HrinI blogger Vicky Conway and Michael Mulqueen of UL have recently published “The 2009 Anti-Gangland Package: Ireland’s New Security Blanket?” in the Irish Criminal Law Journal. The introduction to the article gives a flavour of the insightful analysis it offers:

Between January 2009 and the Dáil summer recess, the Irish government introduced six Bills in response to the problem of organised crime, which had already been linked, in media coverage, to the deaths of 15 people that year. In the previous decade multiple Acts and Amendment Acts had attempted to address the problem which, in political and media discourse, appeared to grow since the killings of Veronica Guerin and Det. Garda Gerry McCabe in the summer of 1996. With each year, the government introduced wider powers and tougher laws. The 2009 package of legislative measures represents a significant leap forward in this trend, not least through its scheduling of organised crime offences; this creates a legal requirement for the use of the non-jury Special Criminal Court in any such trials, an unprecedented step for non-paramilitary activity. Many experts and legal practitioners have predicted that at least two of the laws that comprise the package will be challenged in Irish and possibly European courts. In this article we examine the context for the introduction of the 2009 laws and difficulties which emerge from them, both in terms of the rights they potentially breach and their likelihood of success. Of particular concern to us is how the package of measures represents an underlying shift towards viewing gangland crime as a problem of national security – a shift which risks creating a myriad of further problems. Our conclusion is that not only will the package not succeed in reducing gangland crime, by moving the State further into the realm of emergency law, the package places Ireland on a very dangerous precipice for any democratic state committed to human rights.

The ICLJ is available to read on Westlaw IE for those with a subscription.

ngLast night, while simultaneously studying Spanish and watching Gangland on the History Channel, I discovered that Google Translate will not translate the gang phrase, Blood in Blood Out, referring to the beatdown that occurs before joining a gang and the getting murdered or beating up that takes place if you leave the gang.

Google Translate does not support gang vernacular.

Ah. So that's what the bloody state pension pays for.

The movie is set in The Elephant and Castle where I, as a 17 year old, went to a strip joint in a well dodgy pub during a visit to London. If I’d have seen this film beforehand I’d not have gone within a mile of the area, never mind into its seedy interior.

Apparently Michael Caine is from “The Elephant” so this was probably quite a nostalgic road trip for him. In the movie he plays a vigilante gradually becoming more and more determined to avenge the brutal murder of his old mate (fast on the heels of his wife’s death) at the hands of a bunch of local scum who terrorise the neighbourhood.

This is no ordinary vigilante movie and, although I haven’t seen it, it must bear considerable comparison to Grand Torino where another fine actor in his latter years dominates a movie.

The casting is wonderful and the thugs that terrify the local community are entirely believable. But from start to finish this is Caine’s movie. He plays his part with massive pathos. We feel deeply sorry for him as, first, his wife and, then, his only chum pass away leaving him quietly tormented and then incredibly angry as he learns that his mates death was mockingly filmed on a mobile phone to the accompaniment of raucous laughter.

The brutality of this movie is searing and really shocking at times.  The riot scene is entirely believable, which is difficult to achieve on a low budget but certainly hits the spot.  It plays an important central role in undermining the police and showing them off as the useless and uncaring force that director, Daniel Barber is keen to establish .

Two things make this movie a real stand out; Caine and the pacing of the action.

It starts brutally slowly and gradually winds up in pace and tension but never to Hollywood proportions.  Don’t forget that Caine is a pensioner! Amazingly it holds your belief throughout – not an inconsiderable achievement in a genre that tends to become overblown and ridiculous.

I expect Michael Caine will get a BAFTA nomination for this (at the very least). He might even win because his performance is stunning. I certainly hope so.

His best performance? Arguably.

A great film?  Definitely.

U.S. Senate candidate Andy Martin’s forty years of experience analyzing Chicago gangland slayings and suspicious murders suggest to him that the death of a senior Daley Machine leader Michael Scott may have broader implications. In the 1970’s Martin faced Crime Syndicate death threats because of his investigative efforts. See www.AndyMartin.com for Andy’s corruption-fighting background. “I wish the Scott ‘suicide’ didn’t arise in the middle of my Senate campaign,” Martin says, “but Mr. Scott’s death raises too many serious questions to be ignored. I think we can handle both the campaign and the investigation.”

U. S. Senate candidate Andy Martin requests FBI probe, federal grand jury investigation into Michael Scott’s death

Martin says “suspicious circumstances” merit the federal probe

NEWS FROM:
ANDY MARTIN /2010
“The name you can trust”
Republican for U. S. Senator
30 E. Huron Street, Suite 4406
Chicago, IL 60611-4723
(312) 440-4124
www.AndyforUSSenator.com
www.AndyforUSSenator.blogspot.com
www.AndyforUSSenator.wordpress.com

www.MarkKirk.us
www.IllinoisHighSpeedTrains.com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

ATTENTION DAYBOOK/ASSIGNMENT EDITORS

ANNOUNCEMENT OF THURSDAY NEWS CONFERENCE IN CHICAGO

Martin says the bizarre death of the of the Chicago Board of Education President merits federal inquiry

Political corruption fighter Andy Martin has looked into Chicago Crime Syndicate “hits” for decades

(CHICAGO)(November 19, 2009) Republican U. S. Senate candidate and insurgent “Internet Powerhouse” Andy Martin will hold a Chicago news conference Thursday, November 19th to announce that [1] he has asked the FBI and Department of Justice to open an independent investigation into the death of Daley Machine big Michael Scott, and [2] his newspaper has opened an independent probe into Scott’s mysterious death. Martin has over 40 years of experience analyzing and investigating gangland slayings and suspicious murders in Chicago. [Letter follows below]

November 19th news conference details:

WHO:

U. S. Senate candidate and Internet Powerhouse Andy Martin

WHERE:

In front of Picasso Sculpture, Daley Center Plaza,
Chicago

WHEN:

Thursday, November 19, 2009 2:00 P.M.

