Let’s see what our little town has up this weekend – hey, how about the popular Power to the Peaceful Concert and Festival on Saturday in Golden Gate Park and then the Power to the Peaceful Global Action Forum & Celebration on Sunday at the Herbst Theatre?
Singer Alanis Morrissette is the draw on Saturday and San Francisco First Lady Jennifer Siebel Newsom is the draw for Sunday. The whole joint is being put on Michael Franti, as per usual. But what’s that? Isn’t Franti a 9/11 Truther, since, among other things, he “signed” the same petition as Van Jones back in 2004? Well actually, you just don’t know, not enough information. See below.
Power to the Peaceful (fka “911 Power to the Peaceful“) in Golden Gate Park, as it happened last year. It featured Ziggy Marley, but without the Melody Makers. Click to expand:
So why did Franti call this event “911 Power to the Peaceful” until 2008? Well, you see, it’s not “9/11″ - it’s “911″, as in “911 is a Joke”
Here’s an explantion from 2002:
“The first two 911 Festivals (1999 and 2000) were held on September 11 to draw attention to the emergency state of the court case of Mumia Abu Jamal. Last year’s events involving the World Trade Center and the world abroad brought new significance to the subsequent festivals. Michael Franti states that the 4th annual 911 Power to the Peaceful Festival ‘will create a compassionate space of healing for ALL those people killed or displaced by terrorism and by the war on terrorism.’”
Some of the Truthers are a little hazy on this score, it seems. Oh well.
And oh, by the way Truthers, do you know that you’ve been banned from writing about your conspiracy theory on the Huffington Post? Let’s hear from Arianna:
“I despise 9/11 “truther” conspiracies. Indeed, one of the guidelines for bloggers on HuffPost is a ban on posts putting forth those kinds of theories.”
Oh snap! Hit me! That’s right, Truthers, they’ve gotten to Arianna! Who will They get next? No se. Moving on…
Let’s just say Thank You to Alanis for coming to town and having the courage to ask “¿Qué tal zanahorias transparentes colgando?”
All the deets on San Francisco’s biggest event this weekend:
“This coming Saturday, Bay Area native and Billboard-chart topping musician, Michael Franti, will host his annual Power to the Peaceful concert and festival in Golden Gate Park which is expected to draw more than 70,000 attendees with performances by Alanis Morissette and others. On Saturday, at 1:30 pm at the park, Franti will hold a press conference to kick off the weekend of Power to the Peaceful festivities. Joined by a variety of musicians and renowned speakers, Franti will speak on topics ranging from cultural diversity and non-violence to environmental sustainability and socio-political causes.
The following day, Sunday September 13, Franti will join forces with the global humanitarian organization, CARE, to host the Power to the Peaceful Global Action Forum & Celebration which will bring together experts on issues including climate change, hunger/food aid, and girls’ education with community members to discuss solutions to some of the greatest challenges facing women and girls around the world.
Opening with a welcome message by First Lady of San Francisco, Jennifer Siebel Newsom, and closing with an intimate performance by Michael Franti and friends in the historic Herbst theatre, the Global Action Forum & Celebration is an afternoon and evening event that will include engaging sessions on critical global issues, as well as yoga, music, dance, a reception and more.
Michael Franti and CARE Present
the 11th Annual Power to the Peaceful Concert and Global Action Forum & Celebration:
Empowering People to Create Solutions to Poverty
WHAT: For the past 10 years Michael Franti, singer/activist and ambassador for the global
humanitarian organization CARE, has hosted the free Power to the Peaceful Concert in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park. On Saturday, September 12, this one day event will bring more than 70,000 attendees together for a day of music and inspiration to serve people and the planet. This year, the Power to the Peaceful Concert will be followed on Sunday, September 13 by an afternoon forum that will harness the public’s energy and enthusiasm to tackle global poverty issues, particularly those affecting women. The Power to the Peaceful Global Action Forum & Celebration will feature experts from the global poverty-fighting organization CARE, as well as civic and community leaders who will discuss topics including Global Climate Change, Girls’ Empowerment, and Hunger and Food Security. Each session will examine challenges and solutions facing women in the developing world, and participants will leave with tangible strategies to affect change at home and abroad. Simultaneously, yoga practitioners can attend the Power to the Peaceful-sponsored yoga session and Brazilian capoeira/dance workshop. The event will culminate with symposium attendees and yogis joining for an evening reception featuring an acoustic concert with Michael Franti and friends and performances by Aguas da Bahia & Tambores Julio Remelexo drum and dance ensemble.
TICKETS:
The Power to the Peaceful Concert on Saturday, September 12 in Golden Gate Park is donation-based. Tickets to the Global Action Forum & Celebration, which starts at 2:00 pm on Sunday, September 13 are on sale now at www.care.org/forum
WHO:
- Michael Franti, musician/activist and CARE Ambassador
- Acclaimed photographer Phil Borges (www.womenempoweredproject.com), representatives from Back to Earth, Ode Magazine, Office of Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Potentia Foundation, Room to Read, Spark, UC Berkeley, and Vitamin Angels, as well additional participants to be announced.
- A message from First Lady of San Francisco, Jennifer Siebel Newsom.
- Experts from CARE including: Marcos Neto (Climate Change); Sarah Bouchie (Basic & Girls’ Education Unit), and David Kauck (Hunger/Food Aid)
WHERE:
The Global Action Forum & Celebration will take place in the Herbst Theatre and Green Room, in the War Memorial Veterans Building at 401 Van Ness Avenue at McAllister Street in San Francisco.
ABOUT:
CARE is a leading humanitarian organization fighting global poverty. We place special focus on working alongside poor women because, equipped with the proper resources, women have the power to help whole families and entire communities escape poverty. Women are at the heart of CARE’s community-based efforts to improve basic education, prevent the spread of HIV, increase access to clean water and sanitation, expand economic opportunity and protect natural resources. CARE also delivers emergency aid to survivors of war and natural disasters, and helps people rebuild their lives. www.care.org.
“Join thousands of people at Speedway Meadow, Golden Gate Park and be part of the international community coming together to build, inspire and pledge service toward those in need and help the planet. The 2009 event takes place at 11am on September 12th and will feature a full lineup of bands, speakers and information booths. In addition to morning yoga, main stage performers include Michael Franti and Spearhead, Alanis Morissette, Sly & Robbie and a slew of renowned DJs.
2009 Event Details:The weekend-long festival begins on Saturday, September 12, 2009 with confirmed main stage performances by music luminaries: Michael Franti and Spearhead, Alanis Morissette , Sly & Robbie, Cherine Anderson , Vieux Farka Toure’ , Sellassie and Truth Universal; a variety of renowned DJ’s include: Miguel Miggs, Ren the Vinyl Archaeologist, DJ Heyman and DJ Adnan, In addition to the main stage of musical artists the PTTP Festival will kick off the festival with 1000 Yogis for Peace, a morning yoga practice sponsored by Yoga Tree SF with teacher Seane Corn. From Tibit, keynote speaker, Namkha Rinpoche, will address global, personal peace and his service of teaching Buddhism in the western world “by making unhappy people happy. The main practice of Buddhism is compassion and patience.”
Saturday’s festival is a family-friendly event with a kid’s zone with conscious carnival games, flag making, face painting, marionettes, stilt walkers, and a chill tent for napping and feeding. The Kids Zone Stage will feature performances by: PopLyfe, Jaden, Peace Outs, Gabby La La, Bird School PTTP Band and the Bay Area Girls.
