Do We Treat People Like An Unbreakable Horse?

A Hidden Parallel

Remember that horse who couldn’t be broke?

He might allow You. He might allow the halter. He may allow saddle, cinch and bridle. Somewhere along the line—no matter what—he fought.

That ole’ horse was the worst—he was smart. He eventually allowed you to ride. Given a tough situation he’d bog his head and dump you in the brush to sheepishly walk back to the crew. Impossible for even the best bronc rider to stay mounted when he’s standing the stirrups, stretched-out, swinging a loop on a yearlin’ and Ole’ horse pulls the plug.

The ultimate in irony. After being shown a better life, Ole’ horse remained a horse. Cold wind in your mane is preferred to a straw-filled shed. Wild oats overpower the lure of grain in a bucket. You accept rolling on grass easier than a human hand on your back. Your herd is safer than a corral. There is no reason to conform when the offered reward doesn’t exceed the risks.

We aspire to a stud’s powerful neck or muscles rippling through a mare’s shoulder but only if they assuage our own passions.

When Ole horse didn’t submit to our designs, we abused him. We canned him. We fed him to our dog. He was never turned-out to live.

We never addressed the “problem” of a horse being a horse. We merely twisted freedom into our being free of him.

What more could he want?

Back to Montana Elk Hunting

Spying on Surfers

They're Everywhere

The sun is shining. It is springtime in Montana, through the window I can hear a Western Meadowlark singing. My wife spotted a fresh baby antelope this morning behind the house. And, I am stuck in the office working on my computer.

In one way this post has nothing to do with Big Sky Vistas, although, if you are reading this you are probably seeing it on a computer. In that way it has everything to do with Big Sky Vistas. I'm inside with a computer and the Big Sky Vistas are outside.

A couple of days ago, I noticed my modem status meter running when my mail program was closed and I wasn't actively on the internet. I have a mac and the internet connect shows a bar graph showing send and receive information. I did a small test--probably not a scientific test and found that if I typed a word on a Word document, there was activity on the meter. My virus blocking software must not have picked it up.

I went to my other computer and surfed for other spyware removal tools, returned to the infected computer and downloaded the software. It found over 80 files that were not part of the system. The files were at the root of my system and could not be accessed by me. I couldn't even look at them. The spyware could not remove the files and I couldn't get them to delete.

It must be noted that as soon as the download of the anti-spyware was completed I got off the internet.

My only real option was to call some computer geek company and have them try to remove it or erase my hard drive and start over.

I took the second option. I don't think I lost much, but I will spend a remarkable spring weekend getting things reloaded.

I'm not sure where I picked up the spyware, or how long it had been on the drive. It is upsetting to me that there are so many obviously capable people that don't use their talents for good, but to cheat and steal from others.

There is a lot of good information about spyware, malware and viruses.

Wikipedia gets a lot of bad press, but if you want a quick overview, with links to sources it is a good start. For information at Wiki, go to Spyware on Wikipedia.

For better info go to the Federal Trade Commission, Internet Privacy & Security page, the FTCs On Guard Online source of topics, games and videos on internet security, or FTCs On Guard Online Malware Page.

I have included the following tips from the malware page:

If you suspect malware is on your computer:

• Stop shopping, banking, and other online activities that involve user names, passwords, or other sensitive information.
• Confirm that your security software is active and current. (emphasis mine) At a minimum, your computer should have anti-virus and anti-spyware, and a firewall.
• Once your security software is up-to-date, run it to scan your computer for viruses and spyware, deleting anything the program identifies as a problem.
• If you suspect your computer is still infected, you may want to run a second anti-virus or anti-spyware program--or call in professional help.
• Once your computer is back up and running, think about how malware could have been downloaded to your machine, and what you could do to avoid it in the future.

Additionally,

• Don't click on a link in an email or open an attachment unless you know who sent it and what it is. Links in email can send you to sites that automatically download malware to your machine. Opening attachments--even those that appear to come from a friend or co-worker also can install malware on your computer.
• Download and install software only from websites you know and trust. Downloading free games, file sharing programs, and customized toolbars may sound appealing, but free software can come with malware.
• Talk about safe computing. Tell your kids that some online activity can put a computer at risk: clicking pop-ups, downloading "free" games or programs, or posting personal information.

Source: FTC, On Guard Online, Malware Page, accessed 30 May 2009

I have already changed my internet habit. Because of that (and other things) my posts here may fizzle out.

This time of year a person should be outside experiencing antelope fawns, elk calves and Big Sky, not sitting at a this desk.

TTFN

Don't Buy the Hot Tub Yet!

Hip! Hip! Hurray!

