“No comment” Tommaso Buscetta replied in an accelerated manor.
1968,Tommaso Buscetta stood in the court room with a sincere yet respectful grin on his face, as he was being burdened with queries about the Tom Hewitt murder case. Tommaso Buscetta was an average height man but a very stocky build. He had dusky olive coloured skin which was well suited to his greasy Black hair which strode finely down his polo shirt collars. Buscetta was wearing a navy Blue pinstripe suit made out of wool, with a golden chain hanging down his torso with a locket attached to it. The gold-silver plated contained a picture of his wife and youngest son who he loved dearly.

Tom Hewitt a New York prime newspaper publisher was murdered December 1962 just after peace had been made after the first mafia war-Which had been caused by the tension due to the missing Heroin shipment which was coming into America. The heroin was to be shared out between the families who had contributed their assets into a 3.5 million dollar drug deal with some Columbians producing and distributing narcotics in the Caribbean. The mafia families didn’t take kindly to their assets been lost and floating around in the Pacific Ocean. Most of the families who had been involved in the Heroin deal were either part of the Irish mob that had come to America to ensure they had retained profit from this deal for future events that their family would go through or the families were part of the notorious Cosa Nostra. Overall there were seven families involved in this deal and they had all lost their money because of some disturbance which had occurred on the Caribbean borders.

The war broke out in New York in 1961, it was the first ever mafia war to occur in America since the olive oil war( massacre of Caruli family in Brooklyn Olive factory)-rumoured to of happened because they had not paid payments they owed to the Bastani loan sharks which protected the Caruli empire for years. The olive oil war had not been as blood-soaked as the first real mafia war was. Thirteen back alley laundering rackets had been invaded by the FBI due to the fact so many mobsters where mobster from different mafias would come to embed their money into safe accounts. Ten other businesses which the various families extorted had been closed because of the number of shootings and explosions to take down other gangs had occurred.
“Mr Buscetta, did you have any involvement in the olive oil war which started October 1959?” The judge gave a contemplative smirk as if she was warning Tommaso to start answering her queries or he would face saviour consequences from the magistrates.
“No” Tommaso replied in an imperative manor as if he was the authority figure in the room.
“Mr Buscetta, we have records here suggesting Joezi Buscetta, Santanio O’Veil, two members of your family faced the magistrates in 1961 because of involvement in criminal activity. They were supposedly involved in smuggling fire-arms into the USA” the judge gave a tender remorse of silence as the jury analysed Tommaso. Anthony Carter, Tommasos lawyer whispered into his ear with a cunning luck as if he had been in this situation for decades. Tommaso nodded, undoing his top button of his shirt he replied in a self-assured tone
“So, you have a few facts you can present to the jury. Still you have nothing that can hurt me or put me in any state to be worried or even content to think. I’m going to take blame for the acts committed on Mr Hewitt, nothing” The judge thumped the wooden oak gavel onto her front Limestone desk.

TRUE/FALSE Jimmie agrees to let members of a local drug gang use his trailer for one day to make drugs in return for payment of $1000. Payment is to be made after the drugs have been manufactured. Jimmie is guilty of conspiracy

TRUE/FALSE Sipowicz, an undercover officer, approaches Kurt and asks him if he can buy some heroin. Kurt turns to his wife Courtney, and says, “I don’t know this guy” Courtney replies, “He looks fine to me” Kurt sells the heroin to Sipowicz and Sipowicz arrests Kurt, and Courtney. Courtney is guilty of conspiracy

What is the only inchoate crime for which both the inchoate crime and the target crime can be charged?
First person to get them ALL right and tell me how you know the answers gets the 10 points(this is h.w……..and yes…Ima lazy)
“who’s being a nuaghty boy..go do your own homework!!!!…lol”

A boy??!! I’m no boy *cry*
an lern yuor spelin! -tisk tisk-

Next up Elmo vs. The Short Strudder. Elmo is was kicked out of sesame for drug abuse now hes mad as hell and ready to kick some ***! The Short Strudder, approximately 83 years old has been living in a boring old nursing home hes looking for a little excitement in his life and doesnt have much time to live so hes decided to spend his last few years FIGHTING!!

