And it’s here where Niko separates himself from the pack. While other superstar players like s1mple have been mired by instability and claims of toxicity — Niko keeps quiet. His numbers aren’t those of a hard carry, and they might not always jump off the page at first glance https://krisjet.com/how-la-rams-star-rodger-saffold-is-tackling-esports/.
But the wins pile up all the same. The stage was set for the pinnacle of Niko’s career to be reached. FaZe Clan were the overwhelming favourites to win the Boston Major. Anything less than first place was simply a failure. FaZe went 3-1 at the New Challengers stage with significant wins against both Natus Vincere and Team Liquid. Then they swept their way through the New Legends Stage beating Fnatic, Vega Squadron and the almighty SK Gaming. (Casting) FaZe Clan were meeting expectations — and the New Champions Stage was set. First up was a revamped version of Niko’s former team. This time though, the Bosnian got the better of mousesports. (Casting) Next FaZe met s1mple and Natus Vincere in the semifinals. A team of superstars against one of the scene’s deadliest players. (Casting) Not only did FaZe put up another 2-0 sweep, but Niko popped off. He finished with a +20 over the two games and a 1.51 rating. Niko’s eyes were now set on the game’s top prize. "Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the ELEAGUE Major: Boston." The stage was set for a David vs. Goliath-esque finals as FaZe Clan’s super team were set to take on a young Cloud9 squad that were hungry to become the first North American Counter Strike franchise to win a Major. (Casting) The series went to a game three. Inferno. For a Major title. "I can't wait to see, what these teams have to offer us here on Inferno. FaZe Clan on the CT side, Cloud9 will will start as they mean to go as the aggressors." "Boston makes some noise in this b*tch!" C9 were playing out of their minds, and early in Game three FaZe was having trouble keeping up. (Casting) As with all great stories of competition, this one went into overtime. (Casting) In overtime, Cloud9 made it clear that they were not going to lay down and let FaZe Clan complete a comeback victory. C9 took the first three rounds to open up an 18-15 lead. (Casting) But FaZe responded. Rattling off four of their own round wins consecutively. (Casting) And then – heartbreak. (Casting) In the wake of landing on the unfortunate side of Cloud9’s historic run, FaZe Clan has more or less maintained their stranglehold as one of the best teams in the game. Niko is still considered one of the best players in the game alongside the likes of s1mple and Coldzera. And this still may be the most intimidating roster in the game’s history. But as with anything in esports, things are constantly in flux. Olofmeister had taken a series of breaks from competitive play, returning to FaZe full time in July. Astralis meanwhile had taken over the throne as the number one ranked team in the world with s1mple and Na’vi nipping at their heels But, even though FaZe aren’t untouchable. They’ve still proven to be the same lethal force when their stars align. Even without OlofMeister at ESL One: Belo Horizonte Niko and company were able to take the first place prize. Sending a message to the rest of the community that they were nothing to scoff at when major season comes back around. (Casting) As the FACEIT London Major loomed in late September 2018. Olof returned to FaZe Clan and Niko and company had another shot to make history. With their hopes for Major glory in the balance — FaZe tripped out of the gate to an 0-2 start in the group stage. (Casting) But as we know, champions don't quit when the odds are against them. (Casting) Niko and FaZe clan rallied off three consecutive victories to find themselves qualified for the elimination rounds. In the quarterfinals, FaZe would face maybe their toughest challenge since Boston — Astralis, the world’s top ranked team. "Ladies and gentlemen, bring the noise for Astralis and the FaZe Clan." The match was a war. (Casting) Another chance to seal the letter on a storied career for Niko. And another bracket exit. From staying loyal in Bosnia, to trying to make it work with mousesports and coming so close with FaZe Clan Niko has become a household name in the CS:GO scene. There aren’t that many win/loss metrics that separate the best players in Counter Strike, but above all else the ability to take home that Major trophy can make or break the legacy of a career And for someone as bent on greatness as Niko — nothing short of a Major winning moment will do. "I really love what I'm doing and I'm going to try and play as long as I can, I don't know what my family will say at the end of my career, but I believe that they're gonna be really proud." To prove what it means to be the best in the game. That it takes loyalty, teamwork and sacrifice, the things he’s branded himself on. The consummate professional. The leader. The captain. The Superstar. NiKo. Thanks for watching. If you want more great content just like this, be sure to hit the subscribe button.
