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Bagan, Mandalay, Myanmar
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My mom was a baby when the Golden Gate Bridge first opened. My Grandparents took her with them and joined the throng of people,...
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Homemade ice cream from Sick Science! A perfect DIY for a long weekend…
I feel like Columbus doesn’t really have a great catch phrase, like “I Love New York” or “The Windy City” or “Cleveland: At Least It’s Not Detroit”. I would like to purpose a few ideas of my own.
Columbus: Come for the clouds, stay for the rain!
Columbus: Experience all four seasons in a day!
Columbus: Our highways are America’s greatest obstacle course!
Columbus: Where two inches of snow is a level-4 emergency!
Columbus: The Football of It All.
Columbus: Everything is Buckeyes and Nothing Hurt.
Columbus: Where Sunshine Goes to Die.
Columbus: What’s a parking garage?
Columbus: America’s Gayest City. Almost.
Columbus: No, we can’t get you Urban Meyer’s number.
Columbus: Six hours from where you want to be.
Columbus: America’s Retail Guinea Pig.
Columbus: Come for the fun, stay because you’re stuck in traffic.
Columbus: Where No One Really Cares About Pro Sports.
Some of these are painfully accurate
Columbus: At Least There Are No Tourists!
Having lived in Columbus for four better years of my adult life, I can totally relate. Sadly, I cannot let this go without nagging about the type of “purpose” instead of “propose” above.
Also, being me, I have to add that Columbus itself has no tourists yet is all tourists, as they’re all clogging up the two-lane roads in Amish Country.
And now, kind of an alteration of one above…
Columbus: Where the speed limit is 30 whenever it rains or snows at all. And we drive 25.”
Readers: I think that my heart was feeling quite overwhelmed yesterday when I returned home and saw the explosion of support via Twitter, Facebook, and comments. Many of you shared my post about Highball Halloween’s unauthorized usage of my image with the community and I’m beyond grateful.
When writing the article, I felt a bit like David fighting Goliath. Would the folks at Short North Arts District hear my voice? With all of you, they did, and John Angelo contacted me yesterday in hopes to resolve the distress caused by my discovery on Friday.
Of course, this issue doesn’t only concern me. It’s not only about Highball. It’s about all of us — the artists, the organizers, and the community. Yesterday proved to me that when we band together, good things happen. The process by which Highball filed and used images is now forever changed so that this will never again happen to another artist.
I met with John last night in person to discuss that matter and properly sell him the rights to use my photograph in their web and print advertising. This means that you will continue to see the ad during the next three weeks in Columbus — so if you get a mailer or see a flyer, don’t fret, as the usage rights have been mended.
John also expressed his desire to share his voice on the issue with my readers and the community and asked for me to share the following letter with you:Dear Jess,
I want to start by saying that I am very sorry for the issues related to the use of your photo in HighBall’s promotional campaign. I am completely at fault for having missed the credit of your image. We must make 100% sure we always recognize the sources of our materials. I will also take the blame for the confusion regarding which of your images we were authorized to use and which we were not. Though I am not sure how your Dead-Circus image came to be in our collection of authorized Jessie Barber images, the issue is that our system needs to be tightened to make sure such an incident does not happen again.
We value the contribution of all our artists: Fashion Designers, Costume Designers, Makeup Artists, Photographers, Visual Artists and Performing Artists. As a fundraiser to help further the initiatives of the Short North Arts District, it is at the core of HighBall’s mission to serve as a vibrant forum to expose the innovators and creators of Columbus and to celebrate their contributions to the city’s quality of life. For this reason we bestow many stipends to help the artists bring their visions to reality, and we give special preference to our photographers at the event by reserving space with the best views and by granting access to behind the scenes subject matter.
Thank you for working with me to resolve this issue.
Sincerely,
John AngeloI left my meeting with John last night feeling accomplished. This was a victory for everyone involved — and I started a small fire that you all helped fan. In less than 24 hours we had the attention and the ability to change something that will continue to help artists here in Columbus.
Again, I couldn’t have done this without all of you. And I may only have three weeks left as being a Columbus resident, but I can assure you that this is probably one of the best goodbyes I could have asked for — proof that I have the support of my peers and that I’ve spent the past six years in a truly amazing community. Thank you, Columbus. You’ll always have a special place in my heart.
