Metrosexual 1 wears his watch over his cuff

Published: March 27, 2008 at 9:57pm

Tsk tsk tsk. Metrosexual 2 wears brown casual shoes with a dark suit and now here’s Metrosexual 1, strapping his watch over his cuff and wearing a chav bracelet on his right wrist. Well, what can I say? It would have to be a Labour leader to do something like that. Not that I want you to think I’m a snob or anything – but you can have all the university degrees in the world, and it’s always going to be the details that trip you up.

The two-headed mexxej

When we call for the style police, we don’t expect them to have to deal with such fundamental matters.

So here are some simple instructions for the metrosexuals of the Labour Party.

Dark suit – plain black lace-up shoes with a thin sole; absolutely not patent leather; NEVER to be worn with pale or white socks

Watch – strictly to be worn BENEATH your shirt-cuff; when you wish to know the time, push up your cuff; this can also be used as a signal that a meeting is over and you wish the annoying person sitting across from you to be on his way

Bracelets – absolutely not allowed, unless they are made of shells and beads on a leather thong and worn over a sun-tan on the beach, when you are between 18 and 28.




79 Comments Comment

  1. David Buttigieg says:

    Come now Daphne,

    At least he’s not wearing a wig!

  2. David Buttigieg says:

    I wonder what sort of furniture he’d put in his office, I remember the wigged one’s choice of furniture during his blip at Castille – I hate to say it but even that showed his ‘class’.

    [Moderator – He replaced the furniture with utilitarian desks and installed plastic flowers, with the roses possibly borrowed from Silvio Parnis.]

  3. amrio says:

    U ejja Daphne! “Issa daqshekk!” as the Maltova boy used to say. Finicky about the watch and bracelet now? Giezu Giez!

    (BTW noticed from the pic that our new hero is depreciating in the follicle dept. too – wonder if a blonde wig will now became de rigour?)

  4. Paul Caruana says:

    That’s yet another of the Poodle’s silly affectations. Gianni Agnelli famously wore his watch over his cuff.

    http://www.comune.torino.it/torinoplus/files/Image/portrait/portrait-06.jpg

  5. Amanda Mallia says:

    I can’t decide what’s worse – The watch/cuff bit, or the “mexxej” sign on the table. (Maybe it was there just in case somebody hadn’t realised that he was meant to be the leader.)

    Incidentally, even the water jug looks naff.

    [Moderator – Notice how ambiguous the position of the Mexxej sign is: it’s almost as though it noticed the bicephalic monster behind it, and nudged itself itself sideways.]

  6. Amanda Mallia says:

    A caption for the photo could be the little ginger man thinking “Ejja, Fred, nizzel idejk minn hemm, ghax ma’ nistax niehu nifs sew hekk!”

  7. Simon says:

    I am sure that he received the bracelet from il-mama when he turned 21, and he became legally of age.

  8. David Buttigieg says:

    People – You have to see this but I suggest after you eat not to lose your appetite. Norman Lowell’s so called press conference.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zoY_ZHDwmvs

    He refers to you Daphne without mentioning your name!

    [Moderator – Defenders of democracy indeed. When Daphne’s house was attacked, he had the following to say to a crowd of fans, “The more intelligent among you will have noticed that although we did not condone the attack, we did not condemn it.”]

  9. Keili says:

    Picture caption:
    AS: There, there, Joe. Do not cry. Now what has that DCG done to you?

  10. europarl says:

    I would like to share some very good news with Corinne, Daphne and all of you ppl ta’ rieda veru tajba!

    Our dog has been nominated! And he says he’s in it to win it!

    Fetch here:

    http://www.maltafly.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=875

  11. Tony Pace says:

    Once again, Daphne, they just can’t get it right, can they ?
    I’ll just say they have no ‘style’, because one can still come from a humble background and exhude style,(in dress, speech, way of thinking, social interactivity etc) in turn lifting one’s “class”, although I dislike the word.
    But most of these upstarts are actually socially dysfunctional, inept, with no leadership skills, and way too overblown with their self importance. All these factors always seem to reflect their politics.
    So God help us ! !

  12. A. Jones says:

    david buttigieg……what class do you belong to?

