International bloggers are taking action on 4th October to support the peaceful revolution in Burma. We want to set a sign for freedom and show our sympathy for these people who are fighting their cruel regime without weapons. Bloggers will refrain from posting to their blogs on October 4, except for one banner with the title “Free Burma!”.

I heard the news about Anita Roddick’s passing last night on JJJ’s Hack program. I have to admit I was quite shocked to hear it - in fact emotionally touched and saddened… still am.

As Dave so eloquently put it “She left the planet and it’s inhabitants with a much better chance of survival than if she had not been born…”

Anita was absolute hero of mine. I first heard about the Body Shop’s “different” way of doing things, and thought I’d read Anita’s semi-biography “Business as unusual“. It was tremendously inspiring to read about Anita’s journey from the small shop recycling bottles because she had to, to the spread of the Body Shop internationally.

Through the Body Shop she was a pioneer of what was to become known as Fair Trade, took an activist stance on animal testing and women’s rights, all the while building a successful international business. Proof positive that profits do not have to trump people and the environment - they can happily work together.

Throughout her life she was a passionate human rights and environmental activist, who really was alone for many, many years in her role as ethical business-woman. (Business-woman period, for that matter.) Her later books were a call to action for us all to take a stand, to “take it personally”, and to make our voices heard and our actions count.

I found myself quite emotionally low last night. I feel I personally owe her a debt of gratitude, even though I’ve never met her in person.

But I think about what her advice might be - I think (I hope) it would be “keep fighting the fight and make whatever difference you can, in work and life”. Hopefully I can do that sentiment justice…

To paraphrase Augie March: Anita, thanks for the memes. Your life is an inspiration.

P.S. both images on this post were taken from the home page of AnitaRoddick.com, Anita’s personal website. Check it out and help Anita’s legacy live on…

Update: Philippa over at ActNow posted a great opinion piece on Anita. “However, the loss of this figure should not bring us to look hopelessly at the sky but requires consumer’s attention to be cast on other businesses and their actual intentions towards their stakeholders.”

Got this via email today. I’m going - anyone else interested in coming along?

We’re pleased to invite you to “China: The World is Watching”, presented by the Amnesty International (Australia) Business Group, on Wednesday 5 September.

The forum, featuring Sophie Peer from Amnesty International and Gordon Renouf from the Australian Consumers Association, will detail the risks and opportunities which Australians may face in doing business in China. Speakers will outline an “ethical consumption” viewpoint on goods consumed in Australia from China. The session will outline the human rights situation in China and the repression caused by the actions of international IT companies. The obligation that China now has to be more transparent and the opportunity to improve human rights presented by the Beijing Olympics will be highlighted.

The details:

• Date and Time: Wednesday 5 September 2007, 6.30pm to 8pm
• Location: Sydney Mechanics’ School of Arts, Level 1, 280 Pitt St Sydney
• Format: Q&A and drinks follow our speakers
• Cost: Entry by voluntary donation, $10 suggested
• Lucky door prize: 2 nights accommodation at your choice of 25 deluxe Mantra Resorts nationwide, courtesy of Stella Hospitality Group
• RSVP: By email to nswaia@amnesty.org.au or register at the door

The Australia Tibet Council is looking for a Campaigns Coordinator. Just passing it on in case you know someone who might be suitable/interested…

Amnesty International have just launched a very clever site as part of their campaign to Bring David Hicks home.

They have a “cell” - the same as the one David Hicks has been held in for 5 years without trial - that they are touring around the country with. Visitors to the cell are presented with a “passport” explaining David’s situation, and once in the cell, they can leave a video message, which is then presented on the Bring David Hicks home website.

If you have visited the cell, you can find your video by using the search/filter options on the site.

I think the site is very good - helping to bring home the reality of Hicks’ situation and allowing people to connect in a more emotional way with what is often presented as a legal or political issue.

