This is an update to a humorous slide deck I posted a few years ago. I'm working with a graphic artist who does a great job improving the look of my slides.

1. NPR, Snoop Dogg, & The Mob
A Common Thread

2. A disturbing
TREND

3. of a common
ABUSE

4. cements unbiased reporting, entertainment,
and organized crime
INTO A SINGLE CORRUPTED GROUP

6. The unfortunate trend was first
recorded in 1920.
8000
6000
4000
2000
0
1920 1930 1940 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010 2020
Unofficial Occurrences*
* The US government does not track exact figures.

7. Impact of the Great Depression
giving way to mob crime
The unfortunate trend was first
recorded in 1920.
8000
6000
4000
2000
0
1920 1930 1940 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010 2020
Unofficial Occurrences*
* The US government does not track exact figures.

8. 2004: Snoop Dogg caused the resurgence
evident in the 2010 numbers.
Impact of the Great Depression
giving way to mob crime
The unfortunate trend was first
recorded in 1920.
8000
6000
4000
2000
0
1920 1930 1940 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010 2020
Unofficial Occurrences*
* The US government does not track exact figures.

9. 2004: Snoop Dogg caused the resurgence
evident in the 2010 numbers.
Impact of the Great Depression
giving way to mob crime
2015: NPR and Marketplace make the taboo
socially acceptable . Numbers are forecasted
to return to the highly frequent Great
Depression levels.
The unfortunate trend was first
recorded in 1920.
8000
6000
4000
2000
0
1920 1930 1940 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010 2020
Unofficial Occurrences*
* The US government does not track exact figures.

10. Trend Setters
Offending Party The Offense Source
Marketplace Morning
Report on NPR
David Brancaccio, when discussing a large
merger (Lafarge & Holcim), made a
comparison to “watching cement dry”
www.marketplace.org/shows/marketplace-
morning-report/marketplace-morning-
report-friday-march-20-2015
The Mob Countless victims of “cement shoes”
Every mob movie and even Bugs Bunny
cartoons depicting organized crime
Snoop Dogg ft.
Pharrell Williams
A lyric found about half way through
the third refrain: “Cement shoes, now
I’m on the move”
“Drop It Like It’s Hot”
Released 2004, Geffen

11. What’s the big deal?
Aren’t CEMENT and CONCRETE the same thing?

12. An analogy:
Do you eat FLOUR or do you eat BREAD?

13. Flour Water Dough Heat Bread
Water HeatReady MixCement Concrete
A Comparison for the Layperson

14. Cement is to CONCRETE
What Flour is to Bread

15. Cement shoes are not possible.
Cement is a powder and has no structural integrity.
Watching cement dry is also an impossibility as it
is already a dry powder.
Sidewalks are not made of cement.
Neither is your driveway.
Cement

16. ( uses more water
than mortar mix )
General Concepts
Slurry Mortar A mess WastefulGrout
READY MIX
CONCRETE

17. Name the Picture
( Concrete, Cement, Ready Mix )

18. Cement Ready Mix Concrete
Name the Picture
( Concrete, Cement, Ready Mix )

19. Bonus Points
The late rapper, Tupac Shukar (1971 – 1996), receives +10 points posthumously for his correct use
of the term concrete in his book The Rose that Grew from Concrete, 1999 MTV Books
Illustrates his intelligence
Works well in his poetry because he properly uses concrete as a substance which represents an
oppressive situation
Using the term “cement” in place of the term “concrete” would have been a false analogy and
distracted an informed reader from fully grasping the meaning of his poem

20. +10

21. Summary
Cement is a raw material and key ingredient to make concrete.
This is similar to flour being a raw material and key ingredient to make bread.
You cannot make shoes from cement or watch cement dry.
You can walk on cement, but it will cause issues. More on next slide.
You can make shoes from ready mix concrete.

22. WARNINGS
Do not handle cement with your bare hands.
§ Your sweat will activate it
§ Your skin will develop a rash which will progress to a burn
Do not breathe cement dust.
Always use your Personal Protective Equipment when
working with cement or cement-based products.
More info
www.cement.org/cement-concrete-basics/working-with-concrete/working-safely-with-concrete
www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Personal_protective_equipment

23. Slides 5
Snoop Dogg photo: http://images4.mtv.com/uri/mgid:uma:video:mtv.com:691837?width=476&height=268&crop=true&quality=0.85
NPR & Marketplace logos came from their respective websites
MOB logo found here: http://forward-now.com/2013/04/30/walker-place-part-2/
Slide 13
Making bread: http://science.howstuffworks.com/innovation/edible-innovations/bread5.htm
Making cement:
§ Explained with words: http://www.cement.org/cement-concrete-basics/how-cement-is-made
§ Explained with animation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BDckapx5hTM
Slide 15 & 16 pictures
Cement: http://www.ccanz.org.nz/images/cmsimage/cements.bmp
Ready Mix: http://www.goudacement.com/images/contractor-cement.jpg
Concrete: http://janddconcretespecialist.com/wp-content/gallery/concrete-sidewalks/img_0150_0.jpg
Slide 18
Written note card: http://images.rapgenius.com/67404bc864b5a46966a04499ee4c121a.505x292x1.jpg
Book cover image: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/6/61/Rosefromconcrete.jpg
Additional Resources

24. Thank you!
Keith Rickles
www.keithrickles.com
emailkeith@keithrickles.com