Chicago Mob

2011-12-25T15:54:00.001-08:00

Best Mob Movie List

2011-12-01T10:09:00.001-08:00

The Godfather (1972) - Not only is it the best Mob movie of all time, it's one of the best movies period.

Goodfellas (1990) - Martin Scorcese at his best. Lost the Best Picture Oscar to Dances With Wolves. A winner in any other year.

The Godfather Part II (1974) - The only sequel to win a best picture Oscar. Yes, it's that good.

Donnie Brasco (1997) - Stars Al Pacino and Johnny Depp. Enough said!

Scarface (1983) - Brian DePalma's best film. By the way, Al Pacino would like you to meet his friend.

A History of Violence (2005) - A graphic illustration of what might have happened had Charles Manson visited Mayberry- only darker! William Hurt is phenomenal here.

The Departed (2006) - The question of whether a definitive list of Scorsese pictures will include The Departed has been answered. It's brilliant!

On the Waterfront (1954) - One of the best films of all time. Brando displays one of the best acting performances ever to be captured on film.

Reservoir Dogs (1992) - Quentin Tarantino's best film? Mr. Pink thinks so.

Casino (1995) - Another Scorcese Mob film. Not as good as Goodfellas, but still pretty damn good!

A Bronx Tale (1993) - DeNiro's directorial debut. And a fine debut it is. And he stars in the film too.

The Untouchables (1987) - Elliot Ness cleans up the Chicago underworld. Directed by Brian de Palma, written by David Mamet, starring Kevin Costner. How's that for firepower?

The Dark Knight (2008) - Heath Ledger's performance aside, it's just a great movie. Not really as much a superhero tale as it is a brilliant crime drama that happens to feature a superhero.

Carlito's Way (1993) - De Palma and Pacino sure know their way around a gangster flick!

Pulp Fiction (1994) - Tarantino's sophomore effort. No sophomore slump here! Style and verve that have been copied ever since.

Heat (1995) - The first time De Niro and Pacino acted together. Chemistry, chemistry, chemistry.

Jackie Brown (1997) - Another Tarantino classic. Hip, stylish and pure Tarantino!

Boondock Saints (1999) - Little known, but a huge cult classic.

Bonnie and Clyde (1967) - Not a Mafia movie, but a gangster flick nonetheless. One of the most controversial films of the 1960s. And there was a lot of controversy in the 60s! Towards the top of many "best films of all times" lists.

Miller's Crossing (1990) - Lust, vengeance, and Ireland! All the things that make a good Mob movie!

Analyze This (1998) - A change of pace for a gangster pic, but worth the look anyway. Good to see De Niro do levity.

The Sopranos (2000- 2007) - Sure, it's not a movie, but it's the best show on TV, so it deserves a mention here. Will unfortunately typecast Gandolfini to the point of unrecoverability.

Road to Perdition (2002) - A Sam Mendes masterpiece. It's a cold, brooding noir piece with violence, intrigue, style and of course the father son dynamic.

The Top 5 Most Corrupt U.S. Police Officers Of All-Time

2011-09-29T18:33:00.000-07:00

September 29, 2011

Police corruption is a major problem in the United States. Some police officers turn bad to make money through ripping off drug dealers and even dealing drugs themselves. Some try and cover up their own acts of brutality, murder and even torture. Police corruption happens in New York, Los Angeles, New Orleans and every major U.S. city and is conducted by officers of all races, creeds and colors.
Here is our list of the top 5 most corrupt U.S. police officers of all-time.

- Louis Eppolito and Stephen Caracappa -

5. Louis Eppolito and Stephen Caracappa

Louis Eppolito and Stephen Caracappa worked for the NYPD but in reality, they worked for the mafia. Caracappa was a member of the Organized Crime Homicide Unit investigating the very people he was working for.
The two former partners were taking orders for the Lucchese crime family and served as hitmen as well as moles in the NYPD. In 2006, Eppolito and Caracappa were convicted of racketeering, obstruction of justice, extortion and eight counts of murder and conspiracy.

- Joseph Miedzianowski -

4. Joseph Miedzianowski

Joseph Miedzianowski was a Chicago police officer labeled as the most corrupt cop. Miedzianowski served as both police officer and drug kingpin using his knowledge of the streets and gangs to shake down drug dealers.
For most of his 22-year career, Miedzianowski would run the Chicago Gangs Unit, while running his own drug gang at the same time. Miedzianowski would be convicted of 10 counts including drug conspiracy and racketeering in 2001.

- David Mack And Rafael Perez -

3. David Mack And Rafael Perez

David Mack and Rafael Perez worked together for the LAPD Rampart division, but also worked for Death Row Records and were members of the Bloods gang.
Mack would receive the LAPD Medal Of Honor for killing a drug dealer who allegedly pulled a gun on him. But he would also later be convicted of robbing a bank and be implicated in the murder of rapper, Notorious BIG.
Perez shot and framed an unarmed gang member during his tenure, and stole eight pounds of cocaine from an LAPD evidence locker.

- Jon Burge -

2. Jon Burge

Jon Burge is a former Chicago Police Department detective who oversaw the torture of hundreds of Black men resulting in false confessions between 1972 and 1991.
Burge would burn suspects with radiators and cigarettes, and electrocute their testicles.
Although Burge was protected by the statute of limitations for his crimes, he was convicted for lying about the torture in January of this year.

- Robert Gisevius, Kenneth Bowen, and Anthony Villavaso -

1. Robert Gisevius, Kenneth Bowen, and Anthony Villavaso

Robert Gisevius, Kenneth Bowen, and Anthony Villavaso were members of the New Orleans police department during Hurricane Katrina. They were charged with first degree murder for killing seventeen-year-old James Brissette who was innocent and unarmed during Hurricane Katrina on the Danzinger bridge. Brisette was simply looking for shelter in the Hurricane and cops pounced on him.
Bowen, Gisevius, Faulcon, Villavaso were found guilty of falsifying reports and false prosecution in the conspiracy to cover-up the shooting and may face the death penalty.

Source: newsone.com

Tony Spilotro Chicago Perp Walk

2011-09-04T13:18:00.000-07:00

Operation Family Secrets

2011-08-05T18:18:00.000-07:00

Operation Family Secrets was an FBI investigation of mob related crimes in Chicago. According to the FBI it was one of the most successful investigations of organized crime done by the FBI ever.^[1] The investigation and trial was accurately dubbed "Family Secrets" because of the betrayal within the Calabrese family. The son, Frank Calabrese, Jr., and brother, Nick Calabrese, of a Chicago Outfit mob hit man, Frank Calabrese, Sr. provided testimony that was instrumental to the success of Operation Family Secrets. The investigation led to indictments of 14 defendants affiliated with the Chicago Outfit, which has been one of the most prolific organized crime enterprises in the United States.^[2] The most heinous of their crimes investigated were the 18 murders and one attempted murder that took place over the span between the years 1970 and 1986. All of the murders and other crimes being charged to the defendants were allegedly committed to further the Outfit's illegal activities such as loansharking, bookmaking and protecting the enterprise from law enforcement. Operation Family Secrets was a milestone in the FBI's battle against organized crime in the city of Chicago that will have a significant effect on the operations of the Chicago Outfit, but it did not end the Outfit's reign in Chicago. The FBI and local law enforcement agencies will continue their efforts to eradicate organized crime in Chicago.^[3]

[hide]

[edit] Murder Table

The following list is of the murders committed as objectives of the Chicago Outfit that were investigated in Operation Family Secrets.^[4]
Date of Murder	Killer(s)	Victim(s)	Location of Murder
August, 1970	Frank Calabrese, Sr.	Michael "Hambone" Albergo	Chicago, Illinois
September 27, 1974	Joseph Lombardo and Frank Schweihs	Daniel Siefert	Bensenville, Illinois
June 24, 1976	Frank Calabrese, Sr.	Paul Haggerty	Chicago, Illinois
March 15, 1977	Frank Calabrese, Sr.	Henry Cosentino	Chicago, Illinois
January 16, 1978	Frank Calabrese, Sr.	John Mendell	Chicago, Illinois
January 31, 1978	Frank Calabrese, Sr.	Donald Renno and Vincent Moretti	Cicero, Illinois
July 2, 1980	Frank Calabrese, Sr.	William Dauber and Charlette Dauber	Will County, Illinois
December 30, 1980	Frank Calabrese, Sr.	William Petrocelli	Cicero, Illinois
June 24, 1981	Frank Calabrese, Sr.	Michael Cagnoni	DuPage County, Illinois
September 13, 1981	James Marcello	Nicholas D'Andrea	Chicago Heights, Illinois
April 24, 1982	James Marcello and Frank Calabrese, Sr.	Individual A	Lake County, Illinois
July 23, 1983	Frank Calabrese, Sr.	Richard D. Ortiz and Arthur Morawski	Cicero, Illinois
June 6, 1986	Frank Schweihs and Paul Schiro	Emil Vaci	Phoenix, Arizona
June 14, 1986	James Marcello	Anthony Spilotro and Michael Spilotro	DuPage County, Illinois
September 14, 1986	Nicholas Calabrese and Frank Calabrese, Sr.	John Fecarotta	Chicago, Illinois

[edit] The Investigation

[edit] Frank, Jr.'s Letter to the FBI

The investigation began on July 27, 1998 when Frank Calabrese, Jr. wrote a letter to the FBI saying he wanted help put his father in jail. The letter was sent without warning from the federal correctional facility in Milan, Michigan where both Frank Jr. and Sr, were incarcerated since 1995 when four members of the Calabrese family had been sentenced for collecting juice loans and racketeering an auto repair business. In his letter Frank Jr. requested a face-to-face meeting in which he planned to give the FBI information about his father's crimes, business of the Chicago Outfit street crews, and the murder of John Fecorotta.^[5] Frank Jr.'s letter read, "This is no game. I feel I have to help keep this sick man locked up forever."^[6] Frank, Jr. and his father had rough patches in their relationship over the years. Frank, Jr. had stolen hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash from his father which he blew away on a cocaine addiction and a bad business decision.^[7] In the wake of his son's disloyalty, Frank Sr. allegedly forced a gun to his son's head and threatened to kill him.^[8] This and many other instances of Frank, Sr.'s abuse and poor fathering of his sons contributed to Frank, Jr.'s desire to help the FBI bring him down for hard time. Frank Calabrese, Jr. volunteered to record conversations he had with his father while they were imprisoned. Frank Jr. wore a pair of headphones around his neck that the FBI fitted with hidden a microphone to record conversation between the father and son. It was not difficult for Frank Jr. to direct his conversations in the prison courtyard and recreational facilities with his father towards information that would benefit the FBI's quickly assembling investigation. Frank Sr. would tell his son in a bragging manner about criminal activities of his past.

[edit] Nick Calabrese's Cooperation with Federal Agents

Federal agents Michael Maseth, Tom Bourgeois, and Michael Hartnett were assigned to the investigation. They began to put together pieces of information on the Fecarotta murder. Frank Sr. spoke nervously to his son about a pair of gloves that were mistakenly left on the scene of the Fecorotta murder by his brother Nick Calabrese. Frank Sr. knew the gloves were enough evidence to convict his brother for murder and he feared that his brother would turn on the Outfit in order to receive a lighter sentencing. The FBI took this information and reopened the unsolved Fecoratta case. Agents Bourgeois and Hartnett went to visit Nick Calabrese who they had put in jail a few years earlier to pursue him as the suspect in the Fecarotta murder case. When the investigation team had a sample of DNA taken from Nick, Nick's vulnerability became apparent. With his DNA matching that of the gloves used in the Fecarotta murder Nick Calabrese knew he was going down and was willing to betray the criminal organization he belonged to along with his brother. Nick cooperated with the FBI for months by giving depositions about the murders that he witnessed, took part in, and was told about. He also gave the government key information about how the Chicago Outfit operated.

[edit] The Trial

The FBI turned in a 43-page indictment that was created by the Family Secrets investigation in April 2005. Operation Family Secrets was unprecedented for the fact that it named the entire Chicago Outfit as a criminal enterprise. Assistant United States Attorneys T. Markus Funk, Mitchell Mars and John Scully would represent a the United States in the case. After more than two years, in June 2007 the Family Secrets trial began. Judge James Zagel would hear the case. The evidence was presented between June 28, 2007 and August 8, 2007. The trial included testimony from more than 125 witnesses and over 200 pieces of evidence.^[9] For Calabrese Sr., James Marcello, Joseph “The Clown” Lombardo, Paul “The Indian” Schiro, and Anthony “Twan” Doyle who the five main defendants the trial ended on August 30. The five men were found guilty on all counts for conspiracy and criminal acts of racketeering. Of the other nine defendants six plead guilty, two died before trial (Frank Saladino and Michael Ricci), and lastly Frank "The German" Schweihs was too ill to stand trial.^[10]

[edit] Sentencing

"Joey the Clown" Lombardo, 80; Frank Calabrese, Sr., 71; and James Marcello, 66, were all sentenced the maximum penalty of life in prison for their convictions which included murder.^[11] After admitting his contribution in 14 murders, Nick Calabrese was sentenced to only 12 years in prison, a light punishment rewarded because of unprecedented cooperation. Anthony Doyle, 64, and Paul Schiro, 71, were the only defendants who were not convicted of murder. The Family Secrets trial was a spectacle that added to the reputation for mob history that the city of Chicago has held for a long time.

Beefers and Rat Snitches

2011-06-30T10:31:00.000-07:00

Listing of the Mob Rats, Snitches and Beefers

Richard Cain
(Sam Giancana's former driver)
His role in Cook County Sheriff's History

John Christopher (Operation Silver Shovel)

Robert Cooley (Operation Gambat)

Salvatore "Sammy The Bull" Gravano
(beefed on New York's Gambino Family Boss John "The Dapper Don" Gotti)

Henry Hill (Goodfellas fame)

Joseph "Joe Dogs" Iannuzzi
Florida member of the Gambino Family

William "B.J." Jahoda (Cicero, Illinois)
See Ernest Rocco Infelise

Angelo Lonardo
Cleveland Underboss & Snitch

Philip Leonetti
(Philadelphia/Atlantic City Mob)

Michael Raymond

Terry Salem
(Las Vegas Mob pal & rat)

Louis Shumway
Al Capone Accountant & Snitch

Joseph Valachi
Genovese Soldier who turned on his bosses in 1963

Anthony Accardo

2011-05-07T01:18:00.001-07:00

Birth:	Apr. 28, 1906
Death:	May 22, 1992
Organized Crime Figure. Born in Chicago, Illinois in 1906, he joined the city's organized crime family, the "Outfit," during the late 1920s. He served under three bosses (Alphonse Capone, Frank Nitti, and Paul Ricca), before becoming the boss himself. He expanded the Outfit's influence to most of the western states, eventually succeeding in allowing the Outfit total independence from the eastern mobs which had their own ruling commission and territories. Anthony Accardo, who was also known as the "Big Tuna," ruled the family from approximately 1943 until 1957, when he abdicated leadership to his underboss, Sam (Momo) Giancana. When Giancana went to prison in 1965, he returned to full control untiL the early 1970s, when his new underboss Joseph Aiuppa took the reigns - always with his supervision. His years on the Chicago throne were remarkable by their brutality and bloodshed, particularly on violators of the drug ban enforced in the city. He, unlike other mob bosses throughout history, was serious about this rule. When the Chicago leadership was decimated by Las Vegas casino skimming convictions in the mid-1980s, he returned to the fold and reinstated a new administration, remaining in the background to survey their management. When he passed away in 1992, the family he had turned into a vast army of money-making killers was a shell of its former self.

Noteable Mob Hits

2011-04-09T09:39:00.001-07:00

Big Jim Colosimo -- killed in his own cafe at 22nd and Wabash Avenue on May 11, 1920. Colosimo was then the top mob boss of Chicago. His death, believed ordered by underlings Al Capone and Johnny Torrio, Colosimo's nephew, made way for Capone's rise as Chicago's number one mobster. Colosimo ha dbrought Torrio and Capone to Chicago from New York. The FBI believes Colosimo was set up for the murder by a friend and guard, Big Jim O'Leary, with help from Torrio. O'Leary is the son of the Mrs. O'Leary whose cow is believed to have knocked down a lantern that started the famous Chicago Fire many years before. Colosimo was waiting at his restaurant with O'Leary alegedly preparing for a business meeting. The unknown gunman, believed to be Capone, fired two shots from behind a glass-paneled telephone booth, hitting Colosimo in the head once. See Genesis of Organized Crime in Chicago.

Dion "Deanie" O'Bannion -- The North Chicago gang boss was murdered in October, 1926 outside Holy name Cathedral, 735 N. States Street.

St. Valentine's Day Massacre -- Seven members of the Bugs Moran gang were gunned down allegedly by members of the Capone Gang. Capone was vacationing in Florida when the gunmen, preceded by three men dressed in Chicago Police Uniform, lined up the seven victims against the wall of this garage at 2122 N. Clark Street on Feb. 14, 1929. As the police stepped back, the two gunmen walked from behind and unloaded their machine guns into the backs of the unsuspecting Moran gang members. One of the men was the car mechanic employed at the garage. Capone's real target was George "Bugs" Moran, who happened upon the garage late, as the killers, wearing police uniforms, walked into the garage. Six of the victims died immediately, a seventh, Frank Gusenberg, lived for a few hours, declaring on his dying breath, "Coppers done it."

Jake Lingle -- He was a mob controlled reporter who worked at the Chicago Tribune, shot dead on June 9, 1930 in the Illinois Central Station at Randolph and Michigan Avenue. Lingle was owned by Chicago's Al Capone, working openly on his payroll while working for the Tribune. Lingle had once bragged, "I fixed the price of beer in this town!" Capone could put up with Lingle's boasts and flamboyance, but not his treachery. Lingle had taken $50,000 from Capone to influence a dog track operation, but never delivered. Capone had given Lingle a diamond studded belt buckle he was wearing when he body was found. Said Capone, "Jake was a dear friend of mine."

Machine Gun Jack McGurn -- He was Capone's chief hitman, one of two people identified as a triggerman in the St. Valentine's Day Massacre. He was gunned down himself at a bowling alley in February 13, 1936 on Milwaukee Avenue. Although he had once built a career as a nightclub owner and one of Capone's toughest killers, McGurn found himself penniless and abandoned. Although many suspected the hit was ordered by Capone, who felt McGurn had become a liability, the two killers are believed to have beenr emnants of the old Moran gang, who placed a comic Valentine in the victim's left hand that read: "You've lost your job; You've lost your dough; Your jewels and handsome houses. But things could be worse,y ou know. You haven't lost your trousers."

Richard Cain -- He served dual roles as an informant for the FBI and as a corrupt Chicago Cop working for the mob. He was killed in a sandwich shop at 1117 W. grand Avenue., on Dec. 20, 1973. A pair of unknown assailants had walked into the sandwich shop and blew away Cain's face in a hail of gunfire. A third gunman was stationed outside the shop communicating with a walkie talkie on guard for a potential surprise police bust.

Sam Giancana -- Certainly not the highest ranking member of the mob killed by his own mob family. But Giancana, who ran Chicago for years until his relations with a famous Vegas showgirl made him into a liability for the mob, was the highest ranking Chicago mobster murdered, killed in the basement of his home in Oak Park on June 19, 1975, most likely by someone he had known and had trusted as a close friend. Giancana had been exiled by the US government to a South American republic and had just returned to the states. Giancana had invited his killer into his home. He was murdered as he was frying sausage and preparing dinner for himself and his guest.

Allen Dorfman -- A crooked insurance executive, he was gunned down by his mob associates as he walked to his car outside a Lincolnwood hotel parking lot on Jan. 21, 1983. The mob was fearfull that Dorfman, sought as a witness by an FBI grand jury probe of organized crime and mob infiltration of Las Vegas, would "beef."

Anthony and Michael Spilotro -- Tony "The Ant" Spilotro was the mob's man in Las Vegas. His and the body of his brother Michael were found buried in a cornfield in Indiana on June 23, 1986. Spilotro's hit was reputedly ordered by Ferriola during a meeting at the Czech Restaurant that included Ernest Rocco Infelise and other mob leaders. The Chicago Laborers District Council Trusteeship Hearings transcripts revealed that Albert Tocco and Dominic Palermo of Laborers local 5 in Chicago Heights, (McGough's local) was in on the hit, depicted gruesomely in the movie "Casino". Tocco's wife "Betty" had to pick him up near the crime scene at a public phone booth. He had to use the phone to call her for a ride home after his accomplices left him in the corn field when they fled the burial scene. See Agent Pecoraro testimony in Chicago Laborers District Council Trusteeship hearings. With friends like that, who needs enemies. "Betty", a reliable informant, later led FBI agents to the phone booth and related what she was told happened.

Cermak's House...Historic Landmark

2011-02-27T15:17:00.000-08:00

Houses have histories, and the American Foursquare at 2348 S. Millard is connected to the only foreign-born mayor in Chicago history.

The 2 1/2 -story home was the residence of Anton Cermak from 1923 until his death in 1933. State officials said Wednesday that the National Park Service has placed the home on the National Register of Historic Places.

“This house is the only remaining structure that is closely associated with Mayor Cermak, and it is where he lived during the most important years of his political career,” said Jan Grimes, director of the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency, which runs the national register program in the state.

Understanding the potential of ethnic and racial voting coalitions, Cermak is credited with creating the Democratic Machine that ruled local politics for more than 50 years. Cermak was an alderman, Cook County Board president and Cook County Democratic chairman before he was elected mayor in 1931.

Records show his former home has been owned for years by Martha Miranda and Albert Vazquez. They could not be reached for comment.

The Lawndale home’s recognition as a historic site makes the owners eligible for tax incentives and grants for renovations. It is not a guarantee against demolition.

Cermak was born in 1873 in the current Czech Republic and came to Chicago with his parents a year later. His foreign birth was an issue in the mayoral race, with incumbent “Big Bill” Thompson making fun of his name and humble origins, calling him “Pushcart Tony.”

Cermak replied, “It’s true I didn’t come over on the Mayflower, but I came over as soon as I could.”

Cermak died in 1933 from an assassin’s bullet fired as the mayor was shaking hands with President-elect Franklin Delano Roosevelt in Miami. Cermak had rankled the Chicago mob as mayor, but gunman Giuseppe Zangara said his target was FDR, who was unhurt........Lol

Chicago Beef...Mob Style

2011-02-16T18:45:00.001-08:00

YOU WANTED THE RECIPE ?? HERE IT IS.............
The Italian beef sandwich is serious business in Chicago. We're not fooling around here. Everyone has their favorite place. Once people make up there mind that's it. There's no changing it.

Let's separate the favorites by territory. Taylor Street has Al's No. 1 Italian Beef, Elmwood Park has Johnnie's Beef, River North has Mr. Beef, Buona Beef in Berwyne and Max's Famous Italian Beef on North Western Ave., AND my FAVE Frannies in Schiller Park, just to name a few.Where I come from many of us grew up with Al's. After trying all the rest Al's still remains my favorite.
Now that I touched on the legendary Chicago Italian beef sandwich lets get to my not so famous recipe. You can try it at home. It's good and you'll enjoy it but don't even tell me the ones I mentioned are better, I'm sure they are. They've been making them a lot longer than I have.
Still I guarantee this Italian beef sandwich will be one of the best home recipes you'll make.

INGREDIENTS

5 pound rump roast

6 cloves of garlic chopped fine

1 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp of dried basil

1 tsp of dried thyme

1 onion slice

2 cups of beef broth

1/2 cup of red wine

1/2 cup of water

1 tsp fresh ground black pepper

1 tsp salt

3 red and green bell peppers

Italian Rolls

PREPARATION

Mix garlic, oregano, basil, thyme, salt and pepper.

Rub mixture into beef. Massage it thoroughly. Like you're on a date.

Place the beef in a large plastic bag and add 1 cup of broth, wine and onion.

Let marinate in the refrigerator for about 4 hours or overnight.

Heat oven to 350 degrees

Place roast in a roasting pan and pour the marinade over the roast.

Add the remaining broth and water.

Roast with no lid for about 2 to 2 1/2 hours turning once within that time.

Remove roast and let stand till cool. Reserve juice.

Slice beef thin on a meat slicer. If you don't have a slicer, get one. You'll use it for a lot more things than roast beef.

Place beef in juice.

Cut peppers into slices and saute in oil until done.Slice your rolls and pile on that juicy beef. Add sweet peppers or giardinera and eat. Don't forget those napkins. In the summer, try this recipe on a grill. Oh my goodness!

Little Italy Chicago

2011-01-23T10:12:00.001-08:00

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Exterior view (in 1909) of the storefront office of P. Schiavone & Son, bankers and steamship agents, located at 925 South Halsted Street.Little Italy is located in the Near West Side community area of the city of Chicago, Illinois. It encompasses a 12 block stretch of Taylor Street east of Ashland Avenue and the streets to the north and south for several blocks in each direction. The neighborhood lies between the Illinois Medical District to the west and the University of Illinois at Chicago to the east. It is a neighborhood of strongly Italian influence.