WHAT:

Internet Powerhouse and U. S. Senate candidate Andy Martin calls for an independent federal investigation into the death of Daley Machine stalwart Michael Scott

MEDIA CONTACT:

(866) 706-2639; Cell (917) 664-9329 (not always turned on)

E-MAIL:

AndyforUSSenator@aol.com
—————————–

ANDY MARTIN
“The name you can trust”
Republican for U. S. Senator/2010
Suite 4406, 30 E. Huron Street
Chicago, IL 60611-4723
Toll-free tel. (866) 706-ANDY
Toll-free fax (866) 707-ANDY
Web site: http://www.AndyforUSSenator.com
E-mail: AndyforUSSenator@aol.com

Please donate:

www.AndyforUSSenator.com

Blogs:

www.AndyforUSSenator.blogspot.com
www.AndyforUSSenator.wordpress.com
www.IllinoisHighSpeedTrains.com

www.MarkKirk.us

November 19, 2009

Hon. Patrick Fitzgerald
United States Attorney
219 S. Dearborn
Chicago, IL 60604
via fax (312) 353-4322

with copy to:

SAC Robert D. Grant
FBI – Chicago
2111 W. Roosevelt Road
Chicago, IL 60606
via fax (312) 829-5172

FREEDOM OF INFORMATION REQUEST AND
REQUEST FOR GRAND JURY INVESTIGATION

Dear U.S. Attorney Fitzgerald
and SAC Grant:

This letter is a two-part request. In Part One, I request FOIA disclosure of all local DOJ agency files relating to the recently deceased Michael Scott, President of the Chicago Board of Education. In Part Two, I request that you initiate steps to conduct an extensive field investigation and grand jury investigation of Mr. Scott’s death. His death is suspicious.

Although I am preoccupied with a U. S. Senate campaign, I have been scrutinizing “gangland” murders in Chicago for over forty years. As a result of my investigations in the 1970’s, I was the target of Crime Syndicate retaliation.

It may be that Mr. Scott’s death was exactly what some people say it was: a “suicide.” Nevertheless, the circumstantial evidence points in two conflicting directions. First, if Mr. Scott did kill himself, the obvious question is “why.” As we set forth in Part II below, the pendency of a grand jury action and other investigations into his conduct and the conduct of his associates may have prompted him to take his life.

Second, there may have been an aspect of Mr. Scott’s life that led to some form of organized crime intervention. Gambling debts? Unhappy investors or partners? “Self-help” has a long history in Chicago crime lore. The manner in which Mr. Scott died has attributes of a classic gangland or “Outfit” slaying.

I have the highest respect for Chicago Police Superintend Weis. But his agency is obviously compromised in conducting an investigation of someone who was an integral part of the City’s political leadership.

Preliminary Comments

The death of a federal grand jury witness under suspicious circumstances always triggers federal criminal jurisdiction. Mr. Scott was a grand jury witness. In Michael Scott’s case there are numerous reasons to open a field inquiry.

First, community leaders feel that such an effort is necessary. While community sentiments are never a sufficient basis to look into an unexplained death, community sentiment can often be predictive of underlying concerns or situational awareness that may not be apparent “downtown.”

Second, the physical attributes of Mr. Scott’s death leave lingering questions. My Internet newspaper ContrarianCommentary.com is conducting its own independent analysis of the crime scene, as well as developing a plan to interview witnesses.

Third, police and medical examiner behavior at the scene raises questions that need probing. The unexplained delays in agency coordination and notification were peculiar.

I.

FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT REQUEST

The fact that Mr. Scott is now dead broadens the scope of Freedom of Information Act (“FOIA”) disclosure for your offices.

I respectfully request FOIA access to and disclosure of all documents and related material which your offices maintain concerning Mr. Scott.

II.

FBI/GRAND JURY INVESTIGATION

Mr. Scott may have killed himself. We just don’t know why.

The traditional indicia of a pre-suicidal individual are obviously lacking. Except one: the “heat” of one or more law enforcement investigations. There have been unsubstantiated reports that Scott was to meet with law enforcement on the day of his death. I assume your FOIA disclosure will clarify and confirm, or remove, the question of whether and when Mr. Scott was meeting with law enforcement, and why.

There are a number of suspicious circumstances relating to Mr. Scott. First, there are the ongoing DOJ “magnet school” inquiries.

Then there are the “Olympic credit card” issues. Mr. Scott used a public credit card for a totally unintended and unlawful purpose. The credit card questions interest me. If Mr. Scott used public funds for an unintended purpose, then his action was a criminal misappropriation. Mayor Richard Daley’s quoted claim that “There’s nothing wrong with that” is sheer nonsense. Mr. Scott may have been aware of others who similarly misused public funds as part of the Olympics extravaganza.

I know of no lawful basis for Chicago Public School funds to be used to stay at luxury hotels overseas in support of a matter having no connection with school business.

I am going to be asking for all of Mr. Scott’s school board credit card records. Scott’s knowledge, however, may have gone beyond his own misuse of public funds to similar acts by others.

