Today, Monday 10th March 2008, workers from Bristol and South Gloucestershire Housing Aid Centre’s, and their supporters, will be holding a picket line/protest 12pm-2pm outside Shelter’s regional office – 1 York Court, Wilder Street, St Pauls, Bristol BS2
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Due to pay disputes between the Bath Bomb editorial collective and radical splinter group the Real Bath Bomb editorial collective, there has been an unavoidable delay in production of #7. Our swish PR department apologise profusely, and wish to assure our customers that the next edition will probably be marginally less late... read full story / add a comment

Whoever hides behind the name ‘Bristol Blogger’ seems to have joined David Cameron in wanting Bristolians not to hear Ibrahim Moussawi – the editor of Al Intiqad, newspaper of Hezbollah. Nationally, the Stop The War Coalition has issued the statement below. Come to the meeting on Friday evening to hear him yourself, along with Hassan Jumaa, President of the Iraqi Oil Workers’ Union

See http://bristol.indymedia.org/article/687947 for details of the meeting
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BRISTOL LATIN AMERICAN FORUM
Saturday 1st of March 2008

Latin America is in a crucial stage of transition. Right now, history is unfolding before our eyes with dynamic movements changing the face of the continent. The Bristol Latin American Forum, which is now in its third consecutive year, invites you to explore these current issues in a stimulating political and cultural event. The day will feature an opening panel of distinguished speakers followed by workshops focusing on a range of Latin American topics, from neo-liberalism and struggles for liberation to film and literature. This year the Venezuelan Consular to the UK, Alvaro Sanchez, will speak and also run a workshop on The Revolution In Venezuela. There will be film, music and food. The forum will be held from 10am - 6pm on Saturday, 1st of March 2008 at the Department of Hispanic, Portuguese & Latin American Studies, University of Bristol, 15 Woodland Road, Bristol BS8 (entry at the rear of No. 21), hosted by Dr Matthew Brown. Entry is free (donations welcome), but note there are only 100 places for the day event, so arrive early. Now is your chance to get informed and get involved.

Speakers:

• ALVARO SANCHEZ – Venezuelan Consular to the UK & Ireland.
• AMANCAY COLQUE - Bolivia Solidarity Campaign Co-ordinator.
• ANDY HIGGINBOTTOM - Editor of Frontline Latin America.

Workshops on:

• The links between music and politics: live performances by LA musicians.
• Capoeira - an expression of Afro-Brazilian resistance culture.
• Climate change in Latin America: palm-oil and bio-fuels.
• Continuing repression in Colombia, and more.

Lunch will be provided by the Kebele Social Centre. Cinema Klandestino at the Forum will show film made in and/or about Latin America all day long.

After-Party:

Pachanga Sudaka present an evening of live Latin music at Kuumba Arts & Community Resource, 20-23 Hepburn Road, off Stokes Croft, Bristol BS6, with live acts as follows:

• ORQUESTA MONTPELIER - 16 Piece live salsa band from Bristol. Playing a fusion of Latin rhythms, Hip Hop and Afro-Cuban beats. One of the UK's most exciting orchestras of experimental Salsa.
• COLORES DE MI TIERRA - Rhythms, dances and melodies from the Caribbean coast of Colombia, reflecting a rich culture that is rooted in a mixture of African, Indigenous and European cultures.
• EL MERCADO DE MIRÁN - Contemporary acoustic music inspired by the traditional rhythms and melodies of African, Amerindian and European folklore in Latin America.

Plus Latin-Mashup DJs. £4/£5 entry.

Bristol Latin American Forum 2008 On The Web:

LIVE WEBCASTING of workshops with interactive discussions (and further information) can be accessed at http://bristollaf.blogspot.com/

Key Participant Organisations: Colombia Solidarity Campaign, Bristol Solidarity with Venezuela, Cuba Solidarity, Kiptik, Espacio Bristol-Colombia, BLINC, Bolivia Solidarity Campaign, Mapuche International Link. read full story / add a comment

The West of England partnership is moving closer to bringing incineration back to our area. All four Friends of the Earth groups in the area are opposing their plans. Bristol Friends of the Earth are asking local supporters to raise the issue with their Councillors. read full story / add a comment

