Philly Today: Bidenomics, Big Cats, and Why the Wall Street Journal Says You Need a Tattoo

Want to crowdfund? Get a tattoo! / Photograph by Matheus Ferrero

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My colleague Victor doesn’t do summer Fridays, so you’re stuck with me. Hey, are you an entrepreneur with a great idea for a start-up? You need to get a tattoo, says (of all folks) the Wall Street Journal. According to a new study in the Journal of Business Venturing Insights, entrepreneurs on the lookout for crowdfunding for their flashes of brilliance do better when they include pictures of people with tattoos in their marketing materials. Why? Hey, body art is art, and viewers perceive campaigns that employ it as a form of creativity. So ink up, you Zuckerberg wannabes!

Somebody in West Vincent Township bought a French maid’s outfit on the township credit card, per a meeting of the board of supervisors.

Time magazine has a cover story in its newest issue featuring a lengthy interview by Molly Ball with U.S. Senator John Fetterman in which he opens up about his stroke, his ensuing depression, and his recovery. I challenge you to read it without crying.

Joe Biden was in Philly yesterday (the man just loves our town!) to visit the shipyard and talk about Bidenomics and tip his hat to Governor Shapiro for the speedy reopening of I-95. He also joked about his new ad poking fun at Marjorie Taylor Greene, which he should, because she’s an idiot:

I approve this message. pic.twitter.com/f1q5giNM8j

— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) July 18, 2023

And if you thought the Bucks County bears were bad news, there’s a lion on the loose in Berlin, Germany. Grrrrr!

By the Numbers:

3: Number of titles Chadds Ford’s Martha King is hoping to snag in the U.S. STIHL Timbersports National Women’s Championship later this month. She won a world championship title in ‘lumberjilling” last year, too.

11: Months since Julie Ertz — you know, former Eagles tight end Zach’s wife — gave birth to her son Madden. She’s playing on the U.S. Women’s National Team in the World Cup anyway, per this Washington Post profile.

1: Big lovefest at Robert Indiana’s statue yesterday for actors supporting the SAG/AFTRA strike:

A moment between David Morse and fellow Philadelphian actor Brian Anthony Wilson, who appeared on Hack with Morse pic.twitter.com/7z30pjdcsQ

— Lizzy McLellan Ravitch (@LizzyMcLell) July 20, 2023

$6.05 billion: What Sixers owner Josh Harris will pay Dan Snyder (boo!) for the Washington Commanders; NFL team owners approved the sale yesterday. And nobody’s happier about it than Commanders fans.

And from the Still-Awake? Sports Desk …

Taijuan Walker was on the mound for the Phils in yesterday’s series closer with the Brewers, which came smack in the middle of the workday. Christian Yelich started the game with a single on the very first pitch, but Walker picked him off at first. After that initial single, Walker and Brewers starter Corbin Burnes each had 1-2-3 innings, but Andruw Monasterio led off the third with a double, Brice Turang walked, and Yelich homered everybody home.

After that, it was one long, sunny sleepfest. The Brewers tacked another on in the seventh on a couple of singles and a walk off reliever Andrew Vasquez — and if I were Taijuan Walker, I’d be pissed at the lack of offensive support. I’d show you highlights, but there weren’t any. Pfft.

Manager Rob Thomson did offer an explanation for that weird Harper at-bat we showed you yesterday:

Phillies manager Rob Thomson elaborated further this morning on Bryce Harper’s at bat last night vs the Brewers Hoby Milner. @KYWNewsradio pic.twitter.com/FUJ0FCcgD0

— Dave Uram (@MrUram) July 20, 2023

Well, sort of an explanation, I guess. You want your weekend roundup? Here it is. The Phils start a three-game away stand with the Cincinnati Guardians: today at 7:10, Saturday at 7:10, and Sunday at 1:40. And the Union play Club Tijuana at home in Subaru Stadium on Saturday at 8 p.m. in the group stage of the Leagues Cup, and we’re considered one of the stronger teams in the matchups. Doop …