Saturday, May 30, 1970

Baseball song: Joltin Joe Dimaggio!

One of the great baseball songs ever:  "Joltin' Joe DiMaggio"!  

The song makes reference to the 56-game streak, probably one of the greatest achievements in sports history.    

During the streak, from mid-May to early July, DiMaggio hit .408 with 15 HR and 55 RBI.

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The first "Indy 500" was held in 1911


The Indianapolis 500 is always a real treat.    It's like the Super Bowl in the sense that people get together and watch the race over food and drinks.   It is the only race that I try to catch.

It all got started in 1911 when Ray Harround came in first.   Good luck to the drivers and their teams.

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1922: The Lincoln Memorial

Image result for lincoln memorial images

On May 30, 1922, The Lincoln Memorial was dedicated.   It was 57 years after Lincoln died.    
  
According to news reports, about 50,000 people attended the ceremonies, including Civil War veterans and Robert Todd Lincoln, the president's only surviving son.  Robert was their oldest child (1843) and the only one to live to adulthood.

President Warren Harding, former President William Howard Taft, and Dr. Robert Moton, principal of the Tuskegee Institute, delivered the keynote address.

The Memorial is one of the top historical landmarks of Washington, DC.

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May 30, 1956: What a shot by Mantle!


On this day in 1956, Mickey Mantle hit one of the most memorable home runs in his career. It happened on the second game of a doubleheader with the Washington Senators.

He hit a pitch from Pedro Ramos that came within 18 inches of leaving Yankee Stadium. The experts were dumbfounded and could only speculate. It was Mantle’s 20th home run of the season. He won the Triple Crown that year: .353 BA, 53 HR & 130 RBI.

As for Pedro Ramos, he was 21 and would go on to win 12 games and pitch 152 innings that season. Ramos was an “innings eater” and also gave up 316 HR in his long career. My guess is that he still remembers this one.

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Explaining Memorial Day to friends

Image result for memorial day images
Memorial Day is a special American holiday.  My guess is that all countries have one day to remember those who have paid the ultimate price, as President Lincoln said.  In the US, we call it Memorial Day and it has a long history. 
Let’s start with the war between the states or The Civil War (1861-65) and “Decoration Day“:    
On May 5, 1868, General John A. Logan, leader of an organization for Northern Civil War veterans, called for a nationwide day of remembrance later that month. “The 30th of May, 1868, is designated for the purpose of strewing with flowers, or otherwise decorating the graves of comrades who died in defense of their country during the late rebellion, and whose bodies now lie in almost every city, village and hamlet churchyard in the land,” he proclaimed.
The date of Decoration Day, as he called it, was chosen because it wasn’t the anniversary of any particular battle.
On the first Decoration Day, General James Garfield made a speech at Arlington National Cemetery, and 5,000 participants decorated the graves of the 20,000 Union and Confederate soldiers buried there.
Later, it became Memorial Day after World War I and World War II:    
For decades, Memorial Day continued to be observed on May 30, the date Logan had selected for the first Decoration Day. But in 1968 Congress passed the Uniform Monday Holiday Act, which established Memorial Day as the last Monday in May in order to create a three-day weekend for federal employees; the change went into effect in 1971. The same law also declared Memorial Day a federal holiday.
Looking back today and reading about Decoration Day, I am amazed how our ancestors were willing to decorate the graves of northern and southern soldiers.  It’s a good lesson for those who want to remove statues.  Sometimes the best way to heal is to honor the dead rather than selectively remove them from history.
Remember their sacrifice on Memorial Day.
 P.S.  Check out my blog for posts, podcasts and videos. If you like our posts, please look for ”Donate” on the right column of the blog page.

Happy Memorial Day


Memorial Day weekend events in the Rochester area | WHEC.com
We salute, and remember, today all of the men and women who died serving their country.

Let me say a word about Nathan Aguirre, a young man from our church who was killed in Iraq in 2006.  I know his parents and send a warm greeting to both of them.

