craziest Archives - usatoday24

In 1934 a Russian aristocrat proclaimed himself king of Andorra. He was actually the craziest scammer of the 20th century.

December 7, 2025 by usatoday24

Boris Skossyreff was a man of longevity. He died in 1989just turned 93 years old, in a nursing home in Boppardin what was then West Germany. However, even that long existence seems to fall short when we remember the many lives that Skossyreff chained: he was born into a rich family in Vilnius, but the Bolshevik Revolution forced him very soon to leave his country and look for a life, trying his fortune as a swindler, spy, forger, gigolo, translator and even contender for the throne of Andorra. Added to this extensive resume is his status as a troublemaker, born drinker, lover of good bad life, seducer, fortune hunter and possessor of an elastic morality that, among other things, allowed him to act as triple spy (they say that he served as such for Germany, Great Britain and the United States) and survive in concentration camps and gulags, even at the cost of collaborating with the Nazis. Anything to survive. His life may not be exemplary, but it is exciting enough to have made him the protagonist of a documentary and a bookboth titled ‘Boris Skossyreff, the swindler who was king’ and signed by Jorge Cebrián. Reconstructing his story did not only require years of interviews and diving into archives and newspaper archives. As confesses the director and authorthe work has had to go beyond the “myths, half-truths and lies” that surround the figure of Boris to discover the authentic character without “simplifying or romanticizing him.” And the Russian Revolution came Skossyreff’s must have been a life of privileges, comforts and income. At least those were the letters he found when he was born, in 1896, in Vilnius, today the capital of Lithuania but at that time part of the Russian dominions. Theirs was a good family, rich and aristocratic. The problem is that those cards turned against him when the Red Revolution of 1917 broke out. Young Boris had no choice but to run away and look for a life outside the country. He ended up in the Royal Navy British, maintaining a more or less comfortable life based on scams, bad checks and a lot of gossip. In addition to its good perch, they say that Skossyreff was a polyglot (he spoke at least Russian, English, French, German, Spanish and Italian, although he raised the list of languages that he knew 20), he took such care of his appearance that he even walked around with a monocle in a prison camp and above all he exuded a charisma that opened doors for him. Among other things, he achieved a Nansen passport which allowed him to move around Europe even with the safe conduct already expired. His wanderings through Great Britain did not last long. From there he ended up going to the Netherlands, where he presented himself as a distinguished aristocrat in the service of the queen, and continued his life journey through Spain, Marseille and finally Spain again, where he ended up in Mallorca. His problems with the law haunt him, but he manages to gain the trust of two women: Marie Louise Parata rich divorcee 14 years older than him, whom he ends up marrying; and Florence Marmonex-wife of an automobile industry magnate, with whom he indulges in a life of debauchery. So many that it ends up forcing him to pack his bags and leave Mallorca. Boris I of Andorra After passing through Sitges accompanied by his lover, the Russian hustler decided to launch himself into the biggest and craziest of all his coups: invent an aristocratic lineage that would make him, he argued, the prince of Andorra. He even introduced himself as Boris I. The fact that he noticed just that portion of Pyrenean terrain is not causality. At that time Andorra was governed by the bishop of Seu d’Urgel and the president of France and presented a series of shortcomings (and potentialities) in which Skossyreff saw a huge opportunity. He encouraged the Andorrans to break with their rulersdelve into their independence and undertake a series of projects to modernize following the example of Monaco. In front, of course, he would put himself, something to which his family tree supposedly (supposedly) entitled him. Skossyreff managed to make noise and aroused the interest of the press. It is counted that even The New York Times (among other newspapers) came to give visibility to that extravagant aristocrat who insisted that he was born to occupy the throne of Andorra. The truth is that Boris was not content with moving papers and launching advertisements. In 1934 He even proclaimed himself Boris I, sovereign of Andorra, a daring move that did not last long. Fed up with his adventures, the bishop of La Seu d’Urgell notified the Civil Guard to stop him. His supposed (supposed) reign lasted just nine days. That could have been the final chapter for Boris Skossyreff, but he managed to navigate the turbulent 20th century, moving through Europe with astonishing ease. It does not matter that the civil war caught him in Spain, that France sent him to a republican refugee camp, that after the outbreak of World War II he ended up in a Dachau concentration camp or that, once Hitler fell, the Russians condemned him to more than two decades of forced labor in the icy Siberia. Like the most seasoned cat, he always managed to land on his feet. To achieve this, he had no qualms about dazzling women who sent him money or taking advantage of his linguistic skills to serve as a translator for the Nazis. If there is an anecdote that portrays his ability to survive, it is the one that circulates about his stay in the Dachau camp, where, makes sure In the documentary filmed by Cebrián, “he did not take off his monocle not even to clean the latrines“. Not even Siberia could put an end to it. In the mid-1950s he managed to return to Germany. He first settled with his French wife, then … Read more

Of all that Madrid’s Metro could copy of Tokyo, he has opted for the craziest: “Embujadores”

