Author: G.I. Joe

Knowing is half the battle.
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Tony: The Movie

Title: Tony DeMelo: The Fixer

Genre: Comedy / Drama
Tagline: “In a city full of problems, he’s the guy who patches them up—mostly.”

Opening Scene

(City Streets – Early Morning)
The camera follows Tony DeMelo, a gruff but good-natured city worker in his late 40s, as he strolls into the bustling city public works depot. He’s wearing a hard hat, a reflective vest, and a scowl that somehow manages to look endearing.

He stops by the coffee machine, where his co-worker, Sal, is struggling with a jammed cup dispenser.

SAL: “This thing’s been broken for months. City budget cuts, am I right?”
TONY: “Step aside, rookie.”

Tony smacks the machine just right, and it spits out a cup.

TONY: “There. Fixed it. Now, let’s go break something else.”

Tony’s boss, Angela, a no-nonsense operations manager, bursts in with a clipboard.

ANGELA: “DeMelo, we’ve got three potholes, a busted water main, and a graffiti problem. Think you can handle it?”
TONY: “Handle it? I’m Tony DeMelo. I fix things.”

Act 1: Introducing Tony and the Team

Tony is a seasoned city worker who knows every crack, pipe, and shortcut in the city. His crew includes:

  • Sal, an overeager rookie desperate to prove himself.
  • Maria, a tough-as-nails backhoe operator who keeps Tony in line.
  • Eddie, a conspiracy theorist electrician who thinks the city is plotting against them.

Tony takes Sal under his wing, showing him the ropes while grumbling about the “good old days” when things weren’t so bureaucratic.

TONY: “Back then, you didn’t need five forms to fix a lightbulb. You just climbed the pole and did it!”

Act 2: The Problem Nobody Wants to Fix

Angela assigns Tony’s crew the city’s worst project: an old, abandoned subway tunnel that’s been flooding for years.

ANGELA: “No one’s touched it in decades. It’s a mess, it’s dangerous, and it’s over budget. But the mayor wants it done yesterday.”

Tony reluctantly accepts, knowing it’s a political move to make him quit. The team heads into the tunnel, only to discover a labyrinth of broken pipes, rusted beams, and suspiciously large rats.

SAL: “Are those… mutant rats?”
TONY: “Nah. Just regular city rats. They’re tougher than mutant ones.”

Act 3: The Stakes Get Higher

As they dig deeper, the team discovers that the flooding isn’t from old pipes—it’s from a hidden river rerouted decades ago by corrupt officials. Fixing it would expose decades of mismanagement.

Tony confronts Angela, who warns him to back off.

ANGELA: “Just patch it up and move on, DeMelo. You’re not a hero.”
TONY: “No, but I’m a city worker. And this city deserves better.”

Meanwhile, Tony’s team bonds over late nights and shared frustrations. Sal gains confidence, Maria opens up about her dreams, and Eddie connects the flooding to one of his wild conspiracies—which turns out to be partially true.

Act 4: The Big Fix

Tony devises a plan to reroute the river back to its original path, but it requires shutting down half the city’s power grid and working around the clock. Angela tries to stop him, but the mayor intervenes after a local news story highlights Tony’s dedication.

The climax is a chaotic but inspiring sequence of teamwork:

  • Maria operates heavy machinery like a maestro.
  • Eddie improvises electrical fixes under pressure.
  • Sal saves the day when a support beam collapses, finally earning Tony’s respect.

As the water flows into the new channel, the city avoids a major disaster.

Act 5: Recognition

The tunnel project becomes a symbol of civic pride, and Tony’s crew is hailed as local heroes. At a press conference, the mayor awards them certificates of commendation, but Tony brushes it off.

MAYOR: “Anything you’d like to say to the city, Mr. DeMelo?”
TONY:
“Yeah. Fix your coffee machines. And maybe give us a raise.”

The crowd laughs and cheers.

Epilogue

(City Depot – Morning)
Life goes back to normal. Tony and his crew prepare for another day, this time fixing a massive pothole that’s gone viral online.

SAL: “Think we’ll ever get an easy job?”
TONY: “Easy? In this city? Kid, we’re lucky if we get coffee.”

The camera pans out as they load up their truck, ready to tackle the city’s next big mess.

Closing Credits

The credits roll over a montage of real-life city workers repairing roads, cleaning graffiti, and operating heavy machinery, set to a working-class anthem like Bruce Springsteen’s “Working on the Highway.”

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The Coconut Religion

The term “coconut religion” can refer to different things depending on the context, but most notably, it relates to a specific cult in Vietnam.

Coconut Religion (Đạo Dừa):

The Coconut Religion, also known as the Coconut Monk’s Religion, was founded by Nguyễn Thành Nam (often referred to as the Coconut Monk) in the 1960s in Vietnam. Here are some key points about this unique religious movement:

  • Founder: Nguyễn Thành Nam, known as the Coconut Monk, who claimed to have spiritual visions and adopted a lifestyle centered around consuming coconuts. He lived on an island in the Mekong Delta and claimed to survive solely on coconuts and coconut milk for many years.
  • Beliefs: The Coconut Religion was a syncretic belief system combining elements of Buddhism, Christianity, and indigenous Vietnamese spiritual beliefs. It emphasized peace, love, and unity, promoting an end to the Vietnam War and advocating for harmony among different religions and peoples.
  • Practices: Followers of the Coconut Religion engaged in various rituals and ceremonies, often centered around the use of coconuts, which were considered sacred. Nguyễn Thành Nam’s island, Con Phung (Phoenix Island), became a pilgrimage site where followers would gather to hear his teachings and participate in religious activities.
  • Symbolism: The coconut was symbolic in this religion, representing purity, simplicity, and sustenance. The Coconut Monk used the coconut as a central element of his spiritual practice and teachings.
  • Legacy: While the movement gained a number of followers during its peak, it was seen as eccentric and was suppressed by the South Vietnamese government. After the end of the Vietnam War, the movement declined significantly, but it remains a fascinating example of Vietnam’s rich tapestry of religious and spiritual traditions.

Modern Usage:

In more casual or metaphorical use, “coconut religion” could be used to describe any unusual or unconventional spiritual practices centered around natural elements, though this usage is less common and often not tied to any specific organized movement.

The Coconut Religion is an intriguing part of Vietnam’s religious history, showcasing the diversity and syncretism that characterize many spiritual movements around the world.