  13. Perhaps he thinks he is Gianni Agnelli :-)

  14. matthew says:

    David Buttigieg said: “I wonder what sort of furniture he’d put in his office, I remember the wigged one’s choice of furniture during his blip at Castille – I hate to say it but even that showed his ‘class’.”

    “Even that” showed his `class`? So, presumably many other things show his `class` and to a much larger extent than his choice of furniture.

    Perhaps it is time for you to reveal your true colours re the nature of your dislike for Alfred Sant. His actual, ahem, contributions to Maltese political life do not seem to be paramount in your objections to him.

    One suspects that the full unappetising KFC meal of your true views, thus far coyly hidden save for the little chicken nugget quoted above, does not sit well with enlightened sensibilities in the western world of the 21st century.

    David, do you actually wear a top hat, a monocle and a moustache while you are giving your pantry boy a good thrashing for not knowing his place?

    Having said that, Alfred Sant should be tried for crimes against humanity if he was truly responsible for installing plastic flowers in Castille.

  15. László Bercsényi says:

    And no black shirts under a black suit. Anglu Farrugia was very fond of them at one point.

    [Moderator – Do you remember when Alfred Sant hosted a funeral/wake for democracy? Anglu wore a black shirt under a black suit.]

  16. kevin says:

    JM has grown from within the present MLP, so i would not expect any real change from the good old ways of AS. however, i would expect him not to shun away from public scrutiny the way AS did. Afterall he is an accomplished scholar, and as an emerging figure within the MLP he must surely have a narcicistic side that will make him want to embrace the limelight. AS always found it difficult to come to terms with opposing views when coming from people outside the party and moreso from party members. He organized his chain of command so linearly that people either had to fit in between and look upwards or be squeezed out. this is, in my opinion, the main reason why the mlp lacked any vision in governing the country as well as when proposing an alternative government whilst in opposition. if JM has to look at role models, he should look at people like Pope John Paul II, or Mickhail Gorbachev who emerged from extremely regulated vertical environments and opened their organizational structures to people who had different visions/opinons from them. david cameron, tony blair and other politicians mentioned in JM’s interviews “had it easy” since the came from open minded parties within an open minded society. i really hope that if elected,jm finds enough courage to make the necessary changes to make the mlp a competent, electable party that can one day embrace the governance of the counrty if promoted by the people.

  17. Guzeppi Grech says:

    Hey Guys….this is the real inspiration for JM goatie:
    http://www.time.com/time/covers/0,16641,1101600808,00.html

    To moderator: I changed my email address, perhaps it will avoid the spam thingie.

    [Moderator – Thank you, it seems to have worked.]

  18. Meerkat :) says:

    @ Daphne

    Why are you suprised? I would have been surprised had you not unearthed more atrocious pix…and this one takes the cookie…not because of the chaviness of Wonder Boy but because of Darth Vader’s protective arm round The Cherub (sic)

    What do you expect from Trackie guy? He honed his sartorial skills in the Glass House of Horror Couture… and I am sure that his Mentor in this enterprise is not Jaysin but JAM.

    So let’s show them how it’s done shall we?

    I’ll start…

    http://www.news.com.au/common/imagedata/0,,5200118,00.jpg

  19. Corinne Vella says:

    Europarl / Kevin Ellul Bonici: “Fetch”? Is your dog clever enough to use the Internet? Then you can sell him to a circus, pack up your crusade against the dark forces gathering in Brussels and come home to sunny Malta to live out the rest of your days among your intellectual inferiors.

  20. Guzeppi Grech says:

    Interesting:

    Ivan Camilleri of the times giving Joseph Muscat a helping hand?

    http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20080328/local/mep-asked-for-evidence-on-maltese-banks-practice

  21. Daphne Caruana Galizia says:

    @Paul Caruana – ah, but here’s the thing. When you’re Gianni Agnelli (or similar) you can do anything and get away with it. It’s a little bit different being Joseph Muscat.

  22. Daphne Caruana Galizia says:

    @europarl – I love the leader with the poodle head. Now who could he possibly be?

  23. Meerkat :) says:

    The MLP’s liderxipp election campaign

    FRED AND GINGER’S PAS DE DEUX

    This cuddly pix inspired this brainwave…

    In any case I am not referring to this Fred and Ginger
    http://static.flickr.com/48/168379908_51bfef5e30.jpg

    even though our very own Ginger and Fred’s steps are as intricate…but alas not as smooth.