We remember reading the story of Katherine Cathey and her husband killed in action.

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A WORD ABOUT MEMORIAL DAY

Memorial Day is a special American holiday.  My guess is that all countries have one day to remember those who have paid the ultimate price, as President Lincoln said.  In the US, we call it Memorial Day and it has a long history. 
Let’s start with the war between the states or The Civil War (1861-65) and “Decoration Day“:    
On May 5, 1868, General John A. Logan, leader of an organization for Northern Civil War veterans, called for a nationwide day of remembrance later that month. “The 30th of May, 1868, is designated for the purpose of strewing with flowers, or otherwise decorating the graves of comrades who died in defense of their country during the late rebellion, and whose bodies now lie in almost every city, village and hamlet churchyard in the land,” he proclaimed.
The date of Decoration Day, as he called it, was chosen because it wasn’t the anniversary of any particular battle.
On the first Decoration Day, General James Garfield made a speech at Arlington National Cemetery, and 5,000 participants decorated the graves of the 20,000 Union and Confederate soldiers buried there.
Later, it became Memorial Day after World War I and World War II:    
For decades, Memorial Day continued to be observed on May 30, the date Logan had selected for the first Decoration Day. But in 1968 Congress passed the Uniform Monday Holiday Act, which established Memorial Day as the last Monday in May in order to create a three-day weekend for federal employees; the change went into effect in 1971. The same law also declared Memorial Day a federal holiday.
Looking back today and reading about Decoration Day, I am amazed how our ancestors were willing to decorate the graves of northern and southern soldiers.  It’s a good lesson for those who want to remove statues.  Sometimes the best way to heal is to honor the dead rather than selectively remove them from history.
Remember their sacrifice on Memorial Day.
 P.S.  Check out my blog for posts, podcasts and videos. If you like our posts, please look for ”Donate” on the right column of the blog page.

Memorial Day thoughts


Image result for memorial day 2020
Memorial Day is a special American holiday.  My guess is that all countries have one day to remember those who have paid the ultimate price, as President Lincoln said.  In the US, we call it Memorial Day and it has a long history. 
Let’s start with the war between the states or The Civil War (1861-65) and “Decoration Day“:    
On May 5, 1868, General John A. Logan, leader of an organization for Northern Civil War veterans, called for a nationwide day of remembrance later that month. “The 30th of May, 1868, is designated for the purpose of strewing with flowers, or otherwise decorating the graves of comrades who died in defense of their country during the late rebellion, and whose bodies now lie in almost every city, village and hamlet churchyard in the land,” he proclaimed.
The date of Decoration Day, as he called it, was chosen because it wasn’t the anniversary of any particular battle.
On the first Decoration Day, General James Garfield made a speech at Arlington National Cemetery, and 5,000 participants decorated the graves of the 20,000 Union and Confederate soldiers buried there.
Later, it became Memorial Day after World War I and World War II:    
For decades, Memorial Day continued to be observed on May 30, the date Logan had selected for the first Decoration Day. But in 1968 Congress passed the Uniform Monday Holiday Act, which established Memorial Day as the last Monday in May in order to create a three-day weekend for federal employees; the change went into effect in 1971. The same law also declared Memorial Day a federal holiday.
Looking back today and reading about Decoration Day, I am amazed how our ancestors were willing to decorate the graves of northern and southern soldiers.  It’s a good lesson for those who want to remove statues.  Sometimes the best way to heal is to honor the dead rather than selectively remove them from history.
Remember their sacrifice on Memorial Day.
 P.S.  Check out my blog for posts, podcasts and videos. If you like our posts, please look for ”Donate” on the right column of the blog page.

Friday, May 29, 1970

1848: Wisconsin joined the Union


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Wisconsin joined the Union on this day in 1848.    It was state # 30 on the way to 50!
Our family lived in Wisconsin when we came to the US.   It was a wonderful place and I still have great memories of friends and places in Wisconsin.    

