For 4.6 billion years, the Sun has provided free energy, light, and warmth to Earth, and no one ever realized what a huge moneymaking opportunity is going to waste. Well, at long last, the Sun is finally under new ownership.
Angeles Duran, a woman from the Spanish region of Galicia, is the new proud owner of the Sun. She says she got the idea in September when she read about an American man registering his ownership of the Moon and most of the planets in the Solar System - in other words, all the celestial bodies that don't actually do anything for us.
Duran, on the other hand, snapped up the solar system's powerhouse, and all it cost her was a trip down to the local notary public to register her claim. She says that she has every right do this within international law, which only forbids countries from claiming planets or stars, not individuals:
"There was no snag, I backed my claim legally, I am not stupid, I know the law. I did it but anyone else could have done it, it simply occurred to me first."
She says she will begin charging people for the use of the Sun. As a blogger, this won't really affect me, but others are sure to find a bit of a hole in their wallet when the new solar tax goes into effect. But don't worry, your money will all be going to a good cause - she says the Spanish government will get 50% of the proceeds, while 20% goes to the country's ailing pension fund, 10% to research, 10% to ending world hunger, and just 10% for herself. Why, if everyone in the world pays $1 for the use of the Sun, she'll only make 600 million dollars every year! She's practically giving the Sun away.
Duran says she's just being entrepreneurial:
"It is time to start doing things the right way, if there is an idea for how to generate income and improve the economy and people's well-being, why not do it?"
Ooh, ooh, I've got this one: because it's completely insane. On the other hand, have you seen the state of Spain's economy these days? Maybe this isn't such a crazy idea after all.
[via AFP]