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Is It Still Called Stock Photography?

A century ago, magazines featured mostly text. Graphics were secondary. Today, it’s reversed. If you include advertisements, our periodicals today feature more graphics than text. The new “automated” stock photo services (with Royalty-free photos that offer lower prices for photos), are providing quality generic images to publishers who previously couldn’t afford photography as an option. As a result, new markets are now opening up for photographers who produce generic images.

The stock photo industry has finally come around to recognizing a previously largely neglected major marketing principle (one that we actually have been espousing here at PhotoSource International since our beginning). To wit: there’s a vast market of photobuyers who are not interested in high-fee, RP (”rights-protected”) photos. They simply want an image they can temporarily use, one-time, in one of their low-circulation, limited-readership, publications.

Let me backtrack.

In the 1950’s, there were few stock photo agencies. When I returned from a trip through Africa in 1958, I sought out an agency from the few listed in the Manhattan telephone directory. My photos landed at Photo Researchers, then a two-person, New York City hole-in-the-wall on 42nd Street. Photo Researchers is still there today.

The dozen or so “managed-rights” photo agencies of the ’60’s have increased to several hundred agencies today. In the late 80’s this “managed-rights” stock industry was at its peak. Today it’s still thriving, with a major impetus being the emergence of the massive corporate digital agency (Corbis, Getty, Jupiter Media, Index Stock Imagery, etc.). The smaller stock photo agencies are folding or being absorbed in mergers, or have resorted to specializing.

THE TRANSFORMATION

The Digital Era has transformed other major industries: communications, transportation, banking, plus the military and government. It was bound to transform our stock photo industry, and it has.

In the past, traditional “managed rights” stock agencies demanded very high fees for their images, and why not? They had the market all to themselves. There was no “Kmart” counter in the stock photo industry.

The formation of micro digital stock agencies has changed all this. These new companies are able to reach out to markets that couldn’t afford the traditional high stock fees of the past. Using “volume” as their guide, rather than “managed exclusivity,” these digital agencies have proved that there was a sleeping market for their inexpensive on-line offerings.

This movement has opened a whole new market area for individual photographers whose files are filled with generic photos that, up to this point, have been going nowhere. Today, by using the power of automation, digital photo corporations are selling “Royalty-free generic images for very low fees: $35, $15, and $1.

Do these lower fees deflate the market? We have seen in other industries that they do not. The textbook progression is that after a leveling out period, thanks to lower fees, the market actually expands. If you have an automated volume product at a lower fee, the bottom line usually improves. The consumer benefits, and so does the corporation. It’s called free enterprise.

This marketing approach, of course, is what we have been espousing here at PhotoSource International since 1976 when we introduced our first marketletter, The PHOTOLETTER–still in existence today. Back then we observed there were thousands of small graphic houses, regional publishers, denominational houses, and small book publishers, whose budgets would not allow the use of $200, $300, or $3,000 images.

Many of our subscriber members, by concentrating on only a few specialized markets among these lower-budget buyers, found they could earn healthy incomes by selling to these markets in volume. Back in the 70’s, these photographers in effect automated their selling methods and reduced administrative costs, much the way corporate digital stock houses have learned to do today.

The theme of my first book, Sell & ReSell Your Photos, emphasizes this approach. If the picture is good, more than one photobuyer is going to want to use it, when there’s no cross-readership conflict and the price is within their budget. The early stock photography pioneers found it was a lot less stressful selling a photo 10 times at $75 to these lower budget editorial markets, than selling one picture at $750 in the high-pressure commercial arena.

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WHAT IS EDITORIAL STOCK PHOTOGRAPHY?

You know what photography is, and you know what stock photography is — yes?

Take another look. During the past couple of decades, an aspect of photography has been growing to where it is now planted firmly on the scene as a photographic division in its own right: editorial stock photography.

These are the photos of everyday slices-of-life, the insights into the human condition, the events and vignettes and moments you spot — and then dive for your camera. Editorial stock photos show people involved, doing things; they feature specific geographical locations; they give a “real” look at every aspect of human activity and the world of nature. As legendary Magnum photographer Elliot Erwitt has said, “[Photos] have got to tell you something that you haven’t seen, or touch you in some way emotionally…” As to his personal preference, he says, “With regard to photography that I respect, my view is fairly narrow. I like things that have to do with what is real, elegant, well-presented and without excessive style. In other words, just fine observation.”

Editorial stock photos are in contrast to commercial stock photos, the latter being the slick scenic and product shots, the gorgeous sunset, the healthy senior citizen couple bike-riding through autumn leaves, that we see in advertisements and commercial promotions.

Commercial stock photos have to conform to “what sells.” The commercial photographer must engineer the photos to fit into commercial clients’ needs, trends in the industry, and to appeal to a wide, general audience. The resulting photos are often called generic images because they can fit a variety of uses.

Editorial stock photos are produced by a different approach. Rather than appeal to the commercial needs of a client, the editorial stock photographer follows his or her own interest areas, and targets certain segments of life and culture that they enjoy photographing. Examples: medicine and health, sports, social issues, travel, etc. The photographer then sells these photos to markets that use images in those specific subject areas.

Buyers in the commercial field include designers at graphic houses, corporate art directors, and ad agency creative directors. There’s much turnover in these positions, so developing consistent working relationships with these markets is frustrating and difficult.

In the editorial field, the buyers range from photo editors at books and magazines, to photo researchers — the people who are hired by publishers and art directors to seek out highly specific pictures. There’s less turnover and more longevity with editorial buyers, and editorial stock photographers can enjoy strong long-term working relationships with their buyers, which translates to more consistent sales.