In fact, I wrote a book about it.
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We remember Gary Brooker (1945-2022)


Image result for gary brooker procol harum images
We remember Gary Brooker, vocalist and keyboardist for Procol Harum.   He was born in the UK on this day in 1945 and died in 2022.

Back in 1967, the band scored a worldwide hit:  "A whiter shade of pale".  

It is still one of the most popular songs on oldies radio.      

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May 1813: Jefferson and Adams started their historic correspondence





Who were these two men?   John Adams (the second president) and Thomas Jefferson (the third president).  They were partners in The Declaration of Independence and the formation of the new nation.  

Adams was the first VP serving two terms under President Washington.  He was elected to his own term after Washington retired to Mt. Vernon.  On the other hand, Jefferson served in President Washington's first Cabinet and VP under President Adams.

In 1800, Jefferson defeated the incumbent Adams in a very bitter presidential election.  As a result, the two men did not speak to each other again.  As I understand it, outgoing President Adams left town and did not go to his successor's inauguration.

President Jefferson served two terms and retired to Monticello in 1809.

Jefferson broke the ice and wrote to his old colleague.  Over the next 10 years, the two men wrote each other many letters and restored their friendship.  The letters were great insight into their lives and the new republic.

Incredibly, the two men died on July 4, 1826 or the 50th anniversary of The Declaration of Independence.

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We remember Bob Hope (1903-2003)

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Did you know that Bob Hope was born Leslie Townes Hope in England?   I didn’t until researching this post.   

He was born on this day in 1903 and lived 100 years plus 2 months!

Hope’s family moved to the US when he was 4 and grew up in Cleveland, Ohio.   The Hopes passed through Ellis Island in 1908.

Hope started on the radio in the 1920's and gradually made it to movies.   Later in life, he’d visit US troops every year at Christmas.    

Very funny guy.

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Thursday, May 28, 1970

1944: “Tall in the saddle" is a great John Wayne movie

Had a chance to catch "Tall in the saddle", a 1944 John Wayne western.  It must have been one of Wayne's earlier movies because he looks so young.  

The story has Wayne arriving in a new town and in the middle of a murder.  Ella Raines did a great job as the horsewoman who owns the neighboring ranch.   

It is a good movie!

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John Wayne and his last movie "The shootist"



"The shootist" is a story about how "....A dying gunfighter spends his last days looking for a way to die with a minimum of pain and a maximum of dignity."    


Did Wayne know that this would be his last movie?   I am not sure.   Nevertheless, what a way to finish John Wayne's career.

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1953: John Wayne and "Island in the sky"

Thank God for all of those "old movies" channels.    

John Wayne did not play a cowboy in "Island in the sky".   Instead, he was Captain Dooley, a C-47 transport plane pilot, who was forced to land somewhere in the very cold and desolate areas north of Montreal.    Dooley and the crew battled below zero temperatures and a lack of supplies until they were found.

I liked it a lot!    One of the rescue pilots is James Arness, who became Mr Gunsmoke in the late 1950s.

P.S.  You can listen to my show (Canto Talk).  If you like our posts, please look for ”Donate” on the right column.

John Wayne and a great movie called "The Cowboys"




It's time for John Wayne again.   


What a treat to catch up with John Wayne movies.

"The Cowboys" is another great movie with Wayne as an aging cowboy.   

In the story, he had to train a bunch of boys for a cattle drive.   It was Wayne as a boss, father and leader.   

He was great!

 P.S.  You can listen to my show (Canto Talk).  If you like our posts, please look for ”Donate” on the right column.


1970: John Wayne and "True grit"




John Wayne played US Marshall Rooster Cogburn helping a cute teenage girl (Kim Darby) look for the man who killed her father.    


The cast is rather interesting:  Country singer Glen Campbell, Robert Duvall and Dennis Hopper.     This is Duvall a couple of years before he played Tom Hagen in "The Godfather".

