Politicians Category
Politicans and world leaders making news and in the news, and spouting hot air
Gordon Brown On Trusting Him
DIZZY notes:
“A quick dispatch direct from the court case which I mentioned in the last post. According to the lovely Trixy who is there, Gordon Brown has just told the courtroom, via his personal barrister that,
‘manifesto pledges are not subject to legitimate expectation’
“Got that? The Prime Minister has just told a court that you cannot trust him when he tells you he is going to something in any manifesto he puts forward.”
Can this be true? Is it as claimed?
Posted: 7th, February 2008 | In: Politicians | Comment
John Kerry Blames Tornados on Global Warming
SENATOR John Kerry lost the presidency to George Bush. Now to show everyone he is still politically active, he talks about global warming.
Indeed, just like Al Gore does. Do all of George Bush’s vanquished opponents contract a dose of global warming before they disappear. Kerry clicks his heels (do flip-flops have heels?):
“[I] don’t want to sort of leap into the larger meaning of, you know, inappropriately, but on the other hand, the weather service has told us we are going to have more and more intense storms
“And insurance companies are beginning to look at this issue and understand this is related to the intensity of storms that is related to the warming of the earth. And so it goes to global warming and larger issues that we’re not paying attention to.
The fact is the hurricanes are more intensive, the storms are more intensive and the rainfall is more intense at certain places at certain times and the weather patterns have changed.”
Can Kerry become a world authority on tornados – twisters – spin? Storms have killed at least 50 people throughout the Southeastern United States. Are they linked to global warming?
Do we have anything that can stand up to scientific tests? Not even close, not yet.
Maybe the Canadians will believe Kerry?
Posted: 7th, February 2008 | In: Politicians | Comments (3)
Goodbye Mitt Romney, Goodbye Nice Hair
MITT Romeny – nice hair, like John Edwards – but: “If I fight on in my campaign, all the way to the convention, I would forestall the launch of a national campaign and make it more likely that Senator Clinton or Obama would win. And in this time of war, I simply cannot let my campaign, be a part of aiding a surrender to terror,” Romney will say at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Washington.
“This is not an easy decision for me. I hate to lose. My family, my friends and our supporters… many of you right here in this room… have given a great deal to get me where I have a shot at becoming President. If this were only about me, I would go on. But I entered this race because I love America, and because I love America, I feel I must now stand aside, for our party and for our country,” Romney said.
Posted: 7th, February 2008 | In: Politicians | Comments (2)
Mark Penn Wins With Hillary Clinton
WHO wins: “To date, Mark Penn’s firm has received $4.3 million from the Clinton campaign. Obviously, the thing to do, if you want to be in politics, is not to be a candidate, but a consultant. You don’t have to shake hands or kiss babies, and no matter what happens, you never really lose.” This doesn’t include money not yet paid by Hillary’s campaign, and it doesn’t include the commissions on media buys that consultants generally get. So he may well be doing even better
Posted: 7th, February 2008 | In: Politicians | Comment
How To Stop ‘Muslim Fundamentalist’ Barack Obama
BARACK Oabama is making news in the Ottawa Herald.
The writer of a feature entitled “Don’t betray your heritage for Obama’s ‘change’” one Gary Sillett, a “Princeton resident and a pressman at The Ottawa Herald”.
He writes in the Ottawa Herald:
The Democratic Party actually intends to put a Muslim fundamentalist in the White House. Yes, you read it right. They want to put a man of Muslim origins in the White House.
Barack Hussein Obama hit the campaign trail from nowhere and continues to gain momentum as his political handlers crank out generic catchphrases to lure the unsuspecting voter with words like hope and change.
Now there s nothing wrong with hope or change. It has been our tradition as a nation that when we get tired of something or someone, we exercise our constitutional rights and throw them out. That’s why we asked our representatives for term limitations. But to even consider turning over the reins of government to a Muslim fundamentalist would be, as my grandmother used to say, throwing the baby out with the bathwater.
You want more? Come on, you know you do. It gets better…
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Posted: 7th, February 2008 | In: Politicians | Comments (24)
Ken Livingstone’s Ally Yusuf al-Qaradawi Denied Visa
YUSUF al-Qaradawi was seeking medical treatment in London.
