Listen up, I am gonna expose the truth and give you the whole enchilada regarding getting a girl who already has a partner. Therefore, you must exercise caution when you use these techniques – otherwise you might danger yourself if the boyfriend belongs to the local Mafia. Be forewarned!

“Make Her Sack Her Boyfriend.” You can use this tactic once you are convinced that you stack up well against her boyfriend. What you need to do is cosy up to her and ask what she desires in a partner. Then, force her to compare what she wants with what she currently possesses. Getting her to be sensitive of what she has forsaken will put her in a ‘grass is greener on the other side’ state of mind and before you know it she’ll start watching out for someone closer to her ideals. This point is when you enter stage right and seize her away from that tool she’s with.

“Covert persuasion.” This technique would require you to actually get into her psyche and influence what she really thinks so that she is psychologically more attracted to you and becomes revolted by the guy she is with. A guy with morals would probably refuse to use this technique because of how devious it actually is, but hey! You’re stealing another man’s girlfriend; you shouldn’t be having any qualms with regards to morality.

“Make a change and make a difference”. This particular tactic would involve making you scrutinize yourself and know FOR REAL if she has got the reasons to leave her boyfriend for you Roll up your sleeves and cut out all the things you dislike about yourself. You are indeed good enough for her, or for anyone – and you’ll need to convince her by becoming her IDEAL boyfriend.

The key is to understand what inflation is. The definition of inflation that economists use is “too much money chasing too few goods.” If you break this down, you will notice two parts. There is the quantity money part and the goods part. The word “goods” means anything that you purchase with money, which could be things, services, expertise etc. Notice that there is a relationship between the money and the goods. This relationship is governed by supply and demand, but an easy way to think of it is that there has to be a balance between the two things in order to have the value of goods remain stable.

How can too much money come to pass? The question that comes from this is: How does money get created? Today’s money is called fiat money. Fiat means “by decree” or “by law”. When you see the words used “by law”; this can be interpreted as “by force”. Since laws are enforced by the police or the military which literally means they will cause you harm if the laws are not followed. Think of the mafia but legal. This means that we don’t have any choice with respect to the money we are using if we want to follow the law. By definition, other forms of money cannot be used for transactions or purchase of goods. Try using gold or silver coins or cryptocurrencies to pay taxes in Canada. Only Canadian dollars can be used. The other key term to remember is that today’s money is a debt unit. When you hear the word debt, it means someone is owed the money that has been created, as in a loan. There is interest tied to that loan, similar to all other forms of debt. Since the interest is on a country’s currency, the interest is borne by the country – which means the taxpayers of the country. This is where the income tax system comes in. Have you noticed in the last 2 years how much extra money has been “created” around the world? Is there a limit to how much money can be created? There is not, and this is why too much money can be created rather easily and without much oversight.

What about the goods? Due to the government response to the pandemic, people cannot produce the goods that they used to produce because they are forced to stay home or close their businesses. The workers are also paid to stay home instead of producing. You can add reduced demand from people not being able to shop and the amount of goods being produced will continue to shrink. Recently, there are shortages of parts and shipping delays. Due to the just in time headache that is logistics today, any tiny disruption will create a ripple effect that will compound exponentially the time lag of getting goods produced. The more complex the product and the more reliant it is on logistics, the longer the delays and the larger the disruption.

What you are witnessing now is both forces coming together at once – too much money and too few goods. Is this going to last? Given that the governments are going to create more debt to pay off the old debt, this creates an exponential effect that will approach an unlimited amount of money being created. This also means that the current fiat currency will become more worthless and may be abandoned. The inflation will last until the form of money is changed to something scarce and finite, and the goods produced are stabilized. The two parts of the equation would then into balance again. To counteract the forces of inflation, this means less monetary or debt creation combined with more goods being produced.

From the back cover: “Cover Up is an in-depth exposé of the botched investigations of five major tragic events of the twentieth century: the death of Princess Diana and Dodi Al Fayed, the death of Pope John Paul I, the death of US politician Ron Brown, the loss of the 101st Airborne, and the assassination of Rwandan President Habyarimana.

Author Damien Comerford dives headlong into the stories, bringing to light intriguing details about events leading up to each tragedy and then challenging the methods employed in each investigation. In this book, he shows that while the people in authority appeared to be conducting investigations and leaving no stone unturned, in reality, nothing could be further from the truth. Experts had no real interest in turning over every clue, and Comerford reveals the places where investigators went wrong, from overlooked forensic details and ignored eyewitness reports to facts too coincident to be accidents.

An experienced journalist, Comerford uses his considerable talent to dig deep into historical records and expertly reconstruct each event exactly as it occurred. The result is a compelling read that will leave even the most stalwart skeptic believing in the truth of cover-ups.”

Book review: An articulate, principled work on five mysterious world crimes in an era of press handouts and news curation. The authorities wish for whistle-blowers to become an extinct species, while the world has a responsibility to expose the heinous crimes committed by those in positions of power-let the whistle-blowing begin with Cover Up.