Little Italy never had a concentration of Italian-Americans that constituted a majority.[1] Other ethnicities have always been present in the area known as "Little Italy."[2] Nonetheless, the neighborhood was given its name due to the strong influence of Italians and Italian culture on the neighborhood throughout the 19th and 20th century.

Though the Italian population declined throughout the late 20th century, many Italian restaurants and groceries remain in the formerly prominent Taylor Street corridor.[3] The neighborhood also hosts the National Italian American Sports Hall of Fame as well as the historic Roman Catholic churches Our Lady of Pompeii, Notre Dame de Chicago, and Holy Family 1940s to present Italians began arriving in Chicago in the 1850s in small numbers. By 1880, there were 1,357 Italians in the city.[4] By the 1920s, Italian cookery became one of the most popular ethnic cuisines in America, spawning many successful bakeries and restaurants—some of which prospered for generations and continue to influence the Chicago dining scene today.[3] By 1927, Italians owned 500 grocery stores, 257 restaurants, 240 pastry shops, and numerous other food related businesses that were concentrated in the Italian neighborhoods.[3] One success story is that of the Gonnella Baking Company, Chicago’s largest producer of Italian bread and rolls.[5]

The immigration of Italians accelerated throughout the late 19th century and into the early 20th century. Chicago's foreign-born Italian population was 16,008 in 1900 and peaked at 73,960 in 1930.[4] The largest area of settlement was the Taylor Street area, but there were also 20 other significant Italian enclaves throughout the city and suburbs.

1940s to present
Following World War II, several developments hindered the cohesion of the community. The construction of the Eisenhower Expressway and the University of Illinois at Chicago Medical district forced many to move. The establishment of the Circle Campus of UIC in the 1960s by Mayor Richard J. Daley further dispersed the community. During the construction of the 100-acre UIC campus, 200 businesses and 800 homes were bulldozed in Little Italy, with 5,000 residents displaced.[6]

By the end of the 20th century, Little Italy was one of many formerly high-profile elements of the city’s geography that had become a mere shadow of itself.[7] Few long-time residents are left in the community. Census data for the Taylor Street Little Italy tract showed only 1,280 people reporting Italian as their primary ancestry in 1990. In 2000, the number was 1,018.[8] However, Chicago’s foodways continue to rely on their roots in the intimate neighborhood cuisines, including cuisine from the surviving Italian restaurants in the formerly prominent Taylor Street corridor.[3]

Recent gentrification
Rents in the area have risen in the past few decades due to an influx of condominiums, townhouses, and the proximity of Little Italy to UIC and the Loop. An example of this gentrification: in the 1990 census, no homes in the Little Italy sample area were reported to be worth more than $400,000. By contrast, according to the 2000 census, 62 homes were reportedly worth more than $500,000, and 13 of those were worth at least $1 million.[8].

Landmarks
Two of the more significant landmarks of Little Italy were the Catholic churches of Our Lady of Pompeii and Holy Guardian Angel founded by Mother Cabrini.[9] Holy Guardian Angel was the first Italian congregation in Chicago. The parish was established in 1898, and the church was built on Arthington Street in 1899. Due to the burgeoning population, a second major Italian church, Our Lady of Pompeii, was founded in 1911.[10] The Holy Guardian Angel Church was razed for the construction of the expressway system.[11] The Our Lady of Pompeii Church is now a the Shrine of Our Lady of Pompeii.

Hull House, Jane Addams' settlement house known for its social and educational programs was also located within the Little Italy area.

In recent years, the National Italian American Sports Hall of Fame (founded in 1977 in Elmwood Park, Illinois) was relocated to a new building in Little Italy.

Other "Little Italies" in Chicago

A three story apartment house and a one story dwelling in Little Hell in September 1902.Several other areas in Chicago had significant Italian populations aside from Taylor Street, which has popularly been known as Chicago's "Little Italy."

Little Sicily or "Little Hell"
In the 22nd Ward on the city's Near North Side, a Sicilian enclave known alternately as "Little Sicily" and "Little Hell" was established in an area formerly populated by Scandinavians.[12] It was considered the most colorful Italian neighborhood,[9] and was home to 20,000 Italians by 1920.[9] However, the neighborhood no longer exists today due to the construction of the Cabrini-Green public housing projects on the site during and after WWII. By the mid 1960s, the rising violent crime rate and other social problems that came as a result of the housing projects caused an exodus of many of the original inhabitants of the area.[12]

"Heart of Italy"
On the city's South Side, a community centered on 24th and Oakley called "Heart of Italy" or "Little Tuscany" is composed mostly of Northern Italian immigrants. This neighborhood is home to the yearly Festa Pasta Vino, an Italian food and wine festival that claims to be "Chicago’s largest celebration of Italian culture".[13]

References
^ a b Grinnell, Max. "Encyclopedia of Chicago "Little Italy"". Chicago Historical Society. Retrieved on 2007-02-07.
^ Binford, Henry C., "Multicentered Chicago", The Encyclopedia of Chicago, p. 548-9, Eds. Grossman, James R., Keating, Ann Durkin, and Reiff, Janice L., 2004, The University of Chicago Press, ISBN 0-226-31015-9
^ a b c d Poe, Tracy N., "Foodways", The Encyclopedia of Chicago, p. 308-9, Eds. Grossman, James R., Keating, Ann Durkin, and Reiff, Janice L., 2004, The University of Chicago Press, ISBN 0-226-31015-9
^ a b Vecoli, Rodolph J., "Italians", The Encyclopedia of Chicago, Eds. Grossman, James R., Keating, Ann Durkin, and Reiff, Janice L., 2004, The University of Chicago Press, ISBN 0-226-31015-9
^ Kraig, Bruce, "Food Processing", The Encyclopedia of Chicago, p. 304, Eds. Grossman, James R., Keating, Ann Durkin, and Reiff, Janice L., 2004, The University of Chicago Press, ISBN 0-226-31015-9
^ Leroux, Charles, "Cold Shoulder: UIC and its neighborhood are thriving but the two have yet to embrace", Chicago Tribune, September 25, 1991.
^ Binford, Henry C., "Multicentered Chicago", The Encyclopedia of Chicago, p. 552, Eds. Grossman, James R., Keating, Ann Durkin, and Reiff, Janice L., 2004, The University of Chicago Press, ISBN 0-226-31015-9
^ a b Paolini, Matthew and Craig Tiede, "Economic upswing in Little Italy comes with a price" Medill News Service. December 1, 2005.
^ a b c Candeloro, Dominic (2006). "[http://www.virtualitalia.com/ch/chicago_italians1.shtml chicago's italians immigrants, ethnics, achievers, 1850-1985 - part 1]". virtualitalia.com. Retrieved on 2007-04-19.
^ Candeloro, Dominic Lawrence Chicago's Italians: Immigrants, Ethnics, Americans p. 24
^ Candeloro, Dominic (2006). "[http://www.virtualitalia.com/ch/chicago_italians2.shtml chicago's italians immigrants, ethnics, achievers, 1850-1985 - part 2]". virtualitalia.com. Retrieved on 2007-04-19.
^ a b Seligman, Amanda, "Cabrini-Green", The Encyclopedia of Chicago, Eds. Grossman, James R., Keating, Ann Durkin, and Reiff, Janice L., 2004, The University of Chicago Press, ISBN 0-226-31015-9
^ "Chicago's Festa Pasta Vino". Retrieved on 2007-02-08.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Happy New Year

2010-12-26T21:33:00.001-08:00

May The Year 2011 Bring for You Happiness,Success and filled with Peace,Hope & Togetherness of your Family & Friends....Wishing You a...*HAPPY NEW YEAR*

Happy Holiday's

2010-11-29T16:29:00.000-08:00

We're thinking of you this time of year,
Wishing you happiness, joy, and cheer.
May all your days be warm and bright,
And your nights enhanced by holiday light.

Enjoy your delectable holiday foods,
As parties and gifts create holiday moods.
Favorite people play a meaningful part,
While treasured rituals warm your heart.

You are special to us in many ways,
So we wish you Happy Holidays!

Sam Giancana

2010-10-23T16:41:00.000-07:00

Gilorma (Sam) Giancana was born in Chicago on 24th May, 1908. At the age of ten he was expelled from Reese Elementary School and was sent to St. Charles Reformatory. This did not have the desired effect and in 1921 joined the 42 Gang. Over the next few years he was arrested for a variety of different offences.

In 1926 Giancana was arrested for murder. However, charges were dropped after the key witness was murdered. He was later sent to prison for theft and burglary. On his release he went to work for leading gangster Paul Ricca. By the 1950s Giancana was one of the leading crime bosses in Chicago.

In 1960 Giancana was involved in talks with Allen W. Dulles, the director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), about the possibility of murdering Fidel Castro. It is claimed that during the 1960 presidential election Giancana used his influence in Illinois to help John F. Kennedy defeat Richard Nixon. The two men, at that time, shared the same girlfriend, Judith Campbell Exner.

After becoming president John F. Kennedy appointed his brother, Robert Kennedy, as U.S. Attorney General. The two men worked closely together on a wide variety of issues including the attempt to tackle organized crime. One of their prime targets was to get Giancana arrested.

On 22nd November, 1963, President Kennedy was assassinated. Rumours began to circulate that Giancana and other gang bosses such as Santos Trafficante, Carlos Marcello, and Johnny Roselli, were involved in the crime.

In 1975 Frank Church and his Select Committee to Study Governmental Operations with Respect to Intelligence Activities discovered that Judith Campbell had been involved with both Giancana and John F. Kennedy. It emerged that during the 1960 presidential election Campbell took messages from Giancana to Kennedy. Campbell later claimed these messages concerned the plans to murder Fidel Castro. Kennedy also began an affair with Campbell and used her as a courier to carry sealed envelopes to Giancana. He told her they contained "intelligence material" concerning the plot to kill Castro.

Giancana was now ordered to appear before Church's committee. However, before he could appear, on 19th June, 1975, Sam Giancana was murdered in his own home. He had a massive wound in the back of the head. He had also been shot six times in a circle around the mouth.

On 14th January, 1992, the New York Post claimed that Hoffa, Santos Trafficante and Carlos Marcello had all been involved in the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. Frank Ragano was quoted as saying that at the beginning of 1963 Hoffa had told him to take a message to Trafficante and Marcello concerning a plan to kill Kennedy. When the meeting took place at the Royal Orleans Hotel, Ragano told the men: "You won't believe what Hoffa wants me to tell you. Jimmy wants you to kill the president." He reported that both men gave the impression that they intended to carry out this order.

In 1992 Giancana's nephew published Double Cross: The Story of the Man Who Controlled America. The book attempted to establish that Giancana had rigged the 1960 Presidential election vote in Cook County on John Kennedy's behalf, which effectively gave Kennedy the election. It is argued that Kennedy reneged on the deal and therefore Giancana had him killed.

In his autobiography, Mob Lawyer (1994) (co-written with journalist Selwyn Raab) Frank Ragano added that in July, 1963, he was once again sent to New Orleans by Hoffa to meet Santos Trafficante and Carlos Marcello concerning plans to kill President John F. Kennedy. When Kennedy was killed Hoffa apparently said to Ragano: "I told you could do it. I'll never forget what Carlos and Santos did for me." He added: "This means Bobby is out as Attorney General". Marcello later told Ragano: "When you see Jimmy (Hoffa), you tell him he owes me and he owes me big."

I think some of these story's must have been written by Aesop's fables
Nobody loves a good fairy tale more than the feds

Mario's Italian Lemonade...A Mob Favorite !

2010-09-12T09:58:00.001-07:00

Neighborhood:
Little Italy/
University Village 1068 W. Taylor St.
Chicago, IL 60607

Mario's Italian lemonade has the consistency of a Slurpee and is like store-bought Italian ices, ''only better,'' promises Dorothy DiPaolo, the current owner's mother. Mario's ices consist of chilled slushlike lemonade, fruit and syrups in various flavors including fruit cocktail, pina colada, chocolate and banana. Lemon is the No. 1 flavor. DiPaolo opened the business in the '50s with her late husband, Mario. The wooden stand is Italian green, white and red, sprouting from the front of a brick rowhouse next door to Jamoch's Caffe. DiPaolo says that when she and her husband opened their stand, there were many stands and pushcarts in the neighborhood. Over the years, most have disappeared. She says customers from many years ago who went to nearby St. Ignatius come back and bring their children. Mario's also sells snacks including snowballs, seeds and nuts, lupini beans, dried chickpeas and candy.

If You Marry A Chicago Girl....

2010-08-29T10:16:00.000-07:00

Three friends married women from different parts of the country.....

The first man married a woman from Utah . He told her that she was to do the dishes and house cleaning. It took a couple of days, but on the third day, he came home to see a clean house and dishes washed and put away.

The second man married a woman from California . He gave his wife orders that she was to do all the cleaning, dishes and the cooking. The first day he didn't see any results, but the next day he saw it was better. By the third day, he saw his house was clean, the dishes were done, and there was a huge dinner on the table.

The third man married a girl from Chicago . He ordered her to keep the house cleaned, dishes washed, lawn mowed, laundry washed, and hot meals on the table for every meal. He said the first day he didn't see anything, the second day he didn't see anything but by the third day, some of the swelling had gone down and he could see a little out of his left eye, and his arm was healed enough that he could fix himself a sandwich and load the dishwasher. He still has some difficulty when he pees.

The Obedient Italian Wife!

2010-08-17T17:56:00.000-07:00

There was an Italian immigrant man who had worked all his life, had saved all of his money, and was a real "miser" when it came to his money.

Just before he died, he said to his Italian wife..."When I die, I want you to take all my money and put it in the casket with me. I want to take my money to the after life with me."

And so he got his wife to promise him, with all of her heart, that when he died, she would put all of the money into the casket with him.

Well, he died. He was stretched out in the casket, his wife was sitting there - dressed in black, (what else), and her best friend was sitting next to her.

When they finished the ceremony, and just before the undertaker got ready to close the casket, the wife said, "Wait just a moment!"

She had a small metal box with her; she came overwith the box and put it in the casket.

Then the undertaker locked the casket down and they rolled it away. So her friend said, "Girl, I know you were not fool enough to put all that money in there with your husband."

The loyal wife replied, "Listen, I'm an Italian Catholic & I cannot go back on my word. I promised him that I was going to put that money in the casket with him.."

You mean to tell me you put that money in the casket with him??"

"I sure did," said the wife. "I got it all together, put it into my account, I wrote him a check.... If he can cash it, then he can spend it." AMEN!

CIAO TUTTI

Snitches..Beefers..and Rats !!

2010-08-03T20:29:00.001-07:00

Listing of the Mob Rats, Snitches and Beefers

Richard Cain
(Sam Giancana's former driver)
His role in Cook County Sheriff's History

John Christopher (Operation Silver Shovel)

Robert Cooley (Operation Gambat)

Salvatore "Sammy The Bull" Gravano
(beefed on New York's Gambino Family Boss John "The Dapper Don" Gotti)

Henry Hill (Goodfellas fame)

Joseph "Joe Dogs" Iannuzzi
Florida member of the Gambino Family

William "B.J." Jahoda (Cicero, Illinois)
See Ernest Rocco Infelise

Angelo Lonardo
Cleveland Underboss & Snitch

Philip Leonetti
(Philadelphia/Atlantic City Mob)

Michael Raymond

Terry Salem
(Las Vegas Mob pal & rat)

Louis Shumway
Al Capone Accountant & Snitch

Joseph Valachi
Genovese Soldier who turned on his bosses in 1963

Allan Sherman - Hello Muddah Hello Faddah (1963)

2010-07-15T19:58:00.000-07:00

Making Chicago Outfit

2010-07-12T17:27:00.001-07:00

How six recent Columbia College grads got Hollywood muscle to help them make their mob movie

Chris Charles says he warned his star up front: "But I don't think it really registered till his first day of shooting in downtown Chicago."

Charles had cast Frank Vincent as the lead in Chicago Overcoat, an independent drama that will receive its world premiere Saturday, October 10, at the Chicago International Film Festival. Known almost exclusively for playing gangsters—including New York crime boss Phil Leotardo on The Sopranos and Billy Batts, who ends up in a trunk in Goodfellas—Vincent, 70, got to the set in October 2007 and realized that most of the crew were in their early 20s. "He's looking around like, 'Where'd all these kids come from?'" says Charles, who's now 25.

Chicago Overcoat was the first full-length feature produced by Beverly Ridge Pictures, a company formed in 2005 by six Columbia College film students, including Charles. Writer-director Brian Caunter, now 26, and writer-producer John Bosher, now 25, developed a sideline producing promotional and music videos while roommates at Columbia. Their "booty video," as Caunter calls it, for Joe Glass & IROC's "Two" got heavy rotation on BET Uncut in 2004. The next year, Caunter and Bosher joined forces with Charles, Philip Plowden, Kevin Moss, and William Maursky to form Beverly Ridge, named after Moss's far-south-side neighborhood. "The name sounds Hollywood, but it's also kind of Chicago," Caunter explains. They used Givens Castle, a Beverly landmark, as their logo. Charles directed Beverly Ridge's first production, a short adaptation of the Ray Bradbury short story "The Small Assassin."

In 2006 the six friends worked on a low-budget thriller called The Devil's Dominoes, directed by Scott Prestin, owner of the now-defunct Wicker Park bar Ginbucks. "We realized from that experience that we were more prepared than we thought to make a feature," Charles says. They were all fans of gangster films and figured they could make one without incurring a lot of extra production costs by taking advantage of Chicago locations.

"For months all we had was a title," says Caunter. His grandmother in Ohio had suggested "Chicago Overcoat," Prohibition-era slang for a coffin. The Family Secrets mob trials were in the headlines at the time and wound up providing inspiration for the screenplay.

Vincent plays Lou Marazano, an old hit man for the Chicago Outfit, who accepts his first contract in years—going after witnesses in a union pension-fund embezzlement case—to finance his Vegas retirement. Another Goodfellas vet, Mike Starr, is the underboss who exploits Marazano's money troubles. Another Sopranos alum, Kathrine Narducci, plays Marazano's old flame and alibi. Armand Assante plays the jailed boss facing trial. Chicago-based actor Danny Goldring is the alcoholic detective who's been chasing Marazano since the 1980s. And Stacy Keach does a cameo as a retired investigator pulled off the case when he got too close to city corruption.

"We were huge fans of The Sopranos," Caunter says. "We decided to write the script with Frank Vincent in mind so when he read it he'd feel like the main character is Frank Vincent. His book A Guy's Guide to Being a Man's Man was our character outline." The partners figured that "if we could create roles from scratch for celebrities, knowing they'd want to play something different, something challenging, we'd have an easier time recruiting them," Charles says. "We usually see Frank as a high-rolling mobster, higher on the food chain. In this film he's very humbled, very flawed, taking orders from guys younger than him."

Charles got the script to Vincent's people, and Vincent responded even though it came from unknowns in flyover country. "What appealed to me was the sensitivity of playing the softer side of a mob guy," Vincent says, "a guy who's not in control, who's looking to get the control." Vincent says he met a lot of mafiosi while touring as a drummer for Del Shannon and Paul Anka in the 1960s, helping him perfect a persona he's portrayed in Scorsese masterpieces and B movies alike. "They all have a way of looking at you, of intimidating you," Vincent says. "They're all evil. I can give a look or a stare that people read as evil."

Caunter and Charles signed Vincent at a place called Goodfellas Ristorante near his New Jersey home. "Frank walked in in a jumpsuit with a gold chain, looking like he walked off the set of The Sopranos," Charles says.

Once Vincent signed on, the other leads followed. Joe Mantegna was cast as the detective but dropped out weeks before shooting to take a role on CBS's Criminal Minds. "That was tough," Charles says. "I'd worked very hard to cast Joe." Goldring, who played the last clown killed in the opening bank heist sequence of The Dark Knight, stepped in. "They're so young, but they really got the writing for old-timers down," Goldring says.

The mother of cinematographer Kevin Moss, JoAnne Moss, who runs a real estate title insurance firm, personally invested "hundreds of thousands of dollars" and helped raise the rest of the $2 million budget, according to a report in Crain's Chicago Business. "Originally it was a smaller film. But as we found some success attaching talent, the budget increased," Charles says. "The project just kept getting bigger."

The filmmakers' youth "concerned me, absolutely," Vincent says. "They were younger than my kids. I've never experienced that before in all the films I've done, such a young team. . . . I figured if they were going to screw up, they'd screw up right away. As we progressed into the shoot, it became clear that they really knew what they wanted, and that was enough to make me confident."

Caunter, who turned 24 during the shoot, says he felt like "a chicken with its head cut off. Most of the time you have no idea what's going on. You feel like the world is going to end. You shoot for 12 hours, you come home and feel like you failed. The next day you feel like you want to redeem yourself. I think that's what makes a good movie—the struggle. If everything went your way it might feel kind of washy. I never had that experience, so I don't know."

The biggest adjustment for Caunter was learning to adapt to each actor's approach. "Frank is quite easygoing," he says. "Armand is the polar opposite. Armand would scream obscenities at the top of his lungs before the take. That alone would scare half the set, and then we'd roll the camera."

"They turned me loose," says Goldring. "That can be a dangerous thing for any actor, but they also had the good sense to rein me in. I'm a passion merchant. Doing Chicago Overcoat allowed me to let my passions out. The [character] is . . . ornery. He likes to tip back a few. Even though I don't do that anymore, I can play one on TV."

Accusations of ethnic stereotyping have dogged many of Vincent's projects. Last spring, MillerCoors pulled a series of ads featuring Vincent and Starr as mobsters after complaints from the Order Sons of Italy in America. Chicago Overcoat is no exception. After principal photography wrapped in November 2007, Bosher got an e-mail from Bill Dal Cerro of the advocacy group Italic Institute of America. Dal Cerro wrote, "It saddens—and yes, sickens me—that you are reverting to the oldest game in the book in your quest for Hollywood fame: namely, stoking prejudice against Americans of Italian descent by producing yet another pointless Italian 'mob' movie."

"I told him they can't force us to stop making movies that people want to see," Bosher says. "They have to change people's minds." Let them protest, adds Vincent, who sells "mobbleheads" of his Goodfellas character on his Web site. "It'll do the movie good."

It's going to be tough to recover the $2 million budget in today's independent film market, which is arguably in a deeper slump than the rest of the economy. Todd Slater of LA-based Huntsman Entertainment is shopping the film to distributors. "We've had a lot of offers from smaller companies," Charles says. "We've been waiting patiently for the right buyer. We want an offer we can't refuse

Courtesy of Chicago Reader.com

Great book on Italian Heritage in Chicago

2010-06-11T15:59:00.001-07:00

The Book chronicles the lives of working Chicago Italians for 80 years through photography and text

For more than a century, Italian immigrants and their descendants contributed their labor and talent to building the city. Chicago Italians at Work focuses on a period from 1890 to 1970 when industry was king in this midwestern metropolis. Generations of Italians found work in companies such as U.S. Steel, Western Electric, Pullman, Crane, McCormick/Harvester, Hart Schaffner and Marx, and other large industrial corporations. Other Italians were self-employed as barbers, shoe workers, tailors, musicians, construction workers, and more. In many of these trades, Italians were predominant. A complex network of family enterprises also operated in the Chicago Italian community. Small shopkeepers generated work in food services and retail employment; some of these ma-and-pa operations grew into large, prosperous enterprises that survive today. Finally, Italians helped develop trade unions, which created long-term economic gains for all ethnic groups in Chicago. This book chronicles the labor and contributions of an urban ethnic community through historic photographs and text.

Author Peter Nicholas Pero is a teacher and writer. He has taught courses in labor studies for Roosevelt University and Prairie State College. Pero has published articles on workplace economics through travel in China, Japan, Costa Rica, and Brazil. He lives in Chicago's Little Italy and is a member of the city's Italian-American Labor Council.

To buy the book, visit www.arcadiapublishing.com

Know your from Chicago .....When....

2010-06-01T20:21:00.000-07:00

1. The "living room" was called the "front room."
2. You don't pronounce the "s" at the end of Illinois. You become irate at people who do.
3. You measure distance in minutes (especially "from the city"). And you swear everything is pretty much 1/2 hour away.
4. You have no problem spelling or pronouncing "Des Plaines."
5. You go to visit friends or family down south and laugh when they complain about the traffic.
6. You understand that no person from Chicago can be a Cub fan AND a White Sox fan.
7. It's "kitty corner" not "katty corner".
8. You know the difference between"The Loop"and "Downtown."
9. You eat your pizza in squares, not triangles, and you never refer to it as "pie"
10. You own celery salt.
11. You understand that the primary is the official local election.
12. You know what a garache-key is!
13. Stores don't have sacks, they have bags.
14. You end your sentences with an unnecessary preposition. Example: "Where's my coat at?" or "Can I go with?"
15. Your idea of a great tenderloin is when the meat is twice as big as the bun, "everything" is on it and a slice of dill pickle is on the side.
16. You carry jumper cables in your car.
17. You drink "pop."
18. You understand that I-290, I-90, I-94, and I-294 are all different roads.
19. You know the names of the interstates: Stevenson, Kennedy, Eisenhower, Dan Ryan, and the Eden's.
20. But you call the interstates "expressways."
21. You refer to anything South of I-80 as "Southern or Central Illinois."
22. You refer to Lake Michigan as "The Lake."
23. You refer to Chicago as "The City."
24. "The Super Bowl" refers to one specific game in January, 1986.
25. You have two favorite football teams: The Bears, and anyone who beats the Packers.
26. You buy "The Trib" and not the Tribune.
27. You know that despite being on the lake, there is no such place as the Waterfront.
28. You think 45 degrees is great weather to wash your car.
29. You picnic or ride your bike in the "fore st preserve."
30. You cried when Bozo was canceled on WGN.
31. You know what goes on a Chicago-style hot dog.
32. You know what Chicago Style Pizza REALLY is.
33. You know why they call Chicago "The Windy City."
34. You understand what "lake-effect" means.
35. You know the difference between Amtrak and Metra, and know at which station they end up.
37. You have ridden the "L."
38. You think your next-door neighbor is a cousin to Tony Soprano.
39. You can distinguish between the following area codes: 847, 630, 773, 708, 312, & 815.
40. You have at some time in your life used your furniture or a friend's body to guard your parking spot in winter.
41. You respond to the question "Where are you from?" with a "side." Example: "West Side," "South Side" or "North Side."
42. You know the phone number for Empire Carpet!

