The Black Card – The American Express Centurion® Card

The exclusivity of the American Express Black Card is evident from the fact that you cannot apply for the card, but rather, you will have to wait for an invitation to use this card. All clients who are invited to use the Black Card should use the American Express Platinum Card for at least a year. They should also spend a minimum amount of $250,000 through the year and must have paid their monthly balance on time.

Even the spending pattern should reflect the fact that the client has a taste for exclusive luxury. Thus, the monthly charges should include frequent high-end travels, purchases made in some of the most exclusive stores of the world, a taste for luxurious entertainment and other similar lifestyle choices.

The bank must find your personal finances to be impeccable, and should be convinced that you have sufficient assets to repay vast amounts of money. The cards come at an annual fee of $2,500 and the newest Black Cards are made from titanium.

The handful Black Card owners of this world can experience unique luxuries that include a personally assigned concierge, arrival at events in chauffeured limousines, arrangement of advanced seating in the finest selection and numerous other benefits. The Centurion Black Card, they say, is more than just a card. This is a small global community of the rich and the prosperous.
In a controversy surrounding this exclusive card, Courtney Love, Kurt Cobain’s wife, was taken to court by American Express, for unpaid charges to her cards, which includes over $279K in unpaid charges on her Black Card.

American Express Platinum Card

American Express Platinum Card is yet another card known for its prestige and the status symbol that it represents. Though this card is not as exclusive as the Black card, it still has its own power. The Amex Platinum will help to enhance your lifestyle and give you an experience that you never expected before.

Travel benefits of the card include access to airport lounges throughout the world, along with various kinds of insurances, which will make traveling a much easier option. The card also comes with various shopping benefits and amazing reward points. You will also have access to a 24 hour Concierge Service and the Fine Hotels & Resorts Program.

With the money to own an American Express Platinum Card, you will also be able to enjoy the American Express Skybox and attend “Card Member Only” Fashion Show and other Invitation Only® Experiences.

The Visa Infinite

The Visa Infinite Credit Card is the most prestigious card by Visa and you can own one of these cards only by invitation. With a Visa Infinite at your disposal, you will be able to enjoy great purchasing power, as well as a number of exclusive benefits. A Visa Infinite card holder will be able to experience an exciting collection of world class travel, shopping and entertainment opportunities.

The card comes with a 24 hour concierge service, Elite hotel privileges with a complimentary TabletPlus membership and a number of other services.

Stratus Rewards Visa

A new company called Stratus Rewards has begun to issue a new white plastic Visa card that is meant to rival American Express’s Black Card. Instead of the regular frequent flier miles, this card offers points that can be redeemed for free hours on a private jet, after which the user can take a private tour of the Pyramids in Egypt or the Louvre.

The card, owing to all its “exclusivity” involves a lot of money. A cardholder will have to spend $195,000, so that they can earn enough points to get a seven-seat Cessna jet for an hour. If you want the private tour after the flight, it will require spending of thousands of more dollars.

Though Stratus aims at establishing itself as an alternative to the converted Black Card, the biggest drawback of the card is that there is no guarantee that the company will still be around after a cardholder has collected the required number of points.

Organizations can hand out the Stratus Credit Card to its employers, who can help to add to the points. You also have the option of using the card with a pool of friends.

This exclusive card comes at an annual fee of US$1500.

The Coutts & Co.’s World Card

The Coutts & Co – The Bank of the Queen and part of the Royal Bank of Scotland Group, offers a card to its private clients that are known to be even rarer and more exclusive than the American Express Black card. Only about 100 odd people in this world have access to this card. Queen Elizabeth II is the proud owner of one of these super exclusive cards. This World Card from Coutts & Co. is only offered to clients of Coutts and the clients need to have millions in their assets to get to use this card.

The exclusive look of the World Card MasterCard was designed by the British tailor Ozwald Boateng, who gave up the typical World Card branding and came up with a style that is modern and uses his trademark purple color that makes the unique card a delight to spend in a royal fashion!

Apart from all the benefits of a high end credit card, the World Card proves to be extremely useful when you need to shop in the middle of the night. Your private concierge will arrange an after hour shopping session, anywhere you want. There is an annual fee of 350 pounds on this card.

Barclays Bank’s new Black Visa Card

The Barclay’s Visa Black Card comes at a charge of $495 annually, serving the uber-rich and wealthy. Produced from stunning black graphite, this credit card from Barclay’s bank is perhaps the most durable plastic money around.

It also acts as an exclusive credit purchasing tool that you can use anywhere, anytime. The 24 hour concierge service makes it a delight for people who require assistance to get the tough job done – need a private jet out of an island? Need to do some shopping after the shops are closed? No, problem. Just call your concierge service. However, the Black Visa Card is not for everyone. It is available to just 1% of the residents of the U.S., so that the bank is assured that only the best given to the cardholders.

Diamond-Studded Dubai First Royale MasterCard

If a titanium credit card is not enough for the super rich, why not choose a diamond studded one? After all, what could reflect your status better than this? The Diamond-Studded Dubai First Royale MasterCard is unfortunately available only in Dubai and is an intensely prestigious card that has no spending limit!

This cool card is meant only for a “select group” who meet the requirements of the bank, showing themselves worthy of a high social standing and a great profile. The cards are handcrafted, with golden metallic border and studded with certified diamonds.

