Jay's Imaginary Friend Returns

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br /><div class="MsoNormal">Hola y’all! Time for another discussion with Jay’s Imaginary Friend (IF). <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin01DLK7YT-Ryn4CxI60WLaPfb3lWMG_mStZubtO4zfWpe3UmVNSc5l_foOYYcs4X66DCYKCPo945j6CTlFFe0YsgEb0CxQvV4h8pY6_vloQM3I6myOftq29diyk4iMGQqXu3iEnl5TKI/s1600/Britney-Spears-Boobs-Cleavage-Brunette.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin01DLK7YT-Ryn4CxI60WLaPfb3lWMG_mStZubtO4zfWpe3UmVNSc5l_foOYYcs4X66DCYKCPo945j6CTlFFe0YsgEb0CxQvV4h8pY6_vloQM3I6myOftq29diyk4iMGQqXu3iEnl5TKI/s320/Britney-Spears-Boobs-Cleavage-Brunette.jpg" width="202" /></a>Jay: AHHHHHHHHH YOU FUCKING PIECE OF CRAP! WHAT THE FUCK’S THE PROBLEM! <br />IF: What!? What!? What are you screaming at! <br />Jay: Fucking Words With Friends is telling me that “G-A-M-B” isn’t word. That’s bullshit. <br />IF: I’ve never heard of that word. <br />Jay: Oh, so just because YOOOOOOOO’VE never heard of it, that means it’s a not a word? <br />IF: I didn’t say that, I just … *looks at screen* you played “g-O-m-b” dumb ass. <br />Jay: What? *looks at screen* Oh, let me fix that. *plays “g-a-m-b* See? It works? <br />IF: That’s great. I’m so happy. <br />Jay: Oh, now you’re gonna be a smart ass and not acknowledge that GAMB is a word. <br />IF: I didn’t say it wasn’t. <br />Jay: Uh-huh.  You just don’t want to admit being wrong.<br />IF: Whatever. Why do have to get so mad like that and yell at a computer screen?<br />Jay: I don’t. Just every once in a while. Probably because you’re here. <br />IF: Noooooooo …. You get mad at inanimate objects all the time. <br />Jay: It’s part of my charm. <br />IF: You should work on that. <br />Jay: I don’t really know what you’re talking about.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">IF: Really? As if you weren’t yelling at that <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QnAo1xUWpgY" target="_blank">KIA commercial</a>calling the guy who parked so close to the car next to him that he had to climb out the hatch an ASSHOLE? <br />Jay: He’s TOTALLY an asshole! Now the passenger in the car he parked next to can’t get in her vehicle. <br />IF: How do you know it’s a her? <br />Jay: They’re obviously at a family place, so dad will drive and mom is the passenger. <br />IF: Nice bit of sexism there. <br />Jay: Not sexism, just going with the … <br />IF: STEREOTYPES?<br />Jay: Percentages. <br />IF: Oh please! Anyway, the driver can just back out and HE OR SHE can get in then. No big deal. <br />Jay: They’ll hold up traffic in the parking deck. <br />IF: You don’t know that! <br />Jay: It doesn’t matter, it’s the principal. The guy is OBVIOUSLY an asshole. <br />IF: It’s just a TV commercial! <br />Jay: It reflects society! People are inconsiderate assholes and they’re celebrating that fact. <br />IF: Or, they made the commercial so people would see it and get mad at the rudeness and be sure not to act that way. <br />Jay: *rolls eyes* They’re not that fucking clever. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5IzD7sHMUoFuZZsgI5dZses1u4MKJiNKL4GUcgFdXQVKuk11OGple77HbRSCAhT9P5rG25VCDkn7PaDO0Z7T5Zq4SKiFz9YQHQHIbk8y1KvRrumNmxu-96osSw1PBeLMoTi826sZkNvY/s1600/Jarah+Mariano+Hot+Nude+Bikini.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5IzD7sHMUoFuZZsgI5dZses1u4MKJiNKL4GUcgFdXQVKuk11OGple77HbRSCAhT9P5rG25VCDkn7PaDO0Z7T5Zq4SKiFz9YQHQHIbk8y1KvRrumNmxu-96osSw1PBeLMoTi826sZkNvY/s320/Jarah+Mariano+Hot+Nude+Bikini.jpg" width="225" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal">IF: You’re just so negative all the time. <br />Jay: No I’m not. <br />IF: *sigh* Yes you are. <br />Jay: *sigh* Only when you’re here to bug the shit out of me. <br />IF: That’s not a very nice thing to say. <br />Jay: I’m not a very nice guy. <br />IF: No wonder you lose Facebook friends all the time. <br />Jay: That’s not really a good indication of anything. <br />IF: Why is that? <br />Jay: Because I don’t actually know most of the people who have de-friended me. <br />IF: MOST? <br />Jay: Almost all. <br />IF: A couple of them you did know? <br />Jay: Yeah, but one de-friended me when I made fun of Chick-fil-A, so that doesn’t count. <br />IF: Why not? <br />Jay: Because de-friending over political views is childish and stupid. <br />IF: But, don’t you want people to like you?<br />Jay: I don’t really have any control over that. <br />IF: Sure you do. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Jay: OH GODDAMMITFUCKSHIT! FUUUUUUUUUCK!<br />IF: OMG! What?<br />Jay: I left my phone in my car. <br />IF: See? That’s what I’m talking about! <br />Jay: What? <br />IF: There’s no reason to get all angry. <br />Jay: I’m not. <br />IF: There’s no reason to use that language. <br />Jay: Sure there. I need to express my annoyance sometimes. <br />IF: Annoyance with your phone for being in the car?<br />Jay: Yes. <br />IF: Or for the guy who left it in the car. <br />Jay: Oh you’re a fucking psychologist now?<br />IF: I think I’m on to something. <br />Jay: Or just ON something. <br />IF: Not like anyone is gonna call you anyway. <br />Jay: Fuck you. <br />IF: Ohhh … someone’s kinda touchy. <br />Jay: It’s time for you to go away. <br />IF: I don’t think so. <br />Jay: Oh I do think so cause I’m about to actually get angry. <br />IF: We’ll finish this discussion when you’re being reasonable. <br />Jay: That’ll be next NEVER. <br />IF: Fine. I’ll leave. Hurt and upset as usual. <br />Jay: Whatever. <br />IF: By the way … You have a typo right there *points at screen*<br />Jay: OHGODDAMNMOTHERFUCKINGASSHOLEBULLSHITFUCKER! <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="mailto:Jayman3768@gmail.com">Jayman3768@gmail.com</a><br /><a href="http://www.twitter.com/jayman_iws" target="_blank">@Jayman_IWS </a><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p><br /></o:p></div></div>

Jay's Imaginary Friend Returns

Hola y’all! Time for another discussion with Jay’s Imaginary Friend (IF). Jay: AHHHHHHHHH YOU FUCKING PIECE OF CRAP! WHAT THE FUCK’S THE PRO...

