SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE – AT 11:50 P.M. ET: 

MAJOR REAL ESTATE NEWS – FROM LONDON'S DAILY MAIL:   Multimillionaires eat at fancier restaurants, drive expensive cars, and live in secluded mansions, but they have always had to gas up their cars with the common folk – until now.  The swanky New York suburb of Greenwich, Connecticut, is about to be one of the first cities in the world to play host to a new, high-end gas station and convenience chain.
According to The Greenwich Time, the Guess Corporation, a North Carolina-based conglomerate that initially amassed a fortune in the diamond trade and has since expanded to other industries, selected Greenwich due to its well-heeled residents.  The gas-station-and-convenience-store-for-the-rich, which will be called GP Club, is scheduled to begin operations within the next year, according to Greenwich Time.   Anyone wishing to earn the privilege of fueling their car at GP Club will have to have a household net worth of at least $50million...While that may seem steep, these ultra-rich patrons will likely get a bang for their buck, as these locations – which will be styled like four-story mansions - will also offer other amenities including a waterpark, a steakhouse, and a designer clothing boutique.  There is also a 'sleeping suite,' business and video-conferencing centers, meeting rooms, a salon, and a medical clinic.  This is all while you're gassing up your car?  Why do I feel this is a waste of time?

OTHERS ARE WATCHING YOU – FROM THE HILL:  The head of the FBI on Wednesday defended putting a piece of tape over his personal laptop's webcam, claiming the security step was a common sense one that most should take.  “There’s some sensible things you should be doing, and that’s one of them,” Director James Comey said during a conference at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.  “You go into any government office and we all have the little camera things that sit on top of the screen,” he added. “They all have a little lid that closes down on them.  “You do that so that people who don’t have authority don’t look at you. I think that’s a good thing.”  Comey was pilloried online earlier this year, after he revealed that he puts a piece of tap over his laptop camera to keep away prying eyes. The precaution is a common one among security advocates, given the relative ease of hacking laptop cameras.  Good common sense.  I wonder if Hillary will take his advice.   She's very careful about security, you know.

WELCOME TO THE RECOVERY – FROM BUSINESS INSIDER:   Moody's analysts say Sears and Kmart don't have enough money — or access to money — to stay in business.  In a note published Wednesday, the analysts downgraded Sears' liquidity rating, saying the company is bleeding cash and will have to continue to rely on outside funding or the sale of assets, such as real estate, to sustain operations.  "We recognize the risks associated with relying on these sources and continued shareholder support to finance its negative operating cash flow which is estimated by Moody's to be approximately $1.5 billion this year," the analysts wrote.  Kmart in particular is at risk of shutting down, according to Moody's.  "The ratings... reflect our view on the uncertainty of the viability of the Kmart franchise in particular given its meaningful market share erosion," the analysts wrote.  How sad, especially for Sears, one of the legendary names in American commerce.  I look out my window and see a Sears sign in the distance, and think of Craftsman tools.

September 14,  2016