Wayne won his only Academy for this movie.   

P.S.  You can listen to my show (Canto Talk).  If you like our posts, please look for ”Donate” on the right column.

We remember Ian Fleming 1910-1964

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Wednesday, May 27, 1970

We remember Don Williams (1939-2017)


We remember Don Williams who was born in Texas on this day in 1939.   He died in 2017.

Don started with The Pozo-Seco Singers along with Lofton Kline plus Susan Taylor.  I understand that they had a connection to Corpus Christi, TX.

We know that Don Williams went on to have a country music career.  However, I don't know about the other two.

The trio recorded some very nice songs.  

I love "Time", now available in a digital format:

"Some people run, some people crawl,
Some people don't even move at all
Some roads lead forward some roads lead back
Some roads are bathed in light, some wrapped in fearful black
Time oh time where did you go
Time oh good, good time where did you go
Some people never get, some never give
Some people never die and some never live
Some folks treat me mean, some treat me kind
Most folks just go their way, don't pay me any mind
Time oh time where did you go
Time oh good, good time where did you go
Sometimes I'm satisfied, sometimes I'm not
Sometimes my face is cold, sometimes it's hot
Sunset I laugh, sunrise I cry
At midnight I'm in between and wondering why
Time oh time where did you go
Time oh good good time where did you go
Time oh time where did you go
Time oh good good time where did you go....."


Tuesday, May 26, 1970

Summer reading: The great Bart Starr


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Once upon a time, the NFL was more about rushing than passing.   In other words, those QB's from that era did not attempt 45 or 50 passes in a game.   Nevertheless, they were still the big heroes on the field.

My first football hero was Bart Starr.   I fell in love with # 15 because of Starr.   I used to move and throw the football like he did.    He was my complete idol.

Starr won two Super Bowl MVP's leading the Packers and establishing himself as one of the greatest QB's ever.    In this book, we see how much Bart Starr was in the middle of the development of the NFL into the game that we know today.

Great QB, maybe the best ever!   He died on this day in 2019.

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We remember John Wayne (1907-1979)


 

We remember John Wayne, who was born on this day in 1907.    “The Duke” was the greatest cowboy of the movies.   He died in 1979.    

Wayne made dozens of westerns, from “The searchers” to “True grit”.   

My favorite movie was “The shootist”.   It was his last movie.   Ironically, it was about an aging cowboy at the end of his life.

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1959: Harvey Haddix perfect for 12 but lost in the 13th

This is the definition of a heartbreak or bad luck.

This is what happened on this day in 1959:
“Harvey Haddix of the Pittsburgh Pirates pitches 12 perfect innings against the Milwaukee Braves, only to lose the game on a two-run double by Braves’ first baseman Joe Adcock in the 13th inning.
It was the first time a pitcher threw more than nine perfect innings in major league history…
Haddix took the mound in the 13th inning after retiring 36 Braves in a row, nine more than usually required for a perfect game.
The fleet-footed second baseman Felix Mantillia came to bat first. He hit a grounder to Pirate third baseman Don Hoak, who threw the ball across the diamond and into the dirt near first baseman Rocky Nelson.
Mantillia was safe, and the perfect game was over, though the no-hitter remained intact.
The next batter, Hall of Famer Eddie Matthews, sacrificed Mantillia to second base.
Then Hank Aaron, who was leading the National League in batting, came to the plate. Haddix intentionally walked the future career home run king on four pitches.
Adcock was up next, and he hit a drive that just cleared the fence in right-center field.
In their jubilation over the win, the Braves became muddled on the base paths, and Adcock passed Aaron between second and third base.
The umpire Frank Dascoli called Adcock out, changing his three-run homer to a two-run double after several minutes of deliberation.”
It was the greatest pitching performance ever but he lost the game.
Harvey Haddix won 136 games with a 3.63 ERA. His best years were with the Cards and Pirates. On this day in 1959, he had everyone talking about what he did in Milwaukee.
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Monday, May 25, 1970

A word about Hal David's death, great songwriter



Hal David | Songwriters Hall of Fame
Hal David died in 2012. He was born on this day in 1921.   

