Manchester
BEST CITY IN THE UK
Manchester, yet again, has been voted as the best city in the UK in which to live. This follows a rise in it’s ranking of world cities to number 43, still way above London which has to be, along with Paris, one of the most overrated cities in the world. Here’s an article on the subject.
FAMOUS MANCHESTER PEOPLE AND LANDMARKS
COMMUTERS IN ST. PETER’S SQUARE
WHO KNEW THAT MANCHESTER HAS A FLAG?
The castles represent each of the boroughs of Greater Manchester, all joined up into one area when Greater Manchester came into being in 1974. Most people still consider the county to be Lancashire and, even after 42 years, it is still looked upon as that rather than Greater Manchester.
As well as representing Bolton, Bury, Manchester, Oldham, Rochdale, Salford, Stockport, Tameside, Trafford, and Wigan, they also symbolise the urban area of Greater Manchester.
The red background represents the architectural heritage of the area from the late 19th and early 20th century. The red-brick symbolism also represents manpower, another nod to the industrial revolution and Cottonopolis of past.
The golden border, fringed and shaped like a castle battlement, is representative of unity, and the way the area works together for its future, as well as boldness and vigilance.
The flag currently flies outside Manchester Piccadilly railway station. However in June this year it was spotted by one eagle-eyed photographer flying upside down.
MANCHESTER ARENA
Manchester Arena is one of the largest and well used concert venues in Europe. It opened in 1995 and has a capacity of more than 20,000.
The £52m arena was named the second busiest arena in the world in 2011 after the 02 Arena in London and ahead of Madison Square Garden in New York.
The record for the fastest sell-out concert is held by Madonna, who sold all 13,400 tickets in less than a minute.
JOHN COOPER CLARKE
John Cooper Clarke (born 25 January 1949) is a Mancunian performance poet who first became famous during the punk rock era of the late 1970s when he became known as a “punk poet”. He released several albums in the late 1970s and early 1980s, and continues to perform regularly.
His recorded output has mainly centred on musical backing from the Invisible Girls, which featured Martin Hannett, Steve Hopkins, Pete Shelley, Bill Nelson, and Paul Burgess.
Here is a link to some of his poems.
MAX BEESLEY
Maxton Gig “Max” Beesley, Jr. (born 16 April 1971) is a Mancunian actor and musician. He is best known for his role as Charlie Edwards in the British television drama Hotel Babylon and has appeared in a variety of television shows such as Bodies, an adaptation of The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling, London Ink, Survivors, Mad Dogs, Suits, Ordinary Lies and Jamestown
ADOPTED MANCUNIANS (SOME JUST FORGOT TO GO HOME)
COMMENTS FROM ONE GREAT ABOUT ANOTHER
17 INTERESTING THINGS YOU PROBABLY DIDN’T KNOW ABOUT MANCHESTER
TONY WALSH’S EXCELLENT POEM CAPTURES HOW MANCUNIANS REACT TO ADVERSITY AND TERROR AS WELL AS OFFERING A SMALL HISTORY LESSON
THE “MEMORIAL” ON THE KOFFEE POT IN THE NORTHERN QUARTER
The artwork consists of 22 Bees, a symbol of the industry with which Manchester is associated and each one represents a life taken at the MEN Arena on May 22nd, 2017
and finally,
HERE’S AN AMERICAN VIEW OF MANCHESTER FROM THE NEW YORK POST’S DAVID WHITLEY
WHY SAY ANYTHING? 