#credit to Cyprus on YouTube for the base

[khessanumber1fan]

Here's Gren as a SilkWing

[aion-rsa]

Money Heist: What to Know About the International TV Phenomenon

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If you haven’t tuned into Money Heist yet, you’ve been missing one of the hottest series on Netflix right now. It’s sexy, absurdist fun, an action soap opera like no other, so addictively bingeable that it has stolen the hearts of a worldwide audience. But it’s more than escapist fare. Money Heist has also become a rallying cry of resistance that is changing the world. 

It almost didn’t happen. Netflix picked up Money Heist entirely by chance. If they hadn’t, the original series might have easily vanished into obscurity for English-speaking audiences. Once Netflix got it, it blew up and became their most watched non-English series.

Money Heist was originally broadcast on Spain’s Antena 3 channel in 2017 under its native title La Casa de Papel (The House of Paper). The first season was 15 episodes, told in two parts. The initial part garnered a healthy 45 million viewers but viewership plummeted when the second part was broadcast. With only half the audience remaining and the story complete, the show seemed at its end. Netflix acquired the series as part of an international catalog of titles, re-edited it into 22 shorter episodes, re-released it internationally later that year. The streamer didn’t even bother to promote it when they added to their queue. Nevertheless, it found a huge audience outside of Spain and viewership skyrocketed.

Season 1 is about a meticulously planned heist of the Royal Mint of Spain. The Professor (Álvaro Morte) is a criminal mastermind who assembles a gang of thieves. Each thief adopts the name of a city to conceal their true identities from each other, akin to the robbers in Reservoir Dogs. The story is told from the perspective of Tokyo (Úrsula Corberó), a brazen spitfire femme fatale who steals every scene she’s in. The thieves capture the Mint, taking dozens of hostages. Their plan is to print millions in unmarked bills. Meanwhile, the Professor plays a cat-and-mouse game with Inspector Murillo (Itziar Ituño) who is hot on his trail. 

Don’t Fall in Love During a Heist

Through Tokyo’s narration and copious flashbacks to the planning of the crime, Money Heist tells a gripping story of the ultimate anti-heroes. As tensions mount, the gang is at one another’s throats while navigating the Professor’s deceptive instructions. The Mint is surrounded by cops and time is running out. Gratuitous shots of ticking clocks increase the pressure, the same device deployed by original Mission: Impossible TV series to heighten suspense. Stockholm syndrome takes hold as the hostages fall for their captors. In classic Money Heist style, the main hostage who joins the gang adopts the name “Stockholm (Esther Acebo)”. The Professor and the Inspector engage in a deliciously dysfunctional romance. It’s all exceedingly sexy with the beautiful actors often scantily clad, and has a subversively sharp sense of humor. 

Despite its ludicrousness, Money Heist is so addictive in many ways. First off, it masters the cliffhanger. The suspense is relentlessly palpable and no matter how ridiculous some of the deus ex machina resolutions are, they’re still great fun to watch. Just like Game of Thrones, this show is merciless. Beloved main characters die in shockingly poignant death scenes. This keeps the suspense very real. You never know if your favorite character is going to make it. Of the seven thieves that enter the Mint with Tokyo – Berlin (Pedro Alonso), Denver (Jaime Lorente), Helsinki (Darko Perić), Moscow (Paco Tous), Nairobi (Alba Flores), Oslo (Roberto Garcia Ruiz) and Rio (Miguel Herrán) – three don’t make it out. 

Secondly, it’s about those characters. The ensemble cast delivers great performances across the board. Every role is rich, complex, and well-developed. Everyone has his or her strengths, weaknesses, and back stories and their emotional journeys resonate deeply. No one is entirely innocent. You can’t help yourself from rooting for them, even the villains. 

And third, Money Heist has style. Its passionate soundtrack has captured the ears of the world. The use of color, particularly red against darkly composed frames, is exquisitely captivating. Money Heist is a thrilling roller coaster ride that just has to be experienced. 

Enjoy It Until the Party is Over

The global following shocked the cast and crew. After season 1 wrapped, the show seemed finished. As the cast watched their social media following grow exponentially (an experience catalogued in Netflix’s documentary, Money Heist: The Phenomenon), they knew something was up. By 2018, Money Heist garnered several nominations and wins across the European awards circuit and even won the coveted Best Drama Series at the 46th International Emmys.

Consequently, Netflix reassembled the cast and crew for a second season, this time with a much bigger budget. Even though season 1 was self-contained, the show’s creator Álex Pina dreamed up a second season, one that was on a much grander scale, thanks to Netflix’s backing.

The second heist is in four parts. That may sound confusing because the upcoming season 5 will be split into two parts as well. Season 5 is actually parts 3 and 4 of the second heist story arc. “Heist 2” is already 16 episodes deep and it’s only the halfway point. 

For the second heist, the gang must reassemble to rescue one of their own after Tokyo makes another grievous mistake. And that rescue hinges upon robbing the Bank of Spain. New gang members join the survivors of the first robbery, and another more ruthless adversary, the pregnant Inspector Sierra (Najwa Nimri). Sierra is a more ruthless opponent than Murillo was for the first heist. When it comes to the Professor’s psychological chess game, Sierra flips the chess board upside down. Season 3 (Part 1 of the Bank of Spain heist) debuted exclusively on Netflix in the summer of 2019. Season 4 (Part 2) was released almost a year later in April 2020, and it was seen by 65 million households. That’s a million more viewers than watched Tiger King when it ran around the same time. 

Realizing they had a bankable hit, Netflix released Money Heist: The Phenomenon. The documentary showcases the astonishment of the cast and crew as they navigate their new found popularity from a show they thought was done. A season 2 opening scene, filmed in front of the historic Santa Maria del Fiore Cathedral in Florence, Italy, was almost ruined when rabid fans rushed the crew. However, do not watch Money Heist: The Phenomenon before seeing the show because it drops some major spoilers. 

We Are Dali

To hide their identities, the gang wears masks based on the famous Spanish surrealist artist Salvador Dali, replete with a red hooded jumpsuit. They force their hostages to wear the same costume to confuse the police. This Dali mask has become a new symbol of international rebellion, supplanting the Guy Fawkes mask from V for Vendetta on a global scale. Beyond Comic-Con cosplaying, the Dali mask has been appearing on protestors and in effigies around the world. Footage from these real life demonstrations appear in the show. 

Money Heist has had a profound effect on international football (“soccer” for we Yanks). Massive displays of Dali mask banners appeared at Saudi Arabia soccer stadiums. At the Karaiskaki Stadium, Greek soccer fans unfurled a huge Dali banner too. After their team won, they rushed the field wearing Money Heist costumes. Brazilian soccer superstar Neymar de Silva even makes a cameo in season 3 as a monk who wryly comments about his disdain for soccer. Silva claims Money Heist is his favorite show.  

There were even real life copycat heists. France fell victim to a shop hold-up and a hotel robbery where the perpetrators wore Dali masks. A 2019 daylight heist of the Mexican Mint was thought to have been inspired by the show. Perhaps the best one was when Justin Bieber’s five-billion-view music video ‘Despacito’ was hacked on YouTube. The hackers replaced it with an image of Money Heist in full Dali regalia with guns pointing out, accompanied by a call to ‘Free Palestine.’ 