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Experts 'appalled' by CPR policy at retirement home - USA Today

The death of an 87-year-old woman who did not receive CPR in her central California retirement community was a tragedy waiting to happen, long-term care housing experts say.<br /><br><br /><br>A nurse at Glenwood Gardens in Bakersfield, Calif., refused to give Lorraine Bayless CPR after she collapsed last Tuesday in the dining room and was barely breathing. The nurse called 911 for help, saying it was against the facility's policy for staff to give CPR.<br /><br><br /><br>"It's a human being," dispatcher Tracey Halvorson says on a 911 tape released Sunday by the Bakersfield Fire Department. It was aired by many media outlets Monday.<br /><br><br /><br>"Is there anybody that's willing to help this lady and not let her die?"<br /><br><br /><br>"Um, not at this time,'' the nurse said. Bayless was declared dead at Mercy Southwest Hospital later Tuesday.<br /><br><br /><br>"I was appalled to hear of a policy at a facility that will not give CPR,'' says Robyn Grant, director of public relations and advocacy for The National Consumer Voice for Quality Longterm Care. "Who knew? I guess this has never come up before, but it will from now on. It's an incredible tragedy."<br /><br><br /><br>Bayless' daughter told KGET-TV she is a nurse and was pleased with her mother's care. The station also reported Bayless did not have a "do not resuscitate" order on file.<br /><br><br /><br>The executive director of Glenwood Gardens, Jeffrey Toomer, defended the nurse's actions, saying she did indeed follow policy.<br /><br><br /><br>"In the event of a health emergency at this independent living community our practice is to immediately call emergency medical personnel for assistance and to wait with the individual needing attention until such personnel arrives," Toomer said in a written statement. "That is the protocol we followed."<br /><br><br /><br>Toomer said a "thorough internal review" of the incident would be conducted. Bakersfield police are also conducting an investigation.<br /><br><br /><br>Toomer told KGET that residents of the home's independent living community are informed of the "no-CPR" policy and agree to it when they move in.<br /><br><br /><br>The policy does not apply at the adjacent assisted living and skilled nursing facilities. Those residents would have received CPR in identical circumstances.<br /><br><br /><br>Calls by USA TODAY to Toomer and parent company Brookdale Senior Living, which operates long-term care facilities in 36 states, were not returned. Glenwood Gardens' website says Brookdale facilities are listed among the top 2012 choices for senior living and nursing homes, on lists by CNN and U.S. News & World Report.<br /><br><br /><br>"This speaks to the fact that consumers have to be extremely vigilant when selecting independent living and assisted living care,'' Grant says. "It's really hard when you're looking for care and reading these contracts to understand every word. We suggest people take them to an attorney to understand the responsibilities of the facilities."<br /><br><br /><br>At many of the nation's retirement communities, the cost of the care is based on how much medical assistance is required. Both assisted living and skilled nursing care are more expensive than independent living.<br /><br><br /><br>"There's already a level of stress when you're looking for care because of costs involved and for many other reasons,'' Grant says. "I think it puts a harsh burden on seniors and needs to be more clear."<br /><br><br /><br>"The nursing home industry is the Wild West of health care, the most poorly regulated, with typically the most vulnerable of patients, and a high concentration of for-profit operators,'' says Chuck Idelson, spokesman for the California Nurses Association. "It's an area ripe for abuse, and greater public oversight is surely needed."<br /><br><br /><br>Not all facilities have the same policy, however. At Erickson Living, an effort would have been made to save Bayless, says Dan Dunne, director of communications for the company, which has retirement facilities in nine states.<br /><br><br /><br>"All of our communities have first responders who are trained to provide emergency care, including CPR whenever and wherever necessary," he says.<br /><br><br /><br>Grant questions the facility's response when the dispatcher is heard on the tape pleading with the nurse to find someone to do CPR.<br /><br><br /><br>"I hate to judge anyone who might be worried about losing a job in this economy,'' Grant says, "but you'd really hope human decency would stand above policy."<br /><br><br /><br>In the tape, the nurse could be heard talking to someone else at the facility.<br /><br><br /><br>"She's yelling at me," she said of dispatcher Halvorson, "and saying we have to have one of our residents perform CPR. I'm feeling stressed, and I'm not going to do that, make that call."<br /><br><br /><br>When Halvorson asked the nurse if she was going to let the woman die, the nurse said, "That's why we called 911."<br /><br><br /><br>When people are selecting longterm care, they need to read the fine print "and separate reality from the advertising pitch saying 'we'll take care of you','' says David Dosa, an associate professor of medicine at Brown University.<br /><br><br /><br><a href="http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/03/04/cpr-refusal-woman-dies/1961407/">http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/03/04/cpr-refusal-woman-dies/1961407/</a>

Experts 'appalled' by CPR policy at retirement home - USA Today

The death of an 87-year-old woman who did not receive CPR in her central California retirement community was a tragedy waiting to happen, lo...

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Monday, Monday

<span style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.archidose.org/wp/">A Weekly Dose of Architecture</a> Updates:</span><br /><br />This week's dose features the <a href="http://archidose.org/wp/2013/03/04/lyce%CC%81e-re%CC%81gional-rene%CC%81-goscinny/">Lycée Régional René Goscinny</a> in Drap, France, by José Morales with Rémy Marciano:<br /><a href="http://archidose.org/wp/2013/03/04/lyce%CC%81e-re%CC%81gional-rene%CC%81-goscinny/"><img alt="this week's dose" src="http://archidose.org/wp/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/Mar13-04.jpg" title="This week's dose" width="640" /></a><br /><br />The featured past dose is <a href="http://archidose.org/wp/2011/12/12/m3a2-cultural-and-community-tower/">M3A2 - Cultural and Community Tower</a> in Paris, France by Antonini + Darmon Architectes:<br /><a href="http://archidose.org/wp/2011/12/12/m3a2-cultural-and-community-tower/"><img alt="this week's dose" src="http://archidose.org/wp/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/Dec11-12-1024x682.jpg" title="featured past dose" width="640" /></a><br /><br />This week's book review is <a href="http://archidose.org/wp/2013/03/04/grand-central-gateway-to-a-million-lives/"><i>Grand Central: Gateway to a Million Lives</i></a> by John Belle and Maxinne R. Leighton (L):<br /><a href="http://archidose.org/wp/2013/03/04/grand-central-gateway-to-a-million-lives/"><img alt="this week's book review" height="300" src="http://archidose.org/wp/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/grand-central.jpg" title="This week's book review" /></a> <a href="http://archidose.org/wp/2004/05/07/louis-i-kahns-trenton-jewish-community-center/"><img alt="this week's book review" height="300" src="http://archidose.org/wp/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/trenton.jpg" title="This week's book review" /></a><br />(R): The featured past book review is <a href="http://archidose.org/wp/2004/05/07/louis-i-kahns-trenton-jewish-community-center/"><i>Louis I. Kahn’s Trenton Jewish Community Center</i></a> by Susan G. Solomon.<br /><br />: : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : :<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">American-Architects <a href="http://www.american-architects.com/en/pages/50x50">Building of the Week</a>:</span><br /><br /><a href="http://www.american-architects.com/en/projects/project-review-detail/40154_unf_student_wellness_complex">UNF Student Wellness Complex</a> in Jacksonville, Florida, by (r)evolution architecture:<br /><a href="http://www.american-architects.com/en/projects/project-review-detail/40154_unf_student_wellness_complex"><img alt="this week's Building of the Week" src="http://files3.world-architects.com/projects/40154/images/900:w/UNFStudentWellnessComplex_1.jpg" title="Current Building of the Week on american-architects.com" width="640" /></a>

Monday, Monday

A Weekly Dose of Architecture Updates: This week's dose features the Lycée Régional René Goscinny in Drap, France, by José Morales...

