Making Allies

1. Obama Visit - We've just had the American Presidental Candidate Barack Obama visit UK as part of his European tour. To be honest it was quite low key in Britain but apparently in Germany he was given an heroes welcome with the newspapers comparing him to JFK. To be fair to him his speeches were good but I still find him very false, only time will prove me right or wrong.
While over here he had meetings with both the Prime Minister Gordon Brown & Leader of the opposition David Cameron, obviously keeping on the good side of both sides.

2. Night Out - Me and my mate Mark went for a night out around York last night visited a few Pubs, started in "The Terrace" which is a Sports Bar, then on to "The Stone Roses" which is freat for music, they only play British groups. After that we passed a few Pubs cos they were queing to get in as it was really busy as the Races had been on.
The next stop was "The Parish" which is a converted Church really adds charactor to the place. We then went to "The Corner Pin" a small local type Pub before ending the night in "Flares" which is a 70's theme Pub, I like it cos they play all the music I grew up with.
It was quite funny in the Taxi rank, three blokes tried to push in and a girl in front of me had a real go at them and put them in their place.

3. Footie Season - I'm getting excited as its only a couple of weeks to the start of the Football season. Leeds have been having a few pre-season games and are so far unbeaten with 3 wins and 2 draws. To be honest I never read too much into these games its just a case of getting the players fit, last year we didn't win one but when the real stuff started we won our first 7 games.
I haven't been able to go to any of these games but I'm hoping to go to Elland Road next saturday, they are playing a Dutch team should be good.
We've a few new signings, Andy Robinson from Swansea should be good, also big Enoch Showumni will give the team more options. We've also signed a really promising Scottish under 21 international Robert Snodgrass from Livingstone. We have a couple of other young strikers on trial Marcus Haber who is Canadian but more interesting is Argentinian Lucciano Becchio who scored 28 goals in 50 matches in the Spanish 2nd division.

Hopfully this will be the season we turn things around and start heading back to the top the debt is all gone, no 15 points reduction the fans beleive this is going to be our season. Obviously last year ended in defeat in the play off final to Doncaster but I hope the dissapointment will soon be forgotten. The fans are certainly rallying as they always do, seasonticket sales are up from last year when we smashed a lot of attendance records for the 3rd flight of English soccer. As shown below the turn out for the long trip to wembley was phenominal an estimated 55,000 Leeds fans made the journey to London which apparently the third biggest single Club support in the National stadiums history only beaten by Arsenal when they played a home European tie there and Liverpool for a champions league final.

The photo below shows the fans on wembley way before the match Leeds fans to the right & Doncaster to the left, think we outnumbered them a little.

4. Sitcom moment - For todays Sitcom I'm choosing another classic "Dads Army"
A comedy involving an all male (and predominantly elderly) ensemble with major worldwide catastrophe as its backdrop would get laughed out of any current BBC commissioner's office.
Yet Dad's Army lasted longer than the war itself and is a timeless, oft-repeated jewel in the BBC's crown.
Jimmy Perry was acting in the David Croft produced sitcom Hugh and I when he suggested the idea of a sitcom (in which he'd cannily earmarked himself for a role) concerning those men who volunteered to be the last line of defence should the Germans invade.
Croft was impressed, and despite BBC misgivings that it may be disrespectful to the Home Guard, a series was commissioned. Their fears were unfounded, as there was nothing more palpable in Dad's Army than the affection the programme makers had for the characters.
For all their flaws, these men, we could rest assured, would give their lives to defend Great Britain.
Based in the fictional seaside town of Walmington-On-Sea, the series used its setting for a sublime mix of character comedy and lunatic, slapstick escapades.
Social mores are no more acute than in difficult times, and Dad's Army was brilliant at exposing the flaws and anxieties of British society.
Central to the show was a triumvirate of brilliant comedy characters.
Captain Mainwaring was a jumped up, pompous, aspirational bank manager, reveling in the status accorded to him by his newfound rank.
Sergeant Wilson was a far more laid back figure whose urbane insouciance aggravated his superior in the extreme. Corporal Jones was the local butcher, a dotty old man prone to overreaction.
The contrast between Lowe's excellent posturing (and the ability to fall down behind a table and instantly reappear with his glasses skew-whiff), Le Mesurier's measured, laissez-faire delivery and Dunn's dedicated clowning ensured each character a place in comedy history.
It's a testament to the scripts that the platoon boasted illustrious actors in its ranks: admired Shakespearian Laurie was suitably apocalyptic as the cantankerous and pessimistic undertaker Frazer; noted playwright Ridley made the incontinent Godfrey; instantly loveable younger members Beck as the wily spiv Walker (the part Perry had written for himself before Croft talked him out of it) and Lavender as naïve mother's boy Pike were spot on.
Despite the backdrop of conflict, most of the platoon's problems were home grown, notably from jobsworth ARP warden Hodges (Pertwee, usually called upon to fall in a river and seethe with frustration) and the vicar and his verger.
Croft and Perry seemed to cover all comedy bases in a single episode: there were high levels of farce mixed in with brilliantly, subtly observed characters and catchphrases galore ("Stupid boy", "Don't panic!", "We're doomed" and "D'you think that's wise sir?").
Out of one of the gravest moments in this country's history, Croft, Perry and their peerless cast produced one of the most celebratory but least mawkish comedies of all time.
As long as there are fans of comedy, there will be fans of the Dad's Army.

Here's a three clips telling the story :-