Congratulations Chicago Blackhawks

2010-05-23T19:51:00.001-07:00

I would like to take the time to congratulate the Chicago Blackhawks on making it to the Stanley Cup Finals after they swept the San Jose Sharks with a 4-2 win at the United Center earlier this afternoon. Just four more wins and they will become Champions for the first time since 1961 and for the fourth time in their history. They are a young team that plays like a veteran squad, and whether they meet up with the Montreal Canadiens or the Philadelphia Flyers from the East, they are my pick to win Lord Stanley's mug. To me, they just do not seem like they can be stopped.

Frannies Beef........Mobs Favorite Beef !!

2010-04-16T17:38:00.001-07:00

BEST BEEF SANDWICH IN CHICAGO !!!

Well every once in a while we have the rare opportunity to find a place that not only has Killer Chicago Hot Dogs, But Beef sandwiches to die for. Now being a long time patron of almost all Hot dog and Beef Joints, I have grown up on Johnnies Beef and later on Portillo's, Als Etc.Yea I know they have killer beefs BUT by far there is no better Italian Beef than FRANNIES BEEF anywhere. PERIOD... Now that I live in Arizona every chance I get to go home to Chicago for a visit, 1st stop Frannies !! Takes away all the craving for those fixes I miss Instantly, This great place Also has Chicago Hot Dogs 2nd to none.Now do we start with the MeatBall sandwiches or Sausage that any of us Italians know is the real deal, When I see some of these Morons talk about meatball from Subway I wanna crack em..These meatball or Sausage are what we grew up on Ya know like Grandma used to make, After the decision on what to eat the rest is easy.!! Finnish off this delight of a meal with there Fresh Homemade "Every Day" Italian Lemonade!! If only they had a room to rent, I would move in tomorrow,Sooo if you haven't been here its TIME because the best has obviously been saved to last for you.....On a scale of 1-10 I say 11.... Enjoy this is a place you will return often if not Daily.

Now if Catering is on your mind what haven't you payed attention to in this article. Lol They have you covered. And Im Talkin To You.........

Frannies Beef and Catering

4304 River Road

Schiller Park, IL

847-678-7771

Anthony Accardo

2010-04-09T22:43:00.000-07:00

Birth:	Apr. 28, 1906
Death:	May 22, 1992
Organized Crime Figure. Born in Chicago, Illinois in 1906, he joined the city's organized crime family, the "Outfit," during the late 1920s. He served under three bosses (Alphonse Capone, Frank Nitti, and Paul Ricca), before becoming the boss himself. He expanded the Outfit's influence to most of the western states, eventually succeeding in allowing the Outfit total independence from the eastern mobs which had their own ruling commission and territories. Anthony Accardo, who was also known as the "Big Tuna," ruled the family from approximately 1943 until 1957, when he abdicated leadership to his underboss, Sam (Momo) Giancana. When Giancana went to prison in 1965, he returned to full control untiL the early 1970s, when his new underboss Joseph Aiuppa took the reigns - always with his supervision. His years on the Chicago throne were remarkable by their brutality and bloodshed, particularly on violators of the drug ban enforced in the city. He, unlike other mob bosses throughout history, was serious about this rule. When the Chicago leadership was decimated by Las Vegas casino skimming convictions in the mid-1980s, he returned to the fold and reinstated a new administration, remaining in the background to survey their management. When he passed away in 1992, the family he had turned into a vast army of money-making killers was a shell of its former self.

Another Version...................... Family Secrets ???

2010-04-04T13:14:00.000-07:00

Even in Chicago, a city steeped in mob history and legend, the Family Secrets case was a true spectacle when it made it to court in 2007. A top mob boss, a reputed consigliere, and other high-profile members of the Chicago Outfit were accused in a total of eighteen gangland killings, revealing organized crime's ruthless grip on the city throughout the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s.

Painting a vivid picture of murder, courtroom drama, family loyalties and disloyalties, journalist Jeff Coen accurately portrays the Chicago Outfit's cold-blooded--and sometimes incompetent--killers and their crimes in the case that brought them down. In 1998 Frank Calabrese Jr. volunteered to wear a wire to gather evidence against his father, a vicious loan shark who strangled most of his victims with a rope before slitting their throats to ensure they were dead. Frank Jr. went after his uncle Nick as well, a calculating but sometimes bumbling hit man who would become one of the highest-ranking turncoats in mob history, admitting he helped strangle, stab, shoot, and bomb victims who got in the mob's way, and turning evidence against his brother Frank.

The Chicago courtroom took on the look and feel of a movie set as Chicago's most colorful mobsters and their equally flamboyant attorneys paraded through and performed: James "Jimmy Light" Marcello, the acting head of the Chicago mob; Joey "the Clown" Lombardo, one of Chicago's most eccentric mobsters; Paul "the Indian" Schiro; and a former Chicago police officer, Anthony "Twan" Doyle, among others.

Re-creating events from court transcripts, police records, interviews, and notes taken day after day as the story unfolded in court, Coen provides a riveting wide-angle view and one of the best accounts on record of the inner workings of the Chicago syndicate and its control over the city's streets.

Some Notable Mob Hits

2010-03-13T19:40:00.001-08:00

Chicago Mob 360 History

2010-03-07T12:13:00.000-08:00

The 1950s

During the 1950s, the Outfit was at the peak of its power. Supreme in Chicago, their gambling and vice activities included clubs and casinos on Rush Street (in the heart of the old North Side cabaret district), in Cicero and on the Strip in south suburban Calumet City, which was nationally renowned. Over time the mob’s vice activities had moved from outright prostitution to running striptease clubs, with the girls servicing the customers. Local gambling included the famous "Floating Crap Game", so-named because its location was changed regularly to avoid detection. Gamblers did not find it, instead they were ferried from downtown hotels by drivers to some nondescript location in the surrounding area.

But the Outfit’s biggest moves in the 1950s concerned casino gambling outside of Chicago. Chicago invested first in hotel casinos in user friendly Havana, Cuba. Although somewhat slow to jump in initially, they later went into Las Vegas in a big way and helped build the Vegas Strip. Beginning with the Stardust, by 1961 Chicago had major interests in the Riviera, the Fremont and the Desert Inn. Their Vegas holdings, partly in cooperation with Moe Dalitz, were overseen by John Roselli, while the submissive Teamsters Central States’ Pension Fund provided financing. The percentage for Chicago in Las Vegas was in skimming the casinos – making sure that significant winnings by the house were never counted as part of net income and that taxes on those amounts were never paid.

By definition, when an organization is at its peak, what follows is a decline. In the case of organized crime in Chicago it was caused primarily by the federal government, particularly the FB I. After the Apalachin meeting of the National Commission was exposed by a New York State Police raid in 1957, the Bureau instituted the Top Hoodlum Program and devoted massive resources to combating organized crime – just as Sam "Mooney" Giancana became Boss.

During the Accardo years, Sam Giancana had risen through the Outfit ranks. Accardo, recognizing him as someone with ideas when he brought the Numbers game to his attention, was Giancana’s sponsor when he was "made". Soon he was driver/bodyguard/lieutenant to Accardo, as indicated by the Chicago Police department line-up photo of the two of them in 1945. Accardo voluntarily stepped down from the day to day role of Boss in 1957, partly to lead a quieter life and partly in response to a federal probe of his income taxes, and Giancana succeeded him. But Accardo remained as the guy who Giancana reported to and who (along with Ricca) counseled him.

The Feds and the 1960s

The next decade was not kind to the Outfit. "Free love" cut into the action at their strip joints. Although it took the FBI several years to get up to speed, they quickly came to grips with the Chicago Mob. Bugs were planted in various places the Outfit used for meetings. Major Outfit guys were tailed, including the 24 hour surveillance of Giancana in 1963. Federal agents made Giancana lose his cool several times, including around his love interest, popular singer and entertainer Phyllis McGuire. They finally granted him immunity, forcing him to testify before a grand jury or be hit with contempt charges. Giancana refused to cooperate and was jailed for a year. Meanwhile, the Justice Department, under Robert Kennedy, made the first moves against corrupt labor unions, investigating the Mob dominated Teamsters Union and its national leader, Jimmy Hoffa, who was convicted of manipulating the pension fund in 1964.

Locally, Richard Ogilvie was elected Cook County Sheriff in 1962 and appointed incorruptible Chicago police officer Art Bilek as Chief of the Sheriff’s Police. For the first time in memory, the Sheriff’s Police conducted major raids on gambling games run by the Outfit, closing casinos, such as the Owl Club, all over the county. Even the Floating Crap game was hit by the Sheriffs’ Police, at a location in Cicero. At the same time, reformer O. W. Wilson was superintendent of the Chicago Police and no longer tolerated visible gambling and vice in the city. Importantly, Wilson decoupled the police department from politics, changing districts to no longer correspond with ward boundaries and centrally appointing district commanders rather than allowing the ward politicians to name them.

The pressure got to Giancana. His erratic behavior and his front page life style in return gave Ricca and Accardo fits. Thoroughly disgusted with Giancana, they deposed him in 1966 and elevated Sam "Teets" Battaglia, leader of the Battaglia-Carr gang in the early 1930s before joining the Outfit. Sam Giancana wisely left the country for Mexico and points beyond.

Battaglia was not at the helm long, however. The federal government practice of targeting the top man in the Outfit, which began with Giancana, turned the job of Boss into a revolving door. With prison on the other side of the door. Battaglia was jailed for racketeering in 1967 and replaced by Phil Alderisio, who was himself convicted in 1969. Long-time Accardo lieutenant Jackie Cerone succeeded Alderisio. In the years that followed, virtually every top mobster in Chicago, including everyone who sat in the boss’s chair, was convicted and jailed, with the exception of Tony Accardo.

A new activity for organized crime during the late 1960s was the "chop shop." The Outfit found a percentage in the wholesale theft of automobiles, by chopping them up and selling the untraceable parts rather than trying to move the entire car. This racket, centered in the South suburbs, was first subject to the street tax, with the mob later taking direct control of it.

Evolution in the 1970s and 1980s

Cerone was in turn convicted on gambling charges in May of 1970. In response to the dwindling supply of senior hoods, Accardo formed a threesome, including himself, Gus Alex and Joey Aiuppa, to run the Outfit, at least until Aiuppa was seasoned enough to be sole Boss. Within a few years Aiuppa held the reigns on his own.

The 1970s were tough on the Outfit from a business perspective. Off-track betting cut into their bookmaking operations. The state lottery cut into whatever action there was in numbers. And pressure on corrupt unions intensified.

Ethnic and political change also limited their opportunities in the city of Chicago. During most of the 1960s the Outfit was active, with the necessary political cover, in every part of the city. A side effect of the Civil Rights movement, however, was that minority groups elected new people to office who danced to a different tune. As neighborhoods changed, so did the Outfit’s ability to function in those areas. By the 1970s the Outfit’s activities were more focused on specific neighborhoods and suburbs where they had influence.

Another factor that hit organized crime was the changing nature of politics. During the 1960s, the old style, early 1900s, spittoon kicking, "I’m the boss and what I say goes" type of ward politician – who cooperated with the hoods because that was where the money was – was largely gone from the political landscape. The new, television covered, "servant of the people" type of politician was much less friendly to organized crime. Perhaps because the public was better informed about Mob activities and less tolerant of them.

Furthermore, the move into Las Vegas by legitimate operators, including large corporations, that started with Howard Hughes in the 1960s, resulted in the sale of many mob owned casinos. Law abiding individuals and corporations, because they had lower costs (relative to the hoods) due to operating efficiencies, found they could run the large Vegas casinos more profitably than the gangsters, even though they paid taxes on all their winnings. While they were able to cash out during this period rather than being forced out, this still changed the nature of the Outfit’s activities.

But the 1970s were not all bad. With increased interest in professional athletics, much of Mob bookmaking revolved around betting on pro sports, such as football and basketball. The clientele was mostly white and fairly white collar, as opposed to the traditional customers for the numbers or horse racing.

The 1970s also saw the demise of two major Chicago gangsters. Paul Ricca, who the government endlessly tried to deport (but no other country would take), died of natural causes in October of 1972. Sam Giancana, after returning to the U. S. in 1974, died of unnatural causes in the basement of his Oak Park home on June 19, 1975, after visiting with Dominic "Butch" Blasi.

During the 1980s, the Outfit’s business activities continued to evolve, while decreasing in size overall. Legal casino gaming cut into mob gambling of all types and by this decade the numbers, horse racing, slot machines and other traditional forms of illegal betting were largely a thing of the past. The Outfit was not completely but at least largely out of Las Vegas by the end of the decade, the process being hastened by federal indictments for skimming in Nevada. Video poker machines in bars, with the bartender paying winners in cash, and professional sports betting, which the Outfit quickly monopolized in the Chicago area, were the two main gambling activities. Juice loans and the related extortion were an ongoing activity, although labor racketeering was declining.

In 1983, for example, the Outfit was believed to be organized into five basic street crews (capos in parentheses) covering the North Side (Vince Solano), the South Suburbs (Albert Tocco), Chinatown (Angelo LaPietra), the West Side (Joey Lombardo) and the Western Suburbs (Joe Ferriola). A separate group, led by Tony Spilotro, oversaw their interests in Las Vegas. By 1990, the Outfit had six, much smaller crews: North Side, Chinatown, West Side, Western Suburbs, Grand Avenue and Lake County. Chris Petti was their man in Vegas, after Tony Spilotro and his brother Michael were found buried in 1986 in an Indiana corn field.

The decrease in the number of made members in Chicago was not necessarily a bad thing, although it did reflect a decrease in the scope and nature of their activities. It was also most likely a response to federal inroads and the power of the RICO statute. Less made guys, more associates, meant less guys who could cause real damage if they turned on the Outfit. In fact, to date only two higher level Chicago mobsters, and neither were major figures, have been publicly identified as federal informants: Ken Eto in the 1983 and Lenny Patrick in 1991.

Aiuppa remained at the top until he was convicted in a Vegas skimming case in 1986. Joe Ferriola replaced him and at Ferriola’s death in 1989, Sam Carlisi took over the position of Boss. In each case Accardo served as the Chairman of the Board.

The 1990s and Beyond

The 1990s saw the Outfit retrench itself around sports gambling and video poker machines. Gone was the old time gambling and Las Vegas, as well as most of the labor racketeering. Gone were the Strip in Cal City, bulldozed and redeveloped, and the joints in Cicero. Of course, they were ready to do anything that held a percentage for them, such as loot the town of Cicero (as charged in a recent indictment) or try to find a way into the legal casinos near the city.

But the Outfit became a shadow of its 1950s stature, with only three street crews in 1997. One covering the entire South Side and Southern suburbs (basically run from Chinatown), one handling the West Side and DuPage County and the third working the North Side, Elmwood Park and the north suburban Lake County areas. Recruiting grounds for future Mob members and associates include gangs of young thiefs and burglars centered in Elmwood Park and on the West Side.

Time also took its toll on mob leadership. Tony Accardo was removed, after providing leadership during six decades, from the scene by death in May 1992. Something the Feds or the local authorities were never able to do. Sam Carlisi was convicted in 1993, and was replaced around that time (or according to some accounts earlier) by John DiFronzo. Since the early 1990s, due to a multitude of successful federal prosecutions, the Outfit has again gone "underground", keeping an extremely low profile. This is reminiscent of how they responded to their top leadership being removed in the past -- either for income tax evasion or in the Browne-Bioff case. For years there were no likely Mob hits, at least until the1999 shooting of Ron Jarrett (who died in 2000). It was also rumored that street level mobsters were directed not to bother people who did not pay what they owed. Instead, they were instructed to cut them off from further betting or refuse to give them further loans.

Since about the mid-1990s even the best informed authorities have not been sure who was in charge or even if there was a central figure in Chicago. DiFronzo, Joey "the Clown" Lombardo and Joe "the Builder" Andriacci are the individuals most frequently named as Boss, Underboss or Consigliere (not necessarily in that order), but there have been a number of conflicting opinions on the subject. As this is being written, one local television station has reported that James Marcello, long-time Carlisi lieutenant who is currently in prison, is the new Boss!

With respect to narcotics, the Outfit had a long standing policy, formulated by Ricca and Accardo, that its members were not to traffic in drugs. Some defied this edict – and paid with their lives when they were found out. But most of the Outfit’s guys stayed away from the drug business. Only after Accardo’s death was this iron clad rule seemingly relaxed, with the leadership instituting a "don’t ask, don’t tell" policy. Trafficking in illegal drugs was no longer forbidden for made members, but whatever they did was outside of the Outfit, strictly free-lance. The Outfit washed its hands of the whole matter, not sharing in the profits, but also not taking any of the risks, including not helping members in legal trouble because of the drug trade. It is likely that some Outfit members have dealt in the wholesale end of the drug business, possibly bankrolling major purchases by street gangs and other dealers at the street level since 1992.

Despite the decline in its fortunes, which has happened to organized crime in all the major cities in the U. S., the Outfit is still around. They can still be found in their favorite haunts, but they have a much lower profile. However, the Outfit is ready to move any time it sees an angle for itself, as evidenced by the alleged misuse of public funds in Cicero. The Cicero case indicates that the more things change in Chicago organized crime, the more they stay the same. Something that would be appreciated by "Big Jim" Colosimo, who would certainly notice how similar the current Outfit is in its scope and structure to the gang he led before Prohibition.

The Italian Bank Robber...

2010-02-28T16:39:00.000-08:00

A hooded armed robber bursts into the Bank of Italy and

forces the tellers to load a sack full of cash.

On his way out the door with the loot, one brave Italian customer grabs the

hood and pulls it off revealing the robber's face.

The robber shoots the guy in the head without hesitation!

He then looks around the bank to see if anyone else has seen him.

One of the tellers is looking straight at him. The robber walks over

and calmly shoots him in the head.

Everyone by now is very scared and looking down at the floor.

"Dida anyone elsa see a my face?" calls the robber.

There follows a tense silence. Then an elderly Italian gent, looking

down, tentatively raises his hand and says:

"I tinka my wifa may have caughta glimpse"

Italain Wedding Story

2010-02-18T09:14:00.001-08:00

I was a very happy man. My wonderful girlfriend and I had been dating for over a year, and so we
Decided to get married. There was only one little thing bothering me...It was her beautiful younger sister.

My prospective sister-in-law was twenty-two, wore very
tight mini skirts, and generally was bra-less. She would regularly bend down when she was near
me, and I always got more than a nice view. It had to be deliberate. Because she never did it when she was near anyone else.

One day her 'little' sister called and asked me to come over to check the wedding invitations. She was
alone when I arrived, and she whispered to me that she
had feelings and desires for me that she couldn't overcome. She told me that she wanted me just once
before I got married and committed my life to her sister.

Well, I was in total shock, and couldn't say a word.

She said, 'I'm going upstairs to my bedroom, and if you want one last wild fling, just come up and get me.'

I was stunned and frozen in shock as I watched her go up the stairs. I stood there for a moment, then turned and made a beeline straight to the front door. I opened the door, and headed straight towards my car.

Lord... And behold, my entire future family was standing outside, all clapping!

With tears in his eyes, my father-in-law hugged me and said, 'We are very happy that you have passed our
little test. We couldn't ask for a better man for our daughter. Welcome to the family.'

And the moral of this story is:

Always keep your condoms in your car

Mario's Italian lemonade

2010-02-06T08:05:00.001-08:00

Joey Lombardo ...Another Unfair Verdict

2010-01-10T15:55:00.000-08:00

Well here's the story they are using, Some of us know the truth.........Convicted off "here-say" evidence from what I see.....Integrity is What The I means in Italian...Theres no I in Feds.....

Joey 'the Clown' Lombardo sentenced to life

A federal jury convicted Lombardo of racketeering conspiracy at the landmark Family Secrets trial in 2007 and found him responsible for the 1974 murder of Daniel Seifert weeks before he was to testify against Lombardo. The charges were dropped against Lombardo after the witness' murder.

Lombardo, now 80 and wearing an orange prison jumpsuit while seated in a wheelchair, had little reaction as prosecutors flashed Seifert family photos on a large screen in U.S. District Judge James Zagel's courtroom.

At times Lombardo leaned on the defense table with a grimace, as if he were having difficulty hearing the proceedings. But he quickly dispelled any notion he wasn't lucid when his lawyer told the judge that Lombardo had been incarcerated beginning in December 1983 for his conviction in a massive casino skimming case and the bribery of a U.S. senator. " '82," Lombardo corrected him loudly.

In a gravelly voice, Lombardo flatly denied being part of the masked hit team that ambushed Seifert at his plastics company in Bensenville, gunning him down as his son and wife Emma looked on in horror. "I'm sorry for their loss then; I'm sorry for their loss now," Lombardo said.

He marks the second mob boss since last week to be sentenced to life in prison. Frank Calabrese Sr. was convicted at the Family Secrets trial in connection with seven Outfit slayings.

The government, Lombardo said, hadn't put on a speck of evidence to prove he was involved in organized crime after he had served his time for the skimming and bribery conviction.

He had been released a decade later and lived quietly in Chicago until his arrest in the Family Secrets case, Lombardo said. After he was indicted in 2005 in the Family Secrets probe, Lombardo hid out for nearly nine months before the FBI captured him in a Chicago suburb.

"Now I suppose the court is going to sentence me to life in prison for something I didn't do," he complained.

Lombardo said he had an alibi, showing the judge paperwork that said he was at a police station reporting a stolen wallet at the time of Seifert's murder.

"It's right here," he said, shaking the document over his head.

Lombardo reported the theft at a police district led by William Hanhardt, who went on to become chief of detectives and was convicted of running a jewelry-heist ring connected to the Outfit.

Assistant U.S. Atty. Markus Funk urged Zagel to impose the maximum available sentence, saying Lombardo had a "certain callousness about these affairs" that didn't just come with the fact he is an old man who is comfortable in his own skin.

"Mr. Lombardo is . . . an Outfit boss with no remorse," Funk said of Lombardo, described by authorities as the longtime capo of the Grand Avenue street crew.

Seifert's two sons and widow testified at the hearing, and prosecutors played a collection of home movies set to the Beatles' "In My Life."

Another Seifert son, Nicholas, described troubled years after his father was killed and said his marriage dissolved in the stress of the 2007 trial.

Emma Seifert stood at the lectern in a black dress, recalling the terror that the slaying caused her family.

She said she could not find the words to explain what had happened to son Joseph, who had been named after Lombardo and witnessed the attack. She said she struggled to preserve Joseph's innocence when he hugged her at his father's funeral and announced: "Don't cry, Mommy. I don't think those men meant to hurt my daddy."

Lombardo's lawyer, Rick Halprin, raised a question of double jeopardy, saying his client had done time for loan-sharking, extortion and other wrongdoing that was a part of the Family Secrets prosecution. Halprin said there was no evidence to back up Emma Seifert's belief that Lombardo was one of the masked men who killed her husband.

Zagel was unmoved by Lombardo's claims of innocence.

The judge said the wisecracking mobster had done terrible things in his life and shown no regret, though he had displayed "some ability to charm people."

In the end, it's about our actions, Zagel said, "not about our wits and our smiles."

Happy New Year

2009-12-30T20:20:00.001-08:00

My wishes for you in year 2010

Great start for Jan,

Love for Feb,

Peace for march,

No worries for April

Fun for May,

Joy for June to Nov,

Happiness for Dec,

Have a lucky and wonderful 2010.

Mafia Christmas Humor

2009-12-19T15:59:00.000-08:00

A mafioso's son sits at his desk writing a Christmas list to Jesus. He first writes, "Dear baby Jesus, I have been a good boy the whole year, so I want a new..." He looks at it, then crumples it up into a ball and throws it away.
He gets out a new piece of paper and writes again, "Dear baby Jesus, I have been a good boy for most of the year, so I want a new..." He again looks at it with disgust and throws it away.
He then gets an idea. He goes into his mother's room, takes a statue of the Virgin Mary, puts it in the closet, and locks the door. He takes another piece of paper and writes, "Dear baby Jesus. If you ever want to see your mother again..."

