Losses of people have unfortunately been just as bad, with the current death toll at between 200,000 and 250,000 people. In a country as big as America, these damages, though incredibly significant, would only impact a single state or area; in the small country of Haiti, the disaster has left the entire country a wreck.

Electric and phone services immediately stopped working in the country. Food and water shortages ran rampant as thousands of displaced citizens sought shelter elsewhere. Nearly 9,000 people–peace keepers from the United Nations and troops from the United States–have been dispensed to Haiti t help–and many of them have even perished in the rubble as hospitals and other buildings collapsed.

Though initial efforts to distribute food and aid were a disaster in and of themselves, the U.N. eventually implemented a voucher system to allow everyone access to food–not just the strongest people who could crowd distribution lines first–though some estimate that only a third of those who need the food are actually getting it as scam artists make copies of tickets to re-use.

Help can be given to Haiti easily by texting “Haiti” to 90999. A ten dollar donation to the American Red Cross will be automatically deducted from the cell phone user’s bill. Many local and national efforts to raise funds are also being conducted nationwide.

At least one in three women will be victims of violence in her lifetime.  Whether in the form of physical abuse, domestic slavery, or sexual abuse, some countries have up to 70% of their women affected by these heinous crimes.

War and natural disasters increase the risk of women and girls becoming victims of violence. Millions of females have a high probability of being beaten, raped, or even killed every day.

In the U.S. alone, three women are murdered by a partner each day and a woman is raped every ninety seconds. 47% of female victims of a homicide in Egypt were killed as an “honor killing” after being raped.

Hopefully this Act will pass, ensuring that preventing and responding to worldwide violence against women are made a top priority not just in the U.S. but in the global community as well. Considered a landmark move, the Act, which is a piece of bipartisan legislation, would also further the United States’ efforts to increase international diplomacy, as well as put its foreign assistance program funds where they are in the most need.

Both medical and mental health care would be provided for victims under the act.  Women would also be able to increase their and their families’ livelihood through the included education and other programs.

And fans can say Yoko Ono broke up the Beatles all they want–because, well, she was involved–but the fact remains that she and John Lennon held some of the most peaceful protests ever witnessed in history.

One such event was their “bed-in” in 1969, during which they did interviews from their bed in Montreal promoting peace. They also recorded one of the most monumental tracks about peace in our time that week–the unforgettable “Give Peace a Chance,” still played today at protests, vigils, and peace rallies worldwide.

Today Yoko Ono and Sean and Julian Lennon are extending the peaceful notions generated by their song in a way that modern people, untouched by (or having forgotten) the sixties, can understand–they’re using it to raise money.

A 40th anniversary digital single of “Give Peace a Chance,” officially by John Lennon and the Plastic Ono Band is available for downloading at iTunes for $1.29. All net proceeds will go to the United Nations Peacebuilding Fund.

“It is indeed a time when we are all getting more aware of the necessity of doing something to achieve world peace, no matter how small. I feel deeply that we are all one, regardless of where we stand,” says Ono.

Though a “global warming protest” sounds a bit silly–after all, is global warming going to back off because it listens to the citizens of the world protesting against it?–it’s actually a worldwide event of solidarity and action against a villain that threatens all of us–climate change.

Behind that villain, of course, is we the people, ourselves. In order to gain international attention–particularly that of politicians and other people in power–as well as to inspire the entire earth’s population to combat climate change, tens of thousands of people are planning to engage in a visibility effort that spans across nations and borders.

The main request of the participants is that the CO2 emissions of the planet be reduced by 350 parts per million. Over 3,000 events will be taking place in over 160 countries. Even Antarctica is on stopping global warming.

And in each location, different actions will be taking place. Images of melting glaciers, sinking lands and other effects of global warming will be taken all over the globe. These images will be sent in to the organization 350.org, which is sponsoring the event.

In return, the 350.org staff will be sending the pictures to the UN headquarters–as well as projecting them on big screens in Times Square, New York. Other media events and measures are being conducted as well.

Then the images will be delivered to politicians in time for the UN Climate meeting in Copenhagen.

To register an event or find one to attend, visit 350.0rg.

This year’s Nobel Peace Prize winner will be announced October 6. The award will be given on December 10, which is the anniversary of Alfred Nobel’s death.

So far, the concert’s lineup features Donna Summer, Wyclef Jean, Luis Fonsi, Amadou & Mariamand, and Toby Keith. While some of these performer selections make sense, Keith, known for his pro-war stance and songs that promote the “American way” of fighting other countries, may be considered a questionable choice by some.

More performers will be added to this lineup; hopefully the updated list will include a few more pro-peace singers as well. Speculations also abound on whether or not Will Smith himself will perform at the event.

Regarding the event, the Smiths released this statement: “The opportunity to recognize the laureate’s contributions to the world peace movement will be an awe-inspiring experience. We are both humbled and honored to take part in the Nobel Peace Prize Concert this year, and look forward to sharing the historic evening with artists and humanitarians from across the globe.”

Last year’s laureate was Finnish president Martti Ahtisaari. Michael Caine and Scarlett Johansson were last year’s celebrity hosts.

Secretary of the Norwegian Nobel Committee Geir Lundestad said the Smiths were chosen for their collective impact on philanthropy and the arts in general. He said that they “will be excellent ambassadors of peace.”

They’ll be doing it with pinwheels.