The cards are designed by Inno Designs that are known internationally for their exclusive designs. They are the first of its kind to use metal implant technology and certified diamonds in credit cards. This exclusive card is not available to more than 200 people.

The card holder of First Royale MasterCard can have access to a personal relationship manager to meet all the financial and personal lifestyle needs. They will also have access to the various hospitality brands, polo clubs, VIP restaurants and so on in more than 13 international locations.

So exclusive are these credit cards that only nine cards can be manufactured each day and it involves 36 processes of manufacturing.

Chase SapphireSM Credit Card

The Chase SapphireSM Credit Card is meant to create a better life for the rich and the moneyed. It provides a number of features that are especially designed for their exclusive clients. Cardholders can receive 10,000 bonus points after the first purchase with the card. There are no blackout dates or spending limit on this card.

The exclusive card holders are also offered a number of travel benefits and shopping benefits. Security protection as well as financial flexibility is afforded by the Chase SapphireSM Credit Card.

Citi Chairman American Express

This card is especially designed to carter to the needs of those exclusive clients who travel the world and require the highest level of service. The benefits of this cardholder includes access to personal Concierge service, airport lounge access, upgrades and discounts to various hotels, private-jet privileges and so on.

The annual membership charge of this card is $500.

Merrill Lynch Visa Signature Rewards

The Merrill Lynch Visa Signature Rewards is a Visa card that is issued by the Bank of America with special investment privileges, based on the total spending of the cardholder. There is an annual fee of $95 for owning this card, though the prices may sometimes rise up higher.

People owning this card will gave a direct access to the Merrill Lynch Cash Management Account® or Beyond Banking® account. In addition, there are no due dates. No interests or late fees to be paid.

Bank of America Accolades Card

Bank of America has introduced an American Express Accoldates credit card that is targeted towards high end, wealthy private clients of the Bank. The card represents luxury and a high standard of lifestyle that many can never imagine.

This premium card is comes at an annual fee of $295. The main competitor of its credit card is the American Express Centurion Card, which provides its cardholders with unparallel benefits.

Using the American Accolades credit card will help you earn points that can be redeemed for luxury vacations, cooking lessons, a 24 hour concierge service and so on.

Amex Red Card

Now you can indulge in your shopping, and yet do it with a clear conscience, as you know that you are helping to raise money for the right against AIDS in Africa. The Red Card from Amex donates money to charity when you pay money using the Red card.
A number of renowned brands like Armani, Gap, Converse and American Express have joined this novel campaign. The back of the Red card, introduced Bono, says:

“This card is designed to eliminate HIV in Africa.”

This exclusive card is now not only a symbol of status that will be used by a number of celebrities, but also a great way to make good use of your money. The red credit card is a great charity credit card that offers excellent customer benefits.

There is no annual fee for this card. The fancy red card will also make you eligible for special “invite-only” events. The card is advertised by Gisele Bündchen and Elle Macpherson, along with Bono, in the U.K. The song “The Way I Are” by Timbaland ft. Keri Hilson, also mentions the Red American Express Credit card.

National Museum of Natural History / Photo from Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History

Diamonds are known for their extraordinary cut and brilliance; the famous large 45.52 carats blue Hope Diamond is no exception either. But what sets it apart from its other dazzling counterparts is the eerie legend of curse attached to it. Currently displayed in the Smithsonian Natural History Museum in Washington, D.C, the Hope Diamond originally came from the Kollur mine in Golconda and belonged to the statue of the deity Sita in India. Ever since it was stolen from the Indian temple, it passed through several hands, touching each with its cursed heritage.

The greatly disputed ‘curse’ of the Hope Diamond entailing a trail of death or misfortune of its owners is said to have befallen the blue gem from the very moment it was stolen by the widely traveled French jeweler Jean Baptiste Tavernier in 1642. Right after selling it to Louis XIV, Tavernier met his tragic end in his next trip to India where wild dogs ripped him into pieces. The diamond received the royal title ‘Blue Diamond of the Crown’ and new cuts that turned it into a heart-shaped stone of 67-1/8 carats.

The Hope Diamond / Photo from amandanichole

The misfortune carried by the Hope Diamond struck again when it was inherited by Louis XVI and his queen Marie Antoinette. After a disturbing and unstable reign, both were beheaded during the French Revolution of 1789. During this French political crisis, the royal jewelries including the Hope Diamond were placed in the Garde-Meuble from where they were repeatedly stolen. With time, the rest of the jewels were retrieved but the notorious blue diamond went amiss for some time.

45.52 Carat, deep blue diamond. Est. Value: $250 million. / Photo from absolutwade

Before it was seen again in London, the Hope Diamond probably went into the possession of the Spanish Queen Maria Louisa in 1800. During that period, it was reshaped by the Dutch jeweler Wilhelm Fals. He died of sheer grief when the diamond was stolen by his son Hendrick, who went on to commit suicide under the cursed influence of the diamond. Thereafter, the diamond was bought by Henry Philip Hope in 1813 and has been called the ‘Hope Diamond’ since then.