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It’s said Sobhraj, having studied Jung’s books, broke people down into personality types, so he almost always knew how to manipulate the people he stole from or wanted working for him. It seems he was universally liked by those people he met, who he would later drug and steal from. All the time he was amassing passports from his many victims, many of which he would use himself for travel under a false identity. By this time, his child was born. Only Charles would be jailed at times, sometimes leaving his lover and child with no money on the streets of a strange town. It almost always happened, however, that a stranger in Charles’ employ would turn up and hand the girl jewels that would provide room and shelter as he thought of ways to escape prison USCasinoGuide.
And that he did, almost better than the famed prisoner Papillon. He would dig holes with spoons and penetrate the walls, or even feign illness and escape via the hospital. He drugged guards, and for some reason, he always had drugs, or plans of prisons, on the inside. This young man had learned that money can buy anything in certain parts of the world. It’s said he escaped from supposedly impenetrable prisons in India, Afghanistan, and Greece. We must point out here that he hadn’t used his real name in years, and when jailed, it was always under one of his false identities. It is for this reason that all these crimes committed throughout many countries in Europe and Asia were not recognized as being the same man’s work. The pieces would be put together at some point, and he would become the most wanted man in the world, but this would take many years. His lover had enough of being left on the streets and being part of Charles’ underworld. We must remember that she was from a well-to-do conservative family, and Charles had led her into a life of crime. She managed to borrow enough money from her family and fly back to France, leaving the life behind forever. Charles then got in touch with his younger brother, Andre, who had always looked up to him. Convinced to come to Istanbul, Charles told Andre how he’d been making money from drugging and robbing and dealing in gems. Andre soon joined Charles, but both were arrested when working in Athens. As they looked alike, on the way to the jail, Charles told Andre to pretend to be him, and that the authorities wouldn’t know the difference. Charles eventually escaped by setting fire to a prison van he’d planned to be inside and fleeing in the melee, leaving his young brother behind to serve an 18-year sentence. The plan, apparently, was when authorities found out Andre wasn’t Charles, they’d let him go. They didn’t. Charles went off to Turkey, even though one of his identities was wanted there for a robbery at the Istanbul Hilton hotel. He then moved to Thailand, where he would meet his unwitting accomplice Marie-Andrée Leclerc, a French-Canadian girl who Charles would seduce, among many other women in Thailand he would have working for him in some way. There Charles would manipulate backpackers somewhat lost in the mystical East, encouraging them to stay with him. Back in those days, only very adventurous people traveled to such places, so someone speaking English, or French, or even not perfect Dutch, was a relief to meet. Only he would drug them and have them think they were suffering from dysentery due to the exotic food. He was actually giving them strychnine. He did this to many young travelers and had them stay with him. What he intended to do with them isn’t clear, but their valuables and passports were in Charles’ safe. They weren’t all naïve young folks, either; two of his victims were French policemen who had decided to travel the East. At just 19, he was jailed for petty crimes in Paris, including burglary. He had already started mixing with some sketchy figures from the Paris underworld. While in prison, Charles began what would turn into a lifetime of manipulation. He could play the victim, he could feign illness, he could take advantage of prison system rules as he had read about them; he could get his way with guards, something he would do for years to come. Yes, the young Charles read avidly, studying Classics, History, Philosophy, Psychology, and of course Law – the discipline any budding criminal should study. He was also a big fan of German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche and also Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung.
