Looking through the glass apothecary jars at Peterson’s grocery store, was a swirling dream of every kind of candy a kid could want. A small cardboard sign read “3 cents for 5 pieces.”

It took us all day of bottle hunting to get enough money to get our fill of candy. Glass bottles gave you a 2 cent refund for bringing them back to the store. Not much litter back then, someone was always looking for a way to make money, even a pittance.

Hand-me-down clothes was the way of life for most of us. I never really knew the difference until I was bit older. I was a fat kid so I always ended up with Sears Husky’s jeans and a previously owned shirt. It only served to enhance my level of appreciation later in life. I didn’t care about showing off for girls when I was that young anyway.

Men, like my father, worked hard at their jobs. They may not have liked working in the conditions which some had to endure, but, I think they were glad to have a job.

My father and mother worked all the time to provide for us. We will never know their struggles, for in those days, parents never told their problems to their kids. They were always afraid we would blab it all over the neighborhood. How wise they were indeed.

Most of my friend’s parents worked at the same jobs for what seemed, forever. It was not uncommon for a man to work the same job for 45 or even 50 years. They were the prime definition of people in a rut. I remember listening to them talking about their lives, I could not even fathom the thought of doing the same kind of work over and over again for that long. Oh My God NO!

I have frequently watched the people who grew older with me. They had the same experiences as I. They vowed the same vows as I, yet, when they grew up they became the exact persons that they vowed not to become. They worked for many years at the same jobs, complaining in the same fashion in which we had heard our pedecessors. I have not followed that unholy path.

One day, it dawned on me, that even if I had wished to travel the path of the old ways, it was not to be. It could not be. I realized as the people before me had, that the old ways had vanished. I was trapped in the New World.

I heard a wonderful grey haired old person say “the reason that we repeat the same old stories, is because we will never have anymore new stories to talk about” I thought,”how strong and true is that statement”?

As I write this story new ideas and new stories, flow into my mind. Wishing I had the time and energy to tell all of them to you, so you could see what an exciting and wonderful life I have had. Gosh, my body is getting wrinkly, and my joints hurt, but my mind is so very young. Your mind can keep your body going even when it wants to quit. I am convinced of that.

Comfort and warmth are good words to an old person. We want that so much. Maybe it is because when we were young, we gave that up in so many instances.

Our elders made us feel wimpy when we complained. We did not want to be wimpy, but really, we were. And guess what? Our parents were wimpy compared to their parents. It goes like that from generation to generation. We put that out of our minds because who wants that tag on them? I am laughing as I write this. I know many of you know exactly what I am talking about and that is comforting to me.

You know, I am typing this on a computer. New stuff, new days, new ways and thoughts. I always promised myself that when I grew older I would not complain about the new music. Our parents did that to us. Jimmie Hendrix, the Stones, Janice, Humble Pie. Sometimes, you can not help yourself.

Man, I really can not stand this rap crap. I don’t like gangsters making kids think that it is powerful to be a gangster. I am an old time cop from Chicago, and gangsters are bad news. Our kids feel powerless so these gangsters seem like they are a source of power. They are not powerful, they are weak and pathetic.

Contributing to society is strong and powerful. Helping people rise up is strong. Teaching young people about forgiveness, love, and family care is magnificent. Sacrifice for others is being really tough just like the old people I remember.

Many people who are trying to do just that are vexed with the new ways of society. There is not loyalty in the workplace anymore. Doing a great job for the company does not earn you longjevity, people who can still do the right thing in spite of all they face today are the real powerhouses, we should all be looking up to. Real heros in a cold world.

Greed fuels many of the social climbers and watching the families of this country struggle means nothing to them. They will gladly step on the heads of families to fill their pockets with money. No matter to them, they see themselves as the real power houses and those they step on as weak.

Now I say my little prayer,”God, please don’t let me be behind one of these people on judgement day, because I have enough to worry about without You being in a bad mood because of one of those knuckle heads” Amen.

Change is good. Look at these words and see if you can identify yourself. Good guy or bad guy? Stepping on people for greed or building people up for the sake of humanity. Gangster and proud of it, or, the person putting your arm around someone who needs it, showing them real strength?

So many voices calling for help out here today, so many who can not help themselves because somehow the world has changed into the Cold New World. It won’t be long before I will be checking out. I have been fortunate to make my changes and asked for help and forgiveness. Too few will read this small body of ideas, passing this on to those who really need it.

I am always hopeful that the flames which heated this world for so many years can be rekindled where love, kindness, and giving will prevail once again. I wish you strength, love, happiness, and good health.

Jacob “Little Augie” Orgen was born on the streets of the Lower East Side of Manhattan in 1896. He quickly ditched school and became known as a “Schlammer” for the Benjamin “Dopey” Fein mob. “Schlammers,” or “Sluggers” were basically head-breakers who kept the union workers in line, by “schlamming” them on the side of the head, with a club, or a baseball bat, if they went against what their union leaders degreed. Orgen formed a little side gang call the “Little Augies,” but he was strictly a small-time player under Fein.

