The value of the car is about 400 euros … but second hand electronic content inside around 20,000 euros. The vehicle owner is not satisfied with a simple mobile phone, so it has equipped with equipment capable of connecting in different bands … FM, VHF, UHF … several GPS systems, …

Of course what is obvious is that it does not believe anything they say about how bad things are radiation …

Think you had the world’s greatest treehouse as a kid? Well this guy’s got you beat. Horace Burgess’s treehouse is located somewhere near Crossville, Tennessee and stands over 97-feet tall thanks to the 80-foot white oak tree it was built around which also happens to be about 12-feet in diameter at its base. It has 11 floors, somewhere in the neighborhood of 8,000 to 10,000 square feet, a miniature basketball court and is held together by roughly 258,000 nails.

Horace Burgess’s treehouse may be as close to heaven as a body can get in Cumberland County.

It rises 97 feet into the sky, the support provided by a live, 80-foot-tall white oak 12 feet in diameter at its base. Six other trees brace the tower-like fortress, but Burgess says its foundation is in God.

“I built it for everybody. It’s God’s treehouse. He keeps watch over it,” said Burgess, who received his inspiration in a vision that came to him in 1993. “I was praying one day, and the Lord said, ‘If you build me a treehouse, I’ll see you never run out of material.”‘

And thus far, as Burgess sees it, the Lord has provided. Most of his materials are recycled pieces of lumber from garages, storage sheds and barns. Now into his 14th year of construction, he is not finished.

The treehouse has 10 floors, averaging nine to 11 feet in height by Burgess’s reckoning. He has never measured its size but estimates it to be about 8,000 to 10,000 square feet. He did count the nails that he has hammered into the wood — 258,000, give or take a few hundred. And he guesses he has sunk about $12,000 into the project.

“God used my hands to put every piece in place, but I had a lot of help,” said the 56-year-old landscape architect. He’s a country boy but lives in town and compares himself to Job of the Old Testament. His pale blue Paul Newman-like eyes beam and he wears an easy smile on his tanned face.

“I’ve always proclaimed it to be the world’s largest treehouse, and no one has ever challenged it,” Burgess said.

All of story read here : usatoday, More photos: Author Micha Michelle Melancon

It has been always a characteristic of human to be curious and interested of the unknown. Man has always wanted to experiment and visualize things which never existed before. Flying is one of such inquisitive behaviors. It would not be justified if we neglect the efforts of early men and state that flying was impossible until the aircrafts were invented in 18^th century. Researches have been done with some successful conclusions and inventions. Leonardo Da Vinci and Wright brothers carried out their first experiment in the form of what we call the ancient airplanes. They lead to the formulation of basic techniques which make the engine of an aeroplane.

If you start figuring out the mythological terms and regulations you will come up with the well designed and well recognized knowledge of the technology and tactics which beginners used to make airplanes. Some of the ancient civilization experiments which carried out the airplanes are evidenced by the carvings and inscriptions which are kept save in the museums of today’s world.

The Ancient Egyptian airplanes

A panoramic view of the pyramids at Saqqara, they are much older than the ones at Giza. It is located south of Cairo.

If you visit Room Number 22 of Cairo’s Egyptian Museum, you will see a curious wooden model that approximates the shape of a modern glider or aircraft. This little wooden bird/airplane structure was first discovered in 1898 at a tomb close to Saqqara and deemed to belong to 200 B.C. Dr. Khalil Messiha was the first scholar to study this model dedicatedly and bring it to limelight.

Side view of the glider model of Saqqara-the model resembles a bird but with vertical tail, no legs and straight wings

Under his initiative, the artifact measuring 5.6 inches in length and 7.2 inches of wingspan gave rise to speculations about ancient Egyptians possessing aeronautics technology. Interestingly, this model was found to have a very advanced ‘pusher-glider’ mechanism that can keep it air-borne at speed limits of 45 to 65 mph. Its assumed ability to carry a heavy weight during its flight was greatly attributed to its downward-pointing wings.

Although archaeologists and historians have challenged the existence of airplanes in ancient Egypt, this model has stood its ground as a proof against that for believers. Scientists have also stressed that Egyptians were known to create a miniature prototype of large-scale projects they planned to form. Viewed in that light, this bird-like artifact indeed appears to be a mini plane even to non-professionals.

Abydos Temple Reliefs

Abydos Helicopter and Submarine

Did the Ancient Indians have airplanes 2000 years ago?

