There are a few things I have wanted to comment on, but the time block necessary to do so in an intelligible fashion has been, in a word, elusive. Here’s a list of a few things to come (hopefully today, if not over the weekend).

The decisions coming out of the SCOTUS over the last two weeks have been a breath of fresh air. Count me a major fan of the Roberts court, and happy to see a return to a semblance of respect for Constitutional interpretation. As promised, more on that later, but the roll back of McCain-Feingold and the delegitimizing of race as a school districting factor are both good decisions and bode well for the next term.

The immigration debacle is just that - a debacle. A very important issue has become a political circus, with a spineless compromise bill under the big tent. Either you fix it, or you don’t. Pretending you’re fixing it is dangerous (and I’m coming at this from both the left and the right).

The iPhone is a watermark product - the price is too high for my tastes, and the hype is fun to watch, but if Apple is able to corner and control the music/phone market in one fell swoop, it’s a big deal.

Craig Biggio and Frank Thomas are the good guys of baseball. If they aren’t first ballot hall of famers, no one is (even though Frank Thomas has prolonged his career by use of the DH position). Thomas’ press conference after hitting home run 500 yesterday lays the case out well - for them both.

And the Chris Benoit murder / suicide is without a doubt, bizarre.

Catherine and I attended the rally for Fred Thompson this morning at the airport. I came very close to the assumed presidential candidate, but couldn’t quite get the hand shake. Catherine’s stroller proved to be an impediment as it created some space between Senator Thompson and myself. And, I don’t believe it would have been responsible mothering to abandon her in a crowd just to get close enough to extend my hand.

As shown by the pictures above and below, Fred Thompson took the time to greet people and he autographed quite a few homemade signs.

Catherine seemed more interested in the dog (not pictured, but the object of her stare) that was wearing a shirt covered in Fred ‘08 stickers:

I just returned from the candidate forum for Districts 12-15 sponsored by the Donelson-Hermitage Neighborhood Association.  There were nine chairs nicely set up for the candidates at the front of the room.  Alas, there were only eight men in attendance.  One lonely chair sat cold and unused, with the nameplate of Harold White placed on a table in front of it.

The sitting councilman for the district in which the forum was held could not be bothered to attend.  Apparently, an anonymous email was sent to the Association stating that Councilman White had instead decided to go to a Meet and Greet downtown sponsored by the Nashville Chamber of Commerce.  Even more apparent was the fact that Mr. White just didn’t want to face the voters who live in his district.  It’s pathetic.

Oh, how I look forward to pressing the button to elect James Bruce Stanley (aka “Anybody But White”) on August 2.

Unfortunately, I did not have the opportunity to read my copy of The New York Times until after I finished my breakfast. I was a struggle to keep down my banana topped with peanut butter and blueberry yogurt after reading an article entitled “Not Buying It”.

This lovely piece focuses on people in New York City who voluntarily dig through dumpsters for food, furniture, appliances and anything else needed to maintain a happy home. I’m a libertarian on most issues. So, if these people are consenting adults who choose to live knee-deep in trash, more power to them. I also have the right to share my opinion that the practice is disgusting.

Freegans are scavengers of the developed world, living off consumer waste in an effort to minimize their support of corporations and their impact on the planet, and to distance themselves from what they see as out-of-control consumerism. They forage through supermarket trash and eat the slightly bruised produce or just-expired canned goods that are routinely thrown out, and negotiate gifts of surplus food from sympathetic stores and restaurants.

There is no doubt that a lot of somewhat edible food gets thrown away by grocery stores and restaurants every day. I believe there should be more programs that are set up to gather this food and deliver it to shelters. However, I do not recommend choosing to eat these delicacies after they have been lying with other refuse in the hot Manhattan sun. I wonder what people who actually have to dig in trash to eat think about these middle-class kids from the suburbs who come into the city and shout with glee upon finding an open bag of veggie fries or the dredges from a jar of peanut butter.

Many freegans are predictably young and far to the left politically, like Ms. Elia, the 17-year-old, who lives with her father in Manhattan. She said she became a freegan both for environmental reasons and because “I’m not down with capitalism.”

That’s very deep. I’m sure this young lady has a Che Guevara t-shirt and some sort of attire adorned with the phrase, “Corporations Suck!” I wish the reporter who did the interviews for this story would have asked Ms. Elia to define capitalism. That most certainly would have been enlightening.