Rohn Engh is director of PhotoSource International and publisher of PhotoStockNotes

At a family dinner the other night, my dad informed my sisters and me that he was the father of Anna Nicole’s baby….. sure Dad and Brad Pitt is leaving Angelina for me. While my father’s statement was said in jest, it got me to thinking about the infatuation we as a culture have had with Anna Nicole since her death (and even before). If my father, a sixty-five year old man (sorry Dad, I mean a forty-five year old man) is abreast to the latest Anna Nicole news, then who isn’t?

The jury, or rather the autopsy, is still out on exactly how Anna Nicole died. All we really know is that she died young and, it doesn’t matter who you are, that’s a tragedy. Anna’s death could be the result of any number of things. Though foul play is not suspected, her death is suspicious and that’s enough to make the ears of our culture perk up: not only are we obsessed with celebrities, but we become even more obsessed when they are involved in a suspicious death, their own or someone else’s.

Anna is not the first celebrity to be involved in an untimely, strange death and, sadly, she probably won’t be the last. Deaths laden in suspicion nearly seem to come with celebrity territory, packaged in the Styrofoam peanuts of stardom.

O.J. Simpson
O.J. Simpson was acquitted of the 1994 deaths of his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and a friend of hers, Ronald Goldman. For this reason, I can’t say that O.J. is a murderer, but allow me to call this portion of my article: If He Did It.

Prior to becoming a murder suspect, O.J. was loved as a Hall of Fame running back, a Hertz spokesman, an actor, and a man with a million dollar smile. That all fell apart when he became the prime suspect in a brutal murder: it was a suspicion that led the police on the world’s slowest high speed chase down a California highway.

Though a jury failed to convict him, the throngs of guilt still surround him and his name has become synonymous with the word “murderer.” Hertz, doesn’t it O.J.?

Some people believe he was acquitted because of his celebrity status, while others believe it was because of mistakes the prosecution made during the trial. Whatever the reasons for his acquittal during the criminal trial, they didn’t stick in the civil trial. On February 5, 1997, O.J. was found guilty in a wrongful death suit and ordered to pay over 33 million dollars in damages. With pensions protected from seizure, he is rumored to still be able to live his acquired lifestyle leaving those who believe he is guilty angry and under the impression that the justice system is an oxymoron.

Robert Blake
From an Our Gang character to a Baretta icon to a murder suspect, Robert Blake is a man of many faces. In 2000, he married a woman named Bonnie Lee Bakley after tests proved that she was pregnant with his child. It was his second marriage and her – introducing the adage never a bridesmaid and always a bride – tenth.

In May of 2001, Bakely was murdered by gun shot in a car while waiting for Blake to return from the restaurant where they had just dined. Blake was eventually arrested for murder, not accused of actually pulling the trigger but of hiring the person who did. After going on trial, Blake was acquitted.

Like O.J. Simson, an acquittal in the criminal trial did not hold up in the civil suit. In late November of 2005, a jury agreed with the wrongful death suit filed against Blake. He was ordered to pay 30 million dollars. A few months later, Blake found himself filing for bankruptcy.

Rebecca Lucile Schaeffer
Only 21 years old when she was shot and killed n 1989, Rebecca Lucile Schaeffer had a career that was just getting started. Best known for her role in the sitcom My Sister Sam, Schaeffer was shot by Robert Bardo, a 19-year-old who was a crazed fan. After stalking her for three years, writing letters and attempting to gain access onto the set of My Sister Sam, Bardo hired a private investigator to find her place of residence. The PI was able to locate it through DMV records.

Bardo dressed up as a flower delivery man and approached Schaeffer’s doorway. When she answered, he shot her once in the heart. He was arrested the next day.

The death of Schaeffer set the ball in motion for California’s anti-stalking laws. It also helped change the law regarding the release of information through the DMV.

Natalie Wood
A child-turned-adult-actress, Natalie Wood was the face of a generation. Known for her roles in Rebel Without a Cause and West Side Story as well as her dating life – a life that saw her court the likes of Elvis, Raymond Burr, Warren Beauty, and Dennis Hopper – her death was also not void of drama. Even today, mysteries still remain.

In 1981, at the age of 45, Wood drowned while onboard a yacht with her husband, Robert Wagner, and Christopher Walken. No one knows for certain what happened and the reports varied. One theory suggests that Wagner and Walken got into a disagreement and, while they argued, Wood fell overboard. Though a witness on shore reported hearing Wood cry for help – as well as the two men reasurring her that they were coming – Wagner, Walken, and the man piloting the yacht all said they never heard anything.

Wood was legally drunk at the time and this likely compromised her ability to swim. Bruises were also found on her body, but these were ambigious, possibly being a result of her fall.

Brandon Bruce Lee
The son of the greatest martial artist of all time, Brandon Lee, just like his father, met an untimely death. In 1994, while filiming the movie The Crow, Lee was shot by a gun that was supposed to be a harmless prop. Instead, a bullet was lodged in the revolver. When the trigger was pulled – as written in the script – the reverberation of the blanks cause the bullet to propel, ultimatley shooting Lee in the abdomen. Despite a five hour attempt to save him, Lee was pronouced dead at the age of 28. The footage of his fictional-turned-real death scene was destroyed but the movie was eventually finished.

Some people suspect that Lee was a victim of foul play; the freak accident that claimed his life just seemed a little too far fetched. Others, however, believe that his death was part of the Bruce Lee curse. Bruce Lee also died young, suffering from brain swelling at the age of 32.

Jennifer Jordan is a senior editor for iturbocharge.com iturbocharge.com. Possessing an infatuation with pop culture – and a little bit of stalking – she keeps up on the latest news of the musical world.

It is not usually easy to validate claims made by UFO witnesses, and it is especially difficult in those cases in which an abduction seems to have taken place. The real complication occurs when hypnosis is used to investigate missing time in conjunction with the abduction.