Brayden Crocker vs. Bignay! Brayden comming from the down under of Austrailia has been wanting to learn more about American culture so hes decided to join SFA to do so. Now Bignay what can I say about him… hes comming from the streets of Brooklyn, New York this kid aint scared of nothing his mom is a crack addict and his dad left before he was even born! Hes got a massive temper and hes ready to blow his top!

The Mad Russian vs.AISM whatever the hell that stands for… The Mad Russian has been beat up by his mom ever since he was a kid so hes going to take out his anger on AISM the only female fighter we have. AISM is known all around the streets of philly for her looks and hustling methods.

DJ vs. The Lone Wolf. DJ is from the city of Tacoma. Washington hes been slinging rock ever since his family was killed in a horrific car accident. The Lone Wolf is a jarhead is a war veteran thats been messed up in his head ever since he got out.

Last but not least The Amazing Adam vs. Al Coholica. There’s is nothing much to say about Adam except for that hes a great fighter and a good person. BOOO! who wants to hear about that??? Adam is a tough macho man who works out everyday. Al Coholica is a drunk middle aged man. He practically lives in AA. AA=Alcoholics Anonymous. Well i guess its not so anonymous anymore HAHA! His wife left him and took everything he had even his kids so now hes just been drinking his sorrows away.

OK EVERYONE VOTE FOR WHO YOU WANT TO WIN EACH MATCH AND FIGHTERS YOU CAN MAKE YOUR PROMO TO MAKE IT EVEN MORE INTERESTING. PROMO=TRASH TALK!!!!

Post your vote here or on any other of my posts. DONT FORGET TO VOTE OR ELSE…..

Cindy was John McCain’s mistress when he was married to his first wife. She was addicted to prescription drugs and admitted stealing them from her medical organization when she couldn’t get them from doctors. She was born into wealth and is a wealthy savvy businesswoman and heiress to a fortune.

Michelle Obama made statements about being really proud of her country for the first time in her adult life during the Democratic primaries, she said in speeches that America is a mean country. She is grew up poor in the South side of Chicago, graduated from Harvard Law School, was a professor and is now a successful business woman.
FYI, the info above about both of these women is documented, proven and a part of history. If you need sources, I can cite them.

Someone shared more info about Cindy’s resume. Below is more info about Michelle’s.

Michelle Obama:
Princeton undergrad
Harvard Law School alum
Corporate Vice President
1985 cum laude graduate of Princeton
University
1988 graduate of Harvard Law School, Former associate dean at the University of Chicago
Vice president at the University of Chicago Hospitals.
Sits on six boards, including the prestigious Chicago Council on Global Affairs, the University of Chicago Laboratory Schools and Tree House Foods.

According to co-owner Chris Rutledge, “The Doctors Express concept has proved successful as a convenient and compassionate alternative to hospital ERs.  Our physicians and medical staff will treat patients with urgent, but non-life-threatening illnesses or injuries, utilizing the very latest in medical technology, including electronic medical records, digital X-rays and an on-site lab. We’ll be able to treat most common illnesses and injuries, from colds and flu to fractures and sprains and everything in between.  In addition, we’ll be a reliable, accessible source for drug screenings, employment and sports physicals, occupational medicine, and travel immunizations”   He noted, “Georgia has some of  the longest ER wait times in the United States – a typical wait time is often over four hours.  Emergency Rooms are overloaded, and this can be frustrating for patients, burdensome for ER staff, and costly for both patients and businesses.  Our Doctors Express Urgent Care Center will be able to treat many of those patients often in less than 45 minutes, and at a fraction of the cost.”

Theone, Chris’s wife, added, “As parents of young children who have spent too many hours in emergency rooms, we personally understand the benefit of having a nearby, convenient source for urgent care.  We want to offer the kind of quality care that people will trust and know they can depend on, seven days a week.  Our plan is to staff the center with the kind of people we would want to treat our family:  experienced and compassionate board-certified emergency and family practice physicians supported by a qualified, patient-oriented staff.”

Both Chris and Theone come from successful business backgrounds:  he holds an MBA from the University of Chicago and, as a partner at Accenture, was a management consultant for over 20 years.   Theone holds an MBA in Marketing from Emory University’s Goizueta Business School, and worked as a consultant in the healthcare industry and in business development for a technology start-up.  The couple thoroughly vetted several business opportunities before selecting the Doctors Express urgent care franchise concept.  According to Chris, “We believe that people requiring immediate medical treatment need another option for when their primary care doctor can’t see them right away and the ER is backed up.”

