Lifestyles of the rich and ruthless

Ok, so it actually is customary for visiting heads of state to exchange gifts. But what do you give the megalomaniac dictator who has been raised from birth to believe he's a demigod? If you've ever wondered if the dictator business is lucrative enough for your tastes, take a gander at this article detailing some of the swag given by foreign dignitaries to North Korean despot Kim Jong-Il. Despite North Korea's image as international pariah, the gifts keep coming in for Kim Jong-Il, and even more remarkably, for his late father Kim Il-Sung who, although quite dead, is still (legally, anyway) North Korea's head of state.

Gifts to "living Kim" and "dead as a doornail Kim" are all housed in the 215,278 square foot, 200 room International Friendship Exhibition, which serves both as a museum and warehouse of all the expensive knicknacks and other gaudy luxury items given as gifts to two of the world's most repressive leaders. For a final laugh, go ahead and compare and contrast the gold plated ashtrays, ivory furniture and blinged out cars given to the Kim dynasty to the average North Korean citizen, who is now making do on fewer calories and less heating fuel than almost anyone else on earth.