Decent Article but some parts were sensationalized, "The mob used to maintain order with a strict hierarchy and rules. One was the 'code of omerta'—no talking," Century said. "But as the old guard goes, the old rules go with them. Guys talk now.

There still is a strict heirarchy and always will be a Boss, Underboss, Capo, Soldier.

Also the whole thing about Omerta not being there anymore that is a double standard, the fact is that the guys young and old who keep their mouth shut and do prison time is far larger than people who become informants.

"Each family used to have 250 or 300 soldiers"

The Gambinos and Genoveses still have around 200 and the three smaller families, Bonanno Colombo and Lucchese's haven't had that many guys since the 50s way before law enforcement started going after them. Also the New York's family membership have been around the same for 20 years, all the families have gotten smaller but the numbers you see right now aren't gonna change much in coming years because they're at the point where they can find just enough guys.

"The young assimilated American guys aren't interested in joining anymore - they've got too many options." So if the show's mostly over, why all the recent arrests?

The assimilation gig is way over played, yeh there aren't those tightnit Italian communities anymore and many don't need to be gangsters but we are talking about a whole race of people here there will always be criminals and people who wanna join the mafia of Italian descent. The mafia won't be able to be as picky anymore about who they make in the future but they will always be able to find guys that don't rat and can make money

"Many of those arrested are "past the age where they could file for Social Security," New York organized crime investigative reporter Douglas Century told Life's Little Mysteries. "These are traditional guys who grew up in the real heyday of the Italian-American organized crime scene." A scene that, according to Century, is slowly dying.

Another fact is when you join the mob your in for life unless you rat or die so of course mob guys are old and this ins't something new you can go to any period of the american mob and the majority of the upper admistration of a family and capos and soldiers were older. Also the guys who grew up in the heyday of the mob that are in their 60s,70s,80s are passing down what they learned to the newer guys who are in their 30s and 40s