  24. Daphne Caruana Galizia says:

    @Guzeppi Grech – Che Guevara didn’t have a goatee. He had a full beard, as the picture you posted shows. He would have worn that beard because there aren’t many facilities for shaving when you’re busy being a revolutionary in the jungle, so there wouldn’t have been much scope for faffing around shaping a goatee, either.

  25. Daphne Caruana Galizia says:

    @Meerkat, please stop posting pictures of George Clooney, or I’m never going to get this blessed magazine to print.

  26. Romegas says:

    Incidentally, we’ve all forgotten Alternattiva, and Harry’s ‘offer’ to resign. Harry Vassallo has written a very ‘interesting’ article in today’s Times. He called it ‘The eternal pregnancy’. What a wonderful way of putting it! And how he patronizes the 280000 who did not consider ad relevant enough to vote for it.

  27. Meerkat :) says:

    @ Daphne

    Daphne, ruhi, we need some eye candy as an antidote to the horrors you post ;-)

    I’m helping in the war effort…ya know to relieve the Shock Syndrome… :-D

  28. Albert says:

    http://www.comune.torino.it/torinoplus/files/Image/portrait/portrait-06.jpg

    [Moderator – Agnelli was a master of sprezzatura and an international playboy. The same can’t be said for Joseph Muscat.]

  29. Daphne Caruana Galizia says:

    @ Romegas: I haven’t forgotten about AD at all. I thought about them only just now, when I looked at Norman Lowell’s little friend Arlette Baldacchino in this video and remembered that her staunch defender and lawyer in libel suits about accusations of racial hatred is……….AD spokeswoman Claire Bonello.

  30. kenneth Spiteri says:

    This is interesting Daphne, taken from Alfred Mifsud column of today independent ….

    What about the mouse? Labour’s Jason Micallef is the mouse in the Hamrun house. For as long as he stays in his position after prejudicing the integrity of the election process for Labour’s new leader by speaking publicly against one of the contestants, Labour will continue to live with a mouse in its house. While MEPA has to be shrunk from elephant size to dog size, the position of Labour’s general secretary has to be filled by someone whose abilities and experience are at least dog size, not mouse size.

    hheheeh cheers ….

  31. Meerkat :) says:

    @ kenneth Spiteri

    re: Alfred Mifsud’s article on TMID

    So it wasn’t the dudu fil-gobon it is the GURDIEN fil-gobon!!!

    http://www.frontiernet.net/~jlfrye/JOD/medium_cheese%20mouse.jpg

    this is the merchandise currently under review by The Bord ta’ Vigilanza…(it goes best with brown loafers)

    http://www.crittersocks.com/images/mousecheese.jpg

  32. Amanda Mallia says:

    Europarl – Funny that you should use the word “fetch”. That’s a word generally used by people to whom the use of the English language is not second nature, unless, of course, they are addressing a poodle.

  33. Amanda Mallia says:

    Better not talk about black shirts!

    I clearly remember another ex-MP (who eventually became the President of Malta under PN) at the time when he had frizzy reddish hair, and was wont to wearing black shirts unbuttoned quite far down, complete with gold cross hanging round his neck, with black trousers to complete the look. If I am not mistaken, he was commonly known by the name of a dark, fizzy drink at the time, which must have been in the late ’70s/possibly early ’80s :)

  34. Amanda Mallia says:

    Corinne – Just saw your comment to Europarl now. No wonder The Times sees fit to censure our comments, because we tend to say the same things at the same time every now and then, only to find out later. Must be the DNA …

  35. Amanda Mallia says:

    Talking of Claire Bonello nee Bondin – Nobody has bothered to answer me as yet as to whether she’s any relation of the infamous John Bondin (aka il-fusellu).

    I guess I’ll just have to remain curious ….

  36. Guzeppi Grech says:

    Amanda Mallia, you must be refering to Miss Pepsi :)
    So, the feud is still alive and kicking I see. That’s OK, its fun to watch, you don’t mind if I stand back and enjoy do you?

  37. amrio says:

    @ Amanda

    Re: http://daphnecaruanagalizia.com/?p=253#comment-4920 he was known by that laqam due to the fact that he would be hit by many of those bottles every 21st September by Labour Party angels in the Valletta MLP club.

