wow, life imitating art?

http://gimundo.com/news/article/man-turns-down-billions-for-his-ancestral-homeland/

Quote :

"As breathtaking as the scenery is, though, most people are more concerned with what lies beneath Koongarra: A massive deposit of uranium worth $5 billion. Just one man, 36-year-old Jeffrey Lee, holds the title to this unfathomably valuable piece of real estate – and he says it’s not for sale."

3/16/2010 2:47:01 AM

k

3/16/2010 2:49:38 AM

$5 says when he dies, his next of kin will sell it for double

family legacy usually means squat to the rest of the family

3/16/2010 2:53:12 AM

aight

3/16/2010 2:53:48 AM

Fuck this noise.

Billions get.

3/16/2010 2:55:03 AM

Quote :

"Originally published August 16th, 2007"

[old]

3/16/2010 3:02:45 AM

I will burn down the teepees myself when the letter B is on the check.

3/16/2010 3:04:54 AM

you're all fools. what do you think you gain with that paper, a few yachts, a mansion, ladies all over you.....damn that sounds pretty good

3/16/2010 3:13:27 AM

I feel like getting that much would be like putting in cheat codes on GTA. Sure, you have fun for a bit, but eventually you just get bored being able to do everything on a whim.

3/16/2010 3:20:16 AM

I'll take my chances on the boredom.

3/16/2010 3:31:38 AM

this is why that guy is dumb: if some company doesn't sit there like a vulture when he comes to an untimely death, they will undoubtedly still get it in the not-so-far future anyway

he'd be better off striking a deal with them for lesser money (since he obviously doesn't care) that involves an mining and extraction plan specifically designed to minimize damage to the ecosystem...he could also stipulate that they, i don't know, create some sort of tribute to his tribe (after all, since he's the last one, no one's going to remember them anyway)

i realize that the extraction will still damage the ecosystem, but there are less cost-effective ways that are much less destructive

3/16/2010 8:02:42 AM

They should just buy the adjacent land and drink his milkshake.

3/16/2010 8:31:24 AM

i was just about to post I Drink Your Milkshake

3/16/2010 9:03:03 AM

as was I.

3/16/2010 9:25:09 AM

3/16/2010 9:42:07 AM

I love how he says he wants to preserve his ancestral homeland for his children and their children for generations to come

Like I'm sure they'd rather have some fields than a helicopter, yacht and a G5

3/16/2010 9:44:51 AM

This is just like Avatar in real life.
I remember in the movie when the company offered the tribe billions of dollars and then waited patiently for them to change their mind on selling.
Oh wait....

3/16/2010 10:00:49 AM

This guy is fucking awesome and literally none of you have the capacity to understand it ahahah damn

3/16/2010 10:10:11 AM

I mean he's awesome, but that kind of money would basically set your family and their descendants up for the rest of their lives with opportunities they'd never dreamed of. I'm sure his ancestors would forgive him.

3/16/2010 10:14:29 AM

Oh I understand it just fine. I just don't agree with the philosophy.

3/16/2010 10:14:36 AM

nobody owns the land

we're just borrowing it

peace

3/16/2010 10:18:32 AM

this guy is awesome

wish more people would think the way he does

3/16/2010 10:20:01 AM

Literally no one on this site would hold onto that land.

3/16/2010 10:21:47 AM

I would hold onto it.

3/16/2010 10:23:15 AM

austrailia doesn't have eminent domain laws?


just take it and don't give him anything.

3/16/2010 10:27:50 AM

Quote :

"austrailia doesn't have eminent domain laws? just take it and don't give him anything."

Eminent domain is the worst.

Quote :

"Eminent domain (United States, Canada), compulsory purchase (United Kingdom, New Zealand, Ireland), resumption/compulsory acquisition (Australia) or expropriation (South Africa and Canada's common law systems) is the inherent power of the state to seize a citizen's private property, expropriate property, or seize a citizen's rights in property with due monetary compensation, but without the owner's consent."

Quote :

"The most common uses of property taken by eminent domain are for public utilities, highways, and railroads[citation needed], however it may also be taken for reasons of public safety, such as in the case of Centralia, Pennsylvania."

From wikipedia

[Edited on March 16, 2010 at 10:45 AM. Reason : -]

3/16/2010 10:44:24 AM

Centralia owns. It was the basis for Silent Hill.

3/16/2010 10:57:56 AM

Quote :

"On the surface, I once bought a forest. The parasites claimed that the land belonged to God, and demanded that I establish a public park there. Why? So the rabble could stand slack-jawed under the canopy and pretend that it was paradise *earned*. When Congress moved to nationalize my forest, I burnt it to the ground. God did not plant the seeds of this Arcadia - I did. "

-Andrew Ryan

3/16/2010 11:02:51 AM

Quote :

"Literally no one on this site would hold onto that land."