Overall winner at the Qantas Media Awards, investigative journalist Damien Comerford has released Cover Up, which sheds light on five select dark, mysterious, and most-compelling world crimes. All remain mysterious and unsolved, however, the author’s writing points to some interesting conclusions; and not in an average conspiracy theorist way. Secrets of the Alma Tunnel questions the death of Princess Diana and the rigidity of the investigations by French and British Police. A Poison Chalice magnifies evidence that was overlooked after the murder of Pope John Paul I, which possibly prevented the disclosure of Vatican involvement in the Mafia. Crime on Capitol Hill suggests that political whistle-blowers have, in a sense, an unrealized death wish. Like many others, Ron Brown was about to blow the whistle on a shady political act before he was permanently silenced. Fallen Arrow asks a question so controversial that it takes the investigation of the 101st Airborne, the Screaming Eagles, in an entirely new direction. And finally, Preparing for the Apocalypse makes it clear that the terrible crime of President Habyarimana’s murder, which also led to one of the worst genocides in history, may have been the result of a European superpower.

Comerford’s work is highly provocative, intellectually rigorous, and filled with mysterious insights. Each story is given an in depth analysis and unbiased evidence with a compelling argument. His admirable quest to bring investigative journalism to life in an “era of press handouts and spin doctoring” is realized within the pages of Cover Up.

A political work you likely won’t find on the shelf of your local bookstore; an absolutely brilliant, must-read!

Indian film-goers were experiencing it for the first time – the spellbinding music and the heartwarming tale of a brother and a sister set in the background of then originated Hippie culture. The Asha Bhonsle – RDB combo – Dum Maro Dum – a song without a match, has never been dulled by any new movie song that has been created afterward. Dev Anand, through Navketan Films brought the rebellious and carefree face of youth, on to the big screen in his film, Hare Rama Hare Krishna (HRHK). This iconic film of the ’70s fascinates millions of fans of Hindi cinema even today. Undoubtedly, the spell cast by Zeenat Aman as Janice (Jasbir) retains its charm.

In hope to repeat the success of Hare Rama Hare Krishna, Rohan Sippy has titled his new film as Dum Maro Dum, including a new and contemporary version of the classic song, remixed by music director Pritam. For the next gen followers of Hindi cinema, Rohan links the old and new with a stylish and sizzling item number by Deepika Padukone. If HRHK explored the ’60s American Hippie trail to India, the new movie deals with the much talked about topic of drug mafia operating from Goa, with a lot of international links. The film stars Abhishek Bachchan, Rana Daggubati, Prateik Babbar, Bipasha Basu, Aditya Pancholi and Monty Munford.

Rohan Sippy in his Dum Maro Dum (movie) presents slices of life of different people. He introduces Abhishek as a cop, Prateik as a student, Bipasha as an aspiring air hostess, Aditya as a drug trader and Rana as a DJ addicted to drugs. There is another hidden mysterious person, the God of power and money, who controls the trade of drugs in Goa. Bipasha Basu through her character Zoe brings in the element of Hippie culture to the film. Abhishek Bachchan as ACP Vishnu Kamath, trying to run away from his own past, is given the task of uprooting drug mafias operating in Goa. Prateik as Lorry doesn’t have another option other than to risk his life to re-unite with his girlfriend in US. Rana as Joki floats through life after he lost everything in a rift with a drug mafia. Aditya Pancholi is a local businessman, who has a hand in all the trades in Goa and a helper of the mysterious man.

The director takes the audiences to different locales of Goa through the lives of local people, where rave parties, beaches and discotheques are some of the usual sights. Dum Maro Dum is, reportedly, backed with pulsating background score, which changes in rhythm according to different characters. Shot in different famous tourist spots in Goa, this thriller film is eagerly awaited by all. No room for comparisons between HRHK and this one except for the remixed title song.

When the Puritans expelled one Roger Williams from Massachusetts he set out to find another place to settle in. He stumbled upon a location at the head of Narragansett Bay, which he promptly named Providence, as a tribute to what he considered ‘God’s merciful Providence’. As the capital of the state of Rhode Island, Providence today has grown into the second largest city in New England and is a major economic and political hub.

Also known as the ‘Beehive of Industry’, Providence was among the earliest U.S. cities to get industrialized, and even today is known for its booming jewelry and silverware industry. From the 1950s to the 1980s Providence was in the grip of organized crime, and home to the New England Mafia. Not surprisingly, the city has the largest population of Italians in the New England area.

Over time the city began to revive, with local politicians making a serious effort to showcase the city as a center for the arts. In the 1990s it began to be known as ‘The Renaissance City’, and is today a thriving cultural center, home to a large number of historic buildings, the Blithewold Mansions, Gardens and Arboretum, the Providence Athenaeum, the Trinity Repertory Company, and the Rhode Island Philharmonic Orchestra, among others.

The Providence River runs through the center of this vibrant city, built around seven hills. A mélange of river walks, small commercial districts, old mills, Victorian homes and modern high rises, the city attracts a number of settlers. The climate is mostly humid, with cold winters and hot summers. Providence often sees powerful snowstorms in winter, and is known to experience hurricanes.

Apart from being a center of government, Providence is also a prominent educational hub. The Ivy League Brown University, the prestigious Rhode Island School of Design and many other famous institutions are located in the city. In summer the city hosts WaterFire, an amazing spectacle of at least a hundred bonfires burning above the surface of the three rivers that flow through the city, accompanied by numerous art and music events.

A popular choice of location for many films and television series, Providence has been home to personalities like Edgar Allen Poe, and continues to attract a large number of people irresistibly drawn to its distinctive Rhode Island character.

This is not a sentimental world. Crime occurs on a daily–or rather, a second to second–basis. Some of these crimes are committed by individuals with no conscience or ability to comprehend (or care) about the consequences of their actions. Others, however (and some of the most horrific), are carried out by loving fathers, family men, church members, and little league coaches. In Dr. Joe Ferry’s novel entitled Connected: Mob Stories From My Past we are shown a bizarre, and at the same time a surprisingly comical, subculture of American society: it is the world of ‘the mafia,’ a secret network of bosses, hit men, and godfathers with one foot in the old world and one hand in – well, nearly every aspect of American life.

