"The ultimate purpose of crime is to establish an endless empire. It seeks a state of complete insecurity and anarchy, founded upon the tainted ideals of a world thought doomed to annihilation.  When humanity, subjugated by the terror of crime, has been driven mad by fear and horror, and when chaos has become the supreme law, then the time for the empire of lawlessness will have come."

Friedrich Rudolf Klein-Rogge, Das Testament des Dr. Mabuse

"At that time many will turn away from the faith, and will betray and hate each other. And false prophets will appear, and deceive many. And because of the increase in wickedness, the love of most will grow cold. But those who stand firm to the end will be saved. And the gospel of the kingdom will be preached throughout the whole world, as a testimony to all nations. And then the end will come."

Matthew 24:10-14

"We run carelessly to the precipice, after we have put up a façade to prevent ourselves from seeing it.”

Blaise Pascal

"With tears in my eyes I tell you now that some may be lost, forever.  For their desires are the god that they worship.  They boast with pride about things of which they should be ashamed.  They think only about the privileges and glories of this world."

Philippians 3:19-20

"The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?  The Lord is the refuge of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?"

Psalm 27:1

John Henry Newman was the vicar at St. Mary the Virgin Church at Oxford from 1828-1843.  The pulpit he used there is pictured above.

I visited a few times many years ago when I was traveling frequently for work, much of it overseas. 

I was surprised that the motto of Oxford, Dominus Illuminatio Mea (the Lord is my Light) was apparently embroidered on each of the kneelers without any sort of a covering.

What an extravagance!   I made up a pattern like it on paper and had my talented sister-in-law stitch one up to be framed my study at home, which I still have to this day.

Well, stocks were shocked, shocked by the slightly stronger than expected Payrolls Report this morning.

And so they jumped off a bridge in their dismay.

The Dollar soared and gold fell. 

Silver just keeps kicking ass and taking names.  It eats beta for breakfast.

But as the day wore on, and the rest of the world went home, those clever boys from Wall Street brought in the laundry from the rinse cycle, and had a pleasant time taking their winnings home for the day.

So stocks finished close to unchanged as did gold and the Dollar.

Silver is just off in a rally of its own.

Let's see what fresh antics the next week will bring for our entertainment.

Have a pleasant weekend.

PS.  I was so moved by this memory of Oxford that I am making English muffin pizzas for dinner.  Thomas' of course. 

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