Rates first…Prime interest rate remains stable and recent Fixed Rate decreases have seen our lowest 5 Year Fixed Rate down to 3.45%. Some “Experts” are now predicting that we could even see further declines in interest rates.
Now with interest rates out of the way, HAVE YOU THOUGHT ABOUT…your involvement in your local cultural activities?
What IS the connection with business and the arts? Our firm has recently become involved with the Kamloops Symphony Orchestra with one of our staff as a member of the Board. We’re slowly acquiring a greater appreciation for the role of Orchestral and Classical Arts in our community. Why? Perhaps the quotes of some interesting people can explain..
- “It is in Apple’s DNA that technology alone is not enough—it’s technology married with liberal arts, married with the humanities, that yields us the results that make our heart sing.”
–Steve Jobs, in introducing the iPad 2 in 2011 - “In my own philanthropy and business endeavors, I have seen the critical role that the arts play in stimulating creativity and in developing vital communities….the arts have a crucial impact on our economy and are an important catalyst for learning, discovery, and achievement in our country.”
–Paul G. Allen, Co-Founder, Microsoft - “We need people who think with the creative side of their brains—people who have played in a band, who have painted…it enhances symbiotic thinking capabilities, not always thinking in the same paradigm, learning how to kick-start a new idea, or how to get a job done better, less expensively.”
–Annette Byrd, GlaxoSmithKline - “Arts education aids students in skills needed in the workplace: flexibility, the ability to solve problems and communicate, the ability to learn new skills, to be creative and innovative, and to strive for excellence.”
–Joseph M. Calahan, Director of Corporate Communications, Xerox Corporation