In Simon Weisenthal's book, "Sails of Hope, " he argues that Columbus' voyage was motivated by a desire to find a safe haven for the Jews in light of their expulsion from Spain.

CNN: Was Columbus secretly a Jew?

Joe Weisenthal at Business Insider raises the possibility that Bernanke is being strategic here: even if he is more optimistic than he makes out in the speech, he still wants to signal that the Fed is not about to take its foot off the gas.

FORBES: Bernanke: Still Cautious on the Economy

Nor can I buy the argument, made here by Joe Weisenthal, that the abandonment of gold equates to a new expression of faith by investors that central bankers and policy makers have more or less fixed our economic problems and that its better to be in stocks, not rocks.

FORBES: Gold Inches Up As Goldbugs Seek Reasons For Historic Rout