Most of my recent posts have been about the state of American leadership ie. the Bush government and  what their nation has become like under this government (as well as previous ones). Reading more into recent history and news, one realises that previous governments and leaders have also had their roles in creating unjust conditions in the world using American power.  Anyway, why these things concern me (as I'm not an American) and why I think other people should be aware of these issues relating to America, is that America is the most powerful, richest and influential (whether for good or bad) nation/state in the world and it has been for the past few decades (even in the Cold War against the mighty USSR which was never as wealthy).  And if these are the problems that affect and occur because of the US, then this world is indeed in worst shape than we think.
 
It's reached the point that all institutions that exist around us in society have negative qualities and cannot be trusted. Whether the government, the established media, entertainment, corporations and world bodies (WTO, WorldBank) , all these institutions of society have been corrupted in different ways to cause great injustice, suffering, poverty, ignorance and social, racial and economical inequality. 
The first step in any action, is to realise the problem, and to do that, one needs information and knowledge. Mainstream media do not provide 'fair and balanced' news and most serve the interests of corporations or government.
Here are a few websites, that provide detailed, accurate, and honest information (many not mentioned or in contrast to mainstream media) relating to social and international issues.

Znet-a community of people (writers,intellectuals,professors,journalists) who write on a variety of topics. A great site, providing in-depth information and viewpoints.
 
whatreallyhappened.com -a collection of articles gathered from different sources that mainly deal with American politics, government and international actions. 
 
http://prisonplanet.com/ -from the sitename you know what they deal with, contains articles and reports on politics, media, and the increasing methods of surveillance technology and anti-privacy laws and measures to create a police state and control the population.
 
From international to the local scope,
Last week there was a workshop on social injustice in my church, and the pastor made a good point of 'becoming' before 'doing', regarding christians addressing social injustice. That might sound very vague to some, but the point he was getting at is that before you do things, you should search and examine yourself, your values,attitude, thoughts, and make the effort to really connect with God and care about others, and then perform relevant actions to help those less unfortunate.
From this, one can realise that there are many problems that need to be ,not just recognised, but understood and in detail. However many are still uncertain what can be done to address the problems of homelessness or rampant crime, for example. 
As a result, people must take more measures to understand the situation around them, whether by Internet, by reading books and magazines, and talking to those who see and know injustice, like pastors or social workers eg. All these are alternatives to depending on mainstream media to obtain news and information.
A great book to read is "No logo" by Naomi Klein, which was published a few years back but which gives excellent on topics as varied as corporate exploitation including sweatshops and the creation of 'perma-temps" and minimum-wage (McJobs) jobs, advertising and its excessiveness in North America and culture-jamming/ adbusting. It makes great points, such as connecting our North american/ developed nation materialistic urges to buy excessive clothes and SUVs with the exploitation of poor workers and nations by these same companies that produce, sell and market these clothes and cars.
A review of No logo on slashdot. 
 
Site by author of same name as book,but containing current articles and information by Mrs. Klein on relevant topics and her work.