MNO Blog – Motorcycles, News, Opinions

I would like to be a journalist. While I have a lot to learn in order to consider myself a true journalist, much less that of my peers. I think it is sad that there are those who are paid to report the news that do not do their job. 

Sure it feels good to get a “scoop” or an exclusive story. I suppose I would feel proud that my editor slaps me on the back and says “hey, good job on that story Mike”. However, I do not have an editor to answer to. My editor is you, the one that is reading my articles, stories and news. The public are the only ones that I answer to, beside myself.

The problem that I see presented is that most of the journalist or news reporters of today are to caught up in just getting the story out. What happens is they have a tendency to rush, naturally, and the article suffers lack of facts. People read these articles and expect them to be factual or at least based on facts. They also expect or assume the articles to be complete and without omission of facts.

Unfortunately, most of the news today is not complete and/or not based on fact. Then you have the problem that many people read just one article and form an opinion based on their reading. Some, become so sure of themselves that they are willing to get into a word fight in a forum based on being misinformed by the article that they just read. “It was in my favorite paper, so it must be true”. Please, steer away from this type of behavior.

The news of today, if you want to involve yourself, has to be researched, researched and then verify that research.

If you are just a kitchen table reader that has a cup of coffee and reads the paper, that is fine. That is pretty much what the newspapers today are worth, a piece of entertainment while relaxing or waking up. This only works if you throw the paper aside and go on about your day. If you plan on reading the paper and taking it to heart as the truth and forming an opinion by reading one article you are headed for trouble. Especially if you plan on voicing that opinion in public, on a forum or blog.

An opinion about facts or an incident is not news, nor should they be mixed.

Most of today’s news papers are based on opinion and not facts. If you agree with the opinionated news that you read, it becomes your favorite paper. Once the paper has an article that you do agree with, you are compelled to do something about it. This is also unfortunate. At this point you either toss the paper in the trash and forget it until the next day or you find something else to read. Some will write to the editor and voice their disagreement and that is good. After all, that is what the letters to the editor section is for. The true problem with the news as it is, would be organization. Truth is that most of the items the papers want to refer to as news should be put in the opinion section. That is what the opinion section is for, opinion and columnist. Problem is that the opinion section seems to overflow into the news.

It is the journalist responsibility to report the facts and to include every amount of factual evidence that can be found on the item being reported.

The news is based on facts. Even in writing, it should be reported as though you are live, on the scene and have a camera in front of you. The news paper reporter has the luxury of not having to be “on the scene” and “reporting live” of having the time to do research into the facts. At times, I suppose, that it can also be a hindrance. If you do actually witness the news, it becomes easier to report. Even at that, there can be things that you did not see that someone did. This is where research comes into play. Gather all of the facts possible and then verify those facts.

I studied journalism in school, that does not make me a journalist. Also, remember, at the beginning of this article I said, I would like to be a journalist. I am, however, not. I am studying and researching the idea of becoming a better writer, possibly even a journalist. I would find it hard though to become part of any one particular news organization, because they all have their faults. So, for the moment, I will do my best, when I do report the news, to make it as factual and complete as possible. I only wish many of the reporter and journalist of today would do the same.

* This article is my opinion. It is about the delivery of news. It is not news nor is it based on facts. I did, however, put it in the news section because it is about news. OK?

Technorati Tags: editorial, news, journalism, blog

I just got back online last night after being down for 3 days, thanks Time Warner.
I recently called Road Runner and asked, for like the fourth time, for them to send someone out to properly install my cable amplifier box. The box is located outside of my home and has been damaged since the 2004 hurricane season.

My mom calls them up and tells them that why they will be out on that date to also convert the cable drop feed to underground. Bad mistake, I have learned from previous experience with this company that you can not add to a trouble ticket and they will not allow two tickets open at once. Consequently, the trouble ticket was turned into the convert to underground instead of my original request.

