K-9 TRAINING 1O1.

By Richard E. “Rick” Dennis CPP
Certified Police K-9 Instructor/Trainer
Freelance Writer & Author

November 23, 2023
© 2023

IN THE BEGINNING

Researchers agree, the dog, Canis Familiaris, is a direct descendant of the gray wolf, Canis Lupus: In other words, dogs as we know them, are domesticated wolves. However, years of, domestication and extensive breeding, changed the gray wolf into the dog we know today. The result is an animal that’s smaller in stature, with shorter muzzles, and smaller teeth. Moreover, the old adage, “Dogs Are a Mans Best Friend,” rings just as true today, as it did yesterday. Through time and memorial dogs (Canis Lupus Familiaris) has been and continues to be a willing partner to mankind and an integral part of our societal structure. From family pets to working dogs. Canis Lupus Familiaris, in any breed, shape, or form has proven they can do it all and this embodiment is interwoven into the very fabric of our lives.

DOGS AND HUMANS – AN ANCIENT PARTNERSHIP

In an article, produced by the Morris Animal Foundation, the article states: “Most researchers who study casting genetics agree that dogs are really domesticated wolves – after all their scientific name is Canis Lupus Familiaris. But the exact time that the relationship between wolves and humans turned from distrust and fear to a mutually beneficial partnership is disputed. A large body of research suggests that dogs were domesticated between 12,500 and 15,000 years ago, but recent genetic studies suggest that domestication might have taken place even earlier. Some researchers believe dogs might have commingled with humans as early as 130,000 years ago, long before our human ancestors settled into agricultural communities.”

BEGINNING OF SELECTIVE BREEDING

Selective breeding has occurred for thousands of years in numerous domesticated species, not just dogs. In our canine friends, breeding for specific behavioral traits, as opposed to confirmation occurred first. However, where and when certain types of dogs originated is still uncertain.

THE VICTORIAN EXPLOSION

Most dog breeds we recognize today were developed in the last 150 years, spurred by what’s become known as the Victorian Explosion. During this time in Great Britain, dog breeding intensified and expanded, resulting in many of our most recognizable breeds of dogs.

DOG BREEDS

Today, there are approximately 400 dog breeds in the world. Alone, in the United States, the American Kennel Club register’s 200 breeds. The 7 major dog breed categories in the USA are: Working, Herding, Hound, Sporting, Non-sporting, Terrier, and Toy. Dogs continue to be a willing parter to mankind, whether it's in a law enforcement patrol car, war zone, as a companion dog, guarding assets, in a hunting field, a quide dog for the blind as well as working farm animals, such as Sheep and Cattle herding.

TRAINABILITY

As a former Police K-9 Instructor/Trainer, it's my professional opinion: Any dog can be trained! However, a specific dog breed is more suitable over another, especially when the owner is looking for a dog to perform a specific task. In law enforcement, we found the German Shepherd to be the ideal K-9 for general duty police applications, i.e., building searching, tracking, crowd control, criminal apprehension, or illegal drug and explosive detection. Dual trained Police K-9’s are still used extensively today. When I left law enforcement in 1988 and entered the private security sector, I found the Labrador Retriever to be the ideal K-9 for private sector drug detection.

As a general rule, animals are trained using Operate Conditioning, sometimes referred to as instrumental conditioning. This is a method of learning that employs rewards and punishments for behavior and a consequence (negative or positive) for that behavior. For example, when lab rats press a lever when a green light is on, they receive a food pellet as a reward. When they push the lever when the red light is on, they receive a mild electric shock. As a result, they learn to press the lever when the positive green light is on and avoid the negative punishment or the red light.

DOG BREED SELECTION

Notwithstanding, never select a specific breed of dog because of its cuteness as a puppy. All puppies are cute, rather select a specific dog breed based on your individual requirements. Furthermore, the most accurate method of selecting the right breed of dog is to perform research and decide which dog breed is best for you. Most often, the mishaps with dogs occur when an owner selects the wrong dog for the task. In other words, don’t pick a specific breed of dog with a known history of aggressiveness, when in-fact, the dog is being purchased for a family with small children. A rule of thumb to remember: “An untrained aggressive dog, is more dangerous than a trained one!”

Another keynote, in the dog selection process, is not to select a dog that requires a lot of daily exercise because it's in the sporting or working dog class, e.g., a Jack Russel Terrier, Labrador Retriever, or Doberman Pinscher class of dogs when the animal is to reside in an apartment. This group of dogs require a daily exercise regimen to keep them occupied and their energy level suppressed.

Lastly, select a dog that’s suitable for the climate you live in. Example: Never select a dog with a thick coat of hair that’s normally suitable for an extremely cold weather climate and attempt to raise and house them in a hot and humid climate such as, the southern hemisphere of the United States.

“Until Next Time, Keep Em Between the Bridle!”

THE IDEAL CONCEALED CARRY GUN

By Richard E. “Rick” Dennis CPP
Freelance Journalist

November 12, 2023

© All Rights Reserved

AND CALIBER

Recently, I reviewed an online video provided by the USCCA, U.S. Concealed Carry Association, where the moderator was providing information to the audience pertaining to the ideal concealed carry handgun and caliber. As a former Army Veteran, during the Vietnam War as well as an 18-year Drug Enforcement Agent and Law Enforcement Professional, with many years of pistol combat experience, I disagree with a myriad of his expressed viewpoints, example:

In the video, the moderator limits the self-defense caliber choices to 9mm, 40 S&W, and 45 ACP, the number of rounds in the magazine capacity to 10 plus one in the chamber, and the firearms to Tier 1 and Tier 2 choices. Tier 1 firearms are ones designed and designated for law enforcement and military use. Using these criteria as a basis, the moderator essentially eliminates revolvers and other excellent pistol caliber choices from the concealed carry list.

First and foremost, Tier 1-gun choices, i.e., guns designed and designated with the letters (LE) or for law enforcement and the U.S. Military aren’t available to the general public. More specifically, a gun manufacturer that designs and manufacturers a specific firearm model for use; both for the general public, law enforcement, and the U.S. Military have two models. More specifically, one for the general public and one for law enforcement and the U.S. Military. Same model, same gun design, but setup and tuning are completely differently at the factory. Furthermore, in order for an individual to purchase a Tier 1 firearm setup and tuned for law enforcement and the U.S. Military that individual must have the background and credentials to do so. It’s referred to as a Qualified Professional Program.

