The first major interface change in their downhill slide was the “ribbon” interface, making it’s appearance in the Microsoft Office 2007 product line.  Previous Office versions  utilized the familiar drop-down menu bar, which allowed almost any function to be executed in two or three mouse-clicks.

In addition to effectively re-booting the user learning curve, the ribbon interface ate up display real-estate by using an ever-changing graphical “ribbon” which failed to make access to all functions readily available.  Under this interface it requires many more mouse-clicks to accomplish the same work that was much easier under the old interface…if they can be accomplished at all now.

Did Microsoft bother to submit their interface design ideas to any experienced user over thirty?  How about their bread-and-butter corporate users?  Those folks buy licenses by the millions, and are keenly aware of the cost of change.  Go into almost any established corporate office and you will probably find that the rank-and-file workers are still using the WindowsXP operating system and Office 2003.

Much like the so-called “master-planned community” where the
developer limits homeowner options to the developer’s idea of appearance, taste, lifestyle and means of recreation, the pimple-faced geek developers at Microsoft are now attempting to “master-plan” the way users are to access computer applications.  They don’t even have the decency of giving users the option to select between the ribbon or the ”classic” drop-down menu interface.

Of course Windows 95 through 7 afforded the user the choice
to stick with Office 97 through 2003, or use the free OpenOffice software option: all with the older, familiar interface. For the average user, the older versions of Microsoft Office does everything they need, often much better than either Office 2007 or 2010!

Now all of that may very well change.  Now Microsoft wants to give the personal computer interface the look, feel and functionality of a cell phone!   Instead of the usual “Start” menu and familiar desktop icons, Windows 8 will “master-plan” the operating system, providing large, ugly tiles as the graphical user interface.  Moreover, it has been rumored in the technical press that this new operating system will not be “backwards compatible,” and that many of the older software applications, such as Office 2003 and earlier, will not be able to run under Windows 8.

What’s with all the screwing around with user interfaces?  Is Microsoft really being managed by idiots, or is there a corporate death wish?  I don’t know about you, but if this is the wave of the future for Microsoft, the Apple Mac is looking better every day. At least when Apple finds a good thing, they seem to stick with the concept, with each update being an actual improvement while maintaining the old familiar user interface.

The result is a harvest yield in bushels per acre that is often two-thirds again larger than that of natural grain!

I don’t have a problem with genetically-modified wheat, as it has been tested and goes a long way towards feeding a growing population who has traded the ability to feed themselves for “employment” by others.  Another friend, who resides in east Texas, is of the opinion that genetic modification “adds empty filler and dilutes the nutritional value of the grain.”

He goes on to theorize a nutritional equilibrium: “there is only so much protein per acre.  If natural grain produces 75 bushels, and modified grain produces 150 bushels on that same acre, then,” he claims, “the modified wheat has only half the nutrition per bushel as the natural.”

“The wheat is diluted, like the gasoline in your SUV!”

This last comment is in reference to a phenomenon we have observed for the past several years.   In Texas and Louisiana it appears someone is “watering the gasoline.”

The SUV in question is a late model Ford Explorer with a very accurate factory-installed fuel computer.  Used in my business, almost all driving is done on open highways across America, so the effects of city or stop-and-go traffic are negated.

It has been observed that when driving in Texas and Louisiana at 75 miles per hour, using an 87-octane-10%-ethanol fuel blend, the Explorer delivers 17.1 miles per gallon.  When driving in the mountains of Colorado, New Mexico, Pennsylvania and Tennessee, that same purported fuel blend delivers 22.1 miles per gallon.  That is an increase of 5 miles per gallon across terrains that requires the vehicle engine to work harder!

Obviously some fuel marketers are lying in Texas and Louisiana!  Either the suppliers are adding water to the ethanol to increase its volume, but decrease its power, or the octane value of the actual gasoline base is lower than represented on the pump.  Moreover, the 17.1 mpg fuel sells for about the same as the 22.1 mpg fuel.

In spite of the opinion of my east Texas friend, USDA and FDA testing has proven that the nutritional value for a bushel of genetically-modified wheat is the same as that for a bushel of natural wheat. The increase in production is due to better survival during the crop growing cycle.

With regard to the mountain vs flat land gas mileage mystery, it is suspected that “there’s a whole lot of thieving going on” in the gulf coast fuel market.  Where is 60 Minutes when you need them?

Every poll shows that 70% of the voting population opposed the healthcare reform, but the Democrats (Socialists) in Congress passed it anyway. We can be certain strict gun control is on this administration’s agenda.  They know that with the legislative control they have that anything they want can happen, can be made to happen regardless of the will of the majority of Americans!

