"Seneca had made the bargain that many good men have made when agreeing to aid bad regimes. On the one hand, their presence strengthens the regime and helps it endure. But their moral influence may also improve the regime's behavior or save the lives of its enemies. For many, this has been a bargain worth making, even if it has cost them—as it may have cost Seneca—their immortal soul...
The Rome he has been trained to serve, the Rome of Augustus and Germanicus, was gone. In its place stood Neropolis, ruled by a megalomaniac brat.”
James Romm, Dying Every Day: Seneca at the Court of Nero
"We live in a world where love itself is condemned. People call it weakness, something to grow out of. Some are saying: 'Let each one become as strong as he can, and let the weak perish.' They say that the Christian religion with its preaching about love is a thing of the past. The neo-paganism [of the Nazis] may well cast off love but, in spite of everything, history teaches us that we shall be the victors over this. We shall not forsake love."
Titus Brandsma, executed at Dachau, 26 July 1942
"Caesar was swimming in blood, Rome and the whole pagan world was mad. But those who had had enough of transgression and madness, those who were trampled upon, those whose lives were misery and oppression, all the weighed down, all the sad, all the unfortunate, came to hear the wonderful tidings of God, who out of love for men had given Himself to be crucified and redeem their sins. When they found a God whom they could love, they had found that which the society of the time could not give any one, — happiness and love.
And Peter understood that neither Nero, nor all his legions, could overcome the living truth— that they could not overwhelm it with tears or blood, and that now its victory was beginning. He understood with equal force why the Lord had turned him back on the road. That city of pride, of crime, of wickedness, and of a lust for power, was beginning to be His city."
Henryk Sienkiewicz, Quo Vadis, 1905
Stocks did their usual wide ranging wash and rinse, ending the day slightly higher.
Gold and silver soared in the morning, and held on to much of their gains, giving up a goodly portion of them during the day.
VIX continues in its complacency.
The conflict in the Mideast is metastasizing, and the unpriced risk it carries continues to grow.
The US presidential election season kicks off next week with the Iowa Primary.
Exceptionalism, in terms of bad judgement and shamelessness, will be on display for all.
Tossing aside the moral high ground and civilized behaviour seems to be a general trend globally.
When I was a boy engineer in the 1980s I was assigned to EIA and IEEE standards meetings in the States, and would spend weeks at the Palais des Nations in Genève for plenary meetings representing the US consensus on the international recommendations. Have OSI model will travel. Yeah, it had a hands-on learning curve, and some fun moments, mostly after hours.
Sleepy town, but a good base of operations for weekend trips into France or into the mountains, what the seasoned vets called Heidi-land. The queen sometimes came along on the good trips, before the young man arrived. She always enjoyed the challenge of mastering public transit and shopping for her little treasures and bargains in languages which she did not speak. A true professional, lol.
US markets will be closed on Monday in observance of Martin Luther King day.
Option expiration next week Friday.
Have a pleasant holiday weekend.