But the Home Office says the Egyptian will not get a visa.
Qaradawi last entered Britain in 2004, on the invitation of Mayor Ken Livingstone to speak at City Hall.
In Britain, Qaradawi presents himself as the face of moderate Islam. But in a sermon in a Doha mosque in 2003, Qaradawi is quoted as having said “O God, destroy the Zionist, the American and the British aggressors.”
He says, as the Sun notes, that all gays should die. He suggests a little wife beating is ok.
Ken Livingstone, the London mayor, gave him a bear hug and pumped his hand. Said Ken: “On behalf of the people of London, I would like to apologise to the Sheikh for the outburst of xenophobia in sections of the media which demonstrated an underlying ignorance of Islam.”
And this the same Livingstone who can’t apologise for comparing a Jewish reporter to a concentration camp guard. Good that he can apologise for others’ mistakes.
According to reports in The Times and on BBC TV News on 11 January 2005, just after the tsumani had hit south-eat Asia, Qaradawi said in a sermon broadcast on Qatar TV:
“People must ask themselves why this earthquake occurred in this area and not others…Whoever examines these areas discovers that they are tourism areas….where the forbidden acts are widespread, as well as alcohol consumption, drug use and acts of abomination…Don’t they deserve punishment from Allah?”
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Posted: 7th, February 2008 | In: Politicians | Comments (6)
Hillary Clinton Funding Problems And Mehmet Celebi
AS noted: Kurdish News reports that the producer of the film “Valley of the Wolves-Irak” is a donor to Hillary Clinton and was appointed a delegate by Hillary Clinton to the Democratic National Convention later this year:
Hillary Clinton has recently employed Mehmet Celebi, a Turkish ultra-nationalist – who has worked on and raised money for various anti-American, anti-Armenian, anti-Semitic and anti-Kurdish projects – as one of her delegates for her campaign for President of the United States.
This is not surprising when knowing that the Clinton Administration has been one of the most pro-Turkish U.S. administrations in the history of the U.S. donating more military arms to Turkey than all the other U.S. presidents combined.
And the film is of interest because:
So what makes the film so controversial? For starters, American soldiers are portrayed as violent, brutish, trigger-happy, civilian-murdering, hyper-religious, sadistic gun-nuts. The star villain is an arrogant, murderous character named Sam Marshall (played by American actor Billy Zane), who is killed by the Turkish protagonist at the film’s end. Another stereotypical villain is a Jewish doctor (played by American actor Gary Busey) stationed at Abu Ghraib prison who extracts human organs from prisoners for export to Israel, England and the USA.
Says Gateway Pundit:
Mehmet Celebi co-owns BMH Worldwide, which produced “Valley of the Wolves-Irak.”
Mehmet Celebi is a Hillraiser for the Clintons.
Hillary Clinton accepted over $100,000 from this Holocaust denier.
Don’t expect this to make any headlines.
It already has. But, if true, does it really have anything to with Clinton? Can she check everything every donor is involved with?
Posted: 7th, February 2008 | In: Politicians | Comments (9)
Whoopi For Hillary Clinton
WHOOPIE FOR HILLARY CLINTON:
On such things a world hinges…
Posted: 6th, February 2008 | In: Celebrities, Politicians | Comment
Ann Widdecombe Is No Fan Of Lolita
ANN Widdecombe, who gives Express readers her views on stuff and nonsense, considers the Lolita range of furniture.
“Apparently,” begins Ann, with an insouciance that belies her brittle demeanour, “when some parents complained at a store advertising a range of children’s bedroom furniture under the brand name Lolita, nobody at Woolies understood what was wrong with such a crass notion.”
Readers expect Widdecombe to rail against the education system that fails to teach furniture designers and shop assistants to be prejudiced against a name that does very well for many Lolitas, including Lolita Quintero (Mask Of Zorro), Lolita Roughage (Dentist on The Job), Lolita Davidovich (Actress, Gods and Monsters) and many more Lolitas.
Ann Expects
But Widdecombe is in understanding mood. “I would not expect the average counter assistant to be able to name the author of that famous book,” says Ann.
Whether the average counter assistant, or shop girl, as Widdecombe must surely call this doltish breed, expects a virginity-intact dolly dyed, Celebrity Fat Club star emeritus and Tory MP to know which footballer Danielle Lloyd is romancing, how to feed a family and in which aisle the Silly Putty is remains a moot point.