Consequently, there has been some backlash. Cyprus banned Dali costumes for Carnival. Turkish journalists and politicians have admonished the show, describing it as rebel propaganda. The Professor describes it best in season 3. “The mask has become a symbol throughout the world of resistance, of indignations, of skepticism. It doesn’t matter. What matters is that it has inspired many people.” 

Ironically, Money Heist pilfered Dali’s image. The Gala-Salvador Dalí Foundation never gave the show its blessing for the use of the artist’s likeness. There’s no doubt that Dali is spinning in his grave for not getting paid royalties, but he must appreciate the surrealism here. 

Bella Ciao!

Beyond the now iconic Dali mask, Money Heist also revived a rebel ballad, the Italian protest song Bella Ciao. Bella Ciao means ‘Goodbye Beautiful’ and it was the anthem of anti-fascists of the Italian Resistance during WWII. Originally about toiling in rice fields under an oppressive boss, the lyrics evolved to describe the Resistance’s commitment to the cause with their lives. When translated from Italian, the lyrics end with “This is the flower of the partisan who died for freedom.” 

The Professor’s grandfather fought in the Italian resistance so he sings it with Berlin, his older brother, and teaches it to the gang. The song is frequently reprised throughout the series, most tellingly during the season 1 part 1 finale end credits. A montage of black-and-white footage decrying the evils of money fades to red as Bella Ciao plays.

Since Money Heist, over a dozen new versions of Bella Ciao have climbed the charts across Europe, with the Professor’s rendition placing first in Austria, second in Germany, and in the top twenty in Belgium, France, and Switzerland. It’s been covered by several EDM DJs like Steve Aoki and Hardwell. Bella Ciao has become a common chant at soccer matches, and was heard at the 2019 World Cup. When Open Arms rescued a boatload of fleeing immigrants docked in Lampedusa, the refugees sang Bella Ciao to celebrate their newfound freedom. 

The Last Times are Beyond Comparison

What might the finale hold? When we last left the gang, they were reunited in the Bank of Spain and determined to win ‘the war’ in honor of their latest fallen comrade. But Inspector Sierra got the drop on the Professor. With a gun to his head, she declared “Checkmate, son of a bitch.” Anyone who knows the show understands that it is volatile and unpredictable so it’s anyone’s guess what happens next. 

It’s clear that this is the end. When production wrapped on May 14th, Netflix tweeted “Thank you to all the fans for being part of La Resistencia! We can’t wait to show you how this story ends.”  However, Netflix is never one to kill a goose that lays golden eggs. 

Money Heist creator Álex Pina already launched another Netflix series, Sky Rojo. Season 1 premiered back in March 2021 and season 2 is slated for July. It’s the story of three women on the run, somewhat reminiscent of Thelma and Louise, only the threesome are prostitutes. It’s stylish and sexy, and received some critical acclaim. But it has nowhere near the impact of Money Heist. 

A Korean adaptation of Money Heist is in the works with Kim Hong-sun directing. Cast as the Professor is Yoo Ji Tae, who is most remembered for his mastermind role in Oldboy, and also had a part in a Korean TV adaptation of The Good Wife. Playing Tokyo will be Jeon Jong Seo, aka Rachel Jun, a newcomer with two feature films under her belt. 

This summer, an immersive event “Money Heist: The Experience” is set to tour London, Miami, Mexico City, New York, and Paris. Each city will get a different version of the experience, adapted to the venue, and the venues won’t be announced until just prior to the events open. This is another collaboration between Netflix and Fever, who previously staged “Stranger Things: The Drive Into Experience” in Los Angeles. 

Most of the cast of Money Heist were too engaged with filming the final season under pandemic restrictions to take on any new projects. The notable exception of Úrsula Corberó. Corberó is cast as the Baroness in the upcoming G.I. Joe Origins film, Snake Eyes. 

Money Heist held the title of Netflix’s most watched non-English series until a French show, ironically also about a heist, stole the crown. Lupin robbed Money Heist of the title in January 2021 racking up 76 million views. Lupin Part 2 debuted on June 11. When Money Heist returns, will it steal back Netflix’s most watched non-English series crown? Hopefully so. For Nairobi!

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Money Heist, Parts 1-4, are available on Netflix now. Season 5 Volume 1 debuts on September 3, Volume 2 arrives on December 3, 2021. 

The post Money Heist: What to Know About the International TV Phenomenon appeared first on Den of Geek.

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[fxbrokersempire]

Honest Forex Broker Review - Fx Pro

Fx Pro Trading Brokerage Fully Reviewed

In this summary we are going to make a fully reviewed explanation of Fx Pro trading brokerage in some detail.

About FxPro

Founded in 2006, FxPro has executed more than 500 million orders since its inception and has serviced more than 1.8 million clients in over 173 countries. As of 2021, FxPro lists over $100m in Tier 1 Capital and has more than 200 employees across its 4 offices.

The FxPro brand holds regulatory licenses in the United Kingdom (UK) under FxPro UK Limited, Cyprus under FxPro Financial Services Limited, South Africa, and the Bahamas. Making Fx Pro a highly trusted broker by many retail & institutional traders.

FxPro competes among the top MetaTrader brokers, offering the full suite of MT4 and MT5 platforms with multiple accounts and execution methods. The only drawback to an otherwise balanced forex broker is pricing that is slightly higher than the industry average.

In the below table please take your time to view some of Fx Pro's features & benefits:

Start Trading Like A Pro With Fx Pro

Is FxPro Safe?

FxPro is considered very low-risk, with an overall Trust Score of 93 out of 99. FxPro is not publicly traded and does not operate a bank. FxPro is authorized by one tier-1 regulator (high trust), two tier-2 regulators (average trust), and one tier-3 regulator (low trust). FxPro is fully authorized & regulated by the following tier-1 regulators: Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). Fx Pro is extremely unlikely to be a scam broker. and has been tried & tested by Fx Brokers Empire.

Commissions and Fees FxPro's pricing is slightly higher than the industry average, putting it at a small disadvantage compared to its peers, such as Etoro or HF Markets, who both also offer the full MetaTrader and cTrader suites just like FxPro does. However what they lose in price is far outweighed with better options & service. Execution method: On FxPro MT4, you can choose either variable or fixed spreads. For the variable spread pricing, there are two types of execution-based pricing: instant and market. Instant execution is subject to requotes but no slippage, while market execution has the potential for slippage but without requotes. Commissions: FxPro offers its most competitive spreads on its cTrader platform, which uses commission-based pricing. FxPro's effective spread to trade EUR/USD is roughly 1.27 pips, based on 0.37 average spread + 0.9 pip commission equivalent on cTrader, using August 2020 data. Spreads: FxPro's floating rate model (variable spread) is available on both MT4 and MT5, with EUR/USD spreads of 1.57 pips for accounts on market execution (1.51 pips on MT5) and 1.71 for accounts with instant execution, as per August 2020 data from FxPro. Fixed pricing: On MT5, there is no fixed spread offering, and only market execution is available. Other platforms such as MT4 and web traders offer fixed pricing models. Active traders: FxPro offers an Active Trader program, & provides loyalty rewards for its longstanding traders. Executing large orders: Without question, FxPro's best feature is its ability to execute large trading orders, which can be placed with no minimum distance away from the current market price. A high liquidity broker which is important for high frequency & big money traders

