Cats are assholes.
For some people, those 4 minutes they purr on your lap is worth 20 years of assholery.
A decade is any 10-year period. This is the last day of the decade starting in 2010, and tomorrow is the first day of the decade starting in 2020--"the new Twenties."
The the-count-does-not-begin-with-0 argument would only be applicable if we were specifically talking about the 201st decade AD, which is not what most people mean by "this decade."
LTC-Ted said "The decade ends on 12/31/2020."
No, this decade ends today, because it started on 1/1/2010. I remember that distinctly. You must live in another era.
Anyway, I hope to avoid any serious setbacks this year and wish good health for the lot of you.
My resolution for this year is to learn to mine coal.
Learn to mine coal, cap light, rescuer, don’t go under unbolted ground. .5 pct methane, run.
This year I'll clean the tools on the workbench; maybe.
Blogger Two-eyed Jack said...
My resolution for this year is to learn to mine coal.
The most efficient energy source know to man, at this time.
Many in my area are converting from wood burning to coal. Cleaner, cheaper.
Yes, cleaner.
Our new experiment in 2020 is IF, intermittent fasting, using the book Delay, Don't Deny.
"She [the dog] ran off the end of the pier at full speed."
Obviously the dog's a Democrat since failing or ignoring consequences is their stock-in-trade. "Lets pass it to see what's in it."
I recall burning an anthracite bricks of coal fire in your fireplace gives off a continuous steady warmth for 8 hours unlike a wood fire that starts too hot and ends with warm coals that only last an hour. Plus you get coal's special odor that reminds you of the home of grandparents from Lockport, NY who built their Atlanta home in Ansley Park in 1910. But the Atlantic Ice and Coal Company is long gone.
Narciso, thanks for the Firefly heads up. Tuned right in.
IiB, tough year. Cancer treatments really are improving quickly. I am in my second year of living with chronic myeloid leukemia which a decade ago was quickly fatal. I'm looking forward to a normal regular life span.
Prayers up to all with health troubles or indeed any kind of trouble. So, yes, that’s all of us. May 2020 be a year of peace, prosperity and new growth for everyone. Prof A runs a great blog and the Commentariat is a pretty classy bunch. I always learn a lot.
Three new things? Publish my second book of poetry. Wear out the slide on my rowing machine. Reach out to neglected friends and relatives.
Happy New Year.
Wow, that a tough burden, weve known two people close to us, who passed on.
I am going to will potUS Trump's re-election.
Because I will it, it is no dream.
Theodore Herzl.
God bless us all, everyone.
Tiny Tim.
I’m just watching the Twilight Zone episodes on the SyFy channel.
"I'm Talking Tina and I'm going to kill you" is on right now.
The Mighty Casey is a rather lame one to show at midnight to start the new decadium.
Long ago I came to the realization that celebrating the new year makes as much sense as celebrating the new month or new week or new day.
It's now 2020 in D.C. Happy New Year.
They just showed a clip of Anthony. That would have been a good one for midnight.
Let's wish the Dems and you-know-who into the cornfield.
“Count to 10”. You don’t go:
“0..1..2..3..4..5..6..7..8..9!”
In [1]: list(range(10))
Out[1]: [0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9]
Happy it's no longer 5 minutes ago!
Happy Wednesday!!
Happy New Year from the east coast. 2020 doesn't look much different from 2019.
Happy New Year (almost) Everyone :)
Oh, and it is pronounced -- Two Thousand Twenty.
Happy New Year from Virginia, where the governor plans on using the National Guard to kick down doors looking for modern firearms and the Democrats have announced a war on suburban homes because single-family housing is “racist” or something.
@Ignorance is Bliss, please keep us posted on your progress. You know that we are pulling for you. BTW, no one programs in C anymore. It’s all Java and C++, mostly Java.
@FullMoon, Biden's implication that programming is easy to learn might explain why cyber security was so lax at OPM and the DNC, and why Podesta didn’t know what a phishing attack was.
@stevew, a piece of advice. Downsize your possessions and furniture before you buy the downsized house. Been there and it’s a serious pain when your new house is wall to wall unopened boxes. Also easier to sell the old house when it’s not too overcrowded with furniture.
In 2019 I lost twenty pounds, and got my blood pressure and cholesterol down. Still a way to go to be back to my best weight from my younger days.l, but I should get there.
HNY everybody.
