'Masenate Mohato Seeiso, Early life
Queen 'Masenate Mohato Seeiso was born Anna Karabo Motšoeneng at Maluti Adventist Hospital in Mapoteng in the Berea District, the eldest daughter of the five children of Thekiso Motšoeneng and his wife 'Makarabo. She was christened Anna in the Roman Catholic Church. In 1990 Queen 'Masenate enrolled at the Machabeng International College in Maseru and studied there until 1996, completing an International General Certificate for Secondary Education and an International Baccalaureate Diploma. While attending college, she took party in community service with the Angela School for the Disabled and Centre for the Blind. In 1997 she attended the National University of Lesotho (NUL) and where she studied for a Bachelor of Science degree; her studies were interrupted by her relationship with King Letsie III of Lesotho.


'Masenate Mohato Seeiso, Early life
Her Majesty is a French language learner at the Alliance Française.


'Masenate Mohato Seeiso, Relationship with Letsie III of Lesotho
Queen 'Masenate first met King Letsie III of Lesotho in 1996. This was the same year he became King for the second time, following the death of his father in a road accident.


'Masenate Mohato Seeiso, Relationship with Letsie III of Lesotho, Engagement and marriage
In October 1999, two years into her studies at the National University of Lesotho, she became engaged to King Letsie III. They were married on February 18, 2000 in Maseru. He was the only unmarried King in Africa. The ceremony was conducted in the Setsoto Stadium by Archbishop Bernard Mohlalisi, with 40,000 people present including dignitaries such as Nelson Mandela, Festus Mogae, Bakili Muluzi and Prince Charles of the British Royal Family. This marked the first time in the history of modern Lesotho where a royal had married a commoner.


'Masenate Mohato Seeiso, Relationship with Letsie III of Lesotho, Engagement and marriage
She credited the Royal Family for making her welcome, in particular the influence of Queen 'Mamohato, the Queen Mother. ' Masenate and 'Mamohato grew close and the Queen found it difficult when Mamohato died in 2003, but praised her husband for supporting her at the time. In an interview with the Lesotho Times in 2014, she said "I like the fact that he listens when I advise him on various issues that are personal. For instance, I want him to be well-dressed for various functions.


'Masenate Mohato Seeiso, Relationship with Letsie III of Lesotho, Engagement and marriage
And, as the woman of the house, I also recommend a lot of things, food, music, movies and more educative television channels for all of us. His Majesty is a very reserved, respectful, patient, wise and humble person and he is all that in a very sweet way. These are the qualities he has sustained over the years. They have drawn me much closer to him. I love him dearly every day."


'Masenate Mohato Seeiso, Relationship with Letsie III of Lesotho, Motherhood and children
Queen 'Masenate and King Letsie have three children; Princess Senate (b. 7 October 2001), Princess 'Maseeiso (b. 20 November 2004), and Prince Lerotholi (b. 18 April 2007). She later explained that she wished she had more children, saying "Maybe I should have had one early after Prince Lerotholi but now my biological clock is telling me the time is up. I have read a lot about reproductive health-related risks and some medical researchers, in their studies, don't recommend women to consider falling pregnant at my age. When your eggs are no longer that fresh to make a healthy baby, then it's better to be on the safe side."


'Masenate Mohato Seeiso, Public life, Charity work
Queen 'Masenate Mohato Seeiso is involved in a variety of charitable projects, including Patronage of the Lesotho Red Cross Society, the SOS Children's Village, and the Machabeng International College where she studied before becoming Queen. In addition to her work with the charity People with Disabilities, Queen 'Masenate is generally interested in working with projects seeking to improve the voices of disabled people in Lesotho.


'Masenate Mohato Seeiso, Public life, Charity work
Following the death of the late Queen Mother ‘Mamohato Bereng Seeiso in 2003, Queen 'Masenate Mohato Seeiso run Hlokomela Bana (Take Care of Children).


'Masenate Mohato Seeiso, Public life, Public health work
She has a strong interest in enabling the work undertaken with HIV/AIDS patients to be spoken of publicly, and has been involved in several awareness programmes in Lesotho. Queen 'Masenate has also undertaken visits to a variety of AIDS projects around the country, including orphanages. She also holds a First Aid Certificate.


'Matšepo Ramakoae
'Matšepo Ramakoae (née Molise; born 3 March 1954) is a Lesotho politician. She has been serving as the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Relations since May 2020. She is the legislator from the Matsieng constituency No. 45. Ramakoae served as the Deputy Minister of Finance from 2012 until 2015.


'Matšepo Ramakoae, Early life and career
'Matšepo Molise was born on 3 March 1954 in Morija as the second out of nine children of James Koko Molise and 'Mamolise Molise. Her father worked as a miner in South Africa, while her mother was the domestic worker of French missionaries. Molise attended Lesotho High School in Maseru. Soon after finishing school, she married and took her husband's surname.


'Matšepo Ramakoae, Early life and career
She started her professional career as a civil servant. She attained a degree in accounting and went on to attend the National University of Lesotho, from which she graduated with a Bachelor of Commerce in 1981. From then on, she was employed in the office of the Prime Minister. At the same time, she attended management courses in the United Kingdom and Sweden. In 1991, she obtained a master's degree in Policy Analysis in the Netherlands. Around this time, she separated from her husband.


'Matšepo Ramakoae, Early life and career
Upon her return from the Netherlands, she was appointed to the Auditor General's office where she worked in the performance audit department. In 1999, she began working as a principal secretary in the newly established Ministry of Defence. She was the first woman to work in the department and was primarily responsible for the budget.


'Matšepo Ramakoae, Political career
In 2006, Ramakoae joined the newly founded All Basotho Convention. She left public service and ran as the ABC candidate in the Matsieng constituency in the 2007 election. She lost to the Lesotho Congress for Democracy candidate. She then started working as a farmer and ran a catering service. Politically, she was active at the ABC's grassroots level.


'Matšepo Ramakoae, Political career
In the 2012 election, she ran again in the Matsieng constituency. She won this time and was sworn in as a Member of the National Assembly. Prime Minister Thomas Thabane named her the Deputy Minister of Finance in his first cabinet. The coalition government collapsed in 2015 and was voted out in the subsequent general election. She lost re-election as an MP, but won the constituency back in the 2017 general election. She was selected to head the parliamentary committee for women's issues.


'Matšepo Ramakoae, Political career
In early-2020, Thabane came under pressure to resign as Prime Minister due to his alleged involvement in his former spouse's murder. Ramakoae was considered a strong contender, but was ultimately not selected as the party chose Finance Minister Moeketsi Majoro to succeed Thabane. Majoro was sworn in on 20 May. He appointed her Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Relations in his cabinet. She took office on 21 May. Ramakoae is the first woman to hold this role.


'Mazing Man
'Mazing Man is the title character of a comic book series created by Bob Rozakis and Stephen DeStefano and published by DC Comics. The series ran for twelve issues in 1986, with additional special issues in 1987, 1988, and 1990. In addition, 'Mazing Man had an origin story in Secret Origins #16, and an original one-page story that appeared in an ad in Comics Buyer's Guide.


'Mazing Man, Series overview
The 'Mazing Man series depicts the misadventures of Sigfried Horatio Hunch III, a benignly deranged little man in Queens, New York City, New York who dresses in a homemade costume and performs deeds like unclogging drains and watching out for local children. Viewed as a harmless kook by his neighbors, he saves a child from being hit by a truck in the first issue, earning him some respect and notoriety, not to mention a steady stream of appreciation (and food) from the mother in subsequent issues.


'Mazing Man, Series overview
"'Maze" tends to sing Simon and Garfunkel songs when struck on the head. His best friend is Denton Fixx, a writer for BC Comics who looks like a beagle. Hunch is a millionaire, having won first place in a magazine subscription company's sweepstakes. After winning the prize, he felt obligated to subscribe to all of the company's magazines. As a result, he receives a staggering load of publications daily, including the pornographic magazines that he genuinely reads only for the articles. He does not keep his wealth a secret per se; he simply does not mention it and does not live an opulent lifestyle. His friends are unaware of his financial success.


'Mazing Man, Reception
The original series, although highly acclaimed, was short-lived. However, comics artist Frank Miller admired the series. Eager to help the property survive, Miller contributed a cover with the lead characters of the extremely popular mini-series Batman: The Dark Knight Returns for the last issue. The resulting exposure created enough interest for three subsequent one-shot issues.


'Mazing Man, Reception
A back-up feature, "Zoot Sputnik", drawn by Fred Hembeck and (ostensibly) written by Denton Fixx, appeared for several issues; it was supposed to be the book Fixx wrote for BC Comics. "Zoot Sputnik" was a parody of the Golden Age narrative style where stories had no between-issue continuity — Zoot and his team were space adventurers in one issue and cowboys in the next. The team's dog received a shock of energy and gained the ability to remember their disparate adventures. This was Denton's attempt to introduce continuity to the book, but it was met with disapproval by his editor.


'Mazing Man, Reception
'Mazing Man is one of a handful of DC titles to publish an issue not featuring the Comics Code Authority stamp of approval while it was active. In the issue "Writer's Block", Denton is stuck for a story, and all his friends give their ideas. One of them dealt with an army of zombies. Although there was no gore or violence, any mention of the living dead, specifically the use of the word "zombie", was forbidden by the Comics Code. The issue was released without the seal, with no publicity, positive or negative.


'Mazing Man, Reception
Much later, in the Ambush Bug: Year None miniseries, 'Mazing Man (in the same nonsensical way of the series) is revealed to be on death row.


'Merican
'Merican is an EP by the American punk rock band the Descendents, released February 10, 2004. It was the band's first release for Fat Wreck Chords and served as a pre-release to their sixth studio album Cool to Be You, released the following month. The EP includes two songs from the album: "Nothing with You" and "'Merican", and three B-sides from the album's sessions: "Here with Me", "I Quit", and the hidden track "Alive". ' Merican marked the first release of new studio material from the Descendents since 1996's Everything Sucks and was their third release ever to chart, peaking at number 29 on Billboard's Top Independent Albums chart and at number 38 on Top Heatseekers.


'Merican, Background and recording
In 1987 Descendents singer Milo Aukerman had left the band to pursue a career in biochemistry. The remaining members—bassist Karl Alvarez, guitarist Stephen Egerton, and drummer Bill Stevenson—changed the band's name to All and released eight albums on Cruz Records and Interscope Records between 1988 and 1995 with singers Dave Smalley, Scott Reynolds, and Chad Price. Aukerman contributed occasional songwriting and backing vocals, and in 1995 decided to return to music. The members decided to operate as two bands, working with Aukerman as the Descendents and with Price as All.


'Merican, Background and recording
Both bands signed to Epitaph Records and the Descendents released Everything Sucks in 1996. Following the album's supporting tours Aukerman had returned to his science career, though he recorded backing vocals for All's 1998 album Mass Nerder. All also released Problematic in 2000 and Live Plus One in 2001, a double live album that included a Descendents disc recorded in 1996.