Remember yesterday’s post about Highball Halloween stealing my image? Well, turns out they they don’t think the internet is the same as print advertising. Here’s them using my stolen image on the Short North Arts District’s website — artists stealing from artists!?
Thanks so much for all of the support, reblogs, and retweets so far. I’m not staying silent on this one.
So let me get this straight…. 250 VIP tickets at $65/ticket comes out to $16,250… yet The Official Short North HighBall Halloween still decided to STEAL my image to use in their large print advertising (a sign on High Street) and weren’t even willing to pay me for it? PLUS they charge everyone else $5 to WALK ON HIGH STREET (and I’m sure that they’re charging vendors a booth fee). Not only was the PERSONAL image taken from me without my permission, they admitted on the phone to me today that they KNOWINGLY cropped out my watermark. I was told that it wasn’t “in the spirit of Highball” for me to get paid. So what is the spirit of Highball? Artists stealing from artists? Plus they neglected to give Bob Kueppers and company credit for their amazing costumes that night. They claim that the sign is being taken down, but I still call for a BOYCOTT.
So many people are intimidated to bike in this city because it is assumed that all drivers hate us and are inclined to run over us in the blink of an eye.
But why do they hate us? And why do pedestrians hate us? Because we don’t follow simple rules, and by not following these rules, we look like a bunch of hooligans.
In the short three miles I spent riding on the street today, I saw a total of 88 cyclists. Of them, only 18 were not flagrantly breaking traffic laws at the time that I saw them. That means I can’t really let all 18 of the non-scofflaws off the hook, either.
By “flagrantly breaking traffic laws,” I don’t mean rolling through a red light after all the traffic has passed. I mean riding on the sidewalk, riding the wrong way on a one-way street, or riding the wrong way in a bike lane.
Look, not only is it illegal (and dumb) to ride against traffic or on the sidewalk in New York City, it’s just plain dangerous. It’s dangerous to pedestrians, it’s dangerous to other cyclists, and it’s dangerous to you, especially.
In Fort Collins, Colorado, more than 65% of all accidents involving bicycles from 2007-2009 occurred because the rider was on the sidewalk or moving against traffic. It makes you less visible to a driver, and if you’re not in a place where a driver expects you to be, you put your life at risk. I imagine it’s similar here in New York City, but the NYPD won’t release that type of information… mainly because they hate cyclists.
Look, when you ride the wrong way in a bike lane, you force me into traffic, putting my life at risk. Six times today, I saw a cyclist coming at me in a bike lane on a busy avenue. I stopped dead in my tracks and placed my bike lengthwise across the bike lane. I will not risk my own life because you’re too lazy to ride your bike ONE EXTRA BLOCK.
After busting my ass off with Transportation Alternatives to try to promote safe cycling and doing all I can to set an example and seeing things seemingly get worse, I’m starting to see why some people suggest that cyclists “should be licensed and insured.” The lack of education among cyclists in New York is the biggest reason everyone else hates us. And when you ride your bike against me in a bike lane and I get hit by a car, I want you to have to pay for it.
Well put, sir.
Also: hey, food delivery people riding those things that look like bicycles but are, in fact, motorized - we’re onto you. Under state law, you’re driving a motor vehicle, not a bicycle.
I live in “rural” Ohio in a city of 30,000 and have lived in Columbus, among other places. Even here, it never ceases to amaze me when I see people (especially children) riding a bicycle against traffic. Granted, we don’t have NYC-level traffic, but it’s still idiotic. They ride on narrow two-way streets with no side lines, on one-way streets, on county roads with hills and curves and limited visibility and high speed limits. Don’t we learn bicycle rules in, like, 5th grade? Come on, people!
On another note, I think Jessie would tell you to move to Chicago, which seems much more bicycle-friendly.
nathaliekossek: Polaris, what? :DApply for future openings, check. THANK YOU NATHALIE.
Polaris?? Are they nuts? I wonder if I can get in?
• Best book store in the state. I live in the Short North now, so I don’t go here as often, but it’s only a three mile bike ride from my place. Seriously. But unfortunately, the case is this: best bookstore, worst website.
Wow, that site is atrocious. But I had to reblog this after I saw the “Help Wanted” sign. Is this a recent pic? I need to get an application!
