Posts Tagged ‘possession’
Saturday, November 15th, 2008
PT, for those of you who are not familiar with the initials, stands for many things. Some of the more popular are Perpetual Traveler or Permanent Tourist. Others are Prior Taxpayer, Privacy Thinker, or Prepared Thoroughly. But what is PT all about?
In a nutshell, a PT arranges his or her business and personal affairs as a Sovereign Individual, by unfurling various ‘flags’ or country bases and by treating governments as service providers instead of rulers. For example, there would be a citizenship flag (“second passport”), an official residence flag, a banking flag and so on. Each of these would be from different jurisdictions. That way, you are not bound to any particular country.
The ultimate PT goal is not to be resident anywhere! That is how you become a Permanent Tourist, at least on paper. You might for example spend five months of the year in one home, five months in another, and a couple of months vacationing, visiting friends or taking a cruise in between. That way each country treats you as a tourist and does not consider you a tax resident. You then keep all your assets stashed safely offshore, earn your money over the internet in other countries, and live totally tax free completely legally. If you drive cars, own real estate etc they are all held in company names, or simply rented or leased. So you don’t appear on any government ‘Big Brother’ style databases.
PT is based on the theory that most countries treat tourists better than citizens.
In fact, the beauty of this idea is its simplicity. As a ‘PT’ wherever you are, you always appear to be from somewhere else!
You can usually live and travel in better style and for less money than it costs to remain where you are. You can also chose to enjoy places that encourage the lifestyle and social norms you have always wanted to live.
PT will appeal to a wide spectrum of people who dream of being able to disappear when events and times in life make it convenient to do so. As a PT, a Perpetual Tourist, you run your own life. Using freedom tools such as the flags theories you can put a significant distance between yourself and bureaucrats that want to determine what is best for you, ‘for your own good’ of course!
A Brief History of the PT Theory
The PT theory was, according to urban legend propogated in the books, inspired by Harry Schultz, a Monaco-based newsletter publisher of North American origin who first coined the “three flags” theory back in the 1960s. Schultz’s claim to fame is that he is quoted in The Guinness Book of Records as the world’s highest paid investment consultant.
Later, a writer using the pseudonym W.G. ‘Bill’ Hill wrote a series of books including PT1, PT2 and The Passport Report which were published by Scope International Books in Hampshire, England. This same company published books by authors including Adam Starchild, Reinhard Stern and Jon Golding and Bob Beckman, also under the imprint ‘Milestone Publications.’
Scope went out of business in the mid nineties and was absorbed by an American direct marketing company who are still using much of the material today. The majority of it however has been toned down somewhat, not surprisingly as it is published from within the USA.
Other writers have taken up the PT theme in books like The International Man by Doug Casey, The Internationalist by Nicholas Pullen, and most recently in 2006 by a group mysteriously calling themselves “Grandpa and Others.” They wrote an attractive-leather bound three-volume set of limited edition books known as Bye Bye Big Brother. Or simply “BBBB.”Bye Bye Big Brother is also available in an abridged, paperback version from Vera Verba, a Chicago-based imprint. But hardcore readers should be aware that the abridged version has edited out some of the more cutting edge, controversial material included in the original.
From Three Flags to Six Flags
The original theory espoused by Harry Schultz and Harry Browne (“How to Find Freedom in an Unfree World”) talked about three flags:
- Have your citizenship somewhere that does not tax income earned outside the country.
- Have your businesses and speculations in stable, low or no tax countries.
- Live as a tourist in countries where what you esteem is valued, not outlawed.
Later W.G. Hill added two more flags – business havens where you make your money, and playgrounds where you spend your time, as a separate flag to your official residence – thereby creating a five flag theory – the level of complication or sophistication is up to you! Finally, in Bye Bye Big Brother, a sixth flag was added – cyberspace, where all the other five flags come together, a place where you can be everywhere and nowhere at the same time!
Shortcomings and Concerns about the PT Theory – and the Dangers of Camouflage Passports!
View on the PT theory is that it’s a great idea, provided you treat it as what it is: a slightly tongue in cheek knock at the establishment with a wicked sense of humor. A client of mine recently read it and said it was riveting, like reading a novel.
