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Writer's pictureRaj Searing

Read this First 09/02/2020

Charlie Hebdo .. If you do not know what "Charlie Hebdo" is .. they are a satirical newspaper. (Think French Version of the Rant .. except they only publish once a week, not most every day .. and have TONS of writers .. and cartoonists ...LAZYYYY). .. Their office was attacked 5 years ago after they published a cartoon that made fun of Muhammad. (The God, not the boxer). Muslim extremists linked to al Qaeda broke into Hebdo's office with rifles and other weapons killing 12 and injuring 11 on January 7, 2015. .. Why am I telling you this, now? The accomplices are JUST NOW starting trial .. How does that take 5 years? .. Unless, maybe the Government just kept them in jail for years in case they end up getting acquitted by a weak jury... Ill say this.. Hebdo has Cajones .. They re-published the Muhammad cartoon this week .. The one that started the attacks.. That is either brave or stupid.. or both .. Now, we would NEVER have any kind of shooting like that in America ...with that kind of killing and injury.. well.. unless you count ...normal weekends in Chicago .. "Shoot on sight. Any Cop" .. The FBI has told the Chicago PD that they found a gang scheme by to "Shoot cops and film it" .. The plan is an alleged agreement between street gangs to kinda "have each other's backs and unite against the cops" and to "shoot on-sight any cop that has his weapon drawn on any subject in public" .. Wow.. So, cops will now have to walk away from violent crime and violent criminals or risk getting shot by gang members... What country is this, Again? Iran? In ACUTAL Iran ... The courts case went like this: ... .".. "KILL HIM!!! .. Uh.. he's already dead... Then KILL HIM AGAIN.. then give him a whipping"... You think that's a joke? That is the sentence Iranian-American wrestler, Navid Afkari, received from the Iranian courts. For the crime of taking part in protests against the current regime he got: TWO death sentences, six years and six months in prison and 74 lashes. His brothers got off easy with "54 years and 74 lashes" and "27 years and 74 lashes" Geez .. A few comments... 1) It would seem that Iran has a different definition for: The Punishment fitting the crime .. Their judges seem to like the 74 Lashes number.(Anyone know if there is some significance? The "guidelines" I could find said "70-140 Lashes" for things like removing your headscarf in public, drinking in public, or practicing an unsanctioned religion in public.. ..and.. The Quran Chapter 74 is about, "The Cloaked One" and that doesn't seem to fit.. Hmmm ) ... Also... I don't want to tell an Iranian judge what to do (and get some kind of curse on me) .. But.. They probably want to change the order of punishments for Navid. You'd probably go with the lashes first.. then the six years in jail .. and THEN the death sentences. Doesn't do too much to lash a dead guy.. or put him in jail... and.. ya know.. doesn't really matter which order the two deaths go... and... In Da Swamp: Trump went to Kenosha even though the Governor told him not to and the Mayor told him to wait a week. When interviewed the Mayor said, "we'll keep the President and the community safe. The National Guard have been great...and .. we called them here a few days before President Trump said on TV that we should call them." Trump promised local businesses money to rebuild and held meetings with local community leaders... and.. I laughed and yelled at the TV yesterday when the guy (in this case a Bloomberg reporter, but many were playing the same stupid game) called the Senate race in Massachusetts a, "Showdown". The Loser media tried to turn this race into a "Progressives and Alex O'Cortez" VS. The "old school and Nancy Pelosi" as if it was ever even a "race".. Popular veteran Senator Ed Markey was running for re-election for the sixth time and challenged by Joe Kennedy (Grandson of Robert). Pelosi recently backed Kennedy (old ties to the family) and AOC backed Markey (who is the Senate sponsor of the New Green Deal). .. This was never a race. Markey led by 20 points in the polls for most of the campaign and never led by LESS than 10. But, if you don't FAKE NEWS IT UP .. then there is no controversy.. Nevermind, just reporting the facts.. and ... House Speaker Nancy Pelosi got caught going to a salon to get her hair done in San Francisco where that is still banned. Other Salon owners are furious that she would do this while they are forced to be closed. Pelosi admitted she was there (there is video.. hard not to) and then blamed the salon owner... Careful whom you try to rob .. In Roseville, Michigan two men tried to rob and/or carjack a man at the car wash. They pointed a gun, demanded money (and apparently the car.. reports aren't clear). The victim complied. Reached to get his wallet .. instead, grabbed his gun.. and shot the guy robbing him. The victim is fine and the thief died at the hospital... Moral: Only rob unarmed people .. preferably those that don't know Karate .. In the "LEAST surprising statistic from 2020 Column"... Divorce filings in the USA from March through June are UP 34% from last year with 1/3 of the couples admitting the Covid-Lockdown was the cause. Did you all know that the #1 cause of divorce that is responsible for 100% of all divorces? ... GETTING MARRIED!!! SPORTS: Tennis: A bunch of people I don't know lost to a bunch of other people I don't know. One name, Venus Williams, lost in the first round for the first time EVER. Serena won though .. and.. NHL: Flyers win in OT over Islanders. Series is 3-2 NY .. Vancouver beats Vegas 2-1. .. Vegas leads series 3-2. Colorado is at Dallas tonight with Dallas leading the series 3-2. Again, Dallas is good.. but I can't believe Colorado isn't winning ... MLB: The Yankees and Tampa had a "Bench Clearing Tea Party" because Aroldis Chapman threw a brushback pitch. Are there extra fines for that during COVID? $1,000 for leaving the bench and $2,000 for leaving bench without a face mask? .. CELEBRIDIOTS: Portugese Motorcycling Champion, Miguel Oilveira, 24, is marrying "longtime girlfriend" Andreia Pimenta, 24. This may sound like young European love.. but its more.. its REALLY young.. as in .. she is his step-sister .. and... they started a "Secret romance" when they were 13 years old. So, for 11 years they dated and no one knew? Is this a happy story or REALLY weird??? Kansas City QB Patrick Mahomes signed a $503 Million contract .. and has apparently since LOST HIS MIND .. He got engaged to his girlfriend. .. Lemme tell you Patrick.. I hope SHE signed something, too. A PRE-NUP !!! .. Lemme walk you through some math .. $500 Mill after taxes is $250 Mill... minus cars, houses, and the stake of the KC Royals you want to buy .. minus lawyer fees .. minus HALF !!!! Well, actually.. its still like $50 million.. but.. that ain't $500 !!! When dealing with athletes I never know whether to put them in the Sports section or down here .. But... this FORMER college track and field athlete - turned Instagram person seems to have it ALL going on .. In shape .. great smile .. seems to be fun (given the shot with the handcuffs) .. and she is a Yankee Fan .. HERE .. (Since it's US Open week).... Ill just say . Game, Set, Match to Brooke !!! From SeekingAlpha.com Efforts on new coronavirus aid For more than a month since key provisions of the landmark Cares Act expired, Democrats and Republicans have been at odds over the size and scope of another coronavirus stimulus package. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin is now suggesting a higher $1.5T number for the Trump administration's proposed ceiling for a follow-on bill, while White House chief of staff Mark Meadows "conceded in an effort to get a deal done" to put more money on the table for cities and states. Mnuchin also released a new estimate for the so-called Main Street Lending Program, which will make between $25B-$50B of loans to midsize businesses in coming months. Eviction moratorium through end of the year The REIT sector is on watch after the Trump administration implemented a national moratorium on residential evictions through the end of the year. The new ban covers tenants who certify that they have lost "substantial" income; that they expect to make no more than $99,000 in 2020 or received a stimulus check; and that they are making their "best efforts" to pay as much of their rent as they can. When the moratorium expires at the end of 2020, renters who received protection will still need to make up missed payments to their landlords. Futures tick higher Dow and S&P 500 futures are up by 0.8%, while the Nasdaq powers ahead by 1.2% after another day of record highs. Tech has been a big driver of gains in recent sessions, and Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) advanced another 2% in premarket trade as more people rely on internet-connected devices for work, home schooling and communication. The remainder of the week will be dominated by employment figures, with the ADP reporting on private sector hiring today and the biggest report of the month, non-farm payrolls for August, due on Friday morning. No app download needed Google (GOOG, GOOGL) and Apple (AAPL) are building a COVID-19 notification system straight into smartphones, eliminating the need for a separate app and ramping up a new weapon in the effort to track exposure to the novel coronavirus. Future versions of iOS and Android will feature the new system that previously required an app made by a public health authority. The system will use Bluetooth signals from phones that have opted in to find out how closely and for how long two phones were near each other, without collecting location or identity data. Regular IPOs under threat? 2020 has been the year of questioning the traditional IPO process as companies look for cheaper ways to go public. There are only two other ways to get on an exchange: SPAC merger, which has seen outsized activity in recent months, or direct listing, where a company floats existing private shares. While a new plan by the SEC last week removed one of the last major incentives to conduct an IPO via the traditional methodology - by allowing capital raises for direct listings - a last-ditch effort was made to block it. The Council of Institutional Investors said it would file a petition for a review of the plan by the SEC's commissioners, citing concerns that companies could circumvent protections built into the IPO process. Euro strength, dollar weakness It's now trending lower, but the euro briefly rose above $1.20 against the dollar on Tuesday for the first time in more than two years, rallying nearly 12% since late March. "The euro-dollar rate does matter," ECB chief economist Philip Lane said overnight, causing the currency to pare its gains. While the EU's rescue fund appears to have calmed any lingering fears of a euro breakup, Fed stimulus has weighed on the greenback and easy policies are being attributed to the downward cycle. For a long time, President Trump has also criticized dollar strength due to the trade deficit, though as the coronavirus crisis hit, he said it was "great time" to have a strong currency. Australia records first recession in nearly 30 years Australia has become the latest country to officially enter a recession, though the 7% GDP decline was a lot better than the coronavirus-induced devastation seen in other economies. For comparison, the U.S. economy contracted by a record 32.9% in Q2, while the United Kingdom's GDP dropped 20.4%. "Our record run of 28 consecutive years of economic growth has now officially come to an end," Australian Treasurer Josh Frydenberg told reporters. "COVID-19 has wreaked havoc on our economy and our lives like nothing we have ever experienced before. But there is hope and there is a road out." New Scottish independence referendum Scotland is taking a new shot at breaking away from the United Kingdom as First Minister Nicola Sturgeon revived plans for a second independence referendum. "Brexit, and the way in which is it being implemented, immeasurably strengthens the case for Scotland becoming an independent country with the ability to shape our own destiny and contribute positively to the world," said the SNP leader. While Scotland voted to stay in the U.K. in 2014 by a 55% to 45% margin, that was before Brexit, as well as recent opinion polls that suggest a sustained majority of Scottish voters would now back the leave camp. What else is happening... Samsung (OTC:SSNLF) releases the Galaxy Z Fold 2 foldable device. 70% of U.S. AMC theaters to resume operations by weekend. Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) is raising money. So how will shares perform, if history is any guide? McDonald's (NYSE:MCD) franchisees sue over discrimination allegations. Roche (OTCQX:RHHBY) to launch new rapid coronavirus test in Europe. Dating app Bumble to plan IPO above $6B - Bloomberg. Today's Markets In Asia, Japan +0.5%. Hong Kong -0.3%. China -0.2%. India +0.5%. In Europe, at midday, London +1.7%. Paris +2.4%. Frankfurt +2.4%. Futures at 6:20, Dow +0.8%. S&P +0.8%. Nasdaq +1.2%. Crude +0.2% to $42.86. Gold -0.1% to $1976.10. Ten-year Treasury Yield +2 bps to 0.69% Today's Economic Calendar Auto Sales 7:00 MBA Mortgage Applications 8:15 ADP Jobs Report 10:00 Factory Orders 10:00 Fed's Williams Speech 10:30 EIA Petroleum Inventories 12:00 PM Fed's Mester: U.S. Outlook and Monetary Policy 2:00 PM Fed's Beige Book 3:00 PM Fed's Kashkari Speech 6:00 PM Fed's Daly: "An Economic Framework for the Future" Regards,