Little Italy, Chicago

2009-12-07T19:32:00.001-08:00

Ya Know Your From Chicago When...................

2009-11-29T17:51:00.001-08:00

Mob Beefers

2009-11-22T13:10:00.001-08:00

"Dino"

2009-11-13T07:39:00.000-08:00

Just Music

The Buckinghams Chicago's Own

2009-11-11T19:39:00.000-08:00

The Buckinghams formed in 1965 when Carl Giammarese and Nick Fortuna of The Centuries joined up with Jon Jon Poulos and Dennis Tufano of The Pulsations. After adding keyboard player Dennis Miccoli, the group won a 'Battle of the Bands' for a Chicago TV show called All Time Hits and became regulars on the show for 14 weeks. The British invasion was happening at that time and the TV show wanted the band to have a more British sounding name. A security guard that worked for the TV station suggested the name The Buckinghams.

Landing a contract with Chicago's USA Records in 1966, the group was sent to Chess studios where they were paired with producer Dan Belloc. Their first releases were all cover versions of other artists songs: James Brown's "I'll Go Crazy", the Beatles' "I Call Your Name" and the Hollies' "I've Been Wrong Before." While these songs did well in the Chicago area, it took the wistful, Jim Holvay written, "Kind of a Drag" to break the group nationally. The song featured the powerful vocals of Dennis Tufano and a punchy, soul-styled horn section that was the brainchild of James Guercio, who would later go on to produce the band Chicago. Soon after "Kind Of A Drag" was recorded, Dennis Miccoli was replaced by Marty Grebb, the keyboard player from the Chicago folk-rock band The Exceptions.

In just a few weeks, the Buckinghams had a million-selling, chart-topper on their hands. "Kind of a Drag" did for The Buckinghams what no other act seemed to be able to do at that time...knock the Monkees' monster hit "I'm A Believer" out of the #1 spot.

After the demise of USA Records, the Buckinghams signed with Columbia Records and followed "Kind Of A Drag" with a cover version of Lloyd Price's, "Lawdy Miss Clawdy" that quickly stalled at number 36. Columbia wasted no time in going back to the formula that worked so well the first time out, releasing another song co-written by Jim Holvay along with Gary Beisbier called "Don't You Care". That effort secured another top ten hit, when it reached number 6 on the Billboard chart. Not all of their singles had quite as much success though, as "Back In Love Again" topped out at #32.

Cashing in on a good thing, The Buckinghams appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show, The Jerry Lewis Show, American Bandstand, The Smothers Brothers, Entertainment Tonight, P.M. Magazine, and Classic Rock with Wolfman Jack. Between appearances, the band recorded a vocal adaptation of Cannonball Adderley's jazz standard "Mercy, Mercy, Mercy," that soared to number 5.

Still in 1967, Columbia kept pushing out Buckingham singles and a Holvay / Beisbier / Guercio composition called "Susan" made it up to number 11, while "Hey Baby" (They're Playin' Our Song) went to number 12.

Despite selling millions of records and being voted "The Most Listened-To Band of 1967" by Billboard Magazine, the band's Fortunas began to decline in 1968. Their cleverly titled album, "In One Ear and Gone Tomorrow" seemed to be a forecast of things to come, as the LP couldn't produce a hit single. Several line-up changes only undermined their sound and by late 1969, The Buckinghams had decided to pack it in.

Carl Giammarese and Dennis Tufano continued working as an acoustic duo. Work was tough to find and Chicago area clubs were not interested. A demo tape for Reprise Records was turned down. Jon Poulos had started to manage local bands and tried to help. Giammarese and Tufano recorded an entire album demo for Poulos to promote, but nobody wanted to sign them. From there the pair contacted producer Jack Richardson, who worked with The Guess Who. Richardson brought in members of Poco as studio musicians and they laid down three promotional tracks. Poulos sent the demo to every major label, but got no response. He finally contacted former Mamas and Papas producer Lou Adler, who now had his own custom label, Ode Records. Two days after receiving the tape, Adler called to say that he liked the sound and Giammarese and Tufano flew to Los Angeles to audition live. Adler was even more impressed and signed them.

A self-titled Tufano - Giammarese album was released on Ode in 1973 and the first single, "Music Everywhere" managed to climb to #68 on Billboard's Hot 100. A second tune called "Rise Up" was issued the same year, but did not chart. To promote the album, Tufano and Giammarese went out on a two month, nine state promotional tour with Cheech & Chong.

Four tracks for a second album for Ode had been finished when Lou Adler took sick and had to keep leaving the sessions. A discouraged Giammarese decided he'd had enough and began doing session work. During this period, Adler's health declined to a point where he could not make records anymore, but eventually, the second album, titled "The Tufano & Giammarese Band" came together. When the subject of a third album came up, Adler said he will not do another unless he had assurance that Giammarese would stick around for the whole project. To get back on track, the pair assembled a new band, worked clubs and learned new songs. Lou Adler agreed to produce a third LP called "The Other Side". By now Ode was being distributed by Epic Records. Adler hired Hank Cicalo as an engineer and Tom Scott to arrange. On the first day of recording, Adler announced 'I cannot produce anymore, I lost my ear. I want to make movies.' Tom Scott and Hank Cicalo became the producers. The record was finished and made it into record stores, but one week later, Adler cut off the distribution deal with Epic. He wanted to be distributed by Columbia instead. Adler re-released the album, but Columbia had little interest and failed to promote it.

In 1980 The Buckinghams were invited to do a reunion by Chicago radio station WLS. Marty Grebb had to decline because he was working with Leon Russell. 32 year old Jon Jon Poulos died of drug-related causes earlier in the year. It had been eleven years since anyone had seen The Buckinghams play, but after they rehearsed, the pulled off three shows like they had never been apart. The exposure brought a lot of other offers to appear, but Tufano lived in Los Angeles and had other commitments. Carl Giammarese and Nick Fortuna however, decided to reunite as The Buckinghams.

The band toured extensively as a nostalgia act with Giammarese and Fortuna and released new recordings, the album "A Matter Of Time" and the single "Veronica" in 1985 for Red Label records. They were also a part of the highly successful Happy Together Tour which featured The Turtles, The Grass Roots and Gary Lewis. The tour was consistently one of the Top 10 grossing tours.

During the '80s and 90s, Tufano was not only involved in acting, but joined up with Elton John's songwriting partner, Bernie Taupin in a band called Farm Dogs. An album by Farm Dogs, "Last Stand In Open Country" was released in July, 1996 on Discovery Records.

The Buckinghams continued to be a very impressive band, playing festivals, concerts, casinos, cruises, and corporate dates around the world as interest in 60's hits and the bands that made them famous continued. Their clean and tight musical ability combined with trademark vocals made them a popular draw.

More recently, the latest edition of The Buckinghams released some new recordings that include, 1998's "Terra Firma" and "Made In Chicago" in 2001. In October, 2004, The Buckinghams sang the national anthem at Comiskey Park in Chicago before game one of the American Baseball League playoffs. They also toured the country with the "Solid Gold Sixties Tour" along with Tommy James, The Turtles, The Grass Roots, Paul Revere and the Raiders and Gary Puckett.

The Making of a Chicago Outfit

2009-10-24T16:44:00.000-07:00

Guilty Plea to Tax Evasion by Reputed Mobster

2009-10-16T17:34:00.000-07:00

Guilty Plea to Tax Evasion by Reputed Mobster, Rudy Fratto --Next time it will be jay walking lol .. Another bullshit case!!!!

Reputed suburban Chicago mobster Rudy Fratto pleaded guilty Tuesday to evading thousands of dollars in federal income taxes.

Fratto, 65, of suburban Darien, pleaded guilty to a single charge of evading $30,052 in taxes on income of $199,595 for 2005. But he admitted in a signed plea agreement that he actually evaded $141,192 in taxes on $835,641 in income over seven years starting in 2001.

The maximum sentence on the charge is five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The plea agreement, however, said the sentence could be more like 12 to 18 months under federal sentencing guidelines.

Fratto remained free on $4,500 bond pending sentencing, which U.S. District Judge Matthew F. Kennelly set for Jan. 12.

Fratto admitted in his plea agreement that he had arranged to have income funneled into the bank account of a defunct company in an effort to evade the scrutiny of the Internal Revenue Service. He received income in 2005 from jobs ranging from handyman to pasta salesman, according to the document.

Fratto's name has come up at least twice in connection with organized crime in recent federal cases.

Prosecutors introduced evidence that he was an associate of the Chicago police department's former chief of detectives, William Hanhardt, who is now serving a federal prison sentence as the leader of a mob-related jewel theft ring.

Fratto's name also came up in connection with the landmark 2007 Operation Family Secrets case -- the biggest Chicago mob trial in decades. He was listed on papers prepared by the FBI as a serious threat to the safety of the government's star witness in the case, admitted mobster and hit man Nicholas Calabrese.

Fratto's name also appears on a chart published by the Chicago Crime Commission in 1997, showing the structure of the so-called Chicago Outfit.

This Would Not Happen in Chicago !!!

2009-09-26T19:11:00.000-07:00

They Forgot About The Code!!....Need to be Reminded ???

Despite the stereotype that mob family members never talk out of turn, Victoria Gotti is speaking up about growing up in one of America's most infamous crime families. Not only that, she says that her late father "The Dapper Don" was fine with her writing about their family secrets.

Gotti's new book, "This Family of Mine: What It Was Like Growing Up Gotti," chronicles her life as a Mafia princess, and she's talking to CBS's "48 Hours" on Saturday about her family.

She describes growing up in a life of luxury, though she had mixed feelings about the source of that luxury. She admits that she had a pretty good idea of what her dad -- late Gambino crime family boss John Gotti -- did for a living, including ordering the deaths of rivals.

Like Father, Like Son
The family is back in the news because Victoria's brother, John Gotti Jr., is on trial for the fourth time for crimes associated with his role as head of the Gambino family between 1993 and 2008. Gotti Jr. insists that he retired in 1999, and that the statute of limitations on his crimes has run out. Seven jurors on the case are said to have asked to be dismissed from the trial this past week, possibly out of fear of retribution.

Victoria, who's had some money trouble, will reportedly discuss her heartbreak over the crime legacy on "48 Hours." "My brother is not in that courtroom," she told CBS's Troy Roberts. "It is my father, always, all over again, day in, day out. It's not about what John [Jr.] did, is doing or will do. It's about John Gotti." She and two siblings talked to "48 Hours" in the hopes of helping clear their brother's name by showing the world they grew up in.

Victoria says the trial is part of what inspired her to finally write her life story, and that her father gave her his blessing to do so before his death in 2002.

A Brother Lost
One of the more notable revelations in the book is Victoria's discussion of the disappearance of Gotti neighbor John Favara, who was involved in a car accident that killed Victoria's 12-year-old brother Frank in 1980. Four months after the incident, Favara was abducted in a van and never seen again.

Victoria admits that she initially demanded that her father seek vengeance, but that he insisted she accept that it was an accident. She vehemently denies that her father was involved in Favara's death, though she admits it's likely that someone in the Gambino crime family was responsible.

Scandal Overload?!
While we appreciate the candor, we've got to ask: How is any of this shocking, exactly? That John Gotti ran afoul of the law is not exactly news. (Back in the day, he was also known as the "Teflon Don" because it took four trials to convict him, despite mountains of evidence.) Any remaining doubts about his non-involvement were more or less put to bed when he was convicted on 13 counts including murder, loansharking, racketeering and tax evasion in 1992.

Chicago Italians at Work ...... Great Book!!!!

2009-09-08T17:20:00.000-07:00

Real Italians Know This Humor......

2009-08-21T16:42:00.000-07:00

IF BOTH of your parents are/were ITALIAN this is a nice reflection back to the way things used to be...

Per tutta la Mia famiglia e gli amici it amo oggi, domani e sempre

To all my family and friends I love you today, tomorrow and always

42 Things In The Life Of An Italian American Child

01. You have at least one relative who wore a black dress every day for an entire year after a funeral.

02. You spent your entire childhood thinking what you ate for lunch was pronounced 'sangwich.'

03. Your family dog understood Italian.

04. Every Sunday afternoon of your childhood was spent visiting your grandparents and extended family.

05. You've experienced the phenomena of 150 people fitting into 50 square feet of yard during a family cookout

06. You were surprised to discover the FDA recommends you eat three meals a day, not seven.

07. You thought killing the pig each year and having salami, capacollo, pancetta and prosciutto hanging out to dry from your shed ceiling was absolutely normal. (Wow, that's really Italian!)

08. You ate pasta for dinner at least three times a week, and every Sunday, and laughed at the commercial for Wednesday is Prince Spaghetti day.

09. You grew up thinking no fruit or vegetable had a fixed price and that the price of everything was negotiable through haggling.

10. You were as tall as your grandmother by the age of seven.

11. You thought everyone's last name ended in a vowel.

12. You thought nylons were supposed to be worn rolled to the ankles.

13. Your mom's main hobby is cleaning.

14. You were surprised to find out that wine was actually sold in stores.

15. You thought that everyone made their own tomato sauce.

16. You never ate meat on Christmas Eve or any Friday for that matter.

17. You ate your salad after the main course.

18. You thought Catholic was the only religion in the world.

19. You were beaten at least once with a wooden spoon or broom.

20. You thought every meal had to be eaten with a hunk of bread in your hand

21. You can understand Italian but you can't speak it.
22. You have at least one relative who came over on the boat.

23. All of your uncles fought in a World War.

24. You have at least six male relatives named
Tony, Frank, Joe or Louie.

25. You have relatives who aren't really your relatives.

26. You have relatives you don't speak to. Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!

27. You drank wine before you were a teenager.

28. You relate on some level, admit it, to the Godfather and the Sopranos. I maka a meata ball you can't refuse!.
Forrgetttabbboutit! Badda bing!

29. You grew up in a house with a yard that didn't have one patch of dirt that didn't have a flower or a vegetable growing out of it.

30. Your grandparent's furniture was as comfortable as sitting on plastic. Wait!!!! You were sitting on plastic.

31. You thought that talking loud was normal.

32. You thought sugared almonds and the Tarantella were common at all weddings.

33. You thought everyone got pinched on the cheeks and money stuffed in their pockets by their relatives.

34. Your mother is overly protective of the males in the family no matter what their age.

35. There was a crucifix in every room of the house.

36. Wakes would be held in someone's living room.

37. You couldn't date a boy without getting approval from your father. (Oh, and he had to be Italian)

38. You called pasta 'macaroni'.

39. You dreaded taking out your lunch at school
40. Going out for a cup of coffee usually meant going out for a cup of coffee over Zia's house.

41 Every condition, ailment, misfortune, memory loss and accident was attributed to the fact that you didn't eat something.

Many a Mobster Has Eaten Here ??

2009-08-06T19:49:00.000-07:00

The Ultimate Beef !!........

Johnnie's Beef
7500 W. North Ave., Elmwood Park

Hours: Mon-Sat 11am-12am, Sun 12pm-12am

Tel: (708) 452-6000

Chicago is one of the few cities in the country where there are many places to eat great Italian beef and Johnnie's Beef ranks among the best of them. The small beef stand is a perfectly preserved piece of the traditionally Italian neighborhood that surrounds it.

The structure itself resembles an old drive-in eatery, with baby blue walls and yellow neon signs. It is only big enough to hold about ten standing customers at its bar, and seems to have a line that stretches down the block at any time of day. The employees work together as a well oiled machine, though, which minimizes the wait. One worker assembles hot dogs, one spears sausages from the grill, one slaps together the beefs and yet another fills cups with Italian ices (make sure you say you don't want a lid on your ice...that way you get a nice heaping cup of it). Be sure to have your order straight by the time you get to the head of the line; the man who rings you up gets quite upset at indecision or stuttering.

The menu is small, but everything is exceptional. The Italian beef and sausage sandwiches are notably famous, as well as the Italian ices and hot dogs. Every Friday Johnnie's serves up amazing fried egg sandwiches.

Many Chicagoans consider Johnnie's to be the best Italian Beef joint in the world, which accounts for the long line you will usually encounter on your visit. And I will be their this weekend to enjoy one on my visit to Chicago, My home town !!!

Mob Nick Names

2009-07-12T21:07:00.000-07:00

From family members, childhood friends, business associates, newspaper reporters, or the police. Not every mobster has a nickname, and some have more than one. Chicago boss Anthony Accardo, for example, was known to his colleagues as "Joe Batters." He got the name from Al Capone after he dealt out a pair of savage beatings with a baseball bat: "This kid is a real joe batters," Scarface said. But the press called Accardo "Big Tuna," after seeing a photograph of him on a sport-fishing expedition.

"Joey the Clown" Lombardo earned his nickname from the press, thanks to his fondness for zany public behavior and cheesy jokes. At the conclusion of one of his trials, Lombardo attempted to elude newspaper photographers by converting a newspaper into a makeshift mask with eye-holes and racing out of the courtroom. At a subsequent trial, Lombardo explained to reporters that a piece of his jewelry was made from "canarly stone": "You 'canarly' see it," he said.

Mobsters may not like the nicknames they get from reporters and cops. Tony "The Ant" Spilotro (whose murder almost 20 years ago plays a major role in the recent indictments in Chicago) got his from FBI agent Bill Roemer, who had tried to spread the longer and less polite nickname "Pissant" to his buddies in the press. New Yorker Carmine "Junior" Persico was given the unflattering name "The Snake" by a police officer. Persico hated it, especially after "The Snake" caught on among some fellow criminals.and Chicago Mike received his in a Az jail

Mobsters sometimes use nicknames with each other to avoid easy identification by the feds. The mob boss Vincent "Chin" Gigante (whose nickname was short for "Vincenzo") insisted that his name never be spoken aloud. His wiseguys were told instead to rub their fingers across their chin or, at one point, to refer to him as their "Aunt Julia." Meanwhile, the press dubbed Gigante "The Oddfather" after he began posing as a schizophrenic in the late 1960s.

Former head of the Gambino crime family John Gotti took pride in the fact that he had no nickname among his peers—everyone knew who you meant if you said "John." Members of the press called him the "Dapper Don," the "Teflon Don," and, following his conviction in 1992, the "Velcro Don."

What Mobster Hasn't Eaten Here ?/

2009-06-28T17:14:00.001-07:00

Dennis Farina...Chicago's Mob Movie Man

2009-06-02T19:22:00.000-07:00

Name : Dennis Farina

Date of birth : 29 February 1944

Birthplace : Chicago, Illinois, USA

Height : 6' 1½

Profession : Actor
Dennis Farina Detailed Biography

Lovable tough guy character actor Dennis Farina was already well into his first career as a Chicago cop before he was able to turn his occasional acting gigs into a prodigious new line of work.

Raised in Chicago by Italian immigrant parents, Farina joined his hometown's police force in the mid-'60s, settling into a life of law enforcement. When he was hired to be a local consultant on Michael Mann's film Thief (1981), however, Farina wound up with a bit part as the villain's heavy. Farina continued to moonlight as an actor for several years, appearing in local theater and occasional movies, including Final Jeopardy (1985) and the Chuck Norris vehicle Code of Silence (1985). Though Dennis Farina never took an acting class, Farina was a natural; after Michael Mann offered him the lead in the series Crime Story in 1986, Farina left the police force to play a TV cop. During his 1986-1988 stint on the series, Farina also played FBI agent Jack Crawford (Scott Glen's part in Silence of the Lambs [1991]) in Mann's stylish thriller Manhunter (1986), was the Birdman of Alcatraz in the TV movie Six Against the Rock (1987), and a cop in TV movie mystery Through Naked Eyes (1987).

Drawing on his no-nonsense charm as well as his eclectic life experience, Farina continued to shine in roles on both sides of the law, such as serial killer Angelo Buono in The Case of the Hillside Stranglers (1989) and the lead prosecutor in the TV docudrama Blind Faith (1990). As nimble with comedy, Farina went up against Robert De Niro and Charles Grodin as a mobster in the popular buddy yarn Midnight Run (1988). Dennis Farina's versatility firmly established by the 1990s, Farina's early '90s work ranged from playing a billionaire in People Like Us (1990), to Banquo in a New York gangland version of Macbeth, Men of Honor (1991), as well as supporting roles in the comedy Another Stakeout (1993), Bruce Willis actioner Striking Distance (1993), John Turturro's Italian-American family drama Mac (1993), and vicious neo-noir Romeo Is Bleeding (1994).

Farina's appearance as John Travolta's nemesis, hilariously bumbling tough guy Ray "Bones" Barboni, in Barry Sonnenfeld's adaptation of Elmore Leonard's Get Shorty (1995), led to his most notable hit since Midnight Run. His career hitting a new high, Farina co-starred with Bette Midler as reunited exes in Carl Reiner's That Old Feeling (1997), and starred as a Sicilian bigwig in the high-profile TV miniseries Bella Mafia (1997). Though his Marshall Sisco made only a brief appearance in Steven Soderbergh's esteemed Elmore Leonard adaptation Out of Sight (1998), Farina was pitch-perfect as Jennifer Lopez's protective dad. After joining the superb corps in Steven Spielberg's award-winning Saving Private Ryan (1998), Farina returned to series TV, playing smooth detective Buddy Faro (1998); the series, however, lasted only one season.

Returning to films, Farina followed his role as the police captain who recruits The Mod Squad (1999) with another comic turn as a New York gangster who sets the diamond larceny plot in motion in Snatch (2000), adding a dash of Hollywood celebrity (along with Brad Pitt and Benicio del Toro) to British lad director Guy Ritchie's sophomore effort. The releases of two of Farina's next films, Barry Sonnenfeld's caper Big Trouble (2001) and Edward Burns' romantic comedy Sidewalks of New York (2001), were delayed after the terrorist attack on New York on September 11, 2001. Sidewalks of New York surfaced later in 2001, but the romantic comedy failed to charm a large audience. Big Trouble finally made it into theaters in the first half of 2002, but despite the big name cast, Sonnenfeld's farce joined such high profile fare as Arnold Schwarzenegger vehicle Collateral Damage (2002) and the espionage actioner Bad Company (2002) on the list of 9/11-delayed flops. Farina's next film, the broad, witless comedy Stealing Harvard (2002), also failed at the box office. Farina returned to television during the fall 2002 season with a lead role as a comically monstrous Meet the Parents-esque father-in-law on the sitcom The In-Laws (2002). Despite initially withering reviews, The In-Laws managed to show signs of ratings life.

Best Mob Movie List

2009-05-07T16:24:00.000-07:00

Chicago Mob Speakeasies

2009-04-22T11:02:00.000-07:00

Massacres, trap doors and Chicago jazz. It’s the way Al Capone and his Chicago Outfit experienced Chicago in the 1920s. The rich, bloody mark that Chicago’s mob bosses left on the streets is still — sometimes begrudgingly — remembered by many. Recently, we took a trip to Chicago to discover where the old speakeasies used to be and where the St. Valentines Day Massacre occurred, grabbing a pizza along the way.

Room 21

Don’t be fooled by the ornate designs, this restaurant has a dirty history. At the peak of Capone’s business, this was his largest speakeasy and brewery in all of Chicago.

At first glance, Room 21 is simply an upscale American restaurant with a large bar and a wide-open patio. In one corner, however, lies one of Capone’s best-kept secrets. “There was the original foundation here,” Manager John Nowowiejski said, motioning to the corner at the end of the bar. “But when we were doing some work putting the plumbing in for the cappuccino maker, we found something. So Jerry Kleiner, the owner said ‘tear it all down’ and we found this passageway.”

The passageway, now lit with an incandescent red glow, narrowly follows the edge of the building. You can see the original brick on either side, claustrophobically coercing you up the stairs. And under the newly added stairs, the top corner of a door peeks out. Leading to the street, the door was probably one of Capone’s exits.

Another door existed at the top of the stairs. “At the end of the passageway, we found a door with the number 21 hanging on it,” Nowowiejski said. “And that’s how we got the name of the restaurant.”

“We actually don’t know much of what happened here,” Nowowiejski said, opening the door at the end of the hall. The inside has been radically changed to a room with classical artwork and a table overlooking the kitchen. “The unknown about it adds to the mystique.”

Not only did Room 21 house Capone’s largest brewery, it was one of his largest busts. Eliot Ness of the Untouchables, the Chicago police group designed to deal with the mafia, led his team into the speakeasy with a 10-ton truck and seized two hundred thousand gallons of alcohol.

Getting there: Take the red line to Cermak/Chinatown and turn left until you get to South Wabash. 2110 S. Wabash St.

Green Mill Cocktail Lounge

To see one of Al Capone’s favorite clubs, head over to the Green Mill Cocktail Lounge. His booth is the first one you see walking past the old jazz posters and decorative walls. And don’t expect a menu; everything served here comes in a glass, not on a plate.

“Al Capone was also a regular here,” owner Dave Jemilo said. “He would sit in a booth by the wall so he could see both doors. That’s what you do. There was a way people could come from behind and get him, but he had guards to check his back.”

And if Capone ever needed a quick escape route, he had his own way out. “There was a trap door for him behind the bar where he could escape if need be,” Jemilo said. “There was a series of tunnels and passageways that would lead outside. I’m the only one with the key, and I wouldn’t let you down there anyway.”

