I'm just sittin' watching the wheels go round

I kind of have to laugh at some of the things I see by just sitting back and watching. I guess I have always been a bit of a people watcher. I used to like to sit and watch people during happy hour back in my younger days and when I drank. Today, with the internet though, there is so much more to see. One thing that I have really had a good skill of and that is to keep quiet and learn. You can learn so much by simply being observant. Just look at what works and what doesn't , the winners and the losers, what they did right or what they did wrong. People tell me I am a great cook and I do enjoy it. Everything I know about cooking has come from watching and doing. I suppose I have applied this simple technique to most of my life and it seems to work well for me. I am not really sure where or who the trait actually came from, but it had to be in the early years of my life.

Any way, I have been observing this one site for quite some time and just watching how the story unfolds. I find these people's behavior somewhat interesting only because of the way they have put their whole show together. The strange thing is that it is like watching a movie that you know how it will end because so many others have used the plot before. Then there is a second site that is involved and I will say that these two for some reason have a deep personality conflict. Again though the situation was so laid out that I could have bet on how each would have acted and won!

One of the sites is for the most part all original content in writing and style. The writer, who I have met and spent some time with is very sensible, cool, calm and collective. That is the usual case any way. It looks as though somehow these other people have found it easy to get under the guys skin. Now, the second site, the owners I do not know but through several emails, boast of being more than what they could hope to be by the way they do things. They never really write original content, except when they have an opinion. The claim to be the first (or real close) in putting a story out, yet most of their work is no more than copy and paste. I suppose if you copy some one's story and it was the first out, then you were close to being the first to print it??? And then they use the term I used to hear so much back when I was in the adult industry of "we are not in this for the money, we just enjoy it" "it is a labor of love". This statement is so rogue, especially when the site is covered with ads, pop-up and an area hidden to paying members only. They have said end of mention too many times to count only to bring the same issue up days later simply to ride out the traffic wave on a name. I suspect the other person has seen this too and this is what gets him going. I laughed hard at how this writer made mention of the others in a story back a couple of months ago. The dig was in words that only those who knew the background of the issue would know of whom he was speaking. To me, he showed class by this way of digging at them, where many readers were unaware of who he was talking about.

So now these two sites are in a word war ( I think this is the second or third) about stats and certain targeted keywords. Both sites are commercial, one is clear on that while the other claims not to be. One is well composed in design with relevant ads that blend is pretty well, while the other pages are constantly in error trying to cram as much advertising and plugins into one page as thay can. Both sites claim the other one have somehow inflated their stats or are not using the correct way and means to measure them. Why am I writing about this? Because I find it somewhat comical and in a way it intrigues me. I have never been a huge fan of stats myself other than where my readers and traffic come from. As far as how many? Well, you are reading this, you found it somehow and that is clear enough for me. This story is true and no names were mentioned intentionally because it happens all over the internet everyday.

Watch for the "play on words" links and advertisements

You really need to stop, look and read advertisement link, especially when the word "free" is involved. In most cases when the word "free" is used, you should avoid the link. However, there are many cases that the object truly is free and can be a useful item.



It simply requires a little more time and insight on what you are reading. Let's take in example one of the biggest uses of the "play on words" type of ad. "No credit application turned down" or "All credit applications will be accepted". Typically one might think that this means that your credit application will be approved. No! and time has taught most of us that this is not true. Read the words carefully. Both sentences mean the same thing. They will gladly take your credit application, but being approved is not mentioned.

This holds true in the computer software field as well. Many companies advertise "free download". Okay, fair enough the download is free, but then most every download is free. The question to the answer is, is the software free? or are you going to download a piece of software that can make system changes only to find that the software is a trial version. Before you click on the actual download for your "free download" take a look at the program, its functions and if the program is free, or just the download.

I am not saying there is anything wrong with trail software, in fact it can be good to try before you buy. It just kind of gets my goat to see tricks used to get a person to click on a ad. The honest company will provide you with the fact that the software is a trail version. Furthermore, they will provide you with a uninstall that will bring your computer back to the way it was before the trial software was installed. A good rule of thumb: if the software requires you to restart the computer, than it has made changes to your system files. The best way to protect yourself from problems when removing the trial software is to do make a restore point before you install any software.