My favorite paragraph in the entire article has to be the one that focuses on the dedication of Adam Weissman, age 29, who spends his life educating people about being “freegan”:

But New York City in particular — the financial capital of the world’s richest country — has emerged as a hub of freegan activity, thanks largely to Mr. Weissman’s zeal for the cause and the considerable free time he has to devote to it. (He doesn’t work and lives at home in Teaneck, N.J., with his father and elderly grandparents.)

Awesome! This slacker is mooching off his family so that he can focus on creating a world utopia through dumpster diving. He is a grown man (at least chronologically) who apparently has no work ethic and believes he is entitled to let others take care of him. I imagine he thinks that getting a job would just be giving into “the man” who is trying to hold him down and make him a hamster on the giant wheel of capitalism. I’m sure he is too old to be covered by daddy’s health insurance, so I’m not sure what the plan of action will be when that first nasty bout of food poisoning hits him.

Some final words of wisdom come from Christian Gutierrez, former model and investment banker who now devotes himself to living off garbage:

As people began to load plates of food, he leaned in and offered a few words of wisdom: “Opening that first bag of trash,” he said, “is the biggest step.”

So true, Christian. Perhaps one day we will all be brave enough to hold our noses and open up that trash bag filled with possibilities. My neighbor’s house smelled really good when he opened the front door. I think I’ll hit his trash can tonight and see what I can score!

AC Kleinheider at Volunteer Voters is already predicting certain Republican doom in 2008

Indeed, Fred Thompson is not included in the poll but considering that Thompson plays even further into the Republican base than those listed, these results cannot be a good sign. Eight years is a pretty good run for a Party at the Presidential level. Republicans seem to be savoring this election because they view Obama and Clinton as thoroughly beatable. What they don’t seem to realize is that this Republican President is highly unpopular.

Following eight years of an unpopular President, the chances that his party will hold on to the Presidency is extremely slim. Republicans by any historical measure are set to lose this election yet they seem utterly blind to that fact. Why?

Well, yeah, Except for this

Just 14% of Americans have a great deal or quite a lot of confidence in Congress.

This 14% Congressional confidence rating is the all-time low for this measure, which Gallup initiated in 1973.  The previous low point for Congress was 18% at several points in the period of time 1991 to 1994.

Congress is now nestled at the bottom of the list of Gallup’s annual Confidence in Institutions rankings, along with HMOs.  Just 15% of Americans have a great deal or quite a lot of confidence in HMOs.  (By way of contrast, 69% of Americans have a great deal or quite a lot of confidence in the military, which tops the list.  More on this at galluppoll.com on Thursday).

As noted in the story, the last time Congress suffered such disdain, the next election brought in the Republican revolution of 1994. The difference this time is that the next election happens to be a presidential election year. If 1994 had been 1996, Bill Clinton would have been a one-term failure.

Besides, running to the Republican base isn’t the problem for Fred Thompson or anyone else. Conservative principles win national elections (just ask Bill Clinton about welfare reform and balanced budgets) It wasn’t conservatives who lost their congressional seats in 2006. And it isn’t conservative principles sending Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid into the political porcelain, but their ceaseless and adamant anti-war liberal inanity. The Democrats running for president have to deal with their cohorts in Congress. Plausibly, and certainly, Republican candidates are able to run away from President Bush.

There is a vast misinterpretation of what the president’s lack of popularity means. It doesn’t mean the people thought going into Iraq was a bad idea, as the Democrats seem so convinced.  The lack of support comes from the execution of the plan to reach the goal.  Everyone but the most leftist surrenderati want to see America succeed in establishing a functioning Iraqi democracy. The Republicans know that. I don’t think the Democrats have a clue.

A flurry of discussion has arisen over at Volunteer Voters due to something that Sean Braisted noted on his blog. The topic is whether crimes committed due to the victim’s sexual orientation ought to be included in “hate crime” legislation.

Well, if you accept the premise that hate crimes are proper in the realm of criminal law, then, sure. Add to that crimes against fat people, skinny people, invalids, and those who prefer cats over dogs, too.