Jack “Machine Gun” McGurn, one of the men responsible for the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre, was a part owner of the club at one point. And when the headlining singer left for a rival club, McGurn took action himself.

“His favorite singer at the club was Joe E. Lewis, but Lewis was offered a better deal at Rendezvous Club,” Jemilo said. “McGurn told Lewis that he signed a deal for life at Green Mill, but Lewis quit anyways. So a week later, McGurn went to Lewis’s hotel and cut off his tongue and slit his vocal cords so he could never sing again. He almost died, but he eventually came back as a comedian and became a famous comic.”

Frank Sinatra later immortalized Joe E. Lewis in The Joker Is Wild, a movie detailing the whole fiasco.

Getting there: Located off the Lawrence stop on the Red Line in Uptown, the Green Mill Cocktail Lounge is the perfect place for a drink before or after a show at the Aragon. 4802 N. Broadway Ave.

Chicago Pizza and Oven Grinder Co.

The St. Valentine’s Day Massacre of 1929 was the turning point for the infamous Chicago Outfit. While Capone was enjoying a vacation in Florida, part of his south-side gang, two dressed up as police officers, allegedly lined up four of Bugs Moran’s north-side gang inside a garage. With Moran’s gang against the wall, Capone’s henchmen opened fire. Jack “Machine Gun” McGurn, part owner of the Green Mill Cocktail Lounge, was the purported leader of the shooting.

Across the street on the second floor of what was a boarding house, two other members of Capone’s gang kept watch. And today, on the first floor, is Chicago Pizza and Oven Grinder Co., a unique and original restaurant located in the middle of Lincoln Park.

You can still see where the massacre took place, but there is no garage left. “Mayor Daley tore down the garage and now it’s an empty lot,” Manager Cathy Gallanis said. “No plaque or anything about it. He didn’t want a reminder of what happened.”

As for the pizza here, it isn’t what you would normally expect, Gallanis said. It’s called pizza pot pie. “We take a ceramic bowl layered with our homemade dough and then add a layer of cheese. Then we ladle in our homemade sauce, with or without sausage, and throw in whole, fresh mushrooms. We put some white or wheat dough on top and cook it. Then at the table, we flip it over and that’s it.”

Recently featured on Rachael Ray, Chicago Pizza and Oven Grinder Co. will continue to serve its unusual cooking. “In a world of franchises, we try to be unique and original,” Gallanis said. “We’ve had the same menu since we opened in 1978.”

Getting there: Get off at the Armitage stop on the brown line and head east on Armitage Street then north on Clark Street to pay homage to one of the most violent events of the 1920s, and one of the most forgotten places too. 2121 N. Clark St.

Tommy Gun’s Garage

To literally relive the Prohibition era (the drinking side of it, not the dry), head south to Tommy Gun’s Garage. Owners Kris Adams and Sandy Mangen emulate the original speakeasies to a tee, not leaving out any details.

“We’re running an illegal speakeasy here,” Adams said. “There are no signs out front, and we have a doorman to check everyone who comes in. He wears gloves so he won’t leave any fingerprints and he will only let you in if you say the password.”

The servers are not just servers, but gangsters with holsters or flappers with dresses. After dinner, the entertainment begins. “The show is basically a musical comedy review, “ Adams said. “We have the sing and dance numbers in the beginning and after that we have vaudeville skits with an Abbott and Costello type act. The show has a lot of audience involvement. At one point, the cops show up and bust everybody there.”

Getting there: Get off the El at Cermak/Chinatown on the Red line and turn left. Reservations are required, so call (312) 225-0273, and don’t forget the password. 2114 S. Wabash Rd.

For its tame Midwestern reputation, Chicago has a rich and violent history riddled with secrets and hidden tunnels. Next time you go downtown, add interest to your usual destinations by making a night of a mafia hangout. Your historical knowledge will impress your friends, your date, or your parents alike — and chilling where Capone chilled? Badass.

Louie Prima..A Chicago Mob Favorite

2009-04-05T15:45:00.000-07:00

He has crooned many a Mobster

A tireless showman and an underrated musical talent, Louis Prima swung his way to icon status thanks to an irresistible, infectious sound whose appeal translated across generations. Nominally a swing artist, Prima's distinctive sound also encompassed New Orleans-style jazz, boogie-woogie, jump blues, R&B, early rock & roll, and even the occasional Italian tarantella. Regardless of what form his music took, it swung hard and fast, with a rolling, up-tempo shuffle beat that helped some of his earlier material cross over to R&B audiences (his songs were also covered by jump blues artists from time to time). His greatest period of popularity coincided with his marriage to singer Keely Smith, whose coolly sophisticated vocals and detached stage manner made a perfect counterpoint to Prima's boisterous presence: mugging, clowning, and cavorting around the stage with the boundless enthusiasm of a hyperactive boy. Prima's band during this time was anchored by tenor saxophonist Sam Butera, whose grounding in jump blues and New Orleans R&B was a perfect match. Perhaps because Prima refused to take his music too seriously, sober-minded jazz critics often dismissed him as a mere entertainer, overlooking his very real talent as a jazzman. He was a capable, gravelly-voiced singer modeled on Louis Armstrong, boasting a surprising range, and was also a fine trumpet player, again in the irrepressible mold of Armstrong; what was more, he wrote Benny Goodman's perennial swing smash "Sing, Sing, Sing." Prima's impact on popular culture was also significant; his pronounced ethnicity made it safe for other Italian-American singers to acknowledge their roots, and he was the first high-profile musical act to take up regular residence in the lounges and casinos of Las Vegas, helping to start the city's transformation into a broader-based entertainment capital. His musical legacy proved long-lasting, as covers of his classics became modern-day hits for David Lee Roth and Brian Setzer; additionally, the '90s swing revival, which sought to re-emphasize the danceability and sense of fun that had largely disappeared from jazz, brought Prima's music back into the limelight (as well as the good graces of critics).

Louis Prima was born December 7, 1911 in New Orleans, LA, to an Italian family who'd emigrated to the U.S. by way of Argentina. He took violin lessons as a youth, but switched to trumpet at age 15 when his older brother went out on tour with a band and left a spare instrument behind. By 17, Prima was playing professionally at a New Orleans theater, influenced chiefly by Louis Armstrong and King Oliver. This was a problem, since the theater was not a jazz venue, and Prima was fired. In the early '30s, he caught on with cornetist Red Nichols for a time, and moved to New York in 1934 at the urging of star bandleader Guy Lombardo, who had been impressed with Prima's trumpet playing. Initially struggling to find work, Prima formed a Dixieland-style backing group called the New Orleans Gang and landed a regular gig at a 52nd Street club known as the Famous Door. The band was a hit, adopting "Way Down Yonder in New Orleans" as their signature song, and recorded numerous sides for a succession of labels up through 1939; some of the better-known members included -- at various points -- clarinetist Pee Wee Russell, pianist Claude Thornhill, guitarist George Van Eps, reedman Eddie Miller, and trombonist George Brunies. Prima also traveled to Los Angeles periodically, and made cameo appearances in several Hollywood musicals, starting with the Bing Crosby Western Rhythm on the Range in 1936.

Meanwhile, Prima was composing original material, and in 1937 he completed a song called "Sing, Sing, Sing." Benny Goodman recorded an instrumental version and had a huge smash with it the following year, spotlighting it in his legendary Carnegie Hall appearance; to this day it remains one of the most readily identifiable melodies of the swing era. Prima broke up the New Orleans Gang in 1939 to form his own big band, which he dubbed the Gleeby Rhythm Orchestra. Following World War II, the band started to take off, landing hits with novelty numbers that often drew upon Prima's Italian background and accent. The first was 1944's "Angelina," a major success that paved the way for titles like "Felicia No Capicia," "Bacciagaloop (Makes Love on the Stoop)," "Please No Squeeza Da Banana," and "Josephina, Please No Leana on the Bell." Prima also made the Hit Parade Top Ten with songs like "Robin Hood" (1944; covered the next year by Les Brown for a bigger hit), "Bell Bottom Trousers" (sung by Lily Ann Carol in 1945), and "Civilization (Bongo, Bongo, Bongo)" (1947). He also wrote Jo Stafford's 1947 hit "A Sunday Kind of Love."}

In 1948, Prima hired a new female vocalist for his band, a 16-year-old Norfolk, Virginia native named Dorothy Keely, who was renamed Keely Smith. Prima parlayed her initial shyness into a stage routine where he attempted to break down her icily reserved façade. The contrast in their styles made for immediate chemistry, and Smith's boyish haircut only added to the duo's distinctive stage presence. Prima broke up the big band in 1949, and continued to work with Smith as a more streamlined nightclub act. They scored a hit in 1950 with their co-composition "Oh Babe!" and toured the country over the next few years. In the summer of 1953, Smith became Prima's fourth wife.

By late 1954, Prima was finding bookings harder and harder to come by. He talked a friend into booking him for an extended stay at the Sahara Hotel in Las Vegas, and while passing through New Orleans, he recruited locally popular tenor saxophonist Sam Butera as a possible collaborator if things went well. They did, and Prima called Butera out to Vegas, asking him to bring a few more musicians; the new group debuted at the Sahara on the day after Christmas, and Butera dubbed them the Witnesses during Prima's first on-stage introduction. Their act quickly became a sensation around Las Vegas, and their engagement turned into a residency, billed as "The Wildest Show in Vegas," which ran up to five times a night. Prima and Smith's comic banter was riddled with sexual innuendo, and they sometimes rewrote the lyrics to popular standards in the same spirit; meanwhile, Butera's jump blues/R&B background kept the music equally lively. Even if the music was aimed at older listeners, it shared a great deal of the spirit of early rock & roll.

In 1956, Prima inked a new deal with Capitol, which marked the beginning of the most celebrated and influential period of his recording career. His first album for the label was 1956's The Wildest!, which successfully translated the high energy of his live act into a studio recording; it featured many of his best-known latter-day songs, including the "Just a Gigolo/I Ain't Got Nobody" medley, "Jump, Jive an' Wail," "Buona Sera," "Oh Marie," and the jive-talking duet "The Lip." Over the next few years, Capitol issued six more Prima albums, highlighted by 1957's The Call of the Wildest and 1958's concert set The Wildest Show in Tahoe. He appeared frequently on The Ed Sullivan Show and other variety programs, and in 1958 he and Smith won a Grammy for their hit version of "That Old Black Magic." In 1959, they appeared in the film Hey Boy! Hey Girl!, which featured their renditions of the title song, "Lazy River," and "Banana Split for My Baby," among others.

While Prima and Smith boasted terrific chemistry on stage, their infidelity-riddled marriage was floundering by the close of the '50s. In 1961, Prima switched from Capitol to Dot Records, and from the Sahara Hotel to the Desert Inn; with his popularity still running high, both deals netted huge sums of money. However, Smith divorced him later that year, scuttling the act and largely negating the deals. Prima returned to Capitol for one final album, 1962's The Wildest Comes Home, and hired a new female vocalist, Gia Maione, who became his fifth wife in 1963. Without Smith, he was never again as popular or prolific on record, but he continued to perform in Las Vegas with Butera and the Witnesses, and toured successfully as well. In 1967, Disney tapped Prima to voice the character of King Louie, ruler of the orangutans, in its animated adaptation of The Jungle Book; his featured number, the swinging "I Wanna Be Like You," ranks among the best-loved Disney songs of its era.

Prima spent much of the late '60s and early '70s playing Vegas casinos and lounges, most notably at the Sands Hotel. With more and more musical acts taking up residence in the city, Prima no longer had the drawing power of old, and in the early '70s he and Butera returned home to New Orleans, where they made a steadier living playing in the French Quarter for the tourist crowd. In late 1975, Prima underwent surgery to remove a brain tumor, and fell into a coma; although he survived for nearly three more years, he never regained consciousness, and died on August 24, 1978. Prima's music began to reappear in subsequent years; ex-Van Halen singer David Lee Roth scored the best-remembered hit of his solo career with a carbon-copy version of "Just a Gigolo/I Ain't Got Nobody" in 1985, and onetime Stray Cat Brian Setzer scored a Grammy-winning hit with his cover of "Jump, Jive an' Wail." Prima's original version was featured in a Gap commercial around the same time, and the swing-dancing fad of the time helped bring the rest of his music back into the public eye. Meanwhile, Sam Butera continued to perform Prima hits from the golden years on the casino circuits in Las Vegas and Atlantic City

Want a Godfather Bathroom ???

2009-03-28T21:44:00.001-07:00

This spring, Luca Lanzetta, owner of the modern Italian kitchen showroom Ernestomeda at LuxeHome, is opening Antonio Lupi, a freestanding Italian bath showroom in River North devoted to Lupi’s sleek lines (516 N. Wells St., 312-479-5632). Mariposa Design Studio, owned by interior designer Kathleen Hanzel, offering many to-the-trade fabrics and trims at discounted prices, along with custom bedding and various upholstery services, and some antiques and accessories, at 115 E. Cedar Ave., in Century Corners, St. Charles, 847-417-0137. An expanded Chelsea Passage will open on the 6th floor of the new Barneys New York at 15 E. Oak St., 312-587-1700.

Wait Till You Read This .................

2009-03-19T08:16:00.000-07:00

500,000 dollars bond for a residential burglary??? Guess cuz he's Italian huh,The moolies and mexicans get out on an O.R and no bond Kinda makes you wonder about the justice system and Italians.... Ita a disgrace!!!!!!!

March 6, 2009 (CHICAGO) -- A man once known as an enforcer for the Chicago mob has been indicted on a charge of illegal possession of a gun.
Fifty-four-year-old Mario Rainone was arrested on a charge of residential burglary on Feb. 13 and is currently being held by Lake County authorities in lieu of $500,000 bond.
The one-count federal indictment charged Rainone with being a career criminal in possession of a firearm. Police found the gun when they searched his home following his arrest.
Rainone was sentenced to 17 1/2 years in 1992 after pleading guilty to a racketeering charge. Prosecutors said he told a restaurant owner he would end up in his own walk-in freezer if he didn't pay $2,000 a month.

Kiddy Land..Many a Wise Guy Grew Up Here

2009-03-08T19:21:00.001-07:00

I owe My Mom ...Italian Style

2009-03-01T11:31:00.000-08:00

I Owe My Mother

1. My mother taught me TO APPRECIATE A JOB WELL DONE .
"If you're going to kill each other, do it outside. I just finished cleaning."

2. My mother taught me RELIGION.
"You better pray that will come out of the carpet."

3. My mother taught me about TIME TRAVEL.
"If you don't straighten up, I'm going to knock you into the middle of next week!"

4. My mother taught me LOGIC.
" Because I said so, that's why."

5. My mother taught me MORE LOGIC .
"If you fall out of that swing and break your neck, you're not going to the store with me."

6. My mother taught me FORESIGHT.
"Make sure you wear clean underwear, in case you're in an accident."

7. My mother taught me IRONY.
"Keep crying, and I'll give you something to cry about."

8. My mother taught me about the science of OSMOSIS .
"Shut your mouth and eat your supper."

9. My mother taught me about CONTORTIONISM.
"Will you look at that dirt on the back of your neck!"

10. My mother taught me about STAMINA .
"You'll sit there until all that spinach is gone."

11. My mother taught me about WEATHER.
"This room of yours looks as if a tornado went through it."

12. My mother taught me about HYPOCRISY.
"If I told you once, I've told you a million times. Don't exaggerate!"

13. My mother taught me the CIRCLE OF LIFE.
"I brought you into this world, and I can take you out."

14. My mother taught me about BEHAVIOUR MODIFICATION .
"Stop acting like your father!"

15. My mother taught me about ENVY.
"There are millions of less fortunate children in this world who don't have wonderful parents like you do."

16. My mother taught me about ANTICIPATION.
"Just wait until we get home."

17. My mother taught me about RECEIVING .
"You are going to get it when you get home!"

18. My mother taught me MEDICAL SCIENCE.
"If you don't stop crossing your eyes, they are going to get stuck that way."

19. My mother taught me ESP.
"Put your sweater on; don't you think I know when you are cold?"

20. My mother taught me HUMOUR.
"When that lawn mower cuts off your toes, don't come running to me."

21. My mother taught me HOW TO BECOME AN ADULT .
"If you don't eat your vegetables, you'll never grow up."

22. My mother taught me GENETICS.
"You're just like your father."

23. My mother taught me about my ROOTS.
"Shut that door behind you. Do you think you were born in a barn?"

24. My mother taught me WISDOM..
"When you get to be my age, you'll understand."

And my favorite: 25. My mother taught me about JUSTICE .

"One day you'll have kids, and I hope they turn out just like you

Little Italy, Chicago

2009-02-15T13:12:00.000-08:00

Joey Lombardo..Did he really get a fair Trial...

2009-02-08T06:54:00.000-08:00

Well here's the story they are using, Some of us know the truth.........Convicted off "here-say" evidence from what I see.....

Joey 'the Clown' Lombardo sentenced to life

A federal jury convicted Lombardo of racketeering conspiracy at the landmark Family Secrets trial in 2007 and found him responsible for the 1974 murder of Daniel Seifert weeks before he was to testify against Lombardo. The charges were dropped against Lombardo after the witness' murder.

Lombardo, now 80 and wearing an orange prison jumpsuit while seated in a wheelchair, had little reaction as prosecutors flashed Seifert family photos on a large screen in U.S. District Judge James Zagel's courtroom.

At times Lombardo leaned on the defense table with a grimace, as if he were having difficulty hearing the proceedings. But he quickly dispelled any notion he wasn't lucid when his lawyer told the judge that Lombardo had been incarcerated beginning in December 1983 for his conviction in a massive casino skimming case and the bribery of a U.S. senator. " '82," Lombardo corrected him loudly.

In a gravelly voice, Lombardo flatly denied being part of the masked hit team that ambushed Seifert at his plastics company in Bensenville, gunning him down as his son and wife Emma looked on in horror. "I'm sorry for their loss then; I'm sorry for their loss now," Lombardo said.

He marks the second mob boss since last week to be sentenced to life in prison. Frank Calabrese Sr. was convicted at the Family Secrets trial in connection with seven Outfit slayings.

The government, Lombardo said, hadn't put on a speck of evidence to prove he was involved in organized crime after he had served his time for the skimming and bribery conviction.

He had been released a decade later and lived quietly in Chicago until his arrest in the Family Secrets case, Lombardo said. After he was indicted in 2005 in the Family Secrets probe, Lombardo hid out for nearly nine months before the FBI captured him in a Chicago suburb.

"Now I suppose the court is going to sentence me to life in prison for something I didn't do," he complained.

Lombardo said he had an alibi, showing the judge paperwork that said he was at a police station reporting a stolen wallet at the time of Seifert's murder.

"It's right here," he said, shaking the document over his head.

Lombardo reported the theft at a police district led by William Hanhardt, who went on to become chief of detectives and was convicted of running a jewelry-heist ring connected to the Outfit.

Assistant U.S. Atty. Markus Funk urged Zagel to impose the maximum available sentence, saying Lombardo had a "certain callousness about these affairs" that didn't just come with the fact he is an old man who is comfortable in his own skin.

"Mr. Lombardo is . . . an Outfit boss with no remorse," Funk said of Lombardo, described by authorities as the longtime capo of the Grand Avenue street crew.

Seifert's two sons and widow testified at the hearing, and prosecutors played a collection of home movies set to the Beatles' "In My Life."

Another Seifert son, Nicholas, described troubled years after his father was killed and said his marriage dissolved in the stress of the 2007 trial.

Emma Seifert stood at the lectern in a black dress, recalling the terror that the slaying caused her family.

She said she could not find the words to explain what had happened to son Joseph, who had been named after Lombardo and witnessed the attack. She said she struggled to preserve Joseph's innocence when he hugged her at his father's funeral and announced: "Don't cry, Mommy. I don't think those men meant to hurt my daddy."

Lombardo's lawyer, Rick Halprin, raised a question of double jeopardy, saying his client had done time for loan-sharking, extortion and other wrongdoing that was a part of the Family Secrets prosecution. Halprin said there was no evidence to back up Emma Seifert's belief that Lombardo was one of the masked men who killed her husband.

Zagel was unmoved by Lombardo's claims of innocence.

The judge said the wisecracking mobster had done terrible things in his life and shown no regret, though he had displayed "some ability to charm people."

In the end, it's about our actions, Zagel said, "not about our wits and our smiles."

The St. Valentines Day Massacre

2009-01-31T16:44:00.001-08:00

The St. Valentines Day Massacre.

Probably the most publicized and talked about Mob event ever is the St. Valentines Day Massacre. Several movies have been made about it and numerous books have been published.

The North Side gang, led at the time by George 'Bugs' Moran, were being a major thorn in Al Capone's side. Capone finally decided he had had enough and, with the help of 'Machine Gun' Jack McGurn and others, hatched the plot that was to make murder history.
Capone had a gangster from Detroit set up a deal with Moran for a quantity of liquor that had been recently hijacked. Moran accepted the deal and arranged to take possession at a garage at 2122 North Clark Street on February 14th, 1929. Capone's friends from Detroit informed him of the arrangements and phase two of the plan went into effect. Capone's team acquired a police paddy wagon, either by theft or bribery, and police uniforms and proceeded to the garage on the morning of the 14th. Two of the hit team dressed in the police uniforms, the others wore long coats and presumably looked like the detectives of the group. They pulled up to the front of the garage and all charged out and in to the building just as the police would have in a routine raid. Inside the garage were six members of Moran's gang (the old O'Banion gang) - Adam Meyer, John May, James Clark, Al Weinshank, the Gusenburg brothers, Frank and Pete and an optometrist Dr. Reinhardt Schwimmer who picked a bad day to visit. The hit team had all seven men stand up and face the wall. The seven complied, expecting a pat down search for weapons and identification. Then two of Capone's men opened up with Thompson submachine guns, peppering each victim with numerous rounds from the .45 caliber weapon. The hoods disguised as cops then took the guns and marched the plain clothed gun men out of the garage with their hands raised as if they were under arrest. They all got into the police wagon and drove off.

The hit was only a partial success, however. The main target, Bugs Moran, was late getting up that morning and he and two others, Willy Marks and Ted Newbury, were just rounding the corner when the police wagon rolled up. Figuring the police were there for just a routine bust, Moran and Co. stayed just out of sight waiting for the police to leave. When the machine guns opened up, Bugs and his friends took off. He was later picked up by the police department for questioning about the incident. Bugs was quoted as saying "Only Capone kills like that."

Al Capone, of course, denied all knowledge of the hit. He was actually in Florida at his beach front condo soaking up the sun and sipping martinis. The members of the hit team never were identified. In fact, the news papers the next day carried the story that it actually was the police that had performed the murders as a reprisal for the theft of the booze from crooked cops some weeks earlier. No one in Chicago at that time found such a claim unusual since the corruption in the police force was so absolute. A forensic scientist from New York , Calvin Goddard, was actually called in to test all the machine guns in the police forces possession to rule out such a scenario. Goddard could not match up any weapon in the police arsenal to the bullets found at the scene.

About a year after the murders, the police raided the home of Fred Burke, a professional killer who sometimes had been hired by Capone. In his possession the came across the tommy guns used in the St. Valentines Day Massacre. Burke was never brought to Illinois to be tried for the massacre though. He was, instead, convicted for the killing of a police man in Michigan and sentenced to life. The rumors surrounding the find were that Burke was never brought to Chicago since his testimony would implicate the police in the planting of the weapons and cause police suspicion all over again.

It is not known who actually participated in the killings at 2122 North Clark but some of the more likely suspects were : Machine Gun McGurn, Tony 'Joe Batters' Accardo, George 'Shotgun' Ziegler, Claude Maddox, Gus Winkler and 'Crane Neck' Nugent, the last four being members of the elite hit squad Murder Inc. from Brooklyn.

IF BOTH of your parents are/were ITALIAN

2009-01-13T17:05:00.001-08:00

Mob Snitches

2009-01-03T09:57:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year Paison

2009-01-01T00:01:00.000-08:00

How they celebrate New Years in Italy

Rome
Rome's traditional New Year's Eve celebrations are centered in Piazza del Popolo. Huge crowds celebrate with rock and classical music and dancing and of course, fireworks. The celebrations last well into the night. On New Year's day (while the adults are sleeping), children will be entertained in the square by performers and acrobats.
Next to the church of Santa Maria del Popolo, you can still see the exhibit of traditional nativity scenes (through January 8) from 100 regions of Italy and other countries of the world.

Rome has a classical music concert outdoors on the square in front of the Quirinale, off Via Nazionale, around 11:00 followed by fireworks at midnight.

Rimini
Rimini, on the Adriatic coast, is one of Italy's most popular nightlife spots. Besides celebrations in numerous nightclubs and bars, Rimini holds a huge New Year's Eve festival in Piazzale Fellini starting at 9:00. There's music, dancing, and entertainment and a spectacular fireworks display. The Rimini New Year's Eve festival will be televised in Italy.
Naples and Capri
Naples is known as having one of the best New Year's Eve fireworks displays. They also have huge outdoor music events and in some parts of Naples, people still throw their old things out of their windows.