PT is a well thought out idea to break free and escape, especially if you like international living and the traveling lifestyle. It’s probably aimed more at those with well over a million safely tucked away in a Swiss bank seeking the kind of asset protection arrangements that their lawyers would not tell them about… while being less useful (but nonetheless interesting reading) for those who are just starting out on their quest for offshore wealth building opportunities.
PT is certainly not a step-by-step plan you should follow blindly. Indeed, it’s clearly not for everybody. We say, “by all means read the literature.” It’s an idea you can read about, absorb and enjoy… and then adjust to your own situation.
always had a slightly different vision, and still do today. What’s the difference? Well it’s not easy to live out of a suitcase, or to have to worry about counting the days you are in a certain country due to limited tourist visas or the concern that you will become a tax-resident. There are more sophisticated plans available today, and we write about them in our newsletter for members. We also tend to focus more on opportunities for creating wealth.
An Important Warning about the Legalities of the PT ‘Six Flags’ Theory
Here’s an important warning. Some of the tactics in the original PT books might have seemed like harmless fun back in the eighties, but in today’s world they could get you into hot water.
By way of example, one of the products frequently promoted was the so-called camouflage passport. Camouflage passports are booklets that look like passports from countries that used to exist but don’t any more – the intention being to fool anyone who might have learned about countries like Ceylon, Dutch Guiana, British Honduras or the U.S.S.R. in their school history classes, but who didn’t know that those countries today are called Sri Lanka, Suriname, Belize and Russia. Camouflage passports were promoted as a way to avoid terrorist attacks, by confusing terrorists in a hijacking situation into thinking that you came from a neutral country rather than a target country like the USA, UK or Israel. However in the current environment merely having a camouflage passport in your possession is more likely to get you labeled as a terrorist than anything else!
Indeed, it has been said that ‘Big Brother’ thinks PT stands for Potential Terrorist!
Peter Macfarlane is an author and lecturer on offshore finance, investment, due diligence and wealth creation matters. He is joint editor of The Q Wealth Report http://www.qwealthreport.com
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Friday, October 24th, 2008
One of the most devious aspects of the mortgage industry is how loans are originated, packaged into large deals, sliced up, and sold to investors around the world. All the while, the borrowers are led into believing that the company they are making payments to is the owner of the loan. Nothing could be further from the truth, and it is in the interests of homeowners to find out who really owns their mortgage, especially if they are being sued for foreclosure.
At every step in the process of originating and securitizing mortgages, the potential exists for the banks to violate any number of federal or state laws designed to protect homeowners against predatory lending. If it can be found that the bank has broken any of these consumer protection laws, its ability to proceed with a quick foreclosure is drastically diminished; in fact, it may be better for them at that point to offer a mortgage modification or other solution to avoid a lengthy, expensive legal process.
The originator, servicer, and holder of the mortgage are three entities that are vastly different from each other. While the originator approves the loan and secures the funding (from customer deposits or lines of credit through Wall Street investment firms), the mortgage servicer is the company hired to collect payments and proceed with foreclosure in the event of default. The holder of the mortgage is the eventual owner of the loan, but who this ends up being is usually quite unclear.
Especially with the large-scale securitization of the mortgage industry over the past decade, finding out who actually owns the loan paperwork can be downright impossible. In a typically confusing deal, a large pool of mortgages are originated and immediately sold to a Structured Investment Vehicle (SIV), which is created solely to hold the mortgages and act as a middleman between the servicer and end investors.
Then, the rights to income from these loans are cut up into “tranches” and the tranches are then sold to investors such as pension funds or hedge funds in the form of bonds. The right to collect the payments from the homeowners is given to the servicer, who then forwards the payments to the SIV, at which point the income is divided into the appropriate tranches and sent to investors.
But who actually owns the mortgages that the SIVs hold? Because unless the owner of the loan forecloses on the house once the payments are in default, the company suing the homeowners may have no legal ground to stand on. People can not be sued for defaulting on a debt by just anyone — they only entity that can sue is the one who owns the loan (on its own or through attorneys). When mortgages are sliced up and held in specialized vehicles that do nothing except act as a conduit between the servicing company and the investors, ownership of the loan becomes a little fuzzy.
