Greece, 688 BC

"Diodoros? What are you doing?"

"Eh? Well, I call it 'Hitting A Round Thing Over A Net On The Beach Whilst Wearing Skimpy Knickers'."

"But where's your javelin? It's your turn to throw. We can't let Gorgythion win again this year!"

"Oh c'mon Isodemos.  Javelin is soooooooo boring!"

"What? But Team Argos is depending on you to win Gold!  We can't let let the Heraclean's beat us again! Good Zeus!!! What on earth is Hipparinos doing up that tower?"

"I believe it's going to be a triple somersault, with a twist and pike."

"What the seven Hells has that got to do with the art of War? Anyway, he's supposed to be throwing the discus in a minute."

"Yeah, right.  But he reckoned, you know, just in case he ever get's pushed off, lets say, a seaside cliff by, oh, 300 Spartans or so, then at least he'll fall to his death with a little bit of style."

"Good grief, Diodorus! We are supposed to be competing in a series of skills used in warfare to the honour of Zeus! He's going to send a hale of lightning bolts down on us if he see's what's going on."

"Oh cheer up Isodemos.  Come and have a go at the synchronised swimming. That'll make you feel better."  

"Synchronised ... By the Gods! I'll see you swing for this, Diodorus!"

"Er, no, I don't think so.  The gymnastics doesn't start until tomorrow and I think, if you check the schedule, you'll find that you are down for the bicycle road race at that time."

"What in Hades is a bicycle?"

"I have no idea. All I know is that you can't hide any soldiers in it and leave it outside a besieged city gates."

"Why not?"

"Because someone would steal it!"

The Euro And The Fall Of Rome

Have you heard?

The Euro is in crisis!

Yes, it's true.  Greece has a huge economic crisis and Italy, one of Europe's biggest economies, is following suit.

Whereas the Greek government has pushed (or tried to, if their politicians are to be believed) measures that will save their economy from total collapse and are receiving a huge bailout from the their Euro cousins, the Italians are just starting to feel the bite and are in dire need of a rescue themselves.

Why?

Simply put, they have borrowed to the limits of their ability to repay the loan.

Now, correct me if I'm wrong ... and I often am, but if you are in danger of losing the money that you have lent someone, the last thing you should be doing is raising the interest on that loan to record levels, thereby making it harder for the borrower to make repayments.  What are they at now?  6.9% interest?  Amazing!

I personally would be safeguarding my investment by making it easier to for the borrower to pay me back.

But there you go!  That's just me and voicing my opinion is a would be very like farting in a hurricane.  No  one would notice!

But no! The money lenders have other plans for Italy. Perhaps even for the entire future of the Euro!

At the end of the day  though, I live in the UK and I don't really care about Italy's economy, but in our current economic climate,  perhaps I should.  It may well turn around and bite me in the backside, or worse still ...  in my wallet!

Just for the record, I am, and always was, against a single currency for Europe.

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I know this subject isn't what you might have come to expect from me. Believe me, I'm just as surprised as you are that I wrote.

Where are all those fairies when you need them, eh?