Their Doctors Express facility is nearing completion, and will begin treating patients in early December.  The center will be open seven days a week with extended hours.  No appointments will be necessary, and most insurance plans will be accepted.

http://bravennewfilms.org/blog39179-mcca…

Boy oh boy, what kind of example do you think that sets for Americas youth????
Aren’t you happy at least one of the candidates still has some family values??????? Obama 08

Since what you are told from your very first 12-step meeting is, “Your only options are to get sober using our Program, or it’s jails, institutions or death,” you tend to stop thinking for yourself, (since it was your “best thinking that got you here“), stop questioning, and just follow what other’s tell you to do. This would be fine if this is what worked… but unfortunately, evidence is proving otherwise.

The 12-step success rate is showing to be approximately 3 percent. Yes, that’s right… only 3 percent! (Brown,Treatment Doesn’t Work, 1991). Here are some more startling statistics (Based on Alcoholics Anonymous World Services’ own statistics).:

          *45% of the people who attend Alcoholics Anonymous meetings never return after their first meeting.

          *81% of AA attendees are gone after one month

           *90% are gone after three months

           *93% are gone (7% remain) after 6 months

           *95% never return after the first year.

So there is a 5% retention rate for the first year. Note that the claimed five percent of A.A. newcomers who are still coming back after one year (and sober, we hope) is exactly the same number as the normal rate of spontaneous remission among alcoholics. A number of studies have found that a small percentage of alcoholics improve to the point of remission of problems associated with alcohol consumption, and we call this spontaneous remission. The preponderance of studies suggests that a spontaneous remission rate for alcoholism of at least one-year duration is about 4-18 percent. Successful treatment would, therefore, have to produce rates of improvement significantly above this probable range of spontaneous remission. Alcoholics Anonymous comes nowhere near exceeding a 4 to 18 percent per year recovery rate. Harvard Medical Schoolreported that in the long run, the rate of spontaneous remission in alcoholics is slightly over 50 percent. That would put the annual rate of spontaneous remission to be around 5 percent. Yet the claimed success rate of Alcoholics Anonymous does not even exceed that much lower rate.

If we subtract the usual spontaneous remission rate from A.A.’s claimed success rate, we get zero percent for A.A.’s actual effective cure rate. A.A. didn’t make anybody quit drinking — those who quit were the ones who were going to quit anyway. They would have quit anyway, no matter what treatment they were receiving, or even no treatment at all!  So, an alcoholism treatment program that seems to have a 5% success rate probably really has a zero percent success rate, and it is just taking credit for the spontaneous remission that is happening anyway. And a program that has less than a five percent success rate, like four or three, may really have a negative success rate — it is actually keeping some people from succeeding in getting clean and sober. Any success rate that is less than the usual rate of spontaneous remission indicates a program that is a real disaster and is hurting the participants.

Yet even with all of this research, 93-97% of conventional drug rehabs and alcohol treatment centers are still 12-step or AA based, so those who leave AA to look elsewhere, such as conventional alcohol and drug treatment for solutions, are essentially rejoining AA!

AA hardly sounds like a “proven method,” let alone one that works for most people. So, if only about 5% of the people are getting the help that they need, what about the 95% of the people who are not being helped? That is the purpose of this article… to provide much needed awareness to individuals, rehabilitation centers, hospitals, sober livings, and even 12-step programs themselves so that people with substance abuse problems can actually start be helped. The bottom line is this… is the goal to get alcoholics and addicts into AA or NA or CA, or is it to actually get them some help?

Professor (and Doctor) George E. Vaillant of Harvard University is an enthusiastic advocate of Twelve-Step treatment, and is currently a non-alcoholic member of the Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc. (AAWS) Board of Trustees. So he really wanted to prove the effectiveness of AA. To study the effectiveness of various methods of treating alcoholism, Vaillant compiled forty years of clinical studies. Vaillant and the director William Clark also conducted an eight-year longitudinal study of their own where Vaillant reported having followed 100 patients who had undergone twelve-step treatment. He compared those people to a group of several hundred other untreated alcohol abusers. The treated patients did no better than the untreated alcoholics. Fully 95% of the treated patients relapsed sometime during the eight-year period that Vaillant followed them.

