The Shakespearean tale of the feuding families of Montagues and Capulets is a beautiful love-story for some people, but for young couples in India it is cruel reality that they have to live in. Narender Singh’s cousin Banoj dreamed of nothing but a life of happiness when he married his childhood sweetheart Babli in 2007. That dream came to a brutal end, however, when the couple were abducted and killed by Babli’s own family. “They chased after the bus they were on and forced it to stop. They took Banoj and Babli to the village, tied them up in a field and beat them to death,” Narender Singh told the story of his cousin. The case has put the spotlight on the traditional system of clan councils, which do not allow people from the same sub-caste to marry, as it is seen as akin to incest. “Children are born with physical and mental problems,” Ghatwala clan chief Baljeet Singh Malik explained. “We also say do not marry within the same village. After all, a village was established by one ancestor along with his brothers. Many generations have followed since, and we are all related by blood.” However, more and more people are defying tradition to be with the ones they love. Parveen and Minakshi Sanghwan knew that when they eloped last May their marriage would be met with hostility, but they never imagined Minakshi’s father would try to kill them. “He is unhappy just because Minakshi married someone of her own choice. He keeps threatening us. Last November, he got Minakshi’s brother to lead a knife attack on us. Minakshi was hurt; they even put a noose around her neck. Somehow we managed to escape,” Parveen Sanghwan remembered. India is a secular democracy which prides itself on the rule of law. Yet it is in its villages that the age-old traditions are coming into conflict with these modern aspirations. And the decisions being taken there are being taken mostly be men, and it is their writ that rules. In order to remain within the law, the clan councils now want the law itself changed, and are putting pressure on local politicians. “The law has been around only since 1955, but our customs and traditions are much older, and have been around for centuries. It is important that we do not marry within our caste or our mother’s caste. To reflect this reality, the Hindu Marriage Act should be changed,” Baljeet Singh Malik said. The clans are a sizeable voting bloc, so political parties are wary of losing their votes. Yet any sign of the state giving in to this brutal tradition will not come as good news to Parveen and Minakshi, who still live in constant fear. “We are forced to hide like criminals in our own home. There are four more family members living with us. While we both sleep, my father-in-law and brother-in-law take turns to remain awake just in case my own father tries to attack us at night,” Minakshi Sanghwan said. The plight of a young married couple clearly means nothing in rural India, a place still deeply entrenched in tradition. ( less )

LOVE’s mission is to provide the necessary education, training, and leadership programs for youth, so that they in turn may propagate the reduction of violent behavior amongst their peers. Through these youth-to-youth programs, LOVE strives to create new life skills and develop a sense of community so that these youth may become advocates of non-violent behaviour. ( less )

Peace Pedalers is a "Worldwide Invitation to Ride". We took two-seat tandem bikes on an around-the-world adventure through 81 countries. But we did iPt a bit differently--We rode on the front seats and left the rear seats open to invite people . We brought extra riding clothes, helmets and camping equipment ready to share with strangers that soon become friends once they made a few pedal strokes on the tandem! Over 1,000 strangers accepted the invitation to ride, proving that language, cultural and religious boundaries can be crossed by anyone, anywhere. Inviting total strangers we met to share a slice of life and enjoy the cycling experience was our small gesture of peace, trust, acceptance and unconditional love. If they needed some financial assistance we offered to pay their food, accommodation and bus ticket back to their home town for extended tandem adventures. Each day was a mystery--who we would ride with, where we would eat and sleep, and what we would learn about these exciting new cultures. ( less )

CODE’s Project Love has been inspiring children across Canada for more than 20 years to think globally, act locally and make a difference. Through Project Love students learn about global issues through curriculum-based activities, fundraising, and making kits of school supplies for students in developing countries. Each kit includes a pencil, eraser, notebook, ruler and a personal letter from a Canadian student to the kit’s recipient in Haiti or Malawi. ( less )

Dream. Love. Cure. (Documentary) Dir. Erin Kys Pro. Rob Coxford DOP. Jake Chirico Aud. Josh Vamos ( less )

On December 7th, 2009 at 1:30pm GMT Starbucks invited musicians from all over the world to sing together at the same time to raise awareness for AIDS in Africa. In that one breathtaking moment, musicians from 156 countries played "All You Need is Love" together. Watch now, as musicians from all around the world come together and share a song. Join in by lending your own voice to http://StarbucksLoveProject.com. Watch streaming video from countries around the world and then join in by singing All You Need is Love yourself. For each video submitted, Starbucks will make a contribution to the Global Fund to help fight against AIDS in Africa. You can also help increase the Starbucks contribution to the Global Fund by submitting a drawing to the Love Gallery. The global sing-along is part of our continuing efforts to help fight AIDS in Africa. In just one year in partnership with (RED)™, Starbucks has generated money equivalent to more than 7 million days of medicine to help those living with HIV in Africa. ( less )

Paix, peace, amour, shalom, salam, shanti, love Artiste: Yves Duteil Pour les enfants du monde entier on: eMusic ( less )

حلوة يا بلدي Today, November 29th, is Palestine Day ( less )

Au cours des prochains 12 mois, des gens de tout âge participeront à l'événement Un million de kilomètres, un million de dollars (www.1millionkm.com), au profit du Children, en courant, marchant, pédalant, skiant ou en faisant toute autre activité sportive. Un défi de taille que nous saurons réaliser. Le 25 septembre dernier, plus de 200 personnes se sont rassemblées pour célébrer le départ de ce projet d'une durée d'un an dont l'objectif est la santé et la forme physique. Soyez assurés qu'une fois le présent vidéo regardé, vous ne pourrez faire autrement que de vous lever à votre tour et bouger ! ----------------------------------------­--------- For the next 12 months, people of all ages will be running, biking, walking, skiing and more to help reach One million kilometres, one million dollars (www.1millionkm.com) in support of The Children's. It's a big goal, but we know we can get there! On September 25, 2010 over 200 people got together to help The Children's celebrate the beginning of this one year project to support health and fitness. This is the video we made on that day -- we guarantee it will inspire you to get up and get moving! ( less )

Put out your hand for those who need it, and we can all make the world a better place. Music composed and produced by SamCoreJ. ( less )