Yo Yo Ma

One of my resolutions for the new year (in fact, the past few years) has been to give up the addiction that is Starbucks. Specifically them delicious tall, non fat, no whip, extra hot mochas. I've been making great progress until today when I felt the need to reward myself for such great behavior. Plus it's a Friday--why the heck not.

I got my drink, and a heated butter croissant (yummy in my tummy!) and headed to the office. As some of you may know, there are quotes on the cups by various individuals. In the past I've read quotes by Madeline Albright, Andy Roddick and random customers as well. To my delight, this morning, was a quote by Yo Yo Ma. You may recall he performed at the inauguration last month and I've been a fan since he began collaborating on movie soundtracks.

The quote:"What I look for in musicians is generosity. There is so much to learn from each other and about each other's culture. Great creativity begins with tolerance."

I couldn't agree more with this quote. In fact, you could replace the word musicians with any noun and the quote would still be equally true. Well done Ma, well done.

Now back to that tasty cup o' joe.

Hail to the Chief: President Barack Obama

You can catch Obama taking the Oath of Office (and link to his full inaugural address)

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Greed is Good Isn't It?

If there's anything we've learned the past few months, it's that Gordon Gekko (aka Michael Douglas) had it wrong when he said "Greed is Good.". The real point, ladies and gentleman, is that smart regulation, competition, risk based pricing, open markets and access to capital are the basics for businesses to thrive responsibly.

What's been missing is smart regulation and risk based pricing within the credit markets, specifically the mortgage and home equity industry. The intent here is not to assign blame, although anyone who had their had in the cookie jar should be held accountable. After all, if we had risk based pricing, one could argue that the present delinquncy and default rates should have been forecasted appropriately by banking analysts.

So is it any real surprise that if such lax standards are witnessed in a highly regulated industry, like home mortgage, that other credit industries would fare worse? I'm no economist so if there's something I'm missing, do share.

President-Elect: Barack Obama

Victory is sweet...