Genes linked with lupus are revealed, giving hope for new treatments

Scientists have identified a number of genes involved in Lupus, a devastating autoimmune disease, in new research published today in the journal Nature Genetics.
In an international genetic study of more than 3,000 women, researchers found evidence of an association between Lupus (systemic lupus erythematosus or SLE) and mutations in several different genes.

The findings, by scientists from Imperial College London and institutions in the USA and Sweden, will enable researchers to investigate the specific pathways and precise molecular mechanisms involved in developing Lupus, potentially opening up options for new therapies. Lupus is a complex condition, mostly affecting women, which frequently causes skin rash, joint pains and malaise, and which can also lead to inflammation of the kidneys and other internal organs.

The scientists discovered the strongest associations with Lupus in three genes: ITGAM, PXK, and one mutation within a gene KIAA1542, a gene whose function is not definitely known.
The ITGAM gene provides code for a molecule involved in a system, known as the complement system, which forms part of the body's immune response. Complement is a series of proteins in the blood which is designed to stick to the surface of bacteria and bugs in order to enable them to be attacked by the immune system.

The discovery of variations in the ITGAM gene in people with Lupus supports the idea that abnormalities in the way complement and antibodies bind to immune cells play a key part in the disease. It is already known that people with Lupus often have low levels of complement in their blood.

The role of the molecules encoded by the PXK gene and KIAA1542 genes in Lupus is less easy to predict, and the discovery of their association is more surprising to the researchers, opening up new avenues of research into the disease.

Other genes, including LYN and BLK, also appear to be involved in Lupus. These genes affect the function of B cells, which play a key role in the production of antibodies. Autoantibodies, which attack the body's own proteins, contribute to the damage done to the body in Lupus.
The new research also confirms links identified in previous studies between Lupus, as well as other autoimmune diseases, and certain other genes.

Professor Timothy Vyse, a Wellcome Trust Senior Fellow from the Division of Medicine at Imperial College London, and one of the authors of the study, said: "Lupus is a complex disease, which is hard to diagnose, and it can cause many different and unpredictable problems for patients. Living with Lupus can be really tough. We currently can treat the disease by suppressing the immune system, but we urgently need to understand in much more detail what goes wrong with the immune system so that we can design better treatments. This study represents a milestone in progress towards unravelling the secrets of the disease.

"We are continuing to work on refining these genetic studies. Blood samples from patients with Lupus have helped us already and we are very grateful to those who have given us samples. We always need more samples and would like to hear from anyone with Lupus who would like to help us by giving blood samples for this important research," added Professor Vyse.
The researchers reached their conclusions after comparing the genetic makeup of 720 women of European descent with Lupus and 2,337 women without Lupus. They looked at mutations in the building blocks, called nucleotides, which make up DNA.

There are mutations in around one in every 600 nucleotides and the scientists examined over 317,000 how many of these mutations to find those specific to Lupus. These mutations are known as single-nucleotide polymorphisms.
The researchers confirmed their results by comparing another set of genetic data for 1,846 women with Lupus and 1,825 women without Lupus.

###

The study was carried out by researchers in the International SLE consortium (SLEGEN), which includes scientists from the USA, Sweden and the UK. It was supported by the Alliance for Lupus Research and the National Institutes of Health.

Diving into a drained pool

The civil case against Billy Lane and Dodge has been settled out of court through mediation. The mother of Melbourne Beach resident Gerald Morelock had filed a wrongful death suit against Billy Lane and Dodge back in October of 2006. The suit was filed after her son was killed while riding his Yamaha motor scooter on State road A1A after being hit head on by celebrity custom motorcycle builder Billy Lane. Witnesses say that Lane was speeding while attempting to pass 3 vehicles in a no passing zone clearly marked by double yellow lines on the highway.

