Tweet nothing – a two-minutespeech ismorepresidential
Who sang the theme tune to Brush Strokes, one of my favourite sitcoms of the ’80s? – R.
It was Dexy’s Midnight Runners with their song, Because Of You.
It was released as a single in 1986, reaching No. 13.
Brush Strokes, starring Karl Howman, was on our screens for five series from 1986-91.
Karl played Jacko, a wise-cracking painter and decorator with an eye for the ladies. He was also Buster in Eastenders for almost 150 episodes. I know that Brendan Rodgers didn’t play senior football at all, but which Premiership manager has made most appearances? – T.
That would be Hibs manager Neil Lennon.
He made a total of 559 senior appearances – one for Manchester City, 147 for Crewe Alexandra, 170 for Leicester City, 214 for Celtic, 18 at Nottingham Forest and, finally, played nine times at Wycombe Wanderers.
afriend really doesn’t like President Trump, especially the way he Tweets all the time.
“The US has gone from Lincoln and his Gettysburg Address to this Tweeter in less than a century and a half,” he snorted while we had a beer in the pub last week.
I didn’t have the heart to tell him I didn’t know what the Gettysburg Address was, so can you tell me more, Queries Man? – B.
I think what your friend was driving at is that Trump’s Tweets – messages posted in 280 characters or less – such as: “Actually, throughout my life, my two greatest assets have been mental stability and being, like, really smart” can be rather silly.
However, Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address of 1863, known as one of the world’s greatest ever speeches, was just 272 words long.
The speech was delivered at the official dedication ceremony for the National Cemetery of Gettysburg in Pennsylvania, on the site of one of the bloodiest, most decisive battles of the American Civil War.
His carefully crafted address came to be seen as one of the greatest and most influential statements of American national purpose.
In just over two minutes Lincoln reiterated the principles of human equality espoused by the American Declaration of Independence and proclaimed the Civil War as a struggle that would bring true equality to all of its citizens.
There is only one photograph of Lincoln at Gettysburg and it’s thought that his speech was so brief, the photographers were caught unaware and failed to properly capture the historical moment. Is film star Van Johnson still with us? – L.
I’m afraid not. Van died in 2008, aged 92.
He is probably best known for his roles in such classics as The Caine Mutiny (with Humphrey Bogart), The Last Time I Saw Paris (with Elizabeth Taylor) and Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo (with Spencer Tracey).
“I’m the luckiest guy in the world,” he once said. “All my dreams came true. I was in a wonderful business, and I met great people all over the world.” It would be quite funny if the town of Leek was named after the vegetable, but I don’t suppose it is? – A.
It isn’t, I’m afraid. Leek could mean “a leaking brook” and may refer to the spring which flows from the wall below the town’s St Edwards Church.
Situated about 10 miles from Stoke-onTrent in Staffordshire, the market town of Leek was granted its royal charter in 1214.