Q: What did they do to the foundations of the buildings in Venice to keep them from collapsing due to being under water for so long? What happened to cause the city to be flooded?
—Richard Morris, Newnan
A: Venice was built on a foundation of wooden piles (large stakes) that were driven into the ground below the water when the city was founded on a lagoon on the coast of Italy in the 5th century.
The piles reportedly were cut from the water-resistant alder tree, and since they’re submerged, are protected from decay and rot because they have little exposure to oxygen.
Stone slabs were then placed on top of the piles, which provide the base for Venice’s buildings.
Efforts are being made to keep the city, which consists of 118 islands, and the lagoon from eventually flooding.
Q: I’m sorry to hear about Bobbi Kristina Brown, but with her hospital stay and such, she must have had a huge bill. Did Whitney Houston have a lot of money?
—Eddie Webster, Douglasville
A: Houston left all of her estate, worth an estimated $20 million, to her daughter, Bobbi Kristina, when she died in 2012.
The estate was placed in a trust and $2 million (10 percent) was given to Bobbi Kristina when she turned 21 on March 4, 2014.
Bobbi Kristina, 22, died July 26, six months after being found unresponsive in a bathtub at her Roswell townhome on Jan. 31.
Bobbi Kristina, Houston’s only child, was scheduled to receive another sixth of the estate when she turned 25 and the remainder at 30.
Houston and her husband, Bobby Brown, divorced in 2007.
Andy Johnston wrote this column. Do you have a question about the news? We’ll try to get the answer. Call 404-222-2002 or email q&a@ajc.com (include name, phone and city).
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