'Merican, Background and recording
The recording sessions for the Descendents' sixth studio album Cool to Be You took place with Aukerman in February 2002 at The Blasting Room in Fort Collins, Colorado, with additional recording done in April at Planet of Sound in Wilmington, Delaware, and were produced by Stevenson. The band recorded the music for the songs live in the studio with minimal overdubbing, and Aukerman's vocals were recorded over the instrumental tracks. However, these recordings were not released for another two years. Stevenson explained that the gap of eight years between Descendents albums was due to the band members having children, and his father's death.


'Merican, Release
For the releases of 'Merican and Cool to Be You the Descendents signed to Fat Wreck Chords. Label head and musician Fat Mike was a longtime fan of the band, and his enthusiasm for working with them was a major factor in their decision to sign to the label. Stevenson commented that "If you've got the owner of the label saying he wants to put out a record by what is probably his favorite band of all time, that's rad. That's the best possible position for a band to be in."


'Merican, Release
The 'Merican EP was released in February 2004, followed by the full-length album in March. Stevenson remarked that the EP served as a teaser for Cool to Be You: "It's funny because, from the old Descendents fan's point of view, it's kind of like 'What? Why did they put out this EP? It doesn't even have the best songs on it. I waited seven years for this?'


'Merican, Release
But from the newer kids perspective, it's more like, hey let's try to introduce this new decade of kids to Descendents so it's at least on the tip of their tongue when the album comes out." 'Merican was released on both compact disc and extended play formats, each with a different cover, drawn by Jeff Hagedorn, depicting the band's Milo character dressed as Uncle Sam.


'Merican, Themes
The songs on 'Merican address topics including love and relationships, sociopolitical commentary, and frustrations with life in a touring band. Aukerman remarked that "there's no part of the 'Merican EP that is a retread of anything we've done in the past. Some of the songs are major departures for us, like 'Here with Me,' and the hidden track 'Alive.' Even the title song is actually a stretch for us; if you look back on all the songs we have done, there are very few that have any 'political' content in them." "'Merican" addresses positive and negative aspects of American history, celebrating cultural figures such as Otis Redding, Duke Ellington, and Walt Whitman while condemning slavery, Joseph McCarthy, the Ku Klux Klan, and the Vietnam War.


'Merican, Themes
"I Quit" was written by Aukerman about the frustrations of being in a band and on the road, with lyrics such as "Sick all the time, I miss my wife / I quit / Got better things to do with my life / I quit". Aukerman explained of the song:


'Merican, Themes
I can't even count the number of times I've quit this band, dating back to 1982 and Milo Goes to College! Like most of my songs, "I Quit" is my attempt to capture those emotions that come and go, the transient ones. Those types of emotions, to me, make for the best songs because they tend to be extreme! So there is no "message" to the song, just me spewing about the negative aspects of band life. At the time I wrote the song, I really did want to quit. I don't really care how people take the song; as the line says, "I don't give a flying fuck what you think of me."


'Merican, Reception
'Merican became the third Descendents release to chart (following Everything Sucks and Live Plus One), peaking at number 29 on Billboard's Top Independent Albums chart and at number 38 on Top Heatseekers. John Luerssen of Allmusic gave it three and a half stars out of five, remarking that "Nothing with You" "revisit[s] the timeless lovelorn attack of cherished songs from their past like 'Wendy,' 'Clean Sheets,' and 'Silly Girl'", while "'Merican" "harks back to vintage Bad Religion" and "I Quit" is "a nervous, edgy 'Catalina'-like throwback". He was less complimentary about the other two songs, calling "Here with Me" merely a "palatable midtempo number" and "Alive" "worth skipping, as it drags in a way that no Descendents number has a right to."


'Merican, Trivia
Here With Me was originally written in 1989 by Milo and first played with his short lived band Milestone.


'Merican, Track listing
All tracks are written by Milo Aukerman, except where noted.


'Merika
'Merika is a 1984 drama film directed by Gil Portes and starring Nora Aunor and Bembol Roco. Aunor portrayed the role Mila, an Overseas Filipino Worker (OFW) who works as a nurse in America.


'Monsewer' Eddie Gray
Edward Earl Gray (10 June 1898 – 15 September 1969), who performed as  'Monsewer' Eddie Gray, was an English stage comedian. He appeared in music halls as a solo act and also as a member of the Crazy Gang.


'Monsewer' Eddie Gray
Gray was apprenticed to a juggler at the age of nine and became a technically proficient straight juggler. He gradually introduced a wry humour into his act, and was invited to appear with the comic double act Nervo and Knox in 1919. The three performers formed the original basis of the group of seven comedians who became famous under the collective name the Crazy Gang in the 1930s.


'Monsewer' Eddie Gray
When the Crazy Gang re-formed after the Second World War, Gray did not rejoin them. He pursued a solo career until 1956 when he once more became a regular member of the group for their last three shows, ending in 1962. After the disbanding of the Crazy Gang, Gray continued to work. Among his later appearances was that in the London production of A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum in 1962.


'Monsewer' Eddie Gray, Life and career, Juggler
Gray was born in Pimlico, London, one of nine children of Edward Earl Gray, a shopkeeper, and his wife, Rebecca, née Daniels. Gray and his brother Danny were apprenticed to a juggling troupe when Gray was nine years old. His son, yet another Edward, was for many years the manager of the Coburg Hotel in Bayswater. As a juggler he toured Europe, the US, and Asia. At first he performed as a straight, and highly skilled, juggler, but he gradually introduced into his act the deadpan humour for which he became known.


'Monsewer' Eddie Gray, Life and career, Juggler
As a friend of the comedian Jimmy Nervo since they were both child performers, Gray was invited to appear with Nervo and his stage partner Teddy Knox in 1919. He made further appearances with them in the 1920s, his laconic stage persona contrasting with their frantic anarchy.


'Monsewer' Eddie Gray, Life and career, Juggler
During the 1920s Gray toured widely. He was a member of Harry Lauder's company touring Australia and South Africa. The Sydney Morning Herald praised his "amusing dexterity in the handling of clubs and hoops". In 1931 he married Marie Cecilia Loftus (d. 1994), a variety performer known professionally as Patti Loftus, one of the "Loftus Sisters".


'Monsewer' Eddie Gray, Life and career, The Crazy Gang
In November 1931 Gray appeared with Nervo and Knox and Naughton and Gold in a show called Crazy Week at the London Palladium. The historian  David Goldie describes them as  giving "an impression of spontaneous mayhem throughout the theatre, with performances spilling into the auditorium and constant 'interruption gags' in which the performers would intrude into other acts on the bill." The show was a success, and further Crazy Weeks and Crazy Months followed. Flanagan and Allen joined the team in 1932, and the following year all seven members of the group appeared in the Royal Variety Performance in a bill that included Burns and Allen, Wilson, Keppel and Betty, Evelyn Laye and Billy Bennett.


'Monsewer' Eddie Gray, Life and career, The Crazy Gang
From 1937 the company was billed as the Crazy Gang. Their Palladium shows in the 1930s were All Alight at Oxford Circus (1936), O-Kay for Sound (1936), London Rhapsody (1937), These Foolish Things (1938), and The Little Dog Laughed (1939).


'Monsewer' Eddie Gray, Life and career, The Crazy Gang
During this period Gray perfected his trademark "Cockney-French". The humorist Paul Jennings, who called him "the funniest man in the world", gave an instance of it: "Je got 'ere un packet de cards, cinquante deux in numero. I cuttee in deux, with vang-seess ici and vang-seess there-si". His stage costume included a pair of metal-rimmed glasses and a looped moustache below a large nose that grew increasingly red over the years.


'Monsewer' Eddie Gray, Life and career, The Crazy Gang
All the acts in the Crazy Gang maintained their separate careers between their joint shows at the Palladium. Gray appeared in variety shows with performers including Elsie and Doris Waters, and in pantomime with such stars as Florrie Forde. Of his performance in Puss in Boots in 1936, The Manchester Guardian said, "Monsewer Eddie Gray, quite arbitrary and quite irresistible ... The Monsewer's nose blazes more than ever, and his linguistic virtuosity now includes two words of German."


'Monsewer' Eddie Gray, Life and career, The Crazy Gang
During the Second World War the Crazy Gang went their separate ways. They re-formed in 1947, but without Chesney Allen, who had retired from regular performing because of poor health, and without Gray, who continued his solo career. He appeared in variety alongside such performers as  Douglas Byng, Arthur Askey, and Jimmy Edwards. He briefly rejoined the Crazy Gang for the 1948 Royal Variety Performance in which they co-starred with Gracie Fields and Laurel and Hardy.


'Monsewer' Eddie Gray, Life and career, The Crazy Gang
Gray returned to the Crazy Gang as a regular member in 1956. He was in the group's last three shows, These Foolish Kings (1956), Clown Jewels (1959) and Young in Heart, which, in Goldie's words,  "ran for 826 twice-nightly performances from December 1960 until an emotional farewell on 19 May 1962".


'Monsewer' Eddie Gray, Life and career, Later years
In 1963 Gray played Senex in the first London production of Stephen Sondheim's A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum. Reviewing the show in The Observer, Bamber Gascoigne wrote that the piece had roles for five comics: Frankie Howerd, Kenneth Connor, Jon Pertwee, Robertson Hare and Gray. "All are good, but the highest laurels must go to Eddie Gray and Frankie Howerd for a wonderful quality of detachment. They both make a comic routine 10 times funnier by plodding through it as though it occupies only one-fifth of their attention."


'Monsewer' Eddie Gray, Life and career, Later years
Gray never retired. He made his last stage appearance in September 1969, in an impromptu guest appearance in Elsie and Doris Waters' show at the Royal Hippodrome Theatre. He died three days later, on 15 September 1969, at Shoreham-by-Sea, Sussex, at the age of 71.


'Moteng
'Moteng is a community council located in the Butha-Buthe District of Lesotho. Its population in 2006 was 16,838.


'Moteng, Villages
The community of 'Moteng includes the villages of Bela-Bela, Boinyatso, Bokong (Khaphamali), Ha Hlakacha, Ha Khanye, Ha Lelala, Ha Lesiba, Ha Machefu, Ha Maieane, Ha Matela, Ha Moiloa, Ha Mokone, Ha Molapo, Ha Molumo, Ha Motapane, Ha Moteoli, Ha Mpotla, Ha Nkota, Ha Phakela, Ha Potomane, Ha Ramahotetsa, Ha Sekete (Paballong), Ha Taetsi, Ha Tlebere, Ha Tsolonyane, Khalikana, Khatleng, Khorong, Khubetsoana, Kolone, Lekhalong, Letsoana, Linotšing, Luma, Machubilane, Maholeng, Makareng, Makeneng, Marabeng, Marati, Maseru (Moteng), Mashapi, Masianokeng, Masoleng, Matebeleng, Mathebe, Mota Rifa, Motahane, Muela, Naleli, Nchekoane, Nyakoaneng, Ordendal, Palehong, Phahameng, Phahleng, Phatlalla, Phelandaba, Phohlane, Phomolong, Pote, Qobella, Sebataolong,Sentelina, Setlakalleng and Thabana-Tšooana.