Platforms and Tools Thanks to offering MetaTrader, cTrader, and its own in built proprietary FxPro Edge web platform, traders at FxPro have a diverse selection of platform options depending on their trading style. Both beginners & experts can enjoy trading and perform with there respective platforms. MetaTrader suite: FxPro offers the MetaTrader 4 (MT4) and MetaTrader 5 (MT5) platform for web and desktop. A notable add-on is available for MT4 which is the suite of trading tools from Trading Central that can be rather helpful. cTrader: The FxPro cTrader platform is available for web and desktop. The cAlgo platform can also be used to enable algorithmic trading when using cTrader at FxPro. Proprietary platform: FxPro Edge is a light web-based platform that has robust charts and a responsive design. There are a few default layouts, and users can drag and drop the modules to rearrange them and add new widgets. Overall, there is a good foundation established for the future, especially for such a new in built platform. There will definitely be more updated features to this platform to enhance traders performance. Research FxPro provides great daily market updates and analysis on its blog, along with content from third-party providers. Overall, we found the written articles from FxPro's in-house staff to be of a good quality. More Video content would help fill the gap in research, as FxPro's YouTube channel is mostly webinars, platform tutorials, and promotional videos. FxPro News blog: There are multiple articles per day available on FxPro's dedicated blog, including its 'Market Snapshots' series. These articles provide a daily outlook and are nicely organized, making it easy to consume, understand & apply in volatile market conditions. Traders dashboard: FxPro has a client portal where users can access sentiment data for various symbols and forex pairs, along with the trading session times and a summary of gainers and losers. There is also an integrated economic calendar. Adding trading capabilities to the client portal, or merging these features with the Edge platform, would help to centralize these resources in one place.Fx Pro Education FxPro has a general education section where it provides written materials, along with some educational videos on its website. Overall, FxPro has a good foundation of educational content. Expanding its coverage and adding other videos on some more advanced trading elements would balance out the FxPro educational offering.Written content: FxPro's educational section features mini cards with key information and short paragraphs explaining things like "what is a stop out" in less than six sentences. There are 36 cards in the Psychology section and four other areas, each with a collection of learning cards. There is even progress tracking, so you know which modules or chapters you have finished, which is a nice touch.

Mobile Trading

Alongside providing its proprietary FxPro Direct app for trading, account management, and basic market news, FxPro's mobile lineup is powered by the same third-party providers as its desktop and web-based platforms: MetaTrader (Meta Quotes) and cTrader (Spotware).

cTrader: FxPro's white-labeled version of cTrader is consistent with the web-based platform, offering traders a really friendly & easy to use trading experience with a variety of trading tools. As far as third-party mobile apps go, cTrader is very versatile.

MetaTrader: The mobile versions of the MT4 and MT5 platforms are presented as standard from the developer with default features. In 2021, FxPro is a Best in Class MetaTrader Broker due to a range on smart trading indicators & strong liquidity.

FxPro Direct: The FxPro Direct app is the broker's proprietary mobile app which supports trading for users that have a CFD account, but is mainly optimized for account management. With just a quotes, trades, and history tab, we found that the FxPro Direct app was not very ideal for trading, compared to FxPro's other available mobile platforms. Meanwhile, the FxPro Edge platform is not yet available for mobile.

While FxPro does not stand out for its pricing, FxPro is a well-capitalized, trustworthy broker that offers multiple platform options, multiple execution methods, and, for professionals, can cleanly execute large orders. Fx Pro Trust FxPro scores quite well when it comes to reputation and trustworthiness. Most importantly, they are regulated in the United Kingdom, which is reputedly safer than some regulators in the EU. FxPro also advertises that they have one of the highest counterparty credit ratings in the industry, scoring  a whopping 95 on a hundred point scale, where a high score indicates a lower risk of default or bankruptcy. They also participate in the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS) that allows clients to claim compensation in the event FxPro were to become insolvent up to £80,000. They also offer clients negative balance protection under new EU guidelines that prevent clients from losing more money than they have deposited. So they are clearly not worried about liquidity issues as they have good insurances in place. One negative for FxPro is the absence of guaranteed stop‑loss orders. Some brokers offer this feature for a fee, but this is not offered by FxPro at all. Fx Pro Special Features FxPro offers traders algorithmic trading through cTrader, which is an advanced algo and technical indicator coding application that allows traders to create and build algorithmic trading strategies and custom indicators. This is a smart technological feature that is not offered by many brokers and definitely worth checking out. FxPro also offers a Virtual Private Server (VPS) that enables clients to upload and run MT4 Expert Advisors and algo bots, 24 hours a day, without needing to keep the trading terminal running. These applications also allow for back testing of trading strategies.

Fx Pro Customer Support FxPro prides itself on its "five‑star customer service," specifically its multilingual, 24‑hour Monday‑through‑Friday (24/5) customer service team. Their live phone support operates in several locations with a toll‑free number in the U.K., France, Germany, UAE, and Russia. Live chat is offered for both live trading clients and prospective clients. Unlike other brokers, they have a physical office in London with a reception desk that is open from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Some social media support is available on Twitter, but this is mainly news related rather than specifically for customer support.

Please Note: The FCA has a ban in place for the sale of crypto-derivatives to UK retail consumers as from 6th January 2021.

Fx Brokers Empire's Conclusion For Fx Pro

We recommend trading with this broker and find it to be a very trustworthy broker. Due to its popularity and multi tiered regulations, Fx Pro is extremely unlikely to be a scam. Fx Brokers Empire recommends using Fx Pro for its high liquidity & execution service. Along with outstanding customer support based on our own experiences & our client feedback. Using there run on line 'Trade Like A Pro' they definitely have weight in there words and offer some decent trading features. We further recommend not to start a investment account with Fx Pro in excess of £25,000 initially until you get used to the platform offered and all its features. Fx Pro is a highly popular trading choice & has a well branded name that delivers results for its traders, across Europe, Asia & most definitely in the UK as a trusted broker.

Fx Brokers Empire rates Fx Pro as a 4.5/5 star broker

Disclaimer: CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. 71% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider. You should consider whether you understand how CFDs work and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money.

Start Trading Like A Pro With Fx Pro

[spaceexp]

Mission to Mars

Cyprus Spacewalk Space Festival 2020 poster / Orbiter.ch Aerospace logo. April 4, 2020 Anticipation article dedicated to the Cyprus Spacewalk Space Festival 2020, which unfortunately will not take place this year because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Earth moving away

2035, ten years after the return of man to the Moon, here we are from Earth's orbit in the direction of Mars. A trip of longer in automatic mode's of one year trip with the return.

 Mars

Six months later, here we are at the Matian Gateway, ready to dock with the Mars orbital station. Our Antares spacecraft releases the Martian Ares lander. This will dock with the Matian Gateway. Then it's our turn.

Mission to Mars

Once these maneuvers have been carried out, we disembark and take our places in the orbital station. The crew is divided into two groups: the one who will remain in the station and those who will land on Mars, the roles have already been predefined since the start of the mission. The crew that remains on board the station is made up of a biologist / chemist and a specialist in planets and meteorologist as well as the pilot and engineer of Antares.

 Mars topography and locations

In the group that lands on Mars, there are two scientists and a mission specialist (pilot, engineer). The Ares lander is ready for departure from the orbital station, it unlocks, makes a remote maneuver and starts its main engine to start its descent on Mars.

Mars geology and locations

The Astronauts will live "seven minutes of terror" during the atmospheric entry phase, that of Mars is much less dense than that of Earth and is only 30 km thick. Lander landed on Mars, everything went well, the lander landed in the right place, at Solis Planum near East of Valles Marineris. It is a small step for a man, but a big step for humanity.

