Right here, in my hometown of Minneapolis-St.Paul, the Republican National Convention is set to begin. The hotels, restaurants and bars are abuzz and a table for four is a tough reservation to secure!

The convention has been tempered down as the nation watched Hurricane Gustav, the first and most important priority. As the hurricane dwindles into just a huge rain storm, the convention can resume its course.

They say that once the conventions are finished, the nation truly focuses in on the presidential election. The 15% or so who watch the primaries in earnest will be joined by the other 85% who have tuned out. Well, now it's time to tune in. Both McCain and Obama have interesting and fascinating backgrounds; both have come such different paths to their respective party's nominations.

Many said Obama is inexperienced, until his campaign totally outmaneuvered the Clinton machine -- so much for inexperience. Senator Joe Biden brings 36 years of Washington experience to the ticket, although I'm not sure if that's really relevant in this election.

McCain electrified the Republican base by naming Governor Sarah Palin as his running mate. Her experience is also limited, although she does have executive experience, far more than Biden, Obama and McCain combined! The addition of Governor Palin has, at least locally here in Convention City, mobilized a great number of voters who were warm, maybe lukewarm, to Senator McCain. Many in Minnesota thought our governor, Tim Pawlenty, would grace the ticket with McCain. Politics makes for strange bedfellows though.

Time Warner Inc. (NYSE: TWX)
Q2 2008 Earnings Conference Call
August 6, 2008 10:30 AM ET

Management Summary

Operator

Welcome to the Time Warner second quarter 2008 earnings call. (Operator Instructions) Now I will turn the call over to Doug Shapiro, Vice President of Investor Relations. Thank you, sir, you may begin.

Doug Shapiro, Vice President of Investor Relations

Thanks and good morning, everyone. Welcome to Time Warner's 2008 second quarter earnings conference call. This morning we issued two press releases: one detailing our results for the second quarter; and the other reaffirming our 2008 business outlook.

Before we begin, there are a few items I need to cover. First, we refer to certain non-GAAP financial measures. Schedules setting out reconciliations of these historical non-GAAP financial measures to the most comparable GAAP financial measures are included in our earnings release or trending schedules. These reconciliations are available on our web site at timewarner.com/investors. A reconciliation of our expected future financial performance is also included in the business outlook release that is available on our web site.

Congressional Democrats, including Sen. Robert Byrd, D-W.Va, are pushing for the enactment of a second economic stimulus bill worth $24 billion, including a $6 billion lifeline for the beleaguered auto industry. Odds of it passing in a presidential election year are slim to none.

Democrats, though, are giving the people what they want. Regardless of whether it's a good idea or not, it's fantastic politics. Democrats can prove to voters, who are fed up with the lousy economy, that they "feel their pain," leaving aside the debate of whether it's needed.

That explains why House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., says that the second stimulus bill will need to have bipartisan support -- as the first one got -- because it is vital for the economy. Like the first economic stimulus plan, Byrd's bill will be temporary, targeted and provide disaster relief, according to CQ Politics.com.

"The Speaker earlier had vowed to enact a second measure, totaling at least $50 billion, before Congress leaves this year," the website says. "But the president and congressional Republicans have been less enthusiastic about the idea, repeatedly arguing that lawmakers should wait to assess the impact of the tax rebates and other incentives enacted in February."

Monday, July 21

• Theravance, Inc. (NASDAQ: THRX)'s PDUFA date for Telavancin for the treatment of complicated skin infections.
• Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE: MRK) to report Q2 earnings; conference call at 9:00am.
• Bank of America Corporation (NYSE: BAC) to report Q2 earnings; conference call at 9:30am.
• Apple, Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) to report Q3 earnings; conference call at 5:00pm.
• Texas Instruments Incorporated (NYSE: TXN) to report Q2 earnings; conference call at 5:30pm.

Tuesday, July22

• United Parcel Services, Inc. (NYSE: UPS) to report Q3 earnings; conference call at 8:30am.
• Halliburton Company (NYSE: HAL) to report Q2 earnings; conference call at 9:00am.
• Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE: CAT) to report Q2 earnings; conference call at 11:00am.
• Lockheed Martin Corporation (NYSE: LMT) to report Q2 earnings; conference call at 11:00am.
• Yahoo!, Inc. (NASDAQ: YHOO) to report Q2 earnings; conference call at 5:00pm.

JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE: JPM)
Q2 2008 Earnings Conference Call
June 17, 2008 8:00 AM ET

Management Summary

Operator

Good morning, ladies and gentlemen and welcome to the JPMorgan Chase Q2 2008 earnings call. This call is being recorded.

Today's presentation may contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Any forward-looking statements reflect management's current beliefs and speak only as of the date hereof.

