>> all right. getting ready to wrap up. you guys haven't heard a joke in awhile, have you? any comanches out there? it's a comanche joke. this man, he had lost his sight so he was walking around with a white cane. he came up to this committee restaurant, and it serves only comanches. comanche owned and operated.

he has a seat and says, i would like some biscuits and gravy. the waiter took his order. he yells out, anybody want to hear a comanche joke? it got real quiet. the waiter comes back over and says, before you tell the joke, i want to make sure that you know we know you're blind. there are five things you need to know before you tell the jokes. the comanche says, the cook is comanche. he has a baseball bat. second, that bouncer by the door is comanche.

third, there is a six-foot five- inch, 275-pound comanche man over there with a black belt in karate. that man next to you is a professional wrestler, a comanche. the comanche on the other side of you, he's a professional weight lifter. after hearing these five things, my friend, but you still want to tell that comanche joke? the man pauses for a second, shakes his head, no. not if i will have to explain at five times.

[laughter] all right. getting ready to close this up, i want to send out a special shout out to kqed, public broadcasting. the native american health center. native american aids project. the mayor's office right here in san francisco, neighborhood services. i would like to mention that the native american aids project, very close. the two spirits. my cousin, probably one of the

first native americans to pass away with aids. from my family to you, thank you. thank you, thank you. [applause] an appropriate flag song, and a quitting song. please stand if you're able. these songs, long before the star spangled banner. this nation's national anthem. our native people.

they sang these songs. it pays homage to the first of this land. our eagle staff. these flags, the national standard. our american flags. our eagle staff fought on the same battle fields. today, they stand side by side with each other. remember our veterans with these songs as well. [singing and chanting]

given up one more time for the singers, dancers, veterans. leaders in our native american community as well. calling up joaquin to present the native american health center with a mayoral proclamation.

>> we share a responsibility for vibrant communities, and we have an opportunity to share recognition. last year, the native american aids project honored november as native american heritage month, and we will receive the proclamation from mayor newsom. we are proud to be partners with kqed. let's thank them. thank you so much for your hard work. thank you to the native american aids project for bringing the spirit into the room. thank you for all of our dancers, singers, but veterans, we salute you. on behalf of mayor newsom, the city and county of san francisco, we proclaim november 2010 as american indian heritage

month in san vances go. -- san francisco. thank you very much. [applause] >> we are asking the four honorees to come on up. photo-op. it's not really over yet. until i say so. we give thanks this day, the opportunity to gather and honor our own today. blessings upon all those as they travel home

>> with my artists, eight of them are working in tehran, iran, the capital city, and one is an iranian american based in san francisco. the problem is really a collective exploration in the day and the life in tehran. it is the largest city in the middle east. for the gallery, one of the

first pieces you see is one piece which is a laser-cut peace, it taken directly from the map of the city itself -- a laser-cut piece. it represents the geography of the city. it is positioned right next to another work by an artist who took a 77 taxicab runs and let the potholes and the city turns of tehran dictate how the city would be portrayed. >> [singing] >> one of the other pieces that to experience in the one-day exhibition is from another artist, a recording of state radio from tehran, and is played

for four speakers. >> [speaking foreign language] . >> [speaking foreign language] >> [speaking foreign language] >> [speaking foreign language] >> the entire gallery is covered with white vinyl on white walls, really minimalist, and the kind of the merged -- of emerge as you walk through the room. >> [speaking foreign language] >> [speaking foreign language] >> these are excerpts from the radio broadcast that you are hearing in the space. it is just another visual reference 0.2 hopefully transport you to a different place -- reference to hopefully transport you to a different place about one day in iran.

>> 911: fire/rescue, may i help you? >> caller: we have a fire at 1000 howard. >> 911: is everyone out of the building? >> caller: ahhhh, as many people as... >> caller: ...the raymond hotel's on fire and there's about 20 people evacuated. >> police: shots fired!

>> police dispatch: okay, code 33 adam 11 david, shots fired at geary and leavenworth. >> 911: fire department, may i help you? >> caller: ...i hear the ambulance, but i wanted to make sure they're coming here. >> engine 8: command, engine 8, go ahead. fires...medical...and police emergencies require that we get there in a hurry. lives and property are at risk! a quick response requires your help. every second counts. hello, i'm san francisco fire chief joanne hayes-white. the following video will show you how to safely move over for red lights and sirens and help us get there. in today's fast-paced world, we are all in a]

we are listening to our music...loud! we talk on the cellar phone...or we zip in and out of traffic, just trying to get to our destination. the cars we drive today are well insulated and almost soundproof. so, it's no wonder that we do not hear the sirens of emergency vehicles. well, the main reason why people today don't move over for red lights and sirens is that they are in a big hurry. a lot of times they are listening to loud music or they're talking on their cell phones, or they're simply not paying attention. we've even seen people putting makeup on. >> we have people whose hearing isn't quite as good as it used to be. uh, we have people who like to listen to the radio quite loud in these modern cars that are very soundproof...sometimes people get drawn into paying more attention to what's going on in the car than what's going on outside of the car...and then there is always the person that isn't going to move over.