The diamond left its trail of misfortunes in the Hope family by stripping it of its prosperity and leading on to bankruptcy. After the death of Henry Hope, the diamond was passed on to his grandson Lord Francis Hope who tried repeatedly to get permission from the court to sell it. In 1901, his request was finally granted when he had reached the worst stage of gambling and bankruptcy.

Photo from Piedmont Fossil

Meantime, the Hope Diamond claimed some more unfortunate famous victims. The Hope passed from the hands of the Russian prince Kanitowski to French actor Lorens Ladue whom he shot dead on stage. He was not himself spared by the revolutionaries who stabbed him later. Its Greek owner Simon Montharides was plunged with his family into a precipice in an automobile accident. Even the Turkish Sultan Abdul-Hamid II who possessed the Hope diamond for a short time encountered dethronement in 1909.

Hope Diamond by HarshLight.
The Hope Diamond at the Smithsonian’s Natural History Museum. / Photo from HarshLight

The Hope Diamond traveled to the United State of America with jeweler Simon Frankel and went to jeweler Pierre Cartier, who looked for a prospective buyer. His search ended with the rich and eccentric social figure Evalyn Walsh McLean, who agreed to buy it after hearing the curious tales of its cursed legacy. She was determined to turn it into a good luck charm but encountered too many family blows as its owner. Her son died in a car accident, her daughter committed suicide while her husband went insane and died in the confines of a mental hospital.

Photo from primplan

After the death of Evalyn McLean, the Hope Diamond was put to sale in 1949 and bought by a New York jeweler named Harry Winston. Perhaps affected by the tales of its curse, Winston made up his mind to donate the diamond to the Smithsonian Natural History Museum, which is its present destination.

The hope diamond exhibit / Photo from noxipoo

It is said that the curse of the Hope Diamond was so strong that when it was delivered to the museum in a plain brown box by the USPS mail carrier James Todd, he faced leg injuries run over by a truck. Further tragedies unfolded on Todd as his wife died of a cardiac arrest, his dog died strangled by its leash and finally his house was burnt down by a fire.

May Yohe, the actor who is supposedly the last of the Hopes; tried to build on the cursed legend of the Hope Diamond by creating a 15-episode serial – “The Hope Diamond Mystery”. The serial included her personal misfortunes caused by the possession of the Hope Diamond along with a score of fictional characters posed as the victims of the Hope Diamond curse. Although her efforts to hog limelight through the Hope Diamond did not bear fruit, the fact remains that the Hope Diamond has at its wake the tragedies of many non-famous jewelers and intermediaries who were somehow involved in its handling.

Photo from lucasc

Oak Island / Photo from birds eye viewer

The 140-acre Oak Island is situated in the Lunenderg County to the south shore of Nova Scotia, Canada. It covers almost 360 small, forested isles scattered in Mahone Bay. One of these privately owned islands has become famous as the mysterious site of the rumored Money Pit and drawn countless excavators who tried to unearth ‘buried treasures’.

The Money Pit was first discovered by Daniel McGinnis in 1795 who encountered the circular sinkhole while wandering in Oak Island as a teenager. This hole had a tree standing over it with its branches clipped in a manner that gave the trunk the appearance of a pulley. The young McGinnis had his mind filled with the tales of pirates hiding treasures in such holes and he fetched his friends to quench his curiosity.

The Money Pit, Oak Island / Photo from oakislandtreasure

Their investigations continued for the following days until they found a layer of flagstones in the pit. They continued to dig down to find oak logs at 10 feet and again at 20-30 feet. They recommenced their search with the Onslow Company 8 years hence. This time they went as deep as 90 feet to find a layer of charcoal between the interspersing layers of wooden boards, putty and coconut fiber. What geared up the mystery was a stone tablet containing strange inscriptions.

The search had to be abandoned after seawater started filling up the 90-feet deep pit and pumping proved futile. Digging a parallel 100-feet hole and cutting a channel to the Money Pit did not help. What the whole exercise revealed was that perhaps the Money Pit was a booby trap leading to a 500-foot waterway to Smith’s Cove. It was believed that this flood trap protected the buried treasure by dissuading adventurers.

This is a replica of the inscribed stone, supposedly discovered on Oak Island in 1804. / Photo from oakislandtreasure

The Truro Company renewed the treasure-digging effort in 1849 only to initially face similar results at 86 feet. It refused to give up and initiated a process of extracting drilling core samples. The drill penetrated a 4-inch oak platform to retrieve a 22-inch layer of metal pieces. The drilling cut up two alternating platforms of wood and metals correspondingly at 4 inches interval, which was named as the first traces of the ‘treasure’.

Mouth of the Money Pit / Photo from oakislandtreasure

In 1850, the Truro Company returned with fresh plans of excavating what was beneath the layer of metal fillings. This time it dug up a parallel hole as the Onslow Company had done before it to face water gushing up. While frantic efforts were being made to pump out the water, someone marked that water was coming out of the Smith’s Cove beach during low tides. This telltale sign revealed that the beach, after all, was artificial.

Oak Island foundation / Photo from oakislandtreasure

Further excavations were carried on this assumption to reveal a network of underground channels joining the beach with the converging point, the Money Pit at a depth of 95 to 110 feet. The stones, eelgrass and coconut husks filling up the channel were meant for creating an indigenous filtering system to allow seawater to flow while keeping the channels free of clay and silt.

