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According to its "about" section, this site aims "to establish an independent and comprehensive public database of civilian deaths in Iraq resulting directly from military actions by the USA and its allies in 2003". Following on from a similar project centring on Afghanistan (now totalling 3-3,400 civilian deaths), this somewhat macabre, but some would say necessary, tally was already, at the time of writing, five more than many would find acceptable.
According to its "about" section, this site aims "to establish an independent and comprehensive public database of civilian deaths in Iraq resulting directly from military actions by the USA and its allies in 2003". Following on from a similar project centring on Afghanistan (now totalling 3-3,400 civilian deaths), this somewhat macabre, but some would say necessary, tally was already, at the time of writing, five more than many would find acceptable.
As the countdown to war in the Gulf continues apace so does its opposition. This inventive idea sees volunteers heading off to Iraq on London buses to act as human shields in the event of attacks, reasoning that Western governments are not going to be too happy about bombing their own citizens. Their website continues to appeal for volunteers to become part of the shield.
Run in their spare time by "a dozen or so volunteers who don't see why ordinary people should have to jump through hoops to contact their elected MP", this website offers a "does-exactly-what-it-says-on-the-tin" service. It allows ordinary citizens to get in touch with their MP via a neat, and free, postcode-driven fax-sending service, which, judging by the enthusiastic feedback archived on the site, can have a useful and positive effect.
If you have time on your hands and want to make a difference to people's lives and the society in which you live, volunteering your services can be an efficient way to help others out. Community Service Volunteers placed more than 100,000 people in volunteering positions last year, and this site tells you how to get involved in one of their many schemes around the country.
"Music has a role to play in spreading the word of peace", says longtime political songsmith, Billy Bragg, one of the contributors to this musical stand against conflict. The protest song has, of course, a long and illustrious heritage, and this site sees such up-to-date acts as Coldcut, Public Enemy, Massive Attack, Alabama 3 and Ms Dynamite joining the fray. It includes lyrics in case you can want to sing along with these dissenting voices.
Did you know that a Trident submarine is always on patrol somewhere in the world, ready to fire its 16 nuclear warheads, and that it costs £1.5bn a year to do this? CND, like other political activist movements that thrived during the Cold War, are now enjoying something of a resurgence, and you can touch base with their ideas on the continuing threat from nuclear arsenals at their informative website.
Those informationists who worship the great PoG (Power of Google) might be interested in this site, which, according to its intro, takes a look at how the mighty search engine's "monopoly, algorithms and privacy policies are undermining the web". Examining the hidden layer beneath the net's most popular, and supposedly egalitarian, website ranker should offer food for thought for many of its users.
If you watched any of the recent anti-war protest marches, you may have been surprised at the sheer diversity and wide range of posters and placards available, ranging from the humourous to the deadly serious, but nearly all very well-designed. Many would have come from this site which invites people to send in their creations to be printed off later, copyright-free, by protesters.
"Watch, explore, create" is the mantra at One World TV, a site that invites film-makers to contribute at-source reports from around the world, and allows visitors the chance to bypass traditional media outlets to find material on stories they might not otherwise come across.
The cricket World Cup has lurched from one crisis to another, yet amidst the off-field posturings and political machinations there actually lies a big sporting occasion. A decent amount of cricket already has been played and, due to the seemingly interminable nature of the competition's format, there's a lot still to come. Catch up with all of the action here, including updating scorecards, reports and webcasts.
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