Of Wicker Loans and Burning Cash

Even our modern financial druids are making sacrifices these days. Don't let anyone tell you different.

Wicker Man

The Wicker Man was a large wicker statue of a human used by the ancient Druids (priests of Celtic paganism) for human sacrifice by burning it in effigy...

Caesar writes that though the Druids generally used thieves and criminals, as they pleased the gods more, they sometimes used innocent men when no delinquents could be found.

S&P cuts ratings of major U.S. mortgage insurers

"The key drivers of the increase in loss-cost assumptions are the increase in our assumption for peak unemployment and the sharp rise in delinquent loans," S&P said.

Wicker loans! Sacrifice the delinquents!

Burning Man

Burning Man is an annual event held in the Black Rock Desert, in Northern Nevada. It takes its name from the ritual burning of a large wooden effigy on Saturday evening.

Alcoa Continues to Burn Cash in 1Q

Unless the aluminum market turns dramatically or the firm closes more cash-burning facilities, the possibility of further liquidity challenges persists.

Burning cash! The gods must be appeased!

Why aren't we just attaching the "cash-burning facilities" directly to the cash-printing facilities? That would cut out all the middlemen (workers). Just think of the productivity miracle.

Struggling US towns print their own currency

The idea, borrowed from the Depression era when the currencies were known as "scrip", is designed to boost local spending and keep money circulating within the community.

You know it is bad when we are borrowing from the Depression era.