September 30, 2025 by usatoday24

The Madrid Metro congested, it is crowded and there is no more soul. It is what is lived every morning and the images have been getting worse over the years. With half a city raised by the works, the situation has been complicated (even) more in the Madrid suburban. Solution: “Pushers”. 120 people. That is the number of traigators that Metro de Madrid has deployed to manage and redirect the volume of passengers that tries to find a hole in the wagons of the Madrid lines, they explain in eldiario.es. The goal is to alert travelers that they are trying to clench in a vehicle when the same train still has a free gap to cover. Obviously, passengers have not taken to describe these employees as “pushers”, referring to Japanese personnel who in the Tokyo subway constraint passengers with strength of the wagons during the wagons during the peak hours. Oshiyas. EITHER “EMPJORADORES”in Spanish. Men, suit and white gloves. And less common than we think. It is a simple, effective, not very orthodox but key job for a suburban that moves some 8.3 million passengers daily. The Oshiyas They are responsible for pushing travelers in the subway. They do it without contemplations, compressing passengers to the last loophole before closing the doors. They take care, in fact, that a briefcase does not hinder the maneuver or closing the doors themselves. Yes indeed, Not all stations They have their pushers. His work is concentrated early in the morning and, to attend the “show”, you have to move to one of the main stations of the city such as Ueno, Shinjuku or Okachimachi. Managing. The “pushers” of the Madrid Metro are very different. Because they change the suit, the hat and the white gloves for a yellow vest with the company of the company. But above all because they don’t really push. Or not, at least, as is done in the subway stations of the Japanese city. In this case, these workers push passengers to move to an area of the subway carrier a little more busy. Do not squeeze people by force but passengers do do their best to occupy until the last loophole. These “pushers” are something like “space managers.” Click on the image to go to the original tweet Click on the image to go to the original tweet It is not the first time. As they point out in the digital medium, it is not the first time that these workers appear in the Madrid suburban. The company provides for the use of this type of personnel in exceptional circumstances such as football or large concerts, but only in the stations close to the enclosure. Already in 2017 the term “pushers” became common in the conversations of those who took public transport early in the morning. So The world He explained that the workers could “play in the back to help (passengers) to get on the car.” On that occasion they were on Line 4 due to the works on Line 8 and the workers were also known as “plates.” A gymnkana. Madrid has become in recent months a Cumulus of works and conditions that, obviously, have had their impact on the volume of suburban travelers. At the moment, the capital has works that affect shot traffic in the northern part of La Castellana, in the M-30 as it passes through sales and at the entrance of the A-5. This last work directly affects the buses that come from Móstoles, Alcorcón and other nearby towns, leaving passengers at the four -wind station where They are distributed between nearby and the subway. But, in addition, the partial closure of Metro Line 6, one of the busiest in the city since it is part of a wide ring that surrounds the entire center of it is added. In total, there are 120 people that Metro has deployed for this task. “They are technicians or line bosses, among whose functions this is,” they point out from the company to eldiario.es. Reinforcement? Obviously, seeing the images, The reinforcements in the Madrid Metro They have focused the political and social debate. What we know is that line 5 and 10 saw their frequency increased by 9% on the occasion of the works of the A-5 (adding to the nearby reinforcements and the special bus services). Subsequently, new reinforcements were secured in both lines (of 14% and 11%, respectively) with the closure of line 6. In line 1, the reinforcement is 14%, on line 3 of 13%and in line 2 of 6%. Likewise, in lines 4, 8 and 12 they have also added more trains to the usual frequencies. The doubt, therefore, is whether they are enough. The images of travelers in the middle of peak is more firewood for the political debate in a city that tries to live with the works daily. Photo | Erell Ceridwen and Raúl Hernández González In Xataka | There is a competition to tour the 274 Madrid Metro stations in the shortest possible time. And new record is already sought

The craziest Galaxy S25 accessory is this Crocs case

January 23, 2025 by usatoday24

Although the protagonists of Unpacked of Samsung have been the new Galaxy S25, S25 Plus and S25 Ultra, the accessories that accompany this new family of smartphones They have also given a lot to talk about; above all, one in particular. The company has put different covers on sale very striking, compatible with the aforementioned models. But there is one that has stood out much more than the rest: one that, literally, It’s shaped like Crocs. Yes, we are talking about the iconic sneakers manufactured by the company of the same name. In fact, if you look at the images, the case even has the brand logo. Specifically, the crazy Crocs case for the Samsung Galaxy S25 It is the result of a collaboration between both companiesand although it makes the phone considerably thicker, heavier and more annoying to carry in your pocket, the truth is that it is a very interesting case due to the incredible details it has. To start, the Crocs case for the Galaxy S25 It has the classic back strap to support the footwhich in this case serves to improve the grip of the mobile phone. It also has the classic holes that the original Crocs include for foot ventilation. It is even possible to attach the classic pins that many users put on Crocs, since they have exactly the same thickness. On the other hand, the sides of the case have a kind of relief similar to that of Crocs. And, of course, it also has spaces for the S-Pen, or the USB-C port. This is the Galaxy S25 case that imitates one of the best functions of the iPhone In parallel, Samsung has presented another interesting case with a technology that we have been seeing in the iPhone for years. It is a case that allows the Galaxy S25 to have a system similar to MagSafe. That is, a magnetic mechanism in which it is possible to place accessories, such as a wallet. The cover is quite subtle; It has a transparent back with a central magnetized area and black sides. In any case, it is strange that Samsung opts for a specific case to include a magnetic system, taking into account that the new Qi standard for wireless charging of smartphones also supports the magnetic mechanism. Samsung, however, has not implemented this standard, which requires the use of this accessory if the user wants to attach a wallet. It is a disadvantage compared to the iPhone if we take into account that Apple includes it in its models in the chassis itself, and that it allows other accessories to be attached, such as batteries or supports.

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