After initial discharge, only five patients in the clinic sample never relapsed to alcoholic drinking, and there is compelling evidence that the results of their treatment were no better than the natural history of the disease (spontaneous remission). What Professor Vaillant, a Trustee of Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc. — in other words, one of the highest-ranking A.A. leaders — is candidly, clearly describing is a zero-percent success rate for his A.A.-based treatment program. And it was even worse than no help: The A.A.-treated group, with the death rate of 29%, had the highest death rate of any kind of program, significantly higher than all of the other programs. And those five people out of the hundred in the A.A.-treated clinic sample who successfully stayed sober for 8 years are just the result of that same old five percent spontaneous remission rate at work, again.

Remember that these terrible numbers were reported by a Trustee of Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc., by a real true believer in A.A., by someone who loves A.A. and was trying hard to make it look good, not by some harsh critic of A.A. who might be suspected of bias, or of fudging the numbers to make A.A. look bad.

Let me mention that I think 12-step programs are great for those individuals who it does work for, (or at least seems to work for—again, it might just be the work of spontaneous remission rather than the program itself that is working). I have seen it change many lives for the better, including my dad, who has now had 15 years of continuous sobriety, maintaining his sobriety from his very first meeting. It is also a great fellowship to share experiences, strength and hope. So, in no way am I anti-AA. However, it has become clear to me that substance abuse is not a “one size fits all” problem, and therefore, there can not be a “one-size-fits-all” solution. 

The National Institute of Drug Abuse, NIDA, has even gone on record to emphasize that no single addiction treatment method is right for everyone. They claim that matching treatment services to each individual’s specific needs is critical to success. In addition, research studies indicate that even the most severely addicted individuals can participate actively in their own treatment, and that active participation is essential for good outcomes. According to the NIDA, counseling, either individual or group, and other behavioral therapies are critical components of effective treatment for addiction. It’s interesting to note that participation in a 12-step program was never mentioned anywhere in this research based guide which discussed the principles of effective treatment. 

Reliance on outdated and ineffective treatment methods has created an environment that fully expects individuals to fail, and fail again until such time that rock bottom has been reached. It is often said that once an individual has reached rock bottom that there is only one way to go, UP. The problem with that philosophy is that for many people, the ultimate rock bottom is death. (Vacovsky, Executive Director, American Council on Alcoholism, May 12, 2005).

Vacovsky goes on to write:

“Many, (if not indeed most) alcohol dependent individuals have lost faith in themselves, and more importantly hope for the future. It is common for such individuals to have numerous attempts at sobriety, most often using 12-step methods. They have been programmed to accept themselves as hopeless and powerless, with their chance for recovery being slim to none… It is up to the individual to determine what the most appropriate treatment is. It is up to the treatment community to provide options that set up individuals to succeed, rather than be expected to fail.”

Sadly, Americans are largely unaware that such options even exist. At least, the general public is. While the public is being told that “turning your will and life over to the care of God as you understand Him,” as AA suggests, is the only treatment for their illness, scientifically based research has been going on for decades. Results of this research are threefold:

We now have options for treatment that are based on science rather than fundamentalist religion;<br>
Gives back choice and a sense of control to the individual, which is proving to be extremely important and<br>
We now have evidence that is in direct contradiction to the traditional view of problem drinking.

What, exactly, is the research finding? Here is what some of the experts in the addiction field have found: 