The Olympics-related real estate issues also raise questions. If, as Mr. Scott stated, his relationship to West Side real estate investments involving potential Olympic land were legal and legitimate, why did he summarily abandon them? People do not usually abandon legitimate activity.

The crime scene also offers numerous baffling questions. Mr. Scott supposedly “fell into the river,” but “landed on his firearm.” This is not impossible but highly unlikely.
How did the handgun land “under” Mr. Scott? If we believe the “facts” as stated at this time, someone shot himself in the head, in an area of rough and unsteady terrain, and then he plunged an indeterminate distance into the Chicago river and landed on his gun. How obsessively neat. Did the trauma of the bullet wound to the brain separate gun and body, or did the body fall neatly into the water with the handgun tucked safely underneath?

I am not a ballistics expert. But I have seen enough gunfire and violent death to know that when you are hit, everything around you flies in every direction. Who ever heard of a gun landing under the owner? In a river? Off an embankment?

While the gun was supposedly 18 years old, was the ammunition also ancient? If not, where did he purchase his ammunition? It’s not easy to buy bullets legally in Chicago. We need ballistics.

I could go on but you understand the thrust of my request. Mr. Scott was intimately involved in the supervision and expenditure of federal funds. While he did not head the schools himself, the most recent school leader is now Secretary of the Department of Education. Were there issues involving Mr. Duncan that might embarrass the Obama administration that led to Scott’s peculiar manner of death? I rule nothing out at this time. Nor should you.

Please feel free to contact me if I may be of any assistance. I will also report back to you as my own investigation proceeds.

And, if anything happens to me, don’t assume it was a “suicide.”

Respectfully submitted,

ANDY MARTIN

AM:sp

W/encl.

Dublin city is currently the murder capital of Europe, with 19 gun murders this year (as of November). In 2008 the murders numbered 20.

No other city in Ireland officially comes even near this murder figure.

Modern Dublin has serious serious problems with gangland warfare over the years, it was the stage for Veronica Guerin, an Irish crime reporter, who was sicky gunned down in cold blood in the city a few years back when investigating Dublin crime. Dublin and Ireland went into shock and never really recovered. Murders have increased in numbers since, and no real thorough investigations have been done, which is a shame (fear?). These low-lifes must be stopped from roaming the streets of Dublin and murdering whoever gets in their way.

So can all the gangland murders and violence finally end in Dublin? Not anytime soon most likely.

We all hope the politicians and guards (Irish police force) put a stop to the dead bodies showing up every month and sincere investigations and actions happen…for the sake of Dublin.

ref:

http://info-wars.org/2009/11/10/dublin-is-gun-murder-capital-of-europe

Dead body no.19 and counting...in Dublin City

]]>

O fotógrafo português João Pina, do coletivo Kameraphoto, tem produzido um interessante trabalho sobre a cidade do Rio de Janeiro. Publicado na revista estadunidense New Yorker (só para assinantes) e no jornal espanhol El País, o ensaio P&B disponível em seu site retrata a vida das pessoas – e a violência que as cerca – nos morros da Cidade Maravilhosa.

Um trabalho que vem em boa hora, em tempos de ufania e entusiasmo por causa da Copa de 2014 e das Olimpíadas de 2016. A segurança pública e desigualdade social são os maiores desafios da cidade e do país para os próximos anos e chamar a atenção para a realidade é papel do repórter fotográfico.

Natural de Lisboa, Pina atualmente reside em Buenos Aires e trabalha no Rio. É possível acompanhar os passos do fotógrafo português (e de outros profissionais da informação em constante trânsito pelo mundo) no Lights Talkers e ver outros ensaios de Pina em seu site oficial (como o Helicopterópolis, sobre o transporte aéreo paulistano, e a Não-vida de Roberto Saviano, escritor do livro Gomorra ameaçado de morte pela Camorra – máfia napolitana).

Via Arte Photographica.

Atualização: de 5 de novembro a 1 de dezembro a K Galeria em Lisboa expõe ”Gangland”, 30 fotografias do trabalho de Pina no Rio (via blog do Olhares).

A thought occurred to me earlier today as I waited for my DVD player to load up the episode of Angel I watched earlier tonight: There are no good genre shows on TV right now. OK, sure, there are a couple shows, those being Stargate: Universe & Legend of the Seeker, but neither one of those are what I would consider great shows.

Nope. I mean, a few years back we had a plethora of good genre TV. Back around 2000, for example, we had Deep Space Nine, Voyager, Buffy, & Angel… and those were just the major shows. I also remember watching Andromeda on the Sci – Fi channel (or Sy Fy… but I won’t go there.), as well as the original Stargate. Then, when those ended, we had Enterprise and the new Battlestar Galactica.

But now? Beyond the two shows I mentioned in the first paragraph, I can’t think of many, if any shows, in the genre on TV right now. OK, there are a few shows on Sci – Fi, but I never started watching Eureka or the like. And as far as I know, most of those where short – run summer series. In fact, Sci – Fi is showing a marathon of Ghost Whisperer tonight, and they’ve been doing that for a few weeks.

How the mighty have fallen.

I don’t want this to sound like a whiny rant (despite the fact that I suppose it is… ), but I want to know why this is. Or, another way, why is it profitable for Sci – Fi to pick up a show like Ghost Whisperer? I mean, it’s an ok show from the couple times I’ve watched it, but is it science fiction? Not really – at least in my opinion.

Look at it another way. For some reason, there is more money in making and showing C-grade movies (Yes, C- grade. They’re even worse than B-grade. At least B-grade movies are funny.) than in showing re-runs of real science fiction shows on the Sci-Fi channel. Why / how is this? OK, people have told me, “They’re cheap,” and “People need something new to watch.”

Really? I mean, can you really say that a movie like Mansquito draws in all that many new viewers? Maybe they do draw some in. But that many? And it seems like that’s the only kind of thing Sci-Fi shows these days.

Then there is the argument on new-ness. Consider: When I first got cable, Sci-Fi showed re-runs of real science fiction shows that I loved: Earth 2, & Space: Above and Beyond, and shows like that come to mind. Were they great shows? No, but they were decent. And they were really Science Fiction.

After that, Sci – Fi paid for the digital re-mastering of classic Star Trek. They picked up Babylon Five, and Andromeda. Now? None of these shows are on TV at all, and I imagine most people don’t even remember Space: Above and Beyond anymore. Showing it would be, in effect, new.

Yet Sci – Fi gives us ten million episodes of Ghost Hunters.

I will admit that Ghost Hunters may be a very good show. I’ve never watched it for the simple fact that it doesn’t interest me, so please don’t misunderstand and say that I’m slamming the show. Far from it. But do understand this: It’s not science fiction. And, as I said, shows of that nature seem to be the majority of what Sci Fi airs lately.

I really wonder why that is. I mean, shows like Lost and Heroes prove that there is a broadcast television market for good genre shows. Also, the success of movies like last summer’s Trek movie shows that the public wants good SF movies as well. OTOH, promising SF shows seem to get killed all the time on network TV, as the general public audience usually isn’t enough to sustain a broadcast SF show.

I thought that was supposed to be the reason behind the Sci FI channel, and for years it was. But now? With the end of Battlestar Galactica, (which became more of a soap opera than a SF show by the end… but I digress.) I haven’t even watched the channel in months.

I will admit that this isn’t exclusive to the Sci Fi channel. It seems to be affecting the History channel as well. That network seems to fill prime time with shows like “Modern Marvels: The history of chocolate.” Interesting? Yes. But chocolate isn’t modern, or a marvel. Tasty? Sure. But a marvel? I don’t think so.

Then there are all those episodes of Gangland and endless UFO shows. Again, interesting to some. But they aren’t history either.

I won’t speculate on why this is. I’ll just say that while it is depressing, it does allow me to pursue other interests, like reading the new Robert Jordan novel that comes out tomorrow, or watch a rather pedestrian Monday Night Football game, as I’m doing tonight.

But it doesn’t mean I won’t wonder…..

My initial joy at the Balloon Boy incident has been greatly diminished over the past four days. Less because of the hoax thing, and more so because of the never ending media blitz in which I am ashamed to have taken part.

At this point, the Heene family is even more well-known than it would have been had their pathetic hoax actually worked. And the more the media continues to report on the story as it develops — the criminal charges, whether the kids will be taken away, etc — the more these asshats get what they wanted in the first place. And yet, here I go blogging about them again…

In other news, I was very happy to hear that a California district attorney has decided to refile charges against a man who tattooed his 7-year-old son with gang insignia. Some suggested viewing material for you, dear judge: Sin Nombre and any episode of Gangland on The History Channel. Do you not understand that a gang tattoo is a one-way ticket to an early grave?

Oh and I loooove love love the family’s contention that the child had asked for the tattoo. If that’s even true, the fact that they’d grant that request is grounds for additional child endangerment charges right there. After all, that’s exactly what would happen if a suburban soccer mom granted a daughter’s request for a tribal tramp stamp. That, and the story would be at the top of the headlines for a week, the mother-daughter pair would wind up on Oprah, and theirs would become household names.

But alas, no Falcon Heene treatment for you, Tattoo Boy. Everyone’s too busy watching the Heene family’s ascension from comfortable middle class fame whores to overnight media sensations to care about a poor Hispanic boy from Fresno whose dad seems to want nothing more than to bury his son or send him to prison before he turns 18.

– posted by C.

Right before the bid was announced, some thought Rio would lose out to another city. Why? Because of a long report in the New Yorker detailing the warfare scenario in some of Rio’s slums. Did you happen to catch that article? If not, I’ve got it for you (in PDF format). Also, The Economist weighs in on what needs to be done after winning the bid.

First, I’ll post the tease from the New Yorker online.

Iara is a manager of the favela of Parque Royal, in Rio de Janeiro, for a gangster named Fernandinho. She handled “community relations” on behalf of their gang, the Terceiro Commando Puro, or Pure Third Command. Parque Royal consists of a mess of slapped-up houses of corrugated tin and unpainted brick, dreadlocked tangles of pilfered electrical wiring, and graffiti-covered walls and alleyways where little general stores and rudimentary bars jostled for space with storefront evangelical churches. Mentions Fernandinho’s deputy, Gilberto Coelho de Oliveira. Gil, who was Fernandinho’s best friend from childhood, was said to be the more violent of the two. Parque Royal is situated on Ilha do Governador, the largest of the islands that dot the great inland bay of Guanabara. In a pattern that repeats itself all over Rio, Ilha’s residents live under the de-facto authority of a gangster and his private army.

Fernandinho is a thirty-one-year-old drug dealer named Fernando Gomes de Freitas. He controls all but one of the eighteen Ilha favelas on behalf of Pure Third Command. In addition to running Ilha’s narcotics trade, he takes commissions from some legal businesses, such as bus transport services and cable-television operators. In 2007, police calculated that Fernandinho earned about $300,000 a month from drugs, but speculated that his other sources of income might dwarf this. He is a fugitive— one of the most-wanted criminals in Rio—yet he lives openly in Morro do Dendê. There have been several high-profile police attempts to capture or kill him. The Pure Third Command started as a breakaway faction of the Red Command, the oldest and most powerful of Rio’s narco-mafias. Unlike the export-based drug cartels of Colombia or Mexico, Rio’s gangs are wholesale importers—of cocaine from Bolivia, Peru, and Colombia, and of marijuana from Paraguay—as well as managers of their own retail distribution networks. At least a hundred thousand people work for the drug gangs of Rio in a hierarchical structure that mimics the corporate world. The state is almost completely absent in the favelas. The drug gangs impose their own system of justice, law and order, and taxation—all by force of arms.

Rio is the top-ranked city in the world for “violent international deaths,” with just under five thousand murders last year, at least half of which were drug-gang related. Two decades after the collapse of Communism the region’s Marxist guerrillas have disappeared, only to be replaced by violent drug mafias. The politician and former guerrilla Alfredo Sirkis likens the spread of Rio’s gang culture to Al Qaeda’s appeal to disenfranchised youths in Muslim societies. Fernandinho’s enforcers sometimes dismember their victims and are known as os Açougueiros—“the Butchers.” A few years ago, Fernandinho became friendly with Pastor Sidney Espino dos Santos, a popular local evangelical preacher, and he was “born again.” Mentions O Dia reporter Leslie Leitão. Pastor Sidney and Fernandinho’s relationship has deteriorated recently. The writer interviewed Fernandinho at his home in Morro do Dendê. Fernandinho claimed his function was not that different from a mayor’s. “People come to me with their problems and I look after them.” The writer pointed out the contradiction between Fernandinho’s religious faith and his continued life as a drug trafficker. He asked, “For you, where is the dividing line between right and wrong?” Fernandinho smiled, and said, “Who’s deciding?”

The Shyne saga took very little time to take off after his release, here are the two stories sorrounding the baritone Brooklynite.

DEPORTATION

Shyne, like Slick Rick, may have to battle the court system again to prevent deportation.  I hope they don’t do him dirty and let him live FREE.

RECORD DEAL

Well that was very fast! Jimmy Henchmen’s son – Lil Henchmen – posted the news! Shyne has signed with Black Wall Street and CZAR and his own Gangland. Peep the tweet!

Lil Henchmen:

“WELCOME HOME THE BIG HOMEY OF ‘HIP-HOP’ SHYNE!!!!! YES SHYNE IS HOME…… SHYNE IS NOW UNDER CZAR-ENT/BWS/GANGLAND ! cut the check suckerz”

At first glance Marisa Merico looks like any other mother as she walks happily along Blackpool promenade with her young son and teenage daughter in tow.

The British woman who met her Italian mobster dad at 13, wed one of his crew at 21 and laundered £1.6m. Now, after going straight for 11 years, the Italian courts want her back to stand trial

But beneath the façade of everyday normality lies the most extraordinary story of gangland extortion, drugs and murder. For Marisa is a Mafia princess… and her quiet seaside life is about to come an end.     

Two weeks ago a knock on the door from police signalled that the Italian courts had issued a warrant to have Marisa extradited to Milan and jailed for the crimes of a life she left behind

One thing I truly enjoy about living on your own is the fact that you can do whatever you want, almost whenever you want. I personally can be as loud as I want all through the night because the apartment to the right of me is an office so no one is there at night, to the right of me is a twenty something chick that has never spoken a word to me, and below me is my chill  older neighbor who carves pirate ships out of blocks of wood.

I ran the fact that I throw parties by him and he doesn’t care about the noise or the hundreds of cigarette butts littering the grass in front of our apartments. He beats the neighbor I had underneath me before. He was Glassboro’s version of Kimboslice featuring a shorter beard and gang tattoos. (I watch a lot of Gangland.) He used to yell at me because he had “mirrors on the wall” and when my drunk  friends or I would close the door too hard they would almost fall down. I’m so glad he moved before he beat me. If you befriend your neighbors you can usually get them to come ask you to quiet down before calling the cops on you.

When I lived at home my bedroom was right next to my grandmother’s, and she had to get up for work at 3 A.M. So every night I had to sneak in quietly and watch T.V. basically on mute. Now I can listen to T.V. like I’m 86 and  going deaf.

I could even play bongos naked, stuff my leotard with socks and dance to Beyonce, or even douse myself in vinegar and slide down the stairs on my slip and slide if I wanted to. (Sorry no link for that one.)

-Hak

There was a computer game that came out awhile back called Gangland. It was – I would guess – one that we all knew wouln’t be that good but might at least provide a few hours of distraction for a little bit or maybe another couple of hours or so.

Thing is, it did for me and I really enjoyed it- bear in mind, that I was younger then when it came out in 2004 than I am now. Heh heh- I had [i]extremely[/i] bad taste, even though a lot of the games then that people liked sucked on dried eggs from what I remember…

A picturesque scene of a peaceful street, without a fight between mobs in sight...

It was a cool little mish-mash of RTS and lite-RPG and didn’t really have any real management oppurtunities or features like the devs said it had, but that’s to be expected and it was fun nonetheless.

You started – in the main story – as a young associate in an Italian Mafia crime syndicate in some fictional city called Paradise City- so far, very generic. From there, you earn the Don of the syndicate’s trust and proceed through from extorting businesses and imtimidating street punks to exterminating enemy mobsters and even killing off enenmy bosses.

Your character will have to start out small, making his own ends meet until he rises up to become boss himself

After that, in “mysterious” circumstance (rubbish twists that you don’t expect but they had some quasi-decent writing to it, unlike most mish-mashes) your uncle – the Don – disappears and you’re left to take over the reins of the syndicate and expand and grow it until it becomes the most powerful in all of the districts of Paradise City. Until you get to the final district where you meet the creme da le creme of syndicates to fight and conquer.

Along the way, you have to kill your three brothers who mudered your fourth in cold blood but it doesn’t affect you too much apart from some dramatic “death in the family” music. The music was pretty amaturish but – surprisingly – never got annoying and got you into the mood- though how a Heavy Metal soundtrack fits a Mafia game is beyond me…

When the battles really start getting heated, the odd-placed Heavy Metal music actually keeps the battles flowing...

The graphics, although not the best at the time, were functional and passable but still quite “cold”. The gameplay mainly consisted early on of doing main missions for your uncle and then once you had a bit of extra cash: going on raids, extorting and taking over more businesses and suppliers, upgrading the weaponry of your entourage (which turn out to be your entire “family”) and killing off enemy bosses until you controlled the district. You could even marry and have kids to keep the family booming once you ascended to Don and had to “manage” – i.e. choose who to kill and trade with first – with other bosses.

Eventaully you'll be managing these "female adult entertainers" rather than just protect them from enemy soldiers

Overall, it was an average game that didn’t quite hit the mark but was a recommended for anyone who liked the Gangster genre at the time or needed something different to play while they waited for whatever games were coming out in 2004. It was a weird little game and has a special place in the anals of my gaming history – due to nostalgia – and I occasionally dig it out to play every now and then. And if you could get past the weird, half-and-half mix of 1930’s and 1990’s decor, vehicles, enviroment, businesses, people and weapons, you were set for a nice little bit of afternoon gaming. Maybe even two or possibly three afternoons you lil’mobster, you…

 Amir Mulner crime figure in court Monday Photo: Yaron Brener

Senior mob figure Amir Mulner, one of the suspects in the assassination of mafia chief Yaakov Alperon in late 2008, was convicted by the Tel Aviv District Court on Monday for conspiracy to commit a crime and possession of a gun and a silencer. FULL STORY

Mulner and 16 other suspects arrested in November 2008 during a police raid on a Ramat-Gan apartment were charged with four criminal offenses. Mulner denied the charges against him, but security camera footage showed beyond a reasonable doubt that he was involved in trying to conceal a semi-automatic 7.65-mm. Baretta gun loaded with eight bullets, as well as the silencer and 11 additional bullets, in an area behind the apartment.

Joseph “Uncle Joe” Ligambi

OK let me start off by saying, simply this: I do not know if I can be funny with this post. I will do my darndest to lighten things up, because this particular story covers some pretty serious shit

THIS IS MY ONE AND ONLY WARNING !!!

HOORS

DO NOT READ THIS FIC IF YOU ARE UPSET BY THE CONCEPT OF RAPE

YES

There is a rape in this story. HOWEVER, the rape is NOT the biggest part of the story. It is a small part of the story, AND it is vital to the plot of the story, and FITS with the characters their motivations and all that jazz…

SO WHY?? SUE ,WHY would uber PC Sue recommend a fic in which Edward rapes Bella ??

It is not for the pervy reason.

It is because this story is that damn good!!!

THIS Edward is an Edward you can hate and you do not feel like shit about it (So far). This Edward reminds me of the bad guy in Charmed. You remember he was the cute one!! Played the Devil, or something evil FUCKHAWT but still evil yeah…..(picturing fuckhawt evil guy right now give me a moment…ahhhh)

I personally feel that this particular fic has gotten a really bad wrap and I cannot let that happen!!!

NOPE, not on my watch!!! This is a good fic that can be enjoyed outside of the one small teeny tiny non PC portion of it…

DOES THAT MEAN THIS FIC IS FOR EVERYONE??

HELL NO!! Were you not paying attention to the Theme of Week??

OK, let me try to stop bullshitting, and maybe actually explain myself.

Things I like about this fic

1) Lee is upfront about there being rape in this story. That shit does not just sneak up on you. It is right there, top of the page you read this:
Warning: Rape is involved in one of the later chapters. It is not physically violent; it is more about one person’s absolute control over the other. But it is still rape so if this topic offends you, please stay away.

Myself, I find that damn awesome it warns you up front, no bullshit.

2) When she depicts this rape it is from the victims (Bella) POV. YUP inside Bella’s noggin. Now shocking as this may sound, I have read more than FF (IKR!!)…This depiction is well thought out, and goes with everything (I’ve read) that victims feel during a rape. Bella separates herself mentally from the actions. She FEELS guilty about her bodies responses. She rationalizes, AND SHE HATES HIM…YOU READ THAT RIGHT!!! Bella does NOT fall for him !! (yet)

(brave shit there LEE, BB thanks for that!)

3) This story is a mystery right from the first chapter. Seriously, you have no IDEA (at least I didn’t) WHY she is being kidnapped. WHY she is being taken. WHO IS SHE that she is so important??

SO SPOILER ALERT SPOILER ALERT ( I totes know this is too late, but tough shit!! It is my schtick and I am NOT gonna let THIS one get swiped!)