Roger “Raj” Searing rajsearing@gmail.com "Raj Searing™”, "Read this First™", "@rajsearing™", "TheRantRoom™" and “TheRantroom.com™” are Trademarks of RRRAJ, LLC. All Rights Reserved-2003.

DISCLAIMER:

This RANT is intended SOLELY as Commentary, Satire and/or Social Criticism and is for ENTERTAINMENT. Content in this RANT is based on PUBLICLY AVAILABLE INFORMATION and is purely the OPINION of the writer. It is NOT intended to be relied on as fact. Sometimes I get drunk and make stuff up. Some of this information is garnered from well respected news sources and some is not. As Raj puts it: "If you cannot tell that most of this Rant is just my opinion then you are too stupid to be reading it!!!!

Stop before you hurt yourself! "

The Rant is inspired by how I feel that day, what I ate for dinner the night before, who is pissing me off, what I find entertaining, and information I sometimes get from: Bloomberg,1010WINS, Foxnews.com, CNN.com, ABCNews.com, CNBC.com and another dozen random news ".coms", The NY Post, The Asbury Park Press, The Drudge Report, The Daily Mirror, The Independent, The Standard, MSN, AOL, The Daily Beast, Breitbart, Wall Street Journal, Barstool Sports, Bleacher Report, CNBC, Various Analysts at brokerage firms, SeekingAlpha, Twitter, Instagram, PopSugar, Harpers, Washington Times, al Jazeera, The Washington Post, The Financial Times, Reuters, Maxim, RT News, Eonline,Vanity Fair, Politico, The Sun, The Daily Mail, The Guardian, Pravda, Forbes, Money, GQ, Men’s Health, YahooNews.com TMZ, ESPN.go.com, Golf Digest, and the Victoria Secret Catalogue.


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