The more he knew about the mind, the more he could manipulate it. He believed in the Nietzschean maxim of “will to power”, meaning that he could get anything he wanted with enough effort. As for people’s minds, he would become an expert in gems, being able to spot the tiniest flaws, and it’s said he could also do this with the human mind, and then he could exploit those flaws for his own gain. He did this with a wealthy young man named Felix d'Escogne who had come to visit the young Sobhraj in prison. Sobhraj played up to d'Escogne’s kind nature – he was only in prison to help inmates out who needed help – and he helped Charles get a quick release. d'Escogne’s flaw was of course kindness...humanitarianism. On the outside he moved in with d'Escogne, and this handsome young man could charm anyone he came into contact with, especially when he started to attend high-society parties. Only as he waxed philosophy and literature and politics, he was sizing his interlocutors up, and he would start a campaign of burglaries at the houses of the Parisian wealthy. We can’t go into all the details, but we will tell you Charles met a young Parisian woman who fell madly in love with him, and who would suffer greatly as his lover for her devotion. In fact, on the night he proposed to her, Sobhraj was arrested for stealing a car and sent to prison again. Because of his high-profile crimes of robbing the rich, he was given a psychological evaluation in prison. These are some of the actual things said about him in that report: “A fascinating case” a man of “paradoxical qualities” an “Intuitive intelligence” a “tormented nature”, “exploits one hundred percent the weakness of those around him”, “hungry for money and success”, a “small conscience”, “possess the sentimentality and sexuality of Don Juan”, “impulsive and aggressive”, a “brilliant actor”, a “poseur extraordinaire”. Once Charles was out of prison he quickly stole d'Escogne’s MG Sports Car and took his now pregnant wife through Europe, the Middle East, and into Asia, where the most damage could be done because corruption was rife, and systems of law were still archaic. Hell followed them both, especially his poor, beautiful lover. The two used fake documents all the way, and it’s known Charles used confidence scams to rob people. He would find his prey, whether in the beach towns of Greece or on the hippy trail of Afghanistan, by listening to them from a distance. If you were a travelling academic, he would study your field; if you were prospecting oil, he’d read up on that; and later, he would find you and strike up a conversation about your field and gain your trust. Only you’d wake up two days later with all your money, traveler’s checks, and valuables gone. He sold stolen cars and drugs, and he dealt in precious stones; the number of scams are too many to recount, however. Most of the time he left his lover at home as he traveled through countries on fake passports, scamming and gambling. At times, he would prey on young travelers who had run out of money and put them in his employment by telling them to look out for victims; or if they were pretty girls, to flirt with possible victims. It’s thought that for every one-hundred people, at least one of them will be a psychopath. That doesn’t mean one percent of people walking among us have a penchant for committing evil deeds, but it does mean we’ve probably all met someone that displays some unusual traits. Psychopaths are said to be endowed with “a constellation of traits”, but that doesn’t always mean they are psychotic, far from it. You can get a better idea of what it means to be psychopathic by looking at the “Hare Psychopathy Checklist” or by reading the fascinating book by Jon Ronson called “The Psychopath Test”. What’s agreed about psychopaths is that they can be cunning, selfish, impulsive, charming, and deceitful, and they’re generally devoid of empathy. It’s also said they might secure great pleasure from committing crimes.
Today we’ll look at just such a person, in this episode of the Infographics Show, The Complete Psychopathic Killer: Charles Sobhraj. First of all, we should say that this man has been the subject of many books and documentaries. The press at times has called him the most evil man in the world, but perhaps that’s an exaggeration. He does, however, merit the public’s attention. There really has been no one in modern times as conniving and convincing as this career criminal. Much of the information we will provide you with in this show is taken from a 1979 book called, “Serpentine”, written by American journalist and author Thomas Thompson. He interviewed hundreds of people for the book, including Sobhraj himself, and for over 600 pages, the reader is left dizzy, gob-smacked, appalled, amazed, and in spite of the wicked deeds, even with a sense of admiration for what this man got away with. Not for what he did, of course. We’ll tell you the abridged story, and you can tell us what you think of Charles Sobhraj at the end. He was born on April 6 1944, to a young Vietnamese mother and an Indian father in the city of Saigon, Vietnam. His full name was Hatchand Bhaonani Gurumukh Charles Sobhraj. You could say he got a bad start in life, as his parents were not married and Sobhraj was therefore stateless, meaning officially he didn’t exist. His parents had a torrid relationship and soon his father, a man struggling with a small tailoring business, left the mother and child. It’s said the young Sobhraj would routinely scream for his father, often running away to find him. The father didn’t want him, and so he would be delivered back. This was the start of a life of running away. His mother even had to tie him up at times, and later in life, she did that just to keep him out of trouble. She didn’t much want this difficult child, either, and you could say this sense of abandonment was the chrysalis of a criminal and killer to be. His mother eventually met a French Army lieutenant and over some time they had 4 children of their own, shoving the naughty first child to the back of the line. The family moved around the world, with Charles, still a young boy, at times showing the utmost bravery and stowing away on ships so he could get back to Vietnam and try and reconcile a relationship with a father who verily didn’t want him. In fact, the father said the child had a darkness in his veins and would never be right. The mother couldn’t really disagree. In school he was exceptionally intelligent, but his bad behavior obscured his talents. Eventually the family would move back to France and Charles at last would have a passport and an identity. Of course, even if the Nyasasaurus is determined to be a true dinosaur, there’s still the possibility that a new fossil could be found that predates it.
