Your dose of lunacy: VanOC asks businesses to temporarily close down
My very good friend Monica Hamburg (a social media maven and one of the funniest people on the planet) writes a personal blog very aptly named, “Your Dose of Lunacy“. It’s one of her creative outlets, where she dissects some really weird stuff that happens around the World Wide Web.
The news I’m going to quote below MUST certainly qualify for her blog and I would love to hear her viewpoints. Not only because she is really funny and has a great sense of humor, but also because I really think that these statements kind of qualify as being an unhealthy dose of lunacy.
Don’t take my word for it, but apparently, the VANOC CEO John Furlong suggested to businesses to consider shutting down temporarily. According to this news snippet from The Vancouver Sun, Furlong is quoted as saying:
5. Time off. Encourage “or even mandate” vacations at Games time. “Consider if it’s feasible for your business to close entirely to celebrate the Games,” Vanoc said.[The Vancouver Sun]
Um, I’m not even remotely implying that they’re actually crazy, but what part of “entrepreneurs are in business to make a profit” does VANOC not understand? How exactly are businesses supposed to temporarily close down and still make a profit, and why must they have to pay staff so that these staffers go and do unpaid volunteer work at the 2010 Winter Olympics? How are people who are “mandated” vacation going to make their rents, and put food on the table?
Again, I did not hear this myself, but just read it on The Vancouver Sun, and you can take it with a grain of salt, but … seriously! Somebody needs to really get a reality check. Preferably with a healthy dose of seriousness. Honestly, I am disappointed to hear some proposals that have absolutely no practicality and feasibility.
And on a related note – $ 48 million deficit already? Weren’t these Games supposed to be sustainable?
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I saw that on all the 18:00 newscasts. And there’s the one where VANOC is requesting employers to “loan” appropriate consultants to VANOC in the months leading up to the games; forgot the station that reported that. And the audience where Furlong gave those comments gave him a standing ovation?!?
I’d probably want to escape the lunacy that will certainly happen here in February 2010, forced holiday or not.
Today I read the article about the (incredible) increase in pay for Translink execs. Given that the public transit service in Vancouver is likely the worst of any city (certainly the worst I’ve experienced), I was stunned at the illogic of it all.
http://www.canada.com/theprovince/news/story.html?id=72571a91-7781-403a-8fab-8c4d5eaa5885
I thought I would not likely see anything as ridiculous today. Then you posted about this…
VANOC is simply insane. Their proposals are so out-of-whack… You’re right – this definitely qualifies as a Dose of Lunacy…
Next they’ll be suggesting we all give tourists a piggieback ride to the Games. My back hurts just thinking about it…
I don’t want to know…. I don’t want to know.
Monica your back hurts. My head hurts. Let’s join Eric, wherever he’s going.