The Saga And The Mystery Of The Ventura Highway

If all goes well, May 15 there will be no rain at Tuacahn when a horse

with no name comes to town. America - the folk-rock band behind "A

Horse With No Name," "Sister Golden Hair," "Ventura Highway" and

"Tin Man" - will take the stage at 8 p.m. in what is arguably one of the

most appropriate venues in the nation to play their desert-inspired hit

song.

Check out America brings folk-rock hits to Tuacahn for more info

I remember that drive well and it didn't just end at Ventura. El Camino

Real was and is an experience like no other. There is no experience

quite like driving up 101 in an open convertible and my joy was an Alfa

Romeo Sprint Veloche with the top down and the stereo blasting away.

Let's face it. I couldn't afford a Ferrari Testarossa, you have not lived until

you have experienced the sound and feel of that V12. However, the Alfa

was the next best thing. Plus, you don't get the wind through the hair

experience that Alfa gives you. I have to admit that all of the experiences

were not great just as all of the 101 experiences were not necessarily the

best. I guess the most dire experience was the day I picked it up from the

dealers and drove it home after I took my shirt off. The sunburn resulted in

second degree burns. those healed and were relatively forgotten. Of course,

when it took three of us to put the top up the first time because, we learned

later, that the car had sat in the show room for months with the top down.

After a few more times that it was put up and down, it loosened up and worked

fine. You have to keep those Italians in practice. But, overall these experiences

were incomparable and I wouldn't trade them for anything in the world. In

fact, if we could get enough out of our current home, we'd go back in a

heartbeat inspite of the ridges and mountains where we are now. This article

was written by a retired aerospace engineer and the owner/operator of a

consumer electronics web store. Come check us out at Buy Comps4Less.

What Secret Thing Made The Pequot Capital Management Inc Fall Apart?

Arthur Samberg's Pequot Capital Management Inc. is liquidating its core

hedge fund amid an investigation into potential insider trading, according

to a letter to investors obtained by The Wall Street Journal. The Securities

and Exchange Commission has been examining whether Pequot traded

Microsoft Corp. shares on confidential information provided by a former

employee of the computer company who was later hired by Pequot.

Pequot has denied any wrongdoing, but the paper said Samberg's letter,

sent to investors late Wednesday, explains that the probe has "cast a cloud

over the firm" and become a personal distraction. The Westport, Conn.-

based investment firm did not respond to a call for comment. According

to the letter obtained by The Journal, Pequot will spin out its Matawin and

Special Opportunities funds, while liquidating its core funds. Samberg

noted that the Pequot Partners Fund generated a net annualized return

of 1.8 percent this year through April 30. After closing the case more than

two years ago, the SEC reopened its probe after new information

surfaced late last year showing payments Pequot made to a key witness.

The documents, which emerged in a divorce proceeding, showed that

Pequot began paying $2.1 million to former Microsoft employee David

Zilkha in mid-2007. The initial $700,000 payment was made around the

time Sens. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, and Arlen Specter, R-Pa., were

urging the SEC to reopen the case.

For more information on this item, go to Google Hosted News, The

Report: Pequot Capital hedge fund to liquidate Associated Press

This firm, worth about 3 Billion Dollars, was run by the well known

investor, Arthur J. Samberg. This fund has performed well over the

past 22 years consistently netting very good earnings during its

time of doing business. It appears that the suspicion of improper

trading of Microsoft stocks may have led to a loss of credibility and

the officers of the organization felt that they could no longer carry on

the business of the institution effectively. This article was written

by a retired aerospace engineer and the owner/operator of a consumer

electronics web store. Come check us out at Buy Comps4Less.

Hey, Get a load of those Phillies!!!

Hey, Get a load of those Phillies!!! It's one thing to see

Raul Ibanez suddenly looking like Babe Ruth for the

Philadelphia Phillies, the former Seattle Mariner slugging

his Major League-leading 17th home run on Saturday. But

now here comes John Mayberry Jr. knocking one over

the fence for the Phillies as well in his big-league debut for

the Phillies, a 5-4 loss to the Yankees. You might remember

Mayberry as the big kid the Mariners drafted in the first

round in 2002 out of high school in Kansas City, but never

signed. The M's gambled and lost on that one, knowing

Mayberry already had a scholarship offer to Stanford, but

thinking they could woo the son of former Yankees slugger

John Mayberry to pro ball. Instead, the two sides never agreed

on his signing bonus and he stuck with school instead.

For more information, checkout the Seattle Sports Blog

Aint that a toot? Not only did the Mariners lose out on the

draft in 2002 but because they dropped the ball in 2002 by not

signing Mayberry, but Seattle got a compensatory bid and drafted

Adam Jones. All over your are seeing scorched earth where ex or

never was Mariners are taking off like rockets. Wait a minute

that's Houston. Naah, wrong game. Anyhooo, with fun and

games things like this going on, this looks like a veery inter-

esssting baseball season. The author of this article is a retired

aerospace engineer and the owner/operator of a consumer

electronics web store. Come check us out at Buy Comps4Less.

Thoughts on the untimely death of a loved one.

Ryan reminds us that one year ago, a bartender's life was

changed on the Nokia Theater stage. Tonight, that bartender's

back -- it's David Cook, of course, and he's singing Permanent,

a song dedicated to his brother Adam, who passed away earlier

this month. When the camera focuses on his face during the

song's spaces, you can look in his eyes and see him thinking

about his brother. David says he sang the song to honor not

only his brother but everyone who has to go through something

like that. The performance will be posted to iTunes after the show,

and proceeds will go to ABC Squared, an organization that raises

money to find a cure for brain cancer. And now, it's time for the

"awards portion" of the evening, which means we get one last

look at the season's worst performances -- that's the auditions,

not Danny Gokey's scream. And it also means revisiting Nick

Mitchell aka Norman Gentle (oh, joy). And the winner is ... Nick

Mitchell. Who is, naturally, present (oh, joy).

