> >The current tendency of many to base the spirit of capitalism on
> >sheer materialism is a certain road to economic decline.
>
> "Current", meaning Anno Domini, naturally.
so do you mean 0001-2000, or ~780-2000, ~780 being when charlemagne instituted the anno domini system. heh...to stop people from counting *up* to the End of the World-- he 'just happened to be in aachen' when that clever pope snuck up behind him and slapped the HRE crown on him on xmas AD 801 that is, 5999 by the calendrical scheme he had just replaced, Annus Saeculi III.
but if you just meant to say that 'sheer materialism' has governed the last 2000 years +/- 800, you're Utterly Mad.
cheers, t