I'm with quagmire02 on this one.

3/16/2010 11:08:27 AM

^This

3/16/2010 11:19:35 AM

Quote :

"I feel like getting that much would be like putting in cheat codes on GTA. Sure, you have fun for a bit, but eventually you just get bored being able to do everything on a whim."

10/10

Quote :

"Literally no one on this site would hold onto that land."

Yeah, it would benefit society much more for me to sell. Also, it would benefit me a lot more for me to sell it.

3/16/2010 11:24:50 AM

The abos are tired of getting fucked around and who can blame them

preserving the land is more important to this guy than material shit

3/16/2010 12:06:44 PM

They already live in paradise, they're happy, they live, they die, and the circle of life goes on
besides i wonder what the uranium would be used for?

3/16/2010 12:12:27 PM

I'm with Quag. As nuclear power becomes a more important option for power production (especially with present concerns for CO2 output), this deposit will become too valuable to not tap. At that point Australia will eminent domain him the fuck outta there.

Go in now, get a deal done which takes care of your family, preserves as much of the land and sacred sites as possible, and directs them to restore the affected locations once they have exhausted the supply. Set clear boundaries on what will and will not be affected, set financial penalties that go towards a fund to establish a park or some shit, and get it done right. Standing in the way of progress rarely works out, and eventually when the demand for uranium is high enough, they are gonna roll the bulldozers and knock over everything in their way to get to it. If he's gone and the kids don't know all the sacred sites, burial grounds, etc. the shit will be razed and nobody will be there to give a fuck.

3/16/2010 12:20:17 PM

this is the coolest thing I have heard in many days

fuck no, if he doesn't want to sell the land, he shouldn't sell it

I really admire that he wants to protect the ecosystem and honor his ancestry, etc.

it is undoubtedly true that the land will be taken, and the uranium mined, sooner or later (probably sooner)

but that doesn't negate the nobility and magnificence of his gesture

I'm sort of a romantic, though...I admire things that are, from a practical, long-term perspective, futile, just as long as they are, from an aesthetic standpoint, bad ass

3/16/2010 2:47:01 PM

Just sayin if I found out my grandpappy turned down a cool 5 bill, I'd be pissed. I'm just sayin.

3/16/2010 2:49:23 PM

you (or your parents) could presumably take that 5 bill as soon as he dies

or wait, the article is kinda not clear on that

Quote :

"keeping it as a legacy for his family."

Quote :

"plans to incorporate his homeland into Kakadu National Park"

[Edited on March 16, 2010 at 2:53 PM. Reason : /]

3/16/2010 2:51:34 PM

Quote :

"Just sayin if I found out my grandpappy turned down a cool 5 bill, I'd be pissed. I'm just sayin."

some progressive you are

3/16/2010 2:51:59 PM

god fucking dammit, you could not make $5 billion any easier than this

3/16/2010 2:54:31 PM

Quote :

"some progressive you are"

FUCK ANCESTRAL HOMELAND

GET MONEY

3/16/2010 2:55:34 PM

Quote :

"god fucking dammit, you could not make $5 billion any easier than this"

for some people selling out their culture doesn't have a price tag

3/16/2010 3:05:19 PM

rat soup's soul could be had for far cheaper price

3/16/2010 3:15:52 PM

Selling out his culture? It said he's the last one. What culture is left to sell out?

3/16/2010 3:32:16 PM

Quote :

"Selling out his culture? It said he's the last one. What culture is left to sell out?"

*carlface*

3/16/2010 3:33:04 PM

Don't let Mike fool you, he'd take that $5,000,000,000 in a heartbeat.

3/16/2010 3:33:54 PM

Quote :

"rat soup's soul could be had for far cheaper price"

actually the price of my soul is $4,999,999,999.99, but thanks for coming out anyway.

3/16/2010 3:33:54 PM

Quote :

"Don't let Mike fool you, he'd take that $5,000,000,000 in a heartbeat."

I'm not saying I wouldn't -- if it were me, I'd probably do something like what quagmire suggested.

But this guy isn't me, he comes from a remarkably different cultural and educational background. If you can't at least wrap your head around what he's doing or understand it, you fail pretty hard IMO

3/16/2010 3:35:55 PM

^^

3/16/2010 3:38:07 PM

lol no I totally understand his intentions

I'm just saying that everyone here who is acting principled is full of it

3/16/2010 3:39:37 PM

don't project, Gronke

if everybody were like you, then we'd all be learning calculus at age 26 (lol)

3/16/2010 3:40:15 PM