The-News-Ben

The Saga And The Mystery Of The Ventura Highway

2009-05-30T20:46:00.000-07:00

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?

2009-05-27T20:12:00.000-07:00

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!!!

2009-05-23T17:11:00.000-07:00

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.

2009-05-20T20:14:00.000-07:00

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.

2009-05-19T19:57:00.000-07:00

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!

2009-05-16T20:35:00.000-07:00

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.

2009-05-08T19:39:00.000-07:00

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?

2009-05-02T12:46:00.000-07:00

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.

Can you afford to save all that money?

2009-04-28T07:15:00.000-07:00

As I go along, I keep encountering all of these really
great deals to save me a lot of money. Does that ever
happen to you?
Well the problem is that the source of all these
goodies is trying to sell you something that you might
not otherwise buy.
Let's take for instance the discount coupons. Oh I know
that you could really save money. Sometimes up to
fifty percent off of the price of a "name brand" item.
The catch is that quite often the "store brand" item may
cost less the coupon item after you use the coupon.
Also, quite often the "store item" is made by the maker
of the "name brand" item and it costs a lot less. Of
course after the coupons are gone, you still go out
and buy that "name brand" item and bingo, they've
got you.
Then, here are all of those freebie web sites. If you want
to judge there effectiveness for you, then you must
first realize that they are "in it for the money".
They make their money when the maker of the subject
item pays them to give it away. That's because the
maker of the item thinks that you will continue to
buy it after the freebie is used up. They feel that they
get a loyal customer.
A good rule of thumb is not to get the freebie unless
you really want it anyhow. Then, at least you might
be satisfied with what you get.

Foppish is as Foppish Does

2009-04-24T20:36:00.000-07:00

Foppish, FOPPISH aaaayyy you talkin to ME! Sounds like the days of

the Rat Pack. Or -- Think About it. West Side Story! If you're a gang

dancing down the street on the West Side --- You'd damn well better

be able to fight better and meaner than anyone else.

Do you feel like you have just sat in the front row at one of Don Rickles

performances. "Ahh, the closest that you'll ever get to being in a Dean

Martin Roast. For more information see

The night I played Don Rickles' hockey puck. Was the age of foppish

also the age of Macho. After all, remember there was one action movie star

that didn't want his friends to know that he was an actor because they might

think that he, is, shall we say, less than masculine.

Merriam-websters Online Dictionary says that the definition of foppish

is characteristic of a fop --a foppish dressing gown-- or behaving or dressing in

the manner of a fop. The word fop is defined by the same site as 1 obsolete :

a foolish or silly person or 2: a man who is devoted to or vain about his

appearance or dress : coxcomb, dandy, Wow all of this going around in circles

and where has it gotten us? Well, in many cases, the hero can afford to be

foppish because he has the gifts, or talent, or mere chutzpah to pull off a good

performance without leaving any room for anyone to criticize his masculinity

bravery, wit or other modicums of talent. You can check out the wikipedia

references as it is getting onerous, hmm onerous, that's a good one. I'll

have to remember that one. I wonder if it is foppish. Oh Well.

Sell Chrysler--Not On Your Life

2009-04-23T19:57:00.000-07:00

The New York Times is reporting that the Treasury Department

is preparing a bankruptcy filing for Chrysler that could happen

by next week. The Times attributes its report to "people with

direct knowledge of the action." Pensions and health benefits

would be protected as a condition of the Chapter 11 bankruptcy

filing, according to an "agreement in principle" between the

Treasury and the United Automobile Workers, the Times says.

Also, Fiat would complete its alliance with Chrysler while the

company is under bankruptcy protection. The Times continues:

The only major question that remains unresolved is what happens

to Chrysler’s lenders, who hold $6.9 billion in company debt.

The government’s most recent offer, presented Wednesday,

would give the company’s lenders about 22 cents on the dollar,

or $1.5 billion, and a 5 percent equity stake in a reorganized

Chrysler. Earlier this week, a steering committee of the lenders

proposed that they receive 65 cents on the dollar, or $4.5 billion,

and a 40 percent equity stake. If no agreement is reached, a

nasty legal fight could emerge in bankruptcy. The creditors’

claims are backed by virtually all of the company’s collateral,

including plants, brands and equipment, and the lenders will

argue that they have first claim on those assets. For more

information, see
ON DEADLINE Breaking News and must read

stories.

What a minute, doesn't the name Hemi mean anything to you?

These engines are the great great grandsons of one of the most memorable

Hot Rod Legends in all history. That engine was pretty hefty anyway,

but it was ready made for fantastic increases in power and accel-

eration. Also, when Ford and GM try to make bare bones basic

vehicles, the response is ho hum. The PT-Cruisers were butt ugly

and they had quite a few dealers laughing all the way to the bank.

