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Wittgenstein in the classroom

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Julian

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Aug 12, 2023, 10:33:51 AM8/12/23
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When I first read Ludwig Wittgenstein’s Philosophical Investigations, I
was a student struggling to make sense of it. Now as I read it on the
70th anniversary of its posthumous publication, I am a teacher
struggling to make sense of it. In my job, I teach adults who speak
English – or at least have a good grasp of it as a spoken language – how
to read and write. And not how to read and write ‘professionally’, but
rather how to connect sounds to shapes on a page and vice versa, how to
spell the language’s most common words, and how to write a complete
sentence.

There is a member of my class who, although he can say and use the words
we study, and has a good grasp of consonants, will not include vowels
when he spells. I will ask him to spell the word ‘went’, for example,
and he will spell out ‘wnt’. If I correct him once, this currently makes
no difference – the next time, he will spell without vowels just the
same. As you may imagine, I can find this very frustrating.

Wittgenstein writes of a similar case...


https://aeon.co/essays/learning-for-wittgenstein-is-a-whole-life-undertaking?

Jeffrey Rubard

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Aug 12, 2023, 11:41:47 AM8/12/23
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"This Usenet newsgroup is dedicated to the discussion of the Buddhist philosophy." - Everybody Sober

Julian

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Aug 12, 2023, 11:47:14 AM8/12/23
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Which newsgroup are the sad fucks talking about?

Noah Sombrero

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Aug 12, 2023, 12:48:16 PM8/12/23
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On Sat, 12 Aug 2023 16:47:12 +0100, Julian <julia...@gmail.com>
wrote:

>On 12/08/2023 16:41, Jeffrey Rubard wrote:
His message headers show only short fat guy.
--
Noah Sombrero

Julian

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Aug 12, 2023, 4:40:24 PM8/12/23
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His description of "This Usenet newsgroup" does not match ABSFG
in practice nor in theory.

Noah Sombrero

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Aug 12, 2023, 4:53:34 PM8/12/23
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On Sat, 12 Aug 2023 21:40:22 +0100, Julian <julia...@gmail.com>
Also true.
--
Noah Sombrero

Jeffrey Rubard

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Aug 13, 2023, 11:24:45 AM8/13/23
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Guys, no, you could comfortably think "alt.buddha.short.fat.guy" was about Buddhism. Intelligently, even.

Noah Sombrero

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Aug 13, 2023, 12:25:29 PM8/13/23
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On Sun, 13 Aug 2023 08:24:42 -0700 (PDT), Jeffrey Rubard
<theleasth...@gmail.com> wrote:
At one time there were
alt.zen
alt.philosophy.zen
talk.religion.buddhism
and others

Of those short fat guy is only left to tell the tale. But
from the beginning, those others were as you suggest, but
short fat guy was not.
--
Noah Sombrero

Julian

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Aug 13, 2023, 1:00:02 PM8/13/23
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You could try solving your problem by setting an example,
lead from the front, by discussing Buddhist philosophy.

Jeffrey Rubard

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Aug 14, 2023, 11:43:37 AM8/14/23
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"You don't really do that, gringo. Get it? Buddhists teach Buddhism through their daily practice. So your spewing poisonous gas could take a break on this topic, perhaps others."

Julian

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Aug 14, 2023, 12:01:45 PM8/14/23
to
LOL, I've no idea where you got the idea that you might
appoint yourself moderator of ABSFG but many have tried
all have failed. Good luck with that.

I don't care what Buddhists do as long as they don't invade
my personal space and even then I'm confident I could despatch
them with little ado.

If you want me to do what you want me to do I might
be for hire. Discuss my rates, terms and conditions,
with my people.


Jeffrey Rubard

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Aug 14, 2023, 4:29:09 PM8/14/23
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Wider World: "It's a thing you know if you know anything about Buddhism, which many Western intellectuals -- even those who have spoken about the religion, as with this guy -- don't know."

> I don't care what Buddhists do as long as they don't invade
> my personal space and even then I'm confident I could despatch
> them with little ado.
>

"Did someone tell you it was cool to misspell the word as 'despatch'? Some dumb cracker fiend, presumably."

> If you want me to do what you want me to do I might
> be for hire. Discuss my rates, terms and conditions,
> with my people.