Still another point of contention, with the moderator, is his advocacy of single action semi-automatics as a suitable concealed handgun for general public concealed carry use. Again, I disagree! For the record, semi-automatics are designed in three distinct categories: Single Action, requiring the hammer to be cocked prior to firing, double action which requires a single pull of the trigger and can be designed with an external or internal hammer, and an internal striker firing mechanism.

The single action design, or 1911 design so-to-speak, becomes problematic to the user in three ways, e.g., 1) either the firearm is carried cocked and locked, meaning the hammer is cocked in the firing position with a round in the chamber and the safety engaged to prevent accidental firing, 2) the hammer is down with a round in the chamber requiring the firearms hammer to be cocked prior to firing, or 3) the firearm is carried with an empty chamber requiring a slide rack in order to load a round in the chamber from the magazine. Either way, these components slow the response time of the shooter in a gun fight. There are just too many steps for the average shooter to remember when faced with an actual stressful gun fight and a life-or-death situation. Overall, the single action type is an excellent firearm but better left to the professionals.

WHAT IS THE IDEAL CONCEALED CARRY HANDGUN?

For the last 54-years, I’ve made a living with a firearm beginning in 1969 in the U.S. Army, during the Vietnam War, on through my 18-year tenure in Drug Enforcement and Law Enforcement, until today as a Certified Protection Profession (CPP) in private industry. My background and expertise illustrates: I have a good idea of what works and what to avoid! In the Army, I was issued two firearms: An M14 and an M16. Both select fire assault rifles. In law enforcement I was restricted to carrying a six-shot revolver; Colt or Smith & Wesson, chambered with 38 Special Police Loads, and a 5-shot 12-gauge pump shotgun; (Ithaca or Remington), shooting slugs, number 4 bird shot, or double ought (00) buck shot. I carried a six-shot Model 19 Smith & Wesson Combat Magnum revolver with speed loaders and never felt under gunned.

Towards the end of my law enforcement career, we were allowed to carry a double action, 15-shot, 9mm semi-auto loaded with 125 grain hollow point projectiles (bullets). However, this policy change took place in the mid to late 1980’s. Our back-up firearms consisted of a 5-shot, 2-inch 38 Special Revolver or a 380 ACP double action semi-auto pistol. I carried both a Smith & Wesson Chief Model 38 Special and a Walther PPK chambered in 380 ACP.

In my opinion, the “IDEAL CONCEALED CARRY HANDGUN FOR A USER IS:” One of high manufacturing quality, i.e., the best one an individual can afford to purchase, one that fits the user's hand, the one the shooter is the most comfortable carrying and shooting, and the one the shooter is the most accurate with. After all, in a self-defense situation any handgun type and caliber are better than a sharp stick!

WHAT IS THE IDEAL HANDGUN SELF-DEFENSE CALIBER?

Again, and in my opinion, after 54 years of service, the ideal handgun caliber for self-defense is the one the shooter is the most comfortable shooting and the caliber the shooter is the most accurate with. Notwithstanding, it really doesn’t matter what caliber the shooter is using, in a self-defense scenario, if the shooter can’t reliably put accurate rounds on target, i.e., in the vital kill zone area, of an attacker, then the caliber choice is a moot point.

In the USCCA video the moderator limits the calibers to 9MM, 40 S&W, and 45 ACP thus eliminating established and reliable handgun calibers outside this criterion including established and proven combat handgun calibers like the 380 ACP, 38 Special, 357 Magnum, and 41 Magnum. The moderator also specifies a criterion of at least 10 rounds in the magazine and one in the chamber. Notwithstanding, the amount of rounds a person is carrying is no substitute for accurate shooting and certainly doesn’t guarantee an individual a hit on target, no matter how many rounds an individual is carrying while using the wrong handgun type and caliber. Therefore, another moot point!

For the record, the diminutive 22 Long Rifle Rimfire cartridge has probably killed more of anything and everything than any other caliber. In fact, and to demonstrate its effectiveness, my partner was killed with a 22-caliber long rifle hollow point while serving a search warrant for illegal drugs. My partner was shot in the back with a 22 Rifle while walking down the hall of a shotgun style house. Another case in point, another partner was shot in the back with a 357 Magnum pistol while serving a search warrant for illegal drugs. He was also killed in the line of duty. Two different cartridges, same result. Case closed!

One of the main reasons the 22 Long Rifle caliber isn’t recommended for regular self-defense carry is due to the fact: The cartridge’s powder ignition system is located in the rim of the cartridge instead of inside a sealed metallic primer in the center of the cartridge. Alone, this rim fire feature could cause the cartridge to miss fire when a shooter needs it the most. My advice to anyone carrying a 22 Long Rifle caliber for self- defense is to change your ammunition often to lessen the odds of a misfire.

UNRAVELING THE ONE SHOT KNOCK DOWN MISCONCEPTION

Ammunition Manufacturers strive to design a projectile (bullet), used for self-defense, to impart as much terminal damage to the human torso as possible. In order to accomplish this theory most ammunition manufactures use hollow point projectiles (bullets). The hollow point is designed to rapidly open up upon impact, expand, and create a hydrostatic shockwave within the human torso. It’s the hydrostatic shockwave combined with the projectiles (bullets) mushrooming effects which causes organ and tissue damage.

However, the only way to effectively achieve the one shot knock down theory is to effectuate a brain or spine shot thus disrupting the human body’s motor sensors therefore preventing the human body from operating normally. Either one of these two shots will immediately incapacitate a human being thus achieving the one shot knock down. However, it's not the diameter of the projectile (bullet) causing total incapacitation, its shot placement. Using these two specific areas as a focal point of aim, the shooter will accomplish the same effect whether the bullet is a 22 Long Rifle or a 44 Magnum. Therefore, and in my opinion, in a gun fight, accurate shot placement is more important than bullet caliber and a high-capacity magazine that counts in a gun fight.

A FAMILY OF FIREARMS

In my family, when it comes down to self-defense, firearms, and cartridge selection were the same in some respects and different in others. The only constant is the 9MM cartridge. Example: I opt for a 9MM Smith & Wesson M 2.0 Compact, with a 3.6-inch barrel, HD Night Sights, and a 17 round magazine capacity. Eva opts for a Glock 43 X 9MM with a 10 round magazine capacity. Emma opts for the Walther PPQ with a magazine capacity of 10, 15, and 17 rounds. Alex opts for the Sig 320 with a magazine capacity of 15 rounds. Overall, we take our personal well being seriously and have our individual choices in the ideal concealed carry firearms.

