"There was war in heaven. Michael and the angels fought against the dragon. The dragon fought back, but he did not have the power, and so lost his place in heaven. The huge dragon, the ancient serpent, who is called the Devil and Satan, who deceived the whole world, was thrown down to earth, and its angels were thrown down with it. Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say: ‘Now have salvation and the power come, and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Anointed. For the adversary of our brothers and sisters is cast out, who accuses them before our God day and night.
They triumphed by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; love for life did not deter them from death. Therefore rejoice, you heavens and you who dwell in them. But woe to you, earth and the sea, for the Devil has come down to you in great fury, for he knows his time is short.’"
Revelation 12:7-12
“The investment ecosystem has effectively self-organized into one giant short volatility trade like a snake eating its own tail, nourishing itself from its own destruction.”
Chris Cole, Artemis Capital, 2017
"And he said to them, 'Behold, I saw Satan fall, like lightning from heaven.'"
Luke 10:18
"What is cast (or casts itself) into hell is not a man: it is 'remains.' To be a complete man means to have the passions obedient to the will and the will offered to God: to have been a man – to be an ex-man or 'damned ghost' – would presumably mean to consist of a will utterly centered in its self and passions utterly uncontrolled by the will."
C. S. Lewis, The Problem of Pain, 1940
"Narcissism becomes particularly 'malignant' (i.e. malevolent, dangerous, harmful, incurable) when it goes beyond mere vanity and excessive self-focus. Malignant narcissists not only see themselves as superior to others but believe in their superiority to the degree that they view others as relatively worthless, expendable, and justifiably exploitable.
This type of narcissism is a defining characteristic of psychopathy/sociopathy and is rooted in an individual’s deficient capacity for empathy. It’s almost impossible for a person with such shallow feelings and such haughtiness to really care about others or to form a conscience with any of the qualities we typically associate with a humane attitude, which is why most researchers and thinkers on the topic of psychopathy think of psychopaths as individuals without a conscience altogether."
George Simon, Malignant Narcissism, December 27, 2013
Stocks continued moving higher.
VIX continued to fall and wallow at near term lows.
The Dollar rose.
Gold rose higher in its breakout attempt.
Silver, not so much.
We will have a futures contracts option expiration next Tuesday, January 28.
There are a surprising number of malignant narcissists prominently on the scene in the West these days, both in political and corporate positions of power.
This reminds me a little of The Planet of the Apes. The gorillas have all the horses and guns, and they ride around shooting and terrorizing the human beings.
Have a pleasant evening.