In the case of the very well-known abduction of Betty and Barney Hill in 1961, many individual hypnosis sessions were conducted three years later by Dr. Benjamin Simon, a psychiatrist with a long history of using medical hypnosis to recover repressed memories of traumatic experiences, especially those that occurred on the battlefield during World War II. Simon knew nothing about UFOs, yet felt it was his duty to elicit details from Betty and Barney under very deep hypnosis to try to determine what happened during their encounter with a strange space vehicle and eleven alien beings.

Following the pent up emotion released by the Hills while in their separate hypnotic states, Simon induced amnesia in each of them in order to prevent them from discussing what they were beginning to recall. This allowed for careful cross comparison between their distinct accounts.

One key validating revelation was Betty’s conversation with an alien about a three-dimensional model or map (probably a hologram) that was shown to her after she asked where they were from. There was a pattern of a dozen or so lights (stars) connected with three types of lines indicating heavy trade routes, light trade routes and occasional expeditions. Betty knew little of astronomy and was unable to explain where she was in the model. Simon instructed her to draw it after she indicated she could remember what it looked like. The drawing was subsequently included by John G. Fuller in his best-selling book, The Interrupted Journey.

At first there seemed to be no way to determine if the map had any meaning. After all, our galaxy, the Milky Way, has at least two hundred billion stars. Fortunately, a brilliant woman, Marjorie Fish, visited Betty to get more details about the map, in spite of fact that Fish was dubious about the Hills’ assertion that the alien beings were humanoid. Nonetheless, over a period of a few years and more interviews with Betty, Fish built about twenty-six different three-dimensional bead and fishing line models. Her goal was to find a 3-D pattern to match the two-dimensional pattern that Betty had drawn.

I had been favorably impressed by Betty and Barney when we met in Pittsburgh in 1968 and when I read The Interrupted Journey and Fuller’s Look Magazine articles about the Hills. My colleague, Coral Lorenzen, International Director of the Aerial Phenomena Research Organization––one of the two major UFO groups at the time––asked me as a scientist to assist Fish in communicating the results of her research. I agreed, and visited her during one of my lecture tours. I also helped her explain her work at a meeting at Adler Planetarium in Chicago and during a presentation at a Mutual UFO Network Symposium in Akron.

Believing Fish to be objective and credible, I published the first article about her work in Saga Magazine and later arranged to interview her and Betty for my documentary film, “UFOs ARE Real.” I also convinced the editor of Astronomy Magazine, Terence Dickinson, to speak with her and to publish an article, “The Zeta Reticuli Incident,” about her work. It ultimately received more response than any article Astronomy had ever published, before or since.

Also appearing in my documentary was a professor of astronomy at Ohio State University, Dr. George Mitchell, who had been helpful to Fish in obtaining closely-held star catalogs. He used one of her large models as a teaching tool and testified as to her care and accuracy in constructing the models.

Through her detailed and careful research, she was eventually able to identify all the stars in the pattern, and found that all of the pattern stars were sun-like (notwithstanding that fewer than 5 percent of the stars within 55 light years of the Sun are sun-like). Some stars are too old, too new, too bright, too dim, or vary too much in the intensity of their energy production rate to be sun-like, or they have very close companion stars making it difficult to maintain stable planetary orbits in the vicinity. The pattern stars are also, amazingly enough, in a plane, like slices of pepperoni on a thin pizza rather than spread all about like raisins in a loaf of raisin bread. This makes travel between the stars much easier. The pattern is definitely not coincidental.

And most remarkably, Fish identified the base stars as Zeta 1 and Zeta 2 Reticuli in the southern sky constellation Reticulum, but only after much better data on the distances to nearby stars was obtained and used to rebuild the models. Nobody building a model before the Hill experience would have obtained the right identification. A unique twosome, Zeta 1 and 2 Reticuli are the closest pair of sun-like stars in our entire local neighborhood. They are only 1/8 of a light year apart from each other, only 39.2 light years away from earth and a billion years older than the sun. These two stars had never been highlighted as special before Fish’s discoveries. It makes sense that they would be the hub of the local neighborhood.

The cosmic perspective for intelligent inhabitants of a planet around Zeta 1 or 2 Reticuli would be very different than that for an Earthling, as the sun is thirty-five times farther away from the nearest star than the distance between Zeta 1 and Zeta 2. We Earthlings are out in the boondocks with no other star close by. However, from a planet orbiting around either of these stars, the other star is visible to the eye all day long, and planets around the other star would be directly observable. No inferences would be necessary. Even with our primitive equipment, at such a close distance we could determine, from the composition of the atmosphere around these planets, if biological activity were present.

Residents of Zeta 1 and 2 would have a much greater incentive to undertake interstellar travel than we have here on Earth. They would also have had much more time for the development of advanced travel technology with their billion year head start on us. Technological progress invariably comes from doing things differently in an unpredictable way and we primitives have already determined methods for star travel.

The star map work done by Marjorie Fish was a crucial factor, along with others, in the general acceptance of the Hill story of abduction. Her work was also the target of debunkers and skeptics, including Carl Sagan, who misrepresented Fish’s methods and her results. These attacks along with many others on the Hill case, such as in the TV program, “Cosmos,” are discussed in detail in my book, co-authored by Betty’s niece, Kathleen Marden, Captured!: The True Story of the World’s First Documented Alien Abduction, The Betty and Barney Hill UFO Experience.

Price : $27.72

Product Description

Elected 44th President of America: Barack Obama. President Obama - CHANGE HAS COME TO AMERICA! His own Words and his Promises on 640 pages. All Speeches 2007 and 2008 including the Victory Speech of the Presidential Election Day 2008. Compiled by Susan A. Jones.