'Murica
Wikipedia does not currently have an article on " 'Murica", but our sister project Wiktionary does:


'N Beetje Verliefd
'n Beetje Verliefd (official English title: Happy Family, literal translation: a little in love) is a 2006 Dutch comedy film directed by Martin Koolhoven. The film received a Golden Film award since the film sold 100,000 tickets. For Koolhoven, the film meant his third hit movie within two years.


'N Crugu Bradului
'N Crugu Bradului is a concept album by Negură Bunget, released by the Code666 label in 2002 in a digibook format, constructed manually by the members themselves and limited to 3,000 copies worldwide (the second pressing was in a regular jewel case CD). Each song represents a season. The album title translates to "Through the Depths of the Fir Tree Heights".


'N Crugu Bradului, Track listing
Note: The words in brackets are the four seasons in Romanian, but they do not appear on any release. The official names are "I", "II", "III" and "IIII".


'N Crugu Bradului, Track listing
The multimedia portion of the disc also included the video for the track "Văzduh".


'N Duisend Drome
'N Duisend Drome is the fourth album by South African pop/opera vocal quartet Romanz and the debut album for the joint project of Romanz and Nianell. It was released on 6 May 2011.


'N Everything
"'N Everything" is an Al Jolson song by songwriters B.G. "Buddy" DeSylva and Gus Kahn. Jolson adapted the song with improvisation as performances of Sinbad progressed, leading Jolson to eventually be given co-lyricist credit on the song. The success of "N' Everything" prompted Jolson to ask DeSylva for further songs. And DeSylva complied with his request to write some songs, including "I'll Say She Does", again with Kahn and Jolson listed as his collaborators.


'N Everything, History
Jolson recorded '"N' Everything" in 1917 and then interpolated the song into Sinbad at New York's Winter Garden Theatre in 1918.


'N Gatz We Truss
'N Gatz We Truss is the second studio album by American rap group South Central Cartel. It was released on May 10, 1994 via South G.W.K. Records and Rush Associated Labels. Recording sessions took place at Kitchen Sync Studio in Hollywood, California with producers Prodeje and Havikk the Rhime Son, co-producers DJ Gripp, L.V. and DJ Kaos, and executive producer Cary "Havoc" Calvin. The album features guest performances by 2Pac, 3-2, Big Mike, Ice-T, MC Eiht and Spice 1, and also introduced a new member to the group, Patrick "Young Prodeje" Pitts.


'N Gatz We Truss
The album reached number 32 on the Billboard 200 and number 4 on the Top R&B Albums chart in the United States. It spawned two promotional singles: "Servin' 'Em Heat" and "Seventeen Switches", and a single "Gang Stories", which peaked at No. 63 on the Hot R&B Singles chart and No. 12 on the Hot Rap Singles chart. Along with the singles, music videos were produced for all the three songs and for "It's a S.C.C. Thang".


'N Sync (album)
'NSYNC is the debut studio album by American boy band NSYNC, initially released in Germany on May 26, 1997 by Trans Continental Records and internationally on March 24, 1998 by RCA Records. Following the success of the album's initial release, with singles "I Want You Back" and "Tearin' Up My Heart" reaching the top ten on the Official German Charts, and the album reaching number one on the Offizielle Top 100.


'N Sync (album)
The album has since sold over 15 million copies worldwide, with the album earning a diamond certification in the US, as well as peaking at number two on the Billboard 200.


'N Sync (album), Background, Band formation
In 1995, Chris Kirkpatrick met with Lou Pearlman to talk about forming a pop group. Pearlman said that he would finance the group if Kirkpatrick would find other young male singers to be with him in the band. This prompted Kirkpatrick to start forming the group, so he called Justin Timberlake who had been a member of the Mickey Mouse Club. Justin joined and recommended his friend Joshua "JC" Chasez, who also was a cast member on the Mickey Mouse Club. Later, the three bumped into Joey, whom they all knew, at a club and he became the fourth member to join.


'N Sync (album), Background, Band formation
Initially, Jason Galasso was chosen as the group's bass singer and fifth member. After several weeks of rehearsals, the group set up a showcase and began planning to officially sign with Pearlman's Trans Continental Label. However, at the last minute, Galasso dropped out as he was not fond of the group's musical direction, claiming that being a teen idol was never a goal of his. The group started to search for people to replace Galasso. Timberlake soon called his vocal coach, who suggested a 16-year-old from Mississippi named Lance Bass, who flew to Orlando to audition and was immediately accepted into the group.


'N Sync (album), Background, Recording
The newly-formed group began recording demos in closets, which eventually became "Sailing" and "Giddy Up". NSYNC were given an offer to record in Shaquille O'Neal's house in Orlando after he heard them sing the national anthem. During the production of "Sailing", an instrumental was placed before NSYNC started layering the track with harmonies and vocals, while "Giddy Up" was created from a vocal jam session through a computer. The band also recorded in the studio of producer Veit Renn, who used mattresses to create a soundproof environment.


'N Sync (album), Background, Recording
Eventually, the group signed to BMG Ariola Munich, and were sent to Stockholm to begin working on their debut album with the help of producers such as Denniz Pop, Max Martin and Andreas Carlsson around July–August 1996. Initially, the band were recording songs similar to that of Boyz II Men, but had to switch their sound in order to accommodate to the dance-oriented European market. Due to his fascination of Robyn's sound, Pop decided to incorporate Robyn's style into NSYNC's music by combining their R&B vocals with pop tracks.


'N Sync (album), Singles, Initial release
The album's official lead single, "I Want You Back", was released in Germany on October 4, 1996, and reached the top 10 on November 18, 1996. The group's second single, "Tearin' Up My Heart", was released on February 10, 1997, also peaking within the top 10. The third single, "Here We Go", was released on May 5, 1997, just three weeks prior to the release of the album, to similar success. Their self-titled debut album was then released by BMG Ariola Munich on May 26, 1997, which peaked at number one on the second week of release in Germany.


'N Sync (album), Singles, Initial release
The group soon became an overnight success throughout much of Europe. The album also charted successfully in both Switzerland and Austria eventually selling 820,000 units in GSA (Germany, Switzerland, Austria) region and Eastern Europe. Two further singles, "For the Girl Who Has Everything" and "Together Again", were subsequently released on August 18 and November 3, 1997, respectively, achieving success in Germany and other European territories.


'N Sync (album), Singles, International breakthrough
Following their success of their début album in several European territories, the band captured the attention of Vincent DeGiorgio, an A&R rep for RCA Records. After watching the group perform a rendition of their single "Together Again" in Budapest in November 1997, he offered them a record deal with RCA, which the group immediately agreed to. On January 20, 1998, their first German single, "I Want You Back", was released in both the United Kingdom and the United States, becoming their first single in both territories, achieving success on both the UK Singles Chart and the Billboard Hot 100.


'N Sync (album), Singles, International breakthrough
Around this time, RCA Records announced that they wished to release the group's debut album, which was previously only released in Germany, in both the U.K. and the U.S., however, wanted to make adjustments to suit both markets. This resulted in the tracks "Riddle", "Best of My Life", "More Than a Feeling", "Together Again" and "Forever Young" being cut altogether, and new mixes of "I Want You Back", "Tearin' Up My Heart" and "For the Girl Who Has Everything" being recorded.


'N Sync (album), Singles, International breakthrough
The new version of the album also included four new tracks: "I Just Wanna Be with You", "(God Must Have Spent) A Little More Time on You", "Everything I Own", "Thinking of You (I Drive Myself Crazy)". This version of the album was subsequently released in the United States on March 24, 1998.


'N Sync (album), Singles, International breakthrough
On June 30, 1998, the group's second German single, "Tearin' Up My Heart", was released in both the U.K. and the U.S., once again achieving success on both charts. Further edits were made for the British version of the album, including remixes of "Thinking of You (I Drive Myself Crazy)", "(God Must Have Spent) A Little More Time on You" and "For the Girl Who Has Everything", plus an all-new track, "U Drive Me Crazy", written exclusively for the British market. This version of the album was released in the UK on July 5, 1998.


'N Sync (album), Singles, International breakthrough
At first, sales of the album were mediocre in both British and American territories, until the band's worldwide broadcast Disney Channel in Concert special in 1998. After the concert was aired, sales of the album began to skyrocket. It reached number two on the Billboard Hot 100 and shipped over 10 million copies in the United States alone, making it certified 10× Platinum and earning the group an RIAA diamond award. On February 9, 1999, a third single from the new version of the album, "(God Must Have Spent)


'N Sync (album), Singles, International breakthrough
A Little More Time on You", was released exclusively in the United States, peaking at #8 on the Billboard Hot 100. "Thinking of You (I Drive Myself Crazy)", the final single, was released days later. Though "I Drive Myself Crazy" did not crack the top 40 on Billboard, its music video was in heavy rotation on MTV show TRL, spending a total of 40 days in the number 1 position. The group then went on to become the #3 top-selling boy-band group of all time.


'N Sync (album), Commercial performance
The album debuted at number eighty two on the Billboard 200 the week of April 11, 1998, with sales of approximately 14,000 units. After six months, on October 10, 1998, the album reached and peaked at number 2 on the chart and remained on it for one hundred and nine weeks. It spent a total of thirty weeks inside the top 10. The album spent three weeks at number 2 from September 1998 to January 1999.


'N Sync (album), Commercial performance
It peaked behind three different number-one blockbuster albums: Lauryn Hill's The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, Garth Brooks' Double Live and Britney Spears' ...Baby One More Time. According to Nielsen SoundScan, it was the fifth best selling record of 1998 in the United States with 4,400,000 copies sold. The album was certified ten times platinum by the RIAA on January 5, 2000, denoting shipments of ten millions. The album has sold 9,854,000 copies in the US according to Nielsen Music (as of March, 2015) with an additional 1.50 million units at the BMG Music Club (as of early 2003). In the United Kingdom the album debuted and peaked at number 30 on July 11, 1999, and remained on the chart for only three weeks. Worldwide, the album has sold 15,540,000 copies.


'N Sync (album), Commercial performance
The album was ranked as the 137th best album of all time on the Billboard Top 200 Albums of All Time.


'N Sync (album), Track listing
Lead vocals provided by JC Chasez and Justin Timberlake except on Thinking of You (I Drive Myself Crazy), where Chris Kirkpatrick sings lead on the opening verses and on Together Again, where Chris Kirkpatrick & Joey Fatone sing lead.


'N Sync (album), Certifications and sales
* Sales figures based on certification alone.^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.


'N' Dey Say
"N' Dey Say" is a song by American rapper Nelly. It was released on January 24, 2005, as the third and final single from his album Suit (2004). The song uses a musical sample of "True" by Spandau Ballet, song songwriter Gary Kemp was given a writing credit. The song reached number 64 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and entered the top 20 in Australia, Finland, Ireland, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom.


