Rise-Up and Dance!

Valentine's Day.
People seem to either Love it, or Love to hate it.
I prefer to think of it as just a day of extra-love.  A day to be more aware of being kind and
generous and giving to everyone.  As life gets more challenging and moves faster and faster,
I think we owe it to one another to be gentler in our day to day interactions.
We are all each others Valentine's just trying to find the best way to live our lives on this planet.
 

So, have you heard of ' 1 Billion Rising' ?
It is a movement to bring awareness and an end to violence against women.  This is what they write
on their website 1 Billion Rising

ONE IN THREE WOMEN ON THE PLANET WILL BE RAPED OR BEATEN IN HER LIFETIME.
ONE BILLION WOMEN VIOLATED IS AN ATROCITY
ONE BILLION WOMEN DANCING IS A REVOLUTION
On V-Day’s 15th Anniversary, 14 February 2013, we are inviting ONE BILLION women and those who love them to WALK OUT, DANCE, RISE UP, and DEMAND an end to this violence. ONE BILLION RISING will move the earth, activating women and men across every country. V-Day wants the world to see our collective strength, our numbers, our solidarity across borders.
What does ONE BILLION look like? On 14 February 2013, it will look like a REVOLUTION.
ONE BILLION RISING IS:
A global strike
An invitation to dance
A call to men and women to refuse to participate in the status quo until rape and rape culture ends
An act of solidarity, demonstrating to women the commonality of their struggles and their power in numbers
A refusal to accept violence against women and girls as a given
A new time and a new way of being.


Let's try and move beyond this day as just flowers and candy, what someone did, or did not, give us, or do for us or spend on us.  What can we do and give each other?  It can be as easy as this.
Rise at your desk, in your home, anywhere!  Rise up and dance to the possibility of a new world without this violence.

Here is a link to local Rise-Up events in the Bay area:
Bay Area Rise-Up Events

Other activities from the 14th thru weekend:

Thursday the 14th
The Great San Francisco Valentine's Day Pillow Fight! 5:30pm-9:30pm, Justin Herman Plaza.
Pillow fight details
 
Friday the 15th
70's Roller Disco party!  
I can't recommend this enough! Super-fun, only 10 bucks ($5 for skate rental) and a great, fun time! 8pm-Mid-Night, details here Roller DiscoParty
 
Friday nights at OMCA: Night Market & Off the Grid, 5pm-9pm, Oakland Museum of California
OMCA Events

Classic movie night at the Paramount Theatre, Oakland: Casablanca. $5 admission.
Paramount Movie Classics

Bardot A Go-Go  60's French Pop and Retro Hairstyling!  9pm, Rickshaw Stop
Bardot A Go-Go
 
Saturday the 16th
Tulipmania Opening Day at Pier39.  Ok, I know I'm supposed to dislike Pier 39 since it's a tourist hot-spot.  But I love it, and this is really too beautiful to miss.  Thousands of blooming tulips throughout both levels of Pier 39 Tulipmania!
 
Lunar New Year Weekend: Dragon dances at the SF Botanical Garden, 11am-3pm
Dragon Dances
 
Sunday the 17th
Urban Bicycling Workshop, Traffic Skills 101.  10am-2pm, San Francisco JCC.  Free, but RSVP is required.  Bike Skills 101


Unofficial 7X7 Big Eat Crawl: 100 things to eat in SF before you die.  11am, 19th and Dolores St, SF.  Think scavenger hunt meets amazing food! 7X7 Big Eat Crawl


Have an outstanding weekend and love one another!