Back at the mortgage servicer, though, when properties fall behind in payments, it is the servicing company that is expected to proceed with the foreclosure. Even worse, the servicing company may only have received the rights to collect the payment and have no idea who has possession of the original loan paperwork. When they try to sue, if challenged, they may be unable to show the note. Without proving to the courts that they have the note, it is simply impossible for them to sue for foreclosure of the loan they have no ownership interest in.
Homeowners may find that they have no idea who has the right to their payments, who they can negotiate with to stop foreclosure, or who is in possession of their mortgage. Once they begin asking questions to find out this information, they may quickly realize that no one else has the answers, either. But this rarely stops the banks from pursuing foreclosure through the courts, since the banks have so many more resources than the typical borrower. Knowing that this “who owns the note” challenge can not be adequately explained, though, homeowners should begin using it more often against predatory lenders.
Nick writes articles that help homeowners in danger of losing their properties find solutions before they run out of time and options. His site specializes in assisting borrowers in working out modification agreements with their current lenders or finding a new foreclosure lender to get a fresh start with. Visit his site on the web to read more about how foreclosure works and what the best options are for escaping with your home and credit intact: http://www.myforeclosurelender.com/
Tags: bank, banks, bet, bett, bonds, borrowers, cia, Coul, credit, current, dea, debt, Diffe, Foreclosure, Fre, hedge funds, heir, home, inc, informat, investment, investment vehicle, investor, investors, lenders, lending, loan, loans, loses, middleman, mortgage, paperwork, Pension Fund, People, pool, possession, Prope, rent, securitization, sit, state laws, t pay, Target, truth, wall street, work, writ
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Thursday, October 23rd, 2008
Foreclosure ensues when the owner of the home or property is in default of making regular repayments of a loan. The borrower would not only lose the home or property in question as he/she is in breach of the mortgage agreement, but also credit-worthiness.
The loss occurs as the lender, who would be a bank or other creditor, would repossess the home or property by due process. The process could be judicial when it is called judicial foreclosure or direct take-over by the mortgagee or his agent.
Both processes involve auction, by which the lender gets his full settlement of the loan given to the original borrower. In the judicial foreclosure process, the sheriff notifies the auction as applied for by the lender. The auction takes place in the court hall, which is a matter of formality.
When the bank repossesses the property, it would be put up for sale to settle the debt. If there is any extra amount available, it would go back to the original owner.
In the direct foreclosure, the lender or his counselor gives notice to the mortgager and subsequently auctions the property. Sometimes, the owner of the home or property has to be evicted.
The buyer of the property in question would have to get a decree for possession.
The priority of the borrower, who fails to pay off the installments regularly and gets notice of foreclosure, should be to somehow stop foreclosure by banks or secured creditors with whom he/she had a mortgage or deed of trust.
In the event of foreclosure, it would be difficult for the borrower to get further loans. Numerous firms, lawyers, and counselors are available to offer assistance to the defaulter to suggest ways to ward off foreclosure.
Sometimes, the lender would be prepared to amend the mortgage deed, enabling the borrower to continue to possess the property, with changed terms of repayment.
Foreclosure is the ultimate weapon in the hands of the lender, which takes away the property and reputation of the lender.
Stop Foreclosure provides detailed information on Stop Bank Foreclosure, Stop Foreclosure, Stop Foreclosure Assistance, Stop Foreclosure Loans and more. Stop Foreclosure is affiliated with Foreclosure Listings.
Tags: avail, bank, bank foreclosure, banks, Breach, cia, Coul, credit, Creditor, Creditors, debt, Foreclosure, foreclosure assistance, foreclosure loan, foreclosure process, foreclosures, home, informat, installments, Jud, lawyer, lawyers, loan, loans, met, mortgage, possession, Prope, Repayments, reputation, Target, Terms, worthiness
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Tuesday, October 21st, 2008
It is always nice when you can pay less for house insurance and get the same or more cover. Below are 10 handy tips that you can carry out to get cheaper house insurance premiums.
