… Finally Friday … July 27 th 2007

Not Your Average Drug Bust Washington Post Wednesday, July 25, 2007 The way U.S. and Mexican authorities describe 44-year-old Zhenli Ye Gon, he might have sprung from some pulp novelist's overheated imagination. Born in Shanghai , he lived in Mexico and ran a pharmaceuticals company -- a front, authorities allege, that supplied Mexican drug cartels with massive quantities of a chemical used to make the street drug methamphetamine. Police raided his luxurious Mexico City home in March, carting off what they said was $207 million , most of it in $100 bills that had been stashed behind false walls and in closets. The U.S. government called it "the largest single drug cash seizure the world has ever seen." When the law caught up with Ye Gon on Monday night, his weeks on the lam ended in an Asian restaurant on Veirs Mill Road in Wheaton -- in P.J. Rice Bistro, in Westfield Wheaton mall, near a Ruby Tuesday and a JCPenney . This is a man who owned a fleet of luxury cars and had mistresses in several countries, according to Mexican officials. In recent years, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration said, he gambled away nearly $126 million in Las Vegas casinos. P.S. ..........Please note that 207M is only 53M less than what the media is reporting this week that Oprah makes per year.

Billionaire sought secret lair for sex, drugs, complaint says By E. Scott Reckard and Kim Christensen, Times Staff Writers July 18, 2007 Flush with wealth from Broadcom Corp.'s 1998 public stock offering, computer chip magnate Henry T. Nicholas III made a few additions to his equestrian estate in Laguna Hills: hidden doors and secret levers, an underground grotto, tunnels and a 2,000-square-foot sports bar he called "Nick's Cafe." But there was more, according to a claim made in court documents: plans for a "secret and convenient lair" with hidden entries for Nicholas to indulge his "manic obsession with prostitutes" and "addiction to cocaine and Ecstasy." The filing in Orange County Superior Court added that Nicholas had the interior built in warehouse space nearby, which became his "personal brothel" until his wife caught him having sex with a prostitute there. Nicholas, 47, co-founded Broadcom in 1991 and served as its chief executive until 2003. Broadcom's success made him one of the nation's richest men, and he has given millions to schools, the Orange County Performing Arts Center and other causes. Nicholas made no secret of the underground passageways and rooms under his Laguna Hills home, the subterranean complex ultimately cost $30 million over three years. Nicholas took his wife to Hawaii for a week in August 2000 while work on his secret chamber was being completed, the filing claimed. Stacey Nicholas has since filed for divorce. The location, referred to as the Pond or the Ponderosa, "was infamous for its excessive extravagance, its sex rooms and its million-dollar sound equipment . Nicholas had his private jet pick up prostitutes in New Orleans, Chicago, Las Vegas and Los Angeles "and bring them back to the Pond for his rock star friends," the draft complaint said. "He provided his guests with transportation and cocaine, Ecstasy, methamphetamines, marijuana, mushrooms, and nitrous oxide [laughing gas]" — and even arranged for his private helicopter to land at a nearby hospital helipad, it said.

Bumbling Chinese bank robbers on trial for bizarre lottery heist Tue Jul 24, 9:38 AM ET Five Chinese men accused of stealing 51 million yuan ( 6.7 million dollars ) and then buying lottery tickets in an attempt to win the money back went on trial Tuesday, state media reported. Bank workers Ren Xiaofeng, 34, and Ma Xiangjing, 37, were charged with embezzling the Agricultural Bank of China in one of the most bizarre bank heists in history, Xinhua news agency said. Ren and Ma were vault managers at a branch in Handan city in the northern province of Hebei when they started taking money from the safe to play the state lottery in what state media called the country's biggest bank robbery on record. The two thought that by buying millions of yuan in tickets they would eventually win back enough to replace the missing funds and allow them to leave their low-paid jobs for a life of luxury. At first Ren colluded with Zhao Xuenan and Zhang Qiang, charged with misappropriation of public funds, and stole 200,000 yuan from the bank's safe, Xinhua said. Ren actually replaced the missing funds after he won the lottery. But Ren became bolder when he began collaborating with Ma, stealing another 50.95 million yuan from the bank during a 30-day period between March and April. They spent a total of 47 million yuan on lottery tickets in Handan, but failing to win, went on the lam in mid-April, only to be arrested by police days later. The court has also charged Song Changhai for harbouring Ma when he was on the run, the report said.

Pair Arrested For Having Sex In Public July 20, 2007 01:33 PM EDT Courtesy the Hamilton County Sheriff's Office (CINCINNATI) -- Two people have been arrested for public indencency after police say they were having sex in full view of the public eye. Police arrested James Barbour, 37, and Carol Walters, 48, just before 5 p.m. on Wednesday in the median of Central Parkway. Neither suspect listed a home address. The two pled guilty in Hamilton County court on Thursday.