George Bates Maritime map set (The Oak Island Mystery) / Photo from The Oak Island Mystery

Hence, an imminent solution for the Truro Company was to block off this seawater-feeding channel by building a dam at the Smith’s Cove beach. The dam was destructed during its construction by a storm but interestingly, the builders discovered the remnant of an older dam. Next, the Company tried to dig another 100-feet hole for blocking the channel underground but without success.

The Oak Island Association took up the excavation of the Money Pit in 1861 but its various shafts-digging efforts led to the sinking of the loose bottom of the Money Pit further down. Other efforts at unearthing the mystery of the Money Pit fell through until Fred Blair arrived in the scene in 1893 with The Oak Island Treasure Company. He explored the cave-in drain connecting the Money Pit and found it to be a possible ventilation shaft for digging the flood tunnel.

Again, in 1897, this company dug more shafts and cleared the Money Pit down to 111 feet with the mouth of the flood channel blocked with stone. They even tried to block the water flow permanently by blasting off the flood channel. This effort failed but a new series of core sample collecting was undertaken. The ensuing result was that the Company bumped against wood and iron pieces at 126 feet and finally a blue clay vault between 130 and 151 feet.

This blue clay layer was composed of sand, clay and water to form a watertight compartment. What was curious was that the gap under these clay putty layers had a solid cement vault measuring 7 feet x 7 feet. This vault was found to contain three soft metal pieces. However, what contributed to the mystery was a small scrap of sheepskin parchment with the words ‘vi’, ‘ui’ or ‘wi’ inscribed on it, the real significance of it was never unraveled.

Following the example of Fred Blair, Gilbert Hadden arrived in Oak Island in 1936 to investigate the mystery of the Money Pit. He found a curious stone fragment with inscriptions similar to those found at the 90-foot stone tablet. He also found a series of wooden timbers at Smith’s Cove that could have been used by the ancient architects of the Money Pit. The next excavator Erwin Hamilton found rocks and gravel at 190 feet that he believed were placed there by someone. A layer of limestone was found at 176 feet with a wooden layer below it.

Bob Dunfield kept up the quest for treasures and used heavy machinery to discover a 40-foot void at the depth of 140 feet, which is presumed to be a natural underground cavern. In 1966, Daniel Blankenship found a hand-wrought nail, a washer and a pair of wrought iron scissors sunk beneath the water. These instruments were said to be Spanish-American and made in Mexico. A mass of wood structures and nails were also discovered at the western end of Oak Island.

Dan Blankenship at work on Oak Island – lowered into Borehole 10X / Photo from oakislandtreasure

More ghastly discoveries surfaced when Triton dug the 180-feet Borehole 10-X, a 237-foot tube of steel sunk to the northeast of the Money Pit. The excavations revealed a series of artificial cavities at 230 feet. A camera was lowered to send back images of human body parts, tools and three chests appearing like treasure boxes. Although the search continues under Blankenship and Triton, the Money Pit is officially closed after its collapse.

Borehole 10X, Oak Island / Photo from oakislandtreasure

Repeatedly frustrated efforts of extracting the treasures have given rise to variant theories about the origin and existence of the Money Pit. Some say that it was a French construction for safeguarding their wealth from the English during the colonization of America. Others relate it to the Viking visitation of America who used it as a hideout. People still fancy the Oak Island as a Treasure Island and associate the Money Pit with pirate booty or the cargo of some stranded Spanish Galleon.

Tongariki / Photo from Leonardo Tumonis

Posed amid the bare and forlorn Easter Islands of the southeastern Pacific is the small Polynesian isle of Rapa Nui, enfolding depths of yet unfathomed mystery. The hundreds of gaunt stone statues scattered over this island are overwhelming instances of the technological height touched by the Rapa Nui people. Ever since their discovery in a momentous Easter Sunday in 1722 by Dutch explorer Jacob Roggeveen, speculations have been rife about the ancient Neolithic civilization that could have prevailed in Rapa Nui for millenniums.

The stone artifacts left behind by this mysterious civilization surpass any Polynesian culture in their skill and perfection. Combined with this, are the various scraps of Rapa Nui writings in the Rongorongo script that has remained beyond all efforts of decipherment. These written patches are expected to contain accounts of the origin, language, art, culture and religious beliefs of the Rapa Nui people. It is widely guessed that these prehistoric people derived their means of sustenance from the natural and marine resources of Rapa Nui.

Just Another (Easter) Day / Photo from Kenny Maths

The possible causes for the decline and extinction of the well-flourished Rapa Nui civilization have encouraged several theories and suggestions by experts. While Jared Diamond attributed the obliteration of the Rapa Nui civilization to the rampant destruction of the forest by the inhabitants and the complete wiping out of life and livestock, the Rapa Nui folklores suggest violent civil wars and population crash. The environmental factor responsible for the crumbling of the civilization has been used ever since as an example of what may happen to planet Earth if timely precaution is not taken.