There are two problems with hate crime legislation. The first is one of public policy intertwined with constitutional law. Hate crime legislation creates a preferred political class within the criminal justice system. One of the better arguments that hate crime legislation is unconstitutional comes under an equal protection analysis, which I agree with.  Some victims are more protected than others. And with the advent of victims’ rights legislation, and as in Tennessee, it having been constitutionalized, the equal protection problem grows in importance.

Second, hate crimes laws make motive an element of the crime itself. Some commenters on the post over at VV seem to confuse the legal terms “intent” and “motive”, which is the entire crux of the hate crime debate. Intent and motive are distinct and separate concepts. Most criminal laws (save perhaps the very few strict liability laws such as driving under the influence, the implied consent law, and among a smattering of others like negligent homicide), require some level of intent (or mens rea). The question of “motive” is not a question of what, but of why. We seldom punish individuals for the “why”. Motive can help infer intent, but it is not the same thing. For example, one can be convicted of theft without need for the showing of a motive as to why you stole. Motive most comes into play when the facts to establish intent are weak or unclear.  In the matter of hate crime laws, motive trumps intent and becomes the crime. That’s a whole new ballgame, and in my view, a dangerous one.

Dear Councilman David Briley,

Was that you crossing the street (I believe it was 4th Avenue) downtown yesterday around 10:20am?  If not, there is someone walking around Nashville who bears a mighty amazing resemblance to you.

You seemed concerned for a brief moment that I would not wait for you to reach the other curb before I proceeded to turn right on red.  But, I assure you that I follow all rules of the road.  Check me out in an empty parking lot at 2:00am … I’ll turn on my blinker before pulling into a spot.

I hope that your travels ended well and you made it to your intended destination without delay or deterrence.  I did not fare as well as hoped, I’m afraid.  After parking quite a few blocks from the place of my appointment, I got myself turned around and walked in a bit of a circle.  You would think by now I would know the order of the streets as they ascend upwards from Broadway.  But, alas, no.  I still don’t know whether I’ll reach Commerce, Union or Church first.  And, I keep thinking, “I really wish I could see the water from the lovely Cumberland so that I would know if I am walking towards smaller numbers or bigger numbers.”  I just walk with a feigned air of knowing exactly where I’m going until I finally see something that I recognize.  Unfortunate, I know.  My poor sense of direction is the stuff of legends.  You should have known me in college when I dated a guy who earned a “D” in a Maps course.  We never could figure out where we were going!   I discovered years later from a mutual friend that Mr. Maps and I never would have gone in any direction together over the long-term as he is now living with his boyfriend in Washington D.C.’s fabulously gay Dupont Circle neighborhood.   But, I digress.

If you are elected as our next mayor, perhaps you can make really big signs labeling each street so that wayward journeymen such as myself are not left wandering and confused.

Sincerely,

Sarah Moore

And while I’m on the topic of Fred Thompson, here are his thoughts on the embarrassment that resides in the office of the Senate Majority Leader

How could anyone possibly believe, as Reid charges, that our commanding general in Iraq, David Petraeus, is out of touch with what’s going on. Surely someone in Reid’s position would know that Petraeus is briefed daily on all aspects of Iraq — from civil to military. Surely he has to know that Petraeus is a true warrior scholar who literally wrote the Army’s book on counterinsurgency warfare.

But Reid’s comments are not meant for logical analysis. He proclaimed the war lost some time ago, and the surge as a failure even before the additional troops were on the ground. The problem is that every one of Reid’s comments I’ve noted here has also been reported gleefully by Al Jazeera and other anti-American media. Whether he means to or not, he’s encouraging our enemies to believe that they are winning the critical war of will.

Like it matters to Reid. If the typical American servicemen were of his caliber, we’d still be speaking heavily accented English.

Fred Thompson’s “prequel” campaign continues to chug forward with ever-escalating velocity. Though within the margin of error, Rasmussen has released a poll with Fred Thompson edging out Rudy Giuliani, 28 to 27 percent.

Fred has been “running” for some time, despite his penchant for not really running (yet).  I have found the whole phenomenon fascinating. This sort of thing isn’t new. The difference here as compared to previous episodes where running candidates aren’t yet running (a la Wesley Clark and the technicolor empty suit) is that the the time lost for fundraising and organization building is being made up for in droves, in an almost organic fashion.  Though no fundraising numbers have been disclosed by the Thompson campaign, it is apparent from those who know that he is going to be competitive.