The narrator begins his story by telling us a little about his hero: his hard-working father who taught him how to be a man in the world. Then juxtaposed against a few reflective thoughts regarding his early family life, we are told that his father was a mob Don who killed anyone who crossed him. For a normal boy the apparent contradiction between a life of crime and a comfortable middle class existence would perhaps be enough to baffle the mind; or stunt a young man’s moral and spiritual growth. Fortunately our narrator was never ‘a normal boy’ – but a highly intelligent individual with the capacity to integrate his experiences as a mob Don’s son into his life as a student, an athlete, a musician, a record producer, a college professor, and a loving husband.

In Ferry’s portrait of an artist as a young mobster, we are given insights into the interworking of an organization “connected” to the larger New York mafia. Yet more significantly, we are taken on a journey into the psychologically complex personality of the narrator himself. Our ability to come to terms with the underground world in which he grew up rests upon understanding the internal dialogue–and the demons–that constitute our narrator’s consciousness.

“My mom always said that I was Trouble, almost from birth. The nickname took. So that’s what you can call me. For as long as I can remember, the two things I enjoyed doing most were walking and stealing.” This simple statement whereby our narrator introduces himself to the reader goes a long way in summarizing his personality. On one hand, Trouble was a product of his environment; the son of one of New York’s most ruthless mobsters (and a man with a mean streak). Yet at the same time, from an early age Trouble exhibited a sensitive, contemplative side. And as a young “mobster in training,” learning the ins and outs of mob-life from the best in the business, he also developed an interest in–and a real talent for–music. So when one saw Trouble Ventura walking the streets of New York City, it was difficult to tell whether he was taking a walk to ‘clear his mind,’ or heading towards his next ‘music gig,’ or on his way to ‘shake a guy down.’

One day Trouble’s father gave his son this wise advice: “We are suited to our callings, boy. Make no excuses for yourself. We are complex creatures. We are shadows of light. Good and bad.” With these words the seeming contradiction between “the world of organized crime” and a life committed to art, family, and community is laid to rest. For as the narrator’s father rightly remarks, this world–and human nature–is far too complex and variegated to reduce (experiences or people) into simplistic categories: such as ‘good’ and ‘evil.’

Ostensibly a novel chronicling Trouble’s formative years as a young mobster, the narrative is peppered with pearls of wisdom and comical anecdotes drawn from daily life. For example, in a chapter entitled “Girls Who Puked On Me” the narrator confesses that a surprising number of his most romantic relationships–and moments–have been ruined by spontaneous bouts of vomiting: as otherwise lovely women hurled their ‘lunch’ all over him (and his hopes of ‘getting lucky’). In another chapter we encounter an eccentric elderly lady named Minnie Chestnut; who presents the author with authentic photographs and historic artifacts proving that she met Abraham Lincoln, dined with President John F. Kennedy, and spent intimate moments with Amelia Earhart and the great jazz legend Charlie Parker. Then in another chapter we are introduced to a history professor who possesses–‘believe it or not’–the first LP in the history of the human race: a vintage clay pot (which has embedded in its decorative grooves a recording) from the eighteenth century; upon which our narrator and several music professors hear the voice and piano playing of one Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.

The brilliance and beauty of these vignettes brings to light the real strength of the novel: since the stories Ferry tells are at times so outlandish, and yet written with the accuracy (or attention to detail) of a skilled biographer, the reader simply doesn’t know what part of the novel is fantasy, and which part is historical fact. Aside from learning a great deal about his father’s business, his time spent associating with colorful storytellers–i.e., mobsters–also taught our author how to spin a ‘good yarn.’ From the prologue to the final chapter, Connected: Mob Stories From My Past entertains and educates; simultaneously evoking horror and laughter in the reader. I highly recommend this book to anyone who appreciates (and perhaps can stomach) the slapstick memoirs of an accomplished musician and mobster.

Given that China is such a large market, most companies will either rely 100% of their Chinese market sales efforts on a channel partner network (distributors, agents, resellers etc.), or have a hybrid of direct and partner sales networks. However, here are some of the channel partner challenges faced by many companies:

* Many channel partners tend to over-promise and under-deliver sales results, with some cases delivering no sales results despite the claims they made;

* Channel partners selling at the lowest possible prices, which at times may cause serious price under-cutting for your direct sales force, as well as for other partners;

* Channel partners have no loyalty towards their principals, i.e. they will only warm up to you when your products and services are well in-demand, and deliver optimal levels of profits, etc.

The actual list of challenges and complaints is much longer than this. These are but just some of the most common issues companies faced when managing a channel partner network.

To tackle the above problems, some companies in China have realised that a one-size-fits-all strategy to manage channel partners. Instead, successful companies in China have implemented Partner Relationship Management programmes to customise the ways to develop and motivate each of them to deliver the best results.