For more on this, see David Cook, Queen Latifah and the return

of Norman Gentle


Normally, I try to keep these items light-hearted. However,

there are at least two items regarding close personal losses.

Reflecting on these, I realize that I have been very fortunate

to only have a couple of incidents where persons close to me

have passed away "in the prime of life" and I had moved away

from home. So, the closeness of seeing one another every

day had receeded to one, no less loved or missed, but some of the

shock was removed. Nonetheless, my heart goes out to them and

I give them my regards and condolences. The was written by a retired

aerospace engineer and the owner operator of a consumer electronics

Web Store Buy comps4Less.

Sleepin in the Aviary and other trivialities.

Is this evver as good as it gets?? Punk, Heavy Metal, Wha else?

A new split 7-inch from local label Science Of Sound (celebrated

at this release show) brings together two local bands who seem

to thrive on fast execution and unrefined recording quality.

Sleeping In The Aviary’s side of the brief vinyl release begins with

“Automatic,” a frantic return to the Buzzcocks- and Thermals-style

pop-punk of the band’s 2007 album Oh, This Old Thing? Then it’s

on to bassist Phil Mahlstadt’s “Radio Waves.” What a minute, this

is sounding like a music review.

Check out Sleeping In The Aviary if you want to see the rest of

this.

On the other hand, we could virtually visit the Pittsburg Aviary or

or really visit it if your close enough. To find out, you could check

it out by visitingWelcome to the National Aviary!

This rambling has been presented by the Owner/Operator of Buy

Comps4Less with the best in consumer electronics.

Rachel Alexandra wins again!

Rachel Alexandra won the 134th running of the Preakness Stakes

Saturday, becoming the first filly to win the second leg of The Triple

crown since 1924. The female horse took the early lead and held on

at the end of the 1 3/16 miles at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore.

Calvin Borel, who rode Mine That Bird in the Kentucky Derby,

switched to Rachel Alexandra and guided her to a sixth straight victory.

Rachel Alexandra beat Mine That Bird, ridden by Hall of Fame

jockey Mike Smith, by a length. Musket Man finished third.

She paid $5.60, $4.60 and $3.60. Mine That Bird paid $6.60 and $4.80,

and Musket Man returned $5 on a show bet.
For more details see Your Daily Contributor for News, Technology, Sports, and Entertainment
What is surprising to me that Mine That Bird was so close, she

only won by a length. When she won the Oakwood, she won

by twenty and one half length or somewhere between 164 and

184 and 1/2 feet or between 2.3 and 3 percent of the entire length

of the race. That's a pretty fur piece if I do say so myself. Now, we

can all lean back and see how long she keeps this up.

A sad commentary.

Sweet sassy molassey! A column in the recent issue of D Magazine is

freaking everybody out today, and with good reason! It contains the line:

From my own experience visiting the troops in the Middle East, I can

tell you this, though: despite how the conflict has been portrayed by our

glorious media, if you gave any U.S. soldier a gun with two bullets in it,

and he found himself in an elevator with Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid, and

Osama bin Laden, there's a good chance that Nancy Pelosi would get

shot twice, and Harry Reid and bin Laden would be strangled to death.

Here's the amazing part! The column was written by David Feherty, who

is best known as CBS' golf analyst. Yes. You read that correctly. CBS'

GOLF ANALYST. Talk about a good walk spoiled!

"Mr. Feherty's violent comments about Speaker Pelosi and Majority

Leader Reid are disgusting," said Media Matters president Eric Burns.

"Suggesting that our troops would attack the leaders of the very

democracy they've sworn to sacrifice their lives for is an insult to

their integrity, honor, and professionalism. CBS Sports should

demand its golf analyst apologize to our soldiers."


(For more information see Huffington Post - David Feherty, CBS

Golf Analyst, Unleashes Insane Nancy Pelosi Death Fantasy).

I grew up in the days of the original Richard Daley of Chicago, and the

Tafts of Ohio, and the Goldwaters of Arizona and the tell-em-hell-Harry

days on both sides. I look at the state of communication from the

spokespersons of both parties, but especially the Republican Party

and I think that the politicians of yore must be turning over in their

graves. I guess it goes back to the one voice during the Los Angeles

riots; "Can't we just get along together?" Perhaps, we can all agree

to disagree, but we still have to live with one another in the same country

on the same world.

Is Rachel Alexandra the Dark Horse to Upstage the Kentucky Derby?

Could a horse with a name that sounds like a heroine in a Victorian

Romance Novel completely upstage the Kentucky Derby Winner no

matter how good he does or how well the race itself turn out.

This filly certainly impressed four-time winner of the Kentucky Oaks,

Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas. He happens to have three-eighths

of the field for today's 135th running. He figures that just might be

enough horsepower to hold off heavily favored Rachel Alexandra.

"I'm going to put Be Fair over there by the (track) kitchen, I'm going

to put Tweeter right here (at the backstretch gap), and we're going

to tag around and keep barreling so we can hold off that monster,"

Lukas said, failing to include his third starter (Stone Legacy) in the

scheme. (See Rachel Alexandra a big Oaks favorite).

Monster, freak of all freaks, unbelievable, and tremendous are only

a few terms used to describe this high performance wonder. Word has

it that they held off running her in the derby because of concern that

the male horses competing in that event might intimidate her. However,

I agree with her jockey that she would probably win by her usual huge

margin.