Seriously? Seriously.

Sam’s Club, seriously?
Seriously, Costco.


Debits-Credits, seriously? 
Seriously, finance.

Richard Nixon, seriously? 
Seriously, Theodore Roosevelt. 


Foothill Boulevard, seriously? 
Seriously, Sunset Boulevard. 


Zach Parise, seriously? 
Seriously, Dustin Brown. 


Toto, seriously? 
Seriously, Led Zeppelin. 


Euro, seriously?
Seriously, Dollar. 


Tea Party, seriously? 
Seriously, Beach Party. 


Interim Director, seriously? 
Seriously, a crock. 


Dancing With the Stars, seriously? 
Seriously, Boardwalk Empire. 


Boca Burger, seriously? 
Seriously, In N’ Out Burger. 


Los Angeles Dodgers, seriously? 
Seriously, Los Angeles Angels. 


Tom Collins, seriously? 
Seriously, Ketel One Dirty Martini. 


La Verne Experience, seriously? 
Seriously, Jimi Hendrix Experience. 


Clarkson College, seriously? 
Seriously, St. Lawrence University. 


Venice Beach, seriously? 
Seriously, Black’s Beach. 


Fox News, seriously? 
Seriously, CNBC. 


Panera Bread, seriously?
Seriously, Some Crust Bakery. 


A fade, seriously? 
Seriously, a draw. 


Pabst Blue Ribbon, seriously? 
Seriously, Molson Export Ale. 


Morongo casino, seriously? 
Seriously, Mandalay Bay casino. 


3Wishes.com, seriously? 
Seriously, Victoriassercret.com. 


Firestone Winery, seriously? 
Seriously, Oso Libre Winery. 


Tim Tebow, seriously? 
Seriously, Aaron Rodgers. 


BIRTHDAYS THIS WEEK – Birthday wishes and thoughts this week to: Chris Cooper (61), Bill Cosby (75), Harrison Ford (70), Rosey Grier (80), Arlo Guthrie (65), Tom Hanks (56), Cheryl Ladd (61), OJ Simpson (65), Donald Rumsfield (80), Sela Ward (56). 


ROCK & ROLL, The Rolling Stones: "Most London shoppers rush by 165 Oxford Street without a second glance -- but it was there 50 years ago that The Rolling Stones played their first gig and changed the landscape of pop music forever. Mick Jagger, Keith Richards and Brian Jones played The Marquee Club on July 12, 1962 with three others, the first time they performed under the band name which would become synomymous worldwide with excess and musical flair. Childhood friends Jagger and Richards were aged just 18 at the time and Jones -- who drowned in the swimming pool at his home in 1969 -- was 20 years old.


"But it was at the club -- now a branch of Santander bank -- that the seeds were sown of worldwide success which, half a century on, has seen the British band notch up over 200 million album sales globally. ... The band's longevity can partly be attributed to their ability to absorb the evolving sounds of recent decades, with disco, reggae and punk influences all revealing themselves in later releases." 


WALL STREET WEEK - Earnings season and the Fed’s next moves are in focus as Wall Street opens a new trading week. The Dow and the S&P 500 are coming off their second losing weeks in three, but the NASDAQ is currently riding a five week winning streak. 


ALL STAR BREAK - Welcome to the All Star break! In baseball, not politics. For those keeping score at home, Yankees have the best record in the game at the break, 52-33. Baseball’s power rankings at the break: (1). NY Yankees, (2). Texas Rangers, (3). Los Angeles Angels, (4). Washington Senators, (5). Los Angeles Dodgers.


DRIVING THE WEEK - Congress is back in D.C. this week, not to actually do much of anything except take a bunch of politically provocative votes (more below). Obama will greet them with his Rose Garden event calling for a (not going to happen) one-year extension of the Bush tax cuts for those earning under $250,000 ... After the event, Obama heads out to campaign on the tax gambit in Iowa on Tuesday ... 
Consumer credit out at 3:00 p.m. today expected to rise $8 billion ... Fed minutes out Wednesday at 2:00 p.m. could give some color on how close the FOMC is to more quantitative easing ...


Initial jobless claims on Thursday expected to dip to 370K from 374K ... Consumer sentiment on Friday at 9:55 a.m. expected to rise slightly to 73.5 form 73.2 ... House Financial Services subcommittee and House Judiciary both have Dodd-Frank anniversary seasons hearings on Tuesday. ... House OGR has an auto-bailout hearing Tuesday ... Alcoa kicks off second quarter earnings season this morning. It's not expected to be very good (more below) ... JPMorganChase reports second quarter earnings on Friday and will be under heavy pressure to give specific detail on the maximum possible loss from the failed London whale trades.


Next week, Jack Ass of the Month and summer movies. 


Until Next Monday, Tchau. 


Claremont, CA
July 9, 2012 


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