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How American Health Care Killed My Father - David Goldhill - The Atlantic

<base href="data:"><i>After the needless death of his father, the author, a business executive, began a personal exploration of a health-care industry that for years has delivered poor service and irregular quality at astonishingly high cost. It is a system, he argues, that is not worth preserving in anything like its current form. And the health-care reform now being contemplated will not fix it. Here's a radical solution to an agonizing problem.</i><br><br>By DAVID GOLDHILL<br><br>ALMOST TWO YEARS ago, my father was killed by a hospital-borne infection in the intensive-care unit of a well-regarded nonprofit hospital in New York City. Dad had just turned 83, and he had a variety of the ailments common to men of his age. But he was still working on the day he walked into the hospital with pneumonia. Within 36 hours, he had developed sepsis. Over the next five weeks in the ICU, a wave of secondary infections, also acquired in the hospital, overwhelmed his defenses. My dad became a statistic—merely one of the roughly 100,000 Americans whose deaths are caused or influenced by infections picked up in hospitals. One hundred thousand deaths: more than double the number of people killed in car crashes, five times the number killed in homicides, 20 times the total number of our armed forces killed in Iraq and Afghanistan. Another victim in a building American tragedy.<br><br>About a week after my father's death, The New Yorker ran an article by Atul Gawande profiling the efforts of Dr. Peter Pronovost to reduce the incidence of fatal hospital-borne infections. Pronovost's solution? A simple checklist of ICU protocols governing physician hand-washing and other basic sterilization procedures. Hospitals implementing Pronovost's checklist had enjoyed almost instantaneous success, reducing hospital-infection rates by two-thirds within the first three months of its adoption. But many physicians rejected the checklist as an unnecessary and belittling bureaucratic intrusion, and many hospital executives were reluctant to push it on them. The story chronicled Pronovost's travels around the country as he struggled to persuade hospitals to embrace his reform.<br><br>It was a heroic story, but to me, it was also deeply unsettling. How was it possible that Pronovost needed to beg hospitals to adopt an essentially cost-free idea that saved so many lives? Here's an industry that loudly protests the high cost of liability insurance and the injustice of our tort system and yet needs extensive lobbying to embrace a simple technique to save up to 100,000 people.<br><br>And what about us—the patients? How does a nation that might close down a business for a single illness from a suspicious hamburger tolerate the carnage inflicted by our hospitals? And not just those 100,000 deaths. In April, a Wall Street Journal story suggested that blood clots following surgery or illness, the leading cause of preventable hospital deaths in the U.S., may kill nearly 200,000 patients per year. How did Americans learn to accept hundreds of thousands of deaths from minor medical mistakes as an inevitability?<br><br>My survivor's grief has taken the form of an obsession with our health-care system. For more than a year, I've been reading as much as I can get my hands on, talking to doctors and patients, and asking a lot of questions.<br><br>Keeping Dad company in the hospital for five weeks had left me befuddled. How can a facility featuring state-of-the-art diagnostic equipment use less-sophisticated information technology than my local sushi bar? How can the ICU stress the importance of sterility when its trash is picked up once daily, and only after flowing onto the floor of a patient's room? Considering the importance of a patient's frame of mind to recovery, why are the rooms so cheerless and uncomfortable? In whose interest is the bizarre scheduling of hospital shifts, so that a five-week stay brings an endless string of new personnel assigned to a patient's care? Why, in other words, has this technologically advanced hospital missed out on the revolution in quality control and customer service that has swept all other consumer-facing industries in the past two generations?<br><br>I'm a businessman, and in no sense a health-care expert. But the persistence of bad industry practices—from long lines at the doctor's office to ever-rising prices to astonishing numbers of preventable deaths—seems beyond all normal logic, and must have an underlying cause. There needs to be a business reasonwhy an industry, year in and year out, would be able to get away with poor customer service, unaffordable prices, and uneven results—a reason my father and so many others are unnecessarily killed.<br><br>Like every grieving family member, I looked for someone to blame for my father's death. But my dad's doctors weren't incompetent—on the contrary, his hospital physicians were smart, thoughtful, and hard-working. Nor is he dead because of indifferent nursing—without exception, his nurses were dedicated and compassionate. Nor from financial limitations—he was a Medicare patient, and the issue of expense was never once raised. There were no greedy pharmaceutical companies, evil health insurers, or other popular villains in his particular tragedy.<br><br>Indeed, I suspect that our collective search for villains—for someone to blame—has distracted us and our political leaders from addressing the fundamental causes of our nation's health-care crisis. All of the actors in health care—from doctors to insurers to pharmaceutical companies—work in a heavily regulated, massively subsidized industry full of structural distortions. They all want to serve patients well. But they also all behave rationally in response to the economic incentives those distortions create. Accidentally, but relentlessly, America has built a health-care system with incentives that inexorably generate terrible and perverse results. Incentives that emphasize health care over any other aspect of health and well-being. That emphasize treatment over prevention. That disguise true costs. That favor complexity, and discourage transparent competition based on price or quality. That result in a generational pyramid scheme rather than sustainable financing. And that—most important—remove consumers from our irreplaceable role as the ultimate ensurer of value.<br><br>These are the impersonal forces, I've come to believe, that explain why things have gone so badly wrong in health care, producing the national dilemma of runaway costs and poorly covered millions. The problems I've explored in the past year hardly count as breakthrough discoveries—health-care experts undoubtedly view all of them as old news. But some experts, it seems, have come to see many of these problems as inevitable in any health-care system—as conditions to be patched up, papered over, or worked around, but not problems to be solved.<br><br>That's the premise behind today's incremental approach to health-care reform. Though details of the legislation are still being negotiated, its principles are a reprise of previous reforms—addressing access to health care by expanding government aid to those without adequate insurance, while attempting to control rising costs through centrally administered initiatives. Some of the ideas now on the table may well be sensible in the context of our current system. But fundamentally, the "comprehensive" reform being contemplated merely cements in place the current system—insurance-based, employment-centered, administratively complex. It addresses the underlying causes of our health-care crisis only obliquely, if at all; indeed, by extending the current system to more people, it will likely increase the ultimate cost of true reform.<br><br>I'm a Democrat, and have long been concerned about America's lack of a health safety net. But based on my own work experience, I also believe that unless we fix the problems at the foundation of our health system—largely problems of incentives—our reforms won't do much good, and may do harm. To achieve maximum coverage at acceptable cost with acceptable quality, health care will need to become subject to the same forces that have boosted efficiency and value throughout the economy. We will need to reduce, rather than expand, the role of insurance; focus the government's role exclusively on things that only government can do (protect the poor, cover us against true catastrophe, enforce safety standards, and ensure provider competition); overcome our addiction to Ponzi-scheme financing, hidden subsidies, manipulated prices, and undisclosed results; and rely more on ourselves, the consumers, as the ultimate guarantors of good service, reasonable prices, and sensible trade-offs between health-care spending and spending on all the other good things money can buy.<br><br>These ideas stand well outside the emerging political consensus about reform. So before exploring alternative policies, let's reexamine our basic assumptions about health care—what it actually is, how it's financed, its accountability to patients, and finally its relationship to the eternal laws of supply and demand. Everyone I know has at least one personal story about how screwed up our health-care system is; before spending (another) $1trillion or so on reform, we need a much clearer understanding of the causes of the problems we all experience.<div><br></div><div>More ...<br><br><a href="http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2009/09/how-american-health-care-killed-my-father/307617/?single_page=true">http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2009/09/how-american-health-care-killed-my-father/307617/?single_page=true</a></div><div><br></div><div>Book:</div><div><br></div><div><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Catastrophic-Care-American-Health-Father/dp/0307961540">http://www.amazon.com/Catastrophic-Care-American-Health-Father/dp/0307961540</a><br><br></div>

