Norman's Cay is a small Bahamian island (a few hundred acres) in the Exumas, a chain of islands south and east of Nassau, that served as the headquarters for Carlos Lehder's drug-smuggling operation from 1978 to around 1982.
When Lehder arrived in Norman's Cay in 1978 he started purchasing large pieces of property, including a home for himself, a hotel and an airstrip. Shortly after Lehder began pushing the native population and vacationers off of Norman's Cay and gained full control of the island. Following Lehder's arrival air traffic over the small island began to increase and armed guards began patrolling the beaches. In July 1980 a yacht belonging to a retired couple was found drifting off Norman's Cay- blood stains were found when the boat was searched, and a corpse recovered.
As part of the Medellín Cartel, he used the island as a transshipment base for smuggling cocaine into the United States. Lehder, through Norman's Cay, is often attributed with revolutionizing drug smuggling. The typical method of transporting small shipments often carried by human drug mules, either through digestion or in their luggage, onto commercial airlines, was surpassed by the use of small aircraft shipping entire loads of cocaine.
Lehder eventually constructed a 3,300-foot long runway for his fleet of aircraft. In order to protect the island, armed guards patrolled the beaches and runway, radar was employed and attack dogs. Any pilot silly enough to land there was quickly warned off by heavily armed guards. The island served a strategic point as stop for Colombian drug flights to refuel and rest before proceeding to the United States.
With the Bahamian authorities looking the other way and the local inhabitants scared off, the island became a haven of debauchery for Lehder and his associates. Carlos Toro remembers, "Norman's Cay was a playground. I have a vivid picture of being picked up in a Land Rover with the top down and naked women driving to come and welcome me from my airplane... And there we partied. And it was a Sodom and Gomorrah... drugs, sex, no police... you made the rules... and it was fun."
Norman's Cay was referenced in the 2001 movie Blow.
In 1982, under pressure from US law enforcement, and despite years of turning a blind eye, the Bahamian government began to crack down on the activities on Norman's Cay, ultimately confiscating Lehder's land. It is now a tourist destination that can be reached by charter flight.
The island was again a subject of (minor) controversy when the newly-elected Progressive Liberal government honoured a pre-election in-principle agreement to sell the government-owned portion of the island valued at $60 million, despite the objections of the local MP. The government believes it may encourage further foreign investment.
The island's consortium of local and foreign buyers are thought to include resort chain Aman Resorts, a proudly small company that started in Phuket and specialises in five-star service amidst natural beauty environments.
Wikipedia- Norman's Cay
Tuesday, January 8, 2008
Norman's Cay Island
Sunday, January 6, 2008
Wyclef Jean ft. Akon, Lil Wayne, & Nia - Sweetest Girl Music Video
Wyclef Jean ft. Akon, Lil Wayne, & Nia - Sweetest Girl Music Video
Notre Dame Irish Basketball Weekend
SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) -- Luke Harangody had 29 points and 16 rebounds, both career highs, and Notre Dame held West Virginia to its worst shooting game of the season to beat the Mountaineers 69-56 Thursday night.
The Fighting Irish (11-2, 1-0 Big East) took control with a 22-8 run in the first half, opening a 33-22 lead, and the Mountaineers never got closer than six points.
The Mountaineers (10-3, 0-1), who entered the game shooting 49.7 percent from the field for the season, were held to 32 percent shooting against the Irish, including a season-low 5-of-25 from 3-point range. Their 56-point total also was 14 points below their previous low of 70 against Winthrop.
The Irish won their 29th straight at home and their ninth straight overall. West Virginia lost its second straight and fell to 5-8 in Big East openers.
Harangody was 11-of-16 from the field as the Irish shot 48 percent and outrebounded the Mountaineers 46-33. When Harangody grabbed his 16th rebound with 34 seconds left the crowd yelled "Luuuuke," and did it again seconds later when he left the game.
West Virginia led 14-11 when Joe Alexander made a pair of free throws. But after starting the game making 4-of-10 from the field, the Irish made 9-of-10. Ryan Ayers ignited the 22-8 run with a pair of 3-pointers. Harangody had six points during the run and Zach Hillesland had four, including a slam dunk that brought the crowd to its feet.
Harangody was nearly perfect for the half, making 7-of-8 shots. His only miss was on his first 3-point attempt of the season with 4 seconds left in the half. Kyle McAlarney, who took the point with Tory Jackson on the bench with two fouls, had five assists on nine Irish baskets during the run. The Irish led 37-28 at the half.
Jackson, who entered the game 3-of-23 from 3-point range, finished with 12 points, including making back-to-back 3s after West Virginia cut the lead to 41-34 on a 3-pointer by Alex Rouff. Rouff led the Mountaineers with 18 points.