In light of last week’s citizen uprisings and rebellion against members of Congress who voted for Obama-care over the will of their constituents, the President and his administration is accelerating that agenda.  Already they have initiated harassment through FBI “investigation” of those who have expressed displeasure with their errant Representatives.  It is going to only get worse between now and this year’s mid-term Congressional elections.

We need to “clean house” when voting next November – only 8 months away — and get commitments from those we do put in office that they are committed to their constituents (us!), and not to party ideology.  Also, we need to associate with groups that are actively anti gun control and pro second amendment who are very public and vocal.

TIME IS MARCHING ON….COMPLACENCY AND INACTION ARE NOT IN OUR FAVOR!   The treaty is slated for negotiation in 2010 and 2011, with additional negotiation and adoption in 2012. Therefore it is vitally important that Congress be retaken from the Socialists (Democrats) this year!

A Reuters article, published last October, reveals yet another threat to individual liberty that places control of our constitutional rights in the hands of other nations, many of whom are enemies of America and our way of life: an International Gun-Control Treaty.  The link to the original article is:   http://www.reuters.com/article/politicsNews/idUSTRE59E0Q920091015

Those who have reviewed draft treaty documents report that its authority extends to the regulation of private gun ownership and transfer of ownership (to avoid unlawful “export”).  The Obama administration demand that decisions on the treaty be unanimous is not so much in the interest of fairness as to ensure that those nations still harboring a love for freedom and personal liberty are forced to be in lockstep, and not go rogue and revolt against their global masters.

Avoid Hiring The Working Poor And Minorities (You know, “those kind of people).

You know how it is with poor people, minorities and other members of those classes you don’t want in your social circle, much less your place of employment (“They steal, you know”)!  There are several simple steps that can be taken to make the problem simply go away.  Some of them are:

Require That All Applications Be Submitted Via The Internet.

This will stop most socially undesirable applicants in their tracks.  As silly as it seems, poor people and minorities place a higher priority on things like food, shelter, clothing, and medical expenses than on purchasing computers and paying excessive fees for Internet service.  Since it is against recruiting policies for them to apply in person or by mail, this requirement is an employer’s first line of defense.

An added benefit is that usually no response or acknowledgment of applications submitted on-line is sent to the candidate.  They have no way of proving that they actually applied for a job, thus eliminating the basis for a hiring discrimination complaint.

Require A College Degree For Every Position.

Disregard the fact that more than half of today’s corporate founders and leaders — Michael Dell, Steve Jobs, Bill Gates and a few hundred others — do not have college degrees.  Instead, require a college degree for every position regardless of how menial.  The degree does not have to even be related to the tasks applicable to the position, the requirement is just a barrier to keep the socially undesirable from applying.   Once the requirement is in place, you can then proudly boast of your highly-educated workforce…even if they can’t compose a simple declarative sentence or count out change.

Few poor people and minorities have college degrees.  Immigrants may have degrees from universities located in their home countries, but since these schools don’t appear on any of the lists of “Accredited American Colleges and Universities” they can be considered to be fake degrees from unverifiable diploma mills.

Require At Least A Year Or Two Of Prior Experience Even For Entry-Level Jobs.

If this won’t break their spirit, nothing will.  Every year thousands of immigrants, minorities and the poor invest millions of dollars into training at trade schools to learn a marketable skill.  This severely weakens a prospective employers “not educated” or “not qualified” defense in the event of a discriminatory hiring complaint.  However, in addition to education and training requirements, you are well in your rights to require that candidates — even for entry-level positions — also have experience.

Special Considerations For Those Funny-Talking Foreigners.

Except to find a job, a college education isn’t a big deal in America.  Look how many Americans drop out of school each year, trading their last two or three years of high school for a GED (“They’re the same thing, you know”)!  Education IS a big deal in other countries and there is a good possibility that an applicant from outside our borders will be highly educated.  So how do you avoid hiring those undesirables?

The solution to this problem combines the requirement that all applications be submitted via the Internet, and specialized hiring application software from companies like SAP, PeopleSoft, and others.  This software contains restrictive fields that restricts data entry to predefined lists applicable to each field.  For example: a city, state or county field may restrict, or prevent, entry of any location that is not located within the United States.  A field for entering the name and/or location of a school, college or university may restrict entry of the name of any that are not on an accredited American College, University, City or State list.

Since the foreign-born or educated person cannot list their address prior to coming the United States, or the foreign educational institution from which the graduated, their on-line application will be rejected as being incomplete.  So much for the “national origin” bullshit!  Problem solved!

Ahhhh, American ingenuity.  Where there is the will to discriminate, there is a way!