After Fein was arrested for improprieties concerning the Amalgamated Clothing Workers of America, rather than go to jail for long period of time, Fein, not as dopey as his name, cut a deal with the cops. As a result of being a rat, Fein lost his job and his influence with the unions. Enter rival gangsters Johnny Spanish and Kid Dropper, who spent the next several years fighting over control of the labor unions, while Orgen cooled his heel in prison on a robbery charge. In 1919, Dropper eliminated Spanish with a few bullets, and Little Augie, fresh from his release from prison, had his eyes on Dropper’s domain.

Orgen’s gang of mostly Jewish criminals, joined forces with the gang of Soloman Schipiro, whose men, strangely enough, consisted mostly of Italians. They were fighting a losing battle with Dropper’s forces, so they decided to cut off the head; Dropper himself. As Dropper was being released from prison on a guns charge at the Essex Market Court, on Second Avenue and Second Street, Little Aguie and his gang stood anxiously in the street outside the court, mayhem in their minds. A dozen cops surrounded Dropper, with their eyes on Orgen, who was rumored to be there to kill Dropper. The police pushed Dropper into a waiting cab, when out nowhere, a nobody named Louis Kushner rushed the cab from the back and shot Dropper twice in the head. Kushner denied all involvement with Orgen (but the cops knew better), and he was sentenced to 20 years-to-life in prison.

Orgen immediately took over Dropper’s rackets and he enlisted a dangerous crew of killers, including “Jack Legs” Diamond, Louis “Lepke” Buchalter and Jacob “Gurrah” Shapiro. Pressure from the police, who were embarrassed Dropper was killed right under their noses, forced Orgen to abandon the labor rackets. He segued right into the bootlegging business, supplying illegal hooch to various speakeasies around town. This did not sit too well with the bootleggers whom he displaced in those joints. Orgen was told, in no uncertain terms, by Arnold Rothstein and by Meyer Lansky, to get out of the bootlegging business, or bad things could happen to him real quick. Orgen ignored these warnings, so the offended bootleggers struck a deal with Lepke Buchalter and Jacob Shapiro instead, offering them employment in their vast operations, for the murder of Orgen.

On October 16, 1927, Orgen was walking in front of 103 Norfolk Street with his new bodyguard Legs Diamond, when a black touring car pulled along side him, guns a-blazing. Orgen was killed and Diamond severely wounded, but he lived to die another day.

Orgen was buried by his estranged father in a huge cherry-wood coffin, lined with white satin. On the top of the coffins was a silver plate that simply said, “Jacob Orgen – Aged 25 years.”

Orgen was 33 at the time of his death, but his father, a legitimate, God-fearing man, considered his son dead eight years earlier, when he could not convince Orgen to get out of the rackets.

A message for newcomers to the world of Hindi film: you have a lot of catching up to do. For those of you who are turned off by the thought of wading through a ton of very good, but low fidelity by today's standards, movies, check out some of the many newer movies available for viewing these days. Although many of these have started to depart from the more classic Hindi cinema where romance, comedy, family, and friendship were all present in one movie, they still make for some damn fun and interesting entertainment. Here are the 3 best Hindi movies of 2009 and what they are about ("best" in this case means highest grossing:

Hindi Movies 2009

1. 3 Idiots

This film broke all box office records for opening day on its release, and went on to become the highest-grossing movie of all time in India (if inflation is not adjusted for). A buddy movie that offers lots of laughs, the movie centers around three former college buddies who are on a quest to win the love of the girl-next door while posing as the grandson of a blind couple. Directed by Rajkumar Hirani and featuring Aamir Khan and Kareena Kapoor as Rancho and Pia, respectively.

2. Wanted

A film which centers on the balance between organized crime and the law in Mumbai (formerly Bombay), featuring cold-blooded hitman Radhe (played by Salman Khan) who straddles both worlds. The police commissioner's daughter, Jhanvi (Ayesha Tatiak) falls for Radhe, our mafioso gangster, and her world is rocked as she realizes that people are not necessarily all good. Wanted is a modern-day tale of these betrayals and complex relationships which go unseen by the average person. Directed by Prabhu Deva.

3. Love Aaj Kal

Translated into English as "Love These Days", this film is about the timelessness of love. In it, we follow Jai and Meera's relationship from togetherness to separation, and whether it can transcend oceans, time, and even other partners! A modern day couple living in London, they decide to grant each other the freedom to follow their own life paths as opposed to tying each other down. So it is that Meera heads back to India and starts dating her boss, Vikram, while Jai remains in London chasing his dream job in San Francisco and also starting a relationship with another woman. This film has special appeal to those modern young people who either know what it's like or are currently dealing with a long term-relationship and commitment and job issues.