After these guys have completed the job and are already gone from the property, I sit down to go to work. Turning on my computer ( which I built ) I find that my box has big issues. I run on a dual boot system of XP Home Edition and XP 64 Professional which I run 90 % of the time. So, when I boot my computer it gets to the XP screen loading and then reboots.  Huh? OK, so I try it again and same thing, the system reboots. This time I try to go to safe mode in the XP 64 with no luck. The system just reboots again. I try to go to the XP Home Edition and this makes it all the way to log-in. I log-in only to find that I now have sixteen new PCI devices that no driver will install for. On top of all this I am offline! No Internet and no intranet. I have lost all communication for no apparent reason.

Then I remember the Time Warner service call that had happened earlier in the day. It appears that some voltage must have slipped in and knocked out my NIC ( network interface card ) and did other possible damage to the motherboard. OK, time to get on the telephone with Road Runner support. They determined in s few short minutes that it was not a hardware problem, it was not their problem, so it must be a software problem. They transferred me to Microsoft Support directly. I must admit, I was very surprised at the phone support given by the Microsoft tech. His name was Kevin, we spent almost three hours on the phone trying to determine the cause and fix the errors. Kevin with MS was not going to give up! Even after he had finally diagnosed the problem to the system BIOS and most likely corruption caused by a spike, he did not want to give up.

As directed, I called Road Runner after I got off the phone with Microsoft with a case number. Unfortunately, dispatch notifies me that they will not be able to have PC Tech come out until Tuesday, two days away. I was not happy with this answer at all, but what could I do. The appointment was scheduled, I thought, between the hours of 11 an 3. I was at least able to do minor tasks and play some games that I had not played in some time.

Tuesday finally arrives and I am surprisingly still sane. I await the knock on the door of the cable guy, remember the appointment was between 11 and 3. Shortly after 3:00, when the Time Warner tech failed to show, I was on the phone. Of course they apologized for the inconvenience and told me that they would contact the tech and have him call me. After 20 minutes I called to see if they knew my telephone number. Again, they apologize and say they are checking the status of the technician. I am not quite sure how you check the status of a technician, but they assured me that they would. At 4:45 I called to check on the status of the dispatcher checking the status of the tech that was supposed to be at my location hours ago. This time it was explained that due to the sensitive nature of my computer having damage they would have to assign this to the technical supervisor. I was also told that this technical supervisor would not be able to arrive until the next day. In the meanwhile, Kevin form Microsoft calls me to ask how things went with my service call with Road Runner. I explained to him that my appointment had now been rescheduled for the following day. I was smoking hot!

As I said earlier, I had built this computer. Why would I wait on a tech that was not going to show up and even when he did would not know what to do. I started realizing that this company was not going to cover the damages that they had done anyway and more than likely had a huge damage waiver clause in the agreement. I started to think, that this voltage either continued on through my NIC causing more damage, or burnt the NIC out causing it to short. If it was the case of the latter, then maybe pulling the NIC out would prove my theory. I removed the NIC from my main board and BINGO, back up and running on both operating systems. Because my main board has an on board LAN connection, I plugged in to my network and fired up the computer. I was back in business and back online simply by pulling the NIC out of the system. Computer problem solved but Time Warner still scheduled for service call.

The cable guy calls, on time and says he is 10 minutes away, so I wait. He shows up on time, impressive. He tells me he is here to fix the cable wires and amplifier, unimpressive. It appears the support ticket had now reverted back to my original request. This guy informs me that he is NOT a PC tech after I go through the entire explanation of what had happened. Then he starts to cop an attitude and states that they will not replace any of my computer that has been damaged and that his cable does not carry voltage, it carries dB, so the damage could not have been caused by the cable system. I did a little research on this voltage in time Warner cable and came up with a slew of pages, but two that I found particularly interesting. First of all, the cable guy was right, the signal is measured in dB, matter of fact it is measured in dBmV ( decibel millivolts ) discussed here.