“Command-and-control” sounds like “martial law.”  Moreover what new powers have been given to EPA to regulate greenhouse gases?  Who granted them those alleged powers?

Answer: Not Congress, but the Supreme Court, itself.  The Court ruled that the Clean Air Act gave the EPA authority to regulate carbon dioxide emissions.  In handing down it’s decision, one can only wonder if it was the intent of the Court to allow a regulatory agency to deny Congress it’s constitution right to deliberate and refine laws – additional laws – that addressed the same subject deliberated by the Court!

The Fox News/AP story continues:  “But while administration officials have long said they prefer Congress take action on climate change, the economic official who spoke with reporters Tuesday night made clear that the EPA will not wait and is prepared to act on its own.  ‘If you don’t pass this legislation, then … the EPA is going to have to regulate in this area,’ the official said. ‘And it is not going to be able to regulate on a market-based way, so it’s going to have to regulate in a command-and-control way…’”

The United States Constitution is the “supreme law of the land.”  It is very specific as to which branch of the government makes law, and none of that authority rests anywhere within the Executive Branch or any agency under the Executive umbrella!

Climate change legislation passed the House, but has not advanced through the Senate.  Many Republicans are surrendering before the fight has even started by publicly expressing the opinion that the EPA will ultimately take charge and step in to regulate emissions.  Where is the congressional backbone?  A coup is underway, and no one seems to be shouting their objection to the rafters!  A rogue President and his administration are running roughshod over the rights of citizens and Congress is an accomplice.

There is such a thing as “separation of powers” and “checks and balances.”  These are no longer taught in public schools, but every immigrant who becomes a U.S. citizen learns all about it.  I daresay those foreign-born citizens know more about the foundations and supposed workings of the American government than the ignorant masses extruded from their mother’s loins within the boundaries of this nation!

Congress has the authority and obligation, if not the will, to take back and defend the Constitution against “all enemies, foreign and domestic.”  They have the power to impeach the head of the Executive Branch if he allows his jack-booted socialist thugs to tear the soul from that beautiful, founding document.  If the government falls, the blame will rest solely on the Congress.

Mid-term elections take place in eleven months, but the primary season is less than five months away.  Now is the time to take action and throw the spineless bastards out, and replace them with fresh, inexperienced, eager Americans who still love their country, and see service to it as more than just a cash register or crack pipe of power!

[For the full Fox News/Associated Press Story, go to: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/12/09/administration-warns-command-control-regulation-emissions/.]

It appears now that a new congressional /executive branch ”Axis of Evil” is attempting to compromise the constitutional checks-and-balances of our established system of government to promote their own socialistic agenda.   For years congressional liberals have attempted to find a way to get around the restrictions of that pesky old document without having to answer to the American people at election time.  Now it seems they don’t really care.   In their twisted little minds “We the people” has been replaced by “We the Congress.”

In spite of overwhelming opposition to the Democratic Party’s health care “overhaul” by the American people, arm-twisting by the president and speaker Pelosi resulted in the passage of  the measure last night under the cover of darkness by a party line vote of 220 votes “for” and 215 votes “against.”  This in spite of intense lobbying in the House office building most of the week by ordinary concerned citizens.

Citizens who are both politically active and — more importantly — who vote!

With the exception of Barney Frank, one can only guess what incriminating evidence against the bulk of Democrats this Axis of Evil has locked away in it’s vault that is powerful enough to cause them to turn their backs on the will of we the people and commit what will certainly be political suicide next November.  But maybe the Democratic party loyalists are being given too much credit.  Maybe they just don’t give a damn about the will of the American people if it goes against their socialist agenda.  Maybe they expect two-party elections to be a “thing of the past” by next November!

Having passed the House, now the matter now goes to the Senate for its approval.   Senators, with their six-year terms of office, generally have balls, and are more independent than their colleagues in the House of Representatives.  Each state has two senators.  Be sure to write to yours (by U.S. Mail…not email…because real mail has mass, occupies visible space, and cannot be invalidated by a simple “delete” command) and let them know how what you think and feel about this issue.

Former soviet president Mikhail Gorbachev, appearing on national television tonight from Berlin, cautioned the US to learn from the mistakes and experiences of his government.  In referencing last night’s House vote, he pointed out that America is now undergoing it’s own Perestroika.   The ideology of Perestroika (or “change“) is generally credited with the collapse of the Soviet Union, leaving their enemy — in this case the United States – to win the cold war by default.

The same ideology that the Democrats in congress are now trying to force upon each of us may very well be the Perestroika that brings about the similar collapse of this country.  If that happens, the winner by default will not be the US, but will be China, Korea, or possibly the Russian Federation!

If we don’t learn from the events of history, we are doomed to repeat them.