Is the tide turning? #ManchesterAngels

After Gary Neville's kindhearted agreement to the homeless using his Stock Exchange building over the winter, reported on Sunday locally, nationally and globally, yesterday some MMU (Manchester Metropolitan University) students showed their support for the homeless too. They were preparing placards and banners at All Saints Park and shaming those executives  at MMU who decided to bully and try and evict the homeless at the Ark, on a wasteland under Mancunian Way by MMU.

These positive actions will make those at Manchester City Council,, GM Police, MMU etc. who make such poor choices re: the treatment of the homeless camps look at things in a new, enlightened light hopefully.

I had a run in with some MMU security staff last Friday morning. About 20 of them were erecting yet more steel fences around the pavement trying to exclude the homeless. I urged them to show some compassion and to see the bigger picture... Maybe they too will be thinking differently today...

Taking part in Our World Tuesday.

Monday Mural: Brazil #WeAreBrasil #CityDailyPhoto

They may claim to be Brasil but Rio de Janeiro it isn't. At the Corn Exchange in Manchester a wide range of restaurants have opened- I have yet to explore them but Indian Mowgli with its veggie and vegan fare sound the best by far. A shame they all seem to be chains which means I won't be visiting very often anyway- I prefer independents,

The Vietnamese Pho is not authentic according to friends of a friend from Vancouver who eat regularly in Canada's Vietnamese street food places.

I hope that this Brazilian place offers the food I remember from my travels in Brazil, along the rice and beans and healthy options line, rather then the bloody hunks of meat that the other three Brazilian restaurants I know of in Manchester seem to serve up...

Monday Mural.

Weekend Reflections: Red front and back

Another reflective moment on the Trent and Mersey canal. More Weekend Reflections.

People's Assembly #TakeBackMcr ? We took back Manchester!

Photo by MrPearseyNick (Twitter @NickPearseActor)

Photo by Sup8rdan

These are simply two of the greatest Manchester photos I have ever seen. They were taken by two Instagram friends at the 100,000 strong anti-Tory, anti-austerity demo two Sundays ago. #TakeBackMcr was the hashtag for the week of events, gigs, rallies and demos and we did take the city back from the vicious vile and unwanted Tories.

 As Maxine Peake said about the Tories staging their annual conference here - 

How dare they come to our city, a city annihilated by their cuts?

Among the many wonderful and innovative students and demos, my fave was possibly the anti-third runway at Heathrow group who, in the middle of the night outside the Midland Hotel where the over privileged delegates were staying, played the sounds of planes taking off at them.

Organised by the wonderful People's Assembly (which I now attend - join us!), this umbrella organisation is an inspirational group of left leaning individual groups who are fighting back against the right wing extremism of the Tory government, their tax avoiding establishment pals and their right wing contacts in the media. We shall overcome and we shall overthrow this racist, out of touch government who damage the environment, inflict cuts on the most vulnerable, while giving yet more money to the already over wealthy.

Dutton Lock locks in for the long haul

Away from the mostly devoid of green and nature city out on the Cheshire Ring Canal network, the season moves on... Depressing.

Big Brother is watching you #1984 at the Palace

I really like the idea of Orwell's 1984 performed at a ballet. It's on at the Pal;ace Theatre (14-17 October) but it's hard to find the time. I was at the People's Assembly on Tuesday, had a great catch up with a friend at Common on Wednesday night (Sue, the Sign Siren - what a great title!), a veggie chilli with my son tonight and a raw vegan meeting after work tomorrow with a speaker from New York City. 

Saturday is the Northern Vegan Show then I'm seeing the James Taylor Quartet at Band On the Wall. I want to fit in some more events at the Manchester Literature Festival too. So I'm not sure how I can squeeze 1984 in- funny how it's just like how the real 1984 was for me as a youth in London- very busy socially, so no complaints. I will check the box office for any cheap tickets or returns on the Friday evening show as that's my best bet. If it's too expensive my dilemma is solved!

ABC Wednesday: "N" is for Nuclear bunker... #Trabant

Now ABC Wednesday necessitates nothing less than an "N". A scary "N" for a nuclear bunker- Hack Green "secret" nuclear bunker in Cheshire. And here is the world's last military / police Trabant from the DDR (East Germany)- how time has changed since the cold war. It even has its own Instagram account (Militarstreife Trabant).

The bunker was a sinister secret once upon a time but is now open to the public. For more information you can read an article I wrote for Radio Active magazine back in 2003. I was there again for the first time since last Sunday to share a stand with a friend who was selling military surplus clothing and boots. I was selling some vintage radios and offshore magazines, badges etc. but, as I suspected, it was the wrong market for me. Still good fun though although very intimidating to see so many military people about actually selling rifles etc. The radio amateur people selling communications receivers and accessories were more reassuring though. 

Coop fire

A big fire at the Coop CWS building near Shudehill yesterday evening, The seven storey building is undergoing renovations and no-one was injured in the fire.

Monday Mural: The past of Manchester and St Petersburg

Monday Mural and in the summer I visited the Photographers' Gallery in London to see views of 1960s' Manchester. This was an exhibition of photos taken by Shirley Baker as many parts of the poorest areas of the city were demolished and regenerated. 

While in the twin city of St Petersburg this mural had been recreated to typify the Socialist Realism school, which commenced in the 1930s. Seen in Septmber at the State Museum of Russian Political History.

Weekend in Black and White: Sleeping on Deansgate

No, this isn't an umbrella seller but it's a way of keeping protected from the elements if you are homeless. Two people call this doorway home and are buried beneath blankets and bags in here. It's 2015 yet the right to basic amenities is something not to be taken for granted in this so called democracy. Trying to spread the word via the Weekend in Black and White.