The search for the first giant lizard will, therefore, continue and is unlikely to ever be fully explained. 4. The Nampa Stone Doll The Nampa figurine looks like any other that has been made by an ancient civilisation. The mystery surrounding this one, though, is how it came to be in the place where it was found. It was discovered in 1889 near the town of Nampa in Idaho. Workers were searching for water, and dug a well, which involved drilling a borehole to 295 feet. At this depth, the drill started spitting out clay, and the Nampa stone doll was found within the debris that was pulled out. The depth at which the workers had drilled means they would have gone through a geological layer known as the Glenns Ferry formation. This has been designated a US national landmark because it’s the source of one of the greatest collections of animal and plant fossils in North America, and was created about 2 million years ago during the Pliocene-Pleistocene era. Does this mean the Nampa figurine originated from this time, far before humans were known to be in the area? Did some other creature create it, or is it simply a hoax designed to fool researchers? Most believe it to be the latter, or that it’s an artefact that managed to fall through fissures in the earth and settle in a place, surrounded by relics of a much earlier time. It’s still not a certainty, though, and the doll continues to be a mystery. 3. The Piri Reis Map Today we take maps for granted. Satellite technology combined with the work of cartographers over the years, plus Google of course, have created incredibly detailed depictions of our planet. All we have to do is use our smartphone! This wasn’t always the way, clearly, and maps from centuries ago were just kind of close approximations based on ship voyages. Well that’s the way it’s always been assumed, but there’s one map that is difficult to explain, known as the Piri Reis map. The story goes that it was drawn in 1513 by the Turkish cartographer, Hagii Ahmed Muhiddin Piri. He was also a sailor, and used 20 different maps and documents as the sources for his work. The strange thing about this map, that has left scientists scratching their heads, is how accurate it is. Furthermore, it also depicts Antarctica, more than 300 years before it was officially discovered, and in this map it shows the southernmost continent as the ice free land mass that it would have been more than 6000 years ago. Could this be evidence that he based his map on drawings by ancient civilisations? As far as we know, no ancient civilization travelled the oceans like this. Did he guess about the continent somehow and miraculously get it right? The way the map is drawn is also unusual, because it uses what is known as the Mercator projection, a map format that was only possible with the creation of the chronometer in 1760. How did this cartographer manage to create such an accurate map, more than 200 years before that? Like you’ve probably guessed, no one has a clue! 2. The Voynich Manuscript The 600 year old Voynich manuscript is often thought of as being the most mysterious book that has ever been written, and still, to this day, scientists aren’t able to explain what’s inside. It’s made up of 240 pages, each of which is written in a cryptic text with unusual diagrams and illustrations. Everyone who tries their hand at decoding it fails, whether they be scientists, cryptographers, or codebreakers. Of course, it could be that it’s a complete nonsense, but the intricacy of the images in the book would suggest that it was written by a highly intelligent author. Recently, Canadian researchers have tried to use AI to decode the book, and it found that the first pages appeared to contain Hebrew text, but in a seemingly incorrect way. Some of the words have been deciphered to be botanical terms, but, again, don’t make sense in the context that they are written. Perhaps one day the Voynich manuscript will be understood but, for now, its puzzling even the most powerful computational programmes designed solely to solve the task. If you want to learn more be sure to watch my video on the most mysterious books ever! 1. Dinosaur and Human Footprints The final mystery is one which calls into question the idea that humans weren’t around at the time of the dinosaurs, because their footprints have been found side by side. The discovery was made in the Paluxy river, Texas, where hundreds of dinosaur footprints have been found. Their foot impressions were perfectly preserved by the river bed. As researchers detailed the different prints of varying sizes, it soon appeared to them that some of the shapes they were seeing were made by the feet of humans. And it wasn’t their own either because the others were all stuck in the rock. People are all kinds of confused. Could this be proof that humans existed a full 65 million years