1. Capo di Tutti Capi (The "Boss of Bosses", currently Bernardo "il trattore" Provenzano for the Sicilian Mafia; N/A for the American or Philippine Mafia)2. Capo di Capi Re (a title of respect given to a senior or retired member, equivalent to being a chairman emeritus. )
3. Capo Crimini (A "Super Boss" known as a Don or "Godfather" of a crime family)
4. Capo Bastone (Known as the "Underboss" is second in command to the Capo Crimini)
5. Consigliere (Advisor)
6. Contabile (Financial advisor)
7. Caporegime' or Capodecina (A Lieutenant who commands a "crew" of around ten Sgarrista or "soldiers")
8. Sgarrista or Soldati ("Made" members of the Mafia who serve primarily as foot soldiers)
9. Picciotto (A low ranking member of the Mafia who serve as "Enforcers" or "button men")
10. Giovane D'Onore (An associate member of the Mafia, usually a non-Italian or Sicilian)
The Law of Omerta does not allow us to mention the source of this information: Wikip...!
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16 comments:
DJB,
Good outline! Allow me to start filling in the blanks:
1. Capo di Tutti Capi : Gloria Macapagagl Arroyo
2. Capo di Capi Re: Mike Tuason Arroyo
Cheers
FVR for Capo di Capi Re--chairman emeritus--Maybe he can pull it off.
Yeah! Indeed - more fitting and Mike Arroyo is the Capo Crimini.
DOJ Chief is the Consiglieri (although from what I gather, Gonzales is not a calm, cool, collected sort of fellow but is one prone to hystrionics).
There's a lot of Consiglieri at the Supreme Court and in the Congress, though mostly that's the realm of the Capo regimes and Capo Bastones...
Am watching Robin Hood (Kevin Costner) on German TV and in German (apart from 'achtung' and a few words here and there, I don't understand the dialogue, that's why I can take time out to write these lines - teehhee) and am thinking, 'why can't we have a Robin Hood Pinoy or Pinay in the Philippines?'
Heh!
Say, the big winner in the US anyway, but possibly in Europe next is the Hong Kong made movie KUNG FU HUSTLE.
DO NOT TURN ON the SUBTITLES when you first watch this award winning movie, which is in CHINESE.
I swear: it's funnier without the subtitles. First movie I've encountered where the visuals carry the story perhaps as well with the as without, much like you can enjoy Italian Opera without understanding a single word of Italian. Kung Fu Hustle is about the residents of "Pig Sty Alley" against the Axe Gang. It's a riot.
I saw Kung Fu Hustle on DVD, making it truly a "sleeper" hit here in the US.
That is, not many noticed until it came out on DVD.
But what? Kevin Costner as Robin Hood?
Is there Robin Hood life after Errol Flynn, or at least, Richard Greene?
Robin Hood? Or Ali Baba?
"Life of a Geisha" or something like that is in the theatres in Europe now. The film is an all-Asian star cast with the leading roles being played by 3 Chinese actresses.
The billions of Chinese on the planet have it going for them... Good on them too!
AsiaPundit had this amazing story on that movie Geisha in this hilarious post on modern Chinese nationalism entitled Zhang Ziyi's Butt" with this excerpt:"ESWN translates a defense of Zhang Ziyi, who has upset Chinese nationalists over her role in Geisha.:Let us look at what Shi Changqing wrote: She is not being screwed by just one Japanese person, for she is being screwed by every Japanese person! She is not the only person to be screwed by the Japanese people, for every Chinese person is being screwed by the Japanese people! She let shame fall on the Chinese people! How could such a person deserve to be a Chinese? "
Ahh... DJB, crab mentality exists everywhere it seems.
I personally think the Chinese have never had it this good. Theyr're out not only to conquer Hollywood, but every other money makig businesses in the world.
They're everywhere - I mean EVERYWHERE! The small cafés and tobacco shops in Paris which were once or up until last year a typically French dominated business in the French capital are now Chinese owned; even the cafe-tobacconist situated in front of my flat has just been bought out by a Chinese couple. The ground floor of the building where my flat is located is a Chinese flower shop; two streets down the road, all the shops now sport Chinese signboards and not only that during a walk this last week of December in the same area, I peeked in some of the shops - and what did I see in two or three of the 'boutiques'? Tables of mahjong! I couldn't believe it! And to cap it all, I was told by a real estate agent freind of mine that Chinese families are looking for flats in the districts in Paris that were once the center of haute end moyenne bourgeoisies.
There is a culture of hardwork, perseverance (all done in humility) even in the young very 'westernized' generation of Chinese children. I was teaching English in a French school and guess who topped the class? Eleven & twelve-year old Chinese pupils... Very nice kids too who manage to integrate and to think that most of their parents don't even speak French.
The Philippine community in France or in Belgium cannot boast of the same 'achievements'.
How enviable!
New-found capitalism in the Chinese émigrés from the mainland may be the needed spark to boost the French economy which has been sputtering for sometime, showing less than 2% growth in GDP in most periods. I suppose the recent riots with a decidedly minority-induced component may have contributed to this decline.
In the US, the Chinese thrusts have been multi-pronged. If not through immigration, then through purchase of American companies, or simply buying into US debt instruments such as Treasuries.
Or exporting cheaper-priced goods to the US mainland. A visit to department stores, including the discounters, will reveal how extensive their penetration is in the different consumer markets here.
AMADEO--I guess we should not neglect the fact that the Filipino nation was really created, at least in part, by Chinese immigrants and mestizos. And what should we make of the fact of the Chinese taipans that still dominate the economy. Funny how we still think of them as "Chinese".
ASSIMILATION and MULTICULTURALISM are big burning issues that will be major flashpoints in the 21st Century, as the world becomes ONE. Hillblogger,you really ought to give the Archipelago an up-close on Europe and doings there, which have certainly surprised many here but bear the marks of the same basic problem--how we get it all together!
I’m proud to declare that as late as my maternal grandmother’s generation, Sangley blood ran in the family.
But, Dean, you touched a tender point. Assimilation.
Whose bigger responsibility is it? On the shoulders of the vast majority of Filipinos, or the (what, 2%) ethnic Chinese Filipino population, to push the ball harder toward assimilation? I definitely am not inclined to lay the entire onus of the problem on them since their number is quite insignificant compared to the entire population.
From the Northern Mindanao city where I come from, this continues to be an issue that appears to be unmindfully pushed aside and not frontally confronted.
I have many Chinese Filipinos that I grew up with and am still friendly with. And we gather together in social events. But you know there is still that invisible ethnic barrier that divides.
And this permeates even in quasi-religious organizations like the BCPB, who I’m sure many are familiar with. One particular friend who is Chinese Filipinos and quite religiously inclined transferred from the main unit to join up with a newer one composed exclusively of Chinese Filipinos business people. And I couldn’t even invite myself in, even as a guest, precisely because of ethnicity.
I do not believe that the intent at exclusivity stems from any sense of arrogance, superiority, or even bigotry.
It seems more like an unwitting application of the “equal but separate” principle tossed about here in the US prior to the civil rights movement.
Hi DJB,
Re: "..you really ought to give the Archipelago an up-close on Europe and doings there..."
I'll try.
"And what should we make of the fact of the Chinese taipans that still dominate the economy. Funny how we still think of them as "Chinese"."
-->Simply that's because how they wanted to be viewed - as Chinese.
It's still very common to see a Chinese-Filipino call themselves Chinese rather than Filipino of Chinese descent. So people just return the favor
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