KAP on Tongariki – Easter island / Photo from Pierre Lesage

On the foreground is a petroglyph of the Bird Man, Maké Maké. On the background is Motu, as tiny island from witch candidates were supposed to bring back (by swimming) an egg to become the Bird Man of the year. / Photo from Pablo escogrif

However, no speculations about the contemporary relevance of the fate of Rapa Nui solve the mystery of its gigantic anthropomorphic statues. Modern archeologists connect their existence to the socio-cultural habits of the people. They opine that the Rapa Nui people were the singular inhabitants of the remote Easter Island.  Roggeveen wrote down in his notes that the Rapa Nui people were a mixture of dark and fair-skinned tribes with distinct dressing habits. The heavily tattooed people wearing shiny discs in their earlobes probably worshipped these stone statues or performed religious ceremonies before them.

Moais de Rapa Nui / Photo from Daniel Fajardo Cabello

A view of the nine leftmost moai at Ahu Tongariki on Easter Island / Photo from Kenny Maths

Famous explorer Thor Heyerdahl found an interesting resemblance between these statues and those found in Bolivian stone monuments. What he found intimidating about these statues (of 200 cubic feet volume each) was the way these could have been positioned throughout Rapa Nui from the quarry. He also found some enormous stone ‘hats’ equal to the weight of two elephants and wondered by what technology could these be lifted to the heads of the statues. The mystery intensified because he found no high point (leave alone metallic cranes!) in the vicinity.

Chile – Easter Island, Rano Raraku / Photo from vtveen

Inspired by the points raised by Heyerdahl, several experiments were conducted to prove that the statues could be shifted by rocking and rolling their bases. However, this seemed a faulty suggestion since such violent movements would have damaged the base of the statues severely. Years after their discovery, in 1728 some Dutch sketches were made showing natives in the act of erecting a statue. If you view the sketches closely, you can see some of the people manipulating the base while others are engaged in dragging it.

Jumping for Joy / Photo from scorbette37

Another set of experiments were done by American Geologist Charles Love who placed a pair of logs under the base of a replica of the Rapa Nui statue and moved it successfully. The effect created by the moving statue remarkably matched the fabled accounts of the Rapa Nui villagers of the statues moving to their positions. Charles Love’s experiments were cultivated subsequently by archaeologist Jo Anne Van Tilburg of UCLA to show through computer projections that the statues needed to be placed horizontally on a wooden track for moving them out.

Photo from jim_rowley01930

Moai on Rano Raraku—the quarry where most of the statues on Easter Island were carved / Photo from Brad Stabler

However, the specific purpose of so many huge statues throughout Rapa Nui has continued to puzzle adventurers and visitors of the Easter Islands. Some trace signs of mystery in the directions the statues face and have coined the enigmatic name the ‘Eyeless Watcher’ for these. Unless experts learn to interpret the pictorial glyphs of the Rongorongo script, maybe Rapa Nui will remain veiled in mystery forever.

Ahu Tongariki from the Rano Rarku quarry / Photo from Niquinho

The Mausoleum of Qin Shi Huangdi / Photo from Fraggle Rockstar

The tomb of Qin Shi Huangdi, the first emperor of China is loaded with historical significances. This mausoleum, which is seen as the epitome of Emperor Qin Shi Huangdi’s boundless power and prestige is located 30 km to the outside of X’ian in the Shensi province of China. Qin Shi Huangdi was the only ruler who single-handedly unified the seven warring clans of the China of 221 BCE and commanded massive construction of several public infrastructures as well as the legendary Great Wall of China.

Generales de Qin Shi Huang / Photo from Lezama

The emperor left a written record of his military and diplomatic feats in a series of tablets. He successfully abolished feudalism, promoted religion and divided China into 36 states for an efficient administration. Among the other significant achievements of Emperor Qin Shi Huangdi was the standardization of various systems of writing, weights and measures, currencies and the simplification of the record-keeping methods. Despite these progressive works, Qin Shi Huangdi was despotic and tyrannical in his rule.

Some of the 7000 Warriors, discovered in 1974. They are guarding the tomb of Emperor Qin Shi Huangdi near Xi’an, Central China.
Known as the “Terra-cotta Army”, the Warriors are now considered the 8th Wonder of the World / Photo from Heaven’s Gate (John)

Interestingly, this great builder ordered the erection of his burial chamber right after his ascension to the throne in 246 BCE when he was just a boy of thirteen! Going by the records about his personal traits, it was rather a contradictory step for Qin Shi Huangdi to take because of his search for an immortality formula to help him eternalize his ‘divine rule’. However, the work completed 36 years after it was started and Qin Shi Huangdi died soon after in 210 BCE to be buried in it.

Tomb Warriors exhibit in Epcot’s China Pavillion. / Photo from Damgaard

The discovery of this archeological treasure happened in 1974, when a team of Chinese peasants abruptly came across the tomb while trying to drill a well. What was most striking about this mausoleum was its huge size and the remarkable artworks stored in it. This includes the 8000 life-size army consisting of terracotta statues of men and horses. Because each statue was individually built with 3-inch thick terra-cotta clay, you can distinguish each soldier and horse from another in their unique looks, weaponry and dressing.

Terracotta Warriors / Photo from One Daring Armadillo

The warriors are positioned according to the ranks they held in the contemporary time. The different sections of the 8000 troops are distributed in three separate chambers. The first and the largest chamber contains the troop of active duty officers, the second chamber is where the reserves are placed while the third small chamber houses 68 elite commanders and officers. All the soldiers face east to protect the afterlife of Qin Shi Huangdi from possible enemy attacks coming from that direction.