David, along with Burt Bachrach, wrote some of the most popular songs of the last 60 years:
"Bacharach and David wrote many top 40 hits including "Raindrops Keep Fallin' On My Head," "Close to You" and "That's What Friends Are For."
"As a lyric writer, Hal was simple, concise and poetic -- conveying volumes of meaning in fewest possible words and always in service to the music," 
ASCAP's current president, the songwriter Paul Williams, said in a statement. "It is no wonder that so many of his lyrics have become part of our everyday vocabulary and his songs... the backdrop of our lives."
Many lyrics and tunes from Bacharach and David continue to resonate in pop culture, including "Do You Know the Way to San Jose" and "I Say A Little Prayer" to "What The World Needs Now Is Love." 
Their music was recorded by legendary singers including The Beatles, Barbra Streisand, Frank Sinatra, Neil Diamond and their longtime partner Dionne Warwick."
It's hard to pick a song.....let me pick "Close to you" by The Carpenters.

Sunday, May 24, 1970

1935: Phillies vs Reds and the first night game


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Most major league games are now played at night, including the post season.    Afternoon baseball is primarily on weekends or opening day.   
The first night game was on this day in 1935:   The Reds beat the Phillies 2-1 before 25,000 happy home team fans!
Night baseball became a reality in the 1940s.  
The first World Series night game was game 4 in 1971 when the Pirates beat the Orioles.   A few years later, millions watched the 1975 Boston-Cincinnati series.     Last, but not least, the Cubs did not turn on the lights until 1988!
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1883: Happy birthday to The Brooklyn Bridge


It took 14 years, and sadly 27 lives, but The Brooklyn Bridge opened on this day in 1883.   It connected Brooklyn and New York City and designed by John A. Roebling.
President Chester Arthur, and Governor of New York & future President Grover Cleveland, presided over the ceremony. It was the largest suspension bridge ever built to that date.
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Bonnie & Clyde: Many decades and people still interested

Image result for bonnie and clyde movie images

In 1967, the “Bonnie and Clyde” movie introduced millions to the couple and their flawed story.
Around Dallas, there is a lot of interest about the anniversary, as recently reported by The Dallas Morning News:
“Seven miles down the road, two crooks died a long time ago.  
For most other criminals, that could have been the end of the story. But Bonnie and Clyde live on. In the imagination of the public, Hollywood, haunted descendants and here on Main Street in this tiny town about an hour east of Shreveport; the legacy of their two-year crime spree endures 80 years after their bloody deaths on May 23, 1934.  
It is here in this northern Louisiana town of 979 that the son of Ted Hinton, a Dallas County deputy who was in the posse that killed Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow, has set up shop to tell the story of how the couple and their gang lived and died. His Bonnie & Clyde Ambush Museum shows how the two robbed banks and killed people, loved each other and died young.  
Boots Hinton, the son, was born not long before his father helped kill the two outlaws on State Highway 154, which remains remote today.
He said there are two big reasons people latch on to Bonnie and Clyde.  
“One, it’s a love story that would put Romeo and Juliet to shame,” he said.
“The other is guts and bullets — the blood.””
I just hope that people remember that Bonnie & Clyde were actually ruthless killers.  They shot and killed law enforcement officers, as well as innocent people or bystanders.   It’s hard to see anything romantic about that but the young couple still generates a lot of curiosity.
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Saturday, May 23, 1970

1934: Bonnie & Clyde killed by police



Bonnie & Clyde were killed on this day in 1934.  It happened in Sailes, LA.  They were ambushed by a police force and killed instantly.   And the rest is history.       In 1967, Warren Beatty & Faye Dunaway were in a movie about "Bonnie & Clyde".
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We remember Rosemary Clooney (1928-2002)




We remember Rosemary Clooney who was born in Maysville, Kentucky, on this day in 1928.   She died in 2002.

