As I am strolling around central Zagreb, I cannot but notice one feature of many a shop window: the percent sign. It is everywhere. And in all imaginable sizes, colors, and styles. Some sort of discount is on offer, of course. So many percentage points off the going price are supposed to entice many an eager customer. Thus is crosses my mind that there is no symbol that better represents the so-called western civilization than the percent sign. It is much more pertinent than the dollar, pound, or euro sign. It stands both for savings of all sorts and for profits in all their guises. The percent sign is the quintessence of capitalism, too. Everything is expressed in fractions of a hundred, which means that the common mind can grasp the concept well. All too well, as a matter of fact. Looking back, the percent civilization is a perfect name for this travesty of whatever it actually is. Travesty of travesty, as a matter of fact. And the percent sign sums it up so well: zero divided by zero. A mathematical impossibility, no less. Just perfect!