1. Increase your voluntary excess
Your insurance excess is the amount of money you will pay on a claim before the insurer pays the remainder. For example, if you had a 200 pound excess and a £500 claim you would pay 200 pounds and the insurer would pay 300 pounds. If you choose to increase your excess, you will be charged a lower premium. You can make huge savings by doing this. When you are comparing policies, play around with changing the excess amount to see how much you can save.
2. Fit smoke alarms
Fire alarms are reasonably cheap, especially when compared to the cost of a home or the loss of a life. A large number of home fires are caused by cooking or smoking. Don’t leave matches or lighters laying around, never leave your cooking unattended and don’t smoke cigarettes in bed. Be aware if you have young children that they love to play with all things exciting and new. They may turn the cooker on, light paper or cover lamps. All of these things can cause a fire in your home.
3. Install new locks
If you have just moved into a new home, you don’t know who might still have a key. The cost of replacing your locks is far less than having all of your worldly possessions stolen from from your house. Ensure you fit quality locks – preferably 5-lever mortise locks.
4. Have security lighting installed
Theives prefer to work under the cover of darkness and don’t like to be in the spotlight. Use movement sensors with your lighting to surprise unwanted visitors and keep them at bay. A blast of bright light will also raise attention with neighbours or yourself in the middle of the night.
5. Install time switches on internal lights
Your home is most at risk to burgulary when you are not there. Lights that are activated at a certain time will give outsiders the impression that you are at home when you are not. You can stagger the intervals the lights are switched on and off in various rooms make it appear like you are moving about your home.
6. Have an alarm system installed
Ask your insurer if they have a preferred supplier of home alarm systems. By installing a professional alarm system can often reduce premiums by over five %. That is a great saving, and it will give you peace of mind that your home is safe.
7. Don’t leave your keys under the mat
This will be the 1st place a thief will look. If you need to hide your house keys, put a little thought into somewhere a burglar would never think of looking. Also don’t leave your keys on a hook close to the front door where a thief may be able to hook the keys with a wire through the front letter box.
8. Insulate your external pipes
Outside pipes can freeze easily in the great British weather. By lagging (wrapping insulation around the pipe) your external pipes will help to reduce the chance of them freezing. If pipes do freeze you can easily get leaks in cracked pipes or burn out pump motors as the water will not pass through the pipe.
9. Regularly check you house and property for subsidence.
Subsidence is normally covered by your buildings insurance. It is important to detect movement as soon as possible to limit damage to you house. Look for unevenness in walls and floors and cracks in walls.
10. Only claim if you have to
The fewer number of claims you make, the higher your no claims discount will be. If a minor incident occurs, consider carefully prior to claiming the item on your insurance. If you do submit a claim and loose your no claims discount, is this going to cost you more in the long run?
In order to save money on your insurance you need to compare providers. Ideally you should do this once a year to make sure you are always getting the best price.
Nigel is a successful webmaster and publisher of a best home insurance website. This site showcases home insurance providers and answers questions like what does home insurance cover.
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Wednesday, October 15th, 2008
An offshore bank account is an account at a bank located outside the United States or other country of residence of the banking client. These bank accounts are known for having low tax liabilities, thus making them also commonly known as tax havens. Offshore bank accounts also tend to provide financial and legal benefits. These benefits may include:
• less controlling legal regulation
• little to no taxation
• greater secrecy
• easy access to funds
• protection against local financial or political instability
Popular Offshore Banking Destinations
The most infamous and popular offshore banking centers in the global market are the Cayman Islands and Switzerland. Other well-known established destinations for offshore banking include the following (in alphabetical order):
• Bahamas
• Barbados
• Belize
• Bermuda
• British Virgin Islands
• Cyprus
• Dominica
• Gibraltar
• Ghana
• Hong Kong
• Labuan, Malaysia
• Liechtenstein
• Luxembourg
• Malta
• Macau
• Mauritius
• Monaco
• Montserrat
• Nauru
• Panama
• Seychelles
• Turks and Caicos Islands
Bad Reputation
Because of the seemingly lax regulation of monies deposited in offshore bank accounts, offshore banking has gotten something of a bad rap over the last few years. These types of bank accounts have often been associated with tax evasion, money laundering and organized crime. Offshore banking has been erroneously linked to shady business practices and underground economy. Legally, however, this type of banking does not deem personal funds safe from being subject to income tax on earned interest. U.S. taxpayers are required to report (on penalty of perjury), any offshore bank accounts which may be in their possession. Offshore banking institutions are not obligated to declare any income to foreign tax authorities (A.K.A. the IRS) because they are protected by bank secrecy. This lack of regulation toward reporting suspected tax evaders does not make not reporting the income (or evading income tax associated with it) legal.