"I would like you to stop violating women and any male sexual partners you might have."
"No can do."
"I guess we're not 'speaking the same language', then."

Jeffrey Rubard

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Aug 14, 2023, 4:33:40 PM8/14/23
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It really is stupid to do the 'kyoot' mispelling, or to commit serious violence against sexual partners. Can't help, there.

Creon

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Aug 14, 2023, 4:47:44 PM8/14/23
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On Mon, 14 Aug 2023 13:29:06 -0700 (PDT), Jeffrey Rubard wrote:
> "I guess we're not 'speaking the same language', then."

https://stumbles.org.uk/John/rec/buddha.html

--
-c

Julian

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Aug 14, 2023, 4:48:50 PM8/14/23
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It appears you can see through a key hole with both eyes.
https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/despatch

Jeffrey Rubard

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Aug 14, 2023, 6:20:08 PM8/14/23
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"It's a low-class spelling. They 'led you on to' it."

Jeffrey Rubard

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Aug 14, 2023, 6:20:34 PM8/14/23
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Refute world history, once again.
Wider World: "Oh, man. We get it."

Julian

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Aug 14, 2023, 6:35:00 PM8/14/23
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Thank you.

Jeffrey Rubard

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Aug 15, 2023, 11:33:23 AM8/15/23
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You're welcome. I'm glad I could be "discrete" about it, too.

Jeffrey Rubard

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Aug 16, 2023, 3:22:09 PM8/16/23
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"Yeah, it's really some pretty dumb stuff to 'idly' misspell words as status-signaling."

Jeffrey Rubard

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Aug 18, 2023, 4:09:45 PM8/18/23
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"They use 'contrived' misspellings in other countries, often."
"They have simple rules for it, which are easy to learn, and which you lot have never cared to learn.
*That is *willkuerliches Definition*, only."

Jeffrey Rubard

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Aug 19, 2023, 4:52:03 PM8/19/23
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"Don't Americans do that, too?"
Irredentist fans of the Confederate States of America would do that, sometimes.
(Not a good look.)

Jeffrey Rubard

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Aug 21, 2023, 11:34:21 AM8/21/23
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"You're making it up."
"No, it's a fairly empirically validated hypothesis. The misspelling system is different than other English ones."

Jeffrey Rubard

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Aug 21, 2023, 5:27:56 PM8/21/23
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"Really? Those guys are 'cruds'?"
"Seems so, it really does."

Jeffrey Rubard

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Aug 26, 2023, 5:11:06 PM8/26/23
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"What's a 'crud'?"
"A racist fascist sympathizer from the Southern US, traditionally."

Jeffrey Rubard

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Aug 27, 2023, 11:48:42 AM8/27/23
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"Do they like Wittgenstein?"
"Less and less over time, I think."

Jeffrey Rubard

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Aug 27, 2023, 5:52:54 PM8/27/23
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"Why's that?"
"He turns out to be determinedly anti-fascist, and this does not suit them."

Stephane Guenette

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Aug 28, 2023, 11:33:58 AM8/28/23
to
On Saturday, 12 August 2023 at 07:33:51 UTC-7, Julian wrote:

> When I first read Ludwig Wittgenstein’s Philosophical Investigations, I
> was a student struggling to make sense of it. Now as I read it on the
> 70th anniversary of its posthumous publication, I am a teacher
> struggling to make sense of it. In my job, I teach adults who speak
> English – or at least have a good grasp of it as a spoken language – how
> to read and write. And not how to read and write ‘professionally’, but
> rather how to connect sounds to shapes on a page and vice versa, how to
> spell the language’s most common words, and how to write a complete
> sentence.

> There is a member of my class who, although he can say and use the words
> we study, and has a good grasp of consonants, will not include vowels
> when he spells. I will ask him to spell the word ‘went’, for example,
> and he will spell out ‘wnt’. If I correct him once, this currently makes
> no difference – the next time, he will spell without vowels just the
> same."

'God Speak' is the same. God tried to make it impossible to be worshipped by having
a name that couldn't be pronounced but we managed to figure out a way to do it, just
the same.

Jeffrey Rubard

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Aug 28, 2023, 4:10:39 PM8/28/23
to
They used to call them "false confessors", but I think modern Christians have different
terms for people you shouldn't believe on this topic...