Mars, the Paradise of Geologists and Mineralogists!

Mars, the Paradise of Geologists and Mineralogists! How many rock formations to explore, analyze, work awaits us! Astronauts install the first Martian Base. They deploy the transmission instrument and devices. Set up the solar panels, tank and deploy the Rover.

Mission to Mars 2

Geologist and mineralogist take the Rover to take an exploration trip to the edge of the Valles Marineris canyon. The view is breathtaking! They take the opportunity to collect soil and rock samples. Once the samples are loaded in the Rover, return to the "home" (Mars Base).

At the edge of Valles Marineris canyon

A month has passed and it is time to return to the Martian orbital station. Lift off smoothly and here we are in orbit. Approach to Gateway, docking at the station and unloading of Martian samples and transfer to the Antares spacecraft. Dismantling of the station and departure for the return to Earth. End of mission. Editor & writer note: Hoping that this article will have made you travel a bit in these difficult times of confinement, a big thank you to the whole festival team and to the readers and see you next year for the 2021 edition. Best regards, take care, Roland Berga. Related links: KITION PLANETARIUM & OBSERVATORY (CYPRUS): http://www.astronomycyprus.eu/ KITION PLANETARIUM & OBSERVATORY (CYPRUS) on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/kition/ Orbiter.ch Aerospace on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Orbiter.ch/ Orbiter.ch Aerospace - YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/Orbinaute Orbiter.ch Space News: https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/ Orbiter.ch Space News, Daily: https://paper.li/Orbiter_ch/1306415282#/ Orbiter.ch Aerospace - Add-on's for Orbiter Space Flight Simulator: https://orbiter.jimdo.com/ Orbiter.ch Aerospace - Add-on's for Flight Simulator X (FSX) and IL-2 Sturmovik 1946: https://simulators.jimdo.com/ Images, Animations, Videos, Text, Credits: NASA/JPLCaltech/ESA/HubbleWikimedia/Orbiter.ch Aerospace/ Orbiter.ch Aerospace Studio/Roland Berga. Best regards, Orbiter.ch Full article

[bitcoinevolutionsignup-blog]

bitcoin evolution Review, Conclusions, and Helpful Tips

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[architecturever]

The Paris based architecture & urban planning firm Hamonic+Masson & Associés has designed "Clelia Tower" a proposal for a hyper luxurious residential tower in Limassol, Cyprus. @hamonicetmasson ۰ 👇🏻 • 👍🏆💡 via @arch_vision 🔸💡زیباترین هنر،ایده،ذهن خلاق و معماری را با ما ببینید🔸 🔸🎨هنر 🔸🔥ایده 🔸💡ذهن خلاق 🔸🏡 معماری ▪️connect to us will connect you to "architecture" you "ever" seen from @architecturever_ ▪️subscribe us on YouTube ▪️visit us on www.architecturever.com link in bio ▪️For More Follow : @architecturever_. @greenarchitexture ▪️Credit Or Removal :( DM ) Or Gmail 📩 #architecturever_ #greenarchitexture #greenarchitecture #indianarchitecture #allofarchitecture #sketch_arq #designandlive #Design_Only #futurearchitects2050 #architecture4future #future #architecture #amazing #concept #design #contemporary #instaarchitecture #love #architektur #architect #luxury #architettura #interiordesign #instatravel #travel #architecturestudent #archistudent #archimodel #معماری https://www.instagram.com/p/B0c3bRvpwlJ/?igshid=1bht9xhpa29u6

[ladystylestores]

Ex-Cop Advising On Riot Control Has Inflated Résumé

BuzzFeed News; Getty Images (2); Safeware via YouTube / Via youtube.com

The day before federal police officers gassed peaceful protesters to make way for a President Donald Trump photo op, Geoff Perrin posted a picture on Instagram of officers bearing riot shields and squaring off with a group of demonstrators.

Perrin was “at the White House,” where he “served as an adviser to the US Secret Service and US Park Police responsible for protecting the area,” his company announced, using the hashtags “#riotcontrol” and “#publicorder.” A second post showed a line of armored police vehicles. “We are just waiting for them to pull the pin,” Perrin wrote in the caption.

Perrin has trained police officers around the country. His website features Molotov cocktails, riot vans, and semiautomatic assault rifles. Muscular and tanned with a salt-and-pepper crew cut, Perrin dishes out wisdom in a clipped South London accent in YouTube instruction videos, including one where he explains how riot shields “could be used as a weapon as well if need be.”

Perrin’s teaching draws on martial arts, as well as American and British police tactics, the latter of which he has claimed to have learned during years as an elite instructor and “tactical adviser” for the UK’s Metropolitan Police Service.

But several of those claims are false. Perrin was never a “tactical adviser” and he did not teach the advanced instruction courses he said he taught. And four current and former officers say the methods he has been teaching US law enforcement are far more aggressive than anything advocated by the Met.

Perrin’s teachings are “self-made, unproven, and legally not defensible,” a British police training coordinator told BuzzFeed News on condition of anonymity. “The only reason why he’s got so far is because the US police are so far back in methodology and tactics therefore they believe his bullshit.”

In phone interviews, Perrin admitted that he has made erroneous and “misleading” claims about his experience. Less than an hour after the first phone call, Perrin’s biography on his company website was taken down.

Screenshot

Perrin’s bio on the Survival Edge website before he revised it.

Perrin also acknowledged that, contrary to the impression his social media has created, he has not been working as a formal “adviser” with the Secret Service or the Park Police during the George Floyd protests. He said he has previously trained officers from both agencies, and wanted to give them a “basic refresh” and to supply them with helmets and limbguards. “I am not going to watch officers get injured because they didn’t have any equipment,” Perrin said. He said he has not been paid for this work, and that he “did not write” the company announcement that described him as an adviser.

Neither the Secret Service nor the Park Police responded to repeated requests for comment about their relationship, if any, with Perrin. The Maryland State Police confirmed to BuzzFeed News that it has worked with him and said that he gave the department legitimate credentials for the job, which they verified with British police. Federal records show that his company has also won contracts with the Department of Defense.

Perrin said he left the UK for family reasons, and because he believes that higher-ups there don’t do enough to protect cops who are trying to subdue crowds. But he was also sharply critical of “dinosaur tactics” in US policing. Many police departments offer “no training for what these guys are facing,” Perrin said. “Because they’re so dumb, it is a constant battle to get them to see a different viewpoint other than use of force” when responding to protesters.

“They just say, ‘Geoff, this is how we do things in America,’” he said. “My team are quite excited about the fact that US is actually going to look at some reforms because it needs to happen.”

Perrin told BuzzFeed News that he is a “massive advocate” against the use of tear gas. Before officers in Washington cleared the protest to make way for Trump’s photo op in front of St. John’s church, Perrin said he had been “concerned” about how much tear gas officers had and pushed commanders to “use other tactics.”

He claimed the Secret Service and Park Police largely followed his advice, and he blamed “other agencies” — namely the DC Metropolitan Police — for its use. He also pointed out that there were other federal officers there that night who refused to identify themselves.

Both the Secret Service and the Park Police have acknowledged using chemical agents designed to produce tears.

Most of the officers on the ground had “honest intentions,” Perrin said, and were short on both staff and supplies. “The police did the best they could with the equipment and the personnel they had.”

Roberto Schmidt / Getty Images

Riot police confront protestors near the White House on June 1, 2020 as demonstrations against George Floyd’s death continue.