Another page I found rather interesting was where a lady had documented 5 months of problems caused to her television by voltage in her TV cable. So there is voltage in the Time Warner cable that could cause the NIC damage.

At any rate, I had already determined the computer problem and fixed it. So, I went on about my day and left the cable guy to go on about his.

Image of Melbourne Beach no-passing zone

There are still conflicting reports as to exactly where the fatal crash that took the life of Melbourne Beach resident Gerald Morelock happened.
I have read that it happened on State Road A1A near Ballyshannon Street, which would be the view in the image below

Highway A1A and Ballyshannon Street intersection

Reports have also indicated that the impact of the sponsored Dodge pickup driven by Billy Lane and the Yamaha motor scooter driven by the victim Gerald Morelock happened at the intersection of Highway A1A and Windemere Place, pictured below.

No-passing zone on Highway A1A and Windemere Place

All of the photographs here show the area of the crash with clearly marked double yellow no passing zone indication on the pavement. There is a notable difference, however, if the crash impact happened closer to the Ballyshannon Street intersection. Notice that this area is including turning areas marked off for a shopping center and the street intersection.

All images indicate that the Florida Department of Transportation and by way of Florida State driving laws have ruled this entire area unsafe to pass and painted double yellow lines on the pavement meaning this is a no-pass zone. None of the articles that I had read and seen have included photographs of the highway where this tragic crash took place.

Custom Dodge Pickup that was driven by Billy Lane

These images are all the work and owned by Mike Odom. If you wish to use the images, please contact me first for permission as they are copyrighted work.

 What does it feel like when someone that you look up to does something wrong? When one of your role models, a hero of yours turns into a bad guy overnight?

 I thought I would never be able to answer these questions, or even find a day when I might have to. My thoughts go back to a night that I saw a little boy treated very bad by his hero. I was at a Alice Cooper concert at the Fox Theater in Atlanta. I remember standing outside by a large RV bus that Alice Cooper was in waiting to get a picture of him. As the door of the bus opens out comes Jake “the Snake” Roberts  with some bimbo looking chick. This kid, a boy, around 10 or 11 walks up to him and asks for an autograph. I watched as tears ran down the boys face after this creep that once was a superstar pushed him aside saying “not right now kid”! The poor kid was so upset.

 Recently, I had one of my heroes turn bad guy. It hurt the kid inside of me, while the adult part is furious. Billy Lane a famous chopper builder that has been on Discovery channel shows like the biker build-off and monster garage lives and works in my hometown of Melbourne, Florida. Billy owns Choppers Inc. so I go there quite often to photograph his work and occasionally even the east coast chopper kingpin himself.

 Over the past few years of doing this I came to admire Billy’s work and style. It felt good to see and document his work from scratch to finish. One day while I was at the Choppers Inc. shop, my wife and I got to meet Billy Lane and take pictures with him. That was one thing that I really respected about the man was that he was very approachable as a celebrity. I never seen him not take the time to at least acknowledge his fans when they came to visit the shop. Many days I have seen entire families come to the place hoping to see Billy in person. Almost always they would walk out with a bag full of tee shirts, posters and books as souvenirs of the day they visited Choppers Inc.

 On Tuesday September 5th, I learned that Billy Lane was involved in an accident. My first thoughts were of him getting hit on one of his bikes. However, as I read the article in the Florida Today newspaper, I found that Billy Lane was injured. It was Billy that had carelessly crossed a double yellow line on A1A trying to pass 2 vehicles that struck and killed a 56 year old man riding his Yamaha motor scooter. He also had a passenger in the truck with him that worked at Choppers Inc. that was injured. Both Billy and the passenger were released from the hospital after being treated for their injuries. While the man, Gerry Morelock who was riding his motor scooter was killed instantly. It is alleged at this time that Billy was not only driving reckless, but he may have been impaired by alcohol as well. Shame on you Billy! To take the live of a brother in the motorcycle community by being careless is bad enough. But if you had been drinking to the point that it affected your decisions? I along with many other of your fans are discussed with you.