Jeffrey Rubard

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Aug 29, 2023, 11:36:46 AM8/29/23
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Wider World: It's a depressingly rote problem these people have. 'Nothing new to see here' stuff...

Jeffrey Rubard

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Aug 29, 2023, 11:37:19 AM8/29/23
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...this stuff is 'read out' from a 'Psychopath Joke Book', etc.

Jeffrey Rubard

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Sep 3, 2023, 4:56:06 PM9/3/23
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(Those sorts of misspellings are actually oddly characteristic of a sort of 'deranged menace'. You wouldn't think so, but...)

Jeffrey Rubard

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Sep 4, 2023, 2:42:26 PM9/4/23
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"What kind of deranged menace?"
Low-key high-voltage sex criminals? (Any 'opposing viewpoints' here?)

Jeffrey Rubard

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Sep 5, 2023, 11:39:35 AM9/5/23
to
"Really? Do you really mean that?"
It does seem to be a strong 'empirical correlation', really.

Jeffrey Rubard

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Sep 15, 2023, 2:02:57 PM9/15/23
to
"You really mean that?"
Actually, yes: later on it turns out there are known "charges" against them, and the like.

Stephane Guenette

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Sep 15, 2023, 3:02:53 PM9/15/23
to
On Friday, 15 September 2023 at 11:02:57 UTC-7, Jeffrey Rubard wrote:
...
> > > Low-key high-voltage sex criminals? (Any 'opposing viewpoints' here?)

> > "Really? Do you really mean that?"

> > It does seem to be a strong 'empirical correlation', really.

> "You really mean that?"

> Actually, yes: later on it turns out there are known "charges" against them, and the like.

Some of the best conversations happen between I and I.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uyzRYN5tpqE

Jeffrey Rubard

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Sep 16, 2023, 4:31:46 PM9/16/23
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"White people aren't really exactly welcome to use Jamaican patois, okay?"

Jeffrey Rubard

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Sep 21, 2023, 6:26:28 PM9/21/23
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It's a real thing, especially if you can't keep your "irie" and your "batty" straight...

Jeffrey Rubard

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Sep 22, 2023, 11:26:41 AM9/22/23
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"I heard 'batty' means gay."
It does. "Irie" does, too.
"Wow, weird world."
It is, yeah.
"No, I mean you're crazy."
No, it's in part how both words work, sorry your 'cheat sheet' didn't have that.

Jeffrey Rubard

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Sep 24, 2023, 4:42:38 PM9/24/23
to
"That can't possibly be true."
Jamaican: "No, it is, in the sense in which it would be true. 'Batty' and 'irie' men are both 'off' in a sense that suggests gayness."

Jeffrey Rubard

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Sep 25, 2023, 11:31:55 AM9/25/23
to
"Could that really be so?"
Could you not inanely assume that reality must be 'cut to your jib'?

Jeffrey Rubard

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Sep 25, 2023, 11:32:18 AM9/25/23
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You might turn out like one of these terrible sexual psychopaths, etc.

Jeffrey Rubard

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Sep 26, 2023, 11:19:07 AM9/26/23
to
"Oh, but I'm not."
It's also true that not everything is 'just what you say it is'.

Jeffrey Rubard

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Sep 27, 2023, 6:12:27 PM9/27/23
to
"No, it's so. I know all."
Wider World: Actually, they make these people take pills too. They just call it something classier, like 'borderline personality disorder'.

Stephane Guenette

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Sep 27, 2023, 7:03:48 PM9/27/23
to
On Wednesday, 27 September 2023 at 15:12:27 UTC-7, Jeffrey Rubard wrote:
...
> > It's also true that not everything is 'just what you say it is'.

> "No, it's so. I know all."
> Wider World: Actually, they make these people take pills too. They just
> call it something classier, like 'borderline personality disorder'.

Most gender definitions are written by sixth graders. What's more visceral
than social songs and petty stereotypes? Even us lovable introverts know
how to deal with it. It’s all bags of inexhaustible bliss shrouded in crude
sexual metaphors. I call it the other way around. The fork does not fit into
the finger. Thus, to earn more than just bread, you need to get to the cheddar.
Then it’s ‘Grilled Cheese Paradise" for all of us.