How American Health Care Killed My Father - David Goldhill - The Atlantic

After the needless death of his father, the author, a business executive, began a personal exploration of a health-care industry that for ye...

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Jerusalem, My Happy Home: Part 7

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QFormat="true" Name="TOC Heading"/> </w:LatentStyles></xml><![endif]--> <!--[if gte mso 10]><style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:Calibri;} </style><![endif]--> <!--StartFragment--> <br /><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14.0pt;">“I am just going over Jordan.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14.0pt;"> I am just going over home.”    <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14.0pt;">                                           -- Wayfaring Stranger <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14.0pt;">By modern transportation, all of Israel isn’t that big, but on foot or even donkey, the area of the Jordan River where John did his baptizing was quite a hike from Jerusalem where most of his folks came from. It was even further for Cousin Jesus tramping down from Nazareth. Besides, how did they find him? No GPS. Not even a flashing sigh. It wouldn’t have been easy. You had to go looking for John the Baptist in a harsh land.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14.0pt;">Holiness in Antiquity was not conveniently located for the spiritual shopper. It was something you had to go after and you had to be serious. It was the same with holy places in other religions too. They were remote and inaccessible. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14.0pt;">The Jordan in the baptizing area is nothing to shout about. It isn’t big. It is narrow and muddy. When Elisha told Naaman of Aram to wash in the Jordan to heal his leprosy, Naaman thought he was a quack. Rivers in Aram were at least clean. This part of the Jordan is one of the lowest points on Earth, just north of the Dead Sea – a highly unlikely place for God to descend into our humanity. Our God is a God of surprises.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14.0pt;">At the Jordan we renewed our Baptismal Vows today and received asperges from Brother Mark. Do I feel different? I’m not sure that’s the point – but to answer the question, well, yeah, I do. It will take me awhile to sort out just how. This place was closed off by the Israeli government for a while, but was reopened thanks to the diplomacy of Benedict XVI. You weren’t my favorite Pope, Ben, but thanks for making today possible.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14.0pt;">From the Jordan, Jesus went into “the wilderness.” Today we drove up a mountain to overlook the area where Jesus went on his vision quest. It is vast and open like the American West. The hills roll like Idaho but are barren like Nevada – even more barren – no sagebrush, no scrub pine. Really barren. The wind blows.  The loneliness is overpowering. How much loneliness must we face in order to meet God? And is meeting Satan on the way an inevitable part of the journey?<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14.0pt;">We saw the Jordan and the Wilderness of the Temptation this afternoon. We saw the Mountain of Temptation too – the one where Satan invited Jesus to jump  -- but that struck me as pretty unlikely. It had a wall on top that would have been there in Jesus’ day. I think someone just picked that one at random. And we visited Jericho, the oldest continuously inhabited city in the world, the place where Jesus had dinner with the sinner, Zacchaeus, and healed blind Bartimaeus, author of the Jesus Prayer, which has carried me through my darkest hours, on his way out of town.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14.0pt;">But our day began in the North at the Sea of Galilee. We visited two places in that region where Jesus did most of his teaching. First, we visited a church marking the supposed place where Jesus multiplied the loaves and fishes. Second, we visited a church on the shore of Galilee commemorating the place where the Risen Lord appeared for the last time in the Gospel of John, the one where Jesus cooked the disciples a fish breakfast. More about that resurrection appearance in a moment. But first I want to note something about the altars in both those churches. At the Multiplication of Food church, the altar was built over a large stone that jutted up through the floor immediately under the altar. At the Fish Breakfast Church, an even larger stone came up through the floor in front of the altar. Assuming the stone was there first, it appears the altar was deliberately placed behind it, just as the altar had been quite intentionally built over the rock in the first church.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14.0pt;">No one could explain those rocks to me. But from what I have been reading of the history of Jerusalem, a city built around an ancient sacred rock, I expect those rocks are significant. These two spots may have been where Israelites in the 8^th Century were offering sacrifices, much to the distress of southern prophets like Jeremiah who insisted the only proper place for sacrifice was Jerusalem. The rock in the South was holier than the ones in the North. But I would imagine that the Jews were not the first to offer sacrifice on these stones. Their Canaanite predecessors had been offering sacrifice there for thousands of years before Abraham left Ur. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14.0pt;">Does that corrupt the holy place? Or does it tie it into something older and deeper in the human story than we can find in a written record. In JMHP, Part 6, I said sacred geography is a matter of finding places to ground the events in our sacred story. But there is also an argument, perhaps a better argument, that we weave our sacred stories abound places that were holy and we experienced them as holy before the story was crafted. Perhaps some late Stone Age person sensed the divine at these stones. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14.0pt;">All of which I somehow associate with an Apache Cross that hangs in my office. In the center of the cross, instead of a corpus, a stone is held by strong thread. Rock of Ages cleft for me.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14.0pt;">It was wonderful to be at Galilee again this morning, to go down to the beach, to touch the water. It recalled for me the first sermon I gave in New York. It was at Holy Apostles, Chelsea – and it was on this text, the last resurrection appearance in John. I can’t begin to say how much I love this text. Here’s why:<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14.0pt;">It has been said that in John, “Jesus’ feet never quite touch the ground.” He is a very lofty sort of character, way more God than man. In the crucifixion, he is not tortured so much as elevated. He reigns from the cross. Then in the resurrection, he is just sublime each time he appears. He is on spiritual steroids. Then the Gospel of John ends. Fini. Complete. The End. The curtain comes down.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14.0pt;">Then the curtain comes back up. And another thing: one more resurrection appearance. This time Jesus shows up as an old guy on the beach, a crusty old fisherman who knows the sea. He calls out “Children, (I love that) caught anything?” They don’t recognize him. He doesn’t look the same. He’s old and talks like a fisherman. “Nah,” they say. “Try the other side of the boat,” he calls back like he knows the tricks of fishing these waters. They do and catch 153 fish but the net doesn’t break. So they hurry to shore to meet Jesus but he doesn’t talk about “I and the father are one” or about being in the father and the disciples being in him so that the disciples are in the Father and then there’s the Spirit of Truth in there somewhere along with being born from above, etc. etc. He says, “Let’s cook up some of those fish,” and he does – he cooks the fish. Jesus finally comes to earth. Great text. It’s a whole theological trip to say why that finally happened in John. I argued lo those many years ago it had to do with the Johannine Community being put out of the synagogue and having to find their religions not so much in their heads as in their daily lives.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14.0pt;">The day had one more thing that was just weird to me – and one thing that was quite good. The weird thing was Mount Tabor, the Mount of the Transfiguration. Let me say first off: the Transfiguration is big in my religion – aesthetic theology, God as Beauty, Beauty as the chief attribute of God (Jonathan Edwards, Gregory of Nyssa, David Bentley Hart). I am with the Eastern Tradition in seeing it as a High Holy Day theologically. I love the dharmadatu holy light in the Jesus story. Plus August 6 is the Feast of the Transfiguration, Hiroshima Day, the anniversary of my ordination, and my elder daughter’s wedding anniversary. Big day at our house. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14.0pt;">The drive up Mt. Tabor was long and winding. Tabor is beautiful. The view from Tabor is beautiful – looking out over the Jezreel Valley to the mountains on the other side including Carmel up to the North. This was surely the place for a theophany. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14.0pt;">But the turning point of the story is when oafish Peter says, “Let’s build three shrines – one to you (Jesus), one to Moses, and one to Elijah.” God shows up and says, “This is my beloved Son,” Moses and Elijah disappear, and there is no more talk of shrines. Well, you guessed it: they built a church on top of Mt. Tabor, with Jesus in the middle and chapels for Mosel and Elijah on each side. The church was as elegant as I’ve ever seen in its architecture and some of the religious art was exquisite but there was also a lot of art that was exactly what Thomas Merton decried in his essay on bad Catholic art. It included four mosaics of moments in the Jesus story revealing his divinity. Each mosaic had angels with their eyes rolling back in their heads as if they were having seizures. The Revelation one had a lamb lying on an open Bible. Now add this: the church and its art are from the 1920s funded by Italian fascists. It was all just creepy and left me with a real sense of the Church just not getting it. If the church is founded on the rock of Peter and Peter is the chief example of not getting it, then I suppose it’s to be expected.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14.0pt;">On the up side, I had been wanting something more academic in the program, and we got that tonight – a very good lecture by a double doc on Abraham. He will be our guide tomorrow to the Oaks of Mamre, Hebron, etc. So geek that I am, I’ll get some of my nerd needs met.<o:p></o:p></span></div><!--EndFragment-->

