Mark Cantrell's Blog, page 27

Culture: Consider the almost magical act of writing

Exhibition explores the history of a timeless invention Libraries across the country are sharing an exploration of a profound act we have long-since taken for granted – the act of jotting down our thoughts By Mark Cantrell STRANGE to think that in living memory, a manual typewriter has gone from being a workaday tool to […]

History: The bare bones of an elephant’s story

Don’t mention the pachyderm on the concourse… Commuters rushing through Manchester’s Piccadilly Station recently might have wondered why a Cyclopean skeleton was watching them from within its glass enclosure. Well, it was once an elephant called Maharajah and this is its story… By Mark Cantrell THE things we do as a species. Sometimes, the reminders […]

Society: Racism remains a huge problem in UK workplaces

Report lays bare a toxic culture blighting lives  A shocking report has found that the majority of ethnic minority workers have experienced racial harassment at work in the last five years, while others have been subjected to unfair treatment by their employer because of their race By Mark Cantrell RACISM remains a huge problem in […]

Heritage: Fiona came out of retirement for a steamy weekend

There’s life in the old girl yet A celebration of Britain’s industrial heritage saw a vintage steam engine fired up and raring to go, but as we delight in the ingenuity of these machines, we ought to consider retiring their climate heating descendants too… By Mark Cantrell BEFORE electricity, there was steam. The machines that […]

Health: The body clock is ticking so pick a good time to eat and be healthy

Researchers discover how eating feeds the body clock  You are what you eat, as the saying goes, but scientists have found a caveat – you are when you eat too. This has important implications for our health and wellbeing By Mark Cantrell THE lethargy of jet lag is a familiarity for many trippers hopping across […]

Culture: The world of comics is coming to Shropshire for a festival of storytelling art

Comics Salopia draws the talent If comics are your thing then Shrewsbury is the place to be come June, as a two-day festival celebrating the art of graphic storytelling kicks off By Mark Cantrell SOME of the comic world’s top artists will be converging on Shrewsbury next month for the Shropshire town’s very first international […]

Technology: Scientists are using drones to protect coffee crops from devastating blight

Don’t let our coffee go cold as dead Caffeine addicts take heart, a team of UK scientists are researching how to apply drone technology to prevent the spread of a fungal disease which devastates coffee crops By Mark Cantrell MANY a coffee lover is reliant on their morning restorative to boot up the brain ready […]

Film: Shed of the Dead offers tongue-in-cheek take on tales of the undead

Here’s something for the zombie lovers… British ‘zom com’ Shed of the Dead has its world première at the Sci-Fi-London Film Festival next month. After that, the movie will be shambling towards its audience on general release as a digital download By Mark Cantrell SOME may roll their eyes and moan at the impending release […]

History: Manchester’s Victorian slums rediscovered in forgotten maps

They reveal the geography of industrial revolution’s pitiless advance Lost maps of Manchester’s Victorian slums now rediscovered are a treasure trove for historians and anybody interested in the long struggle to tackle inequality and poverty… By Mark Cantrell THE slums of Manchester so shocked mill owner’s son, Friedrich Engels that he dedicated his life to […]

History: Flashback festival revives a piece of printing’s industrial heritage

Print’s charm goes on show at industrial museum A piece of Leeds’ printing history came out of retirement when a museum recently hosted a ‘word perfect’ new festival, but as much as it fondly remembered the past, it reminded that print isn’t dead just yet… By Mark Cantrell THERE was a time when the mass […]