Selecting the Right Channel Partner

Traditionally, the criteria use by most companies to select channel partners is to look at their track record, i.e. does the channel partner has a good track record of delivering large volumes of sales revenue for your kind of products and services. However, using such simple metric to select channel partners will have some inherent flaws, such as:

* It is unclear if the sales revenue will translate into healthy sales margins,

* It is unclear if the same track record will be applicable to your kind of targeted customers; and

* It is unclear what strategies the potential channel partner to deliver results, and if such strategies match the way you do business

Hence, to have a clearer picture of what your potential channel partners are capable of, here are some suggestions for you to observe their sales strategies, i.e. how they sell, and if those strategies are a good fit for your products and customers. The 3 partner sales commonly identified are:

1. The Trader;

2. The “Mafia”; and

3. The Consultant

Traders are those who rely on high sales volume and high trade discounts. Besides yourself, they are also selling for a large number of other brands. They don’t do much of the selling, relying on customers enquiries and quoting the relevant prices instead. Instead of advising customers what will be a better choice, they simply ask customers what brand or what budget they have. Most industrial parts, retail and travel services channel partners belong to this category.

“Mafia” here does not refer to people with organised crime background, but rather refers to channel partners who have generated lots of sales due to their very extensive personal networks. These end-customer networks in turn become loyal customers for the channel partner based on the relationship or “guanxi” they have. “Mafia” type channel partners specialise in products and services where the distinction between competitors aren’t clear, BUT customers prefer to buy from someone they trust, lest something goes wrong after the sale. Channel partners who use the “mafia” sales strategy may invest substantial amount of time and resources in wining, dining and golfing as means to cultivate the relationship.

Consultants are those who help customers solve problems. Even when customers don’t have problems, they’ll somehow unearth one. Channel partners that are consultants tend to focus on complex products and services to solve complex problems for the customers, such as IT, infrastructure, engineering etc. There are the people who use the term “selling solutions” as their middle name. In some cases, channel partners who are pursue the consultant strategy may only carry a brand or a principal, such as some partners of SAP, Dell and Motorola.

Mapping Your Sales Strategies Accordingly

If you are a foreign company trying to penetrate a market filled with low-cost competitors like China’s, chances are you’d either look for the “mafia”s with the right connections, or for the consultants who can add value that a local low-cost competitor couldn’t. Unfortunately, most of the would-be channel partners you that are available in abundance are the traders, those who will let end-customers do their price shopping, and takes no effort to add value or provide good after-sales service.

Does that mean that the traders would have no value to you at all? Not really. If you are a new brand in town, or if you want to increase the market share of certain (new or strategic) products, here’s what you can do:

* Give a special discount on that product that will be close or even beat the prices of low-cost competitors; AND

* Give attractive payouts to the traders who are taking on your products

Obviously, if you were to give huge discounts AND give good payouts, you are going to end-up with a loss leader. However, if you are going to make huge marketing and promotional efforts anyway, you may want to make the best use of traders to flood the news (of your promotion) to the market. Do note that for such strategies to work, you may need to have eventual access to the end-customer (via after-sales service and maintenance contracts perhaps) so as you can cross-sell higher-value items in future.

The other type of potential channel partners that you will bump into quite a fair bit will be those people who claim to have lots of contacts and connections in your target markets. Sometimes, they will even want to charge upfront fees so that you can tap into their “inner circle” of contacts.

The thing you have to be aware is that there are the real “mafia”s, and there are those who simply make empty claims. Here are some simple tips when selecting the right “mafia”:

* If possible, get the channel partner to purchase upfront inventory at very attractive prices. If their connections are so good as claimed, they will make money in no time;

* If the above is not possible, invite the potential “mafia” to bring along some potential end-customers to some wining, dining or golfing. There key isn’t about whether there will be people turning up (in some cases, people just turn-up to get a free meal), but to allow you to gauge if those end-customers are the people you want to sell to

Generally, successful “mafia”s are very protective of their contacts, and will jump instantly if you are being perceived to poach their customers. To them, the customers belong to, and only to them. These are the contacts they have taken years to cultivate, and they will protect them with their lives. Hence, whether you are providing pre-sales technical support, or post-sale maintenance contracts, be sure to communicate the benefits clearly, and put the “mafia”s at ease. Also, be sure that your product and service quality is up to par when selling to customers of the “mafia”, because you will lose the partner and all of their contacts if there are customer complaints.

Consultants are the rarest of breeds, and are largely found only in the IT industry. Even in the consulting or engineering industries where partners with the consultant sales strategies are badly needed, they are still extremely hard to find. Channel partners who are using the consultant sales strategies tend to be ex-technical people who are sick and tired of being technical people. They also believe that they can deliver better value and service than their previous employer, and that’s why they are in business themselves.

While consultants can add a lot of value to customers, they lack what the traders and “mafia”s have, i.e. they don’t have the resources to prospect for a lot of customers, and they may lack the connections too. Some companies have helped these consultant partners to get a head-start by providing leads and other means of market-access, and just let them deliver what the customer wants.

Committing Time and Resources on your Partners

Many companies equate spending time with channel partners with holding an annual partner/ reseller/ distributor convention, where there will be lots of food and drinks, some announcements and some pep talks disguised as sales training.

The problem with that is, all the other brands that these partners are representing will also be holding such conventions as well, and to them, such events are nothing more than having free food and drinks in a 5-star hotel. The partner convention is NOT going to give you additional “mindshare” from each channel partner, and it is unlikely that they will be motivated to sell more of your products as such. This is not to say that the partner convention is unimportant. Rather, if you want to get better results, more needs to be done. Furthermore, the more engaged your channel partners are, the less likely they will be under-cutting prices or engaging in other vicious competition with you (or other partners).