A tradition called Lo Sciuscio originated in Naples. Although it has pretty much died out there, it still exists in some smaller towns nearby. Groups of amateur musicians (now mainly children) go from house to house playing and singing on New Year's Eve. A small gift of money or sweets is given to them to bring good luck in the new year and turning them away may bring bad luck.

Near Naples, local folkloric groups perform in the Piazzetta in Capri and Piazza Diaz in Anacapri on January 1.

Bologna
Bologna traditionally celebrates New Year's Eve with the Fiera del Bue Grasso (fat ox fair). The ox is decorated from horns to tail with flowers and ribbons. The church bells are rung, spectators light candles and of course, fireworks are set off. At the end, a special lottery is held with the winner getting to keep the ox. The procession ends just before midnight in Piazza San Petronio.
Venice
Many restaurants in Venice go all out with huge feasts on New Year's Eve, starting around 9:00 and lasting until midnight. Although expensive, they tend to be very good with many courses and lots of wine. Be sure to make a reservation ahead of time. Many restaurants will be closed on New Year's day, however. You can usually expect pizza places, hotel restaurants, and Chinese restaurants to be open.
St Mark's Square has a huge celebration with music, a giant fireworks display, bellini brindisi (toast), and a huge group kiss at midnight. The group kiss will also be held in Piazza Ferretto in Mestre Venice New Year program.

On New Year's Day, many bathers take a chilling dip in the waters of Venice's Lido Beach. That's one way to get over your hangover!

Florence
Many restaurants in Florence will have extravagent meals, too. Be sure to reserve early. Fireworks will be set off at midnight and a good place to see them would be on one of the bridges on the Arno. There will be many private fireworks celebrations all over town, too.
One of the most popular clubs in Florence, Tenax, holds a New Year's Eve party. Here are more nightclubs and places to party

Merry Christmas To All

2008-12-18T06:31:00.000-08:00

Christmas is a time for love and fun,
A time to reshape souls and roots and skies,
A time to give your heart to everyone
Freely, like a rich and lavish sun,
Like a burning star to those whose lonely sighs
Show need of such a time for love and fun.

For children first, whose pain is never done,
Whose bright white fire of anguish never dies,
It's time to give your heart to every one,

That not one angel fall, to hatred won
For lack of ears to listen to her cries,
Or arms to carry him towards love and fun,

Or friends to care what happens on the run
To adult life, where joy or sadness lies.
It's time to give your heart to everyone,

For God loves all, and turns His back on none,
Good or twisted, ignorant or wise.
Christmas is a time for love and fun,
A time to give your heart to everyone
Merry Chrixst

Riverview Park

2008-12-07T09:51:00.000-08:00

Many a Mobster grew up here lol..This is a pictorial memory of that place we grew up as kids..!!Date Opened: 1904
Date Closed: 1967
Location: Western and Belmont Avenues,
near the Chicago River and Lane Tech High
Remains at site: None

Note: Riverview was one of the greatest of all
amusement parks

This is a pictorial memory of that place we grew up as kids..!!

The 74 acres bordered by Western and Belmont avenues, the Chicago River, and Lane Tech High School were known affectionately as "Riverview" to at least three generations of Chicagoans from as early as 1904 to as recent as 1967. Riverview Amusement Park was (sometimes disputably) billed as "The World’s Largest Amusement Park" throughout its 64-year popularity. For some people a trip to Riverview was a rite of passage; for others, it was a familiar weekend excursion, but for most people who went there, a trip to Riverview was a significant memory not soon forgotten. As Chicago natives, my parents and my grandparents can attest to the significance of Riverview. My grandmother’s eighth grade graduation trip was to Riverview, and she has fond memories of the four summers she spent as a cotton candy vendor there. My parents also have vivid memories of trips to Riverview. The story of Riverview Amusement Park is one remembered by many.

German Sharpshooter Park, as the area that would become Riverview was known as during the late 1800’s, was a shooting range and picnic grounds owned by the wealthy Schmidt family. Wilhelm Schmidt later put in swings and some rides for the ladies and children and Riverview was born. Soon after its opening in 1904, Wilhelm’s son George began to expand the park with ideas he had picked up in Europe from parks such as Tivoli Gardens. One of these ideas was Riverview’s famous 70-horse carousel, commissioned from a group of Swiss-Italian carvers employed by the Philadelphia Toboggan Company and installed in 1908. Riverview’s popularity grew during the early 1900’s as a ballroom and a roller rink were built for entertainment during the winter season. The Riverview Boosters Club, started in 1919, sponsored events such as an Armistice Day Party and membership drives throughout the early twenties.

The "roaring" attitude of the twenties had its effects on Riverview, as well. During Prohibition, the many beer-drinking German patrons of Riverview found the park’s picnic grounds continuing to flow freely with beer, even with some interruptions from federal agents. Chicago political machines also made good use of the popularity of Riverview during the 1920’s. Mayor "Big Bill" Thompson sponsored free childrens’ days at Riverview and paid the Western Ave. streetcar fare during the summer. "The park also became a focal point for the developing rivalry between the O’Bannion and Capone gangs," states Al Griffin in Chicago History. Riverview became even more "roaring" in 1926 with the addition of "The Bobs" roller coaster. "The Bobs" was an 11-car coaster with an 85-foot drop, long billed as the most fearsome roller coaster in the country, as well as the fastest on record. Built at the gargantuan (for the 1920’s) cost of 80,000 dollars, "The Bobs" carried 1,200 passengers per hour and drew some 700,000 riders each season. "The Bobs" remained uncontestedly the most popular ride at Riverview throughout its existence.

The Great Depression of the 1930’s hit Riverview hard, as it did most entertainment industries. During the early 1930’s a devastating fire burned down one of the earlier fun houses, called the Bug House, and sections of the Derby Racing Coaster. Even without excess cash flow, Chicagoans continued to find ways to go to Riverview as is evidenced by George Schmidt’s introduction of the foot-long hot dog during the thirties. Most visitors to Riverview opted to eat at the Bowery rather than in the restaurants during the Depression years, so Schmidt began selling the foot-long as something filling yet inexpensive. It’s easy to see why Riverview’s motto became "Laugh Your Troubles Away."

The years during World War II brought more changes to Riverview. The American National Socialist Party held its annual picnic and rally at Riverview in 1939. Thousands of Nazis postured and marched and hailed Hitler on the amusement park grounds. In contrast to this, Riverview became a popular place for returning servicemen and began to thrive again after the lag during the thirties. The postwar baby boom of the late 1940’s and 1950’s brought greatly increased prosperity to Riverview. "In the old days we’d have families of only one or two children. Now they come with four or five or more," stated G.G. Botts, Riverview vice president, of the baby boom’s effects. During the fifties, one couple that met at Riverview insisted on being married on the Pair-o-Chutes ride, and even found a minister to do it. The downside to this increased popularity was the rise of other amusement parks that presented stiff competition for Riverview. In 1948 there were only 420 amusement parks nationwide; in 1958 the number had grown to over 700.

The movement of more and more African Americans to Chicago heightened racial tension at Riverview during that time period, as well. One of the midway games that started out as a "Dunk the Bozo the Clown" game in which contestants threw balls at a target that would release a man into a tank of water turned into "Dunk the Nig**r" during the 1940’s. African American men were hired to sit in the tanks and taunt white passersby, who often would throw the balls at the African American in the tank rather than at the target. The title of the game was later changed to the more politically correct "African Dip" and was eventually closed by Schmidt in the late 1950’s after much pressure from the NAACP. By the time the game closed, "the men who lost their jobs were reportedly making over three hundred dollars a week in what was considered to be the highest-grossing concession in Riverview’s history." The game left a lasting effect, as well. It allowed ethnically diverse Chicagoans to define themselves as "white" and to develop a sense of racial solidarity that "obscured the particulars of their own ethnic backgrounds." This development served to further segregate the city. Fights sprang up more frequently at Riverview after this, and by the 1960’s Riverview required its own police force.

The closing of Riverview at the end of the 1967 season was a shock to many people. As Riverview was still bringing in 65,000 dollars on a good day, it seemed hard for people to attribute the end to economic reasons. But in truth, the Schmidts were probably offered a deal that they couldn’t pass up. They had installed a Disney-esque Space Ride in 1963 that cost 375,000 dollars and was reportedly losing money. Also, real estate prices in that downtown area were rising rapidly and the union labor and private police and fire departments, not to mention yearly repairs on the aging rides, cost the park more and more money. For whatever reason, the park was purchased by a LaSalle Street investment firm on October 3, 1967 for an estimated 6.5 million dollars and promptly demolished. Only the Merry-go-Round and several smaller souvenirs were saved. After storage in Galena, Illinois, the Merry-go-Round was purchased in 1971 and is now in Atlanta at Six Flags Over Georgia. The distortion mirrors from Aladdin’s Castle fun house are reportedly at a dance club in Palatine. The area that was once Riverview is now home to a DeVry Institute of Technology, a police station, and a shopping center.

There were many inside facts about Riverview that employees learned while working there. My grandmother, who sold cotton candy there as a teenager, remembers a lot about the park that the average visitor never found out. For instance, the park hired plants to walk around the midway with prizes, enticing people to play the games. Employees got to take the pre-opening test rides and enjoyed such thrills as the Bobs and the Chute-the-Chutes for free. Also, Riverview didn’t have a set closing time, but depended on the flow of the crowd to tell them when to close. Vendors on the midway watched for the lights of the Hades fun house to go out to know when to start shutting down.

Riverview Amusement Park had a lasting impact on the city of Chicago. Most importantly, it allowed people of different ethnic, racial, and socioeconomic backgrounds to interact with each other in an otherwise ethnically segregated city. During its 64 years in existence it was said to entertain over 200,000,000 people. It played important roles during Prohibition, the Depression, World War II, and the baby boom of the fifties and sixties. Helen FitzMaurice says in The Chicago Tribune, "Riverview, like a fading Viennese beauty, held on to her air of old world charm, even when time and the electronic age so ruthlessly forced their way upon her. I am glad that those who were responsible retired her before every vestige of her charm was gone." Even if Riverview and its impact are sorely missed by Chicagoans, its closing was sadly appropriate. In the age of "The Raging Bull" and "The Viper," "The Bobs" and "The Chute-the-Chutes" would seem out of place and belonging to another age. As society looks for more daring risks, technology must follow. Despite being in the shadow of the increasingly technological aspects of today’s amusement park entertainment, Riverview will stand out in many peoples’ memories for the good times they had there and in Chicago’s history for its important social impact on the city.
Date Opened: 1904
Date Closed: 1967

CHICAGO ..Da Band Of Da Windy City

2008-11-23T07:17:00.000-08:00

In 1967, Chicago musicians Robert Lamm, James Pankow, Walter Parazaider, Lee Loughnane, Terry Kath, Peter Cetera, and Danny Seraphine formed a group with one dream, to integrate all the musical diversity from their beloved city and weave a new sound, rock 'n' roll band with horns. Their dream turned into 20 Top Ten singles, 12 Top Ten albums (five of which were #1), and sales of more than 120 million records.

Pursuant to that goal, Parazaider enrolled at Chicago's DePaul University, all the while still playing "Many gigs and smoke-filled rooms and dance halls, and also some orchestra balls." It was at DePaul that he met another young Chicago musician, Jimmy Guercio, who years later would become Chicago's producer. "We started playing in different rock 'n roll bands in the area."

But while doing all that academic work, Parazaider had also gotten a non-classical musical idea he thought had promise: a rock 'n roll band with horns. In the trendy world of pop music, horns took a back seat in the mid-'6O's, when bands, imitating the four-piece rhythm section of the Beatles, stayed with the limits of guitars-bass-drums. Even the Saxophone, so much a part of '50's rock 'n roll, was heard less often. Only in R&B, which maintained something of the big band tradition, did people such as James Brown and others continue to use horn sections regularly. In the summer of l966, the Beatles turned around and brought horns back. Their "Revolver" album featured songs such as "Got To Get You Into My Life," which included two trumpets and two tenor saxophones.

Parazaider's band at the time was the "Missing Links", which featured a very talented guy named Terry Kath on bass. Kath had been a friend of Parazaider's and Guercio's since they were teenagers. On drums was Danny Seraphine, who had been raised in Chicago's Little Italy section. Trumpet player Lee Loughnane, another DePaul student, sometimes sat in with the band.

Like other future members of Chicago, Loughnane began performing in local groups. First, there was the Shannon Show Band, an Irish group in which he found himself part of a three-man horn section trumpet, trombone, and tenor saxophone just like the one Chicago would use. "I even sang my first lead vocal in that band," Loughnane recalls. "I sang "Kicks," by Paul Revere and the Raiders. I was so good at it that I became a singing sensation with Chicago. I sang three leads on 23 albums!"

Through Terry Kath, Loughnane met Seraphine and Parazaider, and he started to sit in with the Missing Links. "Terry and I became thick as thieves," he recalls. "Walt was the only horn player in that band, and he encouraged me to come by and sit in a lot so there would be two horns and you could get that octave R&B sound. It was sort of the thing at the time, and I really enjoyed playing with the band."

Now, Parazaider, Kath, Seraphine, and Loughnane decided to develop Parazaider's concept for a rock 'n roll band with horns. To make the concept work, they needed to bring in additional band members. The first musician Parazaider approached, in the fall of 1966, was a newly transferred DePaul sophomore from Quincy College who played trombone. "Walt had been kind of keeping an eye on me in school," says James Pankow. "He approached me and said, "Hey, man, I've been checking you out, and I like your playing, and I think you got it. I said, "Well, what do you mean, I got it?" He had that twinkle in his eye, and I figured, well, whatever the hell be means, I guess he likes what I do."

Pankow's recruitment brought the new band's complement of horns up to three, but they still needed bass and keyboards. They thought they had found both in a dive on the South Side when they heard piano player "Bobby Charles" of Bobby Charles and the Wanderers, whose real name was Robert Lamm.

Lamm received a phone call. He isn't sure who called him, but the voice on the other end of the phone outlined the ideas of forming a band that could play rock 'n roll with horns in it and asked it he was interested. He said he was. He was also asked if he knew how to play the bass pedals on an organ, thus filling up another sound in the band. "I lied and told them I could," he says. "I needed to learn how to do it real quick, and I did, on the job."

Lamm met the rest of the guys at a meeting set up to determine how to go about achieving their musical goals. The date was February 15th, 1967. "We had a get together in Walter's apartment on the north side of Chicago," says Pankow. "It was Danny, Terry, Robert, Walter, Lee, and myself, and we agreed to devote our lives and our energies to making this project work."

They rehearsed in Parazaider's parents' basement as often as they could. "We figured that the only people with horn sections that were really making any noise were the soul acts," says Pankow, "so we kind of became a soul band doing James Brown and Wilson Pickett stuff."

The group needed a name. Parazaider recalls: "An Italian friend of mine who was going to book us said, "You know, everybody is saying "Thing, Thing this, Thing that. There's a lot of you. We'll call you the Big Thing."

The Big Thing played its first engagement at the GiGi A Go Go is Lyons, Illinois, in March 1967. In June, July, and August, the band appeared in Peoria, Sioux Falls, South Dakota, Rockford, and Indianapolis. But the most important early gig was a week-long stand at Shula's Club in Niles, Michigan, August 29 to September 3.

In Niles, they arranged a meeting with Parazaider's old friend Jimmy Guercio, who had become a producer for CBS Records. "He heard us play," Parazaider recalls "He was very impressed ." It was the big break they had been looking for. Guercio told the band to hang on, that he would be in touch. Encouraged by this, they began to develop more of their own original material. "I began to write songs," says Pankow. "Robert began to write more songs, and Terry Kath began to contribute material."

Meanwhile, the Big Thing stayed on the Midwest club circuit through the fall, building a following. An engagement during the second week of December proved to be another important gig. "We were an opening act at Barnaby's in Chicago for a band called the Exceptions, which was the biggest club band in the Midwest, and we stuck around and listened to them," says Pankow. "I was just blown away."

If the Big Thing had stayed late to see the Exceptions, one of the Exceptions had come early to see the Big Thing. "I had heard a lot about these guys," says Peter Cetera, then bass player for the Exceptions. "I was just floored 'cause they were doing songs that nobody else was doing, and in different ways. They were doing the Beatles' Magical Mystery Tour" and "Got To Get You Into My Life" and different versions of rock songs with horns."

After the gig, says Pankow, he approached us and said, "I don't know what you guys are doing, but I like it. It's really refreshing. It's cool."

"At the end of the two-week stint," says Cetera, "I was out of the Exceptions and into the Big Thing."

Peter Cetera was born in Chicago on September 13, 1944, and his first instrument was the accordion, which he took up then he was ten. "That's unfortunately true," he admits, when asked about it. "There was accordion and guitar, and for some reason I chose accordion. I don't know why. I guess because I was half Polish, and we played a lot of polkas. It didn't do me any good for my rock 'n roll career, but it actually was a lot of fun."

Cetera perfectly fit the musical needs of the Big Thing. "We needed a bass player at the time," notes Loughnane. "Robert was playing the bass pedals on the organ. He did a pretty good job, but there just wasn't enough bottom with the bass pedals. You needed a real bass in the band. And we needed a tenor voice. We had two baritones (Lamm and Kath), so we had midrange and lower notes covered. But we needed a high voice for the same reason that you have three horns. You have trumpet, tenors and trombone. You cover as much range harmonically as you can, and we wanted to do the same thing vocally. When Peter joined the band, that solidified our vocals. You could get more color musically, and we started building from there."

It was probably at the Big Thing's next appearance at Barnaby's, March 6 - 10, l968, that Guercio came back for a second look. Impressed by the band's improvement, he took action. "He told us to prepare for a move to L.A.," says Pankow, "to keep working on our original material, and he would call us when be he was ready for us."

The band, now renamed "Chicago Transit Authority" by Guercio in honour of the bus line he used to ride to school, was in a creative fervour. Kath, Pankow, and especially Lamm were writing large amounts of original material, with Lamm completing two of the group's most memorable songs, "Questions 67 and 68" and "Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is?" just prior to the departure from Chicago.

Guercio moved quickly. "He got a little two-bedroom house near the Hollywood Freeway, and he told us that he was ready," Pankow recalls. "We made the move in June of 1968. We threw all of our lives in U-haul trailers and drove across the country. The married guys left their wives at home at first because they couldn't afford to bring their families out. We got disturbance calls from the neighbours five times a day because all we did was practice day and night." The band began to play around the Los Angeles area. "I think we made all of $15, $20 at whatever beerhall we could play in the suburbs of Los Angeles for a while there," says Parazaider.

According to the terms of his production deal with CBS, Guercio was given the opportunity to showcase prospective signings for the label three times. He arranged Chicago Transit Authority's first showcase at the Whisky-A-Go-Go in August, but CBS's West coast division turned them down. A month later, CBS turned CTA down again, strike two.

Running short of money, Guercio was asked to produce the second album by Blood, Sweat & Tears, a jazz-rock group on CBS. Intending to use his earnings from the project to continue funding Chicago Transit Authority and to find a way to get them signed to CBS, Guercio sought the band's permission to produce someone else. He said, "To tell you the truth, I really haven't recorded horns as a whole band situation. I've recorded horns that did sort of blaps here and there or little parts here and there. This would be a good way for me to learn how to record horns."

Instead of risking another showcase with CBS, Guercio cut a demo of CTA, and when it began to get notice in the industry, CBS president Clive Davis reversed the decision of the West Coast executives and signed the group. Seven months after arriving in California, almost two years since they had come together in Parazaider's apartment, and after more than a cumulative half century of playing and practicing, the seven members of Chicago Transit Authority finally were given a chance to show the world what they could do.

In January 1969, when the group flew to New York to begin work on its first album, it faced two problems it knew nothing about. The first was that, because the Guercio-produced Blood, Sweat and Tears LP at first appeared to be a flop (though it later became a spectacular hit), the status of his new project, CTA, suffered: The label curtailed the amount of time the band would have in the CBS studio. The group was allowed only five days of basic tracking and five days of overdubbing. And then there was the second problem. Although they were well rehearsed, the band members had never been in a studio before.

"We actually went in and started making "Chicago Transit Authority" and found out we knew very little about what we were doing," says Walt Parazaider. "I had done commercial jingles in Chicago, but this was a totally different thing for all of us. The first song was "Does Anybody Really Know What Tine It Is ?" We tried to record it as a band, live, all of us in the studio at once. How the hell do you get seven guys playing it right the first time? I just remember standing in the middle of that room. I didn't want to look at anybody else for fear I'd throw them off and myself, too. I think that we actually realized after we didn't get anything going that it had to be rhythm section first, then the horns, and that's basically how we recorded a lot of the albums."

But after they worked out the basic mechanics of recording, the large bulk of material the band had amassed began to be a problem to fit on the then standard 35-minute, one-disc LP. The band had more than enough material for a double album, and they wanted to make a statement. If they had lot to say, this seemed like the time to say it. Early 1969 was a period when rock was taking on a seriousness undreamed of only a few years before. The Beatles had recently released their two-record "white" album and had also shattered the previously sacrosanct three-minute limit for a single by spending over seven minutes singing "Hey Jude."

When told of the band's intention to make a double album, Columbia's business people informed Guercio that CTA could have a double album only if they agreed to cut their royalties. The band agreed.

Released in April 1969," Chicago Transit Authority" was played by the newly powerful FM album rock stations, especially college radio. "AM radio wouldn't touch us because we were unpackagable," says Pankow. "They weren't able to pigeonhole our music. It was too different, and the cuts on the albums were so long that they really weren't tailored for radio play unless they were edited, and we didn't know anything about editing. The album was an underground hit, FM radio was embraced by the college audiences in the late '6O's. All of a sudden, the college campuses around the country discovered Chicago. The album broke into Billboard magazine's Top LP's chart for the week ending May 17, 1969, and eventually peaked at Number 17. By the end of 1972, it had amassed 148 weeks on the chart, making it the longest running album by a rock group up to that time.

It was about this time that the real Chicago Transit Authority (the elevated train line in Chicago) sued the band over the use of it's name. A simple shortening to"Chicago" was agreed on.

In early December, "Chicago" flew to London to begin a 14-date European tour and when they returned to the U.S., their first album had become a gold record. In between tour dates in August 1969, Chicago had found the time to record its second album. One of the first songs Lamm brought in for he album was "25 Or 6 To 4," a song with a lyric Chicago fans have pondered ever since. What does that title mean ? "It's just a reference to the time of day," says Lamm. As for the lyric: "The song is about writing a song. It's not mystical."

The second album also saw the debut of a new songwriter in the band, although the circumstances under which be became a writer are unfortunate. During a break in the touring in the summer of 1969, Peter Cetera was set upon at a baseball game at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles. "Four marines didn't like a long-haired rock 'n' roller in a baseball park," Cetera recounts, "and of course I was a Cub fan, and I was in Dodger Stadium, and that didn't do so well. I got in a fight and got a broken jaw in three places, and I was in intensive care for a couple of days." The incident had an effect on Cetera's career and an impact on his singing style. "The only funny thing I can think about the whole incident," he says, "is that, with my jaw wired together, I actually went on the road, and I was actually singing through my clenched jaw, which, to this day, is still the way I sing."

When it was released in January 1970, the second album, instead of featuring a picture of the band on the cover and a title drawn from one of the songs, had the band's distinctive logo on the cover and was called Chicago II. From the start, Chicago took a conceptual approach to the way it was presented to the public. The album covers were overseen by John Berg, the head of the art department at Columbia Records, and Nick Fasciano designed the logo, which has adorned every album cover in the group catalogue. "Guercio was insistent upon the logo being the dominant factor in the artwork," says Pankow, even though the artwork varied greatly from cover to cover. Thus, the logo might appear carved into a rough wooden panel, as on Chicago V, or tooled into an elaborate leatherwork design, like Chicago VII, or become a mouth-watering chocolate bar, for the Chicago X cover, which was a Grammy Award winner.

And then there were those sequential album titles. "People always asked why we were numbering our albums," jokes Cetera, "and the reason is, because we always argued about what to call it. 'All right, III, all right, IV!", Actually, the band never attempted to title the albums, feeling that the music spoke for itself.

In commercial terms, the major change that came with Chicago II was that it opened the floodgates for Chicago as a singles band. In October 1969, Columbia had re-tested the waters by releasing "Beginnings" as a single, but AM radio still wasn't interested, and the record failed to chart. All of this changed, however, when the label excerpted two songs, "Make Me Smile" and "Colour My World," from Pankow's ballet and released them as the two sides of a single in March 1970. "I was driving in my car down Santa Monica Boulevard in L.A.," Pankow remembers, "and I turned the radio to KHJ and 'Make Me Smile' came on. I almost hit the car in front of me, 'cause it's my song, and I'm hearing it on the biggest station in L.A. At that point, I realized, hey, we have a hit single. They don't play you in L.A. unless you're hit-bound. So, that was one of the more exciting moments in my early career."

The single reached the Top 10, while Chicago II immediately went gold and got to Number 4 on the LP chart, joining the first album, which was still selling well. A second single, Lamm's "25 Or 6 To 4," was an even bigger hit in the summer of 1970, peaking at Number 4.