'N' Dey Say, Music video
The video directed by Chris Robinson presents comparison of different lifestyles while putting an accent on their similarities (like war is equal with street gang rivalries in the civil life). It is brought into effect with a comic-like city background with strong strokes that seems like a merge of a photo and a drawing. This "in-between" feeling is realized by masking the background with a non-lifelike orange pattern. Using Bluescreen technology to separate the actors/artists from the background the performers remain realistic and stand out from the whole picture. The casting includes Gabriel Casseus (from Lockdown) as the patron of a homeless and Faune A. Chambers (from White Chicks) as the mourning widow and the St. Lunatics as cameos.


'N' Dey Say, Credits and personnel
Credits are taken from the Australian CD single liner notes.


'Nard
'Nard is the debut album from American funk keyboardist Bernard Wright. Released in 1981 when Wright was only 18 years old, the album reached number 7 on the Jazz Albums chart in the US.


'Nard, In popular culture
The song "Haboglabotribin" is featured in Grand Theft Auto V on the radio station Space 103.2. The song is also featured in the trailer for the Enhanced Edition of the game, which was shown during Sony’s PlayStation 5 reveal event.


'Nard, Samples
Yo Yo featuring Ice Cube sampled "Master Rocker" on their song "The Bonnie and Clyde Theme" on their album You Better Ask Somebody in 1993, and Skee-Lo sampled "Spinnin'" on his song "I wish" on his album I Wish in 1995. Snoop Doggy Dogg also sampled "Haboglabotribin" on the track "Gz & Hustlas" on the 1993 "Doggystyle" album. Seagram also sampled "Haboglabotribin" on his song "The Town" on his 1994 album Reality Check.


'Nathan Burgoine
'Nathan Burgoine is a Canadian writer. His debut novel Light was a shortlisted Lambda Literary Award nominee in the Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror category at the 26th Lambda Literary Awards. The novel was published by Bold Strokes Books in 2013.


'Nathan Burgoine
He has also published short stories and non-fiction essays in a variety of anthologies and literary magazines, including Fool for Love: New Gay Fiction, Men of the Mean Streets, Boys of Summer, Night Shadows, This is How You Die, Blood Sacraments, Wings, Erotica Exotica, Raising Hell, Tented, Tales from the Den, Afternoon Pleasures, I Like It Like That and 5x5.


'Nathan Burgoine
He lives in Ottawa, Ontario with his husband Daniel and their dog Max. Burgoine, Max, and his late dog Coach, all experience heterochromia iridum.


'Nathan Burgoine
The apostrophe that appears at the start of his first name (originally Jonathan) is an homage to his favourite teacher.


'Ndrangheta
The  'Ndrangheta (/(ən)dræŋˈɡɛtə/, Italian: [nˈdraŋɡeta], Calabrian: [(ɳ)ˈɖɽaɲɟɪta]) is a prominent Italian Mafia-type organized crime syndicate based in the region of Calabria dating back to the late 18th century. It is considered to be among the most powerful and dangerous organized crime groups in the world. A US diplomat estimated that the organization's narcotics trafficking, extortion and money laundering activities accounted for at least three per cent of Italy's GDP in 2010. Since the 1950s, the organization has spread toward Northern Italy and worldwide. In 2013 they purportedly made €53 billion according to a study from Demoskopika Research Institute.


'Ndrangheta, History, Origin and etymology
The 'Ndrangheta was already known during the reign of the Bourbons of Naples. In the spring of 1792, there was the first official report in history on the 'Ndrangheta, and a mission as "Royal Visitor" was entrusted to Giuseppe Maria Galanti; these travelled far and wide throughout most of Calabria, often also making use of reports (answers written on the basis of a sort of questionnaire to fixed questions, prepared by himself) of local notables deemed reliable and trusted.


'Ndrangheta, History, Origin and etymology
This resulted in a bleak picture, as well as on the economic situation in the region, especially on that of public order. This work has been analyzed by various contemporary historians. Luca Addante writes in the introduction to the re-edition of Galanti's report ("Giornale di viaggio in Calabria", Rubbettino Editore, 2008): "the murders, thefts, the kidnappings were infinite; the ignorance of the clergy was scandalous; the village notables, obsessed with the idea of enriching themselves and then ennobling themselves, rapacious monopolizers of local administrations, who grew up in the shadow of a decadent nobility whose remains were being prepared."


'Ndrangheta, History, Origin and etymology
Galanti, in particular, reports in the Giornale the descriptions of disturbing crime phenomena, noting how the inefficient administration of justice, the corruption and the monopoly of the barons, was starting to produce cases, as in Maida, of "a small bunch of young, freeloaded young men who commit violence with the use of firearms. Justice is idle because without force and without a system. Malicious people become policemen (a sort of urban guard)." In the District of Gerace, "the raids of the criminals in the countryside are general. Almost all the militiamen are the most troublemakers in the province because the criminals and the debtors adopt this profession and are guaranteed by commanders in contempt of the laws. With this, the crimes, which grow every day".


'Ndrangheta, History, Origin and etymology
In 1861, the prefect of Reggio Calabria already noticed the presence of so-called camorristi, a term used at the time since there was no formal name for the phenomenon in Calabria (the Camorra was the older and better known criminal organization in Naples). Since the 1880s, there is ample evidence of 'Ndrangheta-type groups in police reports and sentences by local courts. At the time they were often being referred to as the picciotteria, onorata società (honoured society) or camorra and mafia.


'Ndrangheta, History, Origin and etymology
These secret societies in the areas of Calabria rich in olives and vines were distinct from the often anarchic forms of banditry and were organized hierarchically with a code of conduct that included omertà – the code of silence – according to a sentence from the court in Reggio Calabria in 1890. An 1897 sentence from the court in Palmi mentioned a written code of rules found in the village of Seminara based on honour, secrecy, violence, solidarity (often based on blood relationships) and mutual assistance.


'Ndrangheta, History, Origin and etymology
In the folk culture surrounding 'Ndrangheta in Calabria, references to the Spanish Garduña often appear. Aside from these references, however, there is nothing to substantiate a link between the two organizations. The Calabrian word 'Ndrangheta derives from Greek ἀνδραγαθία andragathía for "heroism" and manly "virtue" or ἀνδράγαθος andrágathos, compound words of ἀνήρ, anḗr (gen. ἀνδρóς, andrós), i.e. man, and ἀγαθός, agathós, i.e. good, brave, meaning a courageous man. In many areas of Calabria the verb 'ndranghitiari, from the Greek verb andragathízesthai, means "to engage in a defiant and valiant attitude".


'Ndrangheta, History, Origin and etymology
The word 'Ndrangheta was brought to a wider audience by the Calabrian writer Corrado Alvaro in the Corriere della Sera in September 1955.


'Ndrangheta, History, Modern history
Until 1975, the 'Ndrangheta restricted their Italian operations to Calabria, mainly involved in extortion and blackmailing. Their involvement in cigarette contraband expanded their scope and contacts with the Sicilian Mafia and the Neapolitan Camorra. With the arrival of large public works in Calabria, skimming of public contracts became an important source of income. Disagreements over how to distribute the spoils led to the First 'Ndrangheta war killing 233 people. The prevailing factions began to kidnap rich people located in northern Italy for ransom. A high-profile case was the 1973 kidnapping of John Paul Getty III, who had his severed ear mailed to a newspaper in November, and later released in December following the negotiated payment of $2.2 million by Getty's grandfather, J. Paul Getty.


'Ndrangheta, History, Modern history
The Second 'Ndrangheta war raged from 1985 to 1991. The bloody six-year war between the Condello-Imerti-Serraino-Rosmini clans and the De Stefano-Tegano-Libri-Latella clans led to more than 600 deaths. The Sicilian Mafia contributed to the end of the conflict and probably suggested the subsequent set up of a superordinate body, called La Provincia, to avoid further infighting.


'Ndrangheta, History, Modern history
In 1996, the Solntsevskaya Bratva of the Russian Mafia, who are very close to Vietnamese narcotics traffickers in Moscow and the Cali Cartel, supported the Ndragetta Calabrian mafia. The mayor of Moscow in the late 1990s Yuri Luzhkov gave support to these groups as well. The Solntsevskaya mafia have close links to the FSB and control the territory around the FSB Academy in Moscow. The Tambovskaya Bratva, who are very closely associated with the political rise of Vladimir Putin, support the Solntsevsksya mafia. In the 1990s, the organization started to invest in the illegal international drug trade, mainly importing cocaine from Colombia.


'Ndrangheta, History, Modern history
Deputy President of the regional parliament of Calabria Francesco Fortugno was killed by the 'Ndrangheta on 16 October 2005 in Locri. Demonstrations against the organization then ensued, with young protesters carrying banderoles reading "Ammazzateci tutti! ", Italian for "Kill us all". The national government started a large-scale enforcement operation in Calabria and arrested numerous 'ndranghetisti including the murderers of Fortugno.


'Ndrangheta, History, Modern history
The 'Ndrangheta has expanded its activities to Northern Italy, mainly to sell drugs and to invest in legal businesses which could be used for money laundering. In May 2007 twenty members of 'Ndrangheta were arrested in Milan. On 30 August 2007, hundreds of police raided the town of San Luca, the focal point of the bitter San Luca feud between rival clans among the 'Ndrangheta. Over 30 men and women, linked to the killing of six Italian men in Germany, were arrested.


'Ndrangheta, History, Modern history
Since 30 March 2010, the 'Ndrangheta has been considered an organisation of mafia-type association according to 416 bis under the Italian penal code.


'Ndrangheta, History, Modern history
In March 2011, the Ndrangheta expanded into northern Italy due to their "unlimited financial resources" according to the Italian Anti- Mafia Commission.


'Ndrangheta, History, Modern history
On 4 June 2012, numerous arrests in Spain, Croatia, Slovenia, Italy, the Netherlands, Bulgaria, and Finland were made following the Milan District Anti- Mafia Prosecutor's Office investigation into several Switzerland bank accounts and a fleet of ships that supported cocaine shipped to Europe from Venezuela, Argentina, and the Dominican Republic.


'Ndrangheta, History, Modern history
On 9 October 2012, following a months-long investigation by the central government, the City Council of Reggio Calabria headed by Mayor Demetrio Arena was dissolved for alleged ties to the group. Arena and all the 30 city councilors were sacked to prevent any "mafia contagion" in the local government. This was the first time a government of a capital of a provincial government was dismissed. Three central government-appointed administrators will govern the city for 18 months until new elections. The move came after unnamed councilors were suspected of having ties to the 'Ndrangheta under the 10-year centre-right rule of Mayor Giuseppe Scopelliti.


'Ndrangheta, History, Modern history
'Ndrangheta infiltration of political offices is not limited to Calabria. On 10 October 2012, the commissioner of Milan's regional government in charge of public housing, Domenico Zambetti of People of Freedom (PDL), was arrested on accusations he paid the 'Ndrangheta in exchange for an election victory and to extort favours and contracts from the housing official, including construction tenders for the World Expo 2015 in Milan. The probe of alleged vote-buying underscores the infiltration of the 'Ndrangheta in the political machine of Italy's affluent northern Lombardy region. Zambetti's arrest marked the biggest case of 'Ndrangheta infiltration so far uncovered in northern Italy and prompted calls for Lombardy governor Roberto Formigoni to resign.


