Recently I tried to open a business account at a branch of Lloyds TSB as a sole trader small business. I'm a musician/ artist and, as I told the bank, would be earning less than the national minimum wage, but this money would be coming from various countries – USA, Japan, Europe, UK, wherever I sell records, perform, etc. So what kind of account would I need to receive ( or make )payments in at least four different currencies?

Answer : Either a) you open a foreign currency account at this branch for each separate currency and pay charges on each separate account or

b) your best bet, sir, is to open an offshore account and avoid all charges, less rules, much more flexible, pay in and out in any currency you like… here's the Lloyds Offshore Phone number. Why not give them a call ?

So, despite finding this proposal ludicrous, I called them, and a couple of other high street bans offshore dept's. And whereas Barclays, and other private banks, require £10,000 to open an offshore, the 84% state owned lloyds TSB permits – encourages- local businesses to open an offshore account with no minimum deposit.

(ps i declined the offer. Many others will not.)

Depends how you calculate and what you count. If you start counting CDS contracts for example then you get nominal figures vastly greater. But are such bits of paper wealth of the kind we should count as GDP?

In a way you are poking into the very heart of the crisis – of all these debt backed contracts and 'assets' which are really 'wealth'?

They certainly confer power but through 'negative' wealth – debt, rather than 'positive' wealth. Dangerous, difficult and baggy coincepts but ones we all know have some basis in reality and with which we therefore have to wrestle if we are going to reclaim some sense and order in our lives.

Rebecca, it's quite sinister the overload of so called desire and tesco metro. Glad you liked the video. Headdresses are nice aren't they! I wore it as an icon of ceremony, a proud people trampled over, importance, and my Nan and Bamps used to dress up and go to country a western nights, Nan as Indian and Bamp as Cowboy. I rekon if I took a Magnum to school now like I did when I was in juniors they put me on medication. All they did is take it off me and give it back at the end of the day, no fuss 😀

Never heard of that story, amazing.

JamieG, aye boyo, what happens when they sell the other side? Nobody asked me.

Thanks dude, I love the conversation you guys have about the money, bit over my head sometimes for me to join in, I like the spiritual ones more 🙂

Be great if you all could come to a consensus on a direction you would take given the chance as I've figured out Blythe Munsters scene and words but I have a discussion by some drinks machines at the 555th floor on the future and still have to write the showdown with Blankfeind.

To go with the Bond theme I thought of adding a doomsday where they flood the world with ZDRs to zombify the whole world. hehe the ZMF 😀

I even like the start of Casino Royal in B+W. Take out some troll…

Keep up the excellent work and good luck with BTG – can't wait to see it.

Jamie, I can wholeheartedly add my endorsement of Treasure Islands, I'm just finishing it now and it's been an essential read.

on a similar note to 24k (although slightly more light hearted) here's a link to a very amusing video that is an interesting reaction to the erosion of just some of our basic rights..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qAQrsA3m8Bg

I can't give too much away but the zombies are primal and mone….. Nar, it'll spoil it dude.

Jamie, yes I do.

I'll preach it in cinemascope with my heart and soul and then others with their hearts and souls will spread it because it's free, not fake and the strangest movie they've ever seen.

That's my plan.

Plus I can back it up with the worlds first music video singing in front of real riot cops (prove me wrong if you can, but so far I haven't found one, google it, it's only me. The foo fighters were fake) and I've got two more worlds firsts to come still. So I'm running with it and if I fall, I'm getting back up.

You know when you see a dog with a juicy bone?

That's me.