As The Euro Turns

We hear organ music. Not saying whose but we hear it, signalling the start of another exciting episode of the Soap that's taken the world of handwringing innumeracy by Sturm und Drang: "As The Euro Turns," starring Brittany Spears as Angela Merkel, Paris Hilton as Christine LaGarde, PeeWee Herman as Nicky Sarkozy, WH Auden as George Papadopoulos and David Marvin Mailer as Silvio Berlusconi.

The Mayor of the Greek town visited an Italian town. When he saw the palatial mansion belonging to the Italian mayor, he wondered aloud how his host could afford such a house. The Italian mayor said, "See that bridge over there? The EU gave us a grant to build a two-lane bridge. But by building a single lane bridge with traffic lights at either end, this house could be built."

The following year the Italian, now a deputy Prime Minister, visited the Greek mayor’s town. He was astounded by the grandeur and overkill of the Greek Mayor's house--solid gold taps, marble doorways, terrazzo floors, indoor toilet.

When the Italian asked how his Greek former counterpart had managed this scam, the Greek said, "You see that bridge over there?"

The Italian mayor replied, "No."