She was a hugely popular singer in the 1950's, including recording "Sway" with Perez Prado.   She was with Bing Crosby in "White Christmas", the classic holiday movie and song.   Another one of her hits was "Mambo italiano".

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We remember Helen O'Connell (1920-93)




We remember Helen O'Connell who was born in Lima, Ohio, on this day in 1920.      

Her career took off in 1939 when she recorded "Green eyes" with Bob Eberly and the Jimmy Dorsey Orchestra.   It was followed by other best sellers like "Tangerine" and "Amapola".

In the 1950's, Helen worked on NBC's "Today Show."   She was also the hostess of the Miss Universe Pageant plus the spokeswoman for Polaroid cameras for several years.

She died in 1993.

P.S.  You can listen to my show (Canto Talk).  







Thursday, May 21, 1970

The first Atlantic crossing by plane: Still amazing to think about


(My new American Thinker post)

Jimmy Stewart's The Spirit of St. Louis is a great movie, especially thanks to the scenes of Charles Lindbergh trying to stay awake over the Atlantic Ocean.

On May 21 in 1927, Charles Lindbergh did something that had never been done before:
At 7:52 a.m. EST on May 20, The Spirit of St. Louis lifted off from Roosevelt Field, so loaded with fuel that it barely cleared the telephone wires at the end of the runway. Lindbergh traveled northeast up the coast. After only four hours, he felt tired and flew within 10 feet of the water to keep his mind clear. As night fell, the aircraft left the coast of Newfoundland and set off across the Atlantic.
At about 2 a.m. on May 21, Lindbergh passed the halfway mark, and an hour later dawn came. Soon after, The Spirit of St. Louis entered a fog, and Lindbergh struggled to stay awake, holding his eyelids open with his fingers and hallucinating that ghosts were passing through the cockpit.
After 24 hours in the air, he felt a little more awake and spotted fishing boats in the water. 
At about 11 a.m. (3 p.m. local time), he saw the coast of Ireland. Despite using only rudimentary navigation, he was two hours ahead of schedule and only three miles off course. He flew past England and by 3 p.m. EST was flying over France. It was 8 p.m. in France, and night was falling.
At the Le Bourget Aerodrome in Paris, tens of thousands of Saturday night revelers had gathered to await Lindbergh’s arrival.
At 10:24 a.m. local time, his gray and white monoplane slipped out of the darkness and made a perfect landing in the air field. The crowd surged on 
The Spirit of St. Louis, and Lindbergh, weary from his 33 1/2-hour, 3,600-mile journey, was cheered and lifted above their heads. He hadn’t slept for 55 hours. Two French aviators saved Lindbergh from the boisterous crowd, whisking him away in an automobile. He was an immediate international celebrity.
The best part of Lindbergh's odyssey is how incredible it was.  It was a test not just of a machine, but of the human body and mind.  In other words, the flight could have ended if Lindbergh had not stayed awake.  He could have crashed and drowned from the lack of sleep.   

Lindbergh said this about sitting in that small cabin with nothing but his eyes and good instincts to get him to his destination:
While my hand is on the stick, my feet on the rudder, and my eyes on the compass, this consciousness, like a winged messenger, goes out to visit the waves below, testing the warmth of water, the speed of wind, the thickness of intervening clouds. It goes north to the glacial coasts of Greenland, over the horizon to the edge of dawn, ahead to Ireland, England, and the continent of Europe, away through space to the moon and stars, always returning, unwillingly, to the mortal duty of seeing that the limbs and muscles have attended their routine while it was gone.
Lindbergh died in 1974.  Wonder what he thought when Neil Armstrong walked on the moon five years before!

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