Bluoz

Rest in Peace, brother

Norton Buffalo 1951-2009

Last week at Westfest 2009 in Golden Gate Park, David Denny, another member of the Steve Miller Band (wrote The Stake on Book of Dreams) played a very heartfelt tribute to Norton Buffalo. Norton had recently been diagnosed with cancer and passed away yesterday. The tribute was Back to the Island, a Leon Russell song

here it is



update August 25, 2010, remastered for brighter sound



and you can also download that here

we love you Norton! - David Denny, October 25, 2009, Golden Gate Park, San Francisco

update, Monday, November 2nd, 2009. I received word that Norton Buffalo did actually find out this song was performed in his honor before he died last Friday. On Monday, October 26, 2009, the very next day after Westfest, Norton called David Denny to thank him. But he may have never actually heard the song, unless he was watching on the internet. Norton died 5 days later

Norton Buffalo, 2008



David Denny and friends, last week (performers are Carlos Reyes on violin, Byron Allred on keyboards, and Greg Douglass on guitar, Prairie Prince of The Tubes on drums

(photo - davegolden-flickr)

update November 1, 2009 >>> there will be another tribute to Norton Buffalo today, Sunday on the show Good Olde Fashioned Folk Show on KHCO Chico (listen live) (should be 1-2pm PST Sunday, November 1st). This show is now recorded and archived here (first 5 minutes are choppy due to connection, but stable after that)



Also tonight, Sunday > Blues with Bowker - Bill Bowker - Sunday Evenings 7-10pm on The Crush, Healdsburg KRSH (listen live) from the Santa Rosa Press Democrat

KRSH Healdsburg tribute recorded and archived



also KVMR in Nevada City where they said that tonight there are many stations across Northern California playing tribute to Norton. There was a brief live link between KRSH and KVMR. Hope somebody recorded the KVMR show.

Nortons life will be celebrated Jan. 23 at the Fox Theater in Oakland in a benefit concert starring the Steve Miller Band and the Doobie Brothers, with special guests Huey Lewis, George Thorogood, Charlie Musselwhite and Bonnie Raitt.

news and blog items

Vintage Vinyl News

Blues in the Northwest

Makli

Nightwatchers House of Rock

Juke Joint Soul

Ted Burke

abreakingnews.com

Mr G's

Nortons twitter feed

The Rock Doctor

the hooter

Blurt online

Santa Rosa Press Democrat

A News Cafe

Randy's Vinyl Tap

Benefit for Norton (facebook)

Rovins World

updated Santa Rosa Press Democrat

San Francisco Chronicle

Reverend Keith Gordon

Jazz Corner

Spinner



FARK

Chico ER (last lyrics)

well, there's one bright spot in the bay bridge closure

from Rose Cantine blog

I noticed the same thing myself, biking south of market...Nice seeing Bryant street empty

The quality of life in San Francisco’s South of Market neighborhood, around the Embarcadero and South Beach, has improved dramatically since the closure of the Bay Bridge. Traffic is non-existent and for people who live near the bridge, hanging out on the balcony and opening windows means not having to listen to the constant buzz of traffic.

At first, the silence is eerie, then it becomes a sheer delight. Walking around SOMA is no longer such a frightful experience. There are no traffic jams, no hurried obnoxious drivers texting, talking on their phone and trying to get onto the bridge at the same time, in a big hurry. The streets are quiet and suddenly this part of San Francisco has become so much more livable.

Unfortunately the bridge may open even as soon as today. I am wishing it remains closed indefinitely. Perhaps they can close the bridge one day a week.

Jerry Miller from earlier today at Westfest 2009, Golden Gate Park, San Francisco



right click to download the recording







update, the Chronicle screwed up about this segment (Joel Selvin would have known the difference)



Jim Post was never a member of Moby Grape. Jerry Miller is the one in the cowboy hat and he was and is, the original and founding member of Moby Grape Jim Post wasn't even at this show. Keith Graves on bass is the guy in the tie dye and Fuzzy John Oxendine on drums and Ed Vance on the B3

(posted last night on Youtube) At last the Power Exchange re-opens their doors again tonight for the general public... h Brown and the SF BullDog Network was there to cover the grand opening with a special interview with manager...

Friday morning, 8am, Speedway meadows, Golden Gate Park, San Francisco

they said maybe 100,000 people will be here tomorrow (Sunday)..show starts at 9am

you can see a seagull diving in this

You know those cartoons where they walk around with a storm cloud over their head?..ever feel like that?

More on the history and time line of San Francisco's largest publicly funded contractor and it's dirty little war on the union employees

main page for this story








The Tenderloin Housing Clinic v. Nate Holmes – A History of Harassment, Union Busting, & Racism 


May, 1999 – Nate Holmes starts working for Tenderloin Housing Clinic (THC)

October, 2006 – THC signs first union contract with SEIU Local 1021; Nate elected shop steward in December, 2006

September, 2007 – Krista Gaeta appointed Housing Services Director without open posting of position. She immediately starts changing work rules, etc. without union-required meet and confer; Holmes files grievance on THC unfair hiring practice.