In 2001, violence erupted in the South London neighborhood of Brixton after an unarmed Black man named Derek Bennett was shot dead by the police. Metropolitan Police officers were accused of using excessive force to control the crowds.

Geoff Perrin was a medic with the force at the time, and an officer safety instructor in the London borough of Lewisham. He grew up in Brixton, and said the way police used to target his Black friends influenced his decision to join the force. “I wanted to see a change to policing,” he said.

But Perrin said he grew outraged at the way that police leadership responded to the 2001 unrest — he felt that rank-and-file officers were “thrown under the bus like sacrificial lambs.” Neither the Met and nor the UK’s Home Office responded to repeated requests for comment about Perrin’s time with British police.

In 2004, Perrin left the Met. Soon afterward he moved to the US. He claimed that his training methods had drastically reduced the number of officer injuries in Lewisham, and told BuzzFeed News he believed he might help police departments in the US do the same. In 2006, he helped start Survival Edge Tactical Solutions, based in Utah, with a fellow ex-cop, Jared Wihongi.

Once in the US, Perrin began winning contracts with American police forces to train them on crowd management and how to de-escalate tense situations, as well as on the use of protective gear.

Perrin also claimed during one phone interview that he spent a few years “teaching counterterrorism stuff for the FBI for their missions overseas.” The bio on his website listed work in numerous countries, including Cyprus, Germany, Croatia, Mongolia, Kenya, France, Canada, Singapore, and the Netherlands. The FBI did not respond to a request for comment.

His website says he has worked with a number of state and local departments, including the Utah Highway Patrol and Atlanta Police Department. Neither force responded to a request for comment.

While in Utah, Perrin was involved in the creation of a charity calendar featuring British bikini models firing guns, riding tanks, and posing with heavy artillery and soldiers in uniform. Two Utah police officers and several Utah National Guard members were suspended after a video of the “Hot Shots” shoot — featuring Perrin’s name in the credits — was posted on YouTube.

“There was nothing untoward, it was just way too racy for Utah,” Perrin said. But “it raised a hell of a lot of money for the help for heroes and special ops charities over here.”

That same year, he began working with the Maryland State Police, which was reviewing its own practices in the wake of mass unrest in Baltimore following the death of Freddie Gray. Thanks to his training, “we have updated our personal protective equipment to better protect our troopers and implemented tactics that enable us to end volatile situations quickly, while protecting the rights of peaceful protesters,” a spokesperson told BuzzFeed News.

It is unclear exactly when Perrin started overstating his credentials, but a Salt Lake Tribune article about the “Hot Shots” controversy refers to Perrin as a “tactical adviser.”

This is a phrase that holds serious meaning in UK policing circles — it reflects a specific job and elite training. To qualify for the job, an officer must pass a four-week course that is “generally regarded as the most physical course in the police,” a former public order instructor told BuzzFeed News. “It’s a very highly regarded role.”

Perrin used that term in the now-deleted bio on his website, and it is referenced in Facebook posts and in interviews. In an interview that Perrin did with an apparel company selling protective gear, an officer is photographed back to camera wearing a helmet plastered with a Union Jack sticker and the insignia “Tactical Advisor.”

Perrin also claimed to have been an elite instructor for the Met’s public order unit. Perrin acknowledged that he wasn’t as high-level an instructor as he put on his résumé, and that he didn’t work in the police’s central headquarters but at a local level, in the London borough of Lewisham.

“I’ll own it,” Perrin said of his résumé. “Yes, you know what, it was definitely fluffed up, and it’s being cleaned up 100%.”

Perrin told BuzzFeed News that he hadn’t used the statements in his bio to obtain any of his current contracts, because “Americans have not got the time for British policing,” so he has to win business by doing demonstrations.

“Nothing on that CV has helped me at all,” he said, “because they just go ‘What do you guys know about guns? What do you guys know about policing the type of violence we police here?’” Perrin insisted he got to where he is by hard work alone.

Screenshot via Instagram

Perrin train law enforcement officers

Perrin describes the methods behind his “hybrid” police-martial arts model in a number of videos online. In one posted in 2017, Perrin moves his arm in a punching motion to demonstrate how to “distance people.” Perrin says this is an effective “defensive” method if the officer doesn’t have a baton.

The move bears an eerie resemblance to one used by a Park Police officer on June 1 against an Australian news camera operator, which prompted an apology from the Park Police after Australia’s prime minister denounced the incident.

Perrin told BuzzFeed News that the officer used his elbow in a way that “we don’t teach.” For Perrin’s taste, the officer “would have to justify” his use of the technique. But he said the video doesn’t necessarily show the whole picture. “I can’t give you his perception or his fear of what happened,” he said. “I don’t know what happened before in that corner.”

“I can’t speak for what was going through his head at that period of time,” he added. “I don’t know how much sleep he had. If he’d done continued days of 16 hours extended tours, I just don’t know. Everyone has a different perception of fear.”

Perrin said his methods are all about reducing violence in riot control — by properly protecting officers. “You can’t expect them to stand out there and take projectiles,” he said. “Nobody wants to get hurt, and when an officer gets hurt, they can sometimes use more force than they may have intended.”

Three of the former and current British officers who spoke to BuzzFeed News said Perrin’s methods had little in common with what is taught in the UK, where officers rarely wear heavy-duty anti-riot equipment or military gear, and are taught to use force less frequently.

Perrin told BuzzFeed News the difference is intentional. He believes British police leaders don’t do enough to protect cops trying to subdue crowds, and that Americans often go too far. His “hybrid” approach is a balance between the two, he said.

Perrin believes that some of his former colleagues simply envy his success. “There’s a few people back home who are jealous that a South London boy who has come from pretty much nothing has done quite well for himself,” he said.

Perrin also pointed out that the mayhem in Washington on June 1 contrasted sharply with the work of his clients a short drive away in Maryland.

The Maryland State Police were called into action in Baltimore, where protests broke out soon after George Floyd’s death. According to multiple news reports, those protests unfolded more peacefully than they did in other cities.

The day before Trump’s walk to Lafayette Square, Perrin wrote about a double role — and dizzying schedule — on Instagram.

“From being down at the White House supporting our US Secret Service Level 1 team to then running with two Maryland State Police Level 1 teams to Baltimore. The teams did could [sic] crushed any problems in the City and Baltimore did not burn. Outstanding work and am safe and now in bed at 05.46.” In another post, he filmed Marine One carrying the president overhead. “Mr T coming home last night just before we got the call to go to Baltimore,” the caption read.

Perrin did not post anything about the events at Lafayette Square. And he has continued to post on social media, including from inside the White House, about working with the federal government.

On June 6, D-Day, Perrin posted a video saying he “was down at the White House training the White House personnel as in secret service” and that he had been invited to the map room to look at World War II maps. D-Day was a reminder of when “America showed everybody what they can do,” he said. ●

Screenshot

Perrin at the White House on June 6

John Templon contributed reporting.