UNTIL NEXT TIME, KEEP EM BETWEEN THE BRIDLE!

SKIN-ROTTING DRUG “TRANQ”

By Richard E. “Rick” Dennis CPP
February 22, 2022
Freelance Writer and Author

© February 22, 2022 – All Rights Reserved

THERE’S A NEW DRUG IN TOWN-AND IT HAS DEADLY CONSEQUENCES

Trough “Time and Memorial” the illegal drug trade; has been and continues to be, an ever changing pathway to misery and death. Illegal drug manufacturers are continuously developing drugs with add on substances to enhance the effect of the illegal drug. More often times, than not the add on also makes the original illegal drug such as Heroin and Fentanyl – more potent and lethal. Example:
Today, there’s a new add-on substance on-the-market. In an article, by the NEW YORK POST, the new drug; “XYLAZINE,” also known as “TRANQ,” “tranq dope” and “zombie drug” — is wreaking havoc in major cities across the country with its devastating effects: It can literally rot the user’s skin.

Xylazine causes sedative-like symptoms, such as excessive sleepiness and respiratory depression, as well as raw wounds that can become severe and spread rapidly with repeated exposure. The crusty ulcerations, which can become dead skin called eschar, can result in amputation if left untreated.
The substance, which seemed to first appear in Philadelphia before migrating west to San Francisco and Los Angeles, was used for cutting heroin, but, most recently, it has been discovered in fentanyl and other illicit drugs.

While approved by the Food and Drug Administration for veterinary use, xylazine, a non-opioid, is not safe for humans, and those who overdose on the drug do not respond to naloxone, or Narcan, the most common overdose reversal treatment.
Last month, one Philly user suddenly developed xylazine-specific wounds near her opioid injection sites.

“I’d wake up in the morning crying because my arms were dying,” Tracey McCann, 39, told the New York Times.

But “It’s too late for Philly,” Shawn Westfahl, an outreach worker with Prevention Point Philadelphia, told the Times. “Philly’s supply is saturated. If other places around the country have a choice to avoid it, they need to hear our story.”
People with substance use disorders who get hooked on the zombifying drug believe the emerging substance killed “any kind of joy” that came with getting high.

“Tranq is basically zombifying people’s bodies,” Sam, 28, told Sky News. “Until nine months ago, I never had wounds. Now, there are holes in my legs and feet.”
​
The worrying “tranq” trend comes as the New York City Department of Health reported that 2,668 New Yorkers died of overdoses in 2021. Experts warn that xylazine could worsen the ongoing drug epidemic.

Xylazine was found in 90% of drug samples tested in Philadelphia in 2021. Homeless people gather (above) in Kensington.

Dr. Gary Tsai, the director of substance abuse prevention and control with the LA County Department of Public Health, believes the drug’s prevalence “would increase deaths from overdoses.”
“The main concern is we’re already amid the worst overdose crisis in history, nationally and locally,” Tsai told the Los Angeles Times.

According to a 2022 report, XYLAZINE has been discovered in 36 states. In New York City alone, the drug was found in 25% of samples, per the Times.
Earlier this month, the San Francisco Department of Health announced that low levels of xylazine were found in the systems of four people who overdosed, suggesting that the substance can be hidden in drugs unbeknownst to the users.

“It’s possible that it’s more out there,” warned Tsai.

“Until Next Time, Keep Em Between The Bridle”

AMERICA’S INEFFECTIVE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM, A PARADOX

By Richard E. “Rick” Dennis CPP
Freelance Writer and Author

December 20, 2022
© All Rights Reserved

DRUGS, ALCOHOL, ADDICTION, AND CRIME

As a former Drug Enforcement Special Agent and Law Enforcement Professional of 18 years, I witnessed; first hand, the devastating effects drug and alcohol addiction impacts a free society. After all, I was on the first line of defense on the War on Drugs being waged by law enforcement and the Federal Government. As enforcement agents it was our job to investigate, arrest, incarcerate, prosecute, and imprison as many illegal drug manufactures, importers, and distributors as we could.

During my journey, I discovered a myriad important facts concerning our efforts in the War on Drugs with one fact standing out as the most important: The United States of America has a dysfunctional and disingenuous judicial system. As one judicial authority once told me, “In the War on Drugs, the courtroom is a hole in the ground drug violators throw money into to keep judges and lawyers in business.”

During my 18 year tenure, I also learned other important lessons such as: Our judicial system is to slow and inundated with too many laws to maintain pace with the drug and alcohol offenders being arrested and prosecuted. However, perhaps the most important lesson I learned was: Repeat offenders were slipping through the judicial cracks and were being denied the opportunities for rehabilitation and mental health counseling they deserved in order to break the cycle of drug abuse and addiction.

Today, not much has changed in the USA’s War on Drugs. More specifically, drug offenders are being arrested, prosecuted, and imprisoned in record numbers, court rooms are packed with violators, prisons are overcrowded with drug offender inmates, repeat offenders are common place in our society and the courtroom, police officers are still dying in the line of duty as two of my partners did during gun fights, more drugs are being illegally imported in the USA than ever before, the hole in the ground called a court room is still collecting fines, drug addicts aren’t receiving the treatment and mental health services they deserve to break the chain of addiction, and the USA is still losing the War on Drugs.

DRUG AND ALCOHOL ABUSE, ADDICTION, AND CRIME

The National Center for Drug Abuse Statistics report: 1.6 million Americans including Illegal Aliens are arrested annually for drug related crimes, 80% of all incarcerated prison inmates abuse illegal drugs or alcohol. An estimated 244 thousand Americans are sentenced annually to prison for drug related crimes. Furthermore, 26% of all arrests in America are related to drug offenses.

Even though the percentage of drug related arrests are small in comparison to the overall population of the USA, drug related crimes represent the highest category of violent crimes. Example: It’s estimated that as much as 80% of all violent crimes committed by individuals in the USA are drug related. Violent crime categories including: Gun and other weapons violence (assaults), Rape, Robbery, Murder, Car Jacking, and Burglary.