But instead of reaching into the second album for a third single, Columbia and Chicago decided to try to re-stimulate interest in the first album, and succeeded. The group's next single was "Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is?" which became their third Top 10 hit in a row by the start of 1971. Ironically, Chicago's belated singles success cost the group its "underground" following. "All of a sudden," Loughnane recalls,"people started saying we sold out. The same music! Exactly the same songs !"

As January 1971 rolled around, once again Chicago had found time to record a new double album. "That third album scared us,' says Parazaider, "because we basically had run out of the surplus of material that we had, and we were still working a lot on the road. We were afraid that we were getting ready to record a little under the gun. But I don't think it shows."

After the singles from Chicago III had run their course, helping the album to its chart peak at Number 2 and its gold record award, Columbia turned back to the first and second albums which were still in the charts, re-releasing as a single "Beginnings" backed by "Colour My World," and then "Questions 67 and 68". "They all became hits," notes Loughnane, "to the point where radio said, "If you release something off that first album again, we'll neverplay another one of your records."

All of this meant that, with its first three albums, Chicago had reached astonishing popular success. All three double albums were still on the charts throughout 1971, and hits came from each one. But how to top that? In October, Columbia released a lavish four-record box set chronicling the group's week-long stand at Carnegie Hall, the previous April. Manager/producer Guercio had to fight Columbia to get the label to release the album, due to its manufacturing cost. He agreed to assume the extra expense if the album didn't sell a million units. The bill never arrived. "Chicago At Carnegie Hall" went gold out of the box and has since been certified for sales of two million copies.

Though Chicago had made previous visits to Europe and the Far East, it embarked on its first full-scale world tour in February 1972. The high point of the tour was in Japan, where Chicago recorded another live album that was so superior to the Carnegie Hall album, there's really no comparison. "The Japanese hooked up two eight-track machines together to make 16 tracks," notes Parazaider. "The sound was excellent."

Chicago's next studio album marked a change from its first three studio works in a number of respects. For one thing, Chicago V, released in July 1972, was only a single album. For another, the lengthy instrumental excursions of past records had been cut down, leaving nine relatively tightly arranged songs. "When we released all those double records, there wasn't a limit on how many songs you could have on a record and how many copyrights you could get off of that record. Then the companies decided that they were only going to pay on ten copyrights per record no matter how many songs there were." The new copyright rule benefited some recording artists at a time when performers were recording extended compositions, sometimes fitting only one per side of a record. But Chicago, which previously had given its fans extra value for their money on double-record sets, suffered. "We wanted to be able to write songs that stretched and said everything we wanted to say," Loughnane notes. "VII was the last double record, I don't think you ever saw another double record, from anybody, as a matter of fact, because there was no reason. Monetarily, everybody lost from that."

Chicago V is perhaps best remembered for Lamm's "Saturday In The Park". The album sold very well, topping the charts for nine weeks, the first of five straight Chicago albums to reach Number 1. "Saturday In The Park" became the group's first gold single, hitting Number 3.

In October 1972, a second single from Chicago V, Lamm's 'Dialogue (Part I & II)' with vocals by Kath and Cetera, was released. "Dialogue" became an instant favourite with fans. Guercio, meanwhile, bought a ranch in Colorado and built a recording studio there that he dubbed Caribou. He was seeking to avoid the expense and restrictions of the New York studios and what he considered their outdated equipment. "We got a little tired of recording in New York, with maids beating on hotel room doors," says Parazaider. "The sixth, seventh, eighth, tenth and eleventh albums were done up at Caribou Ranch, 8,500 feet up in the Rockies, about an hour's drive outside of Boulder."

The first fruits of the new studio were released in June 1973, in the form of the single "Feelin' Stronger Every Day" and the album Chicago VI. "Feeling Stronger Every Day" was about a relationship, Pankow says, but "underlying that relationship it's almost like the band is feeling stronger than ever." Pankow's "Just You 'N' Me," which would be released as the album's second single, and which would go gold and hit Number 1 in the Cash Box chart (Number 4 in Billboard), was one of Chicago's most memorable ballads and very much a harbinger of the future. "'Just You 'N' Me' was the result of a lovers' quarrel," Pankow recalls. "I was in the process of becoming engaged to a woman who became my wife for over 20 years. We had a disagreement, and rather than put my fist through the wall or get crazy or get nuclear, I went out to the piano, and this song just kind of poured out. We wound up getting married shortly thereafter, and the lead sheet of that song was the announcement for the wedding, with our picture embossed on it."

When Chicago gathered at the Caribou Ranch to record its seventh album in the fall of 1973, the initial intention was to do a jazz album. On his own, Pankow brought in another gorgeous ballad, though this time his subject matter went beyond romance. "I've Been Searchin 'So Long" was a song about finding myself," he says. "I just had to talk about who I was and what I was feeling at the time. The '70's was a time for soul-searching."

Cetera, who never claimed to be a Jazz musician, was discouraged about the original concept of the album, and also at his lack of participation as songwriter. Cetera's last-minute contribution to Chicago VII is one of the album's best-remembered songs, "Wishing You Were Here." "There's two people that I always wanted to be," Cetera confesses, "and that was a Beatle or a Beach Boy. I got to meet the Beach Boys at various times and got to be good friends with Carl Wilson." Cetera wrote the song in the style of the Beach Boys, who were at Caribou when it was to be recorded. Guercio, who had known the group since his backup days in the mid '60's, had recently taken over their management. Cetera asked the Beach Boys to sing on the bridge and chorus of "Wishing You Were Here." "They said, 'Yeah, we'd love to," be recalls. "So, I got to do the background harmonies with Carl and Dennis Wilson and Al Jardine. For a night, I was a Beach Boy."

As a result of the good vibrations between the members of both bands, it was agreed that a national tour would be fun and exciting for the bands and the audiences. The following summer, the Chicago-Beach Boys tour filled stadiums from coast to coast, nearly eclipsing the Rolling Stones, who were touring simultaneously.

Chicago VII was preceded by the February 1974 single release of "I've Been Searchin' So Long", which become the band's eighth Top 10 hit. "Call On Me" became their ninth, and "Wishing You Were Here" became their tenth, peaking at Number 9 on Cash Box, Number 11 on Billboard. The album was another chart topper. The year 1974 also marked the addition of an eighth member of Chicago, Brazilian percussionist Laudir De Oliveira, a former member of Sergio Mendez's Brazil '66. De Oliveira had first appeared on Chicago VI as a sideman.

Also in '74, Robert Lamm released a solo album called "Skinny Boy". Chicago began work on its next album August 1, 1974, at Caribou Ranch, and the results started to emerge in February 1975. Pankow wrote the sentimental "Old Days". "It's a memorabilia song, it's about my childhood," he says. "It touches on key phrases that, although they date me, are pretty right-on in terms of images of my childhood. 'The Howdy Doody Show' on television and collecting baseball cards and comic books." "Old Days" was a Top 5 hit when it was released as the second single from Chicago VIII, which appeared in March 1975.

The year 1975 marked an early commercial peak in Chicago's career, a year during which the band scored its fourth straight Number 1 album, a year when all its previous albums were back in the charts. Chicago's worldwide record sales for this single year were a staggering 20 million copies. The group returned with an all-new album in June 1976, when it released Chicago X. (Chicago IX had been a greatest hits collection.) The big hit from the album was a song that just barely made the final cut, Peter Cetera's "If You Leave Me Now". "That was one of those magical 'We need one more song (situations)," Cetera recalls.

"If You Leave Me Now" streaked to Number 1, Chicago's first Billboard singles chart topper. It also topped charts around the world. Chicago X won the band its first platinum record (the awards had only just been inaugurated that year), selling a million copies in three months. Afterward, the ballad style of "If You Leave Me Now" increasingly seemed to become the preferred style of Chicago's audience and radio listeners. "That drove me crazy," says Lamm. "I know it drove Terry crazy, because that isn't what we set out to be and it isn't how we heard ourselves."

By 1977, after eight relentless years of touring and recording, strain was beginning to show. "We'd cut down the touring from 300 dates to 250, down to 200, which is still a lot of days on the road," says Parazaider. "But let's face it, we were booming." In January, Chicago undertook another world tour, and the band was in Europe when they won a Grammy for Best Pop Vocal Performance by a Duo, Group or Chorus for "If You Leave Me Now." They also took Grammys for Best Arrangement Accompanying Vocals and Best Album Cover.

In September, Chicago XI was released, but the mounting tensions between Chicago and Guercio finally erupted. The split between group and manager had been a long time coming. Guercio had exerted a powerful control over the members of Chicago, especially in the early days, and as they became stars, it probably was inevitable that they would begin to chafe under his harsh leadership. "It started happening with the tenth record," says Parazaider. "He didn't want us to learn any of the production techniques. He'd go to sleep at nine o'clock, and we'd start producing the records ourselves.

"As I look back, I was much too hard on these guys," Guercio admits. "I felt a thoroughbred by committee is a goddamn mule. I totally manipulated them for my own ends as well as theirs, whether they understood them or not."

In the short term, little seemed changed. "Baby, What A Big Surprise" sailed into the Top 5, and Chicago XI was certified platinum the month after its release. But only a few months later, the band would be devastated by a terrible loss. On January 23, l978, Chicago guitarist and singer Terry Kath died from an accidental gunshot wound. "Terry Kath was a great talent" says Jim Guercio, who worked with him on a solo album that was never completed. "Hendrix idolized him. He was just totally committed to this band, and he could have been a monster (as a solo artist)." Kath's death devastated Chicago, and the band considered breaking up. A short time after Terry's death, "Take Me Back To Chicago," was released as a single.

If the band was going to continue, it would need a new guitarist, and auditions began in earnest in the spring of 1978. "We felt that we were being left behind by the new music," says Cetera, "and we thought we needed a young guitar player with long hair. We sat through I don't know how many guitar players, but I'm sure it was 30, 40, or 50 guitar players. Toward the end, Donnie Dacus showed up. He played a couple of songs right and with fire, and that's how he was in the group."

The band went to Miami's Criteria Studios with producer Phil Ramone, who had mixed many of their singles and television specials. "Hot Streets was a scary experience," says Pankow of the album even band members occasionally slip and called Chicago XII. "Guercio was no longer in the picture, and neither was Terry. But Phil Ramone believed in the band from the beginning. After recovering from the enormous tragedy of losing Terry, I think we did a damn good job." Perhaps the album's most notable song is the up-tempo "Alive Again," which was also the first single. "If you read between the lines, it's a tribute to Terry Kath's passing," says Pankow. "That's the first song we recorded subsequent to Terry's death. It's the band saying we're alive again, and Terry's looking down on us with a big smile."

To mark the new era, Chicago changed their album design. "Hot Streets", released in September 1978, was the first Chicago album on which a picture of the group was the dominant feature of the cover. "After the album came out, the record company did a survey," says Pankow, "and 90 percent of the people surveyed didn't give a shit about what we looked like, much to our chagrin. They wanted to see the logo. The music has always spoken for itself, and the logo has as well . It 's like Coca-Cola: When you see it, you know what it is," Hot Streets was certified platinum before the end of October, and produced two top 20 Singles in "Alive Again" and "No Tell Lover". "It got us over the letup," Parazaider says, "and we proved to ourselves we could go on and sell records."

The band went on the road to support the album and did a concert tour with a small orchestra conducted by Bill Conti, who had risen to fame as the Oscar-winning composer of the soundtrack to Sly Stallone's Rocky. Ultimately, Donnie Dacus didn't work out and left the band, though he remained through the 13th album. The personnel problem was compounded by a musical one: As the late '70s wore on, the sophisticated, jazz-rock, pop-oriented style of Chicago was being squeezed by disco on one side and punk/new wave on the other, each or them making the band seem unfashionable. Responding to pressure to change the sound, Chicago 13 , which was released in August 1979, contained the song "Street Player," which has a disco flavour. According to Parazaider, the album "hit the wall at 700,000 copies, a good sale for some, but very disappointing by Chicago's standards.

At this time, Chicago signed a new, multi-million dollar record contract with Columbia. "There was no way either party should have made that deal," says Lamm. "It created a lot of animosity at the company." After Chicago XIV suffered disappointing sales, Columbia bought the group out of the remainder of the contract and released "Greatest Hits, Volume II", which counted as the 15th album.

To replace Donate Dacus, Chicago had hired guitarist Chris Pinnick as a sideman. "Chris came closest to Terry's rhythmic approach," says Lamm. Laudir De Oliveira also departed the group at this point. In the fall of 1981, Chicago asked Bill Champlin, a noted Los Angeles session singer and musician, to join them. "They needed a little bit of guitar work," says Champlin, "and they needed somebody to sing Terry's stuff."

"Bill might come the closest to Terry's gutsy lead vocals," says Parazaider. Also a songwriter, he co-wrote "After The Love Has Gone," which was a hit for Earth, Wind & Fire and a Grammy R&B Song of the Year. He would win a second R&B Song of the Year Grammy for co-writing "Turn Your Love Around," which became a hit for George Benson just after he joined Chicago.

Champlin had worked closely with Canadian producer and songwriter David Foster, whose other clients had included Hall and Oates and the Average White Band. "A lot of people think Foster brought me into Chicago," Champlin notes, "and it's the other way around, I actually brought Foster into Chicago." Champlin knew Danny Seraphine, and Seraphine went to him for advice about Foster, who had been considered as a possible producer for the 14th album before the job went to Tom Dowd and was now being considered for the 16th album. "Danny called me and said, 'What do you think of David Foster as a producer?'," Champlin recalls. "I said, 'You'll probably end up rewriting a lot, but I think Foster would be great for you guys."

As Champlin had predicted, David Foster took a strong hand in the making of Chicago l6, co-writing eight of the album's ten songs, including "Hard To Say I'm Sorry," which became a worldwide Number 1 single when the album was released by Full Moon/Warner Brothers Records in June 1982. The album went into the Top Ten and sold a million copies.

"We had a resurgence then," remembers Parazaider. "I had a kid come up to me and say, "I have your first record, would you mind signing it?' This was somewhere in North Carolina. We were going on-stage, and I told her I would sign it after the show. And what she had was the Chicago 16 album. She had no idea about the others that came before it. The reality hit , we had gained another generation."

"It was a new career for us again," says Loughnane, "and I think also Warner Brothers liked being able to sell something that Columbia said wasn't going to be able to go. That kind of competition could only benefit us because they would work harder to make their company look better than the other company."

The next Chicago-Foster project, Chicago 17, released in May 1984, became the band's greatest seller. Such hits as "Stay The Night," "Hard Habit To Break," "You're The Inspiration," and "Along Comes A Woman" propelled the album past the six million mark and reaffirmed Chicago's status as one of America's top bands. They once again played sold-out concerts in North America and Asia.

But Chicago's renewed success pre-saged a new challenge when Peter Cetera, whose singing and songwriting on a series of romantic ballads had fuelled that popularity, decided to leave the group and launch a solo career after the 1985 summer tour. In an ironic twist, however, the beginning of his new solo act would lead to the successor who helped Chicago maintain and extend its success. "When Peter left, he stayed with Warner Bros., " explains Jason Scheff. "I had just signed a song publishing deal, and Michael Ostin at Warner Bros. called over to my publisher and said, "Do you have any songs for Peter's solo album and/or someone to collaborate with him for the album?' They said, 'Yeah, we just signed this new kid.' So, they sent the demos of the first three songs that I'd brought in, and the story that I have always heard is that Michael heard the voice and said, 'Wait a minute, this could be the guy we're looking for to replace Peter in Chicago.' I didn't know this was going on. I just got a phone call one day saying, 'We have heard your tape, and we think that you could be the guy to replace Cetera in Chicago. It was a pretty amazing phone call to get, at 23 years old ."

With Scheff in place, Chicago went into the studio with David Foster to make Chicago 18. The album emerged at the end of September 1986 as the band took to the road for a fall tour to introduce the new member. Chicago 18 proved to be a gold-selling success, and Scheff's acceptance by fans was cemented with the Top Ten status of the single "Will You Still Love Me?," on which he sang lead. It was the hit that finally convinced him that he belonged. "When I first joined the band, they put all of their confidence in me and never looked back," he says. "They invested in me as the future of the franchise. There were a lot of people who were sceptical. 'Will You Still Love Me?' was a big hit, and then I finally felt comfortable that I was in."

The next hurdle, Scheff notes, was to keep that success going. Working with producers Chas Sandford and Ron Nevison, Chicago recorded "19", released in June 1988. The album yielded three Top 10 hits, with "Look Away" becoming the fastest rising single in the band's history and hitting Number 1. It was, Loughnane notes, the first Chicago hit single in a long time not to be a ballad sung in a tenor voice; Bill Champlin sang lead. That should have broken the radio demand for ballads and allowed the band greater musical flexibility. Instead, says Loughnane, "People still didn't understand that that was Chicago! We would play that song live in concert, and you could see people going, 'what are they doing that song for? I didn't know they did this song. My God, that is them!' It didn't really translate to Chicago because of what had been."

"We had come to the tail end of this long great run that was really dominated by pop ballad songs," notes Scheff, "and coupled with that was the fact that two of the singles on l9 ("Look Away" and "I Don't Wanna Live Without Your Love") were not even written by us.

In the summer of 1989, the Beach Boys and Chicago joined force once again for a memorable tour. Also, two greatest hits albums were released simultaneously in the U.S., Greatest Hits 1982-89 (counted as the 20th album), and in Europe, "The Heart of Chicago", which contained hits from both the Columbia and Warner years. The band entered the current decade with another hit single, Jason Scheff's "What Kind Of Man Would I Be," originally released on 19 and included on the new hits collection. This gave Chicago hit records an four consecutive decades.

The group faced another personnel change in 199O, when they parted ways with drummer Danny Seraphine.

Chicago Twenty One was released in January 1991. Again, the group drew on Diane Warren for two songs, "Explain It To My Heart" and "Chasin' The Wind," and they were released as singles. But this time they did not become big hits. The album marked the beginning of a resurgence of the Chicago horns as a driving force and a return to the composers within the band as the principal source. In a sense, through the album, Chicago was rediscovering where its heart lay, and that effort transcended commercial considerations. As Lamm says, "We considered the possibility that perhaps it was better to succeed or fall on our own merits." The same year, Chicago was honoured with its own star on Hollywood's Walk of Fame.

In 1993, Chicago began to work on a new album with producer Peter Wolf, who insisted the band prepare all the material themselves and work in a manner similar to the way they worked in their early years. Parazaider recalls: "Peter Wolf said to me, 'I want you to bring over your bass clarinet, your clarinet, all your saxes all your flutes, everything. We're going to use everything the way you used to use it in the old days,' and that was a very exciting thing for us."

The result was the still unreleased album "The Stone of Sisyphus". "That was a record that had to be made," says Parazaider. "Especially after all the proddings by Warner Brothers, with the success of all of the ballads that we had, this band had to go back into doing a band approach, band concept album, where the band lives with the music from the get-go, we're all involved in it, from the writing to throwing in our suggestions to rehearsing the stuff or whatever, and that's what we did with Sisyphus." Parazaider is unequivocal about the importance of the album to Chicago. "I think at that point, if that record wasn't done, the band wouldn't be together in the form that we see it," he says, "because we were frustrated that we weren't doing what we wanted to do, cranking out things that Warner Brothers, wanted us to do that sold. You can't look a gifthorse in the mouth, a hit is a hit is a hit. But there was other stuff for us to say, and that's where Sisyphus comes in."

Band members felt strongly that this was one of their finest albums, but their enthusiasm was not shared by their record label. "Warner Brothers didn't get the record," says Parazaider. "In fact, they disliked it so much, they figured maybe we should part ways, which we did. But the master tapes weren't burnt, because we believe in it, and I know you'll see that somewhere along the way. This thing will get released." Some of the songs from the album are already beginning to show up on international greatest hits albums such as "The Very Best Of Chicago" in Europe.

Chicago moved on to a new project, embracing an idea put forward by record executive John Kalodner, and recording "Night & Day (Big Band)", released in May 1995 on Giant Records. The album features standards associated with Glenn Miller ("In The Mood") and Duke Ellington ("Don't Get Around Much Anymore", "Sophisticated Lady" and "Take The A Train"), among others.

The association with Ellington helped convince band members to try the project, since it seemed to pay back a musical debt to the Duke. Back in the early '70's, Ellington had asked to have Chicago appear on his TV special, Duke Ellington: We Love You Madly, along with such august company as Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan, Ray Charles, Peggy Lee, and Count Basie. After the show, Parazaider and Pankow went to meet Ellington, who was near the end of his illustrious career. "I said, "Mr. Ellington, it really was an honour to be asked to be on your show," Parazaider recalls, "and he looked at Jimmy and me, and he said , 'On the contrary young men, the honour is all mine because you're the next Duke Ellington's.' Jimmy and I were gassed to meet him and that he said that. We were going away, and I said, 'Yeah , right, now if we can make another hit record to pay the rent we'll be happy,' not thinking about the long haul. When the idea for the big band album presented itself, at first it got a lukewarm reaction by the band. Then Jimmy and I remembered this, and I thought, maybe this is what we were supposed to do in the scheme of our musical life. So, that was one of the reasons that we warmed up to the idea of it."

"It was a great musical experience, and that's what it's all about, in my mind," Loughnane concludes. "I think it should have been more popular than it has become, but it's still a great piece of music as far as I'm concerned, and I'll take that to the grave with me. I know we put everything we had into it, and it came out sounding great."

In 1995 Chicago once again faced the task of finding a new guitarist. The band scheduled two days of auditions to hear a select group of prospects. As it turned out, however, the new group member would be one who crashed the party. "They had a pretty firm list of guys that they were going to listen to," recalls Keith Howland. "l actually heard that Chicago was looking for a guitar player on the first day of the auditions through a friend of mine who happened to be working in the building where they were being held." Howland contacted the band's management only to be told that the audition was closed. They must not have heard anybody who satisfied them, because Howland got a call from Scheff that night saying they had extended a third day just to hear him. I went down, and I was the only guy to play that day," he recalls. "I was so nervous it was ridiculous, I played through a bunch of tunes with them, did some a cappella background vocals with Bill, Jason, and Robert. We finished up, I was packing up my gear. They all went into the hallway and were talking. Bill came walking back in and said , 'Hey, you want a gig ?'

In 1995, Chicago secured rights to its catalogue of recordings originally made for Columbia between 1969 and 1980. That catalogue has now been reissued on the group's "Chicago Records" label, which also has released solo efforts by the band members as well as other projects. "We are Chicago Records, which means we can look for talent, we can look for other catalogs to put out on our record company," says Parazaider. "We've got some interesting things coming up."

The likely next Chicago recording to be released will be its "Ultimate Greatest Hits". Over the years, various hits compilations have come out, but none of the American ones has contained the band's hits from the '60's to the '90's. The Ultimate Greatest Hits will rectify that and also bring Chicago's story up to date. "It's something that I think we'll start working on come the fall after we get done with our summer touring," says Parazaider. "We're excited to put a greatest hits compilation together that's never been done before and also to go in and put a couple of new tunes down, which will be a statement of where we are now. We're talking about a Christmas release, or maybe the beginning of next year."

Today, decades after they gathered at Parazaider's apartment, the members of Chicago continue the legacy of music they inherited from their parents and their teachers and that they have brought to millions of fans. Recently, the band returned to their hometown to appear on The Tonight Show With Jay Leno.

People have always wondered about the name "Chicago." One simple sentence from the liner notes of the very first album eliminates any question as to their identity. "If you must call them something, speak of the city where all save one were born, where all of them were schooled and bred. Call them "Chicago"

How did organized crime spread

2008-11-05T13:37:00.000-08:00

Any town where there was money to be made, including Boston, Detroit and Philadelphia. But the real Mob capitals were Chicago and, later, Las Vegas.

On 16 January 1920 the selling of alcohol was banned throughout the United States. Bootlegging and liquor distribution became a national obsession. Owning a speakeasy meant breaking the law – but despite this, more illegal drinking dens opened up during Prohibition than were shut down by the authorities. To stay open, they needed a supply of illegally brewed alcohol, and they needed to be able to bribe the police. That was where the gangsters came in.

The Italian families, with their business-like family hierarchies, were uniquely placed to capitalise on Prohibition. Suddenly, crime paid. In New York, the "Broadway Mob", controlled by Lucky Luciano, was raking in millions of dollars from the production of alcohol. But it was in Al "Scarface" Capone's Chicago that crime began to dominate ordinary city life, and where tourists can still get a feel of what it was like in the heyday of the mobsters.

Alfonse Capone was born in New York City on 17 January 1899. Like many poor Brooklynites, he was involved in gangland crime. He was arrested for at least two murders, but such was the corruption in New York that he never stood trial. He moved west to Illinois and became a bouncer in a brothel a few miles south-east of Chicago. One belligerent client caught him with a knife, giving him the mouth to ear scar which lead to a nickname he hated – Scarface.

Capone soon acquired a reputation for ruthlessness. He proved adept at arranging the bribes, murders and maimings that accompanied Prohibition. But in 1930 it all went wrong: Eliot Ness's crime-busting unit, the Untouchables, brought him down.

