Yay, I finally found the template for the inane modern right wing assault on so-called wokeness — the fatuous transgender locker-room and bathroom fury, communists taking over our cities, forced indoctrination of anti-racism beliefs, oppressive snowflake oversensitivity, demonic DEI, and so forth.
Turns out a good many mobster nicknames came from the press (that would be the scribblers, not the talking heads) --- e.g. Joe "Bananas" Bonanno, Anthony "Big Tuna" Accardo --- and most prominently "Scarface" for Al Capone who, we're told, hated it and preferrred "Snorky" --- bascally "cool" in 1920s gangster parlance.
Wow. Victor Riesel! He used to have a slot on the old, old NYC Channel 5 10 p.m. news, anchored by Bill Jorgensen. I think his beat was labor and organized crime. He delivered his pieces in dark glasses. This impressed the hell out of me as a kid, still does. The descendant of that gritty, metro-on-steroids show is now a Fox local affiliate candygram with a screeching cutie-pie and a chuckling male bimbo, cuing up viral Internet clips. Sic transit gloria journalism.
I'm pretty sure the photog is Stan Tretick, not Tetrick (unless there are two news photogs of that era with similar names). Stan Tretick (working for Time by that time, I THINK) covered the 1976 Carter campaign and took a picture, as dawn broke over Plains, GA, the morning after Jimmy's victory, of me, Billy Carter, and a Secret Service agent toasting with liquor miniatures off the press plane. I so wanted that picture -- and Stan lost it!
Hey! You wanna get your fingers severely adjusted? The bagels guy is/was Tony Cavezza, not Caveere. How do I know this? Let me just ask you a question: Plain, poppy, onion, or sesame? You say cinnamon raisin and we’re gonna have the boys pay you a little visit.
In high school and for the summer after my freshman year of college I worked at a NJ bagel store just outside NYC. It was part of a small chain owned by a Jewish guy who knew bagels and an Italian guy who knew, umm, financial stuff. The latter was the son of Thomas “Tommy Ryan” Eboli, who served as head of the Genovese mob family organization from 1970 to 1972. The dad’s term was ended by the sudden mass infusion of lead projectiles. So I guess I had mob connections. I still like bagels though.
I went for Artichoke King because of the pun on choking as an art and the connection of both real and nick names to the land. So I guess there are only about 6% of us who share this sick sense of humor.
I liked the incongruity--I can't image the word artichoke and Mafia in the same sentence. Oh, wait. Also the idea of layers of evil, yet like all of us at the core a human heart.
Good? Most of the carp I see is not good. but it smells to high places. What happened to our schools? All these liars can come in and ask for data center perks, voter laws, and even for us to deport our best workers because "they kill thousands of us every year." Really. I never saw that. We live in a show of lies which showers all over us and what happened to our fact finders? Where did they go?
Gene “Curry Killer” Weingarten
Want a REAL Mafioso face? Emil Bove, 5th Circuit Court of Appeals. He looks like Roy Cohn PM (post mortem).
I would add Ray Liotta, Joe Pesci, and Rosie O'Donnell to the list of actors would could pass for Mafia dons.
Hey, Jeff. Good to see you here.
I shoukd look up Persico's obituary.
Onr of my colleagues came across a mobster whose nickname was "Nudie".
None of us wanted to know more...
Turns out a good many mobster nicknames came from the press (that would be the scribblers, not the talking heads) --- e.g. Joe "Bananas" Bonanno, Anthony "Big Tuna" Accardo --- and most prominently "Scarface" for Al Capone who, we're told, hated it and preferrred "Snorky" --- bascally "cool" in 1920s gangster parlance.
Actually my favorite mob nickname, and it's real, is Carmine "The Snake" PepsiCo.
I worked in FOIA in thr late lamented DOJ and organized crime files were always great reads.
I believe Carmine Persico was a Coke drinker and Diet Coke, in particular, he shared with prison mate Bernie Madoff.
Gene, it's good to see your stuff again. I subscribed because I'm sure you need money.
'witz
Hey, 'witz. Is this Arnie?
Wow. Victor Riesel! He used to have a slot on the old, old NYC Channel 5 10 p.m. news, anchored by Bill Jorgensen. I think his beat was labor and organized crime. He delivered his pieces in dark glasses. This impressed the hell out of me as a kid, still does. The descendant of that gritty, metro-on-steroids show is now a Fox local affiliate candygram with a screeching cutie-pie and a chuckling male bimbo, cuing up viral Internet clips. Sic transit gloria journalism.
I'm pretty sure the photog is Stan Tretick, not Tetrick (unless there are two news photogs of that era with similar names). Stan Tretick (working for Time by that time, I THINK) covered the 1976 Carter campaign and took a picture, as dawn broke over Plains, GA, the morning after Jimmy's victory, of me, Billy Carter, and a Secret Service agent toasting with liquor miniatures off the press plane. I so wanted that picture -- and Stan lost it!
Aaaand... you are right! Will fix.
Hey! You wanna get your fingers severely adjusted? The bagels guy is/was Tony Cavezza, not Caveere. How do I know this? Let me just ask you a question: Plain, poppy, onion, or sesame? You say cinnamon raisin and we’re gonna have the boys pay you a little visit.
Also right! i should have checked. The name online seemed oddly not Italian.
In high school and for the summer after my freshman year of college I worked at a NJ bagel store just outside NYC. It was part of a small chain owned by a Jewish guy who knew bagels and an Italian guy who knew, umm, financial stuff. The latter was the son of Thomas “Tommy Ryan” Eboli, who served as head of the Genovese mob family organization from 1970 to 1972. The dad’s term was ended by the sudden mass infusion of lead projectiles. So I guess I had mob connections. I still like bagels though.
Whatever happened to his cousin, Stiktini Dixinuendo?
What is he doing to the man whose derrière is right in front of the bad man’s wiener?
Kicking the butt of the photographer who had the guts to take his picture.
Looks like the guy leaned over to allow him to do it.
Edward G. Robinson supposedly patterned his persona after that of a Murder Inc. hitman named Martin "Buggsy" Goldstein.
The real Bugsy Goldstein, born Ronald, was my childhoodpal and later a cop in NJ.
I went for Artichoke King because of the pun on choking as an art and the connection of both real and nick names to the land. So I guess there are only about 6% of us who share this sick sense of humor.
I liked the incongruity--I can't image the word artichoke and Mafia in the same sentence. Oh, wait. Also the idea of layers of evil, yet like all of us at the core a human heart.
I think it was the funniest name, too. But not for the reason you state. He was, in fact, the leader of a crooked artichoke monopoly.
The first time in my 75 years of life I have heard the phrase “crooked artichoke monopoly.”
There are dozens of us. Dozens!
Good? Most of the carp I see is not good. but it smells to high places. What happened to our schools? All these liars can come in and ask for data center perks, voter laws, and even for us to deport our best workers because "they kill thousands of us every year." Really. I never saw that. We live in a show of lies which showers all over us and what happened to our fact finders? Where did they go?
Gene “tick-tock” Weingarten
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