However, the reasons for these drug related violent crimes can be broken down into three sub segments or groups as the “Root Cause Contributing Factors.” More specifically:

1) Crimes committed while under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

2) Economic related crimes to support their drug or alcohol addiction. Example: Robbery, Burglary, Theft, Drug Dealing, and Prostitution are the five main crimes committed in order to support drug and alcohol abuse and addiction.

3) System-related crimes are those that result from how drugs are sold and how the criminal justice system deals with drug dealers. These crime categories include: The manufacture, importation, transporting, and distribution (selling) of drugs as well as the violence produced by the illegal drug trade activities such as: Street and Gang Violence as well as Turf Wars among domestic drug dealers and international drug cartels.

Notwithstanding, the root causes of addiction are: CHRONIC STRESS, a history of trauma, mental illness and a family history of addiction. Understanding how these can lead to chronic substance abuse and addiction will help an individual in reducing his or her chances of becoming addicted, re-entering a life of crime, and staying out of prison and that hole in the ground called a courtroom.

ALCOHOL ABUSE AND ADDICTION

The FBI cites drunkenness or public intoxication as a crime, it is labeled a misdemeanor crime in order to prevent the drunk person from disturbing or hurting others. Alcohol related crimes include drunk driving and homicide. Approximately 316,032 Americans are arrested for drunkenness annually, 10,511 deaths annually are attributed to drunk driving, 7,334 homicides annually have alcohol as a contributing factor, and 48% of homicide convicts were drinking before they committed murder.

TREATING DRUG ABUSE AND ADDICTION IN THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM

“According to an article appearing in the American Medical Association, despite increasing evidence that addiction is a treatable disease of the brain, most individuals do not receive treatment. Involvement in the criminal justice system often results from illegal drug seeking behavior and participation in illegal activities that reflect, in part, disrupted behavior ensuing from brain changes triggered by repeated drug use. Treating drug involved offenders provides a unique opportunity to decrease substance abuse and reduce associated criminals behavior.”

However, while incarcerated the addict may or may not be sentenced to a drug rehabilitation program which, essentially, produces a revolving door effect for offenders missing out on this vital opportunity to break the chains of addiction. Therefore, the offender is paroled from prison and in a matter of time re-enters the illegal drug trade and addiction. In order to win the War on Drugs, in the USA, the judicial system has to revamp its laws and drug offenders need to receive proper mental health. Until this occurs, the wheels of justice will still turn slowly, the majorly of drug offenders will become repeat offenders, and judges and lawyers will have a steady income.

LEGAL DRUG ADDICTION AND ABUSE

Another contributing factor in the War on Drugs are classified as professional addicts. All on their own, Big Pharma and Physicians are producing a significant number of addicts with their prescribed drugs; especially drugs of the opioid variety or Class II through V drugs, which can be entered into a classification of their own. After all, pharmaceuticals drugs are big business representing billions of dollars in annual revenues. Patients are being prescribed highly addictive drugs and Physicians are being paid by the pharmaceutical companies to prescribe certain drugs, some of which are highly addictive.

Will the USA win the War on Drugs, probably not. Simply, there are too many variables in the equation, of Justice, to disrupt the cycle of addiction and crime related drug offenses and not enough drug addicts are receiving the drug treatment and mental health options and services they need, in order to break the cycle of addiction and the crime that goes along with it!

“UNTIL NEXT TIME, KEEP EM BETWEEN THE BRIDLE”

A CHRISTMAS REFLECTION – THEN AND NOW
By Richard E. “Rick” Dennis CPP
Freelance Writer and Author
Copyright 2020 – All Rights Reserved
December 4, 2022
THEN …
As a youngster growing up in the 1950’s and 1960’s, I lived in a plush valley located between two mountain ranges. More specifically, the valley was located between Oak Mountain and Double Oak Mountain. Both mountain ranges are spurs of the Appalachian’s and located in Shelby County, Alabama. During this era, the valley was known by its Native American name; Fungo Holler; as it was aptly called, was a principle farming community as was making bootlegged (home made) moonshine whiskey. Notwithstanding, I was fortunate to be born into a family and community where Christmas was the most celebrated holiday of the year.

My grandfather; Papa Johnson, and my grandmother; Jeanette Dennis Johnson, owned a two and a half room wooden farm house in the valley. However, the farm house wasn’t without its draw backs. More specifically, the house was barren of: Indoor plumbing, running water, or electricity. Water was drawn from the well outside and carried into the house by bucket. The house was heated by wood and coal in a cast iron pot belly stove and my grandmother Jeanette cooked breakfast, lunch, and dinner on a wood burning stove.

The half room was Grandmother Jeanette’s sewing room where she crafted clothes, pillow cases, and what not’s on a manually operated singer sewing machine. In addition to clothes my grandmother also made quilts on a quilting board. Clothes washing and bathing took place in a number three wash tub. In the early 1960’s, electricity finally arrived, via, the Tennessee Valley Authority. The house had one electric line and one light bulb suspended from the ceiling by an electric cord and kerosene lanterns were used to light up the rest of the house.

By today’s standards, some would say our family was poor – but we never recognized that class distinction. Everyone living in the valley had no more or no less that the other inhabitants. Growing up, I always had plenty to eat, 22 bullets to shoot and hunt with, several pairs of overalls to wear and at least one pair of boots to wear a year. Everything, with the exception of a few commodities purchased from WORDS STORE was grown and harvested on the farm.

Before school and after school as well as when I wasn’t in school, hard work and assigned chores were the standard practice of the day. Being the oldest child in our family, I had a never-ending supply of work requiring my daily attention. I never quite figure out why being the oldest meant you were assigned more work. I always figured being the oldest meant you could be assigned a managerial role and delegate chores to my siblings. However, I soon learned this philosophy wasn’t a viable thought process with my parents, nor my grandparents.

Horses and mules weren’t used for recreational or exhibition purposes, as they are today. Instead, my family, as well as other families in my community, used these noble animals principally for: Plowing, cultivating, and harvesting crops in the fields to provide food for the table, feed our livestock, and cash crops for transport, by train, to the farmers market in Birmingham, Alabama.

Often times, these animals were also used as our principle harvester transportation bringing trees out of the mountains for milling at the sawmill for lumber which was used for building purposes as well as providing firewood for the wood-burning heater and the cook stove. During this time period, tractors were non-existent. Also back then, fruits and vegetables were preserved by a canning process. Meats of all varieties were preserved using a smoke house, various drying technique, or stored in a lard barrel for preservation and consumption.