When an artist begins their rap career they must go through three phases and a few steps. There are a few phases and steps within each phase.

Phase 1: Writing lyrics and picking the right instrumental

The first step in phase 1 is picking the right instrumental, whether its “gangster”, classical rap, hip hop, club, etc. depending on the lyrics and flow, choosing the right genre in rap is key for a successful track. The second step is the quality of the instrumental and voice. Never rush into things. Use a beat that people bob their heads and like. If you use an instrumental that’s not very good the listener’s attention span in listening to your music will decrease. Same goes for the voice. If you scream in your microphone and leave your voice distorted, the instrumental can be hot, but people will not like the track because of the bad quality in voice. To fix this issue spend a little more money on a quality microphone. The Samson C01U USB Studio Condenser is a good starter.

Phase 2: Mixtape

Step one: focus on a theme for your mixtape. Basically pick out a name and use an intro to introduce the theme and the outro to conclude your mixtape so people will remember it and/or talk about it. In between you can have any kind of song, just make sure one of the tracks follows the theme. Usually track 2 is the theme song. Step two: do not make your mixtape to long. Eight to twelve songs is the perfect length. Remember a mixtape is not a debut album. Step three: do not make the mistake of having a good mixtape, but crappy self-put-together mixtape. Get a professional to design artwork or do the artwork yourself, but spend some time on it. Use quality paper for the inserts and such. Also, make sure the cds are not just burned and wrote on. Find a company to make real authentic cds. And ALWAYS shrink wrap the cd, it looks better in local stores. Step four: always add the credits to your songs. Make sure you give credits to the producers and featured artists.

Phase 3: Marketing

Step one: use free tools to market your mixtape. Make a music video or just a slideshow and put it up on YouTube. Show the world your talent. Add a link to a website where people can buy your mixtape. Use Craigslist for your local cities (where you perform and such) to promote your shows and mixtape. Last, use social media like Facebook, Twitter, and MySpace to promote your mixtape and talent.

Step two: book a few shows around your local city. Performing is a good way to promote your mixtape. Make sure to either hand out or sell your mixtape at the place you perform. There are many bars, clubs, social spots that will let you perform for cheap or free in return for customers.

Step three: Get your own domain and website to promote your music. Stop using sites that let you have a small spot and get your very own entire website. There are free places like weebly.com.

Step four: find a local or online record label that is free and will promote your music on their site. Usually they will add a biography and/or link to your website.

That’s it. If you are a good artist these three phases will kick start your rap career and possibly land you a record deal.

The term “money laundering” derives from the fact that gangsters in the 1920s commingled the proceeds of their illegal operations with the basically untraceable proceeds from coin laundries operated by the ring, thus making the funds appear as if they been derived legitimately. Although the term may have started in the 20th century, the practice of disguising unlawful proceeds traces its roots back to the dawn of banking itself. For example, when the Roman Catholic Church in medieval times banned lending money at interest, financiers developed methods to get around this restriction.

Criminal organizations have three objectives for laundering the proceeds of their illegal activity. These are:

o To pay expenses related to their illegal activity.

o To invest their proceeds in the criminal cycle and boost illegal activity.

o Eventually, to enjoy the profits of their criminal activity.

Today, money laundering represents an estimated 2 percent to 5 percent of the world’s gross domestic product. Estimates of money laundering worldwide range from $800 billion to $1.6 trillion; 47 percent of the launderers use banks to clean dirty money. While some observers have challenged the accuracy of these numbers, this problem is one of huge proportions even after several years of strong lobbying by the inter-governmental Financial Action Task Force (FATF) to assure that banks and non-bank financial institutions adopt the FATF’s Forty Recommendations on combating money laundering.

Three Stages of Money Laundering

The money-laundering process comprises three main stages:

1. Placement is the physical disposal of bulk cash proceeds derived from illegal activity.

2. Layering is separating the illicit proceeds from their source by creating complex layers of financial transactions. Layering confuses the audit trail and provides anonymity.

3. Integration is re-injecting of the laundered money back into the legal economy in such a way that funds re-enter the financial system as legitimate business proceeds.

Is Terrorist Financing Similar to Money Laundering?

Terrorism financing is the process of reverse laundering, but tends to use smaller amounts than is the case with money laundering. This process uses funds raised from legitimate sources such as personal donations and profits from businesses and charitable organizations, as well as from criminal sources. Terrorists use the same money laundering techniques to evade authorities’ attention and protect the identity of their sponsors and the ultimate beneficiaries of the funds.

Challenges in the Middle East

Fighting money laundering is not easy for any financial institution. In the Middle East, cultural customs, terrorism and smuggling make the detection of doubtful cash transfers particularly challenging. That is why banks and other financial institutions must be more alert in monitoring customer activities and knowing their customers.