Notre Dame -ESPN
SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) -- Kyle McAlarney scored a career-high 32 points, including a key 3-pointer after a Rob Kurz 3 gave Notre Dame the lead for good, pacing the Fighting Irish to a 73-67 victory over Connecticut on Saturday night.
Notre Dame (12-2, 2-0 Big East) led by 21 points in the first half and by 15 at halftime, but UConn (10-3, 1-1) rallied back in the second half and used an 8-0 run to take its only lead at 58-57 on a basket inside by Jeff Adrien with 6:25 left.
The lead lasted only 22 seconds, though, as Zach Hillesland scored on a rebound. Kurz hit a 3 with 3:08 left to give the Irish a 64-61 lead, then Kurz blocked a shot by Adrien. McAlarney then hit his sixth 3-pointer and UConn never got closer than two points again.
Notre Dame won its 11th straight overall and its 30th straight at home. It was the third straight time the Irish beat the Huskies at the Joyce Center, but UConn still leads the overall series 12-6.
The Huskies, who were 2-8 on the road last season, fell to 2-1 on the road this season.
Kurz finished with 14 points and 10 rebounds and Luke Harangody added 14 points and 10 rebounds despite going 5-of-23 from the field.
Tory Jackson, who went to the locker room with 17 seconds left in the first half with a cornea abrasion on his right eye after a collision with Hasheem Thabeet, finished with 11 assists.
Adrien led the Huskies with 16 points and 11 rebounds and A.J. Price and Jerome Dyson had 13 points each.
Notre Dame -ESPN
The Fighting Irish (11-2, 1-0 Big East) took control with a 22-8 run in the first half, opening a 33-22 lead, and the Mountaineers never got closer than six points.
The Mountaineers (10-3, 0-1), who entered the game shooting 49.7 percent from the field for the season, were held to 32 percent shooting against the Irish, including a season-low 5-of-25 from 3-point range. Their 56-point total also was 14 points below their previous low of 70 against Winthrop.
The Irish won their 29th straight at home and their ninth straight overall. West Virginia lost its second straight and fell to 5-8 in Big East openers.
Harangody was 11-of-16 from the field as the Irish shot 48 percent and outrebounded the Mountaineers 46-33. When Harangody grabbed his 16th rebound with 34 seconds left the crowd yelled "Luuuuke," and did it again seconds later when he left the game.
West Virginia led 14-11 when Joe Alexander made a pair of free throws. But after starting the game making 4-of-10 from the field, the Irish made 9-of-10. Ryan Ayers ignited the 22-8 run with a pair of 3-pointers. Harangody had six points during the run and Zach Hillesland had four, including a slam dunk that brought the crowd to its feet.
Harangody was nearly perfect for the half, making 7-of-8 shots. His only miss was on his first 3-point attempt of the season with 4 seconds left in the half. Kyle McAlarney, who took the point with Tory Jackson on the bench with two fouls, had five assists on nine Irish baskets during the run. The Irish led 37-28 at the half.
Jackson, who entered the game 3-of-23 from 3-point range, finished with 12 points, including making back-to-back 3s after West Virginia cut the lead to 41-34 on a 3-pointer by Alex Rouff. Rouff led the Mountaineers with 18 points.
Notre Dame -ESPN
SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) -- Kyle McAlarney scored a career-high 32 points, including a key 3-pointer after a Rob Kurz 3 gave Notre Dame the lead for good, pacing the Fighting Irish to a 73-67 victory over Connecticut on Saturday night.
Notre Dame (12-2, 2-0 Big East) led by 21 points in the first half and by 15 at halftime, but UConn (10-3, 1-1) rallied back in the second half and used an 8-0 run to take its only lead at 58-57 on a basket inside by Jeff Adrien with 6:25 left.
The lead lasted only 22 seconds, though, as Zach Hillesland scored on a rebound. Kurz hit a 3 with 3:08 left to give the Irish a 64-61 lead, then Kurz blocked a shot by Adrien. McAlarney then hit his sixth 3-pointer and UConn never got closer than two points again.
Notre Dame won its 11th straight overall and its 30th straight at home. It was the third straight time the Irish beat the Huskies at the Joyce Center, but UConn still leads the overall series 12-6.
The Huskies, who were 2-8 on the road last season, fell to 2-1 on the road this season.
Kurz finished with 14 points and 10 rebounds and Luke Harangody added 14 points and 10 rebounds despite going 5-of-23 from the field.
Tory Jackson, who went to the locker room with 17 seconds left in the first half with a cornea abrasion on his right eye after a collision with Hasheem Thabeet, finished with 11 assists.
Adrien led the Huskies with 16 points and 11 rebounds and A.J. Price and Jerome Dyson had 13 points each.
Notre Dame -ESPN
Saturday, December 8, 2007
Fort Myers Beach, Florida
I moved to Fort Myers Flordia on November 1 2007!