Each year, during the early part of December my family and community; as a whole, were catapulted into the Spirit of Christmas, which meant it was time to go up on Oak Mountain for the much awaited and anticipated Christmas tree cutting. My grandmother Jeanette, on my father’s side, was the matriarch of the designated Christmas tree selection and harvesting process.

My grandmother, born out of a Scottish father and mother, always seemed to have a spiritual connection with the tree she selected. We would move over the mountains for hours viewing what seemed an endless supply of trees – but after each evaluation she would either accept or decline the tree, saying: “Nope, not the right tree!”

Often times this matriarchal tree scrutiny and survey continued for hours and miles of hard walking but always under the watchful eye of my grandmother, until the moment of truth arrived when suddenly - she would stop by a tree, grab and shake it, mentally eye it up and down, walk around it several times and turn with a big smile on her face and declare, “Kids, this is our Christmas tree!”

With the selection process over, the tree was harvested by the oldest family members with an axe or crosscut saw, or both, and promptly loaded onto the sled and pulled home with each family member sharing their turn on the pull rope.

When we arrived at home there weren’t any pre-manufactured store bought ornaments to decorate our tree with but we did have an ample supply of hand-made decorations acquired over the years from various family members. Each family member possessed one special ornament with his or her name scribed on it which made for a fast scramble to the ornament box to be the first to put their ornament on the tree.

The remaining ornaments were made by us. Popcorn was popped, colored with food dye into various colors, strung on sewing thread and hung on the tree to form a sea of riveting colors. Mistletoe harvested from our trees adorned the top of each door frame. Everything kids could think of were eventually hung on our Christmas tree until the matriarch affixed the Star of David on top, signaling the decorating was over.

If I lean back in my desk chair and close my eyes, I can still smell the daily tantalizing aroma of my grandmother’s Christmas pies, cookies, fudge, and candy being baked in the oven. With the kitchen window open, we were able inhale that delectable aroma all over the yard.

The most valuable lessons I learned from my early childhood experiences and the “Spirit of Christmas” are – the family is the most valuable commodity we have, never forget your roots, always give something back, it’s better to give than to receive and it doesn’t matter how much or what you have, make the best of it because often times - more is not necessarily better.

NOW …
Today some Christmas trees are artificial and come complete out of a box, including lights and decorations. Christmas tree decorations and ornaments are manufactured in foreign lands in various sizes, shapes and colors and are readily available for purchase at department stores.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year have been replaced by the politically correct euphemism “Happy Holidays” and another politically correct euphemism has replaced “A Christmas Party” with “A Winter Party.”

Horses and mules have been replaced by tractors as the principle cultivation tool in the farming community while the noble animals of yesterday have establishing themselves as the principle means of recreation for the equestrian community.

In fact, an entire equestrian industry has evolved around the noble horse as well as the businesses that have emerged to support them: tack shops, feed stores, judges, horse training facilities, horse breeding facilities, medical facilities and veterinarians, drug manufacturers, truck and horse trailer manufacturers, equestrian magazines, bit makers, saddle makers, etc., and include the nonprofit organizations that have evolved to support this industry.

In the equestrian industry today, we are very lucky to have nonprofit’s such as the American Quarter Horse Association, National Cutting Horse Association, National Reined Cow Horse Association and the National Reining Horse Association, as well as other breed specific horse organizations that provide us with a place to exhibit our stock (professional and non-pro alike), meet new folks in the spirit of competition and establish new friendships along the way.

These organizations are not always perfect but a lot of folks rely on these equestrian organizations, as well as the guys and gals that run them, as a source of revenue to provide sustenance for their families in the spirit of entrepreneurship. They not only provide a single source of revenue for some but a lot of enjoyment for families and individuals in the equestrian industry.

Therefore, in the Spirit of Christmas, I would like to personally thank you – one and all for your time spent in these wonderful organizations and the contributions made by each one of you to support the equine industry.

In my journey, I’ve never lost sight of the core principles I learned as a boy nor have I forgotten my roots or the “Spirit of Christmas!” In keeping with these core principles, it has been my policy throughout my professional career to always give something back to the community from my professions: free drug lectures to schools, free time spent as a mentor with under-privileged children and free riding lessons for the youth – no matter what their financial position, their gender, or race.

Over the years, my students have always generously paid me back by providing me with an exhilarating feeling from just watching their eyes light up when they finally execute a maneuver correctly or after completing their first show. When I see such happiness in a child’s eyes, it reminds me of days long ago on Oak Mountain harvesting that special Christmas tree on that cold winter day and that special lesson I learned during a time in my life long ago. “It truly is better to give than receive!”

Therefore, at this very special time of the year, our thoughts turn gratefully to those who have made our progress possible. It is with the “Spirit of Christmas,” my memories of OAK MOUNTAIN and personal gratitude that I wish each and everyone one of you, especially the avid readers of “WIND RIVER INDUSTRY NEWS,” as well as all those in the equine industry, a Merry Christmas and a most prosperous, safe, and Happy New Year!

“Until Next Time, Keep ‘Em Between The Bridle”

HAND GUN FIT, HOW IT WORKS

By Richard E. “Rick” Dennis CPP
Certified Protection Professional

November 15, 2022
Copyright 2022; All-rights Reserved

FIREARMS INTENDED PURPOSE

Prior to selecting a firearm, for defensive purposes, the first criteria to establish is: “What’s the firearms intended purpose?” Is the firearm going to be left in the home for home defense, carried in a vehicle for self-defense, concealed carry, or a combination thereof? Self-defense firearms comprise two categories. 1) A firearm kept in the home or carried in the vehicle and 2) a multi-purpose firearm, i.e., kept at home, carried in the vehicle, and for concealed carry in public locations. Home defense weapons are commonly comprised of: Any firearm, whether a shotgun; of any action type and gauge, semi-auto pistol, revolver, or rifle; of any caliber or action type.