'Ndrangheta, History, Modern history
In 2014, in the American FBI and Italian police joint operation New Bridge, members of both the Gambino and Bonanno families were arrested, as well as ten members of the Ursino clan. Raffaele Valente was among the arrested. In Italian wiretaps, he revealed that he had set up a faction of the Ursino 'Ndrangheta in New York City. Valente was convicted for attempting to sell a sawn-off shotgun and a silencer to an undercover FBI agent for $5000 at a bakery in Brooklyn. He was sentenced to 3 years and one month in prison.


'Ndrangheta, History, Modern history
Gambino associate Franco Lupoi and his father-in-law, Nicola Antonio Simonetta, were described as the linchpins of the operation. In June 2014, Pope Francis denounced the 'Ndrangheta for their "adoration of evil and contempt of the common good" and vowed that the Church would help tackle organized crime, saying that Mafiosi were excommunicated. A spokesperson for the Vatican clarified that the pope's words did not constitute a formal excommunication under canon law, as a period of legal process is required beforehand.


'Ndrangheta, History, Modern history
On 12 December 2017, 48 members of 'Ndrangheta were arrested for mafia association, extortion, criminal damage, fraudulent transferral of assets and illegal possession of firearms. Out of the 48 arrested, four were forced to house arrest and 44 were ordered to jail detention. Two-time mayor of Taurianova, Calabria and his former cabinet member were among the indicted. It was alleged by investigators that the Calabrian clans had infiltrated construction of public works, control of real estate brokerage, food fields, greenhouse production and renewable energy.


'Ndrangheta, History, Modern history
According to some reports, the 'Ndrangheta works in conjunction with Mexican drug cartels in the drug trade, such as with the mercenary army known as Los Zetas.


'Ndrangheta, History, Modern history
On 9 January 2018, law enforcement in Italy and Germany arrested 169 people in connection with the 'Ndrangheta mafia, specifically the Farao and Marincola clans based in Calabria. Assets worth €50 million (£44/$59m) were seized. The indictment mentions that owners of German restaurants, ice cream parlours, hotels and pizzerias were forced to buy wine, pizza dough, pastries and other products made in southern Italy. The Farao clan was being led by life-imprisoned Giuseppe Farao, before the arrests, and was passing orders onto his sons. They controlled bakeries, vineyards, olive groves, funeral homes, launderettes, plastic recycling plants and shipyards.


'Ndrangheta, History, Modern history
The waste disposal of the Ilva steel company based in Taranto was also infiltrated. Some of the charges were mafia association, attempted murder, money laundering, extortion and illegal weapons possession and trafficking. Italian prosecutor, Nicola Gratteri, said that the arrests were the most important step taken against the 'Ndrangehta within the past 20 years. Eleven suspects were detained and accused of blackmailing and money laundering. They were deported back to Italy. Alessandro Figliomeni, former Mayor of Siderno, Calabria, was sentenced to 12 years in prison on 7 May 2018. He is alleged to be a member of the Commisso 'ndrina clan and served in the top hierarchy.


'Ndrangheta, History, Modern history
In December 2019, more than 300 people were arrested in Calabria on suspicion of belonging to the 'Ndrangheta in an operation involving 2,500 police. Among those arrested was Giancarlo Pittelli, a prominent lawyer and former member of Silvio Berlusconi's Forza Italia party. The arrests were said by Nicola Gratteri, the chief prosecutor in Catanzaro, to be the second largest in number in the history of Italian organised crime, after those that led to the so-called "Maxi Trial" of Sicilian Mafia bosses in Palermo between 1986 and 1992. The trial against the more than 300 'Ndrangheta members began on 13 January 2021.


'Ndrangheta, Characteristics
Italian anti-organized crime agencies estimated in 2007 that the 'Ndrangheta has an annual revenue of about € 35–40 billion (US$50–60 billion), which amounts to approximately 3.5% of the GDP of Italy. This comes mostly from illegal drug trafficking, but also from ostensibly legal businesses such as construction, restaurants and supermarkets. The 'Ndrangheta has a strong grip on the economy and governance in Calabria. According to a US Embassy cable leaked by WikiLeaks, the 'Ndrangheta controls huge segments of its territory and economy, and accounts for at least three percent of Italy's GDP through drug trafficking, extortion, skimming of public contracts, and usury.


'Ndrangheta, Characteristics
The principal difference with the Mafia is in recruitment methods. The 'Ndrangheta recruits members on the criterion of blood relationships resulting in an extraordinary cohesion within the family clan that presents a major obstacle to investigation. Sons of 'ndranghetisti are expected to follow in their fathers' footsteps, and go through a grooming process in their youth to become giovani d'onore (boys of honour) before they eventually enter the ranks as uomini d'onore (men of honour). There are relatively few Calabrian mafiosi who have opted out to become a pentito; at the end of 2002, there were 157 Calabrian witnesses in the state witness protection program. Unlike the Sicilian Mafia in the early 1990s, they have meticulously avoided a head-on confrontation with the Italian state.


'Ndrangheta, Characteristics
Prosecution in Calabria is hindered by the fact that Italian judges and prosecutors who score highly in exams get to choose their posting; those who are forced to work in Calabria will usually request to be transferred right away. With weak government presence and corrupt officials, few civilians are willing to speak out against the organization.


'Ndrangheta, Structure, Organizational structure
Both the Sicilian Cosa Nostra and the 'Ndrangheta are loose confederations of about one hundred organised groups, also called "cosche" or families, each of which claims sovereignty over a territory, usually a town or village, though without ever fully conquering and legitimizing its monopoly of violence.


'Ndrangheta, Structure, Organizational structure
There are approximately 100 of these families, totaling between 4,000 and 5,000 members in Reggio Calabria. Other estimates mention 6,000–7,000 men; worldwide there might be some 10,000 members.


'Ndrangheta, Structure, Organizational structure
Most of the groups (86) operate in the Province of Reggio Calabria, although a portion of the recorded 70 criminal groups based in the Calabrian provinces Catanzaro and Cosenza also appears to be formally affiliated with the 'Ndrangheta. The families are concentrated in poor villages in Calabria such as Platì, Locri, San Luca, Africo and Altomonte as well as the main city and provincial capital Reggio Calabria. San Luca is considered to be the stronghold of the 'Ndrangheta. According to a former 'ndranghetista, "almost all the male inhabitants belong to the 'Ndrangheta, and the Sanctuary of Polsi has long been the meeting place of the affiliates." Bosses from outside Calabria, from as far as Canada and Australia, regularly attend the meetings at the Sanctuary of Polsi.


'Ndrangheta, Structure, Organizational structure
The basic local organizational unit of the 'Ndrangheta is called a locale (local or place) with jurisdiction over an entire town or an area in a large urban center.


'Ndrangheta, Structure, Organizational structure
A locale may have branches, called  'ndrina (plural:  'ndrine), in the districts of the same city, in neighbouring towns and villages, or even outside Calabria, in cities and towns in the industrial North of Italy in and around Turin and Milan: for example, Bardonecchia, an alpine town in the province of Turin in Piedmont, has been, the first municipality in northern Italy dissolved for alleged mafia infiltration, with the arrest of the historical 'Ndrangheta boss of the city, Rocco Lo Presti. The small towns of Corsico and Buccinasco in Lombardy are considered to be strongholds of the 'Ndrangheta.


'Ndrangheta, Structure, Organizational structure
Sometimes sotto 'ndrine are established. These subunits enjoy a high degree of autonomy – they have a leader and independent staff. In some contexts the  'ndrine have become more powerful than the locale on which they formally depend. Other observers maintain that the  'ndrina is the basic organizational unit. Each  'ndrina is "autonomous on its territory and no formal authority stands above the " 'ndrina boss", according to the Antimafia Commission. The  'ndrina is usually in control of a small town or a neighborhood. If more than one  'ndrina operates in the same town, they form a locale.


'Ndrangheta, Structure, Organizational structure
Blood family and membership of the crime family overlap to a great extent within the 'Ndrangheta. By and large, the  'ndrine consist of men belonging to the same family lineage. Salvatore Boemi, anti-mafia prosecutor in Reggio Calabria, told the Italian Antimafia Commission that "one becomes a member for the simple fact of being born in a mafia family," although other reasons might attract a young man to seek membership, and non-kin have also been admitted. Marriages help cement relations within each  'ndrina and to expand membership. As a result, a few blood families constitute each group, hence "a high number of people with the same last name often end up being prosecuted for membership of a given  'ndrina." Indeed, since there is no limit to the membership of a single unit, bosses try to maximize descendants.


'Ndrangheta, Structure, Organizational structure
At the bottom of the chain of command are the picciotti d'onore or soldiers, who are expected to perform tasks with blind obedience until they are promoted to the next level of cammorista, where they will be granted command over their own group of soldiers. The next level, separated by the  'ndrina but part of 'Ndrangheta, is known as santista and higher still is the vangelista, upon which the up-and-coming gangster has to swear their dedication to a life of crime on the Bible. The Quintino, also called Padrino, is the second-highest level of command in a 'Ndrangheta clan (name Ndrina), being made up of five privileged members of the crime family who report directly to the boss, the capobastone (head of command).


'Ndrangheta, Structure, Power structure
For many years, the power apparatus of the single families were the sole ruling bodies within the two associations, and they have remained the real centres of power even after superordinate bodies were created in the Cosa Nostra beginning in the 1950s (the Sicilian Mafia Commission) and in the 'Ndrangheta a superordinate body was created only in 1991 as the result of negotiations to end years of inter-family violence.


'Ndrangheta, Structure, Power structure
Unlike the Sicilian Mafia, the 'Ndrangheta managed to maintain a horizontal organizational structure up to the early 1990s, avoiding the establishment of a formal superordinate body. Information of several witnesses has undermined the myth of absolute autonomy of Calabrian crime families, however. At least since the end of the 19th century, stable mechanisms for coordination and dispute settlement were created. Contacts and meetings among the bosses of the locali were frequent.


'Ndrangheta, Structure, Power structure
A new investigation, known as Operation Crimine, which ended in July 2010 with an arrest of 305 'Ndrangheta members revealed that the 'ndrangheta was extremely "hierarchical, united and pyramidal," and not just clan-based as previously believed, as said by Italy's chief anti-mafia prosecutor Pietro Grasso.


'Ndrangheta, Structure, Power structure
At least since the 1950s, the chiefs of the 'Ndrangheta locali have met regularly near the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Polsi in the municipality of San Luca during the September Feast. These annual meetings, known as the crimine, have traditionally served as a forum to discuss future strategies and settle disputes among the locali. The assembly exercises weak supervisory powers over the activities of all 'Ndrangheta groups. Strong emphasis was placed on the temporary character of the position of the crimine boss. A new representative was elected at each meeting. Far from being the "boss of bosses," the capo crimine actually has comparatively little authority to interfere in family feuds or to control the level of interfamily violence.