Happy New Year all. I'm mostly a lurker, as when I get to a thread it's hours and hours late as life intervenes. I do appreciate almost every commenter, there is always someone with the pertinent knowledge regarding a topic to set things on a straighter path.
tradguy, when cleaning out my Grandmother's house, we found dozens of coupons for a free ton of anthracite coal from numerous companies. Lure you in to a delivery contract with a free ton. Odd that she kept them after switching over to gas, but then she was Scottish, and you never know when you might need a ton of coal in suburban Philadelphia, and she was the one to get it too. Saw her smile once, in a photo.
Please allow me to correct my last, as I recall a second photo of my Grandmother Barr smiling on a NJ beach, probably mid 1920s, with her black bathing attire, parasol, etc., sitting in front of a biplane, which was roped off. Oddly for a Scot, she wasn't a story teller, that must have skipped some generations, as that is what I do, so we have no notion of what was going on. If anyone is a small general aviation pilot, how hard would it be to take off in a 1920s biplane off a sand runway, let alone land?
"Barnstormers". These were (generally) WWI pilots who wanted to keep flying after the war. They would take their planes anywhere, airstrip or no, for airshows (which were probably as much about the novelty of airplanes as any special skills. I think the wing-walking etc came a bit later). My father told me how barnstormers came to Fernandina Beach several times while he was a boy in the '20s, and in fact they did land and take off from the beach.
while he was a boy in the '20s..
Dang! It just hit me that now that's 100 years ago.
Retiring from my 8 - 5 job in 2020. Tired of having to listen to diversity lectures from people who don't practice what they preach. But I am not retiring - I have spent the last two years learning a new trade. I will be successful with it or I won't, but the results will be based on my efforts and decisions. For now I am focusing on getting rid of the mental and physical baggage of my soon-to-be former profession.
Big Mike,
The heck they don't. A lot of my end-user development these days uses PHP, not C, though C does get called upon from time to time.
But everything in my usual development chain--PHP, Apache, PostgreSQL, the Linux kernal and filesystems.... all in active development, all in C.
The first decade started 1BC.
The first decade started 1BC.
I’ll take your word for it. I wasn’t there myself.
Doesn't the decade actually end on Dec 31 2020?
@Kirk, I am not aware of any university that even teaches C anymore, and I last interviewed a college hire who knew C sometime in the 1990s. I was pretty good writing C in my day, but by the 1990s I was no longer writing any new code myself.
6 more months of full-time work. Still deciding on whether or not to do part-time. More volunteer tutoring at the local elementary school. More time with 7 grandchildren (all 5 and under)
Suggested resolution:
Donate blood once more than you did in 2019.
"Was it keto?"
I don't think anyone is really doing keto, and I don't think that's a healthy idea unless you have an actual medical problem that requires it.
I combine: low carb, small portions, intermittent fasting, running in the morning, and weighing myself every day. It's possible that running in the morning changes how the metabolism works but it might just use some calories and provide some mental focus.
For intermittent fasting -- I'm not that severe about it, but I can cut myself off at maybe 3 in the afternoon and then not eat until the next morning. The fear of going to be hungry can be overcome. It's actually not bad, and you are mostly asleep. Eating before going to bed is much more likely to interfere with your sleep. I also cut out the glass of wine in the evening.
You really can pile up the good health habits.
I know that the more popular form of intermittent fasting is to skip breakfast and start at lunch and then have your usual dinner. I think that's preferred by people who go to work and who want to go out to dinner after work or who have a pretty formal approach to the family dinner. That's not me. I had a pattern of mostly eating in the morning and that was pleasant for me.
For all the pedants insisting that the decade doesn’t end for another year: quite lame!
https://youtu.be/fofcLXshq_8
"Anybody who can go down 3,000 feet in a mine can sure as hell learn to program as well,"
Strong words from a man who has never done either one.
I'm sorry to read about the illness some of you are dealing with. I hope the year goes well for you and that you embrace the beauty of life even when there are limitations.
Ignorance is Bliss said...
Phil 314 said...
As I told my grandson, if someone says “Count to 10”. You don’t go:
“0..1..2..3..4..5..6..7..8..9!”
I dare you to try this with a C programmer...
12/31/19, 9:25 PM
I guess someone needs to learn to code...
A good way to start off the New Year would be a Badger win in the Rose Bowl today. GO BUCKY!
Happy New Year everyone!