Terra Cotta Warriors and Horses – Xian, China. / Photo from Purple Cloud

The mystery of this tomb lies in the fact that the three-chamber terracotta soldier complex forms only 1% of the total mausoleum area. The central section of the 90-feet tall mausoleum building beneath an earthen pyramid is still unexcavated. According to the accounts of Chinese historians and popular legends, this part is mapped as a city, with walls, palaces and cemetery and meant for the use of Qin Shi Huangdi in his luxurious afterlife. The rivers and water bodies are sketched with flowing mercury while the sky is represented by constellations of pearls.

Photo from Kiwi Mikex

The underground palace is arguably the most elaborate structure in its grandeur and amenities. It could be an abode of long-buried treasures like precious gems, metals and other wealth. This intricate bronze-lined, waterproof construction extending over four square miles took the labor of 700,000 prisoners of war and slaves for its completion after which they were killed to stop them from divulging the tomb’s secret. To make Qin Shi Huangdi’s second life as pompous as his life on earth, his mistresses were buried alive in this tomb as well.

Life after death / Photo from Mernas

Even today the excitement over the mysterious secrets of this sophisticated necropolis has not stopped drawing groups of tourists and intellectuals from the world over. As a tourist, you can freely take a tour to the spot although all the details of its excavations are strictly under Chinese authorities. They are still to dig out treasures and valuables from the womb of Qin Shi Huangdi’s mausoleum. Only when the tomb is opened up completely, the myriad marvelous accounts it has commanded will meet the light of truth.

Xi’an – Terracota Warriors / Photo from mseguias

Here are top 10 such nightmarish places on earth where you would never want to live:

Dharavi in Mumbai, India

The slums of Mumbai / Photo from sarahlane

Roughly half the residents of Bombay live in crowded slums such as these.
/ Photo from bwillen

Sprawling over 175 hectares between Mahim and Sion, Dharavi has emerged as the largest slum of Asia inhabiting a population exceeding 600,000. Dharavi has its rival in Orangi Town in Karachi, Pakistan that has a notorious filth and expanse. Dharavi presents a brighter picture as a cheap pocket in the midst of expensive Mumbai where you could stay for as low as 4 US dollars rent per month.

Dharavi, the most biggest slum of the world / Photo from sandrinecohen22

Dharavi is an abode for various small-scale industries like pottery, embroidered garments, leather and plastic goods. Unbelievably the total net income of the residents of Dharavi amounts to almost 650 million US dollars. But Dharavi is no paradise – its inadequate water supply and toilet facilities get worse during the monsoon floods and the unhygienic environment of Dharavi poses serious threats to public health issues.

Rocinha – Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil / Photo from Leonardo Martins

Photo from razorbern

The largest favela (basically meaning shanty town) in Rio De Janeiro. / Photo from -bos[s]-’

Situated between the São Conrado and Gávea districts of Rio de Janeiro, Rocinha meaning small ranch in Portuguese is the largest slum or “favela” in South America. Posed on a hillside within one kilometer of the beach, Rocinha originated as a shanty to transform quickly into a modern slum neighborhood. You will find it better off than many shanties because of its brick buildings, sanitation, plumbing and other urban facilities.

Favela, Rio de Janeiro / Photo from dreamindly

What makes Rocinha a potentially dangerous place to live is the prevalence of a violent drug trade. This leads to endless tussles and encounters between the drug peddlers and the police, giving rise to a dangerous ambiance. The population of 100,000 has a poor economic state and high mortality rates. What is more, Rocinha being built on steep mountain slope is susceptible to landslides, rock falls and floods.

Kibera in Nairobi, Kenya

1,000,000 residents live on a mountain of Garbage. / Photo from Chicago Wedding Photographer, Wes Craft

Kibera, meaning ‘forest’ in Nubian is the home for a million people, which earned notoriety for being the biggest slum in the whole of Africa. Most of the population here are tenants with no rights living in mud-walled shacks owned by landlords who have vacated Kibera. Most of the population is African Muslims, who huddle up eight per shack, often sleeping on the floors.

Photo from alongtheway

Just 20% of Kibera has electricity and no regular supply of clean water. The dam water that people use is the root to cholera and typhoid, aggravated by poor sewage condition. There is widespread menace of AIDS and the total absence of government medical facilities. What worsens the general livelihood of Kibera is the availability of a cheap alcoholic drink called ‘Changaa’.

Faced with rampant unemployment, most of the slum-dwellers resort to Changaa early in life and grow into criminals, drunkards and rapists. The problem is aggravated by the availability of cheap drugs and tendencies of glue sniffing. The result is the rising rate of unwanted pregnancy among girls of all ages who invariably turn to abortion. Some charities and churches are working towards the betterment of the condition.

Linfen, China

Pollution / Photo from sheilaz413

Located right at the center of Shanxi Province of China’s coal region, Linfen is one of the most polluted cities in the world. The air is thick with dust and smoke to a degree that hampers visibility. The three million people who live in Linfen take regular doses of arsenic rich water, further polluted with fossil fuels and poisonous gases through the air they breathe. You can actually catch a lasting stink when you step in Linfen with overflowing sewage everywhere.