'Ndrangheta, Structure, Power structure
At these meetings, every boss "must give account of all the activities carried out during the year and of all the most important facts taking place in his territory such as kidnappings, homicides, etc." The historical preeminence of the San Luca family is such that every new group or locale must obtain its authorization to operate and every group belonging to the 'Ndrangheta "still has to deposit a small percentage of illicit proceeds to the principale of San Luca in recognition of the latter's primordial supremacy."


'Ndrangheta, Structure, Power structure
Security concerns have led to the creation in the 'Ndrangheta of a secret society within the secret society: La Santa. Membership in the Santa is only known to other members. Contrary to the code, it allowed bosses to establish close connections with state representatives, even to the extent that some were affiliated with the Santa. These connections were often established through the Freemasonry, which the santisti – breaking another rule of the traditional code – were allowed to join.


'Ndrangheta, Structure, Power structure
Since the end of the Second 'Ndrangheta war in 1991, the 'Ndrangheta is ruled by a collegial body or Commission, known as La Provincia. Its primary function is the settlement of inter-family disputes. The body, also referred to as the Commission in reference to its Sicilian counterpart, is composed of three lower bodies, known as mandamenti. One for the clans on the Ionic side (the Aspromonte mountains and Locride) of Calabria, a second for the Tyrrhenian side (the plains of Gioia Tauro) and one central mandamento for the city of Reggio Calabria.


'Ndrangheta, Structure, Power structure
An article published in July 2019 in Canada, summarized the traditional structure.


'Ndrangheta, Structure, Power structure
"For decades, the ’Ndrangheta families of Siderno operating in Canada — about seven of them — have been governed by a board of directors, called the “camera di controllo,” or chamber of control. The local board, as in other countries around the world and other regions of Italy where clans have spread, have all been subservient to the mother clans of Calabria, under a body known as 'il Crimine di Siderno'".


'Ndrangheta, Structure, Power structure
By mid-2019, however, Police in both countries were convinced that "the ’Ndrangheta's Canadian presence has become so powerful and influential that the board north of Toronto has the authority to make decisions, not only in relation to Canada's underworld, but also abroad, even back in Siderno".


'Ndrangheta, Activities
According to Italian DIA (Direzione Investigativa Antimafia, Department of the Police of Italy against organized crime) and Guardia di Finanza (Italian Financial Police and Customs Police) the "'Ndrangheta is now one of the most powerful criminal organizations in the world." Economic activities of 'Ndrangheta include international cocaine and weapons smuggling, with Italian investigators estimating that 80% of Europe's cocaine passes through the Calabrian port of Gioia Tauro and is controlled by the 'Ndrangheta.


'Ndrangheta, Activities
However, according to a report of the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA) and Europol, the Iberian Peninsula is considered the main entry point for cocaine into Europe and a gateway to the European market. The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) estimated that in 2007 nearly ten times as much cocaine was intercepted in Spain (almost 38 MT) in comparison with Italy (almost 4 MT).


'Ndrangheta, Activities
'Ndrangheta groups and Sicilian Cosa Nostra groups sometimes act as joint ventures in cocaine trafficking enterprises. Further activities include skimming money off large public work construction projects, money laundering and traditional crimes such as usury and extortion. ' Ndrangheta invests illegal profits in legal real estate and financial activities.


'Ndrangheta, Activities
In early February 2017, the Carabinieri arrested 33 suspects in the Calabrian mafia's Piromalli 'ndrina ('Ndrangheta) which was allegedly exporting fake extra virgin olive oil to the U.S.; the product was actually inexpensive olive pomace oil fraudulently labeled. In early 2016, the American television program 60 Minutes had warned that "the olive oil business has been corrupted by the Mafia" and that "Agromafia" was $16-billion per year enterprise.


'Ndrangheta, Activities
The business volume of the 'Ndrangheta is estimated at almost 44 billion euro in 2007, approximately 2.9% of Italy's GDP, according to a private research institute, Eurispes (Institute of Political, Economic and Social Studies) in Italy. Drug trafficking is the most profitable activity with 62% of the total turnover.


'Ndrangheta, Outside Italy
The 'Ndrangheta has established ranches abroad, mainly through migration. The overlap of blood and mafia family seems to have helped the 'Ndrangheta expand beyond its traditional territory: "The familial bond has not only worked as a shield to protect secrets and enhance security, but also helped to maintain identity in the territory of origin and reproduce it in territories where the family has migrated." 'Ndrine are reported to be operating in northern Italy, Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, France, the rest of Europe, the United States, Canada, and Australia. One group of 'ndranghetistas discovered outside Italy was in Ontario, Canada, several decades ago. They were dubbed the Siderno Group by Canadian judges as most of its members hailed from and around Siderno.


'Ndrangheta, Outside Italy
Magistrates in Calabria warned a few years ago about the international scale of the 'Ndrangheta's operations. It is now believed to have surpassed the traditional axis between the Sicilian and American Cosa Nostra, to become the major importer of cocaine to Europe. Outside Italy 'Ndrangheta operates in several countries, such as:


'Ndrangheta, Outside Italy, Albania
According to the German Federal Intelligence Service, the Bundesnachrichtendienst (BND), in a leaked report to a Berlin newspaper, states that the 'Ndrangheta "act in close co-operation with Albanian mafia families in moving weapons and narcotics across Europe's porous borders".


'Ndrangheta, Outside Italy, Argentina
In November 2006, a cocaine trafficking network that operated in Argentina, Spain and Italy was dismantled. The Argentinian police said the 'Ndrangheta had roots in the country and shipped cocaine through Spain to Milan and Turin.


'Ndrangheta, Outside Italy, Australia
Known by the name "The Honoured Society," the 'Ndrangheta controlled Italian-Australian organized crime all along the East Coast of Australia since the early 20th century. ' Ndrangheta operating in Australia include the Sergi, Barbaro and Papalia clans. Similarly in Victoria the major families are named as Italiano, Arena, Muratore, Benvenuto, and Condello. In the 1960s warfare among 'Ndrangheta clans broke out over the control of the Victoria Market in Melbourne, where an estimated $45 million worth of fruits and vegetables passed through each year. After the death of Domenico Italiano, known as Il Papa, different clans tried to gain control over the produce market. At the time it was unclear that most involved were affiliated with the 'Ndrangheta.


'Ndrangheta, Outside Italy, Australia
The 'Ndrangheta began in Australia in Queensland, where they continued their form of rural organised crime, especially in the fruit and vegetable industry. After the 1998–2006 Melbourne gangland killings which included the murder of 'Ndrangheta Godfather Frank Benvenuto. In 2008, the 'Ndrangheta were tied to the importation of 15 million ecstasy pills to Melbourne, at the time the world's largest ecstasy haul. The pills were hidden in a container-load of tomato cans from Calabria. Australian 'Ndrangheta boss Pasquale Barbaro was arrested. Pasquale Barbaro's father Francesco Barbaro was a boss throughout the 1970s and early 1980s until his retirement. Several of the Barbaro clan, including among others, Francesco, were suspected in orchestrating the murder of Australian businessman Donald Mackay in July 1977 for his anti-drugs campaign.


'Ndrangheta, Outside Italy, Australia
Italian authorities believe that former Western Australian mayor of the city of Stirling, Tony Vallelonga, is an associate of Giuseppe Commisso, boss of the Siderno clan of the Ndrangheta. In 2009, Italian police overheard the two discussing Ndrangheta activities. Since migrating from Italy to Australia in 1963, Vallelonga has "established a long career in grass-roots politics."


'Ndrangheta, Outside Italy, Australia
The 'Ndrangheta are also tied to large cocaine imports. Up to 500 kilograms of cocaine was documented relating to the mafia and Australian associates smuggled in slabs of marble, plastic tubes and canned tuna, coming from South America to Melbourne via Italy between 2002 and 2004. A report in 2016 by Vice Media indicated that the activities continued to be profitable: "Between 2004 and 2014, the gang's members amassed more than $10 million [$7.6 million USD] in real estate and race horses in Victoria alone pouring money into wholesalers, cafes, and restaurants".


'Ndrangheta, Outside Italy, Australia
A June 2015 report by BBC News discussed an investigation by Fairfax Media and Four Corners (Australian TV program) which alleged that "the 'Ndrangheta, runs a drugs and extortion business worth billions of euros" in Australia and that "politicians have been infiltrated by the Calabrian mafia".


'Ndrangheta, Outside Italy, Australia
In February 2020, two individuals, said to be "multimillionaire fruit and vegetable kings" were alleged to be 'Ndrangheta "capos", having a relationship with the "secretive criminal organisation". The Sydney Morning Herald report specified that the two "are not accused of any crime in either Italy or Australia". The alleged information was obtained during investigations of other individuals during Operation Eyphemos in Calabria, which "led to the arrest ... of 65 men for alleged mafia activities including extortion and political corruption in Calabria".


'Ndrangheta, Outside Italy, Belgium
'Ndrangheta clans purchased almost "an entire neighbourhood" in Brussels with laundered money originating from drug trafficking. On 5 March 2004, 47 people were arrested, accused of drug trafficking and money laundering to purchase real estate in Brussels for some 28 million euros. The activities extended to the Netherlands where large quantities of heroin and cocaine had been purchased by the Pesce-Bellocco clan from Rosarno and the Strangio clan from San Luca.


'Ndrangheta, Outside Italy, Brazil
Forces of the Brazilian Polícia Federal have linked illegal drug trading activities in Brazil to 'Ndragheta in operation Monte Pollino, which disassembled cocaine exportation schemes to Europe.


'Ndrangheta, Outside Italy, Canada
According to a May 2018 news report, "Siderno's Old World 'Ndrangheta boss sent acolytes to populate the New World" including Michele (Mike) Racco who settled in Toronto in 1952, followed by other mob families. By 2010, investigators in Italy said that Toronto's 'Ndrangheta had climbed "to the top of the criminal world" with "an unbreakable umbilical cord" to Calabria. In the 2018 book, The Good Mothers: The True Story of the Women Who Took on the World's Most Powerful Mafia, Alex Perry reports that the Calabrian 'Ndrangheta has, for the past decade, been replacing the Sicilian Cosa Nostra as the primary drug traffickers in North America.


'Ndrangheta, Outside Italy, Canada
During a 2018 trial in Toronto, ex-mobster Carmine Guido told the court that the 'Ndrangheta is a collection of family-based clans, each with its own boss, working within a uniform structure and under board of control.


'Ndrangheta, Outside Italy, Canada
The Canadian 'Ndrangheta is believed to be involved in various activities including the smuggling of unlicensed tobacco products through ties with criminal elements in cross-border Native American tribes. According to Alberto Cisterna of the Italian National Anti- Mafia Directorate, the 'Ndrangheta has a heavy presence in Canada. "There is a massive number of their people in North America, especially in Toronto. And for two reasons. The first is linked to the banking system. Canada's banking system is very secretive; it does not allow investigation. So Canada is the ideal place to launder money. The second reason is to smuggle drugs." The 'Ndrangheta have found Canada a useful North American entry point. The organization used extortion, loan sharking, theft, electoral crimes, mortgage and bank fraud, crimes of violence and cocaine trafficking.