Jerusalem, My Happy Home: Part 7

“I am just going over Jordan.  I am just going over home.”                                               -- Wayfaring Stranger ...

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Did I Tell You?

<br />It's a girl!!<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSc05qOvRcY-DyBq1pGKLbZ1yuK39w-FnVoY_HTiaYd1SNXHhdqmwMnpynvdZZrjnFv-rOxY4xV-3X48SzUzOmUDrlFiz2DZjjVOAw_QUVwPw-T4zsPkOSEETDDN4-TNmPUysrIsAShto/s1600/baby+busbee+12+wks+no+PII.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="276" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSc05qOvRcY-DyBq1pGKLbZ1yuK39w-FnVoY_HTiaYd1SNXHhdqmwMnpynvdZZrjnFv-rOxY4xV-3X48SzUzOmUDrlFiz2DZjjVOAw_QUVwPw-T4zsPkOSEETDDN4-TNmPUysrIsAShto/s400/baby+busbee+12+wks+no+PII.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">12 weeks</td></tr></tbody></table> Yes, we are having ourselves a sweet, little lady.  Now, obviously there has to be a story that goes along with this.  As Joel would say, "You can't simply give the facts - you have to tell it as a 'story'".  I like to think of it as a gift!<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Cutting to the chase, however, I did want a boy.  We both did.  In fact, I'd always said that should I ever get pregnant one day, I was convinced that I would only make boys.  I like boy things and I love the idea of having a mommy's boy.  I love my little almost-2 year old nephew so much (not that I don't also love my niece, but he is just special to me as a little man!) and felt such a repoire with him - I felt like I would only ever produce boys.  Yes, I know this is crazy-talk.  I know we don't get to pick and choose!  But, I was dreamin'!<br /><br />Even after learning of the pregnancy, I was still convinced it was a boy.  During my last appointment for 2012, the doctor said I could learn the gender on February 4, and the countdown began!  I could not WAIT.  I was so anxious the day of the appointment that Joel had to take a break from holding my hand because of how sweaty it was.  I warned him it would get slick :).<br /><br />The ultrasound tech began to perform the full anatomy scan as we anxiously awaited our fate.  Joel and I both discussed ahead of time that since we didn't want to have a child in the first place, it would probably be a girl since we especially wanted a boy!  Yes, the G-man continues to test us and remind us that this is <b>His </b>plan, not ours!  Sure enough, our lady confirmed the gender as a girl.  Joel said the moisture from my hands was immediately sucked dry and the look on my face was somber.  Yeah, it's true.  I cried during the ultrasound. <br /><br />I had the boy's life already planned for him - the bedding/theme picked out.  His name.  All of his little clothes I couldn't wait to get for him.  I wouldn't even so much as glance at girl stuff in the stores because I just KNEW we were having a boy.  Wrong!<br /><br />After the u/s appt was over, I had my monthly appointment immediately following it, where they confirmed that the baby looked as it should for this timeframe, and that because she was so active they had a hard time accounting for all her fingers and toes.  The tech literally could not count each individual digit because of how active she was.  Still, I'm not worried about her, and if she comes out with a finger or toe missing - then we'll count our blessings!  Worse things could happen.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtzBmfKbCH9dQIykYCCIaQ9gxfUE2C0gTcahuiZbUGLPR9F2iyQjZnO-N1Lek4RTJgdWkXkpeUVuJ6fxfS_Gl95qCbX8nvZbUvnrQpiRwENrIbbKfeKcIJkuiyrlgyorEdZ7IO9CjNv4I/s1600/baby+girl+20+weeks+2+no+PII.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="330" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtzBmfKbCH9dQIykYCCIaQ9gxfUE2C0gTcahuiZbUGLPR9F2iyQjZnO-N1Lek4RTJgdWkXkpeUVuJ6fxfS_Gl95qCbX8nvZbUvnrQpiRwENrIbbKfeKcIJkuiyrlgyorEdZ7IO9CjNv4I/s400/baby+girl+20+weeks+2+no+PII.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">20 weeks - I <3 her so much already :)</td></tr></tbody></table>Joel tried his best to cheer me up.  Initially, I said that once we found out that we were, in fact, having a boy, that we would stop by Carter's on the way home so I could pick up some crab-themed outfits <i>(Joel is from Maryland - the blue crab capital of the world! - and hence the baby's to-be theme)</i>.  I just didn't have it in me to go to Carter's to shop for girl clothes, but Joel convinced me we had to.  And as we walked into the store, there on a display table right directly in front of us was a little gift from God: little girl outfits with both crabs and fish all over them<i> (Joel is a HUGE fisherman - he has his own <a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/jbusbee83?feature=watch">fishing YouTube channel</a> - and this was part of the fantasy of having a boy - so that he could be his daddy's fishing buddy.  Yes I know girl's can fish too.  But a fantasy is a fantasy.)</i>.  I was SO happy!  You have to realize that I've been in Carter's several times just fantasy shopping since we found out about the pregnancy, and I have NEVER seen these outfits there before.  We literally bought every single thing  that had a fish or crab on it for our daughter.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYUi6hteM4zGfjtPoYxgZynAxL3UGi6DEm1vAr2j0oMInt3TVHpsMCQ88N5_Ec9m3ceBz9ZJbZqLG2kr6zkO7tSLpnNfZYFZ0wV3kHkHsOwSdDNpd1toVo4J8JtCH1I6CJ_1t0BQ6mVhY/s1600/baby+buzz+23+weeks.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYUi6hteM4zGfjtPoYxgZynAxL3UGi6DEm1vAr2j0oMInt3TVHpsMCQ88N5_Ec9m3ceBz9ZJbZqLG2kr6zkO7tSLpnNfZYFZ0wV3kHkHsOwSdDNpd1toVo4J8JtCH1I6CJ_1t0BQ6mVhY/s400/baby+buzz+23+weeks.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">24 weeks</td></tr></tbody></table>Now that more time has passed, and I've had the opportunity to do a little more shopping for the little lady, I'm much more excited about our future with her.  She already has a nicely stocked closet filled with clothes, and I've been slowly buying diapers in all sizes.  Plus, every single day the little lady is hard at work squirming around in there - and it's such a comfort feeling her movements throughout the day.  Joel has not yet been able to feel her (I'm now 24 weeks) but hopefully it won't be long before he can!   <br /><br /><b><span style="color: #674ea7;">What was your favorite part about being pregnant?  What was your reaction when you found out what you were having?</span></b><br />

