The Number of the Damned

Interest rates on Spanish 10 year bonds rose to an apocalyptic 6.66%, or in other words, "Spanish Bonds, Meet Satan."

more ponzi, please

Not to be outdone in the not so slo-mo descent of the Gadarene PIIGS into the fiscal pit, Greece's largest lender, National Bank, posted a Q1 loss of $666 million.

the fall of the swine

Somehow the words of the Angelic Doctor, Aquinas, spring to mind (S.T., Q98, on the will and the intellect of the damned), "Although an increase in the number of the damned results in an increase of each one's punishment, so much the more will their hatred and envy increase that they will prefer to be more tormented with many rather than less tormented alone."

Rumours that European insolvency will have some sort of effect on the U.S. are entirely without any foundation whatsoever.

Carry on.

LSP

Fighting Monkey

Back in the 18th Century and "the earlies", when being a Company Man meant something altogether different than sitting numbly in front of a monitor in a cubicle, people weren't adverse to putting the odd monkey in the ring.

Here's an excerpt from The Sporting Magazine, 1799.

A quite unusual fight between two animals was staged in Worcester. The wager stood at three guineas, according to which the dog would kill the monkey in at most six minutes. The dog's owner agreed that the monkey would be allowed to defend itself with a stick about a foot long.

Hundreds of spectators gathered to witness this fight and the odds stood at eight, nine and even ten to one in favour of the dog, which could scarcely be subdued before the fight. The monkey's owner took a stick, about twelve inches long, from his coat pocket, tossed it to the monkey and said:

"Now Jack, pay attention, defend yourself against the dog!"

The butcher cried: "Now, get after the monkey!"

He let the dog go and it sprang at the monkey like a tiger. The monkey was amazingly nimble, jumped about three feet high in the air and when it came down landed directly on the dog's back, bit firmly in the dog's neck, grabbed his opponent's left ear with his hand thereby preventing the dog from turning his head to bite him. In this totally surprising situation the monkey now began to work over the dog's head with his club and he pounded so forcefully and relentlessly on the dog's skull that the poor creature cried out loudly. In short, the skull was soon cracked and the dead dog was carried from the ring. Yet, the monkey was only of medium size."

two people pretending to be something they don't believe in anyway

I'm not a betting man, but I'll wager my fighting monkey against any three of your priestesses that Schori's Episcopal Church will accelerate its long slide into transexual oblivion. And while we're at it, you might also care to explain why borrowing more money will see us clear of debt.

The challenge is on.

LSP

Mark Of The Beast

According to Reuters, the Elephant Bar and everywhere else, the yield, or interest rate, on Italian bonds hit a 14 year high this morning, surging to an apocalyptic 6.66%.

Italian bonds are now well within the 6 percentile "danger zone", reflecting an increasing lack of confidence in Italian debt. If this trend continues Italy will default, sparking a fiscal Armageddon not seen since the days of Ancient Rome.

Ancient Rome

Noted Anglican Divine and genius exegete, Austin Farrer, comments on the mystical sixfold numeral; bear in mind that Solomon is both a type of Christ and of Antichrist also.

"From the queen's (Sheba) departure onwards the King (Solomon) breaks the law of kingship clause by clause."

After going against the divine interdict concerning multiplication of horses (LSP beware) and wives to himself, Solomon proceeds to contravene the final kingly rule given by God, "Neither shall he greatly multiply to himself silver and gold." But what does Solomon do?

"The weight of gold that came to King Solomon in one year was six hundred and sixty-six talents of gold." (1 Kings x, 14)

Farrer has this to say, "The damnable number appears in the very next verse after the withdrawal of the Queen of Sheba. The root of all evil begins the King's downfall. St. John's use of Solomon's history as a source-book of numbers makes it virtually certain that he found the number of the Beast here... Why is it so deep and so blasphemous a mystery?"

To find out, you'll have to read  chapter nine of "Rebirth of Images."

Bond Traders, Frankfort Cabal, you have been warned.

LSP

Your Money or your Life!

Anyone following the slow-moving(ish) train-wreck that is the Sovereign Debt crisis, will have noticed that France and Belgium have pledged to prop up Dexia, one of several rotten franchises in the heart of Europe. Presumably taxpayers will come to the rescue, but in the meanwhile, Dexia dropped a miserable 22 points on the Brussel's 'change. You can read about it in the SF Chronicle, if you like.


Belloc wrote somewhere that the Roman Empire was plagued with periodic financial crises brought on by usurious bankers. Interest on non-productive loans (his definition of usury) would mount up over the years until the burden became unsustainable, leading to financial collapse and ever higher tax burdens. Odd how history seems to repeat itself.

Jefferson had this to say about the banks:


"If the American people ever allow private banks to control the issue of their currency, first by inflation, then by deflation, the banks and corporations that will grow up around them will deprive the people of all property until their children wake up homeless on the continent their Fathers conquered..."


Prescient, that Founding Father.


LSP