There are two types of potential political donors - those who have given money, and those who have not yet given money. It seems that Fred’s appeal extends to both conservatives who have “settled” and already donated to other campaigns, and who are likely to donate again, and those who have been unsatisfied with the field and were content to sit on their collective wallets.  It may be too late in the game for the mediocre candidate, but it’s certainly not too late for Fred Thompson.

I offer you a powerful testament to the impact that fluctuating female hormones can have on one’s emotions.  I was watching Maury Povich earlier this week (don’t worry … it’s not a habit) and, shockingly, the show was about paternity tests.  I kid you not, I actually started to cry when the results turned out the way the nervous boyfriend wanted.  Even though his girlfriend admitted to cheating, he still wanted to be the “baby daddy” and get married.  When Maury said, “You ARE the father!”  and the newly-designated sperm  provider jumped up and grinned, I thought to myself, “Maybe these two crazy kids will have a shot a happy life now.”

I remember having a similar emotional reaction during the episode of 90210 in which the entire senior class walks out of finals to support Donna.  They held up signs and chanted, “Donna Martin graduates”, and my heart swelled.  Those kids really care about Donna!  How awesome is that!  She must be a really sweet girl.

Side Note — Yes, I realize that my husband is analyzing real political issues while I share my dramatic reactions to tabloid TV and teen soap operas.  Sometimes, though, you just gotta share.

I have never seen an episode of The Sopranos.  This is due partly to the fact that I’ve never subscribed to HBO and partly because I have very little interest in mobster entertainment (I think I’m one of the few Americans who hasn’t seen The Godfather, Scarface, Good Fellas or that movie in which Kevin Spacey has a limp … is that movie related to mob dudes?).  However, I did read many of the reviews written about the final episode and the gals on The View spent quite a bit of time discussing the finale.  I am left with two lingering consequences to my decision to educate myself about the end of Tony Soprano’s life on TV.

First, I have been craving onion rings.  Big, thick, greasy onion rings with a puddle of ketchup waiting to greet the ring’s fanciful dunk.  I must find some way to fulfill this desire this weekend.  Perhaps Nathan will want to go to the onion ring restaurant … what a glorious place that would be … for Father’s Day.

Second, I have been belting out “Don’t Stop Believing” (or is it “believin’”?) around my house.  It’s become a standard part of my song and dance routine for Catherine during her morning snack.  The song is a nice addition to my rendition of the ditty that goes something like, “Gotta spread the word, all around the world” (it’s used in a Verizon commercial and I believe it is sung by Oasis … miss those crazy guys) and “Total Eclipse of the Heart” which I also have stuck in my mind thanks to a TV commercial.

To borrow the common theme from two of my favorite radio guys, it’s needed here. From Indianapolis

INDIANAPOLIS — Sixth-grader Matt Porter didn’t enjoy getting “Most Likely Not To Have Children” and “Sir Clowns-a-Lot” awards from two teachers at his school.

Matt said he received the awards in front of classmates during a ceremony at the Decatur Intermediate Learning Center at the end of the recently finished school year. His mother and his stepfather have asked the Decatur Township school system to reprimand the teachers, and they want an apology.

“Words cut deeper than any knife could. They hurt,” said his stepfather, Joseph Sims. “When you hurt a child like that, you not only hurt him mentally, but it does hurt physically because you withdraw within yourself. That is what Matthew has done.”

Sounds like a plan to me. Since corporal punishment is out, there’s little left outside of the occasional humiliation. This seemed a bit over-the-top, however

Amy Sims said her son needs counseling because of the awards. The school has offered it, but an agreement on who will provide it has not been reached, Thomas reported.

So your kid misbehaves, maybe is a little out of control, gets a fake award to make a point, and he’s scarred for life?

I think my 17 month old could beat up your sixth grader.

The Democrat Congress has proven itself no better equipped to govern than the current administration. This is certainly not a comforting fact - and ought not be for anybody.

I’m no fan of what the Bush administration has become (no illusions are to be found here). But I also recognize that the alternative to George W. Bush is some sort of dastardly Harry Reid / Nancy Pelosi hybrid, certainly the Ann of Cleves of modern American politics.

