The ions in turntransfer their charges to any water droplets that might be present, causing them to attact aerosols, which makes them more effective centres of condensation.
That would result in a eurozone dominated by Germany in which the divergence between the creditor and debtor countries would continue to widen and the periphery would turn into permanently depressed areas in need of constant transfer of payments.
Banks are playing catch-up in many emerging markets where telecommunications companies and networks of agents have been using SMS and text messaging to transfer funds to phones, with the phone owner then able to turn text to cash at a merchant or agent.
Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez hit back last week by saying that he had discussed the idea of a transfer with O'Neill "20 days ago" and the row threatens to turn ugly.
John Byrne, former head of compliance at the American Bankers Association, recently told congressional committees that regulatory requirements for dealing even with legit money-transfer services had become so burdensome for banks that they were filing suspicious-activity reports at every turn and shutting down remittance accounts.