    Or maybe not…

  38. amrio says:

    @Amanda

    …and don’t dare to mention his name here, as he is one of Daphne’s pet hates.

    I just bought his autobiography, and only managed to read the preface.. so pompous that I felt I would throw up…

  39. SB says:

    @amrio

    Oops I didn’t know!!! I mentioned his family name in this blog (albeit in another post) yesterday!

    Daphne, forgive me, for I did not know what I was doing.

  40. europarl says:

    Yes, Corinne, “fetch”, that’s what they tell dogs to do; which does not necessarily mean I am calling any of you any names… unless, of course, your wit caused you to believe I’m using the term “fetch” as in ‘fittex’, in which case, again, it says a lot about you and less about me.

  41. europarl says:

    …and I see that Mrs Mallia too thinks that “fetch” is only used as in ‘fittex’ by anyone outside her intellectual circle.

    Let me just cringe on your behalf and call it a day.

  42. Bootroom says:

    Amanda Mallia I think that Claire Bondin is related to ex-PN member of parliament Ray Bondin.

  43. Corinne Vella says:

    Europarl / Kevin Ellul Bonici: No I didn’t think you were calling me names. I thought you were talking to your dog.

    “Fetch”, in its intransitive form, means to go after something and bring it back, which is why it is associated with dogs, usually of the hunting kind.

    Here’s another one for your bookshelf :

    http://www.amazon.co.uk/Oxford-Dictionary-English-Catherine-Soanes/dp/0198610572/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1206710947&sr=8-1

    This version is cheaper:

    http://www.amazon.co.uk/Paperback-Oxford-English-Dictionary/dp/0198614241/ref=pd_bbs_sr_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1206710947&sr=8-2

  44. Amanda Mallia says:

    Corinne – Maybe he doesn’t know about the existence of Amazon, like the other supgerhero (and here I’m obviously being sarcastic) Sant … Otherwise, he’d probably “fetch” a book from there. Go on, Europarl, fetch, fetch …

  45. Simon says:

    It seems that JM has struck a deal with quite a few journalists. He knows how to play the game and Godfrey Grima is guiding him pretty well.

  46. bertu says:

    gianni agnelli used to wear his watch over his cuff and from what i know he was somewhat of a style icon…

    [Moderator – I see, Joseph Muscat is a style icon.]

  47. Daphne Caruana Galizia says:

    @Bertu – Gianni Agnelli was an international heart-throb and a gazillionaire. That sort of person does whatever he likes.

  48. Phaedra Giuliani says:

    Dear Moderator,
    You might see him as a style icon. I’ll go one better. Judging by the thinning thatch, he might also be in line for a wig!! Perhaps he might opt for a hair transplant – you never know!

  49. Simon says:

    Intellectuals (real ones), artists, and millionaires can afford to be as eccentric as much as they please!

  50. Corinne Vella says:

    Bertu: It wasn’t the watch that made Agnelli a style icon. It was Agnelli who made the watch wearing stylish.

  51. Corinne Vella says:

    Bertu: And Agnelli never ran for the post of MLP leader so he could do pretty much what he liked and was able to get away with it.

  52. David Buttigieg says:

    Hi Daphne,

    Heard the latest from your old pal?

    Hilarious!

  53. Meerkat :) says:

    @ Phaedra Giuliani

    A wig is so passe’ now.. Since The Poodle is emulating icons and millionaires he will opt for a hair transplant just like Berlusca…another millionaire (but no style icon)… The bandana goes so well with trackies and gold chains…

    http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/41533000/jpg/_41533932_bandana_blair_ap.jpg

  54. Albert Farrugia says:

    So the Maltese middle class seems to consider the English language as its own property. Especially the English we hear on the Sliema Promenade when we, not of the middle class invade the place. I hope that someone is archiving this site. It will provide interesting material for social researchers. Please keep it coming.

    [Moderator – It’s actually called ‘the front’.]

  55. Paul Caruana says:

    @Phaedra – Perhaps on the day of the formal installation of the Poodle-Mexxej they’ll hold a coronation ceremony at Mile End where Sant will solemly remove his wig and place it upon the head of the Anointed One.