before previously thought, or could there have been another creature with similar shaped feet? Some even suggest they could be the prints of aliens, of course, because that’s a solution for everything! How about you? Do you see human footprints here? Or is it simply a case of mistaken identity? Thanks for watching! Remember to subscribe and see you next time! When it comes to body language, it's never an exact art. The things I'm going to suggest, they're all guidelines. But that said there are some certain things that as a poker player I'll look for. And the most important thing is, first of all, to get a baseline of somebody. It's impossible to tell whether the behavior someone is showing is meaningful or not if you don't know how they naturally behave. So the first thing I'll do when I sit down at the table is look at what my opponents are doing when they're not in a hand: are they naturally quite gregarious, are they confident when they interact with the waitress, or are they naturally quite quiet and shy casinos in Malaysia?
How do they sit? Are they naturally closed off? Are they very languishing”—that kind of thing? And once I've got an idea of their baseline outside of a hand then I look to see how they deviate from that when they're actually in the middle of playing or in a tense situation. In general what you want to look for in both poker—but also when you're trying to figure out if someone is lying—is their comfort level, if they seem authentic. As a rule of thumb, humans are actually quite good at picking up authenticity or if someone is being disingenuous. So that's the thing to look out for, and there are some like classic behaviors that I've noticed people do at the table where—if you see them suddenly making a point of making themselves bigger, where they're naturally sitting like this and now they're sort of puffing up, that's more often than not a false confidence that they're trying to show. Most people do try to stay very constant. So you really do notice a behavior, particularly against someone who seems to play quite regularly, the chances are that they're aware of their behavior, so they're probably trying to mislead you. But another rule of thumb that I like to follow is: the first thing you learn as a kid, usually, when you lie is “liars won't look you in the eye,” so what do kids do to overcompensate? They'll look you in the eye. And similarly people are very aware of their faces, this part of their body, if they're trying to be dishonest, but what they're not thinking about is the rest of their body. So the lower down on the body that you're looking at, the more reliable the information is. So if you think about when you're excited about something, generally speaking you'll bounce around and you can't keep still, and we call it “happy feet” in poker. The feet are often the most reliable thing to look at on your opponent because they might be completely stoic in their face but their feet are bouncing around—it's usually a sign that they have a really strong hand. But similarly if they're sort of smiling and chatty but their feet all of a sudden tuck themselves around the table or around the chair legs, something's up there. So as a rule of thumb, look for the rest of someone else's body more than their face if you're trying to figure out if they're telling you the truth or not. During nineteen hundreds the city was at its zenith in the steel production and attained international fame. The city stands near confluence of five rivers and is amiably located on hillsides with fascinating views of both city center and the countryside. The city is well known for its flora, which attracts a large number of tourists every year. The rustic style of the city has earned the popular nickname ‘the largest village of England’. Like any other major English city the city holds plethora of excitements for the visitors. Listed below are a few enticing locations in the city. Chatsworth House Chatsworth House is a large country house at Chatsworth and the residence of Cavendish family. The castle stands on the eastern side of the River Derwent. The view of the low hills that divide the Derwent and Wye valleys is awesome. The backdrop of the castle comprising expansive parkland, woods, and rocky hills are an eye candy to the tourists. The garden of Chatsworth is very popular in the whole of England. Apart from the natural beauties of the house, you can find a unique collection of valuable paintings, furniture, art work, sculpture, books and other artifacts. The house is open to the public round the year and enhances the enjoyment of tourists to the city of Sheffield. Millennium Gallery The Millennium Gallery is a popular art gallery in Sheffield. The gallery is located in the heart of the city and is surrounded by the city library, Sheffield Hallam University, and the city's theatre