Billy Lane was driving a 2006 Dodge pick up loaned to him by the DaimlerChrysler when he hit Morelock head on killing him instantly. After the second meeting behind closed doors and hours of talks between attorneys, Billy Lane and the family of Gerald Morelock, the case was settled on last Monday. The news of the settlement was released late Thursday and the first story of the settlement can be found on my blog at www.mikeodom.name. Later in the day other forms of media began to break the story including in one of the local newspapers, Florida Today. The story in Florida Today read:

DaimlerChrysler, chopper builder Billy Lane and the family of a Sebastian Inlet park ranger killed in a Labor Day accident that police say was caused by drunk-driving have reached a confidential settlement, the deceased man’s family said today.“We would like to personally show our gratitude and heart-filled thanks to all of the people throughout the nation that have showed us their support, love and caring,” Byron Morelock, brother of Gerald Morelock, said in a statement signed by the family.“My family may not have made it through these hard times if it wasn't for your caring and sympathy,” he said. The settlement came 10 months after Morelock's mother sued Lane, 37, and DaimlerChrysler -- which provided Lane with the Dodge pickup truck he was driving -- over the fatal crash in which police said Lane crossed a double-yellow line and hit Gerald Morelock's mini-Yamaha motorcycle. The suit alleged Lane, who police say had a blood-alcohol level of .192 the night of the accident, and DaimlerChrysler, which the family said used Lane's fame to advertise its vehicles despite prior driving citations on Lane's record, were liable for auto negligence. Byron Morelock said it took about 10 hours of “grueling” debate Monday before an agreement was reached. No details of the agreement were made public. Lane still faces a criminal trial in which he could be sentenced to a maximum 15 years in prison if convicted of DUI manslaughter. A trial date has not been set.

Floriday Today breaking news forums quickly beagn to fill up with comments. The news also began to spread across the internet in forums and other blogs and the hateful comments and ignorance of what happened began to spread all over again as it did nearly a year ago. It never ceases to amaze me how many people will jump in on a story like this and make comments that show they have no clue what they are talking about. People go off on a hate rampage on both sides making comments that hurt those who were involved. Throughout this whole ordeal I have seen so many things said about the issue when the person speaking really had no knowledge of the entire story. Rumors being posted as though it were news or from some type of inside information source. Opinions based on hearsay and some of the same rumors. The whole thing just has gotten out of hand and it is not over yet with Lane still facing the DUI Manslaughter charges.

I try to ignore all of the hate that has flowed in and out of all the comments on blogs and forums from bothe sides. The one place were comments really show their ignorance is when they lash out about Dodge being included in the suit. To me these people are as likely to jump into a drained pool for lack of checking to see if there is water there first!

So with the civil action closed, I am hoping to see something positive come from this.

Billy Lane's Lead Attorney Steps Down

Two motions were heard today in the criminal trial for DUI Manslaughter case against motorcycle builder Billy Lane. Judge Allawas granted the motion to withdraw filed by Lane's lead attorney, Kepler Funk without explanation from the firm. Gregory Eisenmenger, new attorney for Billy Lane stated before the court that Mr. Lane had no problem with the substitution of counsel.

Attorney Keith Szachacz told Florida Today reporter, Keyonna Summers that there was a conflict of interest but his firms duties to Billy Lane would not allow him to disclose the nature of the conflict. Mr. Szachacz also felt it was in his better interest not to speak to this reporter and declined any questions from me.

Although Gregory Eisenmenger has been co-counsel for Lane for 2 months, he is requesting that the State answer his motion to compel discovery and deliver all documents from the case to his office. Mr. Eisenmenger stated that it is protocol in his office when taking over a case to do their own discovery setting aside the file of his predecessor and starting a new. Mr. Eisenmenger also said he has a expert witness looking at the FHP traffic homicide report that has requested measurements that do not appear on the report. He further remarked that his expert could not continue without the measurements. State Attorney Tom Brown said that he would contact the FHP about the measurements.

More updates and information on the criminal case against Billy Lane will be available as they come out on the MNO Blog. The civil trial against Billy Lane and Dodge appears to be moving along toward the target date set in August.