An estimated 3 million peaceful pin-wheelers will be spinning their colorful creations on Monday. As a nonpartisan, nonpolitical effort, the activity is designed to raise awareness about not just peace, but the violence we’ve become so accustomed to in our lives.

As The Pinwheels for Peace Project says, peace needs to become more than just a word. According to their website, peace “comes down to a simple definition: a state of calm and serenity, with no anxiety, the absence of violence, freedom from conflict or disagreement among people or groups of people.”

Pointing out that peace isn’t just about the absence of war, the project is a movement for tolerance, harmony, cooperation and unity–an effort to put an end to the daily intolerance and violence in our lives.

Many people will be participating by adding their definitions of peace, or the word peace in different languages, on their pinwheels. Pinwheels will be used as decorations, toys, and distributed items throughout different countries of the world.

As a childhood symbol of more joyful times, pinwheels were selected as the sigil of the day. Since they are easily made, accessible, and simple to use, they are a universal “toy” the world can connect with and share in the simplicity of just being–peacefully, without judgement–much like a child would.

For more information on The Pinwheels for Peace Project, including pinwheel templates and photo galleries, click here.

Each year the Light of Truth Award is presented to a person or an organization who has made significant progress toward raising awareness about the plight of Tibet and has fought for human rights and democracy for the people of Tibet.

A Tibetan butter lamp serves as the reward. It is a symbol of the light that each activist carries within himself to bring more attention to Tibet. Considered the most honorable award for people involved with efforts to free Tibet, it is made even more special by its presentation–which is given by the Dalai Lama himself.

The Light of Truth Award will be given to the late Julia Taft this year. The Special Coordinator for Tibetan Issues, Taft teamed up with the International Campaign for Tibet Board of Directors following her work with the U.S. government. She was a constant presence in the movement to free Tibet and her passing is mourned by many.

A group of Chinese activists will also be honored at the event. Though it is extremely dangerous for them to do so, they have worked diligently to spread the truth about what’s happening in Tibet. Their names will be revealed at the ceremony.

This year’s event will be held at the Sidney Harman Hall at 7:00 PM. For ticket information, visit the Harmon Center website.

Previous winners of the Light of Truth Award can be found here.

The singer’s promotion team argues that the concert, scheduled for September 20, will not be condemning nor supporting any political dogma; that said, it is supposed to be held at the very same place where Che Guevara is honored, Revolution Plaza.

Other performers said to be performing at the concert include Olga Tañón, Miguel Bosé, Ricardo Montaner, and Luis Fonsi.

“Our commitment has been to share our talent and never exclude a group of people who opens their arms to us. Cuba cannot be the exception,” says Tañón.

“Why are the promotion of unity between peoples and the dismantling of borders bothersome?” adds Juanes via Twitter.

Cuban American Willy Chirino, who has not stepped foot in Cuba in over forty-five years, has also voiced his support of the concert.

Juanes is holding the concert after talks with Cuban officials. Prior to making plans, he wanted to be sure that the government would be supportive of the concert, which he believes will help create more understanding and peace.

Some protesters, believing the concert to be an immoral publicity stunt, are even saying that they plan on protesting the next Juanes concert in Miami.

The first “Peace Without Borders” Concert Juanes performed at was at the border of Venezuela and Colombia in March of 2008. The concert was very popular, with tens of thousands of people in attendance.

The women, Euna Lee and Laura Ling, had entered the country illegally and were sentenced to hard labor as a result. After talks with Clinton, Kim issued the journalists a pardon–less than 24 hours after Clinton’s visit.

Lee, 36 and Ling, 32 had been held for four months in the country, following an attempt to report for Current TV. Their sentence was previously for twelve years prior to the Clintons’ intervention.

Upon their release, Clinton apologized for the journalists’ actions and expressed President Obama’s thanks.

“Obviously I am very happy and relieved to have these two young woman, Laura Ling and Euna Lee, on their way home to their families. I spoke to my husband on the airplane and everything went well. They are extremely excited to be reunited soon when they touch down in California. It was just a good day to be able to see this happen,” says Rodham Clinton.

She has been pushing for the release of the women since last month.

Clinton’s visit–during which Kim smiled and waved for photos–marked the first “high-level contact” with the country in almost ten years.

Officials are hopeful that these negotiations will pave the way for future peaceful talks regarding the current tensions over the country’s nuclear weapons activity.

An estimated 3,000 child soldeirs will be released. This marks a giant step forward towards true peace in Nepal, especially since the government is even calling for the release of all the child soldiers by November. And with the peace treaty signed over two years ago, it’s also a moment that should have arrived well before today.

While this is a huge victory for these children that should be celebrated, it reminds us not to forget the rest of the world’s innocents left in the violence. An estimated 300,000 children continue to serve as soldiers in the world today, continually robbed of their innocence and murdered at the front lines of bloody conflicts.

Of these, at least 24,000 have been confined in U.N. camps since the peace deal signing in November 2006.

What homes will these former soldiers be returning to–the places where they have seen and even caused more bloodshed than any of us could ever dream of, places where they have lost their entire families and friends? And what of the former child soldiers who are now adults; will they not be receiving some sort of aid and transitioning into whatever normalcy they might be able to find out of life?

There even remains a question of whether or not to integrate these now-adults into the current army! Surely they deserve better than that?

Perhaps it’s all they know at this point.