I read Peter Maas' book on Sammy. Even though he tries to come of sympathetic, Sammy comes off as a weasel, blaming others. You get the sense he'd say "I didn't want to kill 'em, but what could I do"?
He was smart enough to roll on Gotti, and to get out despite 18 murders, so let's give him credit.
Had things to do that freed my ears and mind to listen to the podcast. After most of the first season, I was impressed by how often Gravano talks about his pride in the mafia and the importance of their codes of honor and whatnot. At some point, though, I started thinking: “Gee, I guess the folks you turned on wouldn’t think so highly of your high regard. I doubt they would be very moved by your platitudes since you ratted them out and helped bring them down.”
Gravano gets to portray himself as grand and mighty, but he really could have used a challenging interlocutor to push him on his most self-aggrandizing claims.
The whole household but me is being treated for strep right now – coughing strep, which is not supposed to exist, but try reasoning with a germ. I finished strep treatment last week, so've either caught a new cold or Strep Round 2.
After several technical difficulties, I did manage to put together some Lenten music, though:
Working in Chicago, I've had a few exposures to wiseguys and captains in the mob. I did a job for Vic Faraci, made guy, ran rackets and his brother Tony was the muscle. I'm standing under the awning of a downtown building, snow, sleet, lousy Chicago weather, and this big black Lincoln sled pulls up to the curb, Vic and Tony get out.
It's January, they're wearing the uniform...Brioni shirt with the collar, open 2 buttons down, the gold chain, lamb skin jacket, pleated trousers perfectly tailored, the lamb skin loafer, Pierre Cardin sheer hose... and they're both doing that thing where they hold their hand up just under their neck and do that neck crane/stretch and the shoulder adjustment while they're talking. We go upstairs, I'm doing the gig, and Tony leans in on me close, almost touching, and starts in with the "Whoya talkin' to, working downtown? I mean, no one's heard of yez. Who ya talkin' to?"...with that same neck/shoulder adjustment thing. I felt like looking around for cameras, it was like a Scorsese movie. Tony's spooky, broken nose, busted lip, and huge, but it was so ridiculous, I wasn't scared, just kinda annoyed because he was getting in the way of my work. Vic finally says...loud "TONY...leave 'im alone, he's nobody".... I finish the job, he "forgot" his credit card, asks can I write you a check? Whattaya gonna do? So, yeah, write the check, I knew what was coming...of course it bounced. Last I heard he got about 2 column inches on page 3 of the Trib reporting he was going away for a 7-10 on racketeering.
Did a couple other jobs for captains; the always show up in the big Lincoln, they've got bodyguards, the guards get out first, look around, nod to the guy inside, he gets out. The guards look at you like you're a worm and kinda sneer and look away.
Another job was for the son of a chief. Total little weasel, same car, same type bodyguards, the kids wearing this worsted wool long coat with a mink collar and lapels, huge diamond pinky ring, his girlfriend is a caricature of blonde bimbo, silicone beef up, prancing around...it was ridiculous.
Couple other funny stories, too tired to write them down.
The spookiest was in Enshi, China. I obviously wasn't working for him; I just got to see him. My BIL told me he was the local mob boss. Remind me to tell you about him....I'm going to bed.
That sounds about right. I think of my college roommate from New Jersey whose dad came from a family that would have been among the folks where the mob recruited. My roommate’s family never had any direct connections, though. And while there was “respect” in the way that you might respect a rattlesnake or a hornets’ nest, there really wasn’t *that* much regard for the tough types who got into the mob, or were caught up in it as part of their family’s business. He joked a lot about the redneck-ish façades, the pretense, the overdone machismo.
Taking Thomas Sowell’s description of what “redneck” comes from, it really does seem to be the closest resembling cultural species. The glorification of violence, the machismo, the pride in being bad at school, the elevated importance of honor and respect, the objectification of women… If you replace the backwoods, semi-Southern twang with the NY/NJ urban ethnic accent, you’ve pretty much got the same thing.
Well, not with me or anyone I associate with. But, I've brushed up against more than a couple wiseguys, Chicago style, and they're all wearing the same uniform, which includes the Pierre Cardin socks.
It really is like the Scorcese depictions in his movies.
Great story! My roommate in college was the daughter of a Chicago alderman…lived next to Sargent Shriver. This was in the early 70’s, and it was immediately apparent that she had grown up with a life completely foreign to me. Paper due? Call a taxi to deliver to the professor’s home.
I’ve never paid much attention to mobsters except for getting a few laughs from the fact that every single one seems to have a silly nickname. Tony “Meatballs,” “Joe Bananas,” The Nose. There are even mobster nickname generators out there. Hilarious.