district. The gallery consists of four divisions namely the Special Exhibition Gallery, the Craft and Design Gallery, the Metalwork Gallery, and the Ruskin Gallery. Each one of them exhibits a unique display of items enlightening the visitors about the glorious past of the city and the country on the whole. It links to the fascinating Sheffield winter gardens, which is yet another great landmark of the city. The Lyceum & the Crucible If you are a lover of the English literature and have read about the great theaters of England, you have the opportunity of viewing them live in Sheffield. The two large theatres, the Lyceum Theatre and the Crucible Theatre, along with Studio Theater is the largest theater complex outside of London. A visit to the glorious place will take you back to golden days of English plays. Sheffield Botanical Gardens Sheffield Botanical Gardens is spread over nineteen acres of land and contains over 5,000 species of plant. It is a great place for lovers of plants and researchers. The botanical gardens of Sheffield is a must see place in the city. Surprisingly this well maintained botanical garden charges no entry fees to the tourists to visit the place. Other Attractions Sheffield has many more attractions for the visitors and some of the include Weston Park Museum, Graves Park, Kelham Island Museum, Sheffield Fire and Police Museum, Abbeydale Industrial Hamlet, and a lot more. Fargate the pedestrian shopping area located in the heart of the city is very popular for latest fashion and trends. The Moor is yet another shopper’s paradise that comprises over 100 shopping outlets, departmental stores, cafeterias, and restaurants. Transport and Accommodation Sheffield being a hilly area originally had an airport with short runway which was later closed due to various reasons. Now Robin Hood Airport Doncaster, Sheffield is the nearest airport. However, the city has a wide range of transport facilities, such as railways, buses, supertrams, and car rentals. Sheffield has number of hotels and restaurants ranging from start class to the economy class accommodation for every kind of visitor. Advance booking of hotels is highly recommended for a thorough enjoyment in the city. Dusty pueblos adorned with adobe houses, each with a man sitting against a wall, a large sombrero tipped over his face, heavy snoring sounds emitting from underneath that hat, and barefoot Indian women and children walking through the dusty, cobbled streets. This was the first image that came to mind when I thought of Mexico.
After four months travelling there, I discovered it was all this and much, much more. Mexico is a land of incredible diversity, from the deserts of the north to the mountainous interior, to the colonial towns around Mexico City and the Caribbean flavor of the Yucatan Peninsula with all opportunities for tourists, both land-based and online casino. Its people are poor, yet rich in culture, spirit and hospitality. I found myself humbled by their kindness and willingness to share with us what little possessions they had. In Mexico friendship is what counts. Mexico is also rich in history. The Yucatan is littered with the ruins of the Maya civilization that once inhabited its jungles. The towns around Mexico City resemble small Spanish-style towns with narrow, twisty alleys dotted with fountains and lined with colorful houses. Getting around in Mexico is easy. The one thing about poorer countries is that less people own cars and thus more people use public transport. This means that the public transport is not only cheap, but covers most destinations. The buses are the best way to travel. Personally I preferred the second class buses because they stop in all the small villages along the way. People get on and off all the time and so there is never a dull moment. Also, buckers come on the bus and entertain, and in each place you stop women and children sell food and drink at the windows or come on the bus. It doesn't always stop there. Other things are sold too, the most bizarre thing I saw being sold were stuffed animals. Finally, Mexico is much safer than many might think. Due to Western movies and with a little help from movie directors like Robert Rodriguez many have the impression that Mexico is still full of Bandidos and drug lords. While it's probably true, you are highly unlikely to come across any. I heard my share of horror stories, but in my four months of travelling there, never once got any aggro, or even anyone wanting a fight. I even spent an evening in a rough cantina where a group of men befriended me and the others I was with and insisted they buy us the drinks all night. They wouldn't let any of us buy any of the drinks, despite our insistence. When it came time to go, they shook our hands and wished us happy travelling. |
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