“I would however,” says Ann, “expect someone in the management to have at least heard of Lolita. Not to have done so is a bit like saying you have never heard of Darcy or Black Beauty” – a unit of permeability, named after Henry Darcy, and the name of a tuxedo-styled Gibson Les Paul guitar, respectively.*
Ann concludes: “If only she had been called Posh or Kylie or Britney. No need to check them on Wikipedia.”
Indeed, much more wholesome to name kiddies’ beds after a stick insect, a middle-aged singer with the body of an adolescent and a woman famous for dressing up as a schoolgirl…
* Like the boss at the Lolita shop, we too do our research on Wikipedia
Posted: 6th, February 2008 | In: Politicians, Tabloids | Comments (3)
Hillary Clinton Or Barack Obama
“One day, there will be a woman worth electing to the White House. But not this one.”
Posted: 6th, February 2008 | In: Politicians | Comments (4)
Hillary Clinton Gay And Lesbian
SAYS Hillary Clinton:
As I have traveled around the country these past twelve months, what I sensed in my heart has been confirmed – America is embracing its LGBT sons and daughters with an acceptance and understanding as never before. On the campaign trail, a father of a gay son will ask about ending Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell. A woman will ask why she can be discriminated against just because of who she is. Sometimes they wait furtively for the crowd to thin and then whisper their confidences in a soft voice and sometimes they stand up proudly at town meetings and want me to share my views on how I will help lead the change to assure that this country fulfills its promise to everyone.
Let me tell you what I have been telling voters across America. I am fully committed to the fair and equal treatment of LGBT Americans. For seven long years, the Bush Administration has tried to divide us – only seeing people who matter to them. It’s been a government of the few, by the few, and for the few. And no community has been more invisible to this administration than the LGBT community.
I will change that. The best evidence of what I will do as President is what I have already done.
* I am proud of my record as First Lady, as a U.S. Senator and as a candidate for President in working toward the fair and equal treatment of LGBT Americans.
* I am proud that as Chair of the Senate Democratic Steering and Outreach Committee in 2006, I worked closely with LBGT community to develop a smart strategy that defeated the Federal Marriage Amendment. I am proud of fighting the FMA as divisive wedge politics at its worst.
* I am proud to be a co-sponsor of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, the Matthew Shepard Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act, and the Domestic Partnership Benefits and Obligation Act which would grant the same benefits (including health insurance) to domestic partners of federal employees that are currently offered to employees’ legal spouses.
* I am proud to have authored the Early Treatment for HIV Act, which expands access to vital treatment options for low-income individuals living with HIV, and fought to fully fund the Ryan White CARE Act.
* I am proud that I hired a National Director of LGBT Outreach within a month of announcing my candidacy for President and to have openly gay and lesbian staffers serving at all levels of my campaign.
* I am proud to have a National LGBT Steering Committee of over 130 that includes openly LGBT elected officials, Board members and opinion leaders on issues ranging from transgender rights, to HIV/AIDS, to “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell”.
* I am proud to have marched in Gay Pride parades as both First Lady and as Senator and to have spoken in front of so many LGBT audiences ranging from the Human Rights Campaign, Empire State Pride Agenda, the Hetrick Martin Institute, PFLAG (Parents, Families, and Friends of Lesbians and Gays), GMHC (Gay Men’s Health Crisis), and the American Foundation for AIDS Research.
* I am proud to have fought Republican efforts to demonize and marginalize the LGBT community, and I will continue to do that as President.
We have so much work to do. When I am President, we will work together to make sure that all Americans in committed relationships have equal benefits and that nothing stands in the way of loving couples who want to adopt children in need. We’re going to expand our federal hate crimes legislation and pass the Employment Non-Discrimination Act and assure that they are both fully inclusive of all people. And finally, we will put an end to the failed policy of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell. Courage, honor, patriotism and sacrifice – the traits that define our men and women in uniform – have nothing to do with sexual orientation.
My father was a conservative Republican, who held very traditional views for much of his life. Yet in his last years, it was a gay couple who lived next door who provided much of the compassion and comfort he and my mother needed as he grew ill. And it was that same neighbor who held his hand as he died. If my father can move, America can move.