In order to implement a robust anti-money-laundering (AML) program in a financial institution, senior management must support it and empower employees to ask uncomfortable questions; set up proper controls and strictly enforce them in order to detect suspicious transactions or activities; and make timely reports to financial intelligence units about suspicious activities.

In some Middle Eastern countries, these obligations are often perceived as conflicting with customer relationships and cultural customs. For example, a bank employee who fails to discharge AML compliance responsibilities – whether wittingly or to avoid asking a customer uncomfortable questions – can negatively impact efforts at other institutions by not demonstrating a unified front and by making that institution more appealing to both money launderers and to customers who find AML obligations uncomfortable.

Financial institutions generally have decades of experience implementing AML programs and ensuring compliance. But many Middle Eastern financial institutions are adopting corporate cultures that weaken AML and anti-terrorist financing efforts, or continue doing business in ways that can undermine global AML compliance efforts.

One of the biggest problems for AML initiatives in the Middle East is cultural customs that accept deference to customers and anonymity. Accounts lacking full identification details or with misleading information are not unusual in the region. Verification of customer information is often difficult, if not impossible.

“Know your customer” is an element lacking at many Middle Eastern financial institutions which follow local traditions of accommodating customers’ requests. Gathering customer information is generally a sensitive issue, as customers may view banks’ requests for additional information as intrusive or offensive. For example, it can be difficult for a bank to refuse to enter into or to exit a relationship with a politically connected person. Doing so could mean trouble for the staffer involved.

Lack of adequate information has a significant impact on other aspects of AML programs, such as transaction monitoring and the bank’s ability to apply a risk-based approach to its clientele base. Bank officials frequently claim that they do not want to offend customers and lose business to a less law-abiding competitor.

One region-specific challenge is that it can be very difficult to perform a check against a sanctions lists based on a customer’s name due to the multiple available spellings of names used in the region.

Financial institutions often have a formal program in place to test the effectiveness of their AML systems and controls. However, the quality of some of this testing can be questionable. Internal auditors commonly carry out this independent testing, but a major concern is whether internal auditors have sufficient experience and knowledge to perform this testing efficiently. Moreover, reviews often take place infrequently and some time after the event.

Challenges at the National Level

The governments in the Middle East are taking steps towards enforcing AML/counter-terrorism financing laws, regulations and guidelines. However, there are several deficiencies in the legal and financial systems which need to be addressed:

o Although money laundering is a criminal offense, terrorist financing is not specifically prohibited in some countries.

o There is often an overreliance on suspicious transaction reporting to generate money laundering investigations

o A large informal cash economy exists, and many financial transactions do not enter the banking system.

o Cash reporting requirements are not consistently enforced and some countries do not have currency reporting requirements for individuals leaving the country.

o Financial intelligence units have been created in accordance with international standards, but some of them lack adequate organization, expertise and independence.

o There are deficiencies in monitoring the operations of local charities abroad.

o The presence of underground banking (Hawala) presents a potential means for laundering funds

o It is difficult to find a balance between the privacy of individuals’ rights versus the need to protect society against criminals and terrorists.

Recommendations for Improvement:

o Implement a nationwide awareness campaign about the risk of money laundering and terrorism financing. Such campaigns must be able to send a strong, convincing message to the public at large that financial institutions are implementing “know your customer” programs with the objective of safeguarding the country and soundness of the financial system from terrorists or criminals.

o Improve the efficiency and independence of financial intelligence units and encourage them to provide feedback on suspicious transaction reports to reporting institutions as well as sharing information with foreign financial intelligence units.

o Improve enforcement of cross-border currency controls, specifically allowing for seizure of suspicious cross-border currency transfers.

o Empower law enforcement and customs authorities to examine and investigate trade-based money laundering, informal value transfer systems and customs fraud. They should take the initiative and proactively generate leads and investigations and be able to follow the financial trails wherever they lead.

o Update AML laws against terrorism specifically to address the threat of terrorism financing, including asset identification, seizure and forfeiture.

o Encourage countries to ratify the UN Convention against Transnational Organized Crime; UN International Convention for the Suppression of the Financing of Terrorism; and UN Convention against Corruption.

o Strengthen charity oversight, especially in overseas operations.

o Implement and enforce a uniform cash declaration policy for inbound and outbound travelers.

More needs to be done to combat both money laundering and terrorism financing. While governments and financial institutions in the region have taken effective and advanced steps, the political and cultural environment in the region will continue to present challenges.

Despite all the news, and the signs of decaying civilization too many people still go out unarmed. Self defense weapons are a necessity for everybody these days. Whether you are going to the supermarket, a walk, a downtown store or to get gas, having a capacity to resist an attack is critical.