The things you can provide for channel partners may include:

* Providing periodical promotions or new product launches for the traders;

* Providing product benefit workshops for “mafia”s so that they appear more professional in front of their contacts;

* Providing training on how to sell complex solutions for the consultants

Obviously, not all channel partners, be they traders, “mafia”s or consultants, are equal, or deserve equal attention from you. Just like defining and managing key accounts, you will have to prioritise which are those whom will more add value to you in the sustainable long-term, and then commit enough time and resources on them.

He was one of the most disliked mob bosses of all time, with a superiority complex second to none. However, if Paul Castellano had been street-smart like any Mafia boss should be, he might not have been executed so easily and so publicly.

Paul Castellano was born Constantino Paul Castellano on June 26, 1915, in Brooklyn, New York. Castellano did not like his given first name, so he insisted that everyone call him Paul instead. Castellano’s parents were both born in Sicily, and his father was a butcher, with a little illegal numbers business on the side. Castellano’s father was also a early member of the Mangano Crime Family, which was created by Salvatore Maranzano after the killing of Joe “The Boss” Masseria, and the ending of the Castellamarese War.

Castellano dropped out of the school after the eighth grade and went to work in both of his father’s businesses. In 1934, when Castellano was only 19-years-old, Castellano and two of his buddies decided to commit an armed robbery of a local business. However, things went awry, and when the police arrived on the scene, his two friends escaped, but Big Paul, as he was called (Castellano was six-foot-three, and in his prime weighed over 275 pounds), was caught by the police. Castellano refused to rat on his colleagues and was hit with a three-month bit in the slammer. When he returned to the mean streets of Brooklyn, Castellano’s reputation was enhanced by his refusal to cooperate with the police.

In 1937, at the age of 22, Castellano married his childhood sweetheart Nina Manno, who was the sister-in-law of Carlo Gambino. They eventually had three sons — Paul, Philip, Joseph, and a daughter Connie.

In 1940, Castellano was inducted as a made member of the Mangano Crime Family, the same crime family his first cousin Carlo Gambino was already a captain in. In fact, Castellano and Gambino were so close, Gambino even married Castellano’s sister Catherine (marrying first cousins was not uncommon amongst the Sicilians). After Mangano was knocked off in 1951 by his underboss Albert Anastasia, Anastasia took control of the Mangano Family and changed the name to the Anastasia Family. Anastasia also bumped up Big Paul to the ranked of captain. In 1957, when Anastasia was killed by rival Vito Genovese, Gambino took over the Anastasia Family, changed the name to the Gambino Family, and inserted his cousin Paul Castellano as one of his right-hand men.

November 17, 1957, Genovese called for a huge summit of all the Mafia men in America to take place in Appalachian, New York, at the home of Mafia member Joseph Barbara. There were several items on Genovese’s agenda, but the most important one was to declare himself “Capo Di Tutti Capi,” or “Boss of All Bosses.” However, the wily Gambino knew that the local state police would be tipped off to the meeting, so he stayed away, and instead sent his cousin Paul to take the heat. When the state police raided the Barbara residence, dozens of mobsters tried to escape by jumping out of windows and running through the woods in their expensive suits and patent leather shoes. But not Castellano. Big Paul surrendered without a fight, and was sentenced to a year in prison for refusing to tell the police the purpose of the meeting.

After his marriage to Nina, Paul prospered in the family meat businesses, and by the 1950’s, he owned several businesses, including Blue Ribbon Meats, Ranbar Packing Inc., and The Pride Wholesale Meat and Poultry Corporation. According to Jonathan Kwitney’s book Vicious Circles, “The Castellanos owned many meat stores and distributorships in Brooklyn and in Manhattan. They had a long record of welching on debts; of suffering suspicious hijackings, which can lead to insurance claims; of selling goods that were later found to have been stolen off docks or trucks, and of cheating other firms by receiving the assets of companies about to go into bankruptcy proceedings.”

Whereas Castellano gave the airs of a successful businessman, issuing a death warrant was certainly not beneath his character. Castellano once ordered the death of an underling, because the man had the audacity to say Castellano looked like chicken magnate Frank Purdue (Perdue was famous for his chicken-like face splashed across the screen in his TV commercials, where he pronounced, “It takes a tough man to make a tender chicken.”). In the mid 70’s, Perdue was having trouble getting his chickens in the New York City weekly supermarket advertisement circulars. Someone whispered in Perdue’s ear, and soon he signed a distribution deal with Dial Poultry, owned by two of Castellano’s sons. From that point on, Perdue had no trouble advertising and selling his chickens in the New York market.

To show he would not allow anyone in his blood family to be abused in any way, Castellano’s son-in-law Frank Amato disappeared from the face of the earth after Castellano discovered Amato was beating Castellano’s pregnant daughter Connie, and cheating on her on the side. As a display of familial compassion, Castellano did wait for his daughter’s divorce to become final before he gave the order to vaporize Amato.

Castellano, with the blessing of his cousin Carlo Gambino, was also heavy into the loansharking busin then threw the book at Berardelli, sentencing him to five years in prison for contempt-of-court.

By 1975, Carlo Gambino was obviously very ill from a severe heart condition. If Gambino died, the favorite on the streets to take over the Gambino Family was Aniello Dellacroce, a hardened criminal and Gambino’s second-in-command. Dellacroce was a respected man, who had allegedly taken part in several “pieces of work,” or murders, and according to Mafia rules, was, in fact, supposed to be promoted to boss instead of Castellano. Dellacroce had the backing of all the major Gambino street crews, including Carmine Fatico’s men at the Bergin Hunt and Fish Club in Queens.