Baby Busbee Did I Tell You?

It's a girl!! 12 weeks  Yes, we are having ourselves a sweet, little lady.  Now, obviously there has to be a story that goes along with ...

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Britney Spears "So Excited" for Sister Jamie Lynn Spears' Engagement

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><img alt="Britney Spears; Jamie Lynn Spears" src="http://www.usmagazine.com/uploads/assets/articles/60738-britney-spears-so-excited-for-sister-jamie-lynn-spears-engagement/1362406895_britney-spears-jamie-lynn-spears-lg.jpg" /><br /><br /><div data-action="Zoom" data-category="Article" data-label="0" id="article-image" style="border: 0px; float: left; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px 19px 17px 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 240px;"><span class="caption" style="border: 0px; clear: both; color: #999999; display: block; font-size: 10px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Britney Spears; Jamie Lynn Spears</span><span class="caption" style="border: 0px; clear: both; color: #999999; display: block; font-size: 10px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Credit: Jamie McCarthy/Getty; Chris Polk/FilmMagic</span></div><div data-action="Contextual" data-category="Article" data-track-tags="a" id="article-body" style="border: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><div style="border: 0px; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 20px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><strong style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a href="http://www.usmagazine.com/celebrities/britney-spears" style="border: 0px; color: #009bd5; font-size: 1.1em; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">Britney Spears</a></strong> is ready to walk down the aisle again after all -- as a bridesmaid, that is. Over the weekend, the pop superstar's baby sister <a href="http://www.usmagazine.com/celebrities/jamie-lynn-spears" style="border: 0px; color: #009bd5; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank"><strong style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Jamie Lynn Spears</strong></a> took to Twitter and Instagram to announce her <a href="http://www.usmagazine.com/celebrity-news/news/jamie-lynn-spears-engaged-to-jamie-watson-see-her-ring-19693112" style="border: 0px; color: #009bd5; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">engagement to Jamie Watson</a>, her boyfriend of three years.</div><div style="border: 0px; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 20px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a href="http://www.usmagazine.com/celebrity-news/pictures/2012s-celebrity-engagements-2012312" style="border: 0px; color: #009bd5; font-size: 1.1em; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">PHOTOS: Biggest celeb engagements of the year</a></div><div style="border: 0px; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 20px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">"So excited and happy for my sister," Britney, 31, <a href="https://twitter.com/britneyspears" style="border: 0px; color: #009bd5; font-size: 1.1em; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">tweeted</a> past midnight on Monday (March 3). "Congrats @jamielynnspears - love you." Jamie Lynn shared her dazzling engagement ring with her Instagram followers and praised her hubby-to-be's selection: "He did good."</div><div style="border: 0px; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 20px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a href="http://www.usmagazine.com/celebrity-news/pictures/see-at-what-age-stars-got-engaged-20091812/" style="border: 0px; color: #009bd5; font-size: 1.1em; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">PHOTOS: Stars too young to wed?</a></div><div style="border: 0px; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 20px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">The wedding news may be somewhat bittersweet for first-time bride Jamie Lynn's famous older sister. Britney and love<strong style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> Jason Trawick </strong><a href="http://www.usmagazine.com/celebrity-news/news/britney-spears-fiance-jason-trawick-split-19693112" style="border: 0px; color: #009bd5; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">broke off their engagement back in January</a>; the "Criminal" singer has been wed twice before -- to pal <strong style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Jason Alexander</strong> (for 55 hours!) and <a href="http://www.usmagazine.com/celebrities/kevin-federline" style="border: 0px; color: #009bd5; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank"><strong style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Kevin Federline</strong></a>, with whom she has two kids.</div><div style="border: 0px; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 20px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a href="http://www.usmagazine.com/entertainment/pictures/britney-spears-music-video-looks-201259/" style="border: 0px; color: #009bd5; font-size: 1.1em; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">PHOTOS: Britney's most iconic video looks</a></div><div style="border: 0px; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 20px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">"The romance is gone," one insider told Us Weekly of Spears and Trawick late last year. Trawick "puts her on speakerphone so friends can hear her nagging," the source added at the time.</div></div><span style="border: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></span></div>

Britney Spears Britney Spears "So Excited" for Sister Jamie Lynn Spears' Engagement

Britney Spears; Jamie Lynn Spears Credit: Jamie McCarthy/Getty; Chris Polk/FilmMagic Britney Spears  is ready to walk down the aisle again a...

