Art'einsky: May 2014

Amazing Motorised suitcase

A farmer in China has invented a motorised suitcase which can reportedly carry your clothes and take you to the airport at the same time.

He Liang, a farmer from near Changsha in south-central China's Hunan province, has spent 10 years developing what he calls the City Cab — a three-wheeled motorized suitcase that can carry up to two passengers a distance of up to 60 kilometers.

The three wheels are designed small so as to stabilize the vehicle and it relies on a rechargeable lithium battery which does not occupy much space, leaving the inside of the case entirely the same as a normal suitcase except for the buttons and steering panel on the grip.

The case can travel at up to 20 kilometers per hour and is equipped with GPS. It weighs only 7 kg. He has obtained a patent for the City Cab as a multifunctional traveling case and is eager to see it on the road soon.

Google Earth: Jet Liners Escort Massive UFO Over China (May 30, 2014) [video]

Friendly UFO escort or new chinese technology?...

Now Google Earth (Coordinates: 32°24'14.46”N 114°32'57.39”E) has deleted every UFO I have ever reported on their map within 3-6 months of making the video. This will also disappear soon, so please confirm in the video comments on Youtube that it is there, otherwise lots of people will just say its fake without even checking.

This glowing orb is most likely a disk. The trail behind it is more of a mist than a contrail. The UFO causes a distortion of space around it and that is the trail we see it leaving. We can tell that the UFO is lower than the bigger jet and higher than the lowest jet. Because of that we have a size comparison that makes it a little bigger than a 747.

What happens in Indonesia? ...railway 'track therapy' craze

These people aren't protesting anything but want to be healed. In the Indonesian town of Rawa Buaya, people believe that electrical energy carried by the railroad tracks can cure disease. Poor and ailing Indonesians unable to afford conventional medical treatment are pinning their hopes on a radical and risky cure – “track therapy”.

The residents of Rawa Buaya have taken up a particularly dangerous and surprising habit of laying down on railroad tracks. Although the trains are still in working order and frequently utilize the tracks, the citizens of West Java continue to lie there. They believe that the electrical energy from the railway tracks will cure them of their diseases and illnesses.

Every person goes there for a different reason, but all for the same cause -- they are desperate and are willing to try anything to cure themselves. Not even the threat of the passing trains on adjacent tracks will deter these occupants to leave their spots on the track. Many lie there with their families and children. Rawa Buaya certainly has quite a handful of daredevils.

Amazing Garden: tear gas flower garden

Palestinian who lives near security fence spent years collecting tear gas canisters in which she planted seedlings

Flowers in the barrel and seedlings in the tear gas canister. A Palestinian woman from the village of Bil’in spent the past few years collecting dozens of tear gas canisters, which had been shot by soldiers during protests in the area of the security fence near the village. In the canisters, the woman planted seedlings.

Muhammad Hativ, one of the Palestinian village’s leaders, said that the unconventional garden symbolizes their lives in a complex situation. Bil’in became a symbol of the Palestinian struggle in Israel after the establishment of the West Bank security fence near the village.

South Africa's township youth subculture: bizarre money-burning trend

They burn money, destroy expensive clothes and pour bottles of alcohol on the ground. The 'Izikhothane' live well beyond their means, spending more money than they and their parents can afford in order to be cool. This South African craze is as intriguing as it is shocking.

Several townships in Johannesburg, mainly Soweto in the south and Diepsloot in the north, claim to be the birthplace of 'Izikhothane' youth culture, also called 'Skhotane' and 'Ukukhothana' in other neighbourhoods. The term – Zulu for “to lick” – apparently has several origins. Some say it refers to the action of licking the fingers to peel through bundles of money to spend on clothes, shoes and alcoholic spirits. Others say it refers to being drenched in 'Ultramel', a local custard considered a luxurious desert in black townships, and of licking hands and clothing.

“They like to show that money is no object,” says Tshepo Mokone, a 25-year-old Sowetan who has observed various groups at close hand. “Destroying symbols of value gives them recognition and status, and that is what they crave – much more than money. The bigger the display of abundance and your ability to destroy it, the bigger your ‘swag’, and that’s what matters to them most.”

One spring evening in Soweto, Phumi Ntshangase, 20, was in full swagger mode. Sporting an embroidered patterned shirt, designer sunglasses, diamond earring, shiny pink shoes and a gold tooth, he was enjoying a “roll” with other members of his group, known as the FBI or Full Blooded Italians because of their penchant for Italian designer labels.

Such scenes of decadence have outraged some older South Africans. The mayor of Ekurhuleni, an area outside Johannesburg, recently denounced the movement as “abhorrent”.

“Democracy has gone to their heads,” says Mokone, who shows tourists around the landmarks of Soweto’s apartheid-era struggle. “They think it means you have the right to do anything you want. Many of these kids are at high school, and this movement just shows contempt for the sacrifices their parents and grandparents made.”

“We’re the Italians,” Ntshangase said, brandishing a tattoo on his left arm where the letters FBI were arranged like a designer label; other groups have names such as the Vintages, after expensive alcohol, and the Overspenders. Competition between them is fierce but not violent. At one recent altercation, the biggest insult seemed to be, “Your T-shirt is faded. Go away with your faded T-shirt – you should not be here.”

It is often parents who finance the izikhothane lifestyle. As Ntshangase swigged beer with some of his friends, his mother passed by. She came over and pressed a new smartphone into his hand. Showing off her own gold tooth, she said proudly, “He loves this lifestyle. He feels he is someone, and that pleases me. We – our generation – never had that feeling. It is good to see him happy.”

Kunene recently denounced the practice of burning clothes and tearing up banknotes, but defended the izikhothanes for having the confidence to dress and behave like no one “expects poor blacks” to. He pointed out that these young people do not fight in gangs or take drugs, and encouraged them to aim high, getting an education to go with their flashy lifestyle.

The Kings of Africa in our days

Between the years of 1988 and 1991, French photographer Daniel Laine spent about 12 months on the African continent tracking down and photographing figures of royalty, and leaders of kingdoms. During this time he managed to photograph 70 monarchs and descendants of the great African dynasties with his work on this series.