However, Gambino wanted to keep things in the family, and to the consternation of many, he anointed Paul Castellano to be his successor as the head of the Gambino Family. As a result, there was outrage from the street soldiers, who saw Castellano as nothing more than a greedy snob, who thought he was stratospherically above the common street soldiers who were kicking up all the money to the bosses up top. Whereas most captains demanded 10% of the street soldier’s take, Castellano wanted 15% of any scheme his men were involved with.

Things came to a head, when on October 15, 1976, Carlo Gambino finally died and Castellano was officially inducted as the Gambino boss. Street men, like tough John Gotti, bristled at the choice, and were hardly placated when Dellacroce, as a consolation prize, was given control of all of the lucrative Manhattan Gambino street rackets. Dellacroce, an old school Mafioso, who went by the credo that a bosses’ word should never be challenged, was he only person who was keeping his crew from a devastating and bloody mutiny against Castellano and his allies.

Whereby Gambino had lived in an inconspicuous house in Brooklyn, Castellano build himself a mansion on trendy Todt Hill in Staten Island. Todt Hill, which meant in Dutch “Death Hill,” was the highest track of land in the entire borough of Staten Island. The 17-room house was build with stone and stucco, and was painted entirely white, with two white columns majestically standing out front, looking suspiciously like the White House in Washington, D.C (The Gambino street crews snidely referred to Castellano’s home as “The White House.”). The house was completely surrounded by tall wrought-iron fences, and armed with the most sophisticated of burglar alarms. If this wasn’t enough to discourage intruders, Castellano had ferocious Dobermans patrolling inside the perimeter, viciously leaping at the fences if anyone, including the mailman, came near the house.

In 1979, 35-year-old Columbian Gloria Olarte went to work for the Castellanos as a housemaid. At the time Paul Castellano was 64-years-old, and his wife Nina — a very attractive 60-years-old. But that didn’t stop Paul Castellano from having a roving eye. Soon he started an affair with Olarte right under his wife’s eyes, and also in front of his daughter Connie, who was living nearby. Whenever his wife and Connie went out shopping, Castellano made sure they had enough cash to spend, so that they wouldn’t return home anytime soon.

At first, Castellano’s advances where just petting and simple kissing, and soon Olarte began to wonder why Big Paul had not consummated their relationship. It seemed that at the time Olarte made her way into the Castellano household, due to a diabetes condition, Castellano had not had an erection in four years. That problem was taken care of when Castellano has “the operation”: a penile implant that would make him able to have intercourse with his young housemaid.

His affections for Olarte were obvious to the crew members who visited Castellano for business meetings, and were also obvious to his wife. Gambino family members began talking amongst themselves about Castellano behind his back; about how he was disgracing his wife, by prancing his young housemaid in front of them at their “White House” meetings.

The FBI had been wanting to plant a bug in Castellano’s house for many years. Through conversations they overhead from bugs planted in other mob hangouts, the FBI had ascertained that when men came to visit Castellano to discuss family business, these meeting always took place in a little dining nook in the kitchen. There is some dispute as to whether Olarte herself, realizing that Castellano’s affections for her were waning, told the FBI where to plant the bug or not. But on March 17, 1983, while Castellano was on a Florida vacation with Olarte and his trusted aide Tommy Biloti, the FBI decided the time was ripe to plant the bug. The only problem was, Castellano’s wife was still on the premises.

When Nina Castellano finally left the house at around 5pm that afternoon, a team of FBI agents disguised as gardeners, sanitation workers, and telephone installers went to work. The “gardeners” drugged the Dobermans who were standing guard inside the fence, by throwing drugs-infested steaks over the fence for the dogs to consume. Then FBI “techies” disabled the burglar alarm, allowing three more “techies” to pick the door locks, then enter the Castellano residence. Two Sanitation trucks blocked the entrance to the street, and the FBI agents in the trucks disguised as sanitation workers were under orders to stop Nina Castellano, by any means necessary, from returning to the house until the bug was planted and the FBI agents safely out of the house.

Once inside the house, the agents went directly to the kitchen nook. By the table sat a chrome lamp near Castellano’s high backed chair, which he always sat in during mob meetings. The agents removed the base of the lamp, and replaced it with an identical base that contained a microphone, and a power pack. They placed the lamp back in is original position and quickly exited the house. Their stay inside the Castellano resident lasted only 12 ï½½ minutes. Once safely outside, the outside FBI “techies” re-activated the burglar alarm, so that when she returned to her home, Nina Castellano would be none the wiser.

These bugs became a treasure trove of information for the FBI. The FBI was, under law, supposed to stop listening when the conversations being recorded involved inane personal matters. But that was not always the case.

Within a few days, they heard Castellano boasting to one of his associates, “No one comes to Staten Island unless I say so.”

The bug in the Castellano residence lasted 4 ï½½ months. During this time Castellano was heard discussing how he was controlling the construction business, the meat packing business, and the labor unions; specifically the Teamsters, the painters union, and various unions related to the restaurant business. Castellano let the feds know he was also involved in the pornography business, as well as stock frauds, and insurance frauds.

These tapes decisively revealed to the feds that there were two factions within the Gambino Family, each of which had no use for the other. Castellano had the support of Bilotti and his cousin Tommy Gambino, who controlled the garment center in Manhattan. While the other faction was led by Dellacroce, and Dellacroce’s “favorite son” — John Gotti.

