![]() ![]() The same problem that launched the financial crisis - the housing mess - will also be a prime factor in our economic recovery, thanks to a lower housing costs and tighter credit regulation.The unemployment rates for recent recessions are lower than during earlier recessions.(Though admittedly, that's a dubious claim. The standards of living for "typical" Americans remain relatively high.Bad times seem worse than they really are these days because they occur much less frequently than in the past.Check out what economists and columnists Brian Wesbury and Bob Stein have to say (via James Pethokoukis' Capital Commerce blog) in "5 Reasons to be Bullish on the Economy." Their main points: With a little effort on our part, the ship is bound to right itself sooner or later, right? As my boss, Tom Hood, puts it: "They call them business cycles for a reason."īut you don't have to take my rose-colored word for it. I've spewed my share of cynicism about the state of the economy these days, but really, I'm optimistic about our financial future. Plus, it's scientifically proven to make others happy at the same time. It's easier than being miserable all the time, and it feels better, too. My point (other than being able to quote "Caddyshack" in a blog post) is that it pays to look on the bright side every now and then. You haul a set of golf clubs around Tibet and all you get for the effort is some spiritual mumbo jumbo. Talk about your power of positive thinking. ![]() "So we finish the 18th," Murray's character, "Carl," says, "and he's gonna stiff me! And I say, 'Hey, Lama, how about a little something, you know, for the effort?' And he says, 'Oh, there won't be any money, but when you die, on your deathbed, you will receive total consciousness.' So I've got that going for me. The movie had just started, and it wasn't long before Bill Murray was giving his classic soliloquy - the one about caddying for the Dalai Lama in Tibet. There won’t be a tip, but there will be total consciousness.My wife and I were channel-surfing recently when we came across "Caddyshack" (perhaps the greatest film ever made) on cable. I guess there’s a golf course there somewhere. It’s a beautiful countryside in the mountains. There’s a lot of bold color in the painting, the blues in the background kind of pop the reds and yellows in the foreground. It’s a great scene, especially the way he keeps poking the pitchfork into D’Annuzio’s neck and he’s frightened and trying not to laugh at the same time. There’s a lot of stories about Murray and how he ad-libbed most of his scenes, though I think this one was scripted. Spackler is wearing his groundskeeper clothes from the movie. He’s happy with the way he’s hitting the ball. He always looks happy in photographs and I captured that expression and his strong cheekbones. The black and white shoes are a nice touch to go with the Dalai Lama’s robes. I put the Lama in traditional golf shoes, I thought about putting him in these sandals with spikes they have now, but they didn’t have those back in the 80s and Caddyshack is from 1980. He whacks one with the driver Spackler gave him and Spackler is just amazed at how far he can hit a golf ball. ![]() The mountains in the background are the Himalayas and the Dalai Lama himself, “the flowing robes, the grace, bald … striking,’’ is teeing off. The painting is based on the monologue Bill Murray delivers as Carl Spackler in Caddyshack, where he’s holding a pitchfork and telling Tony D’Annuzio's brother about the time he got on as a looper (caddy) on a golf course in Tibet. ![]()
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