Jeffrey Rubard

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Sep 28, 2023, 3:10:14 PM9/28/23
to
"Big cheesy grin" patronizing talk woefully inappropriate to the given social context,
also common with those exemplifying "trayf"...

Jeffrey Rubard

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Sep 29, 2023, 4:13:59 PM9/29/23
to
"Thus, to earn more than just bread, you need to get to the cheddar." The 'failed uplift slogan', oh, well, that's not exactly novel...

Stephane Guenette

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Sep 29, 2023, 8:04:29 PM9/29/23
to
On Friday, 29 September 2023 at 13:13:59 UTC-7, Jeffrey Rubard wrote:
...
> > > Most gender definitions are written by sixth graders. What's more visceral
> > > than social songs and petty stereotypes? Even us lovable introverts know
> > > how to deal with it. It’s all bags of inexhaustible bliss shrouded in crude
> > > sexual metaphors. I call it the other way around. The fork does not fit into
> > > the finger. Thus, to earn more than just bread, you need to get to the cheddar.
> > > Then it’s ‘Grilled Cheese Paradise" for all of us.

> > "Big cheesy grin" patronizing talk woefully inappropriate to the given social context,
> > also common with those exemplifying "trayf"...

> "Thus, to earn more than just bread, you need to get to the cheddar." The 'failed uplift slogan', oh, well, that's not exactly novel...

There is no need to ignore this by refusing to observe the moral diligence and religious energy of the beast.

Jeffrey Rubard

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Sep 30, 2023, 2:20:53 PM9/30/23
to
"The beast"? We are referring to the US domestic lager of that name here, are we?

Stephane Guenette

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Sep 30, 2023, 4:50:57 PM9/30/23
to
On Saturday, 30 September 2023 at 11:20:53 UTC-7, Jeffrey Rubard wrote:
...
> > There is no need to ignore this by refusing to observe the moral diligence and religious energy of the beast.

> "The beast"? We are referring to the US domestic lager of that name here, are we?

"In the heart of the town, where spirits thrive,
Stands the legendary Beast Brewery, alive,
A temple of ale, where dreams ferment,
A haven for those with a thirst, intent.

With copper kettles and barrels of oak,
Brew masters craft elixirs, a masterstroke,
From humble grains, they conjure magic,
Transforming water and malt, flavors so tragic.

The Beast Brewery, a sanctuary of taste,
Where hops and barley find their rightful place,
In the alchemical cauldron, potions brew,
Creating libations, both old and new.

Amidst the aroma of malted grain,
Visions of flavor dance and sustain,
From stouts as dark as a moonless night,
To ales that burst with citrusy delight.

The bar, a congregation of eager souls,
Drawn by the stories the beers unfold,
Conversations flow, laughter fills the air,
As pints are raised with camaraderie rare.

The Beast Brewery's legacy grows strong,
A cornerstone of the community's throng,
Where friendships are forged, memories made,
In the realm of fermented ambrosia's trade.

So raise your glasses, let the libations flow,
Cheers to the Beast Brewery, may it forever glow,
A testament to craftsmanship, divine,
Where beer enthusiasts find their sacred wine."
-- C. Bot

https://postimg.cc/SX7MjQcd

Jeffrey Rubard

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Sep 30, 2023, 5:02:52 PM9/30/23
to
On Saturday, September 30, 2023 at 1:50:57 PM UTC-7, Stephane Guenette wrote:
> On Saturday, 30 September 2023 at 11:20:53 UTC-7, Jeffrey Rubard wrote:
> ...
> > > There is no need to ignore this by refusing to observe the moral diligence and religious energy of the beast.
>
> > "The beast"? We are referring to the US domestic lager of that name here, are we?
> "In the heart of the town, where spirits thrive,
> Stands the legendary Beast Brewery, alive,
> A temple of ale, where dreams ferment,
> A haven for those with a thirst, intent.

"And who would have expected the farrago?"
Not these people, man. But it's S.O.P. for this scam as well.

Jeffrey Rubard

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Oct 1, 2023, 11:19:51 AM10/1/23
to
"What does that mean?"
I've seen just exactly this kind of garbage "copypasta" before, in another decade when they ran a very similar scam.

Stephane Guenette

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Oct 1, 2023, 3:14:10 PM10/1/23