Living in a typical small to large city the panhandler and vagrant problem has gotten more severe every year. The police don’t have an easy answer for this problem. Vagrants congregate where they see people heading to make transactions. Standing in front of restaurants and convenience stores are frequent hangouts. Everybody that is going inside has money and the vagrant wants to increase likelihood of getting the handout.

A minimum self defense tool is a pepper spray key chain, kubotan or pen knife. In the short term these tools can easily be bought and kept in pocket for use in an attack. However to make a complete assessment of your options explore the concealed carry laws in your area.

Here are a few tips:

• Be clear an assertive with panhandlers, giving them the impression you do not fear them

• I recommend telling panhandlers that you work too hard for your money to give them any. They may remember this and not bother you in the future.

• Recognize signs of criminal activity such as haggard youths hanging together, looking strung out with gang tatoos. These signs are a totally justification for locking yourself in your car even if they are only in your vicinity.

• Remember that gangsters, thug types or gang members have no trouble with brutalizing crime such as knocking some one on the ground and then kicking the target in the head.

While one can be sad that America has become a place where there is a necessity to be armed, the emotion serves little purpose. Just do it as the Nike ad says. Taking steps to know how to use a defense weapon like pepper spray key chain. Inert canisters of training spray can be used to practice hitting a target.

A big additional step is taking self defense training classes. These classes teach attack escape techniques. The benefit is when you don’t have time to deploy a self defense weapon the techniques can extricate yourself from the attack. Rape defense training is one strategy.

Learning to strike an attacker with a kubotan is easy. Many free videos on the web will provide you with more information on this easy self defense weapon. A kubotan typically costs less than $10.

A pen knife is a working pen, but the pen can be separated to bring out a knife hidden inside. While stabbing an attacker may seem drastic in some cases this approach is called for. During an abduction a pen in a pocket may be overlooked. When in use the injury to the attacker can allow for successful escape.

Don’t go out unarmed. The thug culture has taken hold in America and the result has been spreading crime. It’s easy to conclude that once the easy targets are gone, criminals will focus on committing larger and more complex crimes. Aggressive panhandlers aren’t going away. Don’t be caught unaware by these trends.

The toquilla Straw hat, better known as “Panama Hat”, has its origins in the Ecuadorian counties of Montecristi and Jipijapa, both located in the Manabi province. No one knows exactly how long these hats have been woven in Ecuador, but it was certainly some centuries before the Spanish Conquest. The chroniclers of those times narrate that natives wore over their heads a hand split, strange attire similar to vampires’ wings, made from the fibers of a plant that grew wild in a sector of the Ecuadorian coastal region.

There is much more information you might ignore about the Panama hats, so we’ve made a quick list of the 5 most relevant facts about them:

1. Its original name is “Toquilla Straw Hat”, named after the palm tree straws they are made from.

2. The “Panama Hat” trade name was created in the mid-1800s by American gold miners who stumbled upon these hats in the Panama markets. Once in the United Estates, the hat quickly became fashionable, and from that day on, it has been misleadingly known as “Panama hat”.

3. The botanical name of the palm tree used to produce the Panama hat was created in Europe, at the end of the 18th century. Botanist called the palm “carludovica palmata” (from the Latin roots carolus: Carlos; and luduvica: Luisa) in honor to the king Carlos IV and the queen Luisa, who wore the hat as several renowned members of the European royalty did.

4. The hat reached its popularity during the 18th and 19th century, when it was used by renowned people like Napoleon III and Edward VII. In the 1920s, gangsters adopted the wide brim models still known as the “Al Capone style”, while women preferred the smaller-brim models in a variety of colors to match their dresses. Nowadays the hat is still used by Hollywood starts like Jeff Goldblum and Peter Falk, as well as by some members of the royalty.

5. The Panama hat is catalogued as one of the world’s three finest hats. A Panama hat of truly fine quality -a “superfino“- can hold water, and when folded for storage, it can pass through a wedding ring.

In Ecuador, this hat has an average cost of $25 to $50, but can fetch more than five times this price depending on the style and the quality. Whether you buy it in Ecuador or internationally, a toquilla Straw Hat represents a stylish accessory that can be worn all year long, in any climate.

He was rail-thin (140 pounds – tops), and strikingly handsome. Yet Allie Tannenbaum, who started out as a worker in his father’s Catskill hotel, became one of Murder Incorporated’s most accomplished killers. Tannenbaum also became a rat, who helped put his boss, Louis “Lepke” Buchalter, into the electric chair.

Tannenbaum was born on January 17, 1906, in Nanticoke, Pennsylvania. When Tannenbaum was just two years old, his father Sam moved the family to Orchard Street, on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. In New York City, Sam Tannenbaum, as he did in Pennsylvania, ran a general store. As a teenager, Allie Tannenbaum had the habit of always talking, talking, talking. He talked so much, people said he sounded like a clock — hence, the nickname “Tick Tock.”

