Expensive Painting!

In Paris, an apartment was locked up and untouched for 70 years. It wasn't abandoned or empty though - don't think that! The rent was being paid, and the smelly place was filled with furniture, books, and a lot of art. One of those paintings, it turns out, was worth a lot of money! And when I say a lot, I mean A LOT!

The valuable work of art is by Italian artist Giovanni Boldini and recently sold for 2.1 million pounds (around US $2.9 million) at auction. The painting's subject was a woman in a pink muslin evening dress. I don't know much about Boldini so I didn't really see why it was so important but it sure was expensiveeeeeee!

I've never heard of someone paying rent on an apartment for 70 years and never going there! 70 years, people! What's amazing too - the 70 years of dust didn't damage the painting! Whoa!

Fireeeee!

That's just disappointing. I think my opinion of the heroism of firefighters just went down a little bit. So here's the short version of what happened: In Tennessee homeowners must pay $75 annually for fire protection. If they don't pay the fee and their home catches fire, you better know it's just tough luck - even if firefighters are positioned just outside the home with hoses at the ready. That's just harsh! A man named Gene found this out the hard way.

Gene's house caught on fire last week, he couldn't put out the fire with his garden hoses and fire extinguishers so he called 911. During the emergency call, he offered to pay all expenses to the Fire Department's defense of his home, but the firefighters refused to do anything.

They did, however, come out when Gene's neighbor who had already paid the fee called 911 because he was worried the fire might spread to his property. Once they arrived, members of the fire department stood by and watched Gene's home burn. I think that was extremely cruel of them. Even if it was breaking the rules I would have helped the man. The stupid, ignorant firefighters only went into action when the fire reached the neighbor's property! Can you believe that? Firefighters standing around and watching a family's home burn to the ground! For shame!

"I hadn't paid my $75 and that's what they want, $75, and they don't care how much it burned down," Gene Cranick told WPSD, an NBC affiliate in Kentucky. "I thought they'd come out and put it out, even if you hadn't paid your $75, but I was wrong."

Michael Jackson's Mansion!

Wha?!? MJ's home is for sale?!? He rehearsed "This is It" (the movie he made) in that house! I wonder how many MJ freaks are gonna go for that house!

The "French chateau" is located in the Holmby Hills area of Los Angeles. This awesomely amazing house of royalty (as I like to call it) includes a theater room, wine cellar, elevator, gym, guest house, a pool, and gardens on the 1.26 acre property... That's just madness. I want that house! The home also features an indoor spa and 12 fireplaces. That's 12, people! TWELVE!!!

In order to even view the home, interested buyers must go through a "pre-buying" check, to avoid rubberneckers and any paparazzi. I don't know who's going to buy that house though... Bill Gates is probably the one that can afford it! And Oprah!

Jetpacks!

WOW! Futuristic!! It's about time man flew among the birds! We may not have homes on the moon or the flying cars that me and my childhood imagination think about just yet, but soon we might be able to scratch jet pack off that list I thought was only possible in my imagination. I thought it sounded more sci-fi than sci-fact but the jet pack is actually being looked at for mass production! Once they're made, they will eventually be released to the public! When I read that... I just sat and thought about it for a second. Jetpacks are real. No cartoons anymore. Not just that, we might be able to buy one someday soon. Or at least see them amongst the skies. Oh, oh, oh! How the world has evolved!

The Cost of a Penny!

Wait! What?!? Wowow!! That's amazing... yet I don't see how it's possible. Those were all statements I said when I found out how much it costs to make a penny. It costs........ $1.67 to make just one penny! ONE PENNY! That means that we're losing $1.66 every time we make a penny! The cost of a penny is largely decided by the materials used to make it. Pennies contain 97.5% zinc and 2.5% copper to give them their coppery color. Prices of these metals have risen dramatically since we're in a recession so I don't see a make in making pennies anymore... we're just losing a bunch of money!

Harry Potter 8, 9 or 10!?

So when J.K. Rowling first finished writing the 7 parts of Harry Potter, wait... as a matter of fact it was before she finished writing the 7 parts, when she was still writing book number 1, she knew there were only going to be 7 parts. When she was done with number 7, she said, she was never ever going to write about Harry again. She even repeated that after #7 was released, which was 3 years ago in 2007. But now after just 3 years without writing about Harry, she is having Harry Potter withdrawl problems! She misses Harry! He's still having adventures in her head! So now even though she promised she wouldn't write about him, and she's stated that mulitple times, she might start writing about him again! Yay! Even though she broke a promise, that's a promise I don't mind if she breaks since I love Harry and I want more! (Watch the video to 1:21 to see her interview.)

World's Fastest Train

France is famous for a bunch of things, be it the Eiffel Tower, their awesome crepes, or even the fact that they eat snails! But I find the thing the most French is that it's home to the world's fastest train. The train is called TGV or Train a Grande Vitesse which means High-Speed Train. This video of a TGV was filmed in 2007. This train was filmed going at 574 kmph! The passengers still said it was comfortable, quiet, and smooth-running... and from the looks and sounds of it, it's true!


I don't even know how a train could possibly go that fast! It's amazing! It almost breaks the sound barrier! It goes the same speed as a plane would in the air! After it passes, then you hear it! That's how amazing this thing is! All it needs to do is be able to beat me and it'll be the best thing in the world.