On the Other Hand
Proponents of offshore banking have condemned any efforts towards supervision and control. They claim the process is driven, not by safety and financial issues, but by the aspiration of local banks and the IRS to control the funds stored in offshore bank accounts. They refer to the alleged fact that offshore banking offers a competitive threat to the established banking and taxation systems in countries such as the U.S.
Tightening Regulations
Even for those hoping to find easy tax havens and money laundering shelters in offshore accounts will find that the old rules no longer apply. The regulation of offshore banking is improving in many ways. The regulation of these elusive banking institutions is increasingly monitored by supranational nongovernmental organizations such as the International Monetary Fund. Offshore banks are required to report at least quarterly on many different aspects of their business. The increased focus on anti-money laundering initiatives in several different countries signifies that bank employees at all levels are encouraged to report suspicion of money laundering to the local authorities despite bank secrecy. Additionally, there is increased cooperation between police authorities across international borders.
In Conclusion
Though offshore banking has traditionally been notorious for money laundering, tax evasion and for being a tool for organized crime, increased regulation is making those stigmas a thing of the past. There are many advantages of offshore banking, most of which are legal and perfectly honorable. The desire of local banks to control all funds originated in the U.S. and “get a piece of the pie” does not immediately translate to dishonest money laundering schemes.
Financial Services Company offering offshore investments, can show you how an offshore savings account can benefit you. With offices in Bermuda, the Bahamas, Grand Cayman and London.
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Sunday, February 10th, 2008
Possession is one of the major factors towards winning any type of ball game. If your team has possession of the ball then it is, quite literally, impossible for the opposition to be able to score. The longer that your team can keep the ball then the more you will be able to dominate the game. You and your teammates will grow in confidence. You will be able to enjoy the satisfaction of playing to your full potential.
So, the question is – How will you manage to win that vital possession? In a 50-50 situation, where the ball is mid-way between you and one of the oppositions’ players, how can you make sure that you will be the one that gets to the ball first? You will need to be able to move faster than the other player.
How will you be able to do this? – By using your superior strength, stamina, fitness and endurance.
During the recent Olympic games did you take a look at the top sprinters in the world of athletics. Are they all about large quadriceps muscles to power their legs? No – they have well-developed muscle structure throughout their entire body. Watch closely as a hundred-metre runner sprints down the track; see how the arms are pumping to provide momentum as well as balance. Notice the well-defined chest, back and neck muscles, all of which contribute by providing a powerful connection between arms, legs and head.
The objective is to be stronger, but this does not mean that you have to be bigger or heavier than the other person. By increasing your strength not only will you be able to run quicker, you will be more agile, faster at changing pace, and much better at altering the direction of your run.
Another great benefit will be your ability to avoid injury because your muscles are so much stronger. If you do get injured then any injury will be less severe, and also your recovery time will be greatly reduced.
If you are not the most naturally gifted, talented and skilful soccer player in the world (and lets face it – who is) then you must look for that all important edge elsewhere. Speed, stamina and endurance will be easier to obtain. Just by following a well structured and proven conditioning program you will be able to achieve total soccer fitness.
The player who is in the best physical condition will prevail!
To learn more about becoming a faster, fitter, stronger and more confident soccer player Chris recommends that you sign up for the email course on Soccer Conditioning, which you can get totally free at: http://www.ChrisTips.com
Tags: ball game, Benefit, bet, bett, confidence, face, fit, Fre, game, Games, heir, inc, Irs, Mai, mail, met, possession, Recovery Time, satisfaction, sit, Target, tips, train, Training
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Thursday, February 7th, 2008
There is an amazing amount of rush right now for the real estate investment in India. Foreign buyers are swarming this country from the rest of the world in a desire to buy the most lucrative residential and commercial properties.