Fort Myers Beach is a town located on Estero Island in Lee County, Florida. The population was 6,561 at the 2000 census. As of 2004, the population recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau is 6,780 .
GeographyFort Myers Beach is located at 26°26-19-N, 81°55-32-W (26.438676, -81.925620)GR1.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 16.0 km (6.2 mi). 7.4 km (2.9 mi) of it is land and 8.5 km (3.3 mi) of it (53.41%) is water. The town is situated across the barrier islands of Estero and San Carlos.
Estero Island and its sister island, San Carlos, make up the community of Fort Myers Beach.
DemographicsAs of the censusGR2 of 2000, there were 6,561 people, 3,425 households, and 2,048 families residing in the town. The population density was 885.7/km (2,290.9/mi). There were 8,429 housing units at an average density of 1,137.9/km (2,943.2/mi). The racial makeup of the town was 97.24% White, 0.08% African American, 0.38% Native American, 0.29% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.99% from other races, and 0.99% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.46% of the population.
There were 3,425 households out of which 7.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.8% were married couples living together, 4.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.2% were non-families. 31.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 1.91 and the average family size was 2.29.
Fishermen wading in Fort Myers Beach, FL . In the town the population was spread out with 7.6% under the age of 18, 3.0% from 18 to 24, 17.2% from 25 to 44, 35.0% from 45 to 64, and 37.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 59 years. For every 100 females there were 98.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.4 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $48,045, and the median income for a family was $62,000. Males had a median income of $31,929 versus $29,375 for females. The per capita income for the town was $34,703. About 3.0% of families and 7.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including none of those under age 18 and 5.8% of those age 65 or over.
Wikipedia - Fort Myers Beach
Fort Myers Beach is a town located on Estero Island in Lee County, Florida. The population was 6,561 at the 2000 census. As of 2004, the population recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau is 6,780 .
GeographyFort Myers Beach is located at 26°26-19-N, 81°55-32-W (26.438676, -81.925620)GR1.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 16.0 km (6.2 mi). 7.4 km (2.9 mi) of it is land and 8.5 km (3.3 mi) of it (53.41%) is water. The town is situated across the barrier islands of Estero and San Carlos.
Estero Island and its sister island, San Carlos, make up the community of Fort Myers Beach.
DemographicsAs of the censusGR2 of 2000, there were 6,561 people, 3,425 households, and 2,048 families residing in the town. The population density was 885.7/km (2,290.9/mi). There were 8,429 housing units at an average density of 1,137.9/km (2,943.2/mi). The racial makeup of the town was 97.24% White, 0.08% African American, 0.38% Native American, 0.29% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.99% from other races, and 0.99% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.46% of the population.
There were 3,425 households out of which 7.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.8% were married couples living together, 4.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.2% were non-families. 31.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 1.91 and the average family size was 2.29.
Fishermen wading in Fort Myers Beach, FL . In the town the population was spread out with 7.6% under the age of 18, 3.0% from 18 to 24, 17.2% from 25 to 44, 35.0% from 45 to 64, and 37.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 59 years. For every 100 females there were 98.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.4 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $48,045, and the median income for a family was $62,000. Males had a median income of $31,929 versus $29,375 for females. The per capita income for the town was $34,703. About 3.0% of families and 7.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including none of those under age 18 and 5.8% of those age 65 or over.
Wikipedia - Fort Myers Beach
Wednesday, December 5, 2007
University Of Notre Dame
The University of Notre Dame is a Catholic institution located in Notre Dame, an unincorporated section of St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States, immediately northeast of the city of South Bend. Notre Dame, meaning "Our Lady" in French, refers to the Virgin Mary. The original and official name of the school is the University of Notre Dame du Lac (Our Lady of the Lake). Notre Dame's campus sits on 1,250 acres (5 km) containing two lakes and 136 buildings.
The school was founded on November 26, 1842, by a 28-year-old priest, the Reverend Edward Sorin, CSC, and six Holy Cross Brothers who were members of the Congregation of Holy Cross, founded in Le Mans, France, in 1837. Recent historical study has shown that the Potawatomi Indians, partly because of the strong faith of Leopold Pokagon, also played an integral role in the founding of Notre Dame, both before and during Sorin's presence in Northern Indiana. Originally Sorin planned to wait out the winter at the South Bend site, notorious for its fierce winter months, and the standing joke is that the Congregation is still waiting for winter to pass.
The University's Catholic character is physically manifest throughout the Notre Dame campus. The Basilica of the Sacred Heart is centrally located on campus. A statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary stands atop the Main Building's dome, there are chapels in every residence hall, and crucifixes in most classrooms on campus. 82% of the student body self-identifies as Catholic.