Reaching out to the skies… – Kesava temple, Somanathapura

Dating back to the epical times, the modern Northern India and Pakistan area that was the hot seat of science and culture has yielded written texts talking about people using a sophisticated form of airplanes called ‘Vimanas’. Going by these accounts, a Vimana used to be a two-tier, circular vessel looking like a flying saucer with a dome and portholes. Vimanas were also made in cylindrical or cigar shapes and had phenomenal speed and melody characterizing their flight.

The ancient Indian creators of these wonder ships wrote down ‘instruction manuals’ on the varieties and control system of Vimanas that have found their way into the modern world and even translated to English. The ‘Samaranga Sutradhara’ is one such text of 230 stanzas that gives you an elaborate description on the detailed technicalities of air travel. The ‘Vaimanika Sastra’ belonging to the 4^th BC is another text with airplane diagrams composed by the sage Bharadvajy that speaks of emergency flight means, ideal materials for making an airplane and use of renewable energy sources to fly them.

An interesting assumption about these Vimanas is that they could defy gravitational force and take off vertically from the ground in the manner of a helicopter! There used to be garages called ‘Vimangriha’ for parking the planes. These Vimanas were possibly propelled by gasoline, although there is confusion over this and some find the description matching mercury. A team of Russian scientists has even discovered glass or porcelain ensembles in the Turkstani caves that resemble navigating cosmic vehicles.

You will find discreet references to Vimanas even in the Indian epics Mahabharata and Ramayana. The references to Bhima’s chariot flying to Tibet and Ravana’s Puspak Rath are bright reminders of aeronautics technology. If that sounds like a fairy-tale, the Vedic references to the Vimanas will change your view. Mention is made of the dual-engine “ahnihotra-vimana” and the multiple-engine “elephant-vimana”. The Vedic technology was taken seriously by a Sanskrit scholar Shivkar Bapuji Talpade who came up with a unique unmanned plane in 1895 called “Marutsakthi”, which took a height of 1500 feet before crash landing. This first Indian aircraft design was entirely based on the rich treasury of India’s Vedas.

Thousand-Year-Old Airplanes from Ancient America

Chitzen Itza, Mexico

Ancient airplanes were not typical to India and Egypt; you will be surprised to know that golden trinket-like structures were found in America too that resembled aircrafts. Stratigraphical studies conducted on these gold models have attributed them to a period in between 500 and 800 CE, which makes them over 1000 years old!

Precolombian Airplane Model

The discoverers of these gold artifacts found them similar to animal shapes though later observations related them to airplanes because of the telltale signs of cockpit openings on them. Besides, if you see these structures for yourself, its plane-like nose meant for take-offs and landings will strike you immediately. To add to these, the gold ornaments seem to have a tail at their rear for obvious aerodynamic reasons.

This particular ‘model’ is on display in the Smithsonian Institute in Washington DC. Its explanation states: “gold artefact, a stylised insect, from the Quimbaya culture, Antioquia province, Columbia, ca. 1000-1500 AD.”

The spirals upon its wings and nose look like symbolical inscriptions rather than zoomorphic (animal like) eyes. You will further see semicircular grooves, a rectangular knob-like projection under the fuselage, slightly down-curved wings and the geometric symmetry of the entire structure. All these features have led many experts to conclude the figurines as crude forms of olden airplanes.

Ancient Chinese knew to fly?

Great Wall of China

China has remained the wonderland of East to give forth a wealth of inventions and remarkable new ideas to the world; no doubt, it did have its share of ancient airplanes too!  If you go by the 770-475 BC Chinese book records, you will come across the master creator Lu Ban who fathered the first Chinese airplane. The Mozi·Luwen accounts describe a light flying model made of wood and bamboo that could fly for three days at a stretch. Other texts like Hongshu attribute to Lu Ban the credit of making a passenger plane.

However, the most remarkable and detailed account is found in Youyang Zazu that tells us that Lu made his wooden plane when he was posted far away from his home and family in a different town. So great was his longing to meet his wife that he used this ‘wooden bird’ to visit her! It was after a number of trials that this primitive plane was able to budge and fly. It made possible for Lu to visit his wife everyday and return to work the day after.

Evidences of mysterious airborne journeys

Some of the most popular and prevalent religious texts, like the Holy Bible also mentions the presence of flying technology. The Bible is truly a book of wonders in more ways than one and there must be times when you have given a thought to the Book of Ezekiel. What Ezekiel describes as the ‘arrival of God on earth’ could have possibly been another close brush with extraterrestrial or nearly extinct culture – what we readily connect with UFO sightings today.

The sense of miracle and awe with which Ezekiel described the encounter to his fellow folks could have received no other explanation in his limited worldview. The Book of Enoch also describes air-borne objects reaching the outer space. The interesting adventure of Enoch in a possible spacecraft for a number of days still catches our attention, specially the remarkable lapse of time between his departure and reappearance on earth.