However, a firearm for multi-purpose, i.e., home defense, vehicle defense, and concealed carry use resides to two categories: A Revolver or a Semi-auto handgun. The weapon of choice depends on the personal preference of the user. More specifically and above all criteria, the selected firearm for multi-purpose use must be easily concealable, carry sufficient ammunition to win a gun fight or stop an attacker, and the calibre choice should be sufficient to incapacitate an attacker and immediately end the threat. Notwithstanding, the selected cartridge should be one the user is comfortable shooting to mitigate flinching which will inhibit effective accuracy. Example:

If a 22 calibre rim fire cartridge is the top threshold of cartridge designs the user is capable of being comfortable shooting, so be it. As the old rule of thumb: “It’s better to have a gun and not need it, rather than need a gun and not have it!” However, in the right hands and with the correct training combined with the correct self-defense ammunition, a 22 calibre rim fire will accomplish the same thing as any other cartridge designed for self-defense can do: “Stop an attacker!”

FITTING THE HANDGUN TO TO THE SHOOTER, NOT - VICE VERSA

A common mistake many first-time handgun buyers make is: The firearm isn’t purchase by the user by correct fit, but more often than not, by a friends recommendation. The number one rule when purchasing a firearm is: “Pick a firearm, you can bet your life on!” More specifically, your firearm choice should have the ergonomics to fit your hand correctly, be well balanced and comfortable in the hand, and has an established track record of reliability, e.g., Military and Law Enforcement applications, etc.

When purchasing a firearm, the first firearm checks a new buyer or an experienced buyer should perform are: Pick up the firearm with your master hand and access it for weight and balance. Next, check whether or not the the firearm fits your hand correctly, e.g., is the firearms grip to large or too small in your hand, and does the firearm point naturally in your hand.

More specifically, while holding the firearm extend your arms in a safe direction with the firearm in your master hand, i.e., right or left hand, and point it at an object on the wall. If the firearm correctly fits your hand and exhibits natural point-ability the firearms sights should line up naturally with the shooters master eye and be on target, without manipulating the grip angle of the gun.

Therefore, if the firearms sights lineup naturally, it’s a correct fit. If it doesn’t, it’s a wrong fit. Moreover, a correctly fitting firearm should feel natural and well balanced in the hand. Also, a shooter should never have to adjust the hand or grip to the firearm to make it fit correctly. Many firearms manufacturers use different grip angles in the manufacturing process. The new buyer should pickup as many different firearms as possible, until the natural grip angle and point-ability is achieved. What may be good for one person, may not be good for you.

The last portion of the handgun fit assessment pertains to the size of the grip, in relation to the size of the shooters hand. When a handgun fits your hand correctly your three bottom fingers of the gripping hand should encompass and comfortably fit the entire butt of of the handgun, wether the firearm is a revolver or a semi-automatic. More specifically, there shouldn’t be large amounts of real estate protruding from the bottom of your hand.

If so, the firearms grip is too large for your hand. Conversely, if there’s not enough grip in your hand to comfortably accommodate all three fingers, the firearms grip is too small for your hand. A correctly fitting grip means all three bottom fingers fit comfortably on the firearm grip with just a little extra protruding from the bottom of the shooters hand.

With semi-auto pistols, the new buyer should be aware: On a particular handgun, the correct grip for his or her hand should be one where the knuckles of the gripping hand fall in the middle of the bottom of the trigger guard of the firearm. If your knuckles lie before the trigger guard, the firearms grip is to large. If your knuckles extend beyond the trigger guard, the firearm is too small for your hand. A properly fitting handgun will not only feel natural in the hand but it will also feel like it’s an extension of your body when in use.

Finally, if the firearm correctly fits a shooters hand he or she should be able to operate all of the mechanisms of the firearm without changing his or her grip. Example: On a revolver, the shooter should be able to cock, de-cock the hammer, release the cylinder catch and pull the trigger. On a semi-auto, the shooter should be able to operate the magazine release, the safety if one exists, the slide release lever, and pull the trigger without changing his or her grip.

“UNTIL NEXT TIME, KEEP EM BETWEEN THE BRIDLE!”​

THE LEGAL RAMIFICATIONS OF SELF-CHECKOUT LANES
By Richard E. “Rick” Dennis CPP
Certified Protection Professional
Risk Manager and Analyst
Freelance Journalist and Author

August 5, 2022
© All Rights Reserved

RETAILERS USE OF SELF-CHECKOUT MACHINES MAKE EMPLOYEES OBSOLETE, BUT CONSUMERS AT HIGH RISK

Among retailers, the use of self-checkout machines are becoming more common in the business marketplace. Retailers, such as Walmart and others have figured out bottom-line-profits can be increased, by installing self-checkout machines and eliminating employee staff. However convenient self-checkout machines are; the cons outweigh the pros, example: Consumers are never trained, by Walmart, for example, on the correct procedures to operate the machines nor does it reduce the cost of goods and services for the consumers free labor. Essentially, they just keep raking in the profits and sometimes at the consumers expense.

More specifically, a simple error in missing an item, during the checkout process, could lead to the consumers arrest, costing the consumer thousands of dollars in legal fees because of a mere mistake. Furthermore, the consumer is never compensated for his or her labor during the self-checkout process. In order to alert consumers to the dangers associate with the self-checkout process individuals have turned to social media outlets to spread the word. Some of these individuals are former employees of a particular corporate chain, others are lawyers, e.g.:

CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY EXPLAINS WHY YOU SHOULD AVOID SELF-CHECKOUT LANES
In an article appearing in: “IN THE KNOW,” A lawyer is going viral after sharing why she often suggests that shoppers avoid using self-checkout lanes. Carrie Jernigan (@carriejernigan1), is a criminal defense attorney with more than 1 million followers on TikTok. Much of her page is dedicated to aspects of the legal system that TikTokers may not know about.
In one recent video, Jernigan said that she typically tells people to “steer clear” of self-checkout lanes. The reason? Shoplifters. As Jernigan explains it, she usually sees three kinds of people getting charged with shoplifting after using a self-checkout lane.
The first, she says, are professional shoplifters. The second group, however, are those guilty of what she calls “theft by mistake.” This, according to Jernigan, is where innocent people can get into trouble.“These are the people that I genuinely think just forgot to scan an item,” she says. “It is usually something that was on the bottom rack of the cart … and when they are walking out, asset protection stops them.”
Jernigan explains that, in the early days of self-checkout, she noticed stores letting people off if they forgot to scan an item. “They let almost all of these people either scan and pay for the item, or just let them go, but took the item they did not pay for,” she says.
Now, however, stores aren’t as lenient, she says. Jernigan believes this is because shoplifters have become so adept at stealing from self-checkout lanes that stores no longer want to take a gamble on whether a theft was accidental.
They have lost all sympathy, and they are just taking a ‘Tell it to the judge’ approach,” she adds. Lastly, Jernigan breaks down the third group. These people, who she calls “the truly innocent,” are usually charged long after the day they bought something.
“It is something that [happens when] asset protection is doing a quality-control check, or inventory that weeks, days, months later comes up short,” she says. “So they will begin watching hours of video.” These checks, she says, can sometimes result in shoppers getting charged unfairly, simply because they bought one of the items that went missing.
The stakes can quickly get high. Although shoplifting is usually considered a misdemeanor, many states can sentence offenders to a year in prison. If the charge is elevated to a felony, the prison time could be much longer.
Jernigan’s last bit of advice? Don’t pay in cash. As she explains at the end of the clip, that will make it even harder to prove what you did or didn’t buy. If you’re innocent, Jernigan notes, it’s likely that you’ll eventually be able to present evidence to prove it. However, that comes at the cost of time, money and effort.
“At that point, so much damage has already been done,” she says.
FORMER WALMART EMPLOYEE HAS A WARNING FOR WALMART SHOPPERS: “DO NOT STEAL”