Customer Reviews

Review date : 2008-12-03
As a native Illinoisan, I am proud that Barack Obama will lead our country during the next four years. Although I heard many of his speeches, and followed him closely during his time as a senator, I also missed many of his public addresses. THIS BOOK will allow me to read and retain the inspiring words spoken by our future President. For anyone who doesn’t quite understand what Barack Obama is about, this book is for you.

Review date : 2008-11-27
I was not a supporter of President-elect Obama, but I am a student and teacher of leadership. So when someone inspires, energizes, and unites a diverse group followers in such large numbers, I’m very interested in what he or she said to make that happen (whether I agreed with every aspect of the platform or not).

This book provides the opportunity to examine EXACTLY what was said — with the full text of every 2007 and 2008 speech from Mr. Obama’s announcement for President through the election night victory address.

Every speech is prefaced by the location and date on which it was delivered. That’s the one aspect of this volume that I truly wish had been expanded. Many of these speeches were carefully crafted for a specific audience. So in analyzing what was said (and how it was said) I found myself wanting to know a little more about who the audience was, and maybe have a brief one paragraph reminder of the events that were in the headlines that week — in order to provide a context for the message that Mr. Obama was delivering at the time. Minor point, since it’s recent history and those details are readily available from other sources. It might be a nice thing to have in a future edition, however.

Review date : 2008-11-27
This book gives you an in-depth look at the man who is about to become our next president. Personally, I’ll admit that I have a bias toward the printed word as opposed to the actual delivery of speeches. Strip away the nuances of performance, the charisma of the man himself, the excitement of whatever event he might be speaking at — I would rather have the plain text and let the ideas show through on their own. That’s where the rubber meets the road, as they say, and in this book the text is all there.

Review date : 2008-11-27
I have to admit, I missed many of Obama’s speeches. This book is just what I needed to catch up and really get an inside look at Pres Elect Obama, in his own words. It will be interesting to read this again as Obama takes office and a couple of years down the road. It’s great to have all of his speeches compiled into one resource.

Review date : 2008-11-27
I have to admit that I am not a big Obama fan…but the president-elect definitely has a way with words. This book will leave you with a great unbderstanding of his views on issues, and what he feels passionate about. I make it a rule to always support the president (even when I disagree), so it was great to learn so much about him in a single book.

It is a great read!

Like classic Baccarat, the version known as ‘Mini Baccarat’ version it is very simple to learn and play. In fact it’s one of the easiest games in the casino. No special skills or knowledge are needed. Mini Baccarat plays by the same rules as classic Baccarat , with only minor procedural differences. The same fixed game rules apply in all casinos. Rigid conventions dictate whether to hit or stand, and everyone follows the same formula.

And what’s more, baccarat has the best odds overall of any casino game, with the lowest house edge. As with poker, the casinos make their money not by winning against the player, but by charging winners a commission.

So what is different about Mini Baccarat? Well, there are a number of factors:

In terms of how the game itself is played, the main difference is in the role of the banker. In the classic game the players take turns at being banker and the shoe is passed between them. But in Mini-Baccarat the dealer is always the Banker and the Players never touch the cards. Mini baccarat is usually dealt from a six-deck shoe, whilst classic baccarat plays with 8 decks. Having less decks changes the odds very slightly in favor of the house on tie bets. For a 6-deck game the house edge is 1.06% on the banker bet, 1.24% on the player bet, and 14.44% on the tie. Whereas in the eight deck version the house edge is 1.06% on the banker bet, 1.24% on the player bet, and 14.36% on the tie. The actual dealing process is faster. In mini-baccarat, dealers handle all the cards and place them right-side-up on the table. In standard baccarat, bettors draw cards from the shoe then place them upside down on the table before making a ritual out of turning them over. In mini baccarat a single dealer handles the entire game, including dealing the cards, whereas the big table version will have several dealers.While regular baccarat is known for its huge bets, betting minimums and maximums are usually lower in the Mini game. The minimum can be as low as $2 - $5, and the maximum up to around $500. There are less players and a smaller table. Instead of the big table and large number of players of classic baccarat, the Mini Baccarat table is similar to a blackjack table, with just seven or sometimes nine places for players. The Mini version is played in a less formal, more relaxed atmosphere. The classic game can have quite an intimidating atmosphere, with high stakes, well dressed high-rollers, several dealers in tuxedos, and the plush baccarat area that’s separated off from the other games. Mini baccarat is part of the normal casino floor, does not have the high rollers atmosphere and dress codes, and its lower betting limits that make it accessible to all.

All in all, its speed, more relaxed atmosphere and lower stakes make Mini Baccarat a good way to learn the game, and many players will never move on to the big table version.

Article by Jacob Pirenne of The-Baccarat-Guide.com
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Entering a casino, or even an online casino, there is nothing to compare to the sound or anticipation of the roulette wheels spinning.

It even reminds us of our own life, and our personal wheel of fortune. Sometimes we will, sometimes we lose, but the wheel and life keep going on.

Professional gamblers and others have thought to beat the game, and use a roulette system.

They were and are wrong.

There is no way to anticipate a totally random event. Each spin of the wheel is unique from every other spin.

The only thing that can be anticipated is that the ball will land on a random number, and that the majority of people betting will have lost.

The odds for the house in roulette are very much in their favor. That is why the odds are so high on the single number bet (35 to 1).

Why do People Play Roulette if it’s So Hard to Win?

The answer is simple. People play roulette as it’s sexy and exciting.

The thrill of risk is so appealing to many people, and as roulette gives that thrill, its one of mankind’s favorite gambling game.

In one way or another, roulette has been used for thousands of years. Today’s game is very sophisticated, and offers a multitude of bets.