Fall/Winter, 2007 – Gaeta continues violations of union contract, including harassment of Holmes as shop steward.

December, 2007 – Holmes placed on administrative leave, pending “investigation”. He never receives results of “investigation.”

January, 2008 – Holmes transferred to SRO Collaborative pending completion of “investigation”; he continues to serve as steward for former co-workers.

February, 2008 – Internal investigation completed, no results given to Holmes. Human Resources Director Cathy Clagett informs Nate that she gave results to Evette Albert-Jordan, supervisor for worksite organizer Daz Lamparas .

April 9, 2008 – in a meeting with worksite organizer Daz Lamparas, Lamparas informs Holmes that the investigation was “bogus” and that Shaw will lose in mediation; that he (Holmes) should not worry about it.

April 10, 2008 – Mediation hearing at THC conference room. Daz Lamparas fails to present the findings from the internal investigation by the THC. He tells Holmes that he (Holmes) lacks credibility and that he (Lamparas) will not take his case to arbitration. Lacking proper arbitration, Holmes was forced to settle without full relief. He later filed DFR charges at the NLRB.

July, 2008 – Harassment from Krista Gaeta continues; Gaeta asks shop steward Ken Duignan to come to Housing Services staff meeting to inform staff that Nathaniel Holmes was no longer shop steward in the Housing Department. This was after Gaeta had been informed about two weeks previously that Holmes would continue as shop steward until January, 2009, when an election would be held in the Housing Department. A grievance was filed by Vaniesha Rodgers of the Housing Department, but she was later transferred – end of grievance.

September, 2008 – Holmes files DFRr against SEIU 1021 worksite organizer Daz Lamparas for not properly representing him in April mediation.

October, 2008 – Randy Shaw, Executive Director of THC, to present his “labor-friendly” book “Beyond the Fields” at a meeting at SEIU Local 87. A letter protesting Shaw’s actions signed by 60 of Nate Holmes’s co-workers was sent to Local 87.

October 27, 2008 – Human Resources Director Janie Lara orders Holmes not to have any contact with any THC employee. THC employees also ordered not to talk with or have any contact with Nate Holmes with the threat of disciplinary action if this order is violated. This is a contract violation.

November 6, 2008 – Holmes fired from THC before “investigation is completed.

November 11, 2008 – SEIU/THC Chapter Shop Steward Council meets and passes motion stating that, contrary to the claims of Randy Shaw, they supported the letter of support to Nate Holmes signed by over 60 members.

November 14, 2008 – Holmes and SEIU 1021 shop steward Alexandra Goldman in participate in hearing with Randy Shaw and HR Director Janie Lara. Shaw refuses to give his grounds for having fired Holmes, stating that Daz Lamparas had the information. Lamparas only received this information the following week. This is a contract violation.

March 2009 – Evette Albert Jordan meets with THC shop stewards council to get input if Holmes’s termination case merits arbitration. The Council informs Evette that the termination should be arbitrated.

May, 2009 – worksite organizer Sara “Fred” Sherburn-Zimmer informs Shop Stewards Council that Holmes’s firing would be going to arbitration, but no paper work or date presented at that time.

July – Protests about unfair labor practices at THC begin at Modern Times Bookstore.

July – September, 2009 -- More unfair labor practices protests at THC Hyde Street Office and 472 Turk Street office.

September 14, 2009 – SEIU 1021 Sends Nate Holmes a letter affirming that they are taking his case to arbitration. However, as of this date Nate Holmes has still not seen copies of any papers filed for arbitration.

October 6, 2009 – No arbitration date set yet.

Jerry Miller, Biscuits and Blues, San Francisco, September 9, 2007

(firefox you can right click the player and download)

part 1



part 2



Jerry Miller, guitarist for the legendary San Francisco rock band Moby Grape will be at West Fest in Golden gate Park next week
He's number 68 in Rolling Stones 100 greatest guitarists of all time

In 2007, Jerry Miller, along with a reformed Moby Grape appeared at the same Golden Gate Park venue for the 40th Anniversary of the Summer of Love.

2007 Golden Gate Park photo courtesy of Don Aters



later that same night, Jerry came downtown to Biscuits and Blues nightclub and played two shows, and the first show is included here (2nd show not recorded)

Biscuits and Blues photo courtesy of JoJo on the Moby Grape email list

And also compares Urban Renewal to the same high crime areas, with the red being the highest

read full article here

What’s amazing is that this shape was drawn by the city when they defined an “Urban Renewal Area.” The shape is available to download from the city’s GIS catalog. That shape was defined in 2002 as part of a federal Housing and Urban Development (HUD) program. One of the key goals in targeting that areas was to reduce crime. The following paragraph defines one of the five stated goals when the area was defined:

Reducing Crime
The City of San Francisco has a crime reduction strategy that is a multi-layered approach addressing: general crime prevention education; programs targeting at-risk youth (prevention); diversion programs; programs targeting incarcerated individuals to reduce recidivism; and post-incarceration programs to reduce recidivism.

