THOUGHT - The Curse of Billy Penn: an open letter to Mayor Nutter of Philly

[Emailed to HelpMe@Phila.gov on 29 October 2008]

Dear Mayor Nutter,

I am quite sure you are as proud as any of us that our own Phillies have pulled off what we’ve all thought to be the impossible. The curse is lifted! While this may sound a bit loony, I can’t help but think of how fun it would be to require a statue of Billy Penn on top of the city’s highest building. It would surely be an interesting tourist gimmick: a play on the athletic superstitions that surround any city.

Of course, I don’t see this as a requirement that every building in the city be fitted with a statue. Perhaps just a single statue that gets transferred to the new tallest building of the city. Or, owing to the city’s clear love of Ben Franklin – seeing as quite nearly everything bears his name – I can’t say I’d be terribly against a city chock full of William Penn statues along its skyline.

I know it may sound campy, but it’s my opinion that little cultural twists such as this are what make a city worth its name! Thank you for your time and congratulations to the city for this night’s historic achievement!

Andrew Bossi


[UPDATE 9 Feb 2009 - ...I never received a response]

THOUGHT - I am Joe the Plumber

Woman #1 - "I am Joe the Plumber."
Woman #2 - "I am Joe the Plumber."
Woman #3 - "I am Joe the Plumber."

Narrator - "John McCain supports identity theft, because sometimes don't you wish *you* were somebody else?"

THOUGHT - What's my age again?

The new Mastercard ad...

1st base - $58
2nd base - 670 pesos
3rd base - 650000 yen
Home ... priceless!

...If you don't get it, you're a good person.

POLITICS - The best in reality TV

I like this reality show called "the News". It's exciting to see each day's plot twists: what countries will ally, which will feud, which will bicker over who gets to use eachother's perfume or jockstrap or oil, which will sleep with the other's best friend, etc.

Recently there's been this spin-off show where they've been concentrating on this one country. Apparently their current leader can't remain leader... I don't quite get the rules, but that seems to be what's happening. There are these two people who I think are trying to become leader, but I can't seem to follow the plot very well.

I kind of miss the old shows before this spinoff plot; the old ones had a lot more action. These new shows could have so much more, except all they do is talk and talk and talk... but without any apparent plot, it doesn't really seem to make all that much sense. I think they need new writers?

They need to throw in a fist-fight or something... I mean, there seems to be all this tension between that token black guy and the white guy with big cheeks; I think they're just building up to the fisticuffs moment. I used to like that other guy that used to yell a lot, but in last week's episode they seemed to change his character.

Then there's Tina Fey's female character -- I think she's supposed to be one of the townspeople from Northern Exposure. I kind of like that character: she's funny in a ditzy sort of way & cute, but they keep talking about the moose and yet I never get to see it. The moose was my favorite part of that show.

Well I keep hoping this spin-off will get better, but personally I'm looking forward to when it goes back to its normal plot... it really left me at a cliffhanger with that one really big guy trying to teach the little guy how to fight, except the big guy was angry that the little guy wasn't any good at it -- so he beat up the little guy to try and teach him faster. The show kind of ended right after that... is that little guy OK??