If There Are No Winning Systems, Do People Win at Roulette?

The answer is yes.

Although there is no way to predict either number or color of any spin, there are ways to insure the odds can be in your favor.

How can this be done?

First of all, stay away from the American roulette table. The double zero reduces the player’s odds than the European table. Play European Roulette.

The Two Ways to Bring the Odds towards the Player

There is no way to bring the odds totally in the player’s favor, but there are two methods to bring them toward the player, and get a fighting chance.

Method 1 – Play Two Columns

If you look at the layout of the roulette table, there are three columns of 12 numbers each. If you place a bet on two of the three, the chances are in your favor that in 2 out of 3 spins you will win.

As the payout on the column is 2 to 1. So if you win 2 out of 3 times you are way ahead. Play columns.

Method 2 – En Prison Rule

This is a rule that can give the player some advantage on the European table. “En prison” bets applies only to even-money bets.

The even money bets are odd and even, high and low and red or black. En prison means your bet is safe in case the spin turns up a zero.

Having bet “en prison” the player can take back either half of the bet or leave the whole bet until the next spin.

If the next spin be a zero as well, all the whole bet is lost.

Playing “en prison” the odds advantage of the casino on the ‘even-money bets’ reduces to half, meaning its 1.29% in the casino’s favor.

These odds are almost even and very good for the player and this is the best bet, with the best odds you can play so use it!

Mathematical systems don’t work, but the above two methods ( particularly en prison will give you a fighting chance with the best odds you can get for a game a chance and help you win at roulette .

MORE FREE INFO

On all casino games including tips to win at

The first three weeks of the season, the defending AL Champion Tigers weren’t hitting. Fans were wondering: Was 2006 a fluke? Were they not that good? Where the heck is Gary Sheffield?

Sheffield was the big offseason acquisition, the right-handed power bat to make this strong team even better. This is where one needs patience when handicapping games. Baseball is a very LONG season. There are going to be streaks, peaks and valleys and personnel changes. No. 8 hitters in April could very well turn out to be cleanup hitters in June. Young players blossom (like Ryan Howard last season) and some veteran players get old fast.

In the world of handicapping, it’s important to be focused in on changes like this and it’s just as important to have patience. Those Detroit Tigers (10-5-1 under the total to start the season) that couldn’t hit in April? Well since April 30 the lineup as averaged over 7 runs per game.

This week the Tigers had their best game of the season at the plate, trouncing the Royals 13-4 for their seventh consecutive victory. The most extra-base hits the Tigers had in a game prior to Sunday was six. On Sunday they had 11 — six doubles, a triple and four home runs. Curtis Granderson led the way with a home run, triple and single. In his bid to complete the cycle, he flew out to right in the seventh. The most consecutive victories they had during the 2006 AL pennant winning season was eight.

That’s part of a 9-3-2 run over the total. Someone young and impatient might write the Tigers off as being a good play under the total, because of the deep pitching staff and weak offense. But it’s essential to take in everything with a grain of salt.

One team that is going to require patience is the Florida Marlins, one of the more interesting teams in the NL. The Marlins have been an offensive machine, to the surprise of many, behind young stars like SS Hanley Ramirez, 2B Dan Uggla and Miguel Cabrera. They’ve been leading or near the top all season in batting average, home runs, steals, runs and triples.

But the pitching has been weak, which was supposed to be their strength. The reason is injuries, with starters Josh Johnson, Ricky Nolasco and Sergio Mitre on the DL, among others. This week Anibal Sanchez, who went 10-3 for the Marlins last season and tossed a no-hitter in September, became the latest pitcher to be put on the shelf when it was revealed that he has tendinitis in his right shoulder, which could keep him out for weeks. If this staff can get healthy they could be a force in the NL, but it all hinges on the young arms. It’s no surprise the Marlins started 21-11 over the total with that mixture of great offense and banged up pitching.

Speaking of the Marlins, one other aspect to keep in mind is when a pitcher returns to face his old team. This happened this week when former Florida starter Brad Penny, now with the Dodgers, returned to South Florida. Instead of alternating pitches and mixing speeds as he has done this season, the former Marlins right-hander looked comfortable challenging Florida’s hitters with fastballs. The result was a career-high 14 strikeouts and a 6-1 victory for Los Angeles at Dolphin Stadium.

It was a surprise strikeout outing, as coming into the game Penny had averaged less than three strikeouts a game in his six previous starts. “My fastball was the best it’s been all year,” said Penny, who had 15 strikeouts in 38 1/3 innings this season but struck out 12 in the first five innings. Penny’s previous high of 13 strikeouts came during his second big-league season as a member of the Marlins on June 26, 2001, against Montreal. Think he was fired up to face his old team, the one he won a World Series with in 2003?

Lenny Del Genio is a documented member of the Professional Handicappers League.
Read all of his articles at procappers.com/Lenny_Del_Genio.htm www.procappers.com/Lenny_Del_Genio.htm

Chapter I

“Big Ange” and the Death of the Cleveland Mafia

In 1983, Angelo Lonardo, 72, one-time Cleveland Mafia
boss, turned government informant. He shocked family,
friends, law enforcement officers and particularly, criminal
associates with his decision which was made after being
sentenced to life plus 103 years for drug and racketeering
convictions. The sentence came after a monumental
investigation by local, state and federal agencies had all
but wiped out the Cleveland Mafia.

“Big Ange” as he was called, was the highest ranking
mafioso to defect. He testified in 1985 at the Las Vegas
casino “skimming” trials in Kansas City and in 1986 at the
New York Mafia “ruling commission” trials. Many of the
nation’s biggest mob leaders were convicted as a result of
these trials.