Thanks for the review, I’m always looking for a new podcast. Today is the first day in a long time I have no obligations which means I’d better start working on my own income tax return. Yesterday one of the tax counselors was insubordinate when he prepared a return that was out of scope. He asked me if we could file a married filing separate return and I said no it’s out of scope. Then he went and prepared it anyway. Dude! Well, now he has to call the taxpayer and tell him that we won’t be e-filing the return.
I did tax prep for one season about 10 years ago, looking for something to fill my time as a new retiree. My most memorable customer was a 77 year old guy with a thirty something wife and 3 year old twins. He had no income but filed because he had a $6 million loss he was carrying over from trading options. He brought the family in and I got to meet them. He was The Most Interesting Man in the World for me that year.
Probably going to do mine today, or at least get a big chunk of the way through it. Already collected all the forms and pulled and added up all the numbers I know I will need, so now it's a matter of opening up TurboTax and following the process to plug them in. It's sometimes vague and frustrating and takes me more time than it probably should. But I'm not expecting any real difficulties nor significant changes from last time. And I should have a refund coming.
We have an accountant. Because I have a modest stipend from a foreign company, have some very modest royalties from a book chapter, rent out our condo near campus until the youngest moves in and Katie cash rents the little farm, we need a schedule for each of those. Ugh! I should have declined the royalties, the filing costs more than I get! 🤦♂️
I'm not quite done, but I should wrap it up tomorrow morning.
When I use TurboTax, it asks me a lot of questions about do I have this, do I have that. I get to say "no" a lot. I'm especially glad I don't own any crypto or have a foreign bank account and never worked for a railroad.
Health insurance premiums for the self-employed (my editing gig) is about as tricky as mine gets. I used to use an accountant; before he retired he explained to me how that works, so I knew to make sure I entered those figures in the right place and why. They're partially deductible on top of the standard deduction, but how Turbo gets to that amount is a mystery. The best thing is I don't even have to know what schedules I need. The software just picks them and fills them out all by itself.
Today, I remembered why I don't do social media. There was another bit on a Substack about the Syrian born green card holder, I dipped my toe in the water with an observation in the form of question....and oh my... 3 guys jumped down my throat, strawmanning, belittling...one guy called me a dummy....
I like observing more than commenting. At the mothership I will post, but no longer respond. It's easier biting my tongue than getting mad at the a-holes.
Thursday night or about 200am is, a nice copper reddish Lunar Eclipse.
However, as this soft glow is being...... imported into the US.... one way trade... we're forbidden by the glowing source to export anything back...
The Copper Reddish MAN, has announced a 15% tariff on this importers glow. Prices of sunshine will be tariffs. Payments can be made in Golden backed bit coin online.
Good morning. 39 here but with a high in the 60s. It was claimed to have reached 70 yesterday.
The mothership is reporting on renewed fighting in Syria. The FP is headlining the arrest of Columbia student, Syrian-born green card holder and pro-Hamas activist Mahmoud Khalil, whom the Trump administration wants to deport for his activities. The Trump-era ICE wants to locate and deport more Hamas supporters.
Cynthia, that is a different subject for you. would it be fair to call Sammy “The Bull” Gravano Today’s Special Animal Friend? 🙂
Her visit to Assad was far from the only issue with her. She is not unintelligent, but has some strange ideas, perhaps naive, and seems to have fallen under Trump's influence. And as the Director of National Intelligence. with no prior intelligence experience, she is in way over her head.
Morning. It’s dark, but the moon was big and bright an hour ago.
I’m five episodes into the podcast—excellent recommendation. Except, if you’re driving the random background sound effects make you think the cops are on to you—I mean: yiz.
Same with the “Red Scare” gals. I had to give their podcast a listen yesterday because they reviewed “Anora” which I watched recently. The movie was bad, real bad. I cannot believe it won the Oscar for best screenplay and actress.
I read Peter Maas' book on Sammy. Even though he tries to come of sympathetic, Sammy comes off as a weasel, blaming others. You get the sense he'd say "I didn't want to kill 'em, but what could I do"?
He was smart enough to roll on Gotti, and to get out despite 18 murders, so let's give him credit.
Had things to do that freed my ears and mind to listen to the podcast. After most of the first season, I was impressed by how often Gravano talks about his pride in the mafia and the importance of their codes of honor and whatnot. At some point, though, I started thinking: “Gee, I guess the folks you turned on wouldn’t think so highly of your high regard. I doubt they would be very moved by your platitudes since you ratted them out and helped bring them down.”
Gravano gets to portray himself as grand and mighty, but he really could have used a challenging interlocutor to push him on his most self-aggrandizing claims.
I agree. There are lots of ways a tough interviewer could engage with him, but that's not the point of this podcast: it's just Gravano's side.
The whole household but me is being treated for strep right now – coughing strep, which is not supposed to exist, but try reasoning with a germ. I finished strep treatment last week, so've either caught a new cold or Strep Round 2.
