So South Africa represents once again in World Baseball Classic.  I actually caught the team during Spring Training the first time round in 2006.  A special thanks to Alex Cox who was on hand this year to catch them  square off at Oakland’s Spring Training grounds in Mesa, AZ:

South Africa Baseball Team vs Oakland A’s

Go A’s – Go South Africa!!

Concerning the tough road ahead, the stock market on Tuesday dropped to the lowest it’s been since the ‘so called bottom’ of the marktet on November 20, 2008.  I fell it pretty safe to assume, that the country has yet not reached the bottom, but with inauguration of the new president, I can only hope that we are near the nadir of this depression.  The last 4-8 years have clearly shown that our economic policies did not combat the evils of greed and in a large part corporate America.

A wise old friend’s father once reminded me that, similar to just about everything else, the real estate market is cyclical and what goes up must come down.  Now it seems difficult for me to understand how everyone couldn’t see this happening, but the bubble burst and many were burned.  The real estate market may have been the trigger that resulted in the current state of depression in the United States, and to a larger part the whole world, but it was by no means the impetus that resulted in the dire straights the country is currently experiencing.  Big Insurance, Big Finance, and Big Banking can all join hands amongst many other under scrutinized areas of todays economy and all share the blame at hand.

Now, back to the one person who has been asked to rectify this situation: Obama.  It would be completely ignorant to think that one man can change the world, but some expect him to do just that:  save their world.  I believe Obama hit some key points in his Inauguration Speech, that the solution didn’t rest on him or even the government, but every individual living in this country.

I would also be amiss if I didn’t publish in this post a couple of his most salient remarks,  surely several of many, many more to come – nice deviations from the norm people complacently accepted from George Bush.

Concerning Religious Views and the Economy:
“For we know that our patchwork heritage is a strength, not a weakness. We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus, and non believers.  We are shaped by every language and culture, drawn from every end of this Earth, and because we have tasted the bitter swill of civil war and segregation, and emerged from that dark chapter stronger and more united, we cannot help but believe that the old hatreds shall someday pass, that the lines of tribes shall soon dissolve, that as the world grows smaller, our common humanity shall reveal itself, and that American must plan its role in ushering in a new era of peace.”

He later explains that his term will be defined by peace and cooperation, whether Muslim or Conservative, such a fresh world view as opposed to what’s been driven in our heads in recent years.  Its seems Obama won’t prey on fear and anxiety, but on goodwill and hope.

Historical Reference to a Better G.W.:
A second quote, invoking the words of George Washington at Valley Forge, “So let us mark this day with remembrance, of who we are and how we far we have traveled.  In the year of America’s birth, in the coldest of months, a small band of patriots huddled by dying campfires on the shores of an icy river.  The capital was abandoned. The enemy was advancing. The snow was  stained with blood.  At a moment when the outcome of our revolution was most in doubt, the father of our nation ordered these words be read to the people: ‘Let it be told to the future world…that in the depth of winter, when nothing but hope and virtue could survive…that the city and the country, alarmed at one common danger, came forth to meet it.

“With hope and virtue, let us brave once more the icy currents, and endure what storms may come.  Let it be said by our children’s children that when we were tested we refused to let this journey end, that we did not turn back, nor did we falter, and…we carried forth that great gift of freedom and delivered it safely to future generations.”

This sounds like great words from a great man.  Let’s hope the country can rise to the challenge to help prove these words true.

Once again my boy Scott McCain recommended a book to me, and once again his recommendation was pure: The Wind-Up Bird Chronicles by Haruki Murakami. About a 1/4 of the way through the novel, I came across a great quote, which applies to both business and life in general:

“Maybe he really did have a ‘magic touch’, but he also had a talent for finding capable people to work for him. He paid them high salaries and treated them well, and they in turn worked hard for him. ‘When I know I’ve got the right guy, I put a wad of bills in his hand and let him do his thing, he once told me. ‘You’ve go to spend your money for the things that money can buy, not worry about profit or loss. Save your energy for the things that money can’t buy.’”

I believe the author really hits the hammer on the nail with this one, and any business professional can apply this to their trade. Also, this quote seems to have a more empirical meaning when applied to every-day-life. One really should focus his or her energy on the things that money can’t buy, and trust money to life’s unavoidable expenses, things that are not entirely meaningful in one’s existence. The meaningful things (eg. happiness, love, fulfillment) can only be obtained through energy, struggle and ultimately an uncompromising pursuit of one’s personal satisfaction in the life they lead.