'Ndrangheta, Outside Italy, Canada
A Canadian branch labelled the Siderno Group – because its members primarily came from the Ionian coastal town of Siderno in Calabria – is the one discussed earlier. It has been active in Canada since the 1950s, originally formed by Michele (Mike) Racco who was the head of the Group until his death in 1980. Siderno is also home to one of the 'Ndrangheta's biggest and most important clans, heavily involved in the global cocaine business and money laundering.


'Ndrangheta, Outside Italy, Canada
Antonio Commisso, the alleged leader of the Siderno group, is reported to lead efforts to import "... illicit arms, explosives and drugs ..." Elements of 'Ndrangheta have been reported to have been present in Hamilton, Ontario as early as 1911. Historical crime families in the Hamilton area include the Musitanos, Luppinos and Papalias.


'Ndrangheta, Outside Italy, Canada
According to an agreed Statement of Fact filed with the court, "the Locali [local cells] outside of Calabria replicate the structure from Calabria, and are connected to their mother-Locali in Calabria. The authority to start Locali outside Calabria comes from the governing bodies of the organization in Calabria. The Locali outside of Calabria are part of the same 'Ndrangheta organization as in Calabria, and maintain close relationships with the Locali where its members come from."


'Ndrangheta, Outside Italy, Canada
The group's activities in the Greater Toronto Area were controlled by a group known as the 'Camera di Controllo' which "makes all of the final decisions", according to the witness' testimony. It consists of six or seven Toronto-area men, who co-ordinate activities and resolves disputes among Calabrian gangsters in Southern Ontario. In 1962, Racco established a crimini or Camera di Controllo in Canada with the help of Giacomo Luppino and Rocco Zito. One of the members was Giuseppe Coluccio, before he was arrested and extradited to Italy.


'Ndrangheta, Outside Italy, Canada
Other members are Vincenzo DeMaria, Carmine Verduci before his death, and Cosimo Stalteri before his death. In August 2015, the IRB issued a deportation order for Carmelo Bruzzese. Bruzzese appealed the decision to Canada's Federal Court, but it was rejected, and on 2 October 2015, Bruzzese was escorted onto a plane in Toronto, landing in Rome, where he was arrested by Italian police. Major Giuseppe De Felice, a commander with the Carabinieri, told the IRB that Bruzzese "assumed the most important roles and decisions. He gave the orders."


'Ndrangheta, Outside Italy, Canada
After living in Richmond Hill, Ontario for five years until 2010, Antonio Coluccio was one of 29 people named in arrest warrants in Italy in September 2014. Police said they were part of the Commisso 'ndrina ('Ndrangheta) crime family in Siderno. In July 2018, Coluccio was sentenced to 30 years in prison for corruption. His two brothers, including Salvatore and Giuseppe Coluccio, were already in prison due to Mafia-related convictions.


'Ndrangheta, Outside Italy, Canada
In June 2018, Cosimo Ernesto Commisso, of Woodbridge, Ontario and an unrelated woman were shot and killed. According to sources contacted by the Toronto Star, "Commisso was related to Cosimo "The Quail" Commisso of Siderno, Italy, who has had relations in Ontario, is considered by police to be a "'Ndrangheta organized crime boss". The National Post reported that Cosimo Ernesto Commisso, while not a known criminal, "shares a name and family ties with a man who has for decades been reputed to be a Mafia leader in the Toronto area". The cousin of "The Quail", Antonio Commisso, was on the list of most wanted fugitives in Italy until his capture on 28 June 2005, in Woodbridge.


'Ndrangheta, Outside Italy, Canada
In June 2015, RCMP led police raids across the Greater Toronto Area, named Project OPhoenix, which resulted in the arrest of 19 men, allegedly affiliated with the 'Ndrangheta. In March 2018, during the resultant criminal trial north of Toronto, the court heard from a Carabinieri lieutenant-colonel that 'Ndrangheta is active in Germany, Australia and the Greater Toronto Area. "People in Italy have to be responsible for their representatives here but the final word comes from Italy".


'Ndrangheta, Outside Italy, Canada
A member of the Greater Toronto Area's 'Ndrangheta cell, Carmine Guido, who had been a police informant, testified at length in 2018 about the structure and activities of the organization which had been under the control of Italian-born Bradford, Ontario resident, Giuseppe (Pino) Ursino and Romanian-born Cosmin (Chris) Dracea of Toronto. The latter two faced two counts of cocaine trafficking for the benefit of a criminal organization and one charge of conspiracy to commit an indictable offence.


'Ndrangheta, Outside Italy, Canada
Guido was paid $2.4 million by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police between 2013 and 2015 to secretly tape dozens of conversations with suspected 'Ndrangheta members. In February 2019, Ursino was sentenced to 11 and a half years in prison on drug trafficking charges, with Dracea sentenced to nine years in prison on cocaine trafficking conspiracy. Neither had a previous criminal record. At the sentencing, the presiding judge made this comment: "Based on the evidence at trial, Giuseppe Ursino is a high-ranking member of the 'Ndrangheta who orchestrated criminal conduct and then stepped back to lessen his potential implication" ... Cosmin Dracea knew he was dealing with members of a criminal organization when he conspired to import cocaine".


'Ndrangheta, Outside Italy, Canada
During the Ursino/Dracea trial, an Italian police expert testified that the 'Ndrangheta operated in the Greater Toronto Area and in Thunder Bay particularly in drug trafficking, extortion, loan sharking, theft of public funds, robbery, fraud, electoral crimes and crimes of violence. After the trial, Tom Andreopoulos, deputy chief federal prosecutor, said that this was the first time in Canada that the 'Ndrangheta was targeted as an organized crime group since 1997, when the Criminal Code was amended to include the offence of criminal organization. He offered this comment about the organization:


'Ndrangheta, Outside Italy, Canada
"We're talking about structured organized crime. We're talking about a political entity, almost; a culture of crime that colonizes across the sea from Italy to Canada. This is one of the most sophisticated criminal organizations in the world."


'Ndrangheta, Outside Italy, Canada
In June 2018, a Mafia expert wrote that "A new alliance between Bonanno associates and the Violi family . . . is significant, as it suggests a growing prominence for Calabrian mafia – the 'Ndrangheta – within the New York families and in Canada". Criminologist Anna Sergi of the University of Essex added that drug trafficking was the most active pursuit in North America.


'Ndrangheta, Outside Italy, Canada
On 18 July 2019, the York Regional Police announced the largest organized crime bust in Ontario, part of an 18-month long operation called Project Sindicato that was also coordinated with the Italian State Police. York Regional Police had arrested 15 people in Canada, 12 people in Calabria, and seized $35 million worth of homes, sports cars and cash in a major trans-Atlantic probe targeting the most prominent wing of the 'Ndrangheta in Canada headed by Angelo Figliomeni.


'Ndrangheta, Outside Italy, Canada
On 14 and 15 July, approximately 500 officers raided 48 homes and businesses across the GTA, seizing 27 homes worth $24 million, 23 cars, including five Ferraris, and $2 million in cash and jewelry. Nine of the 15 arrests in Canada included major crime figures: Angelo Figliomeni, Vito Sili, Nick Martino, Emilio Zannuti, Erica Quintal, Salvatore Oliveti, Giuseppe Ciurleo, Rafael Lepore and Francesco Vitucci. The charges laid included tax evasion, money laundering, defrauding the government and participating in a criminal organization.


'Ndrangheta, Outside Italy, Canada
During a press conference in Vaughan, Ontario, Fausto Lamparelli of the Italian State Police, offered this comment about the relationship between the 'Ndrangheta in Ontario and Calabria:


'Ndrangheta, Outside Italy, Canada
"This investigation allowed us to learn something new. The 'Ndrangheta crime families in Canada are able to operate autonomously, without asking permission or seeking direction from Italy. Traditionally, 'Ndrangheta clans around the world are all subservient to the mother ship in Calabria. It suggests the power and influence the Canadian-based clans have built."


'Ndrangheta, Outside Italy, Canada
On 9 August 2019, as part of the same joint investigation, several former Greater Toronto Area residents were arrested in Calabria, including Giuseppe DeMaria, Francesco Commisso, Rocco Remo Commisso, Antonio Figliomeni and Cosimo Figiomeni. Vincenzo Muià had visited Toronto on 31 March 2019 to meet with Angelo and Cosimo Figliomeni, seeking answers to who had ambushed and killed his brother, Carmelo Muià, in Siderno on 18 January 2018; Muià's smartphone was unwittingly and secretly transmitting his closed-door conversations to authorities in Italy.


'Ndrangheta, Outside Italy, Canada
In 2020, the charges laid against three individuals as a result of Project Sindicato were "stayed" (the prosecution discontinued), unless the prosecutors could find new evidence and proceeded with the charges again within one year. In January 2021, the charges against the remaining six were also stayed, including that of Angelo Figliomeni, "the head of the 'Ndrangheta in Toronto" according to York Regional Police. The charges were stayed after an investigation "into the use of the privileged conversations" that found "improper use of wiretapping" and "significant breaches of solicitor-client privilege". All property seized by police must now be returned — with the exception of illegal possessions.


'Ndrangheta, Outside Italy, Colombia
The 'Ndrangheta clans were closely associated with the AUC paramilitary groups led Salvatore Mancuso, a son of Italian immigrants; he surrendered to Álvaro Uribe's government to avoid extradition to the U.S. According to Giuseppe Lumia of the Italian Parliamentary Antimafia Commission, 'Ndrangheta clans are actively involved in the production of cocaine.


'Ndrangheta, Outside Italy, Germany
According to a study by the German foreign intelligence service, the Bundesnachrichtendienst (BND), 'Ndrangheta groups are using Germany to invest cash from drugs and weapons smuggling. Profits are invested in hotels, restaurants and houses, especially along the Baltic coast and in the eastern German states of Thuringia and Saxony. Investigators believe that the mafia's bases in Germany are used primarily for clandestine financial transactions. In 1999, the state Office of Criminal Investigation in Stuttgart investigated an Italian from San Luca who had allegedly laundered millions through a local bank, the Sparkasse Ulm.


'Ndrangheta, Outside Italy, Germany
The man claimed that he managed a profitable car dealership, and authorities were unable to prove that the business was not the source of his money. The Bundeskriminalamt (BKA) concluded in 2000 that "the activities of this 'Ndrangheta clan represent a multi-regional criminal phenomenon." In 2009, a confidential report by the BKA said some 229 'Ndrangheta families were living in Germany, and were involved in gun-running, money laundering, drug-dealing, and racketeering, as well as legal businesses.


'Ndrangheta, Outside Italy, Germany
Some 900 people were involved in criminal activity, and were also legal owners of hundreds of restaurants, as well as being major players in the property market in the former East. The most represented 'Ndrangheta family originated from the city of San Luca (Italy), with some 200 members in Germany. A war between the two 'Ndrangheta clans Pelle-Romeo (Pelle-Vottari) and Strangio-Nirta from San Luca that had started in 1991 and resulted in several deaths spilled into Germany in 2007; six men were shot to death in front of an Italian restaurant in Duisburg on 15 August 2007.