In an article appearing in “The US SUN” an individual claiming to be a former Walmart employee reveals: Self-checkout workers can pause the machine if they think you’re stealing and said you will definitely get caught. “First thing’s first: If you’ve been to Walmart, you’ve probably been to these self-checkouts,” the TikToker, who goes by @obeygoddess on the platform, said as she pointed to a picture of self-checkout kiosks.
Now what you didn’t know is Walmart employees that work in the self-checkout area carry devices around called TC devices. “With these TC devices, we’re able to see everything you’re purchasing, how much your total purchase is, and how much each item costs.” She then showed a picture of what a worker’s TC device looks like when a person is checking out, and it displayed exactly what she mentioned, plus the number of items the person is scanning.
The former employee continued on to reveal that employees who suspect theft have the option to pause the checkout process at any kiosk and make it look like the machine froze with the devices.She shared a photo of a kiosk displaying an error message, but she also said your checkout screen can simply freeze so you can’t do anything else.
“At that point, you have no choice but to call for help,” she noted.“And once we come over we pretend like something is wrong with the machine.” She continued: “Basically at that point what they do is if you already have things inside bags and you’re stealing, they’ll take everything out of the bags and be like: ‘Don’t worry, we’ll ring you up at another machine, there must be something wrong with this one.’ “And at that point, they’ll just take you to a main checkout where there’s an actual person to cash you out.”
The former Walmart employee said the point of her video is to teach people not to even try stealing from the self-checkout line.“They can see everything that you’re purchasing, everything that you’re scanning. “You will get caught and they will pause a transaction on you.”
To read the entire articles, click on the following links:
https://www.the-sun.com/lifestyle/4504351/walmart-workers-can-pause-self-checkout-machines-suspect-theft/

https://www.intheknow.com/post/self-checkout-lanes-shoplifting-tikto/

RISK ANALYSIS CONCLUSION

If a consumer desires to use the self-checkout machines as a matter of convenience he or she should do the following: 1) DO NOT OPERATE the machine while talking on your cell phone or while engaging in a conversation with a friend. 2) During checkout, verify each item scanned is listed on the machine. 3) NEVER PAY WITH CASH. Always use a bank debit card or a credit card for payment in order to have a record of your payment. 4) Keep a copy of your sales receipt for your records. 5) Prior to completing the check out peruse your bill to determine if all of your items in your shopping cart are included as well as determining if any items have been double scanned. If an item is accidentally double scanned make sure the item is removed from your sales receipt before paying the bill.

When in doubt always summon an employee to assist you when necessary.


“UNTIL NEXT TIME, KEEP EM BETWEEN THE BRIDLE!”

FBI, DIRECTOR CHRISTOPHER WRAY ARE IN FOR A RUDE WAKE-UP CALL OVER HUNTER BIDEN INVESTIGATION

By Richard E. “Rick” Dennis CPP
Certified Protection ProfessionaL
Risk Manager and Analyst
Freelance Journalist and Author

August 1, 2022
© All-rights Reserved

· In an article, by New York Post Journalist, Miranda Devine, the author is reporting: FBI Director Christopher Wray always seems a little too pleased with himself. But on Thursday, the smirk may be wiped off his pretty face when Republican members of the House Oversight Committee start grilling him on the mounting evidence that something is very rotten inside the agency Wray runs.

At the top of the list is the curious question of why the FBI apparently did nothing with Hunter Biden’s laptop, which was handed to two agents on Dec. 9, 2019, by John Paul Mac Isaac, the alarmed owner of the computer repair shop near the Biden family homes in Greenville, Del., where Hunter had dropped off his MacBook eight months earlier.
Among other potential crimes to be found on the abandoned laptop, you would expect the FBI to be interested, on national security grounds, in the incriminating evidence of a corrupt foreign influence-peddling scheme run by the Biden family throughout Joe Biden’s vice presidency.

Equally curious is why the FBI apparently did nothing with another voluminous trove of corroborating material, given to it in October 2020 by Hunter’s former business partner, Navy veteran Tony Bobulinski, including emails and other documents that replicate those on Hunter’s laptop. Bobulinski has said he was interviewed for several hours by FBI agents, as part of an investigation into Hunter, after he held a bombshell press conference on Oct. 22, 2020, alleging that then-Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden had lied when he claimed to have no involvement in Hunter’s foreign deals. Bobulinski also said that Joe Biden was the “Big Guy” referred to by Hunter’s partners in encrypted messages and intercepted voice messages.

According to one email, the “Big Guy” was slated to receive a 10% stake in Hunter and his uncle Jim Biden’s lucrative joint venture with Chinese energy conglomerate CEFC.

According to one email, the “Big Guy” was slated to receive a 10% stake in Hunter and his uncle Jim Biden’s lucrative joint venture with Chinese energy conglomerate CEFC.
According to one email, the “Big Guy” was slated to receive a 10% stake in Hunter and his uncle Jim Biden’s lucrative joint venture with Chinese energy conglomerate CEFC.

