Police in Italy have discovered the mafia’s ten commandments.  These are entirely different than the 10 Commandments Moses found.  Many of these I thought were movie cliches but here they are written on two slabs and handed down by the Don himself.

1.  No one can present themselves directly to another of our friends.  There must be a third person to do it.  This is how Donnie Brasco got in.

2.  Never look at the wives of friends.  Similar to thou shalt not covet thy neighbors wife except if you violate the mobs version you get two behind the ear. 

3.  Never be seen with cops.  This one goes without saying.  Unless you are getting arrested I guess in that case there isn’t much you can do. 

4.  Don’t go to pubs and clubs.  I have added my own provision.  Unless you are going to shake them down or blow them up. 

5.   Always being available for cosa nostra is a duty- even if your wife’s about to give birth.  If you make a commitment you have to stick with it. 

6.  Appointments must absolutely be respected.  This is good advice for everybody.  Nobody likes to be kept waiting.

7.  Wives must be treated with respect.  Unless they mouth off or cheat on you then it is all right to slap them around a little. 

8.  When asked for any information, the answer must be the truth.  Unless you are a no good rat.  Then keep your damn mouth shut.  Otherwise you will end up with a pair of cement shoes.

9.  Money cannot be appropriated if it belongs to others or to other families.  This is all about keeping the peace between families. 

10.  People who can’t be part of the cosa nostra: anyone who has a close relative in the police, anyone with a two-timing relative in the family, anyone who behaves badly and doesn’t hold to moral values.

Well there they are.  Just when you thought you knew everything about the mafia something new comes out. 

Beer is better than water.  That is the kind of news I like to hear and that is just what Spanish researchers are saying.  They tested college students that had to perform strenuous exercises in 104 degree temperatures.  After the exercising one group was given water and another was given beer.  Turns out the hydration effect was better in the beer drinking group.  This study has met with its share of skepticism but that happens in just about every study.  Tomorrow morning after my daily exercises I will enjoy a nice cold beer.  When Mrs. Mai Tai asks me why I am drinking at 7:00 am I will tell her that Spanish researchers said I should drink more beer to rehydrate.  You can’t argue with Spanish researchers. 

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