'Ndrangheta, Outside Italy, Germany
(See San Luca feud.) According to the head of the German federal police service, Joerg Ziercke, "Half of the criminal groups identified in Germany belong to the 'Ndrangheta. It has been the biggest criminal group since the 1980s. Compared to other groups operating in Germany, the Italians have the strongest organization."


'Ndrangheta, Outside Italy, Netherlands
Sebastiano Strangio allegedly lived for 10 years in the Netherlands, where he managed his contacts with Colombian cocaine cartels. He was arrested in Amsterdam on 27 October 2005. The seaports of Rotterdam and Amsterdam are used to import cocaine. The Giorgi, Nirta and Strangio clans from San Luca have a base in the Netherlands and Brussels (Belgium). In March 2012, the head of the Dutch National Crime Squad (Dienst Nationale Recherche, DNR) stated that the DNR will team up with the Tax and Customs Administration and the Fiscal Information and Investigation Service to combat the 'Ndrangheta.


'Ndrangheta, Outside Italy, Malta
David Gonzi, a son of former Prime Minister of Malta Lawrence Gonzi, was accused of illegal activities by acting as a trustee shareholder in a gaming company. The company in question was operated by a Calabrian associate of the 'Ndrangheta in Malta. His name appeared several times on an investigation document of over 750 pages that was commissioned by the tribunal of the Reggio Calabria. Gonzi called the document unprofessional. A European arrest warrant was published for Gonzi to appear at the tribunal but this never materialised. Gonzi, however, was completely exonerated from the list of potential suspects in the 'Ndrangheta gaming bust.


'Ndrangheta, Outside Italy, Malta
After investigation of the presence of the 'Ndrangheta, 21 gaming outlets had their operation license temporarily suspended in Malta due to irregularities in a period of one year.


'Ndrangheta, Outside Italy, Malta
In a Notice of the Conclusion of the Investigation dated 30 June 2016, criminal action was commenced in Italy against 113 persons originally mentioned in the investigation.


'Ndrangheta, Outside Italy, Slovakia
In February 2018, Slovak investigative journalist Ján Kuciak was shot dead at his home together with his fiancée. At the time of his murder, Kuciak was working on a report about Slovak connections with the 'Ndrangheta. He had previously reported on organized tax fraud involving businesspeople close to the ruling Smer-SD party. On 28 February, Aktuality.sk published Kuciak's last, unfinished story.


'Ndrangheta, Outside Italy, Slovakia
The article details the activities of Italian businessmen with ties to organised crime who have settled in eastern Slovakia, and have spent years embezzling European Union funds intended for the development of this relatively poor region, as well as their connections to high-ranking state officials, such as Viliam Jasaň, a deputy and the Secretary of the State Security Council of Slovakia, or Mária Trošková, a former nude model who became Chief Adviser of Prime Minister Robert Fico. Both Jasaň and Trošková took leave of absence on the same day, stating that they would return to their positions once the investigations were concluded.


'Ndrangheta, Outside Italy, Switzerland
The crime syndicate has a significant presence in Switzerland since the early 1970s but has operated there with little scrutiny due to the inconspicuous life styles of their members, the Swiss legal landscape, and solid foundations in local businesses. In the aftermath of the San Luca feud in 2007 and subsequent arrests in Italy (Operation "Crimine"), it became clear that the group had also infiltrated the economically proliferous regions of Switzerland and Southern Germany.


'Ndrangheta, Outside Italy, Switzerland
In March 2016, Swiss law enforcement in cooperation with Italian state prosecutors arrested a total of 15 individuals, 13 in the city of Frauenfeld, 2 in the canton of Valais, accusing them of active membership to an organized crime syndicate also known as "Operazione Helvetica". Since 2015, the Swiss federal police has conducted undercover surveillance and recorded the group's meetings in a restaurant establishment in a small village just outside of Frauenfeld. The meetings were taking place in a relatively remote location using the now defunct entity the "Wängi Boccia Club" as its cover.


'Ndrangheta, Outside Italy, Switzerland
According to the Italian prosecutor Antonio De Bernardo, there are several cells operating within the jurisdiction of the Swiss Federation, estimating the number of operatives per cell to about 40, and a couple of 100 in total. All of the arrested persons are Italian citizens, the two men arrested in the Valais have already been extradited to Italy, and as of August 2016, one individual arrested in Frauenfeld has been approved for extradition to Italy.


'Ndrangheta, Outside Italy, United Kingdom
In London, the Aracri and Fazzari clans are thought to be active in money laundering, catering and drug trafficking.


'Ndrangheta, Outside Italy, United States
The earliest evidence of 'Ndrangheta activity in the U.S. points to an intimidation scheme run by the syndicate in Pennsylvania mining towns; this scheme was unearthed in 1906. Current 'Ndrangheta activities in America mainly involve drug trafficking, arms smuggling, and money laundering. It is known that the 'Ndrangheta branches in North America have been associating with Italian-American organized crime. The Suraci family from Reggio Calabria has moved some of its operations to the U.S. The family was founded by Giuseppe Suraci who has been in the United States since 1962. His younger cousin, Antonio Roglianoruns the family in Calabria.


'Ndrangheta, Outside Italy, United States
On Tuesday, 11 February 2014, both F.B.I. and Italian Police intercepted the transatlantic network of U.S. and Italian crime families. The raid targeted the Gambino and Bonanno families in the U.S. while in Italy, it targeted the Ursino  'ndrina from Gioiosa Jonica. The defendants were charged with drug trafficking, money laundering and firearms offenses, based, in part, on their participation in a transnational heroin and cocaine trafficking conspiracy involving the 'Ndrangheta. The operation began in 2012 when investigators detected a plan by members of the Ursino clan of the 'Ndrangheta to smuggle large amounts of drugs. An undercover agent was dispatched to Italy and was successful in infiltrating the clan. An undercover agent was also involved in the handover of 1.3 kg of heroin in New York as part of the infiltration operation.


'Ndrangheta, Outside Italy, United States
In June 2018, a Mafia expert wrote that "A new alliance between Bonanno associates and the Violi family . . . is significant, as it suggests a growing prominence for Calabrian mafia – the 'Ndrangheta – within the New York families and in Canada". Criminologist Anna Sergi of the University of Essex added that drug trafficking was the most active pursuit in North America.


'Ndrangheta, Outside Italy, Uruguay
On 24 June 2019, 'Ndrangheta leader Rocco Morabito, dubbed the "cocaine king of Milan", escaped from Central Prison in Montevideo alongside three other inmates, escaping "through a hole in the roof of the building". Morabito was awaiting extradition to Italy for international drug trafficking, having been arrested at a Montevideo hotel in 2017 after living in Punta del Este under a false name for 13 years.


'Ndrangheta, In popular culture
Beginning in 2000, music producer Francesco Sbano released three CD compilations of Italian mafia folk songs over a five-year period. Collectively known as La musica della mafia, these compilations consist mainly of songs written by 'Ndrangheta musicians, often sung in Calabrian and dealing with themes such as vengeance (Sangu chiama sangu), betrayal (I cunfirenti), justice within the 'Ndrangheta (Nun c'è pirdunu), and the ordeal of prison life (Canto di carcerato). The 2013 book ZeroZeroZero by Roberto Saviano investigates the activities of the 'Ndrangheta in Italy. Stefano Sollima adapted the book into a 2020 TV series of the same name.


'Ndrina
The  'ndrina (Italian: [nˈdriːna], plural: 'ndrine; Calabrian: [ɳˈɖɽiːna],  plural: 'ndrini) is the basic unit of the 'Ndrangheta of Calabria, made up of blood relatives, and is the equivalent of the Sicilian Mafia’s "family" or cosca. The word derives from the Greek, meaning "a man who does not bend". Each  'ndrina is "autonomous on its territory and no formal authority stands above the  'ndrina boss." The  'ndrina is usually in control of a small town or a neighbourhood in larger cities, even outside Calabria, in cities and towns in the industrial North of Italy in and around Turin and Milan.


'Ndrina
If more than one  'ndrina operates in the same town, they form a locale, the main local organizational unit of the 'Ndrangheta with jurisdiction over an entire town or an area in a large urban center. In some cases, sub- 'ndrine have been established. The  'ndrine enjoy a high degree of autonomy – they have a leader (the capobastone) and independent staff. In some contexts the  'ndrine have become more powerful than the locale on which they formally depend.


'Ndrina
Blood family and membership of the crime family overlap to a great extent within the 'Ndrangheta. By and large, the  'ndrine consist of men belonging to the same family lineage under the command of the capobastone. Salvatore Boemi, Anti-mafia prosecutor in Reggio Calabria, told the Italian Antimafia Commission that "one becomes a member for the simple fact of being born in a mafia family," although other reasons might attract a young man to seek membership, and non-kin have also been admitted. Marriages help cement relations within each  'ndrina and to expand membership. As a result, a few blood families constitute each group, hence "a high number of people with the same last name often end up being prosecuted for membership of a given  'ndrina." Indeed, since there is no limit to the membership of a single unit, bosses try to maximize descendants.


'Nduja
'Nduja (Calabrian: [nˈduːja]) is a particularly spicy, spreadable pork sausage from the region of Calabria in Southern Italy. It is similar to sobrassada from the Balearic Islands in Spain, and is loosely based on the French andouille. It was introduced to Italy in the 13th century by the Angevins. It is Calabria's contribution to the many types of Italian salumi, and originates from the area around the small Calabrian town of Spilinga.


'Nduja
'Nduja is made using meat from the head (minus the jowls, which are used for guanciale), trimmings from various meat cuts, some clean skin, fatback, and roasted Calabrian chilli peppers, which give  'nduja its characteristic fiery taste. These are all minced together, then stuffed in large sausage casings and smoked, creating a soft large sausage, from where the spicy mixture later is scooped out as needed. ' Nduja is mainly served with slices of bread or with ripe cheese. Its unique taste makes it suitable for a variety of dishes. For example, it can be added to pasta sauces. It is sold in jars or as thick slices from the soft 'Nduja sausage.


'Nduja
'Nduja's popularity boomed around 2015–2016 in the US and the UK, and it was featured in dishes at restaurants including New York City's Spotted Pig and London's Temple and Sons.


'Nduja, External link
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'Nduja, External link
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'Neath Austral Skies
'Neath Austral Skies is a 1913 Australian silent film directed by Raymond Longford.


'Neath Austral Skies, Plot
Captain Frank Hollis (Martyn Keith) is engaged to Eileen Delmont (Lottie Lyell). When her brother Eric commits a theft, Frank accepts the blame in order to protect her family's name. He leaves for Australia and joins the New South Wales mounted police. Eric confesses and Eileen and her father go to Australia to track down Frank. They buy a property, some of their cattle is stolen and request a trooper come to their aid – it is Frank. On the way out to see them, Frank is captured by the thieves and is thrown in the river, but Eileen comes to his aid and the lovers are reunited.