One of Gotti’s underling was Angelo “Quack Quack” Ruggiero, a rotund, boisterous man who got his nickname because he couldn’t stop talking; on the phone, or in places that were most likely bugged by the FBI. When Ruggiero was arrested in a big heroin deal, Castellano was incensed that any of his men would dare to sell “babania,” which was forbidden in the Gambino Family, and supposedly all throughout the American Mafia. Castellano immediately called Gotti on the carpet and reamed Gotti a new one, saying, “Listen Johnny, you got to prove you weren’t involved.”

Gotti knew that this meant if Ruggiero was indeed guilty of selling dope, and if Gotti knew about Ruggiero’s involvement, it was a death sentence for both men.

Soon, Castellano discovered from lawyers involved in the case that Ruggiero had been caught on secret recordings bragging about several drug deals. Castellano demanded that Ruggiero turn over the tapes to him, and when Ruggiero refused, Castellano (on tape) went berserk, threatening to do bad things to both Ruggiero and Gotti. This is when the FBI decided to lower the boom on “Big Paul.”

On March 25, 1985, FBI agents Andris Kurins and Joseph O’Brien made a trip to the Castellano’s “White House,” and told Castellano his was being arrested on RICO charges (Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act). Castellano seemed quite confused when he heard the charges, because he fully didn’t understand the implications of RICO.

Under the RICO Act, a person who is a member of an enterprise that has committed any two of 35 crimes-27 federal crimes and 8 state crimes-within a 10-year period, can be charged with racketeering. The RICO Act “allows for the leaders of a crime syndicate (family) to be tried for the crimes which they ordered others to do or assisted them to do, closing a perceived loophole that allowed someone who told a man to, for example, commit murder, to be exempt from the trial because they did not actually do it.” Those found guilty under the RICO Act can be fined up to $25,000 and sentenced to 20 years in prison per racketeering count.

So Castellano, at the moment of his arrest, oblivious to the fact that his house had been bugged for more than four months, did not realize the scope of the indictment he was about to face. According to Kurins and O’Brien, Castellano first heard of the taped conversations recorded in his house on the federal car radio, while the two feds were transporting Castellano from the “White House” to the “Big House.” After hearing the news on the radio, Castellano told the two feds he suddenly felt ill, and would they please stop the car at a drug store to buy him some Tums, and a candy bar for his diabetes, which was suddenly making his head swim.

However, Castellano was not the only mob bigwig arrested that day. Under the direction of Rudolph Giuliani, the US Attorney for the Southern District of New York, as the cuffs were being put on Castellano, they were simultaneously being put on Gambino underboss Aniello Dellacroce, Fat Tony Salerno, the head of the Genovese Crime family, Lucchese boss Tony “Ducks” Corallo, Columbo boss Carmine Persico, and Rusty Rastelli, the acting boss of the Bonanno Crime Family. Giuliani went so far as to arrest eighty-two-year-old Bonanno Family patriarch Joseph Bonanno in his home in Tuscon, Arizona. It seemed that Giuliani was astounded and overjoyed after reading Bonanno’s recent autobiography “Man of Honor,”where Bonanno admitted things about the “Sacred Society” that no made man ever dared utter.

In addition to the RICO charges, Giuliani hit Castellano with an additional 51 charges stemming from the murders and stolen car ring perpetrated by Roy Demeo’s crew. (Rumors were that before Castellano was arrested on RICO charges, he heard from his law enforcement moles about the impending Demeo-related indictments. Feeling that Demeo, facing life in prison, was not the type of man to do his time quietly, Castellano ordered the murder of his most proficient murderer. Demeo’s own crew did the honors; stuffing his frozen body into the trunk of a car for the police to find.)

Though an FBI informant close to Johny Gotti (code name Wahoo – later discovered to be longtime Gotti pal Willie Boy Johnson)), the feds found out that Castellano, because of the internal strife in the Gambino Family, was planning to whack Gotti and his entire crew. Gotti, cognizant of this sober fact, started tomake plans to do away with Castellano first. The only person that was stopping Gotti from doing what he wanted to do was Gotti’s boss Dellacroce, again an old-schooler, who would never sanction a hit on his own boss. This obstacle was removed on December 2, 1985, when Dellacroce finally succumbed to the ravages of cancer.

With the coast now clear for Gotti, Gotti sought permission from the other mob bosses to whack Castellano, before Castellano whacked him. Vincent “The Chin” Gigante issued a firm no to Gotti, but the other mob bosses, not liking Castellano too much, shrugged their shoulder and basically said, “Do what you got to do.”

On December 16, 1985, after finishing a 2:30 p.m. appointment in Manhattan with his lawyer James LaRosa, Castellano decided to kill a little time Christmas shopping with his chauffeur Tommy Bilotti, before they went to their 5 p.m. appointment at Sparks Steakhouse at 210 East Forty-Fifth Street. At Sparks, Castellano and Bilotti were supposed to meet with Gotti and three other men. A table for six had already been reserved for 5 p.m. under the name “Mr. Boll.”

According to several published reports, what Castellano didn’t know was that Gotti had no plans to show up inside Sparks Steakhouse, but was in fact at this time in the passengers seat of a Mercedes driven by Salvatore “Sammy the Bull” Gravano. Gravano parked the car at the corner of Forty-Sixth Street and Third Avenue, where he and Gotti had one eye trained on the entrance to Sparks, and the other eye trained on Third Avenue, waiting for Castellano’s black Lincoln to make its appearance. On the street surrounding Sparks were anywhere from eight to ten of Gotti’s men, armed with guns and walkie-talkies, ready to take action.