During his testimony, Lonardo told how at age 18, he
avenged his father’s murder by killing the man believed to be
responsible. He further testified that after that murder, he
was responsible for the killings of several of the Porrello
brothers, business rivals of his father during Prohibition.

Chapter II

Birth of the Cleveland Mafia

During the late eighteen hundreds, the four Lonardo
brothers and seven Porrello brothers were boyhood friends and
fellow sulphur mine workers in their hometown of Licata,
Sicily. They came to America in the early nineteen hundreds
and eventually settled in the Woodland district of Cleveland.
They remained close friends. Several of the Porrello and
Lonardo brothers worked together in small businesses.

Lonardo clan leader “Big Joe” became a successful
businessman and community leader in the lower Woodland Avenue
area. During Prohibition, he became successful as a dealer
in corn sugar which was used by bootleggers to make corn
liquor. “Big Joe” provided stills and raw materials to the
poor Italian district residents. They would make the booze
and “Big Joe” would buy it back giving them a commission. He
was respected and feared as a “padrone” or godfather. “Big
Joe” became the leader of a powerful and vicious gang and
was known as the corn sugar “baron.” Joe Porrello was one of
his corporals.

Chapter III

The First Bloody Corner

With the advent of Prohibition, Cleveland, like other
big cities, experienced a wave of bootleg-related murders.
The murders of Louis Rosen, Salvatore Vella, August Rini and
several others produced the same suspects, but no
indictments. These suspects were members of the Lonardo
gang. Several of the murders occurred at the corner of
E. 25th and Woodland Ave. This intersection became known as
the “bloody corner.”

By this time, Joe Porrello had left the employ of the
Lonardos to start his own sugar wholesaling business.
Porrello and his six brothers pooled their money and
eventually became successful corn sugar dealers headquartered
in the upper Woodland Avenue area around E. 110th Street.

With small competitors, sugar dealers and bootleggers,
mysteriously dying violent deaths, the Lonardos’ business
flourished as they gained a near monopoly on the corn sugar
business. Their main competitors were their old friends the
Porrellos.

Raymond Porrello, youngest of his brothers was arrested
by undercover federal agents for arranging a sale of 100
gallons of whiskey at the Porrello-owned barbershop at E.
110th and Woodland. He was sentenced to the Dayton, Oh.
Workhouse.

The Porrello brothers paid the influential “Big Joe”
Lonardo $5,000 to get Raymond out of prison. “Big Joe”
failed in his attempt but never returned the $5,000.

Meanwhile, Ernest Yorkell and Jack Brownstein, small-
time self-proclaimed “tough guys” from Philadelphia arrived
in Cleveland. Yorkell and Brownstein were shakedown artists,
and their intended victims were Cleveland bootleggers, who
got a chuckle out of how the two felt it necessary to explain
that they were tough. Real tough guys didn’t need to tell
people that they were tough. After providing Cleveland
gangsters with a laugh, Yorkell and Brownstein were taken on
a “one-way ride.”

Chapter IV

Corn Sugar and Blood

“Big Joe” Lonardo in 1926, now at the height of his
wealth and power left for Sicily to visit his mother and
relatives. He left his closest brother and business partner
John in charge.

During “Big Joe’s” six-month absence, he lost much of
his $5,000 a week profits to the Porrellos who took advantage
of John Lonardo’s lack of business skills and the assistance
of a disgruntled Lonardo employee. “Big Joe” returned and
business talks between the Porrellos and Lonardos began.
They “urged” the Porrellos to return their lost clientele.

On Oct. 13th, 1927 “Big Joe” and John Lonardo went to
the Porrello barbershop to play cards and talk business with
Angelo Porrello as they had been doing for the past week. As
the Lonardos entered the rear room of the shop, two gunmen
opened fire. Angelo Porrello ducked under a table.

Cleveland’s underworld lost its’ first boss as “Big Joe”
went down with three bullets in his head. John Lonardo was
shot in the chest and groin but drew his gun and managed to
pursue the attackers through the barbershop. He dropped his
gun in the shop but continued chasing the gunmen into the
street where one of them turned, and out of bullets, struck
Lonardo in the head several times with the butt of his gun.
John fell unconscious and bled to death.

The Porrello brothers were arrested. Angelo was charged
with the Lonardo brothers’ murders. The charges were later
dropped for lack of evidence. Joe Porrello succeeded the
Lonardos as corn sugar “baron” and later appointed himself
“capo” of the Cleveland Mafia.

Chapter V

The Cleveland Meeting

The trail of bootleg blood continued to flow with
numerous murders stemming from the Porrello-Lonardo conflict.

Lawrence Lupo, a former Lonardo bodyguard was killed
after he let it be known that he wanted to take over the
Lonardos’ corn sugar business.

Anthony Caruso, a butcher who saw the Lonardos’ killers
escape was shot and killed. It was believed that he knew the
identities of the gunmen and was going to reveal them to
police.

On Dec. 5th, 1928, Joe Porrello and his lieutenant and
bodyguard Sam Tilocco hosted the first known major meeting of
the Mafia at Cleveland’s Hotel Statler. Many major Mafia
leaders from Chicago to New York to Florida were invited.
The meeting was raided before it actually began.

Joe Profaci, leader of a Brooklyn, N.Y. Mafia family was
the most well-known of the gangsters arrested. Within a few
hours, to the astonishment of police and court officials, Joe
Porrello gathered thirty family members and friends who put
up their houses as collateral for the gangsters’ bonds.
Profaci was bailed out personally by Porrello. A great
controversy over the validity of the bonds followed.