After World War I, Sam Tannenbaum accumulated enough cash to purchase the Loch Sheldrake Country Club, in the Catskills, in upstate New York. By the time his father bought the country club, Allie was already in his third year of high school (he also later attended college for a few semesters). This was quite an accomplishment, since most boys Tannenbaum’s age, on the Lower East Side, had already dropped out of school after the 8th grade, and were working at jobs, some legal, and some not so legal. Making use of his son’s capabilities, Sam Tannenbaum employed Allie at his hotel, either waiting on tables, or setting up beach chairs at the lake. Despite the early grunt work he imposed on his son, Sam Tannenbaum was grooming Allie as his eventual replacement. Yet, that was not to be.

The Loch Sheldrake Country Club was a ritzy establishment, and it housed many rich Jewish families, for their summer vacations. Jewish gangsters also frequented the country club. Among them were Harry “Greenie” Greenberg, Louis Lepke, and his partner Jacob “Gurrah” Shapiro. Shapiro was a thick-chested gorilla-of-a-man, who supplied the muscle for Lepke’s many illegal enterprises. Whenever Shapiro was angry, and that was often, his favorite phrase was “Get out of here.” Yet, with his gravelly voice, the phrase sounded like “Gurra dahere.” Hence, his pals gave Shapiro the nickname “Gurrah.”

Allie Tannenbaum became acquainted with several of the country clubs visitors, including Shimmy Salles, who was a bagman for Lepke’s rackets, Curly Holtz, a labor racketeer, and even Lepke himself. As the owner’s son, the Jewish gangsters invited Tannenbaum to all their parties. Tannenbaum, as per his arrangement with his father, did not get paid a single dime, until after the summer, which basically ended the resort season. While Tannenbaum walked around his father’s resort dead broke, he noticed that all the Jewish gangsters had plenty of cash to spread around. This made him a likely suspect to be drawn into their world of organized crime.

At the end of the summer in 1931, Tannenbaum was strolling down Broadway in Manhattan, when he bumped into Big Harry Schacter, one of Lepke’s underlings.

Schacter asked Tannenbaum, “Do you want a job?”

“I could use one, if it pays,” Tannenbaum said.

Schacter smiled. “This one is for Lepke. You know what kind of a job it will be.”

Tannenbaum shrugged, and said he would do whatever it took to earn some fancy cash.

Tannenbaum started working for Lepke, initially for $35 a week. His job included general assignments like slugging, strikebreaking, and throwing stink bombs where they were needed to be thrown. Tannenbaum later graduated to more important duties, like “schlammings,” which meant he “schlammed,”or cracked the heads of union workers, who were not towing Lepke’s line.

As his work production increased, so did Tannenbaum’s pay. Eventually Tannenbaum, who by then had been involved in six murders, and helped dispose of the body of a seventh murder victim, was raking in an impressive $125 a week. Because of Tannenbaum’s summer location in the Catskills, his job mostly included murders, and extortions, in upstate New York. Tannenbaum was a valuable asset to Lepke in Sullivan County, because Tannenbaum was familiar with the back highways, and numerous lakes, where bodies could be stashed. During the winter, Tannenbaum, and his family, vacationed in Florida, where Tannenbaum worked as a strong-arm-man, in several of Lepke’s gambling joints.

Tannenbaum’s biggest hit for Lepke was the 1939 killing of Harry “Big Greenie” Greenberg, who was suspected of talking to the government about Lepke’s activities. Tannenbaum was given the assignment to murder Greenberg by Lepke, through one of Lepke’s intermediaries (to insulate himself from any connection to a murder, Lepke never gave orders to his killers himself).

Tannenbaum stalked Greenberg, first to Montréal, then to Detroit, before finally cornering Greenberg in Los Angeles. On November 23, 1939, Tannenbaum, along with Bugsy Siegel, stood in wait outside Greenberg’s apartment building. When Greenberg emerged, Tannenbaum and Siegel riddled “Big Greenie” with bullets. This was considered the first “mob killing” in Southern California.

In 1940, Tannenbaum was vacationing in Florida, when he received the news that Lepke had been arrested, and that Murder Incorporated killer, Abe “Kid Twist” Reles, was now singing like a canary, about the work of Murder Incorporated. Tannenbaum immediately took a train to New York City, and went to the house of Charlie “The Bug” Workman, another one of Lepke’s top killers. The reason for Tannenbaum’s visit, was that he sought financing from Workman to go on the lam in Detroit. As luck would have it, as Tannenbaum and Workman were sitting in Workman’s living room, Detective Abraham Belsky knocked on the door to arrest Workman. Belsky was pleasantly surprised when he found Tannenbaum there too.

At first, Tannenbaum refused to squeal. When Tannenbaum was questioned by the police over a three-day period, he repeatedly said, “I refuse to answer on the grounds of my constitutional rights.”

