I find this extremly funny. I laughed for a whole 10 minutes. Go there: http://www.majorevents.com/ A lump of coal from the original Titanic on sale with a display case and all that. $25 plus $5 shipping. Not very expensive, but still.... (A lump of coal?)

-- Rose (rose364@earthlink.net), February 19, 1998

Answers

And earlier this week Marconi wireless signals sold for

$123 500.00 USD

at Christie's auction house. Sheesh, I just started reading "The Millionaire Next Door," a book about who's really rich in America and who puts on a show. Totally makes me think about these first class people, who indeed was rich after spending all that money on clothes, caviar, and other stuff that went along with being a member of the upper class. Totally off the subject, but the majority of millionaires today never got $1 of inheritance, and 80% of them are self-made millionaires. Most millionaires don't live in Park Avenue or your town's equivalent neighbourhood, somewhere in a lower-middle class neighbourhood, and they drive the good 'ol Ford F150 pick-up truck. Tee hee, you could buy a Donna Karen dress, or a new vehicle. I feel sorry for the famous, they spend all their money pretending they're rich! Oh - and people of Russian descent are the most likely to be millionaires, not British (they come in fourth even though they're predecesors spent more time on this continent.) That whole self-made wealth thing again. I don't seem to remember any ____ski's, ____ov's, or _____vich's on the Titanic passenger list. Guess they were busy setting up business's not buying hats! Good book, everyone should read it. I guess what I'm trying to say is, don't buy lumps of coal, buy stock in that company!

-- Jen (jendrew@hotmail.com), February 19, 1998.

Thanks, Jen! You are a true voice of reason. There's not that much "old money" around these days as a result of income and inheritance tax laws passed since 1912. Most of the wealthy people today EARNED it, through hard work, creativity, and frugality (which includes investing rather than conspicuous consumption). While condemning the laissez-faire excesses of 1912, let's not "bash" today's rich - let's endeavor to join them!

-- Dan Dalton (DDa2309070@aol.com), February 19, 1998.

Rose, your statement is a mastery of derision and amusing to the extent that it is almost tangible!

However if it really is a lump of coal from the Titanic wreck... I believe that there was some sort of coal shortage at the time Titanic started her maiden voyage so coal had to be scraped together for her use prior to leaving Southampton. If this is true then in all likelihood had Titanic reached New York then that lump of coal would have been lost to Titanic's boilers, however instead that lump of coal is still around and it was Titanic that was lost.

-- Simon (ia501060@ntu.ac.uk), February 23, 1998.

Guess what kids?? the licensed salvager of the Titanic wreck, RMS Titanic, Inc. is offering pieces of Titanic coal about the size of a quarter for ten dollars each. The non-for profit organization is usin the proceeds to finance further expedition to the site. I love my piece. At least this one comes with a certificate of authenticity from RMS Titanic Inc. and IFREMER, the french oceanographic institite that assists the salvager in recovery expeditions. Any incursion involving salvage by anyone else is a federal crime.

-- jastor (rooks@innernet.net), March 09, 1998.

Yo! Sup all! Yo! Homies

-- John Bismark (johndajerk@aol.com), January 20, 1999.