After several technical difficulties, I did manage to put together some Lenten music, though:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1BrlnG-n8ozfyT7aPDz3ZbzHGVlrUTkVn/view?usp=sharing
Working in Chicago, I've had a few exposures to wiseguys and captains in the mob. I did a job for Vic Faraci, made guy, ran rackets and his brother Tony was the muscle. I'm standing under the awning of a downtown building, snow, sleet, lousy Chicago weather, and this big black Lincoln sled pulls up to the curb, Vic and Tony get out.
It's January, they're wearing the uniform...Brioni shirt with the collar, open 2 buttons down, the gold chain, lamb skin jacket, pleated trousers perfectly tailored, the lamb skin loafer, Pierre Cardin sheer hose... and they're both doing that thing where they hold their hand up just under their neck and do that neck crane/stretch and the shoulder adjustment while they're talking. We go upstairs, I'm doing the gig, and Tony leans in on me close, almost touching, and starts in with the "Whoya talkin' to, working downtown? I mean, no one's heard of yez. Who ya talkin' to?"...with that same neck/shoulder adjustment thing. I felt like looking around for cameras, it was like a Scorsese movie. Tony's spooky, broken nose, busted lip, and huge, but it was so ridiculous, I wasn't scared, just kinda annoyed because he was getting in the way of my work. Vic finally says...loud "TONY...leave 'im alone, he's nobody".... I finish the job, he "forgot" his credit card, asks can I write you a check? Whattaya gonna do? So, yeah, write the check, I knew what was coming...of course it bounced. Last I heard he got about 2 column inches on page 3 of the Trib reporting he was going away for a 7-10 on racketeering.
Did a couple other jobs for captains; the always show up in the big Lincoln, they've got bodyguards, the guards get out first, look around, nod to the guy inside, he gets out. The guards look at you like you're a worm and kinda sneer and look away.
Another job was for the son of a chief. Total little weasel, same car, same type bodyguards, the kids wearing this worsted wool long coat with a mink collar and lapels, huge diamond pinky ring, his girlfriend is a caricature of blonde bimbo, silicone beef up, prancing around...it was ridiculous.
Couple other funny stories, too tired to write them down.
The spookiest was in Enshi, China. I obviously wasn't working for him; I just got to see him. My BIL told me he was the local mob boss. Remind me to tell you about him....I'm going to bed.
That sounds about right. I think of my college roommate from New Jersey whose dad came from a family that would have been among the folks where the mob recruited. My roommate’s family never had any direct connections, though. And while there was “respect” in the way that you might respect a rattlesnake or a hornets’ nest, there really wasn’t *that* much regard for the tough types who got into the mob, or were caught up in it as part of their family’s business. He joked a lot about the redneck-ish façades, the pretense, the overdone machismo.
Taking Thomas Sowell’s description of what “redneck” comes from, it really does seem to be the closest resembling cultural species. The glorification of violence, the machismo, the pride in being bad at school, the elevated importance of honor and respect, the objectification of women… If you replace the backwoods, semi-Southern twang with the NY/NJ urban ethnic accent, you’ve pretty much got the same thing.
I had to look up Sowell's definition. Sounds right.
I use a different definition of redneck. What you're describing is "white trash".
I consider myself a 'neck, although I've been away from it for decades (it never leaves you).
Redneck, like Hillbilly, can be used in a negative way or a neutral way. Trash of any race is trash.
"Pierre Cardin sheer hose..."
Mobsters wear pantyhose?
(Under their pants, I hope?)
No, it's those sheer socks with the darker stitching in them that look like vertical lines up the ankle.
Good heavens! I had no idea men's sheer dress socks were a thing!
But if one goes that route, why not wear 'em with a kilt for maximum impact?
Well, not with me or anyone I associate with. But, I've brushed up against more than a couple wiseguys, Chicago style, and they're all wearing the same uniform, which includes the Pierre Cardin socks.
It really is like the Scorcese depictions in his movies.
Great story! My roommate in college was the daughter of a Chicago alderman…lived next to Sargent Shriver. This was in the early 70’s, and it was immediately apparent that she had grown up with a life completely foreign to me. Paper due? Call a taxi to deliver to the professor’s home.
Chicago aldermen are only slightly removed from the mob nowadays. Up and into the 70's, it was a direct connection.
I’ve never paid much attention to mobsters except for getting a few laughs from the fact that every single one seems to have a silly nickname. Tony “Meatballs,” “Joe Bananas,” The Nose. There are even mobster nickname generators out there. Hilarious.
That urban redneck aspect is something David Chase captured pretty well in “The Sopranos”.