However, District Attorney Deckelman suddenly hit Tannenbaum with an indictment, charging Tannenbaum, and “Pittsburgh Phil” Strauss, with the 1936 murder of Irv Ashkenaz, a taxicab owner, who was ratting to the cops about Lepke’s cab racket in Manhattan. Ashkenaz’s body was found near the entrance of a Catskills hotel, riddled with sixteen bullets.

“We’ve got enough on you to put you in the chair,” District Attorney Deckelman told Tannenbaum.

All of a sudden Tannenbaum, living up to his nickname of “Tick Tock,” started talking nonstop. Tannenbaum told Deckelman about all the murders he was involved with, and how they were connected to Lepke.

On the witness stand, during Lepke’s trail, Tannenbaum put the final nail in Lepke’s coffin, when he testified about the day he heard Lepke order the murder of a candy store owner named Joe Rosen. Lepke was always cool and collected, and careful about what he said in front of anyone. In fact, Lepke never gave Tannenbaum a direct order to kill. This information was always relayed to Tannenbaum through an intermediary, close to Lepke.

However, in 1936, Tannenbaum was given the order, through Mendy Weiss, to kill Irv Ashkenaz. Yet, Tannenbaum was told by Weiss to report directly to Lepke, when the deed was done. After disposing of Ashkenaz, Tannenbaum went to Lepke’s midtown office, to tell Lepke that Ashkenaz was indeed dead. When he entered Lepke’s office, Tannenbaum encountered an irate Lepke, screaming at Max Rubin, one of Lepke’s closest confidants.

Tannenbaum testified on the witness stand to District Attorney Burton Turkus, “Lepke was yelling that he gave this Joe Rosen money to go away, and then he sneaks back into a candy store, after he tells him to stay away. Lepke was hollering: ‘There is one son of a bitch that will never go down to talk to Dewey about me.’ Max (Rubin) was trying to calm him down. He was saying, “take it easy; take it easy Louis. I’ll handle Joe Rosen; he’s all right.'”

“What did Lepke say to that?” Turkus asked Tannenbaum.

Tannenbaum replied, “He says, ‘You told me that before.’ He says ‘This is the end of it. I’m fed up with that son of a bitch.’ He says, ‘and I’ll take care of him.”

Tannenbaum testified that two days after his encounter with Lepke and Rubin, in Lepke’s office, he read in the newspapers that Joe Rosen had been shot 16 times, as he was opening up his candy store in Brownsville, Brooklyn.

Tannenbaum’s testimony, concerning the Rosen murder, corroborated the testimony of Abe Reles, and was a deadly blow to Lepke. It took the jury only four hours to convict Lepke of first-degree murder, which landed Lepke in the electric chair four years later. For his testimony against Lepke, Tannenbaum was given a short jail sentence, a light slap on the wrist for a man, who had committed at least six murders.

Little is known about what Tannenbaum did for the rest of his life. He seemed to have disappeared from the face of the earth, except for the times when he reappeared, to testify against his old murderous pals. In the book “Tough Jews” by Rich Cohen, Cohen says, in the 1950’s, Tannenbaum worked in Atlanta for a while, as a lampshade salesmen.

In 1950, Tannenbaum came out of the woodwork, and testified at the murder trial of Jack Parisi, another Murder Incorporated hit-man, who had been on the lam for ten years. Despite Tannenbaum’s testimony, a judge found Parisi not guilty.

In 1976, unlike most of his contemporaries, Tannenbaum died of natural causes, on an unnamed island off the coast of Florida. He was 70 years old.

The Law of Success was unavailable for a long time, but in 2000 the Wilshire Book Company reprinted those 16 lessons in two volumes. Volume 2 contains lessons Eight through Sixteen.

They are: Self-Control, The Habit of Doing More Than Paid For, Pleasing Personality, Accurate Thought, Concentration, Co-Operation, Failure, Tolerance and The Golden Rule.

One thing I noticed is that, in contrast to TAGR, there’s little focus on the story of how steel magnate Andrew Carnegie “assigned” the task of discovering the secrets to success and giving him access to the most famous and successful men of his time.

It’s evident that he did interview and get to know some of those men, from Carnegie to Thomas Edison to Henry Ford. But he also mentions delivering personality tests to over 44,000 ordinary people and it’s clear he believes that his findings from the rest results taught him a lot.

In TAGR there’s reference to how he had to finance the study himself. In one of these volumes he relates how he persisted in giving personality tests even as his wife, her family and his family were all pressuring him to get a “real” job. Evidently he didn’t make much money from studying success. He does conclude that the results were worth it, implying that he learned how to succeed from his tests of those 44,000 people — not the big shots.

He reveals that as relatively late as the end of World War I he had next to nothing. He tells how he managed to get his GOLDEN RULE magazine financed, but it eventually failed. He did make money from conducting sales training, but evidently on a sporadic basis.