Every mornin' at the mine you could see him arrive
He could be 46 if he beat 45
Kinda broad at the shoulder and narrow at the hip
And everybody knew, ya didn't give no lip to Big Joe
Through the dust and the smoke of this man made hell
Walked a giant of a man that the miners knew well
Grabbed a saggin' timber, said "this ain't no load,
Pretend your 14 and learn to code"
Big Joe
Big Bad Joe
I know that the more popular form of intermittent fasting is to skip breakfast and start at lunch and then have your usual dinner.
That's what I've done for a couple of years. I just have black coffee in the morning. For lunch I usually have breakfast-type foods like eggs. Then I try not to eat after 8pm. I switched my exercise time to the early morning. I lost about 20 pounds (which was all I really wanted to lose), and went from being pre-diabetic to normal (6.2 to 5.5 A1C).
Bless everyone dealing with serious health and/or family problems.
I lost my brother in 2019 and my mom in 2018 so I’m kind of just hoping 2020 will be quiet in that regard.
Probably not though so I have a glass skull filled with bourbon to mark anyone else’s passage.
There certainly is (was) a year zero — for astronomers (a.k.a. 1 B.C. to the rest of us). In their case there's also none of that A.D./B.C. much less C.E./B.C.E. nonsense — it's just numbers, greater, less than, or equal to zero.
Congratulations on the weight loss, Ann! And a very Happy New Year to you and Meade.
I am in my second year of living with chronic myeloid leukemia which a decade ago was quickly fatal. I'm looking forward to a normal regular life span.
The progress is amazing for an old doc like me. I was a medical student when the first 5 year survivors of acute leukemia of childhood began to appear in the hematology clinic at Children's Hospital of LA. The docs did not know if it was cured or if they could stop chemo. Ten years later, as a cardiac surgery resident at Children's, I began to see the first girls who had been cured delivering babies that were healthy.
"Anybody who can go down 3,000 feet in a mine can sure as hell learn to program as well,"
I think Biden believes coding is data entry. He really seems ignorant of commonplace modern stuff. He equates programming with setting his vintage vcr to record the Price is Right while he is campaigning. Being unaware of his ignorance allows him to confidently make these kind of statements.
Happy New Year. Congratulations to all for 2020.
My goal is to get healthy this year. So, I will appreciate the successful secrets to eating well and losing weight.
I’m not as active as Anne, but I can keep 4-5 pounds off by intermittent fasting and watching carbs and sugar. I do exercise once a weekish, but have to do better.
Also, I suggest getting your VitD checked. That plays a role in diabetes.
I’m pre-diabetic, and dropped my number a touch, but the doctor gave me a pass on the meds because I’m doing this while my mom passed.
Once I get back to normal, I’ll see what I can really do. Less carbs and white flour for sure. But my alcohol intake went up for me.
I'm sorry, but no. The cat is getting human servants
Dogs have owners. Cats have staff.
Moving to Panama. Room in my NC home for someone deserving from NY or SF.
After retiring in mid-15, I lost weight (270ish-->210ish [6'1"]) by walking a lot more, swimming in the summer, a little semi-yoga (don't tell) and light dumbbell lifting, and completely changing my eating habits . . . well, not completely.
I was/am pre-D; I was on Metformin for a few years but it made me feel bad. I eat a lot MORE fresh fruits and veggies and a lot LESS starch, salt, sugar, and processed foods in general. Not much fried.
Red meat maybe once a week, lots of chicken, fish, PORK (I'm a suthen boy born and reared); not much alcohol anymore. Blood sugar checks OK thrice a day, almost always.
At the moment, after our rare moveable feast and our very usual Turkey Day--NY indulgences, I'm at 233. Soon there won't be goodies around to enable dessert with all three and a half meals, plus that bedtime cake and custard, or cookie and nog, or candy and milk, or the converse. (I've completely slacked on the pseudo-yoga and weights since the trip though.)
My wife's exercise, yoga, and stat biking in the morning (priorities regardless of her variable clock-in at work) and her more extreme fitness regimen and diet than mine mean we manage only dinners at night together, and only 4-5 times a week whether at home or out.
Unless you're unusual eating less and doing more, consistently and if you can progressively, will get the poundage off. Just don't try too hard too quick.
Narr
Voice of experience
I have loved the FJALLRAVEN bag for a couple years. Maybe I should get one -
Blogger Doug said...
Moving to Panama. Room in my NC home for someone deserving from NY or SF.
How about someone looking to escape Portland, Oregon?
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