I was thinking of a romantic getaway to Chicago

Chicago and St Valentine's Day are indelibly linked in many people's minds, though not necessarily for the right reasons. On 14 February 1929, at the SMC Cartage Company warehouse at 2122 North Clark Street, Al Capone knocked off six members of the rival Irish North Side Gang in one spray of submachine-gun fire. The intended target was their boss, Bugs Moran, who survived, recognising the hand of big Al. "Only Capone kills like that," he growled. The fact that the hitmen had been dressed as policeman added to the public fascination that grew up around the slayings. The warehouse became a tourist attraction, at least until it was demolished in 1967. Mob fans can still make the pilgrimage: a fenced-off lawn belonging to a nursing home marks the spot.

Chicago is still living under the shadow of this Mob reputation; so much so that its tourist offices balk at the suggestion that people might travel there to relive its murky past. John Dillinger, a Mob gunman dubbed Public Enemy Number One by FBI boss J Edgar Hoover, was murdered outside the Biograph cinema at 2433 North Lincoln Avenue (001 773 348 4123) in 1934. Apparently, passers-by soaked their handkerchiefs in the blood running from his body. These days, however, the art deco cinema isn't quite so X-rated – it's as likely to be showing The Lord of the Rings as Gangs of New York.

How did the police nail the bad guys?

"Welcome to Chicago – this town stinks like a whorehouse at low tide," is how Sean Connery greets Kevin Costner in The Untouchables. Costner played Eliot Ness, perhaps the only "good guy" to become as famous as the villains he pursued (he often invited the press along to witness his busts). The murderous Capone was eventually nabbed for the rather prosaic crime of tax evasion. Chicago's Untouchables Tour (001 773 881 1195, www.gangstertour.com), puts you in Ness's shoes, and takes in all the notable Prohibition-era hit spots, including Al Capone's old hideouts, which are scattered throughout the city. Tickets cost $22 (£13.50) per person.

Simply getting around Chicago can remind you of the battle between the good guys and the Mob: its main public transport is the El, an elevated railway, as featured in The Sting, when Robert Redford outwits a dim cop by scampering along the roof of one of the stations. The dilapidated raised tracks of the El still define the city centre – the Loop.

You'll have to head out beyond the Loop, indeed beyond Chicago itself, for a drink in a proper speakeasy. Al Capone's Hideaway and Steakhouse at 35W 337 Riverside Drive, near St Charles, to the west of Chicago (001 888 72273223, www.speakeasycigarco.com) was built in 1920. It immediately started brewing its own beer to capitalise on the Prohibition market. Al Capone took over in 1925. These days, the restaurant is open daily, serving starters of "Sicilian Bullets" (Italian-style chicken wings) and "Capone Dynamite Sticks" (Italian Style Mozzarella Sticks) for $4.95 (£3).

Where did Capone end up?

Capone and other mobster professionals such as Machine Gun Kelly did their time in Alcatraz, the forbidding prison on a mist-shrouded lump of rock that rises from the centre of San Francisco Bay. The prison opened in 1934 (Capone was transferred there the same year) and soon had a reputation for absorbing the most hardened members of the US's prison population. Escape really was impossible, due to the rough waters around the penitentiary. Legend has it that nine escaping inmates made it as far as the sea; none reached the shore alive. Alcatraz shut up shop in 1963, but these days it's one of the most popular tourist attractions in the Bay Area.

Regular ferry tours (001 415 705 5555, www.blueandgoldfleet.com) run to The Rock each day, with each round trip lasting about two-and-a-half hours. Tickets cost $13.25 (£9) per person. The double-decked ranks of tiny cells are bleak enough, but combined with the echoing exercise yard, and the tantalising views of San Francisco (apparently, on clear nights, inmates could occasionally hear the sound of parties being held on the mainland) you get a real sense of the horror of being held captive there. Al Capone certainly didn't thrive; he'd been driven insane by chronic syphilis by the time he was released in 1939. Perhaps Sean Connery was making amends when he later shot chunks out of Alcatraz in The Rock, alongside Nicholas Cage. Capone was penniless when he died. His body rests in an unmarked plot in Mount Carmel Cemetery, Chicago.

I've packed my sharp suit and my baseball bat. now what?

Plenty of tour operators sell short breaks to New York and Chicago. If you prefer to organise things yourself, the cheapest fares to both cities are usually available on Air India from Heathrow. To reach Las Vegas, the only airline with direct flights is Virgin Atlantic. While in Las Vegas, you could make the 273 mile drive up to The Two Bunch Palms resort, near Desert Hot Springs, California (001 760 329 8791, www.twobunchpalms.com), once Al Capone's luxury retreat. The Al Capone suite, which has two beds, two baths and its own gun tower above it, costs $555 (£350) per night. But do be careful: Brits don't necessarily blend in well with Italian Mafia types. Hugh Grant's excruciating mobster accent in Mickey Blue Eyes should remain a lesson to us all.

How the mafia built Las Vegas

Gamblers, gangsters and ol' blue eyes himself

Las Vegas was built on Mob money in the Forties, fuelled by Nevada's loosening of the gambling laws in 1931. The Mob had been involved in gambling since the introduction of slot machines in the 1880s.

By the Twenties, New York Mafioso Frank Costello had equipped his one-armed bandits with little wooden chairs so that children could participate; it's been estimated that even during the Great Depression the slots were earning Costello around $18m a year.

Gangster Bugsy Siegel opened the Flamingo resort, 3555 Las Vegas Boulevard (001 702 733 3111, www.flamingolasvegas.com) with $6m of Mob money in 1946. He was gunned down by his ex-colleagues the next year, when it didn't turn a profit. But his death provoked a surge of interest in the city. Punters liked the idea that they were gambling in the presence of mobsters, and soon Las Vegas was paying off.

By the Fifties, resorts such as The Sands were largely Mob controlled. Caesar's Palace might have boasted classical decor, but in the words of veteran comedian Alan King, "I wouldn't say it was exactly Roman – more kind of early Sicilian."

The FBI stepped in to rehabilitate the place in the Eighties, and these days the city has cleaned up its act, returning control of the casinos to legitimate owners. But gambling is still the beating heart of "Sin City", and the Strip is the neon wonderland associated with films such as Casino and Ocean's Eleven.

Everything has been up-scaled: from its humble beginnings in the Nevada desert, Siegal's Flamingo now has 3,600 rooms and a squadron of real flamingos to keep the punters entertained.

Of course, Ol' Blue Eyes occasionally dusted down a tune or two for them. Frank Sinatra's relations with the Mafia are still the subject of debate, but it is certainly true that he went out of his way to be seen with gangsters. He was close to New York Mafioso Lucky Luciano, and during his career he spent time with gangsters such as Las Vegas's Meyer Lansky and the king of the slots, Frank Costello (rubbed out, 1957). Sinatra's career is closely associated with Vegas: his residence at Caesar's Palace, 3570 Las Vegas Boulevard (001 702 731 7110, www.caesars.com) in 1967 earned him a staggering $100,000 per week

Vote John McCain for President

2008-10-23T17:32:00.000-07:00

Why John McCain

Early on in his life as a midshipman at the Naval Academy, the most important lesson John McCain learned was that to sustain his self-respect for a lifetime it would be necessary for him to have the honor of serving something greater than his self-interest -- service to his country. John McCain has always put his country's interests before any party, special interest and even his own self-interest. He has always and will always do what is right for our country.

John McCain has a strong record of working across the aisle to reform how business is done in Washington. Throughout his career of public service, John McCain has worked across party aisles with Republicans and Democrats alike to reform our campaign finance system, confirm qualified judges like Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Sam Alito, and enhance our homeland security. He spoke out against his own party's out-of-control spending, against the Administration to change a failing strategy in Iraq, and against an energy bill that was full of giveaways to Big Oil companies.

To keep our nation prosperous, strong and growing we have to rethink, reform and reinvent: the way we educate our children; train our workers; deliver health care services; support retirees; fuel our transportation network; stimulate research and development; and harness new technologies.

Under a McCain presidency the United States will experience robust economic growth, and Americans will again have confidence in their economic future. A reduction in the corporate tax rate from the second highest in the world to one on par with our trading partners; the low rate on capital gains; allowing business to deduct in a single year investments in equipment and technology, while eliminating tax loopholes and ending corporate welfare, will spur innovation and productivity, and encourage companies to keep their operations and jobs in the United States. Doubling the size of the child exemption will put more disposable income in the hands of taxpayers, further stimulating growth.

Under a McCain presidency the United States will be well on the way to independence from foreign sources of oil; progress that will not only begin to alleviate the environmental threat posed from climate change, but will greatly improve our security as well. John McCain has proposed a comprehensive energy plan - the Lexington Project - that will lower the price of gas while utilizing every energy source to move us toward energy independence. He believes we need to develop advanced alternative energy sources while developing existing energy sources by drilling offshore, expanding nuclear power and encouraging clean coal technologies.

Under a McCain presidency health care will become more accessible to more Americans than at any other time in history. Reforms of the insurance market; putting the choice of health care into the hands of American families rather than exclusively with the government or employers; walk in clinics as alternatives to emergency room care; paying for outcome in the treatment of disease rather than individual procedures; and competition in the prescription drug market will wring out the runaway inflation once endemic in our health care system.

Finally to secure the peace for future generations, John McCain will end the war in Iraq with victory and bring our troops home with honor. John McCain hates war. And he knows very personally how terrible its costs are. But he knows, too, that the course of immediate withdrawal in Iraq could draw us into a wider war with even greater sacrifices; put peace further out of reach, and Americans back in harm's way. John McCain will also win the war in Afghanistan by increasing the size of forces there and adopting a true counterinsurgency strategy, much like the one that has been successful in Iraq that John McCain advocated. He will continue to hunt down al Qaeda and Osama bin Laden.

John McCain has the strength to keep America safe and the courage to secure the peace.

There are many public causes where service can make our country a stronger, better one than we inherited. Wherever there is a hungry child, a great cause exists to serve. Where there is an illiterate adult, a great cause exists to serve. Wherever there are people who are denied the basic rights of Man, a great cause exists to serve. Wherever there is suffering, a great cause exists to serve. John McCain has spent his life serving our country and will continue to work with anyone who sincerely wants to get this country moving again. He will listen to any idea that is offered in good faith and intended to help solve our problems, not make them worse. He will seek the counsel of members of Congress from both parties in forming government policy before asking them to support it.

From the day he is sworn into office until the last hour of his presidency, John McCain will work with anyone, of either party, to make this country safe, prosperous and proud.

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Is It Time to Quit Smoking Tough Guys ??

2008-10-11T19:14:00.000-07:00

Well then you have got to check out N JOY !!!

What
is Njoy
all about?
NJOY looks, feels and tastes like a cigarette or cigar. What makes it better is the freedom to smoke anywhere, anytime, no second hand smoke and lower cost. Hear what NJOY customers are saying about this revolutionary product

Sottera, Inc., based in Scottsdale, Ariz., has filed for patents to manufacture and distribute groundbreaking products and technology represented by the trademarked brand NJOY (www.njoy.com).

The name Sottera is derived from Soteria, the Greek God of preservation, redemption and salvation, three words that are the essence of the NJOY brand and products that give tobacco smokers the opportunity to continue smoking with greater freedom, lower cost and more social acceptance.

The centerpiece of the NJOY family of products is a rechargeable battery-powered microelectronic alternative smoking device that, when used in conjunction with NJOY's replaceable cartridges, mimics the process of smoking. The device is offered in three shapes/sizes: a small cigar, a long cigarette version and a common cigarette style. The cigarette style is offered in assorted colors, giving consumers stylish accessorizing options. The re-fill cartridges are offered without (“Zero”) and with (“Light,” “Medium” and “Full”) nicotine, in "regular-tobacco" and menthol flavors, while also offering apple, vanilla and strawberry ("Zero", “Medium” and “Full”) flavors. Additional specialty flavors are under development to add an entirely new dimension to the NJOY alternative smoking experience.

NJOY is currently being sold in all 50 United States and in over 25 foreign countries. NJOY is available online at www.njoy.com and can ship around the globe, and is also available on affiliate websites and at several retail locations across the US.

Mob Nick Names

2008-10-05T07:19:00.000-07:00

Italian Last Name?/ Fair Trial? Doesn't look that way Huh?

2008-09-25T17:50:00.000-07:00

The son of a former Chicago Outfit boss was sentenced Tuesday to three years in federal prison for profiting from illegal sports gambling and extorting businesses on behalf of the mob.

Nicholas Ferriola admitted that from at least 1999 until he was indicted in March of 2007, he profited up to $160,000 a month from running gambling operations as part of the Outfit's 26th street crew. His father Joseph "Joe Nagal" Ferriola, a convicted felon, headed the Chicago mob from 1986 until he had a pair of heart transplants and died of cardiac failure three years later.
At Tuesday's sentencing hearing, the younger Ferriola was ordered by Judge James Zagel to forfeit more than $9 million and pay $6,000 in fines. Federal officials believe Ferriola made more than $9 million dollars during his career with the Chicago outfit, a figure Ferriola disputed. According to filings by the US attorney's office, Ferriola was pulled over when Chicago Police in 1999, suspected of driving under the influence. Officers found $15,000 in Ferriola's pants pocket. He was a high school drop out with no verified employment history and had no explanation for the cash. Weeks later, the government caught a conversation on tape, between Ferriola and a senior member of the Chicago outfit, Frank "The Breeze" Calabrese, discussing profits. Ferriola told Calabrese he is "making a hundred thousand" dollars each week. Calabrese Sr. told Ferriola to be careful when he's talking about money.
Ferriola, 33, is considered by federal law enforcement to be a low-level hoodlum compared to his co-defendants in last summer's Operation Family Secrets trial. Outfit bosses Frank Calabrese Sr., Joseph "Joey the Clown" Lombardo and James Marcello were among five Outfit bosses found guilty of 18 mob hits that went unsolved for years. The gangland killings included the murder of Tony "Ant" Spilotro, the Outfit's Las Vegas boss and the inspiration for Joe Pesci's character in the movie "Casino". Ferriola was not accused in any of the murders.

What Mobster Hasnt Eaten Here !!

2008-09-14T16:58:00.000-07:00

MOB NICK NAMES

2008-09-07T10:09:00.000-07:00

From family members, childhood friends, business associates, newspaper reporters, or the police. Not every mobster has a nickname, and some have more than one. Chicago boss Anthony Accardo, for example, was known to his colleagues as "Joe Batters." He got the name from Al Capone after he dealt out a pair of savage beatings with a baseball bat: "This kid is a real joe batters," Scarface said. But the press called Accardo "Big Tuna," after seeing a photograph of him on a sport-fishing expedition.

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"Joey the Clown" Lombardo earned his nickname from the press, thanks to his fondness for zany public behavior and cheesy jokes. At the conclusion of one of his trials, Lombardo attempted to elude newspaper photographers by converting a newspaper into a makeshift mask with eye-holes and racing out of the courtroom. At a subsequent trial, Lombardo explained to reporters that a piece of his jewelry was made from "canarly stone": "You 'canarly' see it," he said.

Mobsters may not like the nicknames they get from reporters and cops. Tony "The Ant" Spilotro (whose murder almost 20 years ago plays a major role in the recent indictments in Chicago) got his from FBI agent Bill Roemer, who had tried to spread the longer and less polite nickname "Pissant" to his buddies in the press. New Yorker Carmine "Junior" Persico was given the unflattering name "The Snake" by a police officer. Persico hated it, especially after "The Snake" caught on among some fellow criminals.

Mobsters sometimes use nicknames with each other to avoid easy identification by the feds. The mob boss Vincent "Chin" Gigante (whose nickname was short for "Vincenzo") insisted that his name never be spoken aloud. His wiseguys were told instead to rub their fingers across their chin or, at one point, to refer to him as their "Aunt Julia." Meanwhile, the press dubbed Gigante "The Oddfather" after he began posing as a schizophrenic in the late 1960s.

Former head of the Gambino crime family John Gotti took pride in the fact that he had no nickname among his peers—everyone knew who you meant if you said "John." Members of the press called him the "Dapper Don," the "Teflon Don," and, following his conviction in 1992, the "Velcro Don."

Original Ferrara Bakery, For Mom or the Mob

2008-09-01T19:08:00.001-07:00

Original Ferrara Bakery, Inc. 2210 W. Taylor St. Chicago, IL 60612
Phone: (312) 666-2200 Fax: (312) 666-2008 Email:nella@ferrarabakery.com

Salvatore Ferrara was just 16 years old when he left his home in Nola, Italy in 1900 and emigrated to the United States. He brought with him the art of Italian pastry making and confectionery, skills which would eventually lead him to open the first Italian pastry and candy shop on Taylor Street in Chicago's Little Italy. An instant success, he was recognized throughout the city and suburbs for his fine pastries, wedding cakes and confections.

He soon met and married Serafina Pagano and they labored together to provide Chicago with wonderful desserts and candies. Through hard work and commitment to the use of quality ingredients, they made a lasting name for themselves. Serafina, a dynamic business personality and philanthropist, was loved by all who knew her and was known as "The Angel of Halsted Street". She is still remembered today.

Eager to meet new challenges, Salvatore put Serafina in charge of the bakery and concentrated his efforts on expanding the candy business. With the help of his two brothers-in-law, Salvatore Buffardi and Agnello Pagano, they launched the Ferrara Pan Candy Company, now headquartered in Forest Park, Illinois. Still family owned and operated, the company, which manufactures such favorites as Lemonheads and Atomic Fireballs, distributes worldwide.
The third generation of Ferraras proudly carries on the tradition of providing its customers with a wide variety of delicious desserts of the highest quality. Ferrara's Signature Italian Cannoli Cake has become a tradition for thousands, enjoyed through the generations.

Just as Salvatore did when he began in 1908, we take extreme pride in preparing our products with only the freshest and purest ingredients. We use the finest imported spices and never any artificial flavorings or preservatives. Our products will certainly add that elegant crowning touch that sets your wedding or special event apart from the rest.

We've created thousands of wedding cakes.
Let us create a special cake for you.

Let Ferrara be a part of your special occasion. Our experienced staff can offer excellent advice whether you're planning a small intimate gathering or catering a wedding for thousands.

Using only the purest and freshest ingredients, our master bakers will design the cake of your dreams from a simple round layer cake or sheet cake to an elaborate tiered cake using design elements such as elegant columns, fountains, or stairways. You can choose one of our classic creations or create one of your own from hundreds of combinations using our delicious fresh or preserved fruit fillings, custards and icings.

Sweet Table Favorites
Exquisite morsels perfectly sized for your Sweet Table: Eclairs
Assorted Fruit Tartlets
Bowties
Chocolate Covered Strawberries
Chocolate Mousse
Cannoli
Butter Cookies
Creme Puffs
Italian Cookies
Pecan Brownies
Cheesecake Bites
Chocolate Covered Almonds

A wide variety of delicious pastries, to name a few:
Full Size Pastries
Cannoli
Napoleon
Baba au Rhum
Pasticiotto
Eclair
Sfogliatella
Cassata al Forno
Funghi
Tiramisu
Cheesecake
Creme Puff
Monachine
Profiterole
Creme Horns

European Pastry Miniatures
Chocolate Covered Strawberries
Pineapple Tartlets
Raspberry Tartlets
Petits Fours
Zuppette (Lemon Creme)
Napoleons (Bavarian Creme)
Monachine (cannoli filled)
Eclairs (vanilla custard)
Baba au Rhum
Baba au Rhum with custard
Cannoli
Cassata al Forno
Creme Puffs (pineapple-whip)
Chocolate Cannoli
Sfogliatella
Choux, custard filled
Choux, custard filled-frosted
Choux, cannoli filled
Choux, cannoli filled-frosted
White Jordan Almonds
Marzipan

Cookies
Italian Fancy Butter Cookies
Chocolate Chip
Butter with Peanuts
Cherry Top Sandwich
Chocolate Star
Sprinkles
Clover
Assorted Dots
Pecan Butter
Vanilla Horseshoes
Chocolate Horseshoe
Pink Hearts
Brown Sugar Chips
Powdered Crescents
Chocolate Dip Almond Bars
Chocolate Shells
Vanilla Shells

Italian Specialty Cookies
Cashew Bars
Amaretti Classico
Pignolati
Bow Ties
Pineapple Slices
Apricot Farfalla
Raspberry Farfalla
Cucidadi (fig filled)
Tetu
Gigolene
Quaresimale
Tarallo
Frosted Tarallo
Coconut Macaroons

Biscotti
Anise
Anise Almond
Chocolate Almond
Vanilla Almond Raisin
Chocolate Cherry Almond

Are you Drooling yet?? If not you are Morte

Original Ferrara Bakery, Inc. 2210 W. Taylor St. Chicago, IL 60612
Phone: (312) 666-2200 Fax: (312) 666-2008 Email:nella@ferrarabakery.com

To My Italian Friends

2008-08-23T16:11:00.000-07:00

To all my Italian friends and family, and a few who are not - Enjoy! ...and if you're from Chicago,
Brooklyn , New Jersey, "The Hill" in St. Louis, or Federal Hill, RI, you'll really appreciate this!

Eye -Talian

Why do Italians hate Jehovah's Witnesses?
Because Italians hate all witnesses.

Do you know why most men from Italy are named Tony?
On the boat over to America they put a sticker on them that said
TO NY

You know you're Italian when . . . . You can bench press 325 pounds,
shave twice a day and still cry when your mother yells at you.

You carry your lunch in a produce bag because you can't fit
two cappicola sandwiches, 4 oranges, 2 bananas and pizzelles into a regular lunch bag.

Your mechanic, plumber, electrician, accountant,
travel agent and lawyer are all your cousins.

You have at least 5 cousins living in the same town or on the same block. All five of those cousins are named after your grandfather or grandmother.

You are on a first name basis with at least 8 banquet hall owners

You only get one good shave from a di sposable razor.

If someone in your family grows beyond 5' 9",
it is presumed his Mother had an affair.

There were more tha n 28 people in your bridal party.

You netted more than $50,000 on your first communion.

And you REALLY, REALLY know you're Italian when . . . .

Your grandfather had a fig tree.

You eat Sunday dinner at 2:00 .

Christmas Eve . . . only fish.

Your mom's meatballs are the best.

You've been hit with a wooden spoon or had a shoe thrown at you.

Clear plastic covers on all the furniture.

You know how to pronounce "manicotti" and "mozzarella."

You fight over whether it's called "sauce" or "gravy."

Stool Pigeons

2008-08-17T08:58:00.000-07:00

Kiddyland, Many A Mobster Grew Up Here !

2008-08-10T12:29:00.000-07:00

Chicago Mob

Best Mob Movie List

The Top 5 Most Corrupt U.S. Police Officers Of All-Time

5. Louis Eppolito and Stephen Caracappa

4. Joseph Miedzianowski

3. David Mack And Rafael Perez

2. Jon Burge

1. Robert Gisevius, Kenneth Bowen, and Anthony Villavaso

Tony Spilotro Chicago Perp Walk

Operation Family Secrets

Contents

[edit] Murder Table

[edit] The Investigation

[edit] Frank, Jr.'s Letter to the FBI

[edit] Nick Calabrese's Cooperation with Federal Agents

[edit] The Trial

[edit] Sentencing

Beefers and Rat Snitches

Anthony Accardo

Noteable Mob Hits

Cermak's House...Historic Landmark

Chicago Beef...Mob Style

Little Italy Chicago

Happy New Year

Happy Holiday's

Sam Giancana

Mario's Italian Lemonade...A Mob Favorite !

If You Marry A Chicago Girl....

The Obedient Italian Wife!

Snitches..Beefers..and Rats !!

Allan Sherman - Hello Muddah Hello Faddah (1963)

Making Chicago Outfit

Great book on Italian Heritage in Chicago

Know your from Chicago .....When....

Congratulations Chicago Blackhawks

Frannies Beef........Mobs Favorite Beef !!

Anthony Accardo

Another Version...................... Family Secrets ???

Some Notable Mob Hits

Chicago Mob 360 History

The Italian Bank Robber...

Italain Wedding Story

Mario's Italian lemonade

Joey Lombardo ...Another Unfair Verdict

Happy New Year

Mafia Christmas Humor

Little Italy, Chicago

Ya Know Your From Chicago When...................

Mob Beefers

"Dino"

The Buckinghams Chicago's Own

The Making of a Chicago Outfit

Guilty Plea to Tax Evasion by Reputed Mobster

This Would Not Happen in Chicago !!!

Chicago Italians at Work ...... Great Book!!!!

Real Italians Know This Humor......

Many a Mobster Has Eaten Here ??

Mob Nick Names

What Mobster Hasn't Eaten Here ?/

Dennis Farina...Chicago's Mob Movie Man

Best Mob Movie List

Chicago Mob Speakeasies

Louie Prima..A Chicago Mob Favorite

Want a Godfather Bathroom ???

Wait Till You Read This .................

Kiddy Land..Many a Wise Guy Grew Up Here

I owe My Mom ...Italian Style

Little Italy, Chicago

Joey Lombardo..Did he really get a fair Trial...

The St. Valentines Day Massacre

IF BOTH of your parents are/were ITALIAN

Mob Snitches

Happy New Year Paison

Merry Christmas To All

Riverview Park

CHICAGO ..Da Band Of Da Windy City

How did organized crime spread

Vote John McCain for President

Is It Time to Quit Smoking Tough Guys ??

Mob Nick Names