Young coal worker in Linfen (Shanxi, China) / Photo from andi808

The river flowing by Linfen has its water thickened with oil. No wonder! The inhabitants using this water have high occurrences of cancer. When you look at the trees around the Linfen factories, they present a sad withered picture. It is the last place on earth that you would think of sending someone, even your worst enemy.

Kabwe, Zambia

Photograph by Blacksmith Institute / Photo from nationalgeographic.com

The lead and cadmium accumulations in this former British colony have skyrocketed since their discovery in 1902 when Zambia was valued for a rich lead mine. Although the mines have closed and no smelters are operational now, Kabwe residents have faced the threat of lead poisoning through decades. Blood tests in the children have revealed lead concentrations exceeding 5-10 times the normal limit that could turn fatal any day. Only recently, the World Bank has allotted funds for tackling the problem.

Photo from livescience.com

Chernobyl, Ukraine

Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant / Photo from Ken and Nyetta

Radiated Apartment Building / Photo from Stuck in Customs

Talking of life-threatening pollution and poisoning, nothing could beat the nuclear reactor accident record set by Chernobyl that has left about 5.5 million people facing the threat of thyroid cancer. The fallout that occurred in April 26, 1986 has led to the leakage of nuclear radiation 100 times more pronounced in volume and effect than that of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki explosions. It is a horror that thousands of Russian, Ukrainian and Belarusian children living close to the damaged plant still cannot escape the radiation impact.

This used to be the public gym, back in 1986. / Photo from philippe simpson

Dzerzhinsk, Russia

Dzerzhinsk / Photo from Oleg aka Xtraboy

Situated beside the Oka River in Nizhny Novgorod Oblast of Russia, Dzerzhinsk is named after the Russian leader Feliks Edmundovich Dzerzhinsky. Right From its inception, Dzerzhinsk has remained a chemical industry hub and has been producing chemical weapons for Russia. It has been labeled one of the worst polluted cities of the world with a staggering death rate.

Skyline of Dzerzhinsk / Photo from Spendruleziya

In Dzerzhinsk, the average life of men is just 42 years and women 47 years. Environmentalists attribute such high mortality rate to the ceaseless production of organic chemicals like toxic dioxins, hydrogen cyanide, lead and sulfur mustard. The phenol and dioxin contents in the Dzerzhinsk waters surpasses the normal limit by seventeen million times.

Cubatão – São Paulo, Brazil

Cubatão / Photo from Alceu Bap

The city of Cubatão extending over 142 square kilometers is more appropriately known as the ‘Valley of Death’ for its precarious living conditions. It has a high air pollution level that has led to the destruction of forests over the surrounding hills and birth of children with congenital organ defects.

sticker mundo / Photo from caio antunes

The life threatening pollution took a new dimension in 1984 when an event of oil spill burnt down the town, killing almost 200 people. Only recently extensive steps worth $1.2 billion are being taken to improve the damages caused by organic pollutants. Despite such measures, it is quite impossible to clean the soil and underground water from the spreading tentacles of pollution thus making Cubatão unfit for staying.

Bassac Apartments, Cambodia

One of the architectural jewels of Cambodia, the innovative apartment complex designed in the early 1960s by Lu Ban Hap / Photo from Rich Garella

Photo from jinja_cambodia

The 300-metre-long Basaac Apartments were built due to the town planning director Lu Ban Hap’s initiative to put up a low-cost social housing project in the 1960s. However, this government-financed housing project has been the home to 2,500 refugees since 1979, when its legal tenants vacated the property because of the onset of decay. The structure made of concrete and brick has now given way to dangerous gaps in between the reinforced concrete walls marked by the ingrowths of parasitic plants. The building can collapse any time burying alive its 2500 residents.

Mogadishu, Somalia

A rusty and bullet-ridden Coca Cola sign gives a telling welcome for visitors to the volatile city of Mogadishu. / Photo from khairi_us

Pictures from an armed convoy trip in Mogadishu / Photo from ctsnow

Mogadishu, an advanced former port has been witnessing the 17-year tussle between rival military camps since the fall of the government in 1991. It turned into the most chaotic and anarchic city of the world, marked by civil unrest and insurgencies. Such disturbances caused its original inhabitants to flee, leaving Mogadishu to be controlled by military factions. Only recently, a new federal government has taken up the reins of control and is trying to re-establish law and order.

Photo from Kevin Sites in the Hot Zone

The Gap

Photo from A Secret Country

The Joint Defense Facility in ‘Pine Gap’, Alice Springs, Australia is the potential satellite tracking station known to operate secret operations. A product of the collaboration between the US and the Australian government, this Defence Space Research Facility centre has attracted the attention and rumors of the locals due to its covert functions. The main purpose of this CIA-operated centre is said to track on telemetry data and communications transmissions like emails and phone calls.

The road to Pine Gap, Alice Springs.

Photo from A Secret Country

Pine Gap is speculated to serve a number of miscellaneous functions, which may have something to do with international power conspiracies. Pine Gap has a restricted admittance to its grounds and most of its 800 working personnel belong to the CIA and the National Security Agency. It is counted among the largest ECHELON ground stations of the earth that monitors military satellite operations. Different diplomats offer different views about the actual mission of Pine Gap operation centre.