All kinds of residential properties are available in India in the most posh spaces of Gurgaon, Noida, Mohan nagar, Panchkula, Sonipet and DLF. These residential spaces are equipped with all kinds of luxurious amenities for the users like swimming pools, club houses, manicured gardens and community hall. There has also been a huge development of properties in these regions due to a higher inter-state immigration of people looking for job opportunities. Sometimes, there is also a huge influx in the development of properties due to its inclusion in the SEZ’s by the government which facilitates rapid urbanization.
Rapid residential property development has also been possible due to a sudden influx of private builders in this area. From mind-blowing five and four bedroom penthouses to luxurious multi-bedroom villas, the state of residential properties has completely undergone a massive change. Now you are assured a completely heavenly residence in the residential properties in India with facilities like lush green Golf Courses, world class gymnasium with the latest exercise equipments and specialized trainers, well-maintained swimming pools and facilities of Jacuzzi in every house. You can also enjoy tennis courts and a Multi-Purpose Function Hall in these accommodation facilities.
You can also enjoy the luxury of your own Home Theater Room in every house. Make sure before you go for the purchase of the real estate property in India, that you purchase it through a registered broker and that it has been constructed by a registered developer. You should also carefully enquire about the lease and the rental arrangements of the property. There has also been a spurt in the construction of commercial properties in India due to an amazing industrial boom. You should make sure that after buying the property you have taken control of documents like the Title Ownership Documents. You should also ensure that the property in which you have invested has an approved Layout Plan and an approved Building Plan.
A real estate consultant can definitely make sure that you get possession of all these documents after the purchase of the property. One can also make sure that you get an excellent property after assisting you with a thorough search of the properties made available by the premium builders in an area. A real estate consultant can also help you with the verification of the legal documents by hiring a suitable lawyer for you.
India Internet provides SEO & Internet Marketing services for Real Estate India. For more information on Property in India or Real Estate Agent. Please visit or contact affinity Solutions Pvt. Ltd.
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Sunday, January 6th, 2008
The great housing boom of the nineties and onwards was a time of endless building and big dreams, but these things cannot last and the inevitable downturn has occurred with house prices and value falling at record rates.
We all knew this day would come, as change is inevitable; but many of us have been surprised that it took this long for things to turn the other way. Today the marketplace is significantly different and affecting all major sectors of the economy, with slowing business growth, falling house prices and difficult credit conditions dramatically altering consumer spending and confidence.
Outside of the financial sector, homeowners and potential home buyers are paying most attention to the grim news circulating around Britain’s media. This is a time for information gathering and measured thinking, not rash decisions and blunt generalisations. Whatever your view on the current state of the economy and housing market, it cannot be ignored.
Britain is more vulnerable to an economic slowdown because of the high levels of debt held by many households that are well used to the widespread spending that typified the good years. Now higher interest rates have seen spending replaced with more cautious behaviour as more people become aware of the perils of these uncertain times.
The high cost of housing in the last decade has not helped as house prices have not really corresponded to income levels. People now have little to be optimistic about as house prices suffer their sharpest monthly falls since the early 1990s, down 11% compared to this time last year, 2007.
Hundreds of thousands of homeowners are looking to renegotiate or compare mortgages, only to find that their choice of available deals has decreased dramatically and average borrowing costs have risen sharply as banks struggle to cope with high lending rates and falling profits.
New buyers looking to get their foot onto the property ladder don’t fare much better when comparing mortgages. 100% mortgages are, for now anyway, a thing of the past while average two-year fixed-rate deals are less attractive than previous years and new mortgage lending has fallen to a 15-year low.
This property malaise has swept across the US and UK and is rapidly affecting other countries too as news of mortgage brokers, estate agents and house builders shedding jobs due to lack of demand is now common place in the national media.
It is understandable to wish to turn away from the somber news of negative equity, repossessions, and mortgage struggles but now is an important time to take stock, examine your spending and speak to your financial advisor. Patience and reliable information are key, it is important to acknowledge that this is a period of change, but also to remain upbeat as after the rain, there is always sunshine.
Adam Singleton writes for a digital marketing agency. This article has been commissioned by a client of said agency. This article is not designed to promote, but should be considered professional content.
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