ON THE FEDS’ RADAR

We know the FBI was surveilling Hunter on Oct. 23, 2018, because agents showed up to the Biden family’s local high-end grocery store in Greenville, at the same time as Delaware state police arrived to investigate a strange incident in which his sister-in-law-turned-lover, Hallie Biden, had thrown his new gun in a trash can, only to find it missing when Hunter instructed her to retrieve it.We also know that the FBI was wiretapping Hunter’s partners at the Chinese firm, CEFC, which was a front for Chinese military intelligence, so agents would have picked up some or all of the conversations the VP’s son had between 2015 and 2018 with CEFC chairman Ye Jianming, director Jianjun Zang and associate Patrick Ho, the Chinese spies who would give him millions of dollars.

The FBI’s surveillance of Ho was revealed during his bribery trial after he was arrested at JFK Airport on November 18, 2017. In a voice memo on his laptop, Hunter described Ho, who paid him $1 million as a “legal retainer,” as the “spy chief of China,” which intelligence experts say is an exaggeration.

We also know that Hunter has been under investigation since 2018 by the US attorney in Delaware, David Weiss, for possible tax and money laundering activities, as well as potential foreign agent violations, and that a grand jury in Delaware has heard testimony from several of his former business partners and lovers.
We know that at least one of those witnesses was asked “who is the Big Guy,” suggesting that the into Hunter Biden may involve his father.So why, in the face of all this evidence, has the FBI done nothing at least to allay fears that the president is compromised when it comes to China?

Now Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) says whistleblowers have come forward with allegations that the FBI was covering up the Hunter Biden information. There was “a scheme in place among certain FBI officials to undermine derogatory information connected to Hunter Biden by falsely suggesting it was disinformation.”

Grassley claims that the FBI was investigating Hunter’s “criminal financial and related activity” in 2020, and it may have a “potential counterintelligence component.’”

GRASSLEY SOUNDS ALARM

Grassley laid out the allegations last week in a letter to Wray and Attorney General Merrick Garland.
In August 2020, FBI supervisory intelligence analyst Brian Auten “opened an assessment which was used by a FBI Headquarters team to improperly discredit negative Hunter Biden information as disinformation and caused investigative activity to cease. Based on allegations, verified and verifiable derogatory information on Hunter Biden was falsely labeled as disinformation,” Grassley wrote.Further, Auten, a veteran intelligence analyst, was central to the FBI’s farcical Crossfire Hurricane investigation, in July 2016, of the phony Steele dossier “pee tape” cooked up by Hillary Clinton’s campaign to smear then-candidate Donald Trump as a Russian agent.

Grassley’s whistleblowers also accused Washington Field Office Assistant Special Agent in Charge Timothy Thibault of “falsely portray[ing] as disinformation evidence acquired from multiple sources that provided the FBI derogatory information related to Hunter Biden’s financial and foreign business activities, even though some of that information had already been or could be verified.”Were Thibault or Auten involved in the handling of Hunter’s laptop or Bobulinski’s information?
Was Hunter or Jim Biden, or indeed Joe Biden, ever given a defensive briefing from the FBI to warn them that CEFC was a front for Chinese intelligence?

To read the entire article, click on the following link:

https://nypost.com/2022/07/31/fbi-director-christopher-wray-are-in-for-a-rude-wake-up-call-over-hunter-biden-investigation/

A HISTORY OF CORRUPTION AND MISINFORMATION IN THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT

The Federal Government has a history of altering, hiding the facts, providing misinformation, or just plain lying to the American people. What’s most egregious about their unorthodox and sometimes criminal behavior is: Its morphed into the weaponizing of our most sophisticated intelligence and federal law enforcement agencies, against the American people. Perhaps the most egregious actions are their providing false information or completely hiding corruption, of a candidate, in order, to deprive Americans of a fair election process.

More specifically, their swaying the electoral process in their favor and their desired candidate is nothing more than election tampering.

Furthermore, we’ve witnessed their criminal actions during the last electoral presidential process where over 50 intelligence officials, prior to the 2020 presidential election, signed a letter declaring the Hunter Biden laptop was Russian misinformation when, in fact, the contents are completely legitimate. More specifically, they lied!!! However, this is not new. We saw the same criminal behavior during the Trump administration when Hillary Clinton devised the completely false Russian Hoax Collusion, which was also covered up by the FBI, as were Clintons hidden email server debacle. Again, election tampering by Clinton and her staff.

MAIN. STREAM MEDIA IS COMPLICIT IN FEDERAL GOVERNMENT CORRUPTION

Ironically, the weaponizing of the mainstream news media began with the Obama administration. Perhaps the most noticeable event was the Benghazi debacle. Susan Rice flat out lied to the American people about the cause of the tragic events; simply saying the firefight which led to American deaths was caused by a video. Today, when you turn on the 6 o’clock news, instead of hearing a truthful news broad cast about relevant facts concerning America, the American people are fed what the spin doctors want you to hear, instead of the truth.

In most cases, controversial topics; like the Hunter Biden laptop, is completely ignored or spun to provide the same misinformation being provided by the Federal Government. What happened to honest Journalism? The sad commentary is: Their all one in the same!! ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN, and MSNBC all spout the same misinformation to corroborate the misinformation being provided by the Federal Government. All in all, it’s propaganda. Plain and simple!. The fact of the matter is: The main stream news media CAN’T be trusted and are definitely part of the federal corruption problem within our government.

WHAT HAPPENS TO CORRUPT FEDERAL EMPLOYEES

In most cases, when discovered, their allowed to retire from their cushy overpaid government jobs and collect their pensions at tax payers expense. To my knowledge, not one of the ones discovered for the Russian Collusion Hoax were ever prosecuted for their criminal activity or is sitting in a jail cell for their crimes. In the last case, during the Trump administration, they could’ve been charged with election tampering, at the least.

Today, the Attorney General Merrick Garland seems to be more interested in classifying angry parents as domestic terrorists because their unhappy with the school system teaching their immoral criteria and CRT academics to their children instead of providing a much need wholesome academic education. But of course, one must understand that Garlands son-in-law is one of the ones providing the CRT books to the schools. Conflict of Interest??

In my opinion, the head of the FBI; Christopher Wray, and the head of the Attorney Generals Office; Merrick Garland, should be forced to resign their positions. After all, they’ve had ample time to root out the corrupt FBI and Intelligence agency employees and transform both back to the honorable agencies they once were.

Today, the American people live in a United States where the laws are for thee, and not for me!! As a 52 year criminal investigator, I can assure you this is not the way criminal investigations are conducted.

“UNTIL NEXT TIME, KEEP EM BETWEEN THE BRIDLE!”