Several theories have been given as to why the meeting
was called. First, it was thought that the gangsters, local
presidents of the Unione Siciliane, an immigrant aid society
infiltrated by the Mafia, were there to elect a new national
president. Their previous president, Frankie Yale had been
recently killed by order of Chicago’s notorious Al Capone.
Second, it was believed that the meeting may have been called
to organize the highly lucrative corn sugar industry. It was
also said that the men were there to “confirm” Joe Porrello
as “capo” of Cleveland.

Capone, a non-Sicilian was reported to be in Cleveland
for the meeting. He left soon after his arrival at the
advice of associates who said that the Sicilians did not want
him there.

Chapter VI

The Second Bloody Corner

As Joe Porrello’s power and wealth grew, heirs and close
associates to the Lonardo brothers grew hot for revenge.

Angelo Lonardo, “Big Joe’s” 18-year-old son along with
his mother and his cousin, drove to the corner of E. 110th
and Woodland, the Porrello stronghold. There Angelo sent
word that his mother wanted to speak to Salvatore “Black Sam”
Todaro. Todaro, now a Porrello lieutenant, had worked for
Angelo’s father and was believed to be responsible for his
murder. In later years it was believed that he was actually
one of the gunmen.

As Todaro approached to speak with Mrs. Lonardo whom he
respected, Angelo pulled out a gun and emptied it into “Black
Sam’s stocky frame. Todaro crumpled to the sidewalk and
died.

Angelo and his cousin disappeared for several months
reportedly being hid in Chicago courtesy of Lonardo friend Al
Capone. Later it was believed that Angelo spent time in
California with his uncle Dominick, fourth Lonardo brother
who fled west when indicted for a payroll robbery murder in
1921.

Eventually Angelo and his cousin were arrested and
charged with “Black Sam’s” murder. For the first time in
Cleveland’s bootleg murder history justice was served as both
young men were convicted and sentenced to life. Justice
although served would be shortlived as they would be released
only a year and a half later after winning a new trial.

Chapter VII

Rise of the Mayfield Road Mob

On October 20th, 1929, Frank Lonardo, brother to “Big
Joe” and John was shot to death while playing cards. Two
theories were given for his death; that it was in revenge for
the murder of “Black Sam” Todaro and, that he was killed for
not paying gambling debts. Mrs. Frank Lonardo, when told of
her husband’s murder screamed, “I’ll get them. I’ll get them
myself if I have to kill a whole regiment!”

By 1929, Little Italy crime boss Frank Milano had risen
to power as leader of his own gang, “The Mayfield Road Mob.”
Milano’s group was made up in part of remnants of the Lonardo
gang and was also associated with the powerful “Cleveland
Syndicate,” Morrie Kleinman, Moe Dalitz, Sam Tucker and Louis
Rothkopf. The Cleveland Syndicate was responsible for most
of the Canadian booze imported via Lake Erie. In later years
they got into the casino business. One of the their largest
and most profitable enterprises was construction of the
Desert Inn Hotel/Casino in Las Vegas. Dalitz would become
known as the “Godfather of Las Vegas.” He would be
murdered in 1986 as part of a Mafia war for control of Las
Vegas.

Joe Porrello admired Milano’s political organization,
the East End Bi-Partisan Political Club and, seeing the value
in such influence, wanted to ally himself with the group.
Milano refused. Later, Porrello was reported to have
affiliated himself with the newly formed 21st District
Republican Club. He hoped to organize the Woodland Avenue
voters as Milano was doing on Mayfield road.

Chapter VIII

More Corn Sugar and Blood

By 1930, Milano had grown quite powerful. He had gone
so far as to demand a piece of the lucrative Porrello corn
sugar business. On July 5th, 1930, Porrello received a
phonecall from Milano who had requested a conference at his
Venetian Restaurant on Mayfield Road. Sam Tilocco and Joe
Porrello’s brother Raymond urged him not to go.

At about 2:00 p.m., Joe Porrello and Sam Tilocco arrived
at Milano’s restaurant and speakeasy. Porrello, Tilocco, and
Frank Milano sat down in the restaurant and discussed
business. Several of Milano’s henchmen sat nearby. The
atmosphere was tense as Porrello refused to accede to
Milano’s demands.

Porrello reached into his pocket for his watch to check
the time. Two of Milano’s men, possibly believing that
Porrello was reaching for his gun opened fire. With three
bullets in his head, Porrello died instantly.
Simultaneously, a third member of Milano’s gang fired at
Tilocco who was struck three times but managed to stagger out
the door toward his new Cadillac. He fell to the ground as
the gunmen pursued him, finishing him off with another six
bullets.

Frank Milano and several of his restaurant employees
were arrested but only charged with being suspicious persons.
The gunmen were never actually identified. Only one witness
was present in the saloon when the shooting started. He was
Frank Joiner, a slot machine distributor whose only testimony
was that he “thought” he saw Frank Milano in the restaurant
during the murders.

Cleveland’s aggressive and outspoken Safety Director
Edwin Barry, frustrated by the continually rising number of
bootleg murders, ordered all known sugar warehouses to be
padlocked. He ordered a policeman to be detailed at each one
to make sure that no sugar was brought in or removed.

Meanwhile, the six Porrello brothers donned black silk
shirts and ties and buried their most successful brother.
The showy double gangster funeral was one the largest
Cleveland had ever seen. Two bands and thirty-three cars
overloaded with flowers led the procession of the slain don
and his bodyguard. Over two hundred fifty automobiles
containing family and friends followed. Thousands of
mourners and curious on-lookers lined the sidewalks.

Cleveland’s underworld was tense with rumors of imminent
warfare. Porrello brother Vincente-James spoke openly of
wiping out everyone responsible for his brother’s murder.

