Nothing wrong with a little humor now and then

Even Federal Reserve Board chairman cannot resist cracking a joke at the right moment. He was speaking at the Harvard graduation exercises yesterday, and this is how he ended his speech:

Bernanke recalled that the speaker at his own Harvard Class Day in 1975 was a sharp-edged humorist and civil rights activist, Dick Gregory. Not so this year. "Central bankers don't do satire as a rule," he offered.

And, having noted that past speakers have included the over-the-top fictional character Ali G, the Fed chairman said: "Let me now turn to the other economic challenge that I want to highlight today -- the productivity performance of our economy. At this point you may be saying to yourself, 'Is it too late to book Ali G?' "