To each and every LGBT American, I say this. You have done so much to help this country understand your lives by simply being open and honest about who you are and living your lives with dignity. Thank you for your courage. It is time that we recognize your hard work. I know that this country is ready for changes in the law that reflect the evolution in our hearts.
America deserves a President who appeals to the best in each of us, not the worst; a President who values and respects all Americans and treats all Americans equally no matter who they are or who they love. I want to be that President. I want to be your President.
Posted: 5th, February 2008 | In: Politicians | Comment
Hillary Clinton’s Fashion Disasters
IN US Weekly magazine, Hillary Clinton picks her all-time worst outfits.
On the creation featured here, says Hillary: “I’m a big believer in recycling — even carpets!”
Of course, in looking back and laughing along with us, Hillary may overlook the here and now.
Donatella Versace surveyed the ubiquitous Hillary trouser suit and noted: “She’s a woman and she should be able to show that. She should treat femininity as an opportunity and not try to emulate masculinity in politics.”
Hillary, who dresses like she’s about to award a vibrating club to the best female golfer, is touchy about her fashion.
A Gawker intern once endured this conversation with her Clintoness:
Me: “Senator Clinton, I must say you look splendid. Who are you wearing?”
Mrs. Clinton looks as if I have just asked her the eighth digit of Pi, but says nothing. PR minion quickly steps in.
PR minion: “What s it look like she s wearing? It s a white jacket. Just like I’m wearing a black shirt, and you re wearing a pink one.”
It appears PR minion is a master of deductive reasoning. This is going to be a fierce battle of wits.
Me: “I mean, who specifically designed it?”
Awkward silence ensues
PR minion: “Who are you?”
Well played, PR minion. Well played
Me: “I’m Neel. Who are you?”
PR minion: (Avoiding my question) “I suggest you leave.”
Me: “Was I wrong to ask that question? I mean, it seems to me kind of a layup, no?”
PR minion: “How about you, me, and your boss have a little discussion about all of this.”
Me: “Easy, easy. Sheesh.”
First Ladies
Should Hillary be judged on her fashion sense? And should she be judged against her presidential agonists or their First Ladies? Michelle Obama dresses like Oprah Winfrey’s tailor. And Cindy McCain wears polo necks that make her seem as if she’s being piped atop a additive-laced cake.
Hillary presents an opportunity for designers. We don’t expect to see her in a blue dress over a snappy thong, but she is attracting excitement.
It was the esteemed St Louis Post Dispatch that reported how “the fight to dress Hillary Clinton is turning into a wild, rocky ride, with New York, Los Angeles and Arkansas designers all vying for her favor.”
Arkansas awaits…
Posted: 5th, February 2008 | In: Politicians | Comments (3)
The Science Of Hating Cherie Blair
WHY WE DISLIKE CHERIE BLAIR – DISCUSS:
“Golly! Who would have guessed that Tony and Cherie were actually two halves of a bisected hermaphrodite?”
And then along came Cherie Blair who, at the top of her profession and with a mind of her own, represented everything that made them shudder. Once again, the gloves were off, and this time the liberal-Left misogynists were joined by Right-wingers who had been forced to button their lips in the Thatcher years.
A book published this week, The Darlings of Downing Street, subtitled ” The Psycho-Sexual Drama of Power”, seeks to turn Cherie-loathing into a science. In medical terms, it is all diagnosis and no examination, as the author, the biographer Garry O’Connor, provides little evidence and not a single note on his sources, if any.
Posted: 5th, February 2008 | In: Politicians | Comment (1)
Banarama Does New Labour Funding
CASH. Politics:
Posted: 5th, February 2008 | In: Politicians | Comment
Empty Seats At Obama Rally
DID you see the panoramic shot of a 14,000-strong Barack Obama crowd in Boise?
They’re going over-the-top for Obama.
Over in Los Angeles, they’re going bonkers for Barack.
Cameras to the left, fans to the right, celebrity supporters straight ahead…
Posted: 4th, February 2008 | In: Politicians | Comment (1)
Lembit Opik Needs A Spare Cheeky Girl
LEMBIT Opik, darlign of glossy mags and a Cheeky Girl has a lookalike.