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[globalnewsafrica]

How Kenyans are gambling away millions in shady online forex trade

The dream of becoming an overnight millionaire ended one night for Nancy Wanjiku when she woke up and Sh400,000 was gone. This was not a heist. She had put in Sh200,000 which grew literally on the screen of her mobile phone in sophisticated charts and doubled to Sh400,000. Then while she waited for the cash to double again, she slept and the money was gone. Wanjiku had invested her money with a certain local online forex (foreign exchange) broker who had promised her handsome returns. “You know, the money doubles and you feel you will be a millionaire overnight, I should have removed it when it doubled. This thing is just like gambling,” she said. Just how big is this online forex trading business in Kenya? For any ordinary Kenyan, converting shillings to dollars is tricky arithmetic yet they are lured by supposedly huge returns from buying and selling currencies such as Japanese Yen and Chinese Yuan whose exchange rate they cannot even tell. Weekend Business set out to discover the world of online forex trading by setting up an account with a legitimate trader, EGM Securities. A split screen with four charts dancing with zig zag lines like those of a life-saving defibrillator machine is all we see, and are completely clueless on how the buying and selling happens. SEE ALSO :Betting tips: Here’s when you should give an underdog complete trust We ask EGM Securities how one could even make sense of such complexity and whether it is easy to lose Sh200,000 overnight. “Yes, this is true. You can wipe out your investment. Again depending on your trading experience you can make a lot of money or lose,” says a customer support executive at EGM who only gave one name, Martin. EGM calls the new clients who have set up a demo account and offers YouTube tutorials and reading materials. They say the interest in online forex trading is growing. “New traders sometimes are not even able to sign into the demo account so if you have placed a trade you have really tried,” says Martin. “The risk is there so that is why we have the demo account so that you are familiar with the trading before you start the actual trading. We offer workshops that take you through the basics of forex trading.” Brian Masila, who operates an online forex trading account, says he learnt how to do it at Nairobi School of Forex Trading, an institution run by Silah Obegi. “They facilitated me to open a demo account where I learnt practical trading. Initially, I had done my own research but it was not easy until they took me through the process,” Mr Masila says. Mr Obegi says the course, which takes a month, costs Sh50,000. They also give their students a real account at EGM Securities to trade Sh50,000 where they monitor the learner and give advice on how to make the trades. “You can see here one student called Esther had confused Australian dollars with US dollars and I was able to notify her to make amends,” he says, showing me his phone. “We give practicals on fundamentals of trading as well as technical training and even psychological training,” says Obegi. “You see, when you are making money you become greedy and when you are losing you become fearful and make subjective decisions, so we teach our students how to manage emotions and even if they are losing they do it in a sustainable way.” Dozen of Internet websites make it look like forex trading is a piece of cake. Most based in the UK including FXCL, XM Global, FBS Brokers and Irish-based Ava trade require you to put in a minimum of $5 (Sh500) to minimum of $100 (Sh10,000) to start trading, some of which you pay by debit or credit card. One such establishment has taken up a whole wing at View Park Towers. With over 1,000 businesses in the imposing complex, the company is camouflaged in the aging building with no signage to direct you. It relies on referrals rather than walk-in clients. Operating in three offices, the firm is split into cubicles of up to four in each room with each cubicle manned by a female attendant - a sales trick common in Nairobi. At the reception, there are droves of waiting ‘investors’ some of whom are directed to the other offices to wait their turn, a crowd that would be the envy of any investment firm. The cubicles are layered top to bottom with blue wall paper, and the only place the name of the company is displayed is inside, not outside. The attendant’s desk is bare save for her phone and a pile of ‘contracts’ to be filled by potential clients. She repeats a sales pitch she was probably trained to say over and over. “At Interweb we invest exclusively in online forex, buying seven strong currencies like the Euro, dollars, British pounds, Canadian dollars, Japanese and Chinese. You can invest a minimum of Sh10,000 to Sh100,000 and we guarantee you a return of 20 per cent every month,” she says. “You will need to lock in the money for at least three months or a year. We also offer training for Sh100,000, giving classes every day in the morning. We have been in this building for 15 years and in this business,” says the sales executive. Then it gets into Ponzi scheme territory where if you bring in another referral you get five per cent commission, one off, of what the new investor puts in - thus encouraging spread by the word of mouth This multilevel marketing strategy is usually a specialty of pyramid schemes. When we ask how they can guarantee 20 per cent return and whether the company is licensed, they are elusive. “Our director has a way of balancing so you cannot lose the money and when the profits are high he also balances. We are regulated by FXCL, it’s not local but a global body,” says the sales executive. When we asked EGM Securities whether such a high return is a reasonable promise in this line of business: “No, it is not,” says Martin. In fact, FXCL is just a trading platform which declares that the business is risky and not for everyone. “Trading foreign exchange on margin carries a high level of risk, and may not be suitable for all investors. You should make sure you understand the risks involved, seeking for independent advice if necessary,” the British based firm states. So risky is the business that the firm bars investments from countries where authorities look out for their citizens with harsh regulations against such business or where the governments tax the sector. “FXCL Markets does not solicit residents of Japan, USA and Canada to open trading accounts. Citizens of mentioned countries (regardless of residence) are not accepted. Residents and citizens of the UN-sanctioned countries are also not accepted,” the website reads. Masila says the industry is strewn with fake players and it is difficult to know which ones are genuine. “Before I got Nairobi School of Forex Trading, I went researching online and on social media. Some claim they are trainers but when you ask for their offices they tell you the training will be online or in a hotel,” he says. Market regulators seem to have woken up to the threat posed by the online businesses following reports that investors had been conned out of hundreds of millions. The Capital Markets Authority (CMA) estimates that about 50,000 people including brokers, dealers and money managers, are in the business and are mainly using offshore platforms that are not overseen by the local regulators. “The authority will take appropriate enforcement action against any persons or entities illegally conducting online foreign exchange trade or collecting clients’ funds in contravention of the regulatory provisions,” said CMA Chief Executive Paul Muthaura. “The public affected or aware of such illegal online foreign exchange transactions are advised to report to the authority or the Capital Markets Fraud Investigation Unit.” CMA enacted the Capital Markets (Online Foreign Exchange Trading) Regulations, 2017 which has since seen Cyprus-based online currency trader SCFM Limited and EGM Securities get the only two approvals to carry out the business. Obegi says that he was consulted for coments when the law was being drafted and part of the training they give is to take students through the regulations. “Educators are not regulated unless you are giving some sort of certification. Ours is specialised training into niche markets, like people taking a seminar,” he said. Cryptocurrency CMA has also cracked down on cryptocurrency traders who attempt to set up online pages to trade them like you would shares. A local cryptocurrency company, Wiseman Talent Ventures is embroiled in a court battle with the regulator, which stopped its Initial Coin Offer. Between April and August last year, the company offered to sell digital coins dubbed Kenicoin at Sh100 each whose prices gained to Sh400 over the five months. To have more people buy the digital investment, the company promised 10 per cent monthly gains. But it fixed a higher price at its trading website of 20 times the value of the investment. “The CMA observed that the plaintiff promised guaranteed returns of 10 per cent monthly on initial investments in coins which were issued at Sh100 and were purportedly being marketed as trading at Sh2,000 at the Kenicoin exchange,” says CMA in a reply filed by Timothy Githendu. Further, CMA says the firm cooked figures of the number of people buying their product to show 27,768 people had raised Sh535 million, while in reality only 2,000 people had raised Sh2 million. When it summoned the founder and CEO of Wiseman, Haron Kiriba, and questioned him, the firm allegedly changed the figures on the website. Kiriba told CMA that his entity was a ‘mentorship firm’ with a vision to nurture talent among the youth and he began Kenicoin investment business model to raise funds for ‘mentorship .’ Read the full article

[hudsonespie]

WISTA Proudly Launches Pledge For Inclusion Of Women In The Industry

The Women’s International Shipping & Trading Association (WISTA) is proud to launch its inclusion pledge. The pledge addresses the underrepresentation of women in the maritime industry through a series of statements aimed at embracing diversity through individual action and personal responsibility. Individuals are encouraged to sign the pledge in support of a diverse and inclusive maritime sector. The pledge can be found online on the WISTA International website.