That was almost 8 years ago, but the crime data in the image above is as recent as last week. There are of course many ways to interpret this data. It could indicate that the city is not making much progress reducing drug crimes within the Urban Renewal Area. Or it could mean that the city is actively targeting the area (which will lead to higher arrests) and that the indication of higher concentrations in the Urban Development Area is a good thing.

70% of all narcotics crimes occur in the Urban Renewal Area

Again, please keep in mind that the data only shows where the police are arresting people (see notes section below). And this is only one slice of time, from July 25 to September 20, so we don’t have the previous historical data to see any kinds of long term historical trends.

Sphere lens at Octavia and Page

sphere lens page





yeah, that's graffiti on it



and what it looks like if you look inside

now pretty much a permanent fixture, surrounded by potted plants, in the parking lot of Dunphy Park, Sausalito, California

Finally: Someone meaningfully and publicly rips San Francisco officials for acceptance of filth, crime and homelessness from a a friend feed

read the rest of the article Twitter developer Alex Payne wrote

There are far more fundamental problems with the city than the tech industry bubble. Perhaps the most visceral is that, for a first world city, San Francisco is dirty. No, filthy. No, disgusting. Whenever I travel outside of San Francisco, I’m amazed at what a disastrous anomaly it is. Sidewalks are routinely covered in broken glass, trash, old food, and human excrement. The smell of urine is not uncommon, nor is the sight of homeless persons in varying states of dishevelment. I frequented tough neighborhoods in DC and Baltimore – then the murder capital of the nation – and only in San Francisco have I been actively threatened on the street.

What sickens me most about San Francisco is not its dirt, or its large homeless population, or its questionable safety, but that locals and the city government seem to accept these circumstances. Hipsters boast of how disgusting and unsafe their Mission living situations are, as if choosing to live amongst squalor when you have the means not to do so makes you a better person. The wealthy seclude themselves in the Marina, Russian Hill, and Pacific Heights, and lobby against public transportation that would bring undesirables to their pristine neighborhoods. Aging hippies in the Haight argue about marijuana legalization and anti-war referendums when men and women are dying – visibly dying – on the streets of the Tenderloin. It’s as if all parties don’t occupy the same city, see the same shameful sights on the street, and bear the same responsibilities to taxes and charity that might help address these deep-seated and difficult problems.

and....and....and....SFMetblogs also wrote about it today

first photo taken by a neighbor of mine, mid Market, near 6th street, San Francisco, last year in December of a peregrine falcon. That's much harder to photograph 'in the wild' because they're a lot faster and don't stick around for long



the red tail hawks are a bit slower, and sometimes perch for 10 seconds or longer

this one landed 15 feet from my window today



and further away





if you're in the mid market area, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th streets, market street near there, a little south of market and some nearby parts of the tenderloin, especially if you see flocks of pigeons flying around like mad

look up, you might see this



what is attracting them to this area is the large number of people, some of them 'mentally ill', who feed the pigeons on a daily basis. Ask the city street sweepers about it sometime. They'll tell you about the homeless, semi-homeless (housed) who throw food out the window or dump food on the sidewalk for the pigeons

this, in turn, attracts these birds of prey, who find the large flocks of pigeons an easy feast (compared to the real wilderness)

In honor of Bike Messenger Appreciation Day 2009, I bring you a real live authentic bike messenger band called Family Scott recorded May 29, 1998 at the CW Saloon, 917 Folsom, San Francisco. This is the first time this recording ever appeared in public (Scott, the lead singer, aka 'dumptruck', is still a bike messenger to this day)

update > messenger art show this evening, Friday, Oct. 9th, held at the ILWU Union Hall, 255-9th Street, beginning at 7pm.

you can right click the player to download - on Firefox (Family.Scott.CW.Saloon.5.29.98.mp3) appr 50 min




10-9 = say again?

today is National Bike Messenger Appreciation Day

San Francisco Examiner article

Oregon Live article

Today is Bike Messenger Appreciation Day in San Francisco, AKA 10-9 Day (October 9). They deliver your packages in 1 hour or less, file fix your court documents at Superior court and federal court. Show your appreciation if you're downtown at Post and Market, Battery and Market, and 'The Wall' at Sansome and Market. click logo for homepage





981519 - September 22, 1998

[Messenger Appreciation Day]
Supervisors Ammiano, Leno, Medina
Resolution designating October 9, 1998 as Messenger Appreciation Day.


Supervisors Leno, Medina requested to be added as co-sponsors.
Resolution No. 759-98
ADOPTED



1994 - San Francisco



2007 - San Francisco