Stage actor Neil May, 40, from Leicester, signed with an agency but demand for a Lembit lookalike, so far, has been a little disappointing, reports the BBC.
Perhaps he needs a Cheeky Girl. We hear there is one going spare…
Posted: 4th, February 2008 | In: Politicians | Comment
Bugging Out With Sadiq Khan
LABOUR MP Sadiq Khan is the subject of controversy.
The Sunday Times reports that officers from Scotland Yard’s anti-terrorist branch bugged visits by Mr Khan to Milton Keynes prison in 2005 and 2006.
Khan wants to know the truth. And this is the same Mr Kahn whose views on civil liberties – ID cards, anti-terrirsm laws – can be found here.
Would he be upset if one of us were bugged?
UPDATE: The BBC 10 ‘clock news says officials knew of the bugging last year, but Ministers only just found out. Maybe if they had the ability to gather intelligence..?
Pic: Hack
Posted: 4th, February 2008 | In: Politicians | Comment (1)
Hillary Clinton Cries, Again
HILLARY Clinton cried once. Her composure wasn’t shaken by a question about the poor or the downtrodden, but by a softball lobbed by a woman at a coffeshop asking how she managed to get out of bed and soldier on each day.
And now President Jeremiah is at an event at the Yale Child Study Center, where she worked while in law school in the early 1970s.
Penn Rhodeen, who was introducing Clinton, began to choke up, leading Clinton’s eyes to fill with tears, which she wiped out of her left eye. At the time, Rhodeen was saying how proud he was that sheepskin-coat, bell-bottom-wearing young woman he met in 1972 was now running for president.
Here’s Hillary:
“Well, I said I would not tear up; already we’re not exactly on the path.”
English speakers might not be able to understand what Hillary is talking about, her language is that of the American corportate office, but her rheumy eyes tell a universal story.
This is a woman prepared to repeat herself. Can we cry? “Yes we can!,” reply the masses in full cry.
The risk is that Hillary’s tears will become cliched, a nervous tick. At moments of high tension, President Ahmadinejad will introduce a kitten into the summit and reduce America’s leader to a wet-faced mess.
We are unsure how Americans will react to so much crying. In Britain we like to think of oursleves as grounded stiff-upper-lipped cynics. But when Princess Diana died we emoted. Indeed, anyone not crying was seen as the essence of evil, something much less than human, a Nazi or a member of the House of Windsor, perhaps.
But Hillary knows her audience.
Look out for Hillary ululating as the sun rises over a field of corn and she tells us how lonely she is. Vote for Hillary – she needs your support…
Posted: 4th, February 2008 | In: Politicians | Comments (7)
Maria Shriver Endorses Barack Obama
REPORTS the LA Times: “The California first lady, who apparently wavered until almost the last minute, aligns herself with other members of the Kennedy clan.”
Do the Kennedys get to vote, what with them being American royalty?
Shriver tells us: “I thought, if Barack Obama was a state, he’d be California.”
Rich, spoilt, lacking in power, depleted of energy, sticky, prone to tremours, ready to fall into the Ocean, famous for its faults, the third largest state …
Says Shriver, reaching the stage at UCLA’s Pauley Pavilion after attending her daughter’s equestrian show: “Diverse. Open. Smart. Independent. Bucks tradition. Innovative. Inspirational. Dreamer. Leader.”
Bucks tradition, says the unelected daughter of the Kennedy clan…
Posted: 4th, February 2008 | In: Politicians | Comments (2)
William Hague And The Luftwaffe
THE Croydonian sees William Hague:
“Having rediscovered a really rather good second hand bookshop the other day, I have availed myself of ‘Stranger than the Bullet – an unconventional history of the vote‘, and will be doling out snippets from it whenever the mood takes me”:
“The shockingly silly photo opportunities continued unabated in 2001…First, there was the mistake only narrowly stopped from turning into a disaster when William Hague spoke outside an aircraft museum in Essex [Doubtless Duxford. C]. A smart aide noticed that he was speaking in front of a World War Two Luftwaffe plane. Only the strategic movement of a few supporters and their placards made sure that he did not appear in the next day’s papers against a backdrop of swastikas“.