Asbo for the 12-year-old thug nicknamed Chucky A chubby-faced tearaway nicknamed Chucky after the demonic horror movie doll has been issued with an Asbo after using up 85 per cent of the local police time. Oliver Clinch, 12, brought chaos and fear to his neighbourhood as he went on an alcohol-fuelled crime spree, smashing windows, stealing, abusing residents in the street and leading other youths 'like the Pied Piper'. Clinch's victims are looking forward to their first peaceful night in more than a year after he was given a two-year anti-social behaviour order. 4ft 5in Clinch committed at least 60 offences in Little Lever near Bolton. 'On numerous occasions, I've seen him behaving like the Pied Piper with a group of 16 or 17 youths following him to watch his behaviour. 'They know he will do stupid things. When he's drunk, he's out of control. Some have said that his behaviour is like that of an animal.' Among his catalogue of crimes, Clinch targeted an Asian shopkeeper and his family with racial abuse at least a dozen times. Graffiti featuring Clinch's name was daubed on the outside of the shop and the windows were smashed three times. Clinch would also verbally abuse and spit at members of the public, subjecting them to a torrent of foul language. On several occasions, he targeted women for abuse and made sexual remarks to a teacher after being expelled from school. He also reversed his aunt's car into the road and attacked her after she refused to drive him to a friend's house. Recently, he stole lead from the roof of the school, tried to smash a bus station window and stole a case of lager from an off-licence. 'He was nicknamed Chucky after the doll in the Child's Play movies and it was hardly surprising. At least in the films it was not real life.

Holy Marijuana? Minister tells court pot is a religious sacrament LOS ANGELES (AP) — The mail-order minister of a Hollywood church that burns marijuana during services and allegedly sells it to members says that's protected under federal law because the drug is a religious sacrament. But Judge Mary Strobel has ruled that the Reverend Craig X. Rubin can't use federal law as a defense because he faces only state charges. Rubin, who's representing himself at his drug trial, says members of his Temple 420 believe that marijuana is the tree of life mentioned in the Bible. Though ordained in 1990 by the Universal Life Church, police and prosecutors describe Rubin as a drug dealer. He faces up to seven years in prison if convicted of possessing marijuana for sale. The 41-year-old Rubin has no legal experience, and says he spent last weekend praying and smoking marijuana with Indians in a sweat lodge at the bottom of the Grand Canyon. Associated Press

Cops: Man mutilated himself 07/24/2007 A Florida man was taken to Community Medical Center early Monday after he attempted to cut off his penis, authorities said. Officers were dispatched about 4:45 a.m. to 437 Taylor Ave., in the city’s Hill Section, after reports of a man who cut himself. When they arrived James Powell, 20, of Miami, was standing in the kitchen, holding a towel over his penis, Scranton police Capt. Carl Graziano said. “Officers observed a large amount of blood on the kitchen floor and on the counter where the knife was located,” Capt. Graziano said. “They asked the male what happened and he said he tried to cut his penis off.” It’s unknown why Mr. Powell wanted to hurt himself, Capt. Graziano said. CMC spokeswoman Noelle Snyder said no information was available on Mr. Powell’s condition. ©The Times-Tribune 2007

Sadhus, or Hindu holy men perform Yoga after taking a dip in Sangam, the confluence of three rivers, the Ganges, the Yamuna and the Saraswati, in the northern Indian city of Allahabad July 21, 2007. REUTERS

Swallowing may be hazardous your health….. Jaswant Rai Specialty Hospital, Meerut, India. A 27-year-old lady presented with persistent cough, sputum and fever for the preceding six months. In spite of trials with antibiotics and anti-tuberculosis treatment for the preceding four months, her symptoms did not improve. A subsequent chest radiograph showed non-homogeneous collapse-consolidation of right upper lobe. Videobronchoscopy revealed an inverted bag like structure in right upper lobe bronchus and rigid bronchoscopic removal with biopsy forceps confirmed the presence of a condom. Detailed retrospective history also confirmed accidental inhalation of the condom during fellatio. PubMed.gov MEDLINE

Manuel Uribe , tipping the scales at 560 kilograms ( 1,234 pounds ) and seen here at his home in 2006, will be listed as the world's fattest man by the Guinness Book of Records, while a loss of 200 kilos (440 pounds) may make him the man who lost the most weight.(

Nude blonde, gold stilettos and a Ferrari… A mysterious blonde paid a visit to a petrol station shop in the small eastern German town of Doemitz on Sunday -- wearing nothing but a pair of golden stilettos and a thin gold bracelet. The tall, slender woman strolled into the shop in the town of Doemitz on the warm afternoon and bought cigarettes, petrol station employee Ines Swoboda told Reuters on Monday. "I wasn't surprised because she's come in naked before -- she's a very nice woman," Swoboda said, adding none of the other customers was bothered. The woman could have faced charges of creating a public disturbance if anyone had complained. A quick-witted customer did, however, snap pictures of the woman believed to be about 30 years old as she walked back to a waiting Ferrari and climbed into the passenger seat. Several of those photos appeared in the German media on Monday. Reuters

Photography

Aurora is a crown of light that circles the Earth’s poles. This photo was taken from the IMAGE satellite and shows the aurora australis (southern lights).

COOL ADS

Twenty two years before 9/11, Pakistan International Airlines ran this ad in the French publication Le Point: New York via Pakistan International. One of the companies offering scheduled flights to New York. Departure from Orly Sud, offering best flights to the cities in provinces. A new proof of PIA’s efficacy. PIA is an international company expanding business successfully: 3,000,000 passengers this year, a departure every 6 minutes. Success thoroughly built on customers’ satisfaction. For having an excellent flight to New York or 60 other metropolises in the world travel via PIA.

Eye of the Eagle

GIRLS

Victoria Beckham , of the re-united Spice Girls holds a US flag as they pose for the photographers on the grounds of the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, London, Thursday June 28, 2007.