At approximately 5:30 p.m., with Castellano now fashionably late, Castellano’s Lincoln made the turn from Third Avenue onto Forty-Sixth Street, and parked in front of Sparks. As soon as Bilotti exited the driver’s side, he was met by a hail of bullets, allegedly fired by Gotti henchman Tony “Roach” Rampino, rendering Bilotti quite dead. As Castellano was exiting on the passenger side, he turned toward the street to see what all the commotion was about. Before Castellano knew what was happening, another Gotti shooter, allegedly John Carneglia, pumped six bullets into Big Paul, thus ending the reign of Paul Castellano as the head of the Gambino Crime Family.

Sunny Beach is the biggest and most prominent beach resort in Bulgaria. It is a Blue Flag winning resort, situated in a beautiful and naturally clean bay on the Bulgarian Black Sea coast, near the town of Nesebar, St. Vlas resort and the Varna airport (30 km). Sunny Beach is arranged along the most extensive shoreline strip. With its many bars and clubs, various excitement and shops and its created base, the resort pulls in a large number of sightseers from around the globe. The tourist season in Sunny Beach starts from May and continues all the way through October. Cacao beach is the best clubbing part of the resort and the most prominent clubs are situated there. Most of the tourists usually circle around the center, as there are lots of other clubs there and during the summer peaks the most spoken language there is English due to the large number of English tourists visiting the place. Tons of hotels are situated in Sunny Beach in order to accommodate the enormous influx of people during the peak periods. There is a waterpark just outside the resort that is considered one of the best in Bulgaria.

If you are looking for something more relaxing with beach bars, chill spots and calm atmosphere I would strongly recommend Sozopol. It’s beautiful old town takes you back in time. With it’s timeless constructions, only topped by the wall at the end of the Old Town, bring a sensational feeling of an aged seaside resort calming the senses. The fresh fish “kapani” are delightful eateries that serve only fresh fish and sea food of all sorts, caught literally an hour before being served. Lots of beach bars like Aloha and Adam and Eve, with quiet and pleasant house music relax the senses, positioned at one of the three bays in the area, can make you feel like you are in the Bahamas for 5 times cheaper holiday. Clean beaches and clean waters provide the best locations for visit, whether you’d like to tan at the beach or dive in the mysteries of the Black Sea.

Another popular resort is St. Vlas, famous for the Dinevi Brothers who are local mafia leaders. They have created St. Vlas as one of the most prominent and well-maintained resorts in the Balkans. The Marina is one of the most visited places in Bulgarian seaside due to the fact that famous bars and clubs like Rococo and Planet are situated there but also due to the fact that most millionaires boats are anchored there. The place is generally stuffed with rich people and a Porsche or Ferrrari brand are an everyday normality there. The beaches are well maintained and clean and the beach bars are very Caribbean style with good servicing and fair prices, as opposed to popular belief.

That’s not all to the Bulgarian seaside but those are some of the most prominent locations that tourists and Bulgarian people visit during the summer. A Bulgarian said to me once: “If I don’t visit Sunny Beach at least once every summer, it’s like I haven’t been to the seaside. It’s a horrible place but it’s fun as hell.”

There are many Sicilian actors who have their roots in one of the most beautiful places on Earth. What makes a Sicily vacation one of the finest to experience? Its vibrant culture and colorful history makes it a one in a million place worth visiting and remembering. The preserved architecture and archeological sites, magnificent beaches and landscapes, combined with world famous Sicilian food and wine – all should be a part of your Sicily Vacation.

And what else makes the island very special? With over five million inhabitants, many of them are so famous that they have made it to Hollywood, making a name for themselves and bringing prestige to their hometown.

Numerous actors are of Sicilian descent. Some of the most renowned Sicilian actors in Hollywood are The Minnellis, Frank Sinatra, Argentina Brunetti (actress/writer: It’s a Wonderful life), Sonny Bono, and Al Pacino. They also have Frank Capra (Film Director: It happened one night, You Can’t Take it with You) and Richard Castellano (actor: The Godfather) all of which are pure-blooded Sicilian. Others like Cyndi Lauper, Susan Sarandon, Steven Tyler (singer: Aerosmith), Sal Mineo (actor: Rebel Without a Cause), John Turturro, Aida Turturro, and John Bon Jovi, are half Sicilian.

Sicily has it all…rich heritage and magnificent culture. However, one of the most serious social problems confronting Sicily nowadays is the Sicilian fraternity known as the Mafia or the La Cosa Nostra. Mafia or La Cosa Nostra is a criminal society, which is believed to have emerged in late 19th century Sicily, claiming power and sovereignty over a territory in which it operates its rackets.

As the organization and its history caught the attention and interest of the famous writers, film directors, and producers of Hollywood, several stories were filmed to portray its existence and its main role in Italian society. Some of these are “The Godfather”, “The Sicilian Clan”, “The Sopranos”, “Mafia!” and others. Many Italian critics, however, commented that most of the movies are exaggerations of what real Italians are like.

Discovering Sicily will surely make you feel like you’re traveling to another world, a different world. Sicily is a mixture of almost all the significant civilizations in the world; it is a land like no other. For that reason, most people find the place most ideal to live in and settle down. Some Hollywood celebrities who were once immigrants of Sicily are Iron Eyes Cody, Ben Gazzarra, and Sylvester Stallone.

Therefore, if you are looking for a place to spend your next vacation, Sicily is the perfect choice. Not only does it have traces of the past, it also has the marvels of the present and all the wonderful people, particularly, the Sicilian actors in Hollywood who were born to make history.