The Democrats currently hold a lower level of esteem among the American electorate than the president, approved of by merely 23% of the people. Perhaps it’s because of the insistence of the Democrats in dragging the US attorney scandal around like a security blanket. Or perhaps it’s because of statements like this from the Senate leader

Top US congressional Democrats bluntly told President George W. Bush Wednesday that his Iraq troop “surge” policy was a failure.Senate Majority leader Harry Reid and House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi challenged the president over Iraq by sending him a letter, ahead of a White House meeting later on Wednesday.

“As many had forseen, the escalation has failed to produce the intended results,” the two leaders wrote.

“The increase in US forces has had little impact in curbing the violence or fostering political reconciliation.

Of course, anyone paying attention knows that the surge has really just begun. Be not afraid - before the smoke even clears, the Democrats are standing astride history and waving the white flag. The least they could do is call for a UN Resolution and keep up a modicum of victorious appearances, or have carved out a thoughtful position short of outright moral implosion, perhaps, even, showing the world that the consensus is that the United States intends to emerge from the Middle East having at least given the fledgling Iraq democracy a fighting chance. Instead, the freakishly weak Reid/Pelosi mixed breed is intent on yanking out the plug with a rebel yell. The half from Nevada goes so far as to blast both past and present military leadership

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid called Marine Gen. Peter Pace, the outgoing chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, “incompetent” during an interview Tuesday with a group of liberal bloggers, a comment that was never reported.

Reid made similar disparaging remarks about Army Gen. David Petraeus, the top U.S. commander in Iraq, said several sources familiar with the interview.

These folks aren’t the answer. A couple of days ago, another blog noted that the Democrat field for president is a different set of politicians, and are therefore indicative of change. When you listen to what they say, all but Hillary Clinton are parroting some variation of unconditional withdrawal. There is no difference between what the congressional leadership is proposing and what their party candidates are offering for the presidency. If you want to replace American rangers with al Qaeda trainees in Iraq, be sure to look for the big “D” next November.

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When someone decides to put a candidate’s sign in his yard, he is saying, “I support this guy! I like what he wants to do for my community!” As one drives around the Hermitage area, it quickly becomes obvious that empty fields and land available for development are both in love with Harold White (if land masses are capable of such emotion). His actual, real-life neighbors … not so much.

Catherine and I took an expedition this afternoon to photograph some of White’s reelection signs.
Here is a lovely overgrown mess down the street from my house. The sign you see facing the street is advertising available retail space:

The sign next to Councilman White’s sign in this photo advertises the medical center coming this fall (I can’t wait!!):

Just to make sure another part of Central Pike didn’t feel left out, Councilman White has another sign placed in front of a home that is being sold to make way for commercial purposes:

Consider this my first installment of the multi-part photo essay “Harold White and Developers — A Love Story”. There are plenty more examples like the ones above, and I will be sharing them with you.

Meanwhile, take a look at Councilman White’s street of residence. When he first ran for Metro Council in 2003, this street was a flurry of yellow signs. The yards were practically carpeted in yellow. It was difficult to find any homes that didn’t proudly display signs for their neighbor, Mr. White. Things are different in 2007:

I know Councilman White has signs available for his neighbors, because I saw a bunch of them stacked against the side of his house. So, what gives? To be fair, there are still a few homes on the street with small signs proudly tucked against bushes. And, the councilman has a lovely display of his large signs in his yard.

Rejoice all those who like to see state government grow. The Copeland Cap is busted (again)

Both House and Senate also voted to increase spending beyond the so-called ‘Copeland Cap,’ by $46 million this year and $57.3 million next fiscal year. The cap, named for former Rep. David Copeland, was enacted in the late 1970s to prevent the state from spending more in a year than personal income increases. The cap is being broken to put $250 million into the rainy day fund over a two-year period, bringing the total to $750 million.

The Bredesen administration argues that saving money is not equal to spending money over the cap.

I never knew the government was in the business to “save money”. Recently elected State Senator Jack Johnson rightly notes

“I understand it’s kind of an unusual year with money going into the Rainy Day fund, but bottom line, we’re still increasing the growth of government and the rate of government spending at a pretty phenomenal rate and I was uncomfortable with that.”