The Green Party in Bristol, in the form of their councillor Charlie Bolton, have submitted a motion opposing the controversial proposals from local uber-quango, the West of England Partnership, to run buses down the East Bristol railway path. The motion is currently top of the list for the next full Council meeting on April 1st (the next meeting at which motions can be put). The only way the motion will not be voted on is if the other parties gang up to move it down the agenda so it is not reached in time on the day. If the motion passes, it will almost certainly force the West of England Partnership to choose another route for its Bus Rapid Transit plans. read full story / add a comment

the regime of Jalal Talabani, The Dawa Party and SCII, plan to eliminate the food rations by June of 2008 read full story / add a comment

Oxfam is hoping that as many local residents as possible will show their MP how much they care… about the planet by sending their local MP a Valentines Day card calling for a stronger Climate Change Bill. read full story / add a comment

Local people are resisting the developers planning application for Bristol North Pool and Associated sites as the Council prepares to sell it and Cheltenham Road Library read full story / add a comment

Shell's two year tenure as sponsor of the Natural History Museum(NHM)'s Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition has come to an end. A determined, creative two year national campaign, coordinated in part by the direct action group Rising Tide and its Art Not Oil (1) campaign, helped to force the NHM to ditch Shell.

In Bristol, as well as the local Rising Tide group, People and Planet and Friends of the Earth were also heavily involved in the protests read full story / add a comment

BRISTOL LATIN AMERICAN FORUM 2008
PRESS RELEASE

Latin America is in a crucial stage of transition. Right now, history is unfolding before our eyes with dynamic movements changing the face of the continent. The Bristol Latin American Forum, which is now in its third consecutive year, invites you to explore these current issues in a stimulating political and cultural event. read full story / add a comment

Bristol Green Party says that the city's unelected quangos have launched a 'spin' campaign to get buses off the roads and onto a valued cycle path.

In the last few days, the bid to take over the Bristol and Bath ends of Britain's most popular railway path has drawn unprecented protest] from thousands of walkers, cyclists and neighbours of the 'green lung' that leads into both cities.

Now research by the Green Party, using documents obtained under Freedom of Information laws by the Bristol Cycling Campaign, reveals a carefully planned bid to 'sell' the idea of using the route as a busway, even though it would destroy what is, arguably, Bristol's most popular green asset. read full story / add a comment

The hummingbird is the logo of Bovis Homes but dont let rapid wingbeats blur your memory. Lest we forget..... read full story / add a comment

The South West needs Affordable and New Social Housing stock. As does most of Britain? read full story / add a comment

Football team Expresses Solidarity With Refugee Team Mate read full story / add a comment

Local residents on the Marksbury Road estate in Bedminster have been left stunned at the news that the Council intends to close Marksbury Road library from April, seeking to save £110,000 a year in running costs. read full story / add a comment

An academic report condemning the Government's plans to push though a new generation of nuclear power stations has the backing of Stop Hinkley, West country anti-nuclear group. read full story / add a comment

Thursday 10th January
7.30pm
Kebele Social Centre
14 Robertson Road
Easton

"Numerous New York City-dwellers come to the exclusive club Shortbus to work out problems in their sexual relationships. Rob (Raphael Barker) and Sophia (Sook-Yin Lee) are a happily married couple, except for the fact that she has never experienced sexual climax. This irony follows her to work, because she is a couples counselor who frequently has to deal with the sexual issues other couples have. Two of her patients are Jamie (PJ DeBoy) and James (Paul Dawson), a gay couple who have been monogamous for five years and counting. James wants to bring other men in to the relationship, and his own history with depression may hint at an ulterior motive. Ceth (Pronounced like Seth, played by Jay Brannon) may be the perfect addition to their family, but Caleb, a voyeur from across the street, may have his own ideas about that. Sophia visits Severin, a dominatrix with secrets of her own to reveal." read full story / add a comment

Proposals to put off maintenance for twelve months while continuing to run ageing Oldbury nuclear power station (1) have been branded as completely outrageous by campaigners. read full story / add a comment

Activists belonging to the Bristol No Borders group have blockaded the regional centre for organising and executing the despicable practice of dawn raids against families, in order to 'remove them' from Britain.

This is part of a nationwide campaign taking place today. read full story / add a comment