There’s 800,000,000 Dollars Here?
One man’s trash is another man’s treasure.
“An Expensive Mistake”
James Howells is a man from Wales. In 2013, he made a big mistake. He threw away a hard drive with 7,500 bitcoins. Now, the bitcoins are worth almost $800 million. The worth of something is its value, usually in money but not always. But the hard drive is in a landfill, and he cannot get it.
Carter’s iPhone fell into a public toilet. He had to think hard if saving his phone was worth the risk.
“…But I’ll Give You Money”
For many years, Howells asked the city for permission to search for his hard drive. He even offered them $70 million. But the city said no. When you offer something to someone, you present it to them and see if they want it or not. They said digging in the landfill is too expensive and bad for the environment.
When shopping online at her favorite clothes store, Maria saw the same message, “Limited Time Offer” for the last three years!
“I Have A Plan”
Now, Howells has a new idea. He wants to buy the landfill. He says he has money for this plan. If he finds the hard drive, he said that 50% would be for investors. He then will give some money to the people in his city. He offered them 25% or £52.5 million ($71.7 million) if he found and recovered the bitcoins. And he would take what’s left of the remaining 25%. When something remains, it is still there when all the others have gone.
Only one slice of the triple chocolate cake remains. You know there’s going to be trouble.
“V.I.P.s ONLY!”
Bitcoin is a digital currency. Currency is the money that is used in a country. It is not like normal money. To use it, people need a special code called a "private key." Howells’ hard drive has this key. Without it, he cannot get his bitcoins.
If Monopoly money was a real currency, I’ll be a trillionaire!
“Closed For Busniess”
The city still says no to digging. When you dig, you take out dirt, sand, or other things to make a hole in the ground. They will close the landfill in 2025 or 2026. Howells hopes he can find another way to get his lost money.
Brynn stated to dig for her favorite scarf in her closet, only to be buried in piles of clothes.
“Bonus: Today’s Idiom”
For my more advanced readers, would you be “down in the dumps” if you accidentally threw away almost 1 billion dollars? No doubt anyone would be sad. Also, would you go on a treasure hunt in the landfill to try and find the lost hard drive? I know I would. After reading this story you’ll understand the idiom, “Haste makes waste”. Let’s talk about this nightmare below in the comments and remember to use at least one of the words you learned above.
The American idiom, “down in the dumps” means to be unhappy and sad. It can also mean to be discouraged or depressed.
Please take the quiz for this story here: https://newyorkenglish.net/blog-3-1