Someone Is Going to Win a Harley at NADA

@utoRevenue invites dealers to 'Come on and Take a Free Ride' in a Harley Motorcycle giveaway contest
LEE, Mass., Jan. 30 /PRNewswire/ -- @utoRevenue(TM) (http://www.autorevenue.com/), the leading permission-based marketing company in the automotive industry, along with Dealerskins, Dealer Specialties and XI Group, is giving away a 2007 Harley-Davidson Yellow Pearl Softail Motorcycle as part of the "Come on and Take a Free Ride" promotion at NADA 2007 in Las Vegas.
This will be the first year that the automotive industry's four Dominion Enterprises' companies - @utoRevenue, Dealerskins, Dealer Specialties and XI Group - exhibit together, according to John M. Miller, General Manager of @utoRevenue. "Our Harley giveaway plus our 90 x 50 ft. Dominion Enterprises exhibit (#1645) will draw a great deal of attention and give our four companies an excellent opportunity to showcase our dealership services and the synergies we offer," he said.
"To be eligible to win the Harley Softail, which is valued at $21,500, contest participants must visit three of our companies in the exhibit area and receive a sales presentation," said Miller. "Once they complete the presentations and complete their entry form, they will be entered in the contest to win this amazing new Harley."
The "Come on and Take a Free Ride" giveaway is open to all NADA-registered dealership owners, general managers and fixed ops personnel. The winning entry will be chosen in a random drawing 2 p.m. Monday, February 5 at exhibit, #1645. The winner must be present at the time of the drawing. The Dominion group of companies will continue to select entries until a winner is in attendance at the drawing.
NADA exhibitor registrants, employees and families of employees of any contractor of NADA, and employees and families of employees of Dominion Enterprises and its affiliates are all ineligible to participate in the Harley giveaway. Also ineligible are any incomplete entries received after the drawing or entries where valid dealership employment at the time of the drawing cannot be confirmed.
About Dominion Enterprises
@utoRevenue, Dealerskins, Dealer Specialties and XI Group are Dominion Enterprises companies. Since its founding in 1991 as Trader Publishing Company through its evolution into one of the nation's premier media companies, Dominion Enterprises has been a leader in providing resources, information, and web services in the automotive, real estate, apartment, specialty vehicle, employment, and travel industries. Dominion Enterprises is based in Norfolk, Va.; @utoRevenue is in Lee, Mass.; Dealerskins in Nashville, Tenn.; Dealer Specialties in Monroe, Ohio; and XI Group in Baltimore, Md.
For more information, contact Aleisha Gibbons, agibbons@autorevenue.com, 866.628.6245 or Diane N. Bates, dbates@batescommunications.com, 678.438.3674.
This release was issued through eReleases(TM). For more information, visit http://www.ereleases.com/.
Source: @utoRevenue(TM)

Playing the market for motorcycle blogs

I recently joined BlogShares and I have been playing with the game. I found it very interesting, really. The concept is a fantasy stock market game that is played with blogs, where shares can be traded for play money. From the site:
BlogShares is a fantasy stock market where weblogs are the companies. Players invest fictional dollars on shares in blogs. Blogs are valued by their incoming links and add value to other blogs by linking to them. Prices can go up or down based on trading and the underlying value of the blog.
Upon first inspection, the game looks pretty complicated but there is of course a help page and forum. When I first signed in, my blog at www.mikeodom.name was worth $1,000.00. I believe this is the starting point for all new blogs in the game until they are indexed and when buying and selling begin. I started the day with $53,ooo.oo went as low a $963.00 and ended out the day with over a million dollars in money.

I found out that the chips you can receive for participating in the game were valued at 10 million +, so I cashed one in to fuel my buying. I am buying stocks mainly in Motorcycle Blogs and trying to learn how to work with artifacts and ideas. This game can be kind of complicated at first, but as you learn, you will have more fun and make more money. The great thing is that while having fun, the game teaches you the value of links. I highly suggest taking a look at BlogShares and joining in the game. Click here to visit BlogShares now.