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RED WIDOW: SYMPATHY FOR LADY VENGEANCE

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><img alt="Red Widow: Sympathy for Lady Vengeance" src="http://www.televisionwithoutpity.com/photos/3/1/9/5/4_53323e89a7e212e/red-widow-mitchellthA.jpg" /><br /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;">Last spring, ABC experimented with the short-run series model that's so popular abroad (think the Israeli show</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;"> </span><i style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;">Prisoner of War</i><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;">, which beget</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;"> </span><i style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;">Homeland</i><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;">here), ordering up a ten-episode, single-season run of the</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;"> </span><i style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;">Taken</i><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;">knock-off</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;"> </span><i style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;">Missing</i><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;">, starring</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;"> </span><a class="kLink" href="http://www.televisionwithoutpity.com/telefile/2013/03/red-widow-sympathy-for-lady-vengeance.php#" id="KonaLink0" style="background-image: none !important; border: 0px none transparent !important; bottom: 0px; color: blue; cursor: pointer; display: inline !important; font-family: inherit !important; font-size: inherit !important; font-style: inherit; left: 0px; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; position: static; right: 0px; top: 0px;"><span style="border: 0px; color: blue; font-family: inherit !important; font-size: inherit !important; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: static;"><span class="kLink" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-style: none !important; border-left-width: 0px !important; border-right-style: none !important; border-right-width: 0px !important; border-top-style: none !important; border-top-width: 0px !important; display: inline !important; float: none !important; font-family: inherit !important; font-size: inherit !important; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 1px !important; position: static; width: auto !important;">Ashley </span><span class="kLink" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-style: none !important; border-left-width: 0px !important; border-right-style: none !important; border-right-width: 0px !important; border-top-style: none !important; border-top-width: 0px !important; display: inline !important; float: none !important; font-family: inherit !important; font-size: inherit !important; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 1px !important; position: static; width: auto !important;">Judd</span></span></a><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;">in the Liam Neeson role of a vengeful parent searching for a kidnapped kid. Although the series was constructed with a definite endpoint in mind, the finale carefully left room for another batch of episodes should the show prove to be a hit. It wasn't. But the network is giving the concept a second chance with</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;"> </span><i style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;">Red Widow</i><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;">, another limited-run series that aired the first two of its eight hours tonight.</span><br /><div class="asset-more" id="more" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><div style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin-bottom: 1em; padding: 0px;">Adapted from the Dutch series <i>Penoza</i>, <i>Widow</i> stars <a class="kLink" href="http://www.televisionwithoutpity.com/telefile/2013/03/red-widow-sympathy-for-lady-vengeance.php#" id="KonaLink1" style="background-color: transparent !important; background-image: none !important; border: 0px none transparent !important; bottom: 0px; color: blue; cursor: pointer; display: inline !important; font-family: inherit !important; font-size: inherit !important; font-style: inherit; left: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; position: static; right: 0px; top: 0px;"><span style="border: 0px; color: blue; font-family: inherit !important; font-size: inherit !important; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: static;"><span class="kLink" style="background-color: transparent; background-image: none; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-style: none !important; border-left-width: 0px !important; border-right-style: none !important; border-right-width: 0px !important; border-top-style: none !important; border-top-width: 0px !important; display: inline !important; float: none !important; font-family: inherit !important; font-size: inherit !important; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 1px !important; position: static; width: auto !important;">Radha </span><span class="kLink" style="background-color: transparent; background-image: none; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-style: none !important; border-left-width: 0px !important; border-right-style: none !important; border-right-width: 0px !important; border-top-style: none !important; border-top-width: 0px !important; display: inline !important; float: none !important; font-family: inherit !important; font-size: inherit !important; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 1px !important; position: static; width: auto !important;">Mitchell</span></span></a> as seemingly ordinary NoCal housewife Marta Walraven, who is actually, literally married to the mob. Her Russian-born daddy Andrei (Rade Serbedzija, no stranger to playing Euro gangsters), is a well-known -- but so far unarrestable -- gangster and he recruited her husband, Franklin (Anson Mount), to be part of his operation. But Marta's weary of being connected to that world and demands that Franklin get her and their three children out at the first opportunity. Before he can do that, though, he's gunned down in the driveway and his wife is forced to tie up his various loose ends, which include a stolen shipment of drugs and a debt to another mobster, Nicholae Schiller (Goran Visnjic). Based on the first two <a class="kLink" href="http://www.televisionwithoutpity.com/telefile/2013/03/red-widow-sympathy-for-lady-vengeance.php#" id="KonaLink2" style="background-color: transparent !important; background-image: none !important; border: 0px none transparent !important; bottom: 0px; color: blue; cursor: pointer; display: inline !important; font-family: inherit !important; font-size: inherit !important; font-style: inherit; left: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; position: static; right: 0px; top: 0px;"><span style="border: 0px; color: blue; font-family: inherit !important; font-size: inherit !important; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: static;"><span class="kLink" style="background-color: transparent; background-image: none; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-style: none !important; border-left-width: 0px !important; border-right-style: none !important; border-right-width: 0px !important; border-top-style: none !important; border-top-width: 0px !important; display: inline !important; float: none !important; font-family: inherit !important; font-size: inherit !important; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 1px !important; position: static; width: auto !important;">episodes</span></span></a>, <i>Red Widow</i> is a tough show to get a bead on; it's not good enough to become appointment viewing, but at the same time it's not so terrible that we wouldn't stick around for six more hours to see how it all wraps up. Here are three reasons to keep watching... and three reasons to bail.</div><div style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin-bottom: 1em; padding: 0px;"><b>Reasons We'd Keep Watching</b><br /><b>Radha Mitchell</b><br />Part of the wave of Aussie performers who crossed the Pacific to sunny Cali in the late '90s and early '00s (see also: George, Melissa and Jackman, Hugh), Mitchell has been kicking around Hollywood for some time without scoring that one big breakout role. A decade later, she may finally have found it. Now, let's keep things in perspective here: we're not anointing her the next big <a class="kLink" href="http://www.televisionwithoutpity.com/telefile/2013/03/red-widow-sympathy-for-lady-vengeance.php#" id="KonaLink3" style="background-color: transparent !important; background-image: none !important; border: 0px none transparent !important; bottom: 0px; color: blue; cursor: pointer; display: inline !important; font-family: inherit !important; font-size: inherit !important; font-style: inherit; left: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; position: static; right: 0px; top: 0px;"><span style="border: 0px; color: blue; font-family: inherit !important; font-size: inherit !important; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: static;"><span class="kLink" style="background-color: transparent; background-image: none; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-style: none !important; border-left-width: 0px !important; border-right-style: none !important; border-right-width: 0px !important; border-top-style: none !important; border-top-width: 0px !important; display: inline !important; float: none !important; font-family: inherit !important; font-size: inherit !important; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 1px !important; position: static; width: auto !important;">TV </span><span class="kLink" style="background-color: transparent; background-image: none; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-style: none !important; border-left-width: 0px !important; border-right-style: none !important; border-right-width: 0px !important; border-top-style: none !important; border-top-width: 0px !important; display: inline !important; float: none !important; font-family: inherit !important; font-size: inherit !important; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 1px !important; position: static; width: auto !important;">star</span></span></a>, but her performance as Marta does indicate she could carry her own series far more easily than she could carry a feature film. Looking considerably older than her 39 years -- which works in her favor and kudos to the producers for not forcibly aging the character down -- Mitchell projects a weariness and uncertainty that's entirely appropriate for a character who has suddenly been thrust into a world she doesn't understand and hates being a part of. It would have been easy to depict Marta as adapting to her new role too quickly, but Mitchell indicates that she's got a steep learning curve in front of her, which could prove fun to watch.