The Indiana General Assembly granted the school its charter on January 15, 1844, under the name University of Notre Dame du Lac. Though the word Lac is singular, the university's campus actually contains two lakes. According to legend, when Father Sorin arrived to found the school, it was November and everything was frozen. He thought there was only one lake and named the university accordingly.
The school was founded on November 26, 1842, by a 28-year-old priest, the Reverend Edward Sorin, CSC, and six Holy Cross Brothers who were members of the Congregation of Holy Cross, founded in Le Mans, France, in 1837. Recent historical study has shown that the Potawatomi Indians, partly because of the strong faith of Leopold Pokagon, also played an integral role in the founding of Notre Dame, both before and during Sorin's presence in Northern Indiana. Originally Sorin planned to wait out the winter at the South Bend site, notorious for its fierce winter months, and the standing joke is that the Congregation is still waiting for winter to pass.
The University's Catholic character is physically manifest throughout the Notre Dame campus. The Basilica of the Sacred Heart is centrally located on campus. A statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary stands atop the Main Building's dome, there are chapels in every residence hall, and crucifixes in most classrooms on campus. 82% of the student body self-identifies as Catholic.
The Indiana General Assembly granted the school its charter on January 15, 1844, under the name University of Notre Dame du Lac. Though the word Lac is singular, the university's campus actually contains two lakes. According to legend, when Father Sorin arrived to found the school, it was November and everything was frozen. He thought there was only one lake and named the university accordingly.
Private Islands
A private island is a privately owned island. Privately owned islands exist all over the world, and many can be bought. There are many thousands of uninhabited islands in the world with potential for commercial development of tourist resorts or private recreational use. Commercial development of uninhabited islands can bring up ecological concerns, as many have a fragile environment. Some islands can be bought undeveloped, while other include roads and/or houses. Some celebrities like Diana Ross, Tony Curtis and Claudia Schiffer own their own private islands. Many cruise lines own private islands, such as Castaway Cay, which serve as exclusive ports of call for their ships. Others, like Mustique are owned by resort companies which fill them with hotels and leased villas.
There are widely varying politics regarding private islands, for instance islands outside the coast of China cannot be purchased, but only leased from the government with a maximum leasing period of 50 years. Virtually all islands in the world are claimed by the various governments in the world, so the laws of the claiming country would apply and gaining sovereignty would be virtually impossible, but some people still try to set up their own micronations on islands. Since islands can, under international law, only be claimed if they are at least 30 cm above the high tide point, some have even attempted to build sovereign islands, like real-estate millionaire Michael Oliver's attempt at building a libertarian city-state called the Republic of Minerva in the southern Pacific Ocean.
"Private" islands in the United Kingdom, Brazil and other countries are not legally entirely private — any foreshore, such as beaches, is owned by the state, and is hence publicly accessible property, despite what the owners of the land on the island may wish to claim.
According to a BBC's Fast Track report about private islands aired on June 27 2007, buyers must keep in mind:
How far away is the island from the Mainland? A distance of more than 90 minutes is not recommended because of hospitals and other emergency facilities. Is ownership clearly determined? Some countries impose restrictions on foreign ownership, most Asian countries forbid foreigners from owning islands, with the exception of Malaysia. Other countries impose restrictions on development. Few islands are free hold. Is drinking water available? Some islands require desalination plants, which can be very expensive. Is the host country politically stable? Islands in volatile countries are cheaper but the risks are higher.
There are widely varying politics regarding private islands, for instance islands outside the coast of China cannot be purchased, but only leased from the government with a maximum leasing period of 50 years. Virtually all islands in the world are claimed by the various governments in the world, so the laws of the claiming country would apply and gaining sovereignty would be virtually impossible, but some people still try to set up their own micronations on islands. Since islands can, under international law, only be claimed if they are at least 30 cm above the high tide point, some have even attempted to build sovereign islands, like real-estate millionaire Michael Oliver's attempt at building a libertarian city-state called the Republic of Minerva in the southern Pacific Ocean.
"Private" islands in the United Kingdom, Brazil and other countries are not legally entirely private — any foreshore, such as beaches, is owned by the state, and is hence publicly accessible property, despite what the owners of the land on the island may wish to claim.
According to a BBC's Fast Track report about private islands aired on June 27 2007, buyers must keep in mind:
How far away is the island from the Mainland? A distance of more than 90 minutes is not recommended because of hospitals and other emergency facilities. Is ownership clearly determined? Some countries impose restrictions on foreign ownership, most Asian countries forbid foreigners from owning islands, with the exception of Malaysia. Other countries impose restrictions on development. Few islands are free hold. Is drinking water available? Some islands require desalination plants, which can be very expensive. Is the host country politically stable? Islands in volatile countries are cheaper but the risks are higher.
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