We also know that in the year after he began selling these lessons, he lost whatever success he had in the stock market crash. Supposedly he wrote TAGR while hiding out in a friend’s house. Not only was he as broke as much of the rest of the country, but some gangsters wanted to kill him.

Although not known as a health food pioneer, in one chapter he describes his health habits. He railed against white flour like Adele Davis would thirty years later and revealed that he took an enema every ten days.

The chapter on Failure was obviously his favorite, because he describes his long history of business successes followed by failure. (His assignment from Carnegie isn’t even mentioned.) He probably wasn’t surprised when he lost his wealth in the Great Depression. In one of the books he wrote when elderly he relates how the pain he experienced on a dental visit didn’t bother him because pain and problems were by then old friends to him.

The old-fashioned style may put off modern readers. Most of its value is in the shorter and more accessible TAGR.

However, its central message of success through cooperating with other people, observing the golden rule and giving more value than you expect to be paid for is a timeless one that can’t be repeated enough.

Opening a gentlemen’s club takes a lot more than just having beautiful girls to grace the stage. Today’s strip clubs are high caliber, eccentric cabarets, which combine fantasy, hospitality and sizzling entertainment. The media, as well as Hollywood have collectively worked into our conscious images of smoke filled, seedy joints, where gangsters and criminals gather. The industry has changed a lot since the 80s and 90s; and bar owners have discovered running a clean, friendly establishment makes their adult entertainment venues more attractive to both men and women alike. In fact, many of the best hotels along the Las Vegas strip now offer topless shows, complete with professional choreographed dances, topless revues and acrobats. The trend has caused traditional strip club owners across the country to offer great food, fantastic wine selections, and of course, top notch entertainment.

Consider Location

The very first think to considering how to open your strip club is to consider a location. In my opinion, it’s a good idea to find a building which is close to expressways and major intersections. It’s also wise to find a building which isn’t too far away from hotels, restaurants and of course, convention centers. There is a good chance the community you chose to open your bar will frown upon a strip club in the area. This is why it’s absolutely critical your club should offer clean, adult entertainment, with lots of hospitality. If you are lucky enough to open a club near other businesses, make sure to join the local chamber of commerce. Commit to being active in your towns community by attending local board meetings, making donations to local social causes, and by strictly adhering to the laws and regulations in your club’s municipality.

Staffing

Long before your doors open, you will want to actively recruit and cultivate a winning sales team. The last thing you want is to have an intimidating, bruit standing at the front door to greet guests. Your adult club staff should be trained to pay attention to detail, and be just as efficient as any five star hotels. This means having a friendly host to show them to a table, along with waitresses and bartenders who are keen to flash a smile and serve drinks. Just like any other type of bar, customers don’t want to wait around for a drink, or experience a bad attitude from a staff member. In a strip club, floor hosts can often be the engine that makes everything run smoothly. Make sure your floor hosts are personable, and take time to understand their guests’ needs. A good floor host will make sure new visitors have a comfortable seat, a drink in hand and an entertainer within just a few minuets of arriving at the club.

Promotions and Marketing

Prior to opening a new club, I would suggest having a serious marketing and promotions plan in place. It just isn’t realistic to expect you will be able to sustain your establishment over the long haul, without reaching out to new customers. You can begin by investing resources into establishing a powerful internet presence. Unfortunately, adult club owners spend an awful lot on having a flashy website built and that’s about it. Make sure your club’s website is optimized to attract visitors from Google, Yahoo and other search engines. This includes having a having a well written blog and web site- rich with keywords for visitors to find. A good internet presence can spell serious financial rewards for your new club, and attract thousands of new visitors to your place over time. Billboards, radio and print are fine, but most people search for business today on the internet.

In my experience, combing internet marketing with a strong promotional ground campaign will keep your new place busy. This can be achieved by building incentives for hotel employees, limo companies, and service industry personnel to send people your way. In larger cities, I’ve witnessed 500 people new people a week come through the doors by having a strong promotional program in place.

Girls

A lot of new club owners wonder how to attract new dancers. My best advice is to not take financial advantage of the strippers. Many club owners try to charge their entertainers an unbelievable amount of money to work; and nickel and dime them for every little thing. Charge a house fee which is reasonable, and don’t over fine the girls. The strip club industry is a very small world, and strippers are quick to share information about different places. Additionally, providing a fun, safe place to work will naturally increase the amount of exotic dancers on your roster. Try placing an ad on Craigslist or in your local paper for new entertainers. Another option is placing an employment page on your strip clubs website. It takes time, but after a while the amount of exotic dancers at your club will increase.

Having your own strip club can be a lot of work. Like any other business, it takes planning and patience. Getting it off the ground may be difficult, but your goal should be figuring out how to make it thrive over the long haul. Done correctly, your new strip club can be a clean, exciting and highly profitable business for years to come.