Lane shows how globalisation has transformed the Mafia into more than simply a local phenomenon. It describes in painful detail the daily accommodation to Mafia pressure endured by priests, politicians and prosecutors, businessmen, trade unionists and ordinary citizens. At the same time he incorporates a portrait of the South's long and tumultuous history and powerful flavours to provide a richly coloured portrait of a European region under siege.

The pre-dawn arrests of the last remaining mafiosi in December 2008 signalled the end of the Sicilian Mafia as we know it. In Mafia: Inside the Dark Heart, A.G.D. Maran charts the complete history of the world's most infamous criminal organisation, from its first incarnation as an alternative form of local government in the Sicilian countryside and arguable force for 'good' to the more familiar form that has been immortalised in films such as The Godfather, and its final defeat after a long-awaited change of attitude by the Italian government. The author has used his many Italian contacts and a decade of exhaustive research to bring to life the story of the Sicilian Mafia while also exploring the links to the Cosa Nostra in America. Along the way, he asks many provocative questions, including: Why was Lucky Luciano, the father of modern organised crime, freed from a life sentence in America and deported to Italy, allowing him to organise the international drug trade? Was the Mafia involved in the death of Pope John Paul I? Why did the Mafia murder Roberto Calvi, known as God's Banker? What is the relationship between the Mafia and Freemasonry? Why did successive Italian governments fail to tackle the Mafia? Why did it take 40 years to find the Last Godfathers? These and many other riveting issues are covered in Maran's refreshing new take on a perennially enthralling subject.

Today, mafias operate across the globe, with hundreds of thousands of members and billions of dollars in revenue. From Hong Kong to New York, these vast organizations spread their tentacles into politics, finance and everyday life. Criminologist Federico Varese draws on a lifetime's research to give us access to some of the world's most secretive societies. Mixing reportage with case studies and historical insights, this is the story of mafia as it really is: filled with boredom and drama, death and disaster, ambition and betrayal.

f you or any of your family member is suffering from Diabetes, High B.P., High Cholesterol, Obesity or a Heart disease.................................... just imagine one morning you wake up to know that you are no more on those drugs and are just as healthy as you were few years back............................... To know this read 'Heart Mafia' A glimpse of the eye opening facts in 'Heart Mafia':- - You may not die of the disease but of the treatment. - Bypass surgery & Angioplasty is not for patients but for profit. - Nobel Prize Winning Science to reverse a Life Style Disease - Is your cardiologist suffering from "Occulostenotic Reflex Syndrome" ? - Obesity - An illness of mind.

"If you fall in love with a monster, remember he'll always be vicious."I met a boy in the dead of the night and hoped he would save me from the dark.When I lost the last person that cared for me, I ran straight into the arms of his family.The Italian Mob.It was no place for a naïve girl. I grew up and earned my place. Everyone within the family accepted me quickly-all except him.To him, I didn't belong.And he made that clear by being the monster everyone knew him to be:Cruel, ruthless, and cold.My gut told me to leave, but my soul wanted to stay. I gravitated toward the man no one seemed to understand because no one understood me either.I handed my heart to a monster, and he ripped it apart.

Ayla The darkness never truly left me. It