Representation Image – Credits: ISWAN Videos/YouTube

Signatories of the pledge commit to “Embrace diversity of thought (including gender, race, ethnicity, and age) and contribute to a merit-based business environment within my organisation. I will be a champion of equal opportunity and equal pay. My behavior will reflect how I wish our industry to behave in the future. I will work – and encourage others to work – toward a diverse and inclusive maritime sector.”

“Embracing diversity and inclusion is a business decision that no leader in today’s global and competitive marketplace can ignore. Leaders who encourage diversity of thought, including gender, age, race, and ethnicity, know that their teams benefit from a wide variety of experiences and perspectives, which drive innovation and change,” said WISTA International President Despina Panayiotou Theodosiou. “We geared this pledge to individuals, for we feel strongly that individuals have the power to bring about change.”

In 2018, WISTA International appointed a Diversity Committee to focus on practical solutions to increase opportunities for gender diversity in the maritime industry. Writing a pledge to challenge the community to advance diversity and inclusion was a mandate of the committee.

The Diversity Committee includes women from 14 National WISTA Associations, in acknowledgement of the global nature of the shipping industry. The members are: Lucrecia De Boutaud Bernal, WISTA Argentina; Tami Ray, WISTA Bermuda; Fabiana Simões Martins, WISTA Brazil; Nanalie Cover, WISTA Cayman Islands; Agatha Savvidou, WISTA Cyprus; Beatrice Witvoet, WISTA France; Asana Owu, WISTA Ghana; Katerina Konsta, WISTA Greece; Preetika Mehrotra, WISTA Hong Kong; Tiziana Murgia, WISTA Italy; Yulia Kashina, WISTA Russia; Cecilia Osterman, WISTA Sweden; Maryana Yarmolenko, WISTA Switzerland; and Sarah Brennan, WISTA USA.

“We are very proud to promote this pledge to our industry,” said Theodosiou. “Our Diversity Committee members wrote this pledge to address the various challenges female professionals confront in our industry and the many ways men can champion and support inclusion and diversity in their workplace.”

WISTA International is a global networking organization for female managers in the shipping industry, with more than 3,000 members worldwide, and 45 National WISTA Associations (NWAs). WISTA members represent nearly every facet of the industry, including ship owners and ship operators, mariners, logistics and port executives, maritime technology experts, legal and finance professionals, regulatory professionals, engineers, academics, service providers, suppliers, and government employees. WISTA was approved for consultative status with the International Maritime Organization (IMO) in July 2018, providing the organization with a formal voice for supporting IMO work in a variety of areas. WISTA works with a wide variety of global maritime and governmental bodies to support professional development, opportunities and networking for female executives in the maritime industry.

Reference: wistainternational.com

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Here's Janai as a SkyWing

[darrellkmartin]

Scams, subscriptions and chat bots: How one German fauxporn Youtube star tricks her fans

Videos boasting risqué titles, thumbnails teasing gobs of bare skin and steamy sexual indiscretions—all of which end up being more hot air than hot stuff.

Katja Krasavice has teased, baited and badgered her way to a huge fan base: 800,000 Youtube subscribers and 200 million views. The aspiring sex star has milked the shady practice for everything it’s got—and moved to other platforms in increasingly dubious ways.

Three years ago today, Katja Krasavice launched her Youtube account and first made her way in the German digital consciousness. She has since filled it with 133 videos, all of which follow a very similar MO: go heavy on the sexual innuendo, use thumbnails that double down on the double Ds and insert titles that get a rise in expectations. For example, there is “NACHTS Allein Zuhause (Home ALONE at night!) | Katja Krasavice”—a 4-minute clip about how she likes to unwind after a hard night of partying. Five million people have tuned in to keep her company. Another 4.5 million people watched Katja in “PETTING with Lucycat! 😛 | Katja Krasavice.” Even if the content turns out to be disappointing for viewers, the click rates show just how effective the teasers can be.

Leveraging lusting fantasies

She polarizes and provokes, teasing her viewers and stroking their sexual fantasies—a proven recipe for success. In addition to successfully producing her brand of content, Katja Krasavice also engages in cross promotion and does a host of guest appearances. Two years ago, she made an appearance with Aaron Troschke, the CEO of influencer marketing platform Reachhero and former candidate on Who Wants to be a Millionaire with his own organic reach. The video shows the pair dildo shopping; a couple of months later they shot part two. Then in early 2016, she made an appearance on a German Youtuber’s channel. Seen simulating oral sex, and then engaging in cheap pillow talk about said opening scene, the clip has generated 4 million impressions, and also plugs the link to the opening scene in its unedited full length.

In spite of her massive reach, it’s impossible not to notice that her videos do not use any of Youtube’s available marketing options. There are no video or display ads embedded in her clips—which is probably not by design. Since Youtube adopted stricter advertising guidelines in September 2016, Krasavice’s content was no longer deemed ad-friendly. That meant she had to scope out other ways and channels to monetize her reach, like live-stream portal YouNow. Katja Krasavice has been active on the portal since March of 2015, totaling 18 million views in the process.  Here, users can purchase ‘Bars’ that they can then donate to their favorite streamers. Especially successful YouNow stars are rumored to net revenue in the six-figure range.

15 euro a month for what? A pair of “hot” snaps.

Her success is hardly limited to Youtube and YouNow. With 928,000 subscribers on Instagram and 185,000 fans on Facebook, Krasavice’s popularity has spread to every major platform. She even has 56,000 followers on twitter —pretty good for a twitter desert like Germany. Snapchat (katjakrasavice) is no different. Although follower figures are not publicized, she seems to be killing it by offering paid content.

On her second account (krasaviceprivat) she recently began publishing “exclusive snaps,” as she teases on Snapchat and on other channels. Her less-than-subtle teases can be worded as “I get so w*t when I look at all these naughty girls.”

What does any of that have to do with paid content? That’s easy: the supposed hotter, more x-rated Snaps can only be seen by fans who take out a 30-day subscription for €14.99.

Standing to profit from the subscription is not Snapchat itself, but an entity named Centro Publishers Limited from the British Virgin Islands. There are dozens of mostly female “Premium SnapCentro Influencers” listed on the domain snapcentro.de. They are sorted by name or category, including general descriptions like athlete or blogger, or the more specialized descriptors like erotic model, exotic dancer, nude model or porn star.

If you search for the names of the “premium influencers” directly, the first search results lead you to the corresponding porn site. Krasavice also pops up on the list. She describes her account as a place where “you can see all the hottest snaps no longer allowed on my public account. Here, I’ll answer everyone and even send a couple of naughty snaps in a private chat. Come to my hot Snap zone not everyone can see.” She also ads that “if you are a member, I’ll do just about anything you want.”

Ok, so what content can a successful female youtube star charge money for exactly on Snapchat? To answer that we decided to misappropriate company funds and subscribe to the pay service. What won’t we do for science…

Soft-core porno for dummies

Signing up is pretty standard: enter our Snapchat user name and email address, and then confirm that we are, in fact, of age, and that we are aware that snapcentro.de is unaffiliated with Snapchat. Information on our person entered and confirmed, it’s time to pay up either via credit card or direct bank transfer—both of which go to a Cyprian company called  CentroBill (Cyprus) Limited.

