Blogs of Note

Revolution The internet has had a tremendous impact on the mobilization of grassroot movements to affect large scale changes in governments and society. There are groups that do everything from urban gardening (selecting a spot in a city that has been overrun by industrialization, and covertly planting hardy plants that could take root and spread - guerrilla gardeners reclaiming the land) to quickly and loosely organized protests or demonstrations that target specific public spaces. There there are groups that have had big impacts, and have even saved lives.

Amnesty International's Merton group, who managed to gain 1.3 million signatures in protest of a Nigerian woman accused of adultry and was going to face death by stoning. (Click here to save a life from a misogynic society. Amina has been sentenced to death for having a child outside or marriage. Amnesty International is trying to save her life.)

The Independent Media Center sprung up as a way to get WTO protest information out to the general public in order to raise awareness and garner support. The site has now expanded its coverage.

Do you have a video camera? Want to learn how to put it to some activist use? Check out this site.

Here's a site with a certain design student in mind: Subvertise.org. There are hundreds of advertising images that can be used for your activisim. The images come from organizations around the world - some are humourous; some are creative; either case, they're interesting.

If you've got a cause, and you've got the means, but just don't know where to start, here's what to do: first, get yourself a website. Next, surf to some of these sites for ideas, means and suggestions on how to go about building your grassroots movement into an earth shaking one. You can have an impact.

Adbusters: a online site of the print magazine of the world of adbusting.

Unbrand America: want to really be a subvert and get into trouble? Try defacing ads with a black dot. Just a black dot. Imagine an entire city with billboards all having a big, bold black dot on the ads. Not that I find anything wrong with ads. I actually like them.

Petition Online: here's a site that hosts online petitions. Host your own, or just go to sign someone else's.

Culture Shop: this site is a great place to get media materials from non-profit and independent producers.

Urban75: an alternative web news site.

Propaganda Remix: antiwar posters and more!