And still more intriguing hints of ancient flying …

If you never stopped wondering about the mysterious massive stone faces of Easter Island, here is something more to authenticate the ancient knowledge of flight. Almost 300 zoomorphic and geometric figures drawn with astoundingly straight lines are found as elaborate geoglyph formations at Nazca plains in Peru. While some speculate these to be the outlines of constellations and landing strips of spacecrafts, others are of the opinion that these represent pictures of animal-god.

The Panamericana highway slicing through the Lines and Geoglyphs of Nasca and Pampas de Jumana, Peru

Nazca Lines – “Trapezoid” in the desert

However, seen from a height, these outlines appear close to be those of some mysterious maps. These could be roads or astronomical lines or runways or tracks for athletes … the list of speculation is virtually endless. What should strike you as an observer is by what technology were these miles of straight line drawn by people belonging to 2000-year old civilizations. Could they possibly have left the grounds to plan the geoglyphical layout?

We will never know! Nazca Lines continue to hold the mystery of supernatural occurring, that may be remotely related to ancient modes of flying. There is no end to myths and legends that gloss over ancient flying machines. Another fascinating of these accounts is that of Guru Padmasambhava of Tibet. This 8^th century Buddhist leader is said to ride upon the back of his devotee Yeshe Tsogyal, transformed into a tigress for his trips to Tibet. Bon Po was another lama with a magical drum that acted as a personal flying machine and took him around places.

It has always been difficult for modern man to consider some unknown civilization superior than his. But, facts remain where they are – no matter if we have the courage to accept it or not. Nevertheless, it would not be fair to refute the apparent evidences without scientific explanations. And today when we stand face to face with challenges of understanding our own civilization, the thing that matters most is to have an open mind.

There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, Than are dreamt of in your philosophy – Hamlet.

Taken at the beginning of the 20th century, by English photographer Arthur S. Mole and his American colleague John D. Thomas, these living photographs show thousands of American soldiers posing as symbols of American history.

They traveled from one military camp to another taking photos of soldiers forming patriotic symbols as a part of planned promotional campaign to sell war bonds. Thousands soldiers would form gigantic patriotic symbols such as Statue of Liberty, president Woodrow Wilson, American Eagle or Liberty Bell which were photographed from above.

Mole and Thomas spent days preparing formations which were photographed from a 70 to 80 foot tower with an 11 by 14 inch camera. Photos by Mole and Thomas are now part of the Chicago Historical Society, the Museum of Modern Art and the Library of Congress.

In the picture of the Statue of Liberty there are 18,000 men: 12,000 of them in the torch alone, but just 17 at the base. The men at the top of the picture are actually half a mile away from the men at the bottom.

The Living Uncle Sam: 19,000 officers and men at Camp Lee, Virginia, January 13, 1919.

The Human US Shield: 30,000 officers and men at Camp Custer, Battle Creek, Michigan, 1918.

The living emblem of the United States Marines, formed by 100 officers and 9,000 enlisted men at the Marine Barracks, Paris Island, South Carolina.

A portrait of President Woodrow Wilson, formed of 21,000 officers and men at Camp Sherman, Chillicothe, Ohio, 1918.

The Human Liberty Bell, formed by 25,000 officers and men at Camp Dix, New Jersey, 1918.

The Human American Eagle: 12,500 officers, nurses and men at Camp Gordon, Atlanta, Georgia, 1918.

Living insignia of the 27th Division, New York’s Own, breakers of the Hindenberg Line. Formed of 10,000 officers and enlisted men, March 18, 1919.

22,500 officers and men, 600 machine guns at Machine Gun Training Center, Camp Hancock, Augusta, Ga, December 10, 1918.

209th Engineers, Camp Sheridan, 1919.

The Panther, formed by the faculty and students of the University of Pittsburgh, April 9, 1920.

Indoctrination Division, Air Training Command, Lackland Air Base, San Antonio, Texas, July 19, 1947.

Hawaiian Division, Schofield Barracks.

The official seal of the Eleventh Division, Lafayette.

In the Spanish city of Pamplona Traditional races bulls, which will last until July 14. Already, reports of multiple victims who chose to run with the bulls in the speed and dexterity on the streets of the city. Race bulls in Pamplona run from 6 to 14 July each year in honor of the holiday St. San Fermin – patron saint of Pamplona and Navarre. Usually these days, people in crowds take to the streets, drink wine, sing songs, but one of the most striking element is the traditional running of bulls through the streets of the pen town of San Domingo to the scene to battle the bulls “Plaza de Toros.” And there are more opponents corrida but their appeals often do not hear.