In order to move past the very sad day we’ve just had here in Seattle, I’ve got an entirely new, off-the-wall subject.
Via Plankie’s post at HighRankings, I came across some nifty new Dutch signs that note that smoking marijuana is forbidden on the streets in Amsterdam. The municipal government was having serious difficulty keeping the signs up, as they became a globally desired item (part of the culture of those who partake in this activity). The government had anticipated the theft issue, but was still having trouble replacing the signs each morning. However, in a brilliant business and socially gratify decision last week, the Dutch government decided to make the signs available worldwide.
You can now order the popular signs by e-mailing the municipal government via this page. The price is ~$110 (90 Euros).
What they’ve done here is not just create a unique revenue stream for the city government, they’ve also largely eliminated the theft problem. The government recognized the cultural attachment to the stolen signs came about precisely because they were unavailable for purchase. Now that they are, both sides benefit – the government no longer has to fear the theft problem (as much), money pours in and folks who want to decorate their basement apartments have somewhere to spend their AdSense earnings.
If I were EGOL, I’d tell you there’s a lesson to be applied here to your own site, but I’m going to simply let you sit back and revel in the emancipation of decorative drug paraphenalia for charitable purposes.