Does the United States really think that Fiat is going to do anything

for Chrysler but strip it of all assets and take the money and run.

Fiat! The Europeans don't like it because of its crappy poor quality.

To team Fiat up with Chrysler is a major insult to Chrysler and Amer-

icans. Even Italy is not thrilled with Fiat.

Please US government, reconsider, there has to be some other way.

Marathon Running - Is it all its made out to be?

2009-04-20T10:10:00.000-07:00

Marathon running has joined the ranks as "must do" activities to prove
that you are green and healthy.
Of course the first things that come to mind are the heart healthy attributes
of running and being active and it gets you out doors in the healthy fresh
air and sunshine.
Healthy air and sunshine? Hmmm, isn't overexposure to the sun one of the
major causes of certain types of skin cancer? Oh well, I guess you will just
have to cover up and ditch the tight, sexy, little running shorts that your
significant other thinks look so great on you.
What about damage to your joints from the impact of running on pavement?
Every person is built differently. Some people can tolerate many marathons
over a lifetime, while others get injured trying to train for their first one.
In order to stay healthy in the long run, you should listen to your body's
cues—if running starts to be painful, it may be time to cut back on your
running mileage and begin to include other types of exercise in your regular
routine. (Checkout
Nova Ask the Expert for more information).
There are many devices made to help prevent or alleviate the problems
associated with damage from running on hard pavement. These include
various braces and many different types of running shoes.
There are even compression running socks that offer a 30-day money back
guarantee of a 5% performance boost plus free shipping no less. For
more information on this one, visit
cepsocks.com where science meets sports.
In any case, have a happy and positive marathon season.

Thoughts Regarding Our New Chief Technology Officer

2009-04-18T14:55:00.000-07:00

It's refreshing that we are finally paying attention to the development
and advancement of technology. In the past, it was the major driving
force for our economy and probably a major factor in the allies winning
of World War Two.
One should not forget that major advances in the internet, networking,
and computational methods in general led to the fastest economic growth
in recent, if not our entire, history.
The "Space Race to the Moon" fueled major innovation and growth in the
Sixties that carried over into the early Seventies.
We should hope that this renewed awareness and interest will spur the
various government and other ruling entities to expand educational
opportunities and make public education as available to everyone as our
grade schools and high schools.
All to often, our government officials have been so intent on "cutting
taxes" that they foolishly make education the first service that they cut.
We must change our mindset so that we view taxes paid to the govern-
ment to be an investment with return of services to the citizens.
The best place to start would be to insist on real public education to all
to the extent that they need to make at least a comfortable living. No
longer can a college education be only for those willing to go into an onerous amount of debt or so well off that they can pay huge amounts of cash.
Then we may be able to compete more effectively in the industries that depend so much on technology to prosper.
For more information see

Wall Street Journal Blogs - Tech Industry Cheers as Obama Taps Aneesh Chopra for CTO.

Only the Shadow Knows Heh-heh-heh-heh-heh-heh-heh

2009-04-18T12:10:00.000-07:00

Ah yes, those halcyon days sitting next to the maroon Admiral radio listening to the creaking door when “The shadow knows” intoned in a smoky, gravelly, voice.
That was enough to send chills up and down your spine even without the lights turned very low in the semi darkness.
Those were the lost days of Lamont Cranston solving the mystery, exposing the perpetrators of the dastardly deeds and bringing them to justice.
The Shadow was one of the most famous pulp heroes of the 20th century,
The Shadow has been featured in comic books, comic strips, television,
video games, and at least seven motion pictures. It was even implied as
the subject of at least one Tom and Jerry Cartoon.
The radio drama is well remembered for those episodes voiced by Orson Welles.
Introduced as a mysterious radio narrator by David Chrisman, William Sweets, and Harry Engman Charlot for Street and Smith Publications, The Shadow w as fully developed and transformed into a pop culture icon by legendary pulp writer Walter Gibson.
The Shadow debuted on July 31, 1930, as the mysterious narrator of the Street & Smith radio program Detective Story Hour.
After gaining popularity among the show's listeners, the narrator became the star of The Shadow Magazine on April 1, 1931; a pulp series created and primarily written by the prolific Gibson.
Even today the aforementioned Tom and Jerry cartoons can be seen on
TV in your living room. Although it still seems a little strange when one
compares it with the dark sweaty atmosphere in the neighborhood movie theatre during a Saturday afternoon matinee.
Even after decades, the unmistakable introduction from The Shadow radio program,
intoned by actor Frank Readick Jr., has earned a place in the American idiom:
"Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men? Heh-heh-heh-heh-heh-heh-heh!
The Shadow knows ... " These words were accompanied by a haunting theme song,
Le Rouet d'Omphale, composed by Saint-Saëns.
For more information check out
The Shadow - A Short Radio History or From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia .