Archives of articles

[.:Mephistopheles:.]

just some extra info about the last article (Sicilian Execution)
the shotgun was commonly called Lupara and it has since been associated with the mob
also the term "don" of a mafia family comes from movies,books and generally non-fiction.actual crime bosses didnt use the term.not often at least or the old ones

[cristian28]

That is correct =)
The reason why I wrote Don was to make it more clear for everybody else.

[cristian28]

Sicilian Execution

   Sicilian execution was the most popular killing method when the mob wanted to eliminate somebody. It’s made with a sawn-off shotgun. Modern version of it is with any gun, preferably with a handgun, but the principle remains the same. There’s a line what goes in front of the murder and it goes like: „Don (whatever name) sends his regards.” In many cases it was made and still is done in public and the reason is quite simple. The people roundabout the victim would have heard the message and it started to spread.
All the great mafiosos who had screwed up and caused a family member getting killed or sent to prison are still being executed. The mob moto was this, „We don’t kill people for fun, we’re not gangsters, we’re businessmen, but if someone steps on our way, we liquidate them.” And that is the reason why everyone on the streets feared and respected the mafia. Nowadays gangsters are just being feared, not respected. The interesting part of the mafia comes down to the code of mafia. Starting with the executions, family hierarchies up to omerta code. All that is structured in a very interesting way, which for many of us seems to be very bizzard. Example, if a family was in a war with another family. They whacked eachother members, taking down the heads first to weak the structure, but when they killed someone important, they had a funureal (Sicilian style of course) where BOTH of the families met, they ONLY spoke good about the person and did not discuss anything about business or war, neither they didn’t show any hate against eachother. A spectator could think that the two Dons are the best friends. After funureal they were in war again.
Mafia is one of the complexed organization which works on a very simple formula, if you follow the formula, then you’re all good. And the formula is:
1. Respect
2. Do your duties


And that’s really that simple. I might make a series of articles about the Mafia system, but only if YOU guys want it! =)

Writer: .:JesusFreak:.
Editor in Chief: .:JesusFreak:.

[cristian28]

14 Reasons why the world isn't the same anymore

   I know that I'm a bit late with this type of article, but it's still really good to get to know what 14 things changed the World in the last decade. Gonna keep it short in the introduction and just get on to the topic, because the article this week is rather long, but yet very interesting.

1. Wikipedia
   You can love or hate Wikipedia. Teachers and professors can send hate mail to Wikimedia Foundation in San Francisco, CA, but it won’t change the fact that people love Wikipedia and yes, (oh dear!), they also actually believe it! There is no other similar database where you can find the same amount of information about a cell or Justin Bieber. In addition, the fact that Wikipedia is created by regular people is just stunning. Maybe Wikipedia will be proclaimed the 8th Wonder of the World for the co-operation of so many human beings. But until then, we can all enjoy it and donate money to it so that the miracle will last.

2. Wireless

   Wireless Internet is a commonplace thing, and maybe some will find it surprising that it hasn’t always been this way. Ten years ago it wasn’t possible to be with your laptop in a random public place and stay connected to the Internet. The newer Mobile Internet revolution will eventually banish the wireless, but wireless will still remain as one of the biggest breakthroughs of the last decade.

3. Say goodbye to 'regular' computers
   Ten years ago laptops where luxury products. All the money went into the PC market, and it usually meant a white or gray box for which you had to MAKE extra space in your home. Luckily those times have passed. The general name of "Computer" is meant more and more often to be a laptop. An item that used to be really expensive and owned only by the rich it is now a popular, affordable, everyday product.

4. Social networks
   Social networks have created a completely unique environment that didn’t exist 10 years ago. Web clubs, forums, chat rooms, and even games like MafiaKings almost didn’t exist and if they did, they were only meant for a very limited group of people. Orkut opened the doors for the first real global social-network and later Facebook conquered the whole world. If Facebook was a country, it would be the third largest by population, following China and India with more than 500,000,000 ACTIVE users.

5. Disappearing portable music players
   Sony started a revolution in the beginning of 1980 by bringing the first almost comfortable portable music players to market. Cassette players like the Walkman. Shortly thereafter, there were portable CD-players and then MP3 players. It seemed like carrying music couldn’t get any easier, but it did. The breaking point was the year 2005 when phones started to play music. Why carry several devices when you can manage with one?

6. Youtube
   When Jawed Karim on the 23rd of April 2005 uploaded a video, "Me at the zoo", to his brand new site named youtube.com, he most likely couldn't even imagine what he had accomplished. Within a single year, YouTube grew into the world's biggest audio and video creation and hosting organism. Some live by the principle, "If youre not on YouTube, then you don't exist at all.”

7. Skype
   Skype brought a revolution to phone companies and changed the meaning of calling a person. Skype was invented by three young man from Estonia and due to its simplicity, it grew into a globally used program. Calling from one side of the world to another doesn't kill your wallet anymore, because with Skype you can do it for free from computer to computer. If you want to call to a regular phone, you'll still pay almost nothing.

8. Browser became a tool
   In the year 2000 the browser was not needed to do your work. If you had a computer with a browser, then you would surf around entertainment sites and perhaps have a calender. Now many tools have moved to web and works with the browsers. Companies have realized that its easier to work with web based programs rather than install a program on every employee's computer.

9. Web stores and virtual trading
   Amazon and E-bay already existed in the years 1994 and 1995, but the web stores' real global expansion only took place a few years ago. They have changed the face of trading. Sellers don't have to build showrooms or warehouses anymore and buyers don't have to wander around in them. It's easier to find the items you desire on the Internet. You can buy pizza, toilet paper, tanks and even fighter jets on Internet. Boxed software and games are almost pointless already.

10. Files have moved to Internet
   Five or six years ago blank CD's & DVD's where hot stuff, because with them you could get stuff from your friends and you could backup your hard-drive to it. Nowadays you don't go to your friend's place with a blank CD or DVD, but you simply ask for a link from him. Even storing up your stuff is easier now using memory sticks, external hard-drives, and DVD's.

11. Linux fail
   A lot of expectations placed in Linux, but Linux didn't manage to attract a lot of home users nor to fulfill any other expectation. Instead, the major competitor to Windows was the more reliable and robust Mac OS.

12. Apple
   In 2001, if you would have saved $2,000 and invested it in Apple stock instead of buying a new Mac, you would now have $30,000. It has been that meteoric rise in Apple stock on Wall Street that reflects the real truth, and that is that the last decade was dominated by Apple. iPod and iTunes closed down many record stores, and the iPhone alone has broken through the mobile Internet revolution, and, finally, iPad created a new fashion on the market and streets.

13. Big screen TVs at home and in 3D!!
   It wasn't long ago when people couldn't understand why you needed a big screen TV to watch a TV show. Now people are desperately grabbing 42 inches, 50 inches and even bigger HD-TVs.

14. MMORPG
   Finally we get to this one. In the early part of 2001 a new world was born called RuneScape. It wasn’t much of a success at the beginning. But it kept growing. An even greater start followed a game called World of Warcraft, which was created on the 23rd November 2004. After WoW, MMORPGs have grabbed millions of people who spend more time in a virtual world and spend more money than in real life. Your world changed on Friday July 11, 2008 when Mark Donello released his new game called MafiaKings. It has held its name ever since it was created.

Writer: .:JesusFreak:.
Corrector: DaNoze
Editor in Chief: .:JesusFreak:.

[cristian28]

For those of you who are unaware, there are still mafia organizations existing in our very sight, in addition to the "ghetto gangsters". Some of them have much more power than the "ghetto gangsters" and are well known, while some are just wannabes formed out of groups of criminals. I’m going to bring out three of the known mafia organizations and describe their actions a little. The groups consist of the Sicilian mafia, the Russian mafia, and the US mafia (originally an offshoot of the Sicilian mafia). I am well aware there are quite a few more not as well known mafia groups in the world than the previously mentioned three, like the Yakuza, the Triad, and the Albanian Mafia among others, but I wanted to single the three out due their differences.

The first group I want to talk about is the Russian mafia. It is mainly active in Russia and the former Soviet Union areas, but has expanded to extensive operations in Israel and the United States. The description of the Russian mafia structure is quite basic. In addition to having consiglieres, underbosses and so on; it has five gangs that form a part of this organization. What makes the Russian mafia special is that in addition to getting income from drug trafficking, smuggling, and similar activities, they work with the Arabs and facilitate cyber crimes. The Russian mafia has an extensive and expanding presence in the cyber world. They recognized a lot of businesses and banks operate online, making it easier to rob them and not leave any trace.

