Herb's Hotline: The Strange Worlds of Computer Associates, the Prince and Cyber-Care

Rate Rattles: With the weak

CPI

, nobody cares anymore. It's up, up and away. Factored into the market. (But will they be next month?!) ...

Computer Associates

(CA) - Get Report

delays reporting earnings then reports them on time saying the delay was no big deal. (How strange, how strange.) And while we're on the subject: What's with

NYSE

Chairman Dick Grasso (everybody's favorite everyday guy) sitting on the board of CA? Not that this is new news: He's been on the board for six years. (How strange, how strange.) Repeat after me: Conflict of interest, conflict of interest, conflict of interest. Is it just me, or is it a conflict for the head of the world's largest stock market to sit on the board of a NYSE-listed company? Best we can tell, he doesn't sit on the board of any other public company. (Strange, I tell ya, strange. Give Frank Zarb at the

Nazdak

credit: He dudn't do it! The NYSE, by the way, hasn't gotten back with an explanation

yet

but if and when the spokespeople do, I'll pass their words on to you.)

Speaking of Strange: The Prince is back (as in Saudi Prince Alwaleed bin Talal) ... buying shares of

Amazon.com

(AMZN) - Get Report

,

AT&T

(T) - Get Report

and a host of

others. (Certainly not from the profits -- or lack, thereof -- he took on his

Planet Hollywood

stock. ... In udder words, he does kiss some frogs that ... croak!). Stranger still:

U.S. Bancorp Piper Jaffray's

Ashok Kumar out today with a report that danced around calling

Brocade

(BRCD)

(which competes with his fave,

Ancor Communications

( ANCR)) a bunch of liars. He referred several times to "erroneous" and "ludicrous" statements by Brocade. To which Brocade CEO Greg Reyes responds (exclusively via the Hotline): "He is full of (malarky)! He has no idea what he is talking about! He thinks that the world is flat even though the facts directly contradict his beliefs." (Don't ya jus' luv it?)

Stranger than strange: The

Hostile React-O-Meter

is spinning

way

outta control on

Cyber-Care

(CYBR) - Get Report

. (Guess they didn't like

yesterday's Hotline observation that nobody had ever heard of the company till this column mentioned it.) ... Forget the Hostile React-O-Meter: It's like stirring a nest of hornets ... and whenever this column stirs a nest of hornets it's usually hornets that wind up stinging themselves! Now hear this: Cyber comes out today and says it's not aware of any

FDA

investigation into itself as was reported by the Ft. Lauderdale

Sun-Sentinel

AND

Dow Jones

. (Sorry to say the Hotline was scooped on that one.) But the company also said today that it's "reviewing promotional practices to assure that the Company is fully in compliance with the FDA's regulations in this area." In other words, buckeroos, it's confirming that issues raised

exclusively by the May 2

Herb on TheStreet

col may -- just

may

-- be more than the garbage the Cyber-ians have made them out to be.

Strangely curious:

Home Depot

(HD) - Get Report

reported in-line first-quarter profits. But riddle me this: All around they seem to be putting up new HDs within miles of existing HDs. You gotta assume they know what they're doing, because they

are

geniuses, but at some point don't those new stores eat into same-store sales? Just axing. ... Finally, sorry 'bout the lack of a morning col today. Had to check a few more facts that I couldn't get by post time last night. Trust me: It'll be worth the wait ... as will the wait for the next edition of ... The Hotline.

Herb Greenberg writes daily for TheStreet.com. In keeping with TSC's editorial policy, he doesn't own or short individual stocks, though he owns stock in TheStreet.com. He also doesn't invest in hedge funds or other private investment partnerships. He welcomes your feedback at

herb@thestreet.com. Greenberg also writes a monthly column for Fortune.

Mark Martinez assisted with the reporting of this column.