Fit only for the occasional gumming, the Copeland Cap has yet again proven how utterly useless it is in halting the growth of state government. Jack Johnson keenly notes in theory that the Copeland Cap is more than a deficit reduction measure - it is also a cap on government growth. Increasing the rainy day fund to $750 million is being viewed by many as some sort of prudent move by a responsible government. A responsible government would be offering more than the most paltry of tax decreases to its citizenry with such a sizable amount currently stashed away.

Ben Cunningham aptly examines the problems with the Tennessee rainy day fund. From the WPLN analysis Ben references

1) The budget will be based on revenue estimates that are on the high end of the state Funding Board’s earlier estimates, both for this year and next year.

2) To offset that, the budget adds $150 million to the Rainy Day Fund. That contribution drives the safety-cushion fund towards the 11% of an annual budget that the Funding Board is seeking. And the money would be available for two foreseeable expenses:
i) If revenue estimates are correct, the money being banked this year would fully fund the state’s Basic Education Program (BEP) for three years; or
ii) If revenues fall off, the amount would cushion the entire budget – the correct named for the Rainy Day Fund is “revenue fluctuation account.”

It’s a slush fund, folks. The right thing to do was propose an across-the-board tax decrease and push the political will toward a balanced budget amendment. Take note of the absence of both.

Or something like that. Sean Braisted notes a poll on the Nashville mayor’s race recently released by WSMV Channel 4, the local NBC affiliate. The results are not terribly worthwhile - it’s funny that we are less than two months out from the election and still, no one is really paying attention save us politicos. Here are the results

Mayoral poll
Bob Clement - 13 percent
Howard Gentry - 11 percent
Buck Dozier - 11 percent
David Briley - 8 percent
Karl Dean - 6 percent
Cheryl Lynn Tisdale - 0 percent
Kenneth Eaton - 0 percent
Don’t Know Yet - 52 percent

The big number in the poll is that 52 percent of “very” or “somewhat” likely voters don’t yet know who they are going to vote for. The “decideds” are rather smatteringly divided, with no candidate holding much of a real advantage. One might conclude somewhat rightly this is bad news for Bob Clement, who has previously represented Nashville in the United States Congress and certainly enjoys the highest name ID of any of the top candidates.

Sean in his post criticizes the survey for its conclusion that there is 0% support of Councilman Briley among 18-34 year olds, who has made great efforts to court the young vote - and statistically, that’s probably right, especially within the parameters of the poll. Younger voters seldom ever qualify as likely voters, and were probably lightly represented in the poll of 403 respondents. The methodology could be better (in polling lingo it seems the term “respondents” only actually works for Zogby), but I don’t think the conclusion is that far off. As for young voter support elsewhere in the poll, since there are likely few of them in the sample, anomalies among the demographic will be amplified. Plus, the results conclude that over 2/3 of the 18-34 demographic was still undecided. They just aren’t paying attention.

It’s likely for naught anyway. Campaigns that consider the youth vote as their primary strength are seldom if ever successful, as the vote is less reliable and more fickle (though President Dean may differ with that analysis…oh wait). I wish that were not the case, but youthful apathy is hard to dispute. The best I can tell, the new 18 is 30. For Sean’s sake, Briley may want to reconsider his strategy.

UPDATE Yes, I’m sure they know about the magic CD.

More so than usual, the Senate Democrats have recently shown a verbose propensity for pandering to the party’s base (anything to get that 19% approval rating to pop 1/5, eh, Senator Reid?). The latest was the rather puzzling attempt to hold a “no confidence” vote on the sitting attorney general. It’s as if some strategist somewhere decided that confirming the non-scandal with a formal vote would do something. That strategist needs to be canned.

The Republicans have been instrumental in their own political problems. The US Attorney flap could have been avoided simply by Gonzalez asserting his role as the attorney general - the answer to “Why did you fire all those US Attorneys?” requires no more of a response than “Because I wanted to”. Those on the Left acting as though the United States justice system was collapsing from within need something else to do. Besides, with the Bush administration supposedly violating everyone’s constitutional rights all the time, a logical creature might think Democrats would conclude fewer federal prosecutors was a good thing. Alas, vincere est totum.

We are at a time where real leadership on things that matter is a scarce commodity, and like anything rare, is in high demand. New Republican leadership is on the horizon - one cannot say the same thing about the party of Clinton.  If 2008 shows us anything, it might very well be that the American people are ready for some adults to be in charge again.