  56. Giovanni says:

    Dear Daphne,

    With all due respect I would like to suggest that instead of criticizing fashion styles you should turn your attention to politics. Politics is not at all based on the watch, bracelet or the pair of shoes the politician is wearing but rather on what the politician says and does. From what I understand the Malta Labour Party is no fashion house but a political party. Thus by giving your views on who could be the next leader of the MLP by criticizing their political views; without offending anyone’s choice of clothing you could be of help to our country. Unfortunately I believe that articles like the one above are of no use to anyone.

    I would like to thank you for your service towards journalism and I hope that this suggestion will be of help to you while writing other articles.

  57. !@Paul Caruana
    Aye, there’s a thought! Though a ginger one would blend more aesthetically with the complexion. He could always consult JM for the best effect, what?

  58. @Giovanni, Have a heart! We’re simply unwinding a little from the near nightmare of two weeks ago.
    Politics are Not based on whatever accessories a poor schnook chooses to wear, but let’s face it they do not help one’s public image now, do they?
    Remember Mintoff and his ‘bokkla’ the size of a young saucer!!??

  59. Francis V says:

    The MLP have muzzled the nominees for the leadership, they cannot appear on TV shows. Now why is that????

    http://www.maltarightnow.com/?module=news&t=a&aid=30969&cid=19

  60. Amanda Mallia says:

    Phaedra Giuliani – Maybe he’s already had one, that’s why it’s frizzy :)

  61. Amanda Mallia says:

    Paul Caruana – Was just imagining the scene. Hilarious! (Meerkat – Maybe JM will then hand over a bandanna to Sant, too!)

  62. Amanda Mallia says:

    Giovanni – Of course appearance has got a lot to do with it – Not only because of the person’s appearance in itself, but especially because a person’s appearance says much about the person themselves.

    I, for one, would have seen Gonzi (and Fenech Adami before him) in an entirely different light had he sported a wig and / or had the same (lack of) dress sense as you-know-who.

  63. M Cutajar says:

    Giovanni – well said! Individuals like Phaedra and Paul must be so perfect that they think they can just say (or rather write) anything that comes to their mind – especially anything which is really pathetic. They think that everybody likes their line of thought especially when they belittle others. But I’m positively sure that many are those who don’t.

  64. John Schembri says:

    What may be common with Gianni Agnelli & Joseph Muscat is that they are wearing a metal strapped watch which is not so comfortable on hairy wrists!
    Being a common mortal , I switched to comfortable leather or rubber strapped watches .

  65. Corinne Vella says:

    Giovanni: The watch, the bracelet and the pair of shoes say a lot to people to whom such things have meaning. Lighten up. Our political scene is far too dreary. The trouble is our politicians try to brighten it up the wrong way, using candy striped shirts and atrocious combinations of accessories. Half the voting population is female. We care about these things. And no, I’m not at all frivolous. I just happen to notice that the way people dress reflects the way they think.

  66. kagemusha says:

    I think we all agree that racism is not a 20th century invention by humans: men have been on earth for 1 to 2 million years and from the start of recorded accounts it was there: nice to remember Cain and Abel… I ask what determinate wars from racism: greed, jealously fear? Which come first?
    Relating to Second World War, Edgar Morin in one his latest books “ Culture et barbari eeuropeennes” ably puts it : that we don’t have just to REPENT about the XX centuries follies…but ACKNOWLEDGE that they did happen…An acknowledgment of the tragic events for Jews, Blacks, Gypsies, Homosexuals, Armenian, coloniansim from Algeria to Madagascar .
    The gay movement and Jehovah witnesses would love to know (I had this from other sources) that in the former case they had to wear a purple star and at the end of the war, whilst others were being liberated from Concentration Camps, homosexuals were dumped to other prisons to rot in peace. As far as the Jehovah Witnesses they were imprisoned en-masse for being conscience objectors to joining the German fighting forces. Most of these ‘deviant’ groups, died due to ‘natural causes’: hunger

    It would be befitting also to remember other innocent, millions dying hopelessly & anonymously in the First World War lest we forget.
    I see in that a veritable war of religion…when Christians were fighting Christians no body really knew what they were fighting for. Pastors and priests fiercely edging their men to fight the “enemy” for their country and fatherland.
    Why do we find it hard to “associate past wars with present ones? Some things never change. For those interested in the 1914-1918 war one has to read “Paroles de Poilus”.Authentic letters from the front trenches….even from barely eighteen year olds “soldiers” with two/ three weeks training ! ….One can’t hold back a tear.

    I am convinced it’s the politics for money and greed that is the root to Racism…with the widespread support of ignorance and fear. Is it a fantasy to adopt .a very simple formula ….let black and white children play together…let Jews and Arab children be made to “pray less”! “ play more” ! Chinese & Tibetans: anyway you name it. I hate being confessional but a nice guy was crucified and just died delivering that message: that there is space for everyone…and the sun and air are free for everyone to enjoy I will be doing it today 29 March….and make the best of it.

  67. @M Cutajar
    ‘Individuals like Phaedra and Paul must be so perfect that they think….’
    Oh no, you are wrong. I normally look like who-did-it-and-ran in private and with intimate friends and family; but I make it a point to dress sensibly and tastefully at work because ‘l-ewwel ma tiekol hi l-ghajn’ as the Maltese idiom goes. Perfect indeed!

  68. kagemusha@
    You are right we should have been able to co-exist by now (in spite of out diversities – and perhaps because of them, too)and practise what the ‘nice guy’ preached and lived Himself. But we are far, far from achieving the barest minimum of that which is so eloquently written in :-
    The wolf will live with the lamb, and the leopard will lie down with the young goat; The calf, the young lion, and the fattened calf together; and a little child will lead them……..
    Isaiah 11:6

  69. Giovanni says:

    First of all I would like to thank M Cutajar for agreeing with my views. Nevertheless I also agree with all those who believe that “appearance says much about the person” (Amanda Mallia).

    Phaedra, unfortunately I am too young to remember Mintoff’s years however I have heard of his belt! Naturally a political figure should dress sensibly since image is very important however when the electorate is assessing political figures, appearance should be considered as secondary.

    The criticism of my comment above was primarily intentioned at the way Daphne wrote about Mr. Muscat. By all means do criticise his appearance; however in an election journal I find this rather irrelevant.

  70. @Giovanni
    ‘Phaedra, unfortunately I am too young to remember Mintoff’s years however ….’
    Then you are also too young to remember that Richard Nixon lost his bid to the US presidency because JFK in his blue shirt and tanned looks out-stripped him and out-shone him on colour TV.If you do not believe me, go look it up. You are of the Youtube generation. I mean it nicely, of course.
    Giovanni, believe me, eye candy counts.

  71. M Cutajar says:

    Please let’s just be serious for a while. What about the clothing donned by Jesus Christ, Mahatma Ghandi and Mother Theresa? These to mention but a few of the most famous personalities that adorned this earth. So much for their attire!

    I know that many a time, criticism can be healthy, but surely not the way that many of you are doing it. As Giovanni said earlier one should criticize political views without being so shallow as to make fun of people.

  72. @ M Cutajar
    Jesus Christ, the Mahatma or Mother Teresa never sought the approval of people. They never cared two buttons for what people thought of them.

    Getting elected by a ‘fickle’ and (yes sometimes capricious) electorate is a horse of a different colour. On election day especially the candidates are at the closest scrutiny of the common people.

  73. kagemusha says:

    Guliani… not wanting to throw showers on what you said…..JC, did ask what people thought about him and who he was .. this is just for biblical historical honesty sake..thanks anyway.

  74. @kagemusha
    No , no showers; roses, please. Yes he did ask that question but rather to elicit from Simon Peter the resounding statement “You are the Christ – Son of the living God”. He was not up for election. He was God’s ELECT since before time. Whether people approved of Him or not does not detract anything from Him.
    Not so the wigwigs of this world, not so, alas.

  75. Daphne Caruana Galizia says:

    @M. Cutajar: Jesus Christ, Mahatma Gandhi and Mother Theresa weren’t trolling for votes. They could wear what they liked. And if I remember correctly, the first two had some very keen lady fans.

  76. […] in conclusion, no matter how gutsy and fashionable you are, we suggest you take Daphne Galizia’s advice: “Watch – strictly to be worn BENEATH your shirt-cuff; when you wish to know the time, […]

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