Posted: 4th, February 2008 | In: Politicians | Comment
PM’s Pets: Stop Donald Trump, Sex Toys For Teens And Chuck Norris Road
ANORAK’S fairly regular look at those petitions appearing on the Prime Minister’s website.
We the undersigned petition the Prime Minister to Introduce cat control restraint whereby cats are confined to their owner’s property and a compulsory neutering and microchipping scheme to protect cats put in place… Change legislation that affects cat ownership, they have slipped under the radar for far too long – Rozzalin White
We the undersigned petition the Prime Minister to Lower the legal age for the purchase of ‘Sex Toys’ to 16. Currently the legal age for purchase of sex toys is 18. The legal age for consent to sex is 16 – Danny Beattie
Read the rest of this entry »
Posted: 4th, February 2008 | In: Politicians | Comment (1)
Oabma, Clinton, Romney, McCain: Rock, Paper , Scissors
McCain beats Clinton.
Clinton beats Romney.
Romney beats Obama.
Obama beats McCain.
Who’s who? And is Obama wallpaper?
Posted: 3rd, February 2008 | In: Politicians | Comment (1)
Bigamists And Polygamists Can Claim Multiple Benefits
NEWS is that husbands with multiple wives will be allowed to claim extra welfare benefits.
Reports the Telegraph: “Even though bigamy is a crime in Britain, the decision by ministers means that polygamous marriages can now be recognised formally by the state, so long as the weddings took place in countries where the arrangement is legal…
New guidelines on income support from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) state: “Where there is a valid polygamous marriage the claimant and one spouse will be paid the couple rate … The amount payable for each additional spouse is presently £33.65.”
In Britain, bigamy is punishable by up to seven years in prison. Jail may be more costly than paying out benefits.
We will wait and see how long it is before an MP is found to be paying his entire harem from the Commons’ cheque book…
Posted: 3rd, February 2008 | In: Broadsheets, Politicians | Comment
Politics Is A Family Business
PETER Hain employs his 80-year-old mother on a House of Commons salary of £5,400 a year.
Hain has used Adelaine Hain as a part-time secretary for 16 years.
The Telegraph reports that more than 170 MPs – one in four – employ family members.
Indeed, more power to them. The money saved on advertising positions vacant and interviewing candidates must save the public purse a not inconsiderable sum.
Anroak recommends this policy being developed and candidate MPs required to have at least one member of the family with decent shorthand, a sound telephone manner and their own pen…
Owen Paterson, the shadow secretary of state for Northern Ireland whose wife Rose is paid almost £30,000 year to work for him, said: “If you can find me a Cambridge graduate who has an encyclopaedic knowledge of my constituency, who is willing to work long and anti-social hours at very short notice for that sort of salary then good luck. Until then, my wife is the best person for the job.”
Quite.
Picture: Peter Hain is toast – Poldraw
Posted: 3rd, February 2008 | In: Broadsheets, Politicians | Comments (4)
Norman Tebbit’s Plan To Cull Gun Culture
“TEBBIT: TEACH ALL BOYS TO SHOOT.”
It’s the Sunday’s Express’ front-page news, and the headline of the year.
“Tory peer Lord Tebbit wants to tackle Britain’s gun culture by teaching boys how to shoot.”
Isn’t it time we brought back National Service, let the lads take the Empire shooting test, perhaps at each other?
Little changes about Norman Tebbit. A picture proves Tebbit to look very much as he did in the pomp, all skin, hollowed cheeks and pied dog hair.
One thing that has altered is that Tebbit plan provides for free bullets, based on hand-outs not earnings, a reversal on the former Conservative Party chairman’s traditional position.
Says Tebbit:
“Kids should go out on shoots. It gives them a sense of excitement and kids, particularly young boys, have a need for a degree of violence.
“It is much better than playing a ghastly computer game. To have them struggling through the brambles, seeing people shoot is much more in the interest of the kids.
“Boys would soon find themselves in a man’s world and having to obey instructions.”
It’s an idea. But there is a suspicion that the strategy is a ruse to cull the hoodies and reduce the country’s Asbo mountain.
Look out for jousting-style tournaments, in which lads get on their bikes and cycle towards each other with guns blazing…
Posted: 3rd, February 2008 | In: Politicians, TV & Radio | Comments (3)