Three weeks after his brother’s murder, Jim Porrello
still wore a black shirt as he entered the I & A grocery and
meat market at E. 110th Street and Woodland. As he picked
out lamb chops at the meat counter, a Ford touring car, its’
curtains tightly drawn, cruised slowly past the store. A
couple of shotguns poked out and two thunderous blasts of
buckshot were fired, one through the front window of the
store and one through the front screen door.

The amateur gunmen got lucky. Two pellets found the
back of Porrello’s head and entered his brain. He was rushed
to the hospital.

Chapter IX

“I think maybe they’ll kill all us Porrellos”

“I think maybe they’ll kill all us Porrellos. I think
maybe they will kill all of us except Rosario. They can’t
kill him - he’s in jail.” Thus Ottavio Porrello grimly but
calmly predicted the probable fate of he and his brothers as
he waited outside Jim’s hospital room.

Next to Ottavio was a tough looking young man who smoked
cigarettes and blew the smoke at the hospital’s No Smoking
signs. It was said he was a bodyguard, something the
Porrellos never employed enough of. Jim Porrello died at
5:55 p.m.

Two local petty gangsters were arrested and charged with
murder. One was discharged by directed verdict and the other
was acquitted. Like almost all of Cleveland’s bootleg
related murders, the killers never saw justice.

About this time, it was rumored that the Porrello
brothers were marked for extermination. The surviving
brothers went into hiding. Raymond, known for his cocky
attitude and hot temper spoke like his brother James did of
seeking revenge. Raymond was smarter though, he took active
measures to protect himself.

On August 15th, 1930, three weeks after James Porrello’s
murder, Raymond Porrello’s house was leveled in a violent
explosion. He was not home at the time since he had taken
his family and abandoned his home in anticipation of the
attack.

Four days later Frank Alessi, a witness to the murder of
“Big Joe” Lonardo’s brother Frank, was gunned down. From his
death bed, he identified Frank Brancato as his assailant.
Brancato was known mainly as a Lonardo supporter and suspect
in several murders. Brancato was acquitted of Alessi’s
murder.

Chapter X

In March of 1931, Rosario Porrello was paroled from
Ohio’s London Prison Farm where he had served one year for
carrying a gun in his car.

In mid-1931, National Mafia “capo di tutti capi” (boss
of all bosses) Salvatore Maranzano was killed. His murder
set in motion the formation of the first Mafia National
Ruling Commission created to stop the numerous murders
resulting from conflicts between and within Mafia families
and to promote application of modern business practices to
crime.

Charles “Lucky” Luciano was the main developer of the
commission and was named chairman. Also named to the
commission were Al Capone of Chicago, Joe Profaci of
Brooklyn and Frank Milano of Cleveland.

In Dec. of 1931, Angelo Lonardo and his cousin Dominic
Suspirato were released from prison after being acquitted of
“Black Sam” Todaro’s murder during a second trial. Because
he had avenged his father’s death and (for the most part)
gotten away with it, he became a respected member of Frank
Milano’s Mayfield Road Mob.

The thirst for revenge had not been satisfied for
members of the Lonardo family. It was generally believed
that “Black Sam” Todaro instigated and perhaps took part in
the murders of “Big Joe” and John Lonardo. However it was
believed by members of the Lonardo family that the remaining
Porrello brothers, particularly the volatile John and Raymond
and eldest brother Rosario still posed a threat because of
the murders of Joe and James Porrello.

On Feb. 25th, 1932 Raymond Porrello, his brother Rosario
and their bodyguard Dominic Gulino (known also by several
aliases) were playing cards near E. 110th and Woodland
Avenue. The front door burst open and in a hail of bullets
the Porrello brothers, their bodyguard and a bystander went
down. The Porrellos died at the scene. Gulino died a couple
of hours later. The bystander eventually recovered from his
wounds. This shooting was Cleveland’s worst Mob hit ever.

Several hours after the murders, Frank Brancato, with a

bullet in his stomach, dragged himself into St. John’s
Hospital on Cleveland’s west side. He claimed he was shot in
a street fight on the west side. A few days later, tests on
the bullet taken from Brancato revealed that it came from a
gun found at the Porrello brothers murder scene. Although
never convicted of either of the murders, Brancato was
convicted of perjury for lying to a Grand Jury about his
whereabouts during the murder. He served four years after a
one to ten year sentence was commuted by Governor Martin L.
Davey.

In 1933, Prohibition was repealed. The bootleg murders
mostly stopped as organized crime moved into other
enterprises. Angelo Lonardo continued his crime career as a
respected member of the Cleveland family eventually rising
through the ranks to run the northeast Ohio rackets in 1980.

In early 1933, in a sequel to the tragedy of the large
Porrello family, Rosario’s son Angelo, 21, was killed in a
fight over a pool game in Buffalo. It was said that he and
his Uncle John were there trying to muscle in on the corn
liquor business.

******

For more - read The Rise and Fall of the Cleveland Mafia
Rick Porrello - Barricade Books

A cop in suburban Cleveland, Rick Porrello, serendipitously began his writing career when curiosity about the mysterious murder of his grandfather along with the deaths of several uncles led to penning his first true crime saga, The Rise and Fall of the Cleveland Mafia. Porrello went on to write a second book, To Kill the Irishman: The War That Crippled the Mafia which recounts the story of Irish-American racketeer Danny Greene who took on the Cleveland Mafia and was murdered in 1977. The tale was heralded by Midwest Book Review as “…“must” reading for anyone with an interest in the workings of organized crime. Here is a true-life story more dramatic than anything to ever come out of a Hollywood movie.” To Kill the Irishman
has subsequently been optioned for a major motion picture. His most recent title, Superthief - A Master Burglar, the Mafia and the Biggest Bank Heist in U.S. History has also been optioned for a film. See superthief.com superthief.com and americanmafia.com americanmafia.com

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Product Description

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