Bella, a teacher, living alone gets kidnapped by a mob guy (you all do know that I dig the Mob right cause GoodFellas is like my guilty pleasure movie. I got this thing for Ray Liotta and ….OK OK I will get back on topic) Edward, is the Mob guy who kidnaps her along with his gang his thugs.

The thugs beat her, because she put up a fight. So, she is unconscious when she is taken.
She wakes up in a room she does not know…. after some healing time (it is unknown at first how long that takes).

She finds out she is being held against her will, and she has a choice. Be treated as a guest, or a captive..AS a guest, she has to eat dinner with Edward every evening. She basically has the run of the house (with the exception of a few rooms) she cannot have contact with the outside world…

WHY is she being held captive? WHY was she taken?

Her estranged father is also a gangster boss guy, enemy of Edward

Confused yet??

WELL I AM NOT!!! I READ IT !!!

BWHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!

Sorry, could not resist.

SO LET’s allow Lee to tell me more and answer my questions !!

Where did you get the idea for this story?

Hmmm, it’s a combination of many things:

- My perverted mind that craves a very bad and hurt and cryptic and damaged Edward.

- My obsession with The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand. Howard Roark, the main character, forces himself on Dominique Francon, a woman who by no means is either weak or dumb; and the relationship develops into a very deep and passionate affair that goes beyond just that. Anyway, I always wondered if it were possible to begin a relationship in such a manner and have it grow from there. I seriously doubted I could pull it of, maybe I still do…

- Now, I originally wrote a draft of the story with a very different actor in mind and then let it dust in my laptop files. The GQ pictures of Robert Pattinson made me dug it up and rewrite it. BUT, I never intended to use RP as the character, he is too goofy and sweet and nervous, he could never have the cool demeanor needed in any respectable gangster. I have to agree with you there I do not see Rob as this bad gangster dude I see someone else entirely …. (Sue thinking now about bad dude from Charmed…whatshisname??..who cares…)

What was your inspiration?

I guess I’ve sort of answered in the previous question, but whenever I need further inspiration? I go to ROBsessed and drool for a while, that always gets the creative *ahem* juices flowing. AHHHH yes looking at the Robporn definitely gets the ..”creative” juices flowing

Is there anything you would want readers to know specifically?

The many references from Federico Garcia Lorca’s poetry, it’s a key factor for everything, I think. How Bella feels for Edward, both the longing and the pain and the unknown, her escape, her love for poetry and the fact that they share a love for his poetry in general. That book of poetry is very meaningful.

Why should readers read your story?
Now, that I really can’t answer. I wrote if for myself, and I posted it because I wanted to make sure I was not an absolute freak who needed to check herself into the cuckoo’s house. (If you cuckoo then so is Sue I do not know if you want to take that as a glowing reference or not…) Besides, what’s the point in keeping at writing if no one will ever read it? But I never expected the response I’ve gotten, it is so much more than I ever would have imagined or wished.

BTW just so you know I am not fond of your Edward right now I hope he does something to redeem himself!! I am curious about his motives for things but I cant really ask about that much.

I know this is not a question, but I really wanted to comment on this. Not liking Edward is part of the point of the story. I know it doesn’t make much sense, and that’s why I never considered him as the main character or writing from his point of view. He IS a pretty scary guy, and so it would be close to impossible to relate to him the way we can somehow relate to Bella.

He kidnaps Bella and almost has her killed in the process, he then holds her in his house against her will, rapes her and was apparently planning on killing her all along… he is no prince in shining armor. I guess that’s another exercise in writing I wanted to take on: how far can I go with a character without completely loosing my audience or his soul? Does he redeem himself? I don’t know, I guess you’ll have to tell me that in a couple of chapters. But he is not 100% bad, that much I can tell you, and I do hope that just like Bella, the reader can find it in themselves to eventually forgive him. He’s had it tough, I think that much is evident by chapter 11, agree?I do agree that he has at least earned some benefit of the doubt after chapter 11 his motives are more clear now and he does not look PURE evil it is now easier to ..not necessarily LIKE him but understand him

(thanks for doing this really!)

Seriously? It’s me who should thank you! As to why you’d like to interview me is beyond me

Lee hon Seriously WHY Rape? I know you have a reason and did not throw that in there just for the sake of having it be there can you tell us WHY this is integral to your plot or do we have to wait for that info to be revealed?

All right, I’ll answer as best as I can. It’s integral to the plot because otherwise, seriously, it would have been too easy for Bella to fall in love with Edward. The brutal way in which she was captured and the rape makes it oh-so-very-hard. Also, there are a couple of other semi-reasons:

1. I wanted a dangerous Edward, a REALLY dangerous Edward, someone who is very much walking the dark side.

2. I like redemption, I do. I loved the fact that Bella, the real character from the books, was always able to look past the fact that these creatures were vampires and had each done their fair deal of horrible things, and STILL love them.

3. Again, The Fountainhead… yep, he forced himself on Dominique, how is it possible that it is still kinda hot? I can see why she would pursue him, perverted as I may be, I do.

Now, in case you are wondering, I did NOT do it just for the sake of being controversial. Had I wanted to just piss people off, I would not have given as many warnings as I did. I get so many reviews saying “well that wasn’t so bad, I expected much worse from your avalanche of warnings”, and I’m glad I seem to be scaring off the people I may offend. Really, that is not my intention.

I BTW loved the way you treated it in here as the violent atrocious act that it is

It’s important that the reader does not forget how terrible Edward can be, and it is also important to remember that rape is rape is rape. This IS fantasy, I seriously doubt any sane relationship could develop from a situation like this. Also, this is why I needed the characters to not be ‘normal’, or at least not have a ‘normal’ upbringing. It’s the kind of situation one might actually see happening among creatures of the under-world.