In addition, such statements are, by their nature, subject to significant risks and uncertainties and the firm's actual returns may differ materially from those described in such forward-looking statements. Please refer to JPMorgan Chase's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including its most recent Form 10-K and Form 10-Q for a description of the risk and factors that could cause the firm's results to differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements.

eBay, Inc. (NASDAQ: EBAY)
Q2 2008 Earnings Conference Call
July 16, 2008 5:00 PM ET

Management Summary

Operator

Good day and welcome, everyone to eBay's Q2 2008 earnings results conference call. Today's call is being recorded.

With us today from the company is the Chief Executive Officer John Donahoe and the Chief Financial Officer Bob Swan. At this time, I would like to turn the conference over to Mark Rowen, VP of Investor Relations. Please go ahead, sir.

Mark Rowen, Vice President of Investor Relations

Thank you, operator. Good afternoon, everyone. Thanks for joining us and welcome to eBay's earnings release conference call for the second quarter of 2008. Joining me today on the call are John Donahoe, our President and Chief Executive Officer; and Bob Swan, our Chief Financial Officer.

Intel Corporation (NASDAQ: INTC)
Q2 2008 Earnings Conference Call
July 15, 2008 5:30 PM ET

Management Summary

Operator

Good day, ladies and gentlemen and welcome to the second quarter 2008 Intel Corporation earnings conference call. (Operator Instructions) I would now like to turn the presentation over to your host for today's call, Mr. Kevin Sellers, Vice President of Investor Relations. Please proceed, sir.

Kevin Sellers, Vice President of Investor Relations

Thank you and welcome everyone to Intel's Q2 2008 earnings conference call. Joining me on today's call are Chief Executive Officer Paul Otellini and Chief Financial Officer Stacy Smith. This call is being webcast live and a replay will be posted to our website at approximately 5:00 PM Pacific time and will remain there for approximately two months.

Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ)
Q2 2008 Earnings Conference Call
July 15, 2008 8:30 AM ET
Management Summary

Operator

Welcome to the Johnson & Johnson second quarter 2008 earnings conference call. (Operator Instructions) I would now like to turn the conference call over to Johnson & Johnson.

Louise Mehrotra, Vice President of Investor Relations

Good morning and welcome. I'm Louise Mehrotra, Vice President of Investor Relations for Johnson & Johnson, and it is my pleasure this morning to review our business results for the second quarter of 2008. With me on the call today is Dominic Caruso, Vice President of Finance and Chief Financial Officer.

A few logistics before we get into the details. This review is being made available to a broader audience via a webcast accessible through the investor relations section of the Johnson & Johnson website. The press release that was sent to the investment community earlier this morning includes the schedule showing sales for major products and/or business franchises to facilitate updating your models. The press release is also available on the Johnson & Johnson website. I will review highlights of the second quarter 2008 results for the corporation and for our three business segments. Following additional remarks from Dominic, we will open the call to your questions. We expect the total call to last approximately one hour.

Genentech, Inc. (NYSE: DNA)
Q2 2008 Earnings Conference Call
July 14, 2008 4:45 PM ET

Management Summary

Operator

I would like to welcome everyone to the Genentech second quarter 2008 earnings conference. (Operator Instructions) It is now my pleasure to introduce your host, Ms. Katherine Littrell, Vice President of Investor Relations. Ms. Littrell, you may begin.

Katherine Littrell, Vice President of Investor Relations

Thank you, Gerald. Good afternoon everyone and thank you for joining our Q2 2008 earnings call. We have posted an earnings call slide set on our website, as per our usual, on www.gene.com.

This call is being electronically recorded and is copyrighted by Genentech. No reproductions, retransmissions, or copies of this conference call can be made without the written permission of Genentech.

Monday, July 14

• Novellus Systems Inc. (NASDAQ: NVLS) to report Q2 earnings; conference call at 4:30 pm.
• Genentech Inc. (NYSE: DNA) to report Q2 earnings; conference call at 4:45 pm.

Tuesday, July 15

• PDUFA date for Sciele Pharma, Inc. (SCRX)'s NDA for Aquelle for the treatment of head lice by asphyxiation.
• Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ) to report Q3 earnings; conference call at 8:30 am.
• Senate Finance Committee: International Enforcement of Intellectual Property Rights meeting at 10:00 am with Sony Corp. (NYSE: SNE) and Pfizer Inc. (NYSE: PFE) appearing.

General Electric Company (NYSE: GE)
Q2 2008 Earnings Conference Call
July 11, 2008 8:30 AM ET

Management Summary

Operator

Welcome to the General Electric Q2 2008 earnings conference call. (Operator Instructions) As a reminder, this conference is being recorded. I would now like to turn the program over to your host for today's conference, Dan Janki, VP of Investor Communications.