Thanks for the review, I’m always looking for a new podcast. Today is the first day in a long time I have no obligations which means I’d better start working on my own income tax return. Yesterday one of the tax counselors was insubordinate when he prepared a return that was out of scope. He asked me if we could file a married filing separate return and I said no it’s out of scope. Then he went and prepared it anyway. Dude! Well, now he has to call the taxpayer and tell him that we won’t be e-filing the return.
I did tax prep for one season about 10 years ago, looking for something to fill my time as a new retiree. My most memorable customer was a 77 year old guy with a thirty something wife and 3 year old twins. He had no income but filed because he had a $6 million loss he was carrying over from trading options. He brought the family in and I got to meet them. He was The Most Interesting Man in the World for me that year.
Mine are done. It always feels like a great accomplishment.
Probably going to do mine today, or at least get a big chunk of the way through it. Already collected all the forms and pulled and added up all the numbers I know I will need, so now it's a matter of opening up TurboTax and following the process to plug them in. It's sometimes vague and frustrating and takes me more time than it probably should. But I'm not expecting any real difficulties nor significant changes from last time. And I should have a refund coming.
We have an accountant. Because I have a modest stipend from a foreign company, have some very modest royalties from a book chapter, rent out our condo near campus until the youngest moves in and Katie cash rents the little farm, we need a schedule for each of those. Ugh! I should have declined the royalties, the filing costs more than I get! 🤦♂️
I'm not quite done, but I should wrap it up tomorrow morning.
When I use TurboTax, it asks me a lot of questions about do I have this, do I have that. I get to say "no" a lot. I'm especially glad I don't own any crypto or have a foreign bank account and never worked for a railroad.
Health insurance premiums for the self-employed (my editing gig) is about as tricky as mine gets. I used to use an accountant; before he retired he explained to me how that works, so I knew to make sure I entered those figures in the right place and why. They're partially deductible on top of the standard deduction, but how Turbo gets to that amount is a mystery. The best thing is I don't even have to know what schedules I need. The software just picks them and fills them out all by itself.
Today, I remembered why I don't do social media. There was another bit on a Substack about the Syrian born green card holder, I dipped my toe in the water with an observation in the form of question....and oh my... 3 guys jumped down my throat, strawmanning, belittling...one guy called me a dummy....
Done with that.
I like observing more than commenting. At the mothership I will post, but no longer respond. It's easier biting my tongue than getting mad at the a-holes.
Good advice. I’m late to the game, and I’m going to keep it that way.
I never got into because it seemed simplistic and stupid. I don't argue and debate as I think of it is nonexistent. I'll stay in my corner.
Another normal day on social media. All those brave souls hiding behind their screens.
48F.
Dark
Thursday night or about 200am is, a nice copper reddish Lunar Eclipse.
However, as this soft glow is being...... imported into the US.... one way trade... we're forbidden by the glowing source to export anything back...
The Copper Reddish MAN, has announced a 15% tariff on this importers glow. Prices of sunshine will be tariffs. Payments can be made in Golden backed bit coin online.
This is all.
I have spoken.
The Ugnaught
Thanks for this. I remember him and was surprised to hear that he was still alive. I'll give it a listen.
Good morning. 39 here but with a high in the 60s. It was claimed to have reached 70 yesterday.
The mothership is reporting on renewed fighting in Syria. The FP is headlining the arrest of Columbia student, Syrian-born green card holder and pro-Hamas activist Mahmoud Khalil, whom the Trump administration wants to deport for his activities. The Trump-era ICE wants to locate and deport more Hamas supporters.
Cynthia, that is a different subject for you. would it be fair to call Sammy “The Bull” Gravano Today’s Special Animal Friend? 🙂
I think it interesting that Tulsi warned this would likely happen if Assad was taken down, and everyone thought she was a stooge for Assad.
A person can correctly predict that the fall of a dictator will cause significant disruption and also be a stooge for the dictator.
Her visit to Assad was far from the only issue with her. She is not unintelligent, but has some strange ideas, perhaps naive, and seems to have fallen under Trump's influence. And as the Director of National Intelligence. with no prior intelligence experience, she is in way over her head.
I suppose it would be fair.
Happy Trash Day!
39Fs here, and I need to get D out of bed to walk the neighbor's dog for pay. Supposed to be 75 later.
Trash Day is of course locally observed. Here, it’s a “movable feast,”. Channing after each city holiday.
Morning. It’s dark, but the moon was big and bright an hour ago.
I’m five episodes into the podcast—excellent recommendation. Except, if you’re driving the random background sound effects make you think the cops are on to you—I mean: yiz.
I thought it was yez.
I’m not fully conversant in that particular dialect.
The Commentary Magazine podcast is like that, with all the participants in the middle of a lot of emergency vehicle noise.
Same with the “Red Scare” gals. I had to give their podcast a listen yesterday because they reviewed “Anora” which I watched recently. The movie was bad, real bad. I cannot believe it won the Oscar for best screenplay and actress.
And best picture.