Was it Edwards Motive to fall for her and get her to fall for him or was that a screw up?

The screw up was the fact that he’s always been in love with her… I think. That’s where his plan went astray. Now, did he want for her to fall in love with him? Maybe not as far as love, but crave him, grow obsessed with him.

WILL we see EPOV soon?

EVERYONE begs for an EPOV, it is only a handful of readers that beg me NOT to do it. I never for a second considered writing this from his pov. Can you imagine his thoughts before he rapes her? While? After might actually be enlightening, but everything else would just make everyone hate him, and there is no way they would ever forgive him, I think. His mind is too twisted with pain, the whole thing from his pov would just be hell. Now, every day I grow more fond of the idea of an epilogue from his pov. A short one, but still.

Lastly, I don’t even think I have the talent to write him well! It would take a certain amount of skill to have such a horrible main character and have the reader still relate and sympathize with him. I couldn’t do it.

Do you believe in HEA?

If you want a one word answer, the answer is: no. Now, don’t throw anything sharp at me just yet. Let me explain. I don’t believe in HEA in the sense that I don’t believe anything could ever, or should ever, be perfect. I do believe in ying and yang, and so for one person to experience happiness, they have to experience pain. Yes, sorry, I do believe that. Will my characters live happily ever after, fuck no! But they will find great joy in many things…so no puppies kittens and Rainbows WOOOOHOOO thanks!

Does Bella really love him or is this a Stockholm Syndrome thing I mean he had her for like 4 months!

Have you ever had a dog? I know, I’m not trying to insult either dogs or humans, but how long did it take you to grow attached to it? A day? A week? Given the opportunity, you can grow attached to anyone, you don’t need Stockholm Syndrome for that. And in very canon fashion to the Edward / Bella dynamic, they are meant for each other, lock them up in the same house for a certain period of time, and they’ll end up looking at each other with doe eyes.

Now, the rational part of the brain is more difficult to convince, Bella needs to fight these feelings for a while, she owes it to herself, her sanity and her pride. And so does Edward, how can he love someone that came from the person he hates the most?

If you see throughout the story, these two have a great deal in common: they love reading and poetry, they love music, horse back riding, good food, culture… wow, they are kind of snobs, aren’t they? Told you- meant for each other. Had they met under ‘normal’ circumstances, they would have hit it off right away. That perhaps is what keeps this from being a solely SS relationship.

OH and A Q from another long time fan Molls

Will he attack her (BTW this was consensual sex) at the table again THAT shit was HAWT!!

LOL! You have NO idea how much I want these two to have sex again. That is one thing they are awesome at! Sex will come (pun intended), but Edward needs to mend first…

________________________________________

DAYUMMM!!!

NOW Lee does not think she is funny and while I KNOW she can be. We are again talking about some seriously unfunny stuff….

HOWEVER, LEE is an extremely intelligent woman who writes her well thought out story with grace. SO IF you, like me, can overlook a violent act which is NOT meant in any way to be anything about love cause it is not (and remember like drugs and slavery IT HAPPENS IRL no laws seem able to stop it!).

I loved interviewing Lee she is awesome funny fun to chat with I feel like I made me a new friend!! And I need all the hoors I can get!!

SO GIVE IT A CHANCE!!!  Love it, hate it, whatever, drop me or Lee a line!! We would LOVE to hear from you. ALSO remember if you hate it be CONSTRUCTIVE not hateful authors get really persnickety when people start pouring on the haterade SO don’t.

_________________________________________

OK
NOW
ONTO THE POLL

We are having TONS of fun with that thing I tells you! and are getting LOADS of votes
The POLLS WILL CLOSE…
Thursday MIDNIGHT central time

SO vote vote vote!!!!

THE lovely fantastical Molls and I got great plans for our Bullshitting session for Friday

AND I am already thinking for next week.
I am leaning towards one of two directions:

Tattwards…OR Period Fics …I loves the period Fics

but Tattwards are SOOOOO HAWT

It’s a tossup really.

So, it’s early morning at the moment – but I have something dwelling on my mind. Throughout the early hours of the morning I heard what sounded like gun-shots and sirens. Even now this early in the morning I’ve been hearing sirens at least every 20 minutes…

What the fuck, lol.

 Victor Pierce was shot in his car in Bay Street, Port Melbourne on May 1, 2002.

A niece of slain gangland figure Victor Peirce faces jail for stabbing and punching her partner’s aunt in a jealous rage, a court has heard.

Renae Peirce, 30, pleaded guilty in the County Court today to one count of intentionally causing serious injury over the attack earlier this year.

The court heard Peirce’s girlfriend, Candice Jones, and her aunt had returned to Ms Jones’ Carlton flat after a day out together on January 22.

Peirce, who sometimes stayed at the flat, was waiting for the pair near a lift, prosecutor John Dickie told the court.

She started shouting at Ms Jones, thinking that she had gone away because some of her clothes were missing from a wardrobe, Mr Dickie said.

The court heard that Peirce started punching Ms Jones’ aunt, who realised that she had been stabbed after seeing blood on  her shirt.

 READ More  Adrian Lowe writes

Donna De Cesare, a native of New York, has covered the spread of LA gang culture to Central America in the 90s. She is regarded as an expert on the issues of youth identity and gang violence and has won many an accolade for her documentary photography of Latin America.

Thanks to @NatDrive for the link!