Pine Gap by skyring. A closer look. Note the series of globes covering the sat dishes.

Photo from skyring

A few years ago in 1999, the Australian Government’s intelligence expert Professor Des Ball laid down the extension plan for Pine Gap. According to him, this intelligence station was to serve as the ground control and processing station for geosynchronous satellites. It was meant to receive telemetry data from advanced weapons like ballistic missile, signals from anti-aircraft radars and anti-missile and microwave emissions like long distance phone calls.

Pine Gap Ridges by skyring.
US spy base in the middle of outback Australia. Hidden between two ridges to limit emissions.

Photo from skyring

The Australian Minister for Defence, Brendan Nelson has another account to offer about Pine Gap’s functioning. He says that the objective behind monitoring and satellite signals is to spy for security reasons and maneuvering US missile defence system. He views Pine Gap as a major milestone in the mutual relationship between Australia and the US and a step towards concretizing Australia’s security in the years to come.

However, the two principal roles outlined by Brendan Nelson for The Joint Defense Facility at Pine Gap matched with what Professor Ball had to say. The collection of intelligence through advanced technical monitoring and the provision of early information on the event of the launching of a ballistic missile were considered by both as the fundamental aspects. The Minister supported the role of Pine Gap as a global peace cushion against sudden nuclear explosions and short-range missile attacks.

Yet, the fact remains that people continue to look upon Pine Gap and its activities with sinister suspicion. Why else did the Australian government try to keep it under wraps since its inception in 1966 right up to 1999? Some suspect that Pine gap had a major hand in the military satellite operations during the war in Afghanistan. There are a whole lot of ideas suggested by people world over that serve to mystify the existence and working of The Joint Defense Facility at Pine Gap.

Pine Gap

Photo from Sophsta

Pine Gap is speculated to have the deepest drilling hole of Australia that could extend up to 5 miles. This hole possibly acts as an underground antenna using ELF broadcasts for recharging the submarine batteries doing the rounds of the Pacific and Indian Ocean. It is imagined that such powerful antennas could be capable of generating huge stationary wave across the earth.

Some others say that Pine Gap could possibly house a gigantic nuclear generator for supplying energy to a modified transceiver. Who knows! But it could also have a powerful plasma accelerator that could act as a plasma gun for transmitting death-rays as you see in animated science fiction movies today. Many Australians living close by have spotted 30′-diameter white disks supplied here by US cargo planes bearing the USAF emblem.

Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird

Photo from zapin_grb

Pine Gap can possibly be a multi-storied city with storehouse for computers, furniture and food stock. Some inquisitive researchers have found eerie links between these seemingly emergency provisions of Pine Gap with clandestine operations going on world over. Rumors about a political, financial and religious elitist group called ‘Club of Rome’ is said to plan an institution of world dictatorship.

The entire signal monitoring activity of Pine Gap could have to do with keeping an eye over all the banks, post offices, customs houses, telephone exchanges and police stations to gather information on private citizens like you and me. Situated in a peaceful English-speaking nation like Australia, Pine Gap is doubly advantaged to enjoy becoming the abode for a future dictatorial regime that could have 15 chosen families at its heart for running it.

The Night Lights of Planet Earth

Photo from woodleywonderworks

The fearful factor about such discoveries is that these 15 families already dominate world economy and international finance. The rest of the nations are expected to submit to their demands and work up a mutual treaty. The current global economic crisis could be a step towards the systematic economic destabilization that will mark these internationalists’ systematic rise to power.

If a global protest breaks out against such designs, Pine Gap could serve as an excellent hideout for these dictators. If not, it could emerge as the seat for a new brand of ‘Golden Age’, a sort of compromised ‘peace’ Any protestor will be executed outright. Rumors are rife that bases like Pine Gap are active in the American mainland and are working towards a unitary goal of global dictatorship.

Leonardo da Vinci’s Flying machine, the precursor to the airplane. / Photo from TechMuseum

Man has always wanted to fly since the wake of human civilization. It would be great injustice to the efforts of the ancient men if we suppose that aircrafts were not made until the 18^th century. The same history that gives you the accounts of Leonardo Da Vinci and Wright Brothers hides within its fold much older mysterious evidences of early aircrafts made by anonymous men of various forgotten world cultures.

If you dig a little beneath the mythical surface, you will come across well-documented ancient accounts of advance technology and craft used for making airplanes, beyond the domain of modern imagination. Some of the remnants of this outstanding old technological knowledge are evident in the rare artifacts, inscriptions and symbolic carvings preserved in some of our museums while some others lie open on the face of earth, exposed to the elements.

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. / Photo from Just A Slice

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 / Photo from Dawoudk

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 / Photo from bigkahuna3

Abydos Helicopter and Submarine / Photo from wciu

Did the Ancient Indians have airplanes 2000 years ago?

Reaching out to the skies… – Kesava temple, Somanathapura / Photo from Nagesh

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 / Photo from mac yogi

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 / Photo from www.bibliotecapleyades.net

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.” / Photo from www.ancient-wisdom.co.uk

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 / Photo from saseki

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 / Photo from dckf

Nazca Lines – “Trapezoid” in the desert / Photo from MacClure

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?

Photo from viiny

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.