All the news and business gurus are claiming the end of the recession.  The Dow Jones Industrial Average has had its biggest gains since 1933.

Should we be happy?  Maybe.  Maybe not.

It's important to recall that the recession didn't end in 1933.  

Many people who lived through the depression say that it didn't really end until after the Korean War.

If we are in tune to the Dow Jones Average we should remember that the highs reached before the crash in 1929 were not surpassed until about 1953.  Hmm.  That's about the time people say the depression was over.

Many history buffs will point to the New Deal as the prescription to the Great Depression.  Others point to World War II.  

My belief is that the only thing that brought an end to the Great Depression was a change in people.  They started to save and not depend on a sky-rocketing stock market.  They decided to quit waiting for the "government solutions." 

They returned to being Americans, relying on themselves and each other.  

Bailouts, TARPS, stimulus are just ways of doing nothing while spending money.

We have a long way to go.

Hip! Hip! Hurray!

It's The Same Everywhere

In the eastern hemisphere the Afghanistan government and international governments are trying to tackle a different crisis.

In the western hemisphere the United States is trying to tackle an economic "crisis."

In a recent article from the Institute for War and Peace Reporting is a good article by Aziz Ahmad Tassal and Mohammad IIyas Dayee, titles Taleban Hamper Musa Qala Reconstruction Efforts.

In it Mullah Abdul Salaam, the district governor of Musa Qala says that after British and Afghan troops retook his district from the Taleban, there has been no assistance.  In the article he says, "My relations with Hamed Karzai (Afghan President) are very good.  But the president himself cannot do anything.  I have problems with Karzai's ministers.  They do not listen to the president and they promise to do things but they never do."

The economic "crisis" in the U.S. is a different problem, however, it appears that U.S. ministers and experts are like Afghanistan's ministers.  They are doing and have done very little.  

House of Cards, a program found on CNBC details many of the overlapping problems that "caused" (my quotes) the current financial situation.  Some of the causes stem from home buyers purchasing homes that they couldn't even pay interest on.  But, that is just the start.

It appears that marginal mortgages were consolidated into mortgage-backed securities.  These mortgages should have been rated EEE, but the ratings agencies routinely rated them AAA--the best with no, or limited risk.

Additionally, mortgage companies "targeted" sub-prime borrowers and then sold those mortgages to financial institutions that packaged and resold them.

Through the entire process regulators were "asleep at the wheel."  Former Fed Chairman Alan Greenspan had some interesting comments.  When asked about the complex repackaged mortgage instruments, he said that he didn't really understand them.  (He implied that he didn't discourage the use of financial instruments that the country's head financial wiz didn't understand.)  Greenspan also said that if he had tried to stop a crisis, there would have been ten percent unemployment and other negative economic consequences.  Seems that is his reason for NOT DOING ANYTHING.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the world, Anwar Khan, provincial council head said, "Promises made by the government and the international community have not been fulfilled in Musa Qala.  Residents in Musa Qala have nothing.  [ . . .]People are very disappointed in the government, they do not trust government and they do not listen to it."

The situation on both sides of the world are different, but they seem to share the common thread of government officials not listening and not doing as promised.

Whoops!

This post was originally written to be a letter-to-the-editor for the Great Falls Tribune. Two days after it had been written, Tom Daschle stepped down as Secretary of HHS-appointee. Which makes this writing a little dated, but it still explains how Washington works.

The New Emperor has arrived and proclaimed change. After ordering no government lobbyists in his government, he changed and hired one. After claiming transparency and legitimacy in his government, he changed and nominated at least two who have followed comedian Steve Martin’s advice and “forgot” to pay their taxes.


One can only assume that since neither Timothy Geithner, nor Tom Daschle have been withdrawn from their appointments, that no one could be found who had paid their taxes. (Maxus Baucusus and Johnus Testerus voted to confirm Geithner.)


Geithner and Daschle are the best men for their respective jobs.


One of Geither’s bold actions during tenure at the Federal Reserve was sending a letter that admonished Citibank for some of its business practices; what “change” will he make?
Bill Burton, The Emperor’s spokesman, said, “The president has confidence that Senator Daschle is the right person to lead the fight for health care reform.” Daschle never led any substantive healthcare reform during 18 years in the Senate; what “change” will Daschle make.


The new emperor seems to be wearing the same threadbare rags as the last.


Were is the Roman who was mature enough to vote for change, but is also childlike enough to point a straight finger and proclaim, “The Emperor, the Senate and the Praetorians have no clothes?”


The Emperor and the Senators need to look up all those roads that lead to Rome and notice that the citizenry don’t run naked through the streets proclaiming new and improved purple garments.