Well-designed research conducted over more than three decades has conclusively demonstrated that problem drinking will not inevitably get progressively worse, and that this is one attribute of being a “disease” of alcoholism is simply wrong. Some problem drinkers “progress,” but the vast majority don’t.<br>
What most Americans believe about drinking problems and their treatment is substantially inaccurate.<br>
Drinking problems do not occur as a result of a disease. It is a learned behavior, and additional learning can therefore modify behavior.<br>
For no other “disease” do so many physicians, psychologists and counselors themselves believe in the non-research-based myths of problem drinking, ignoring the research of their own peers in developing their treatment plans.<br>
“Problem drinkers in the United States are faced with a daunting dilemma when they seek help. They can either accept the prevailing myth that abstinence is the only effective means to resolve a drinking problem, or they can be accused of being “in denial…”<br>
Insistence by treatment programs to only offer abstinence has been shown to deter many problem drinkers from seeking treatment.<br>
Individualizing treatment is crucial.<br>
Chronic “relapsers” can actually be harmed by the 12-step model view that once a slip has started, you are powerless to stop; the stronger one’s belief in this is the longer and more damaging the relapses are.<br>
The confrontation and treating alcoholics and addicts like children commonly thought necessary to help them actually often hinders any change.<br>
Many providers deliberately resist change because they have too much of an attachment to their own ideas of what should work, claiming, “I know what worked for me, and I’m sure that it can work for everyone else as long as they just do what I say.”<br>
The only way to resolve a problem with alcohol is to abstain for life is wrong for the majority of people. A substantial proportion becomes moderate drinkers even when achieving abstinence is the primary focus of treatment.<br>
Dr. Patricia Owen, Director of Research of the Hazelden Foundation, who was a long-time supporter of abstinence-only treatment, referred to these individuals as “in recovery without abstinence” and acknowledged their presence in large numbers among a sample of Hazelden graduates.

Of course, not even all scientists agree on the nature of and best treatments for alcohol abuse. But this is the twenty-first century, and no one would disagree that all patients suffering with an alcohol or drug problem have a right, just like any other patient suffering with any other problem, to be fully informed of the available options, the risks or areas of uncertainty, and, after reviewing the relevant information, in consultation with one or more providers, choose a course of action. This is simply good, ethical medicine.  Should people struggling with substance abuse issues accept anything less?

It is also important to acknowledge that recovery programs are not necessary to discover how to quit and stay quit. The following is from the Harvard Medical School’s Mental Health Letter, the August/September 1996 issue:

Most recovery from alcoholism is not the result of treatment. Only 20% of alcohol abusers are ever treated… Alcohol addicts, like heroin addicts, have a tendency to mature out of their addiction…

In a group of self-treated alcoholics, more than half said that they had simply thought it over and decided that alcohol was bad for them. Another group said health problems and frightening experiences such as accidents and blackouts persuaded them to quit… Others have recovered by changing their circumstances with the help of a new job or a new love or under the threat of a legal crisis or the breakup of a family. Support from a husband or wife was important in sustaining the resolution.

Study results from addiction researchers, Doctors Linda and Mark Sobell, confirm Harvard’s 20% treatment statistic:

Surveys found that over 77 percent of those who had overcome an alcohol problem had done so without treatment. In an earlier study… a sizable majority of alcohol abusers, 82 percent, recovered on their own.

 However, even though it is possible to recover on your own, you may want a recovery program, or at least a licensed professional for support.  The good news is that many more treatment programs are starting to provide more evidence-based options beyond just the traditional 12-step approach, and this list is growing everyday. You can find a complete, comprehensive directory of over 100 professionals and drug and alcohol programs all over the U.S. and abroad that will provide you with many options in Melanie Solomon’s newly released 2nd Edition of “AA Not the Only Way; Your One Stop Resource Guide to 12-Step Alternatives.”

 Leading U.S. addiction expert Dr. Marc Kern states, “I have long awaited this directory of addiction treatment alternatives. It represents what I believe to be the future of the field. It is a pioneering effort to organize this unique body of knowledge. A directory of this type was never available before.”

 Dr. Frederick Rotgers, another leading addiction expert explains, “The problem is finding treatment providers who provide these alternative, evidence-based approaches. Melanie Solomon has taken a wonderful step toward making that process, of identifying alternatives to traditional treatments, easier.”

 It is finally time to stop living in the dark ages of recovery, educate people about all of their choices and alternatives that are out there and maybe start making a dent in the alcohol and drug use problem that millions are facing each day instead of continuing to perpetuate it. If you are one of those people who still believe that the 12-steps are the “only way” to recover, I implore you to have an open mind. In fact, Bill W., one of the co-founders of AA said, “It would be a product of false pride to claim that A.A. is a cure-all, even for alcoholism.” Bill W. repeatedly said that “our hats are off to you if you can find a better way” and “If [those seeking a different cure] can do better by other means, we are glad.”