I also love the fact that the site uses YouTube for video hosting - a fantastic use of participant media.

The site was launched yesterday by Digital Eskimo - who also helped WWF build the Future is man made site. Nice work!

Update: GetUp have also just launched a new video as part of their campaign on the same issue.

This video from Amnesty USA gets to the core of the problems with the US’s human rights abuses in the wake of 9/11, Afghanistan and Iraq.

Amnesty is running a letter writing campaign calling on the PM to give David Hicks a “fair go”:

The camp in Guantanamo Bay is a legal black hole designed to put detainees outside the rule of law and the US Administration beyond the rule of law. It must be shut down. The detainees held there should be either released or, if they are suspected of having committed a recognisably criminal offence, they should be charged immediately and tried in fair proceedings.

Worth sending a letter I reckon…

My letter goes something like this:

Dear Prime Minister,

As you are aware, Australian citizen David Hicks has been detained for five years at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, in a US-run detention camp.

The camp has been established outside of international law, and is a blight on the US/UK/Australia coalition’s human rights record.

The “war on terror” cannot be won if we disregard the rule of law and basic human rights.

With that in mind, I ask you to intervene in the case of David Hicks to ensure he is returned to Australia and tried under the Australian justice system.

If no ground or evidence is found to prosecute him, then David Hicks must be released immediately.

Additionally, I urge you oppose the use of torture and other cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment, and that you call on the US close the illegal prison camp in Guantanamo Bay.

Scott Rosenberg has an interesting take on the Saddam Hussein trial verdict: Saddam trial Orwell watch.

I have other thoughts on the verdict (something about the fact that many other crimes will go untried, truth will not be found, the death penalty should not be celebrated etc.) but not the time, nor the energy to expand.

Priscilla points to the Be the full stop campaign site. I decided to give it a whirl.

Firstly, it has to be said using Google maps to select your location is a very, very time-consuming operation. The facility they provide for non-UK residents took about 2-3 minutes just to find my location. I also got my location wrong on the first attempt, and I had to completely delete my profile to update my location.

But the biggest usability issue is this one:

Firstly, I think there are probably many users of the site that wouldn’t get the subtle distinction between these two icons.

Secondly, this type of icon/widget is used on the Mac OS (and I suspect other sites/operating systems) to signify an avatar (an icon you can use to identify yourself - usually a photo or some kind of character icon). I initially missed that it was a question about gender and thought it provided the ability for me to upload an image.

Lastly, what do you need to know my gender for?

Anyways - it’s a good cause, so worth checking out despite these flaws - just be sure to get your location right first go

CNN: Study: War blamed for 655,000 Iraqi death [via Scripting News]

War has wiped out about 655,000 Iraqis or more than 500 people a day since the U.S.-led invasion, a new study reports.

…President Bush slammed the report Wednesday during a news conference in the White House Rose Garden. “I don’t consider it a credible report. Neither does Gen. (George) Casey,” he said, referring to the top ranking U.S. military official in Iraq, “and neither do Iraqi officials.”

“The methodology is pretty well discredited,” he added.

No mention by Bush of why the methodology is discredited. Later:

Last December, Bush said that he estimated about 30,000 people had died since the war began.

…The authors said their method of sampling the population is a “standard tool of epidemiology and is used by the U.S. government and many other agencies.”

Professionals familiar with such research told CNN that the survey’s methodology is sound.

Doesn’t matter which way you cut it - Bush’s accepted figure of 30,000, Iraq Body Count’s figure of between 43,850 nd 48,693 (which relies solely on media-reported deaths), or 655,000 in the new study - Iraqi’s have suffered a huge loss of life. America launched this attack supposedly in response to the loss of life on 11 Sept 2001 - around 3,000 people. At least 10 times that loss of life in Iraq. At least…

What bugs me most about Bush’s statement is that the US military have explicitly stated that they do not track deaths of Iraqis - so how on earth they can support the 30,000 figure I do not know.