By Piper Bayard
Pic like the ones you find at Yakuza site.
Image by Norbert Weber.
Membership in Yamaguchi-gumi, the largest family of Yakuza, or Japanese mafia, has been falling. Due to economic difficulties, the gangsta life is apparently not enough of a recruiting magnet on its own. So the Yamaguchi-gumi now has a recruiting website with its own corporate song, a poetry page, fishing diaries, and a message from the boss. Read about it here . . .
Japanese mobsters launch their own website
And this is the site. It’s in Japanese, but don’t worry. It has an English translation option.
Yakuza Recruiting Site
And here’s their video of happy little Yakuza at play to the tune of their theme song.
Blogs and Articles in No Particular Order
Speaking of Yakuza, Japan, and such, a big welcome to historical fiction author Susan Spann, the newest featured author at the Social In network. Look for Susan’s posts about ninjas, a.k.a. shinobi, on Saturdays at SocialInDC. Also, you can pre-order her latest Shinobi Mystery, BLADE OF THE SAMURAI, at Amazon now.
Kokkie H Reviews The Book Thief by Markus Zusak.
In case you missed it, Holmes wrote an excellent piece about Boko Haram, the kidnapping that caught world attention, and the Western response. Boko Haram — Nigeria’s Jihadi Biker Gang
Image of kidnapped girls released by Boko Haram.
From Voice of America
Emotional Triggers–A Direct Path to Human Connectivity. Great advice about social media marketing strategies from Lonny Dunn of Pronetworkbuild.
UNHCR Says Internal Displacement Affects Some 10,000 People in Ukraine
Via Screenwriter and Best Selling Author Ryne Douglas Pearson — Photos: Ray Bradbury’s House for Sale. Cozy enough for the best of writers. Can be yours for only $1.49 million.
Ray Bradbury’s house
Photos: Welcome Home–The Story of Scott Ostrom via Christine Moore. There is more than one way to sacrifice a life. This Memorial Day, I won’t only be thinking about those who have died. I’ll be thinking about those who are called to go on.
Great article from New York Times bestseller and former Green Beret Bob Mayer. Survival Friday: Burglaries. I recommend checking out all of his Survival Fridays and picking up his book, The Green Beret Survival Guide. Part of the proceeds will go to Special Operations Warrior Foundations. SOWF provides scholorships grants, education and family counseling to the surviving children of special operations personnel who have died.
Morning A.D.D. (Awkward Daily Dose): Gallery. Get ready for a laugh.
Porn addiction is a very real and very serious issue. Your Brain on Porn: 10 Common Signs of Addiction by August McLaughlin, who is the person you’d get if Dr. Ruth and a supermodel had a baby.
And our video for the day . . . Think of the tub as the Yamaguchi-gumi Recruiting Site, the dog as the Yamaguchi-gumi, and the cat as the poor sucker who takes their web site seriously.
All the best to all of you for a week of knowing who your friends are.
Bayard & Holmes 
Japan is running out of young people, so the Yakuza is feeling the cuts. Just wait until the newbie Yakuza are told they have to cut a pinky tip off.
The Internet has apparently provided endless possibilities…I wonder what would have happened if the Internet had existed in Al Capone’s day. I guess I should stop thinking I’ve heard everything.
This is so crazy this recruiting business. I guess it’s not so different than what the Taliban posts to recruit for their cause. Locos! 🙂 That was a great post by Holmes on Nigeria. Enjoy your long weekend, muchacha! 🙂
You, too, Maria! And we are lucky to have Holmes, aren’t we? 🙂