 I took a ride today out to where this incident took place. I was thinking that maybe it was a case were there was broken lines and it turned into a double yellow before one could get back over. That is not the case at all! The area where this happened is not only doubled line, it involves turning lanes as well. It would be hard to say that it was bad timing or a case of not enough time to get back over. No one should pass in this area at all. This was no more than a case of total disrespect and negligence. I have lost all my respect for this man. To make matters worse, Billy has not come forward to his public and the members of the biker community to make a statement. It is more as though he is in hiding and makes the incident look even worse, if it could be.

One thing that has come out of this for me is a big lesson on making choices. I learned that we must take our time in making a choice remembering that when you make a wrong choice the outcome can effect many lives. Billy made the wrong decission passing in that area of A1A and it cost a life, the life of a motorcyclist. His choice will also have a effect on others like me. People that respected him and looked up to him as one of the best chopper builders in the world. People that looked at Billy Lane as a hero and celebrity. That has all been lost now by making a poor choice. A choice to do what? Save a second or two on your way home that was only a mile away. What a shame that now you must hide from the people that once loved you.

 My greatest sympathy and prayers go out to the family of Gerry Morelock for the needless end of his life. And to Gerry Morelock, rest in peace.

I also pray for Billy!! I don’t hate him, I hate what happened. I know that it was not intentional and that Billy is having a very hard time dealing with what has happened. I wish that he would just come forward and say something. Maybe, if he did, his fans would have a better understanding.

This incident has caused a great deal of loss. My sincere hope of healing goes out to all.

It’s not funny how the web sites on the Internet related to motorcycle events compete for your money as a motorcycle owner, enthusiast and biker. Especially when it comes to the city Daytona Beach, Florida the Chamber and  visitors bureau. A city that is continually barking about motorcycle events and the debilitation that it brings upon its character. The city of Daytona Beach has announced more than once that they intend to promote more of a family and corporate eye for tourism and wish to downsize events. The web sites that they build and have created would leave you to believe differently, and why not? They are only after the biker buck!

 I am amazed at the flat out plagiarism that has been going on with the sites that are run by paid developers. At a point in time I was flattered at the idea that these so called designers followed me around like a puppy starving for attention, but it has just got out of hand. You all know what I mean. It is like when some guy decides he wants to show off by picking on you because you are the badest looking guy in a crowd. You try real hard to hold your temper and not pop the guy in the face, but he just keeps pushing your buttons any way he can. That is what is going on with these wanna bes. They are pretending to be your friend and mix in with the crowd, the whole time they have their eye on your wallet.

 I tried to communicate and develop a relationship with these people. They refused, stating we primarily promote the Daytona Beach area to families and corporate markets.  The Daytona Area Convention and Visitors Bureau tells me this because I had pictures that did promote family and corporate values. Later as my Biketober site became more popular, and in an act of jealousy, Janet Kersey from the DBCVB writes to me Certified and states that I must not use the word biketoberfest. Biketoberfest is a registered trademark of Daytona Beach and I must remove the word fest from all of my text and graphics.
To be continued ….

Technorati Tags: biketoberfest, bike week, daytona beach, motorcycles, biker, motorcycle events

Back some time ago, I received a certified letter from the Daytona Beach Area Convention and Visitors Bureau ( DBACVB ) advising me to remove the “fest” from my Biketober site. The letter stated that the word Biketoberfest® is a registered trademark owned by the DBACVB. This letter was different of previous correspondence coming from the non-profit organization in that it did not give a reason why. Previous communication with
the DBACVB stated my site did not promote Daytona Beach as they wanted. The email went on to state ” we primarily promote the Daytona Beach area to families and corporate markets.” Oh really! Recently the cover page of one of the domains that is approved and associated with the DBACVB looked like this:

Read: Daytona Beach, city without a vision

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