>> all of these things contribute to our having a delayed response to many of the emergencies we respond to. these also contribute to our having a higher rate of accidents. >> but emergency vehicles have to get there! every second counts! it is a matter of life or death. what if the next call we responded to was a loved one? or...how about if it was to your home? or what if you were involved in an automobile accident? would you want emergency responders to get there in a hurry? would you want others to move over so we could get by and get to your emergency in a timely manner? >> then again...it is also ...the law! >> california state vehicle code section 21806a states the following:

>> when you see and hear an emergency vehicle approaching you, it is your obligation by law to pull over to the right and clear the road for them. the fine for 21806a of the vehicle code usually runs around $360 and it could be a possible point on your driving record. >> here are some useful tips on what to do to help us get there! keep your music and radio level down so you can hear the sirens. curb cellar phone useage to a minimum while driving. use your mirrors often.

watch for us...when going through intersections. in the city, when driving in congested areas, if you hear sirens or air horns and you do not see the flashing light, please do the following: slow down. stay calm. turn your radio down. check your mirrors frequently. stay focused and anticipate the emergency vehicle. don't: panic. (don't) enter an intersection until it's clear. while at intersections, and you are stopped and you hear a siren or see flashing lights, do the following: look to see where the emergency vehicle is approaching from. if the emergency vehicle is behind you, safely move towards the right. if the emergency vehicle is approaching from the front or side streets, remain stopped until they have passed.

>> if you are approaching an intersection and you hear a siren or see flashing lights, please do the following: safely pull to the right. stop before entering the intersection. don't stop in the middle of the intersection! if you are on a one-way street and you hear a siren or see flashing lights, you need to: stay calm and alert. pull over to the far right. and stop when safely able to do so. >> don't: follow emergency vehicles -- stay 500 feet behind. don't: move until all emergency vehicles have completely passed. while driving on a freeway or highway and you hear sirens or see flashing lights, please do the following: move to the right when it is safe to do so. reduce speed and let emergency vehicles pass. don't:

try to pass an emergency vehicle while it is responding with red lights and sirens. people think what they are doing is more important than the incidents we are responding to. we would like them to approach it from this angle: if the emergency that we are responding to was to the home of their loved ones or in their own home, how quickly would they want us to get there? any help we can get from the public is greatly appreciated. that's all we ask. please keep in mind that you must obey any traffic direction, order, or signal a traffic officer, police officer or firefighter gives you. you must obey any order in an emergency or special situation, even if it conflicts with signs, signals, or laws. remember, every situation is different. use your best judgment and

drive safely. never put yourself in harm's way. don't panic, pull to right and let emergency vehicles >> the san francisco arts commission's public arts program made a big splash in the civic center with the world premiere of three heads, six arms. the artist came from shanghai to

help us celebrate the unavailing. we had a chance to speak with him about his work. >> the san francisco arts commission is pleased to be celebrating their relationship between san high and san francisco. the shanghai and san francisco. this is a 30 relationship that stretches back to win dianne feinstein was the mayor of san francisco. we premiered a new work of art here in san francisco called the three heads, six arms. welcome to san francisco.

thank you for bringing your extraordinary sculpture. can you tell me about what inspired you to create this sculpture? >> this started with some trips that i took years ago. i went to to bed and i saw a lot of statues and i started to really feel the spiritual life of people in tibet. it really inspires me and i went back to shanghai and i started the creation of this. >> we see that one of the heads of the bullet it is your face. can you talk about the

significance of that? -- we see that one of the heads of the buddha is your face. >> i started doing public art almost 10 years ago. what i want to express this as an extension of my our practice. this is an accumulation of my own experience as a performance artist. >> we see that the scale is very important. we have seen other works where a limb of this culture is on the floor but everything is very big and large scale. what are you trying to accomplish with expanding the scale of these images to such a

great size. >> i wanted to make large scale art and see how this plays a role in contemporary society. i think that is the mission of contemporary art, to serve as a social critique. >> when the mayor knew some -- when mayor newsom join you in dedicating this, they wanted to find a work that was big and bold. he was so pleased with your participation that he made you an honoraria citizens of san

francisco for the next 18 months. the public reaction has been very positive. what is your reaction of how people receive your sculpture? >> i think that san francisco has a long history. this gigantic sculpture is in front of the civic center. i know that that is not the kind of a go with whole environment. there is an exchange with the american culture and the asian culture which has created this very strong power. this power was created by east

meets west may be is exactly what our mayor or the public wants. they will start to be curious and wonder how this is here and how we look at the asian culture. >> you have lived internationally, you have lived in cities like new york and beijing, now shanghai. you made a very conscious decision to lend this culture to san francisco as opposed to having it premier as an exhibition at another museum. >> i am very satisfied with the turnout and i lived in new york for 8 years and all of my children were born in new york.