Quote:Dennis Rodman back from North Korea trip, world still spinning
By Matt Moore | NBA writer

Quote:Dennis Rodman returned on Saturday from his latest trip to visit North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un, and so far so good, World War III hasn't broken out after The Worm's visit. From the Toronto Sun:

Former U.S. basketball star Dennis Rodman returned on Saturday from his second visit to North Korea this year where he again met the reclusive country's leader Kim Jong-un, but did not come back with jailed American missionary Kenneth Bae.

The flamboyant former NBA star's visit came after North Korea abruptly withdrew its invitation to Robert King, the U.S. special envoy on North Korean human rights issues, who was expected to head to Pyongyang in a bid to secure Bae's release.

Bae, 45, was sentenced to hard labour for 15 years in May for crimes against the state. He had been arrested in November after entering the North with a tour group and his health has been deteriorating since he was imprisoned.

Though there had been speculations that during Rodman's visit the detained American would be released, he said ahead of his visit he was going for "another basketball diplomacy tour".

Wearing his trademark dark sunglasses, the 6-foot 7-inch Rodman emerged at Beijing's international airport, a common waystation for travelers to and from North Korea, with an unlit cigar in his mouth.

"That's not my job to ask about Kenneth Bae. Ask Obama about that. Ask Hillary Clinton," he told a throng of reporters. "I don't give a s--t."

Kim and Rodman spent quality time together by having dinner and watching a basketball game during Rodman's five-day trip, the North's KCNA news agency reported.

The report added Kim warmly welcomed Rodman and had a "cordial talk". Rodman reportedly expressed his thanks to the leader for spending time with him, saying Kim's greeting is "an expression of good faith towards the Americans."

via Dennis Rodman meets with North Korea leader again | Basketball | Sports | Toronto Sun.

On the one hand, hey, it's his life, what's the big deal if he happens to have a friendship with a guy, and that guy just so happens to be the brutal dictator of a country involved in serious tensions with the United States? On the other hand, you read the story of Kim's father, Kim Jong-Il's sushi chef and it makes you really nervous.

Do they search Rodman for bugs to make sure he's not a spy when he gets there? What kind of security checks does he have to clear? Who does he put as a reference? Michael Jordan? Jenny McCarthy? Pearl Jam? (Probably not Madonna. That didn't end well and the Great Leader doesn't seem like a "Material Girl.")

So many questions. I feel like there's a book to be written on this. Of course, you'd be killed trying to write it, but still!

Quote:Dear Leader Dreams of Sushi
North Korea is a mythically strange land, an Absurdistan, where almost nothing is known about the people or, more important, their missile-launching leaders. There is, however, one man—a humble sushi chef from Japan—who infiltrated the inner sanctum, becoming the Dear Leader's cook, confidant, and court jester. What is life like serving Kim Jong-il and his heir? A strange and dangerous gig where the food and drink never stop, the girls are all virgins, and you're never really safe. We sent Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist Adam Johnson to meet the man who survived all the craziness


Read More http://www.gq.com/news-politics/newsmakers/201306/kim-jong-il-sushi-chef-kenji-fujimoto-adam-johnson-2013#ixzz2eEpl2Uoh

(09-08-2013, 06:38 PM)Himm2 Wrote: I would have liked being a fly on the wall in Dennis Rodman's & Carmen Electra's Honeymoon suite.
He lived not too far from me in Northbrook when he played for the Chicago Bulls.