Watch…..Manchester Film Co-op and Manchester Open Rights Group are screening The Real Social Network, a film about the new generation of protest. Between the first UK student protests in November 2010 and the global uprising in the spring of 2011, a new radicalism, fuelled by modern technology, has hit the streets. Can the Twitter generation build up alliances with all sections of society? Can a movement that has no basis in communities such as Ordsall and Openshaw in Salford and Manchester really be the next big challenge in this country? Join the debate on Tuesday 23rd of October @ 19:45pm.On The Eighth Day Cafe, 111 Oxford Road, Manchester, M1 7DU.Admission: £3 waged, £2 unwaged/student.
The Real Social Network captures the passion, the anger and the technology that has forever changed the game between those in power and us.
More info and trailer:
Listen…to one of my heroes Selma James who is on a book tour publicising her new anthology Sex, Race and Class – The Perspective of Winning. . She addresses the power relations within the working class movement, and how to organise despite and against these power relations, South and North – including drawing on the experience of Occupy in London and the US in which the Global Womens Strike has been active.
For more information see
Look... On Thursday 26 April 1986 the explosion at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in the Soviet Union was one of the most significant reactor failures in the history of nuclear power. More than 200 people died or were seriously injured by radiation exposure immediately after the explosion. 161,000 people had to be evacuated from a 30 kilometer radius of the reactor and 25,000 square km of land were contaminated. As time went on millions of people suffered radiation related health problems such as leukemia and thyroid cancer and around 4,000 people have died as a result of the long-term effects of the accident.
Jane and Louise Wilson’s exhibition at the Whitworth Art Gallery features their new film Toxic Camera, and photographs from the local town of Pripyat which was next to the Chernobyl reactor. Also showing is the Soviet filmmaker Vladimir Shevchenko’s film Chernobyl; A Chronicle of Difficult Weeks. He was given access to the nuclear reactor site just a few days after the explosion and the film is a fascinating insight to the devastation of the explosion but more importantly the heroism of the 500,000 people, mainly volunteers who over six months battled (and that is definitely the word) to stop a second explosion. Jane and Louise’s narrative includes the story of Vladimir’s camera which became so radioactive that it had to buried on the outskirts of Kiev. Vladimir and his editor also became victims of Chernobyl and died shortly after the film was made. For more details of the exhibition see
Support local book shops………. Books on the Park 749 Ecclesall Rd SHEFFIELD South Yorkshire S11 8TG map tel: 0114 266 6364 Open: Monday – Saturday 10.00 – 6.00, Sunday 11.00 – 4.00.
Books on the Park moved to new, larger, premises in February 2012. They have books on: art, design architecture, fiction, graphic novels, poetry, literary critism, philosophy, religion, mythology and lore, history and politics, transport, cookery, children’s, Folio Society , natural history, local, (including walking guides), languages, science, maths, psychology, sociology and cultural studies, education, music (inc. sheet music, CDs and vinyl), humour and antiquarian.
Oppose the victimisation …….of trade union representatives at Manchester Metropolitan University. Christine Vie and now Ian Parker. Sign the petition here Messages of protest are being sent to the Vice-Chancellor John Brooks (john.brooks@mmu.ac.uk) These messages are being copied as messages of solidarity to the MMU UCU chair Pura Ariza (p.ariza@mmu.ac.uk) and vice-chair Christine Vié (c.vie@mmu.ac.uk). See .
Go to…… Liverpool Against The Cuts and Manchester Coalition Against The Cuts are jointly hosting a Conference to look at the Cuts agenda being pursued by the Coalition government. The Conference will be held in Liverpool on 10thNovember. The Conference plans to bring together many groups such as trade unions, various anti cuts groups, charities and other interested parties to look at the cuts and help form a cohesive response going forward.
There are many activists working hard and giving up a lot of their time within the resistance to cuts across the country. Their work is invaluable but to hold a Conference like this means one more thing – money!!! Funds are needed to cover the normal costs of a Conference such as travel, food, printing etc etc. Please send contributions to Michelle Smith c/o Unite The Union, Jack Jones House, Islington, L3 8EF (cheques to be made payable to Liverpool Against the Cuts). To reserve a seat at the conference: coalitionagainstcuts@gmail.com
Support local libraries……….A partnership between Bilbary and Kensal Rise Library is now active. This groundbreaking collaboration will promote and encourage reading by providing access to over 300,000 e-books available via e-readers, computers, tablets and smart phones. Bilbary is an online e-book service, set up by Tim Coates, former MD of Waterstones, (and respected library campaigner and advocate) is already running in the USA and will now operate through Kensal Rise Library in the UK. 50% of revenues raised through the website will go to the library. As an alternative to Amazon you can now buy their books through Bilbary and support libraries at the same time Just click on the e-books button or Bilbary.com logo on the website http://www.savekensalriselibrary.org/ to order your books.