Dan Janki, Vice President, Investor Communications

Thank you. First of all, I would like to welcome everyone. Joanne and I are pleased to host today's conference call. The press release went out this morning at 6:30 AM with our financial information; that, along with today's presentation and supplemental financials, is available at our investor website at www.ge.com/investor. You can follow along via the webcast or you download and print the information. Today's presentation does contain forward-looking statements based on the world and economic environment as we see it today, and it is subject to change.

We will be going through today in the presentation an update on second quarter operations and financial results and our outlook on third quarter. To do that we have our Chairman and CEO, Jeff Immelt; and our Vice Chairman and CFO, Keith Sherin.

Marriott International, Inc. (NYSE:MAR)
F2Q08 Earnings Conference Call
July 10, 2008 10:00 AM ET

Management Summary

Operator

(Operator Instructions) Good day and welcome to this Marriott International second quarter 2008 earnings conference call. Today's call is being recorded. At this time for opening remarks and introductions, I would like to turn the call over to Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer, and President of the Continental European Lodging, Mr. Arne Sorenson. Please go ahead, sir.

Arne M. Sorenson, Chief Financial Officer, Executive Vice President, President - Continental European Lodging

Thank you, Kat. Good morning, everyone. Welcome to our second quarter 2008 earnings conference call. Joining me today are Laura Paugh, Senior Vice President, Investor Relations; Carl Berquist, Executive Vice President, Financial Information and Enterprise Risk Management; and Betsy Daum, Senior Director, Investor Relations.

Before I get into the discussion of our results, let me first remind everyone that many of our comments today are not historical facts and are considered forward-looking statements under federal securities laws. These statements are subject to numerous risks and uncertainties as described in our SEC filings which could cause future results to differ materially from those expressed in or implied by our comments.

Alcoa's Q2 2008 earnings transcript
Alcoa, Inc. (NYSE: AA)
Q2 2008 Earnings Conference Call

Management Summary

Operator

Good day, ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to the Q2 2008 Alcoa earnings conference call. (Operator Instructions) I would now like to turn the presentation over to your host for today's conference, Mr. Greg Aschman, Director of Investor Relations. Please proceed, sir.

Greg Aschman, Director of Investor Relations

Thanks, Kim. Good afternoon, everyone. Thank you for attending Alcoa's second quarter 2008 analyst conference. On today's conference Chuck McLane, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer will review the second quarter financial results. Klaus Kleinfeld, President and Chief Executive Officer, will highlight current market conditions, industry fundamentals and review Alcoa's strategic priorities. Bill Christopher, Executive Vice President and President of Alcoa's engineered products and solutions business will provide an overview of this business, including performance improvements and growth potential.

With a slowdown in the U.S. economy, the Las Vegas economic expansion has come to a halt. With people unable to pay for a gallon of gas, it comes as no surprise that they are not in the mood to go gamble. The Independent of the UK had a fascinating article about how Las Vegas is suffering with the slow economy.

According to the report: "With Americans cutting back on luxuries, and the price of transport rocketing, the so-called 'Vegas vacation' is facing the axe. This week, as the nation celebrated Independence Day, major hotels were taking stock of a fall in all-important room occupancy rates from their usually impressive 95 per cent levels to nearer 80 per cent."

Gambling revenues have also slipped 3%. Attendance at conventions, a big contributor to the city's coffers has dropped by more than 7%.

All an investor has to do to see how bad the carnage has been is to check some stocks related to the Las Vegas gambling and tourist industry. Las Vegas Sands (NYSE: LVS) has gone in the last 52 weeks from more than $148/share down to around $39, a drop of more than 70%. Ouch. MGM Mirage (NYSE: MGM) has dropped from more than $100/share to under $30.

As the economy continues to sputter, look for more trouble ahead for Las Vegas. On the other hand, contrarian investors may look at an uptick in the U.S. economy, whenever it happens, as a signal to potentially look at stocks that are associated with Las Vegas.

Aaron Katsman is the lead Portfolio Manager and Managing Director of America Israel Investment Associates, LLC. and Senior Editor of IsraelNewsletter.com. DISCLOSURE: Writer's fund has no position in any stock mentioned, as of 7/6/08.

Monday, July 7

• San Francisco Fed Reserve Bank President Yellen to speak about the U.S. economic outlook at the University of California/San Diego with a Q&A session.
• Aracruz Cellulose (NYSE: ARA) to report Q2 earnings; conference call at 11:00am.

Tuesday, July 8

• Richmond Fed Reserve Bank President Lacker to speak about U.S. economic outlook to the National Economists Club in Washington with a Q&A session expected.
• Gulfmark Offshore, Inc. (NYSE: GLF) to discuss the acquisition of Ridgon Marine at 9:00am.
• Alcoa Inc. (NYSE: AA) to report Q2 earnings; conference call at 5:00pm.
• Hansen Natural Corporation (NASDAQ: HANS) to give Business News update at 5:00pm.