The American mafia has changed from its origins. If you think the mafia is similar to what you see in "The Godfather" or "Scarface", you’re completely wrong. It is more similar to "Scarface" than "The Godfather", but it is still completely different. The American mafia works primarily in the northeastern through southeastern United States, New York through Chicago and south to Florida. The major sources of income of the American mafia are drug trafficking, murder, counterfeiting, illegal gambling, and prostitution. There is nothing really special in these crimes; they are just a more largely organized crime group. Still the American mafia has one thing different than the other mafias. Illegal gambling. Thanks to the US laws, you can’t gamble in most states.

Finally, let's mention the Sicilian mafia, one organization that has kept its traditions and values over time. They don’t deal with drugs that much as some other mafia groups do. Their main territory is everything south from Rome, Italy. In addition to being classy, the Sicilian mafia has a vast amount of control of the government in Italy. As an example, the previous prime minister of Italy, Berlusconi, was very co-operative with the mafia. His actions are one of the reasons why he has to pay massive fines to the current government. Because they are so ingrained in the government, if the mafia wants a law changed, it will, in most cases, happen. As another example, if the government had a huge building project to be done, the companies that will receive the job are the legal businesses of the mafia. The main reason the Sicilian mafia works so good is due to the fact that it has stood by its principles, mainly being as legitimate as possible, so the law doesn’t have much to act upon.

Writer: .:JesusFreak:.
Editor in Chief : .:JesusFreak:.
Proofreader: DaNoze

[cristian28]

Issue #17 (forgot to post it here before)

How did Mafia start?

A lot of you might wonder, "How did the mafia* start?" Or "What caused the beginning of Mafia era?". I will try to answer that question here tonight.
A bit off topic for a second. I noticed that the article I wrote in April, is still up. So I felt bad for the paper readers and decided to make a new one. Still not sure if I'm coming back to write more or not. But here's today's story.

Among the modern world, there is one popular word, for some bit more popular and intriguing than for others. Specially to us, who are reading this article right now. The word would be 'mafia'. Mafia is a criminal society that started out in Sicily, Italy. It occurred when a vast amount of landowners trusted the roguish 'security men' with their properties during the problems and ordeals that were the consequences of Napoleon's invasion of Italy. These 'security guards' were no less either as they terrorized and oppressed the peasantry and eventually dropped the bomb of their 'security strategies' on the landowners.

Their savage practices continued where only personal emolument mattered, while principles of morality and respect of law were never to be followed, since they didn't saw it necessary. This enabled the mafia to become even more powerful, not just in the country, but also in the town areas. Their power was so great, that even the government of Italy couldn't handle them.

This trend followed by the European emigration in the United States, where another mafia came into being during the last century, with the same principles of vengeance and vendetta, infiltration of society, coercion, corruption and protection rackets. Till this date, the mafia continues to thrive in nearly the entire world, despite of the strict execution of laws and legalization.

However, in this date, the mafia is far from what we're used to know it was. It's far from "The Godfather" movies or "Scarface". Scarface was relatively close of what is mafia, but it's not what it is now. Modern mafia controls the South-Italy. Even the politicians speak with the dons before approving some laws. Trafficking women and smuggling drugs is just one dirty side of modern mafia. What it wants to be, is a clean business. As they dreamed back in 1940s, the dream has not vanished. Some have succeeded it, for example the Russian businessman Roman Abramovich*. But the real action goes on in 'legal' business, that government hands to them. All the multimillion real estates that are being sold for lousy 1000 dollars or the state companies (State railroad, state gas and so on) to the mafia is the big and main income. Some who doesn't have that good connections with the government, tries their ways with hacking. Specially in Russia. Some who doesn't take measurements for getting power, uses all kinds of ways to get to the top. Even if it means killing somebody or some dozens or even more.

The biggest amount of mafia syndicates are located in Russia. The number of people involved are in hundreds of thousands, if not millions. Considering the population of little over 140million and all the policemen, politicians, boarder patrols, other government people and business owners that are somehow connected to the activity of the mafia. Have you ever wondered, why does the Russian police officers and boarder patrols live in a big mansions and why they die so often? Answer is simple. It's the mafia that smuggles stuff over boarder or doesn't want the police in their way. But if you step on their toes. Your life will remain very short.



Note:
1. Read more about mafia at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mafia
2. You can read Roman Abramovich early crime life in Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_Abramovich and you will see that he wasn't the cleanest when started, but pursued it.

Writer: .:JesusFreak:.
Editor in Chief: .:JesusFreak:.
Proofreader: DaNoze