The founder of both companies, snapcentro.de and CentroBill, plus the affiliated porn hub adultcentro and an affiliate influencer platform modelcentro, is a fella by the name of Stan Fishkin. On Twitter, he’s just a man named “standaman69,” posing in front of a Ferrari. A real salt of the earth type guy.

If you’re still in need of convincing, a cursory Google search for “centrobill warning” reveals that neither he nor his company are the most scrupulous of enterprises. After completing the payment process, a landing page tells us just how we can follow Katja Krasavice’s private account.

Basically, she’ll start following us after our payment, including our user name, has been confirmed. We are then granted access to her premium snaps for the duration of our subscription.

If you were thinking that the €15 monthly subscription would get you access to some serious nude content (as the teasers on Snapchat, Instragram, etc. would lead one to believe), we’ve got some bad news: The Snaps from the private account merely featured the scantily clad Krasavice and never in the buff. In fact, there is hardly any difference between the private and public Snapchat account that would justify any of her fans to pony up for the pay version.

Despite promises to the contrary, content is not available round the clock on the premium account. Shortly after we completed our subscription, Krasavice posted a content schedule. She said that while she “takes hot snaps every day,” sometimes she won’t post because “she wants to enjoy her life” or because “she’s only human” or because “she’s got the sniffles.” Or because it’s Monday—her day off. We’ve also not yet received an answer to our private message despite the promise of a “super hot chat.” Disappointment for €15 a month.

Just how many of her followers on Snapchat, Youtube subscribers or fans on other platforms have paid for Krasavice’s private Snapchat account, is unclear. However, because she followed us as a premium subscriber, we can see how many private snaps she has posted: 426.

Genuine testimonials or an army of bots?

The premium Snapchat subscription isn’t Katja’s only dubious source of income. In a video marked as product placement dated February 14, 2017, Krasavice can be seen plugging a flirt app and stating that she’s got a “really hot profile with private pics,” which you of course can only see once you’ve installed the app and signed up. She’s also giving away her private cell number, a video of her pleasuring herself with a heart-shaped sucker (the “goods” are blurred in the short teaser) and a private date, “maybe even with a happy ending.”

All you have to do to enter the sweepstakes is install the app and sign up (“guaranteed for free”) and then send Krasavice a message. In the Youtube video she promises that the first couple of messages are free and that “if you are really interested in me, then you’ll do it. I also really want to get to know people.” At the same time on Snapchat she says, “Writing me there costs hearts, which cost money.” On which platform and when she intends to announce the winner, she doesn’t say. Maybe on Instagram or Snapchat, but she’s not exactly sure when. “But I will definitely do it, so be sure to follow me.”

Although the giveaway is over and done with, we still wanted to have a go on the flirt app Katja was plugging.

Through the katja-hautnah.de domain, we are redirected to landing page for  an app called Yoomee. The page, mostly in German, proclaims that “Yoomee presents Katja Krasavice,” that “YouTube star Katja Krasavice is waiting for you” and promises we can “experience Katja up close.” Right after creating an account in a fake name and without a profile pic or any interests, Krasavice, err “Krasavice,” checks out our profile. We only have to wait a couple of minutes, before she sends us her first message: “Happy you’re here. How do you like my pics?” We’d love to answer, but we have to first buy some hearts for €6.99.

Our spidey sense is now tingling. Could there be an automated system in play here, exploiting Krasavice’s Youtube reach to pull users into the app and convert them into paying customers via fake messages?

To check—because, hey, science—we create another account. Shortly after our account is live, here comes “Krasavice” again, checking out our completely bare profile and then soon after writes the exact same message, down to a T.  In the meantime, our first account has received some more action—three direct messages within 90 minutes: “Hey, feel like writing?,” “Which do you prefer? Day or Night” and “Have you been around here for a while?”

Katja’s flirt with Yoomee sees a sharp increase in app downloads

The app landing page lists Mobil Trend GmbH as the proprietor of Yoomee, which lists Christoph Matthiesen and Jannis Kiesow as CEOs. Mobil Trend’s director of sales, Benjamin Marquardt, responded to our request for comment. He told us about the campaign with Krasavice, saying that they “happened upon Katja by chance and booked her through her management. The collaboration runs through April 14.”

In reference to the misleading claims in the Youtube video, especially the free messages, he says that “was indeed somewhat unfortunate and it was briefed otherwise. We only saw the video shortly prior to publication, otherwise we probably would not have accepted it in that form.” In spite of that, he said that there are also ways to acquire hearts without paying and thus send her messages for free.

However, he did say it was part of the business model that users are not made aware of that immediately. “Obviously, we want to make money with the app. Competition is intense and monetizing users is becoming increasingly difficult. Still, we allocated free hearts to disappointed users so that they could have a chance to chat,” says Marquardt. In the app’s general terms and conditions it says that: “Yoomee engages professional animators and operators to animate and entertain, who are not labelled as such by the system. A real-life meeting with such individuals is prohibited. Users may only send messages within the portal.”

App-stat tool Priori Data recorded a major surge in Yoomee downloads after Krasavice’s video appeared—to the tune of 20,000 downloads from Google’s Play Store and 10,000 in the Apple App Store within a week. The surge didn’t last. “Two weeks after the campaign start, we had downloads in the mid-five-figure range. A return to the mean is completely normal. All things considered, the campaign was a success. Even if Krasavice is not the cheapest testimonial, we recouped our costs,” says Benjamin Marquardt.

According to him, however, the –acquisition of user data is more important as it will be used to further develop the product. “The app had only launched a couple of weeks before the video went live, and would never have been able to collect that much data in that time frame otherwise.” He added that the team is “now looking for more reasonably priced influencers.”

Is Katja swapping Youtube for Youporn?

The line Krasavice toes between provocative entertainment and full-blown pornography requiring age restrictions continues to tighten. She regularly mentions how she loves being on camera, but isn’t sure if she’s ready to do everything publicly. One sign that she may be entering pornoville is a recent cooperation with erotic portal fundorado.com. In a Youtube video from February 1, 2017, Krasavice mentions an “extremely hot private video” making the rounds that you can only see on katjakommt.de (katjacomes). The domain redirects to fundorado.com.

Katja Krasavice has engaged in additional paid co-ops  in the past, for example with Quizpanda and SMS service Bongo, each of which turn out to be scams (link in German). Additional income sources include a club tour that she has been plugging for months— for example with a video purportedly showing her kiss a fan—and through sales of her own perfume on katjakrasaviceshop.com.

This article originally appeared on Online Marketing Rockstars.

Photo credit: Screenshot/YouTube/Katja Krasavic

from Startup Tips By Darrel http://theheureka.com/scams-subscriptions-and-chat-bots-how-one-german-fauxporn-youtube-star-tricks-her-fans-20170410

[khessanumber1fan]

Here's Sarai as a SilkWing

[khessanumber1fan]

@Oluna123 suggested that I should make Aanya a hybrid so . . .

Here Aanya as a SandWing/RainWing hybrid, she take on more of a SandWing build and look but has some RainWing traits like the ability to change the color of her scales and their magical death spit

[khessanumber1fan]

Here's Callum as a Rainwing

[khessanumber1fan]

Here's Kazi as a SkyWing

[khessanumber1fan]

Here's Khessa as a SandWing