Thursday, November 19, 2009

Sign sign everywhere a sign

Blocking out the scenery breaking my mind / Do this, don't do that, can't you read the sign

So this large sign out by state owned Rt 116 coming into North Amherst goes one better on copyright "fair use" borrowing. Not only the white on blue and same font but also the cute little graphics (I like the martini glass).

But the sign is (just barely) on private property owned by the Jones family, Amherst's ninth generation entrepreneurs extraordinaire. And if Cinda Jones can get the Town Manager to publicly belly dance at a Chamber of Commerce gala it doesn't surprise me she could jump through all the hoops required to get this sign up--even in the People's Republic.

I'm just a tad surprised she followed the state's half-assed concept of making them only one sided.

22 comments:

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the info Larry.

Larry Kelley said...

Yeah, you read it here first.

Although this particular sign did get mentioned on the floor of Town Meeting a couple weeks ago.

Anonymous said...

What's with the sign obsession? It's replaced your handwashing compulsion?

Anonymous said...

Maybe the back of the sign also counts when you
apply the sign size reg's?

That'd make the signs only half as big....

The colors are great: white and blue - where've we seen that color scheme before...?

Larry Kelley said...

It's hard to stay awake during Amherst Town Meeting zoning issues but I kind of paid attention during the sign issues and I don't think that is the case.

Besides, the state can do whatever the Hell they want (witness Umass for instance)and they have them one-sided.

cinda said...

Just trying to get people to turn left to North Amherst Village Center rather than heading to Rte 9in Hadley to shop/eat. Continuing effort to keep $ in town. How about I get YOU to dance with me at the fabulous Amherst 250th Gala being held at the UMass Campus Center Auditorium on December 5th?!?!? Tickets are available online at www.amherst250.org. :)

Anonymous said...

Larry "Mr. anti-sign" Kelley would have this ripped down because it's similar to the state signs.

Larry Kelley said...

Hey Cinda,

$50. Yikes! Maybe I can put up a Paypal donation widget on my blog so folks could contribute to help send me.

But you will not get me to belly dance!

Anonymous said...

It's a gala. They're not serving hot dogs. Loosen up.

Anonymous said...
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cinda said...
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Max Hartshorne said...

at 1:37 am look what Cinda has to say! cracked me up. I tried hard to get blue Mass Highway signs but they turned the GoNOMAD Cafe down because of some steps out front. Bummer! So we had to settle for signs that direct people to South Deerfield Village Center instead.

Larry Kelley said...

Well Max, you should have done what Cinda did: rip off their design and put it up yourself.

And you could finance the sign by selling lap dances.

Although I'm sure Cinda would do W-A-Y better volume than you.

Anonymous said...

"goes one better on copyright "fair use" borrowing."

You have yet to present any evidence that a blue sign with white letters has been copyrighted or trademarked by the state of Massachusetts. Just because the the state uses that format doesn't give them any particular exclusive owner ship of it. If it does, perhaps they can sue the other 49 states that use that format and get a royalty to solve our budget deficit.

Anonymous said...

You really are becoming a (Fox)newsman, with your practice of making up a controversy where none exists and than beating it to death.

Larry Kelley said...

At least I didn't fake a photo of the signs in question (or mislabel them)

Even Newsweek Magazine can get a tad shady on journalistic ethics when it comes to photos.

Anonymous said...

Fox was nabbed the other week for posting old crowd footage to give the impression that recent Tea Party events were well attended.

Larry Kelley said...

Umm, actually TWICE in the same week (the other one using Sarah Palin footage from the archives).

But illustrious 'Newsweek' used (without permission) a photo of Palin on their cover from a 'Runners World' cover article.

Of course those Nitwits (Newsweek, not Runners World) also had the story of President Clinton's infidelity (and yes, I consider blow jobs to be sex) and sat on it until Drudge broke it.

Anonymous said...

Larry,

If they spent all their time reporting infidelities there would be no time or room for anything else. Just ask Newt Gingrich.

Larry Kelley said...

Yeah, well the magazine like most newspapers is getting pretty thin.

cinda said...
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Anonymous said...
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