</div><div style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin-bottom: 1em; padding: 0px;"><b>Who Shot <s style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">J.R.</s> Franklin?</b><br />The <a class="kLink" href="http://www.televisionwithoutpity.com/telefile/2013/03/red-widow-sympathy-for-lady-vengeance.php#" id="KonaLink4" style="background-color: transparent !important; background-image: none !important; border: 0px none transparent !important; bottom: 0px; color: blue; cursor: pointer; display: inline !important; font-family: inherit !important; font-size: inherit !important; font-style: inherit; left: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; position: static; right: 0px; top: 0px;"><span style="border: 0px; color: blue; font-family: inherit !important; font-size: inherit !important; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: static;"><span class="kLink" style="background-color: transparent; background-image: none; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-style: none !important; border-left-width: 0px !important; border-right-style: none !important; border-right-width: 0px !important; border-top-style: none !important; border-top-width: 0px !important; display: inline !important; float: none !important; font-family: inherit !important; font-size: inherit !important; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 1px !important; position: static; width: auto !important;">premiere</span></span></a> established a number of intriguing suspects, starting with Franklin's pal Mike (the always welcome Lee Tergesen), who accused him of ratting another their other partner-in-drug-related crime -- Marta's brother Irwin -- out to the feds. You've also got Schiller, the dude whose stash was stolen and is known to retaliate with extreme prejudice against anyone dumb enough to cross him. Last, but not least, you can't rule out Franklin's own father-in-law <a class="kLink" href="http://www.televisionwithoutpity.com/telefile/2013/03/red-widow-sympathy-for-lady-vengeance.php#" id="KonaLink5" style="background-color: transparent !important; background-image: none !important; border: 0px none transparent !important; bottom: 0px; color: blue; cursor: pointer; display: inline !important; font-family: inherit !important; font-size: inherit !important; font-style: inherit; left: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; position: static; right: 0px; top: 0px;"><span style="border: 0px; color: blue; font-family: inherit !important; font-size: inherit !important; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: static;"><span class="kLink" style="background-color: transparent; background-image: none; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-style: none !important; border-left-width: 0px !important; border-right-style: none !important; border-right-width: 0px !important; border-top-style: none !important; border-top-width: 0px !important; display: inline !important; float: none !important; font-family: inherit !important; font-size: inherit !important; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 1px !important; position: static; width: auto !important;">Andrei</span></span></a>, who sure seems like the kind of guy who doesn't let family ties get in the way of business. So far, the writers have avoided tipping their hands about which of these three ordered the hit and/or pulled the trigger. We're kinda want to stay with it until we can guess the reveal ... and then the inevitable last-second twist.</div><div style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin-bottom: 1em; padding: 0px;"><b>It'll Be Over in a Month</b><br />If we knew we'd be waiting around until May to see how <i>Red Widow</i> wraps up, we'd be less inclined to care. But provided that <a class="kLink" href="http://www.televisionwithoutpity.com/telefile/2013/03/red-widow-sympathy-for-lady-vengeance.php#" id="KonaLink6" style="background-color: transparent !important; background-image: none !important; border: 0px none transparent !important; bottom: 0px; color: blue; cursor: pointer; display: inline !important; font-family: inherit !important; font-size: inherit !important; font-style: inherit; left: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; position: static; right: 0px; top: 0px;"><span style="border: 0px; color: blue; font-family: inherit !important; font-size: inherit !important; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: static;"><span class="kLink" style="background-color: transparent; background-image: none; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-style: none !important; border-left-width: 0px !important; border-right-style: none !important; border-right-width: 0px !important; border-top-style: none !important; border-top-width: 0px !important; display: inline !important; float: none !important; font-family: inherit !important; font-size: inherit !important; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 1px !important; position: static; width: auto !important;">ABC</span></span></a> airs it every Sunday in March without any delays, it'll be a short-term proposition, airing its finale (in which the creators have promised that all questions will be answered... although we've heard that before) five or six weeks from now. That seems like an entirely reasonable time commitment for a show that we're, for now, only moderately interested in.</div><div style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin-bottom: 1em; padding: 0px;"><b>Reasons We'd Jump Ship</b><br /><b>The Purple Prose</b><br />While we weren't anticipating crime fiction writing on the level of, say, <i>Justified</i>, we were hoping <i>Red Widow</i>'s scripts wouldn't be as clunky and cliché-ridden as what we heard in the first two hours. And while the writing staff seems to have the show's major story arcs figured out on a macro level (having a fixed number of episodes helps with that), we're not as confident that they'll be able to tell them in a compelling way on a scene-to-scene basis. If this represents the best they're capable of, it may be best to tune out now rather than risk inevitable disappointment.</div><div style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin-bottom: 1em; padding: 0px;"><b>The Kids</b><br />Where, oh where, have all the good <a class="kLink" href="http://www.televisionwithoutpity.com/telefile/2013/03/red-widow-sympathy-for-lady-vengeance.php#" id="KonaLink7" style="background-color: transparent !important; background-image: none !important; border: 0px none transparent !important; bottom: 0px; color: blue; cursor: pointer; display: inline !important; font-family: inherit !important; font-size: inherit !important; font-style: inherit; left: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; position: static; right: 0px; top: 0px;"><span style="border: 0px; color: blue; font-family: inherit !important; font-size: inherit !important; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: static;"><span class="kLink" style="background-color: transparent; background-image: none; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-style: none !important; border-left-width: 0px !important; border-right-style: none !important; border-right-width: 0px !important; border-top-style: none !important; border-top-width: 0px !important; display: inline !important; float: none !important; font-family: inherit !important; font-size: inherit !important; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 1px !important; position: static; width: auto !important;">child </span><span class="kLink" style="background-color: transparent; background-image: none; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-style: none !important; border-left-width: 0px !important; border-right-style: none !important; border-right-width: 0px !important; border-top-style: none !important; border-top-width: 0px !important; display: inline !important; float: none !important; font-family: inherit !important; font-size: inherit !important; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 1px !important; position: static; width: auto !important;">actors</span></span></a> gone? The three tykes that make up Marta and Franklin's clan are all deeply annoying and too reminiscent of other obnoxious TV kids, from the Leo-from-<i>Smash</i>-like older son, Gabriel (Sterling Beaumon), to the Dana-from-<i>Homeland</i>-like teenage daughter Natalie (Erin Moriarty), to the Luke-from-<i>Modern Family</i>-like tyke, Boris (Jakob Salvati). Every scene with one -- or even worse, all -- of them was an endurance test. We can't help but wonder if, wherever he is, Franklin is just a tiny bit relieved that he no longer has to come home to this trio every night.</div><div style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin-bottom: 1em; padding: 0px;"><b>Eight Episodes Seems Like a Stretch</b><br /><a class="kLink" href="http://www.televisionwithoutpity.com/telefile/2013/03/red-widow-sympathy-for-lady-vengeance.php#" id="KonaLink8" style="background-color: transparent !important; background-image: none !important; border: 0px none transparent !important; bottom: 0px; color: blue; cursor: pointer; display: inline !important; font-family: inherit !important; font-size: inherit !important; font-style: inherit; left: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; position: static; right: 0px; top: 0px;"><span style="border: 0px; color: blue; font-family: inherit !important; font-size: inherit !important; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: static;"><span class="kLink" style="background-color: transparent; background-image: none; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-style: none !important; border-left-width: 0px !important; border-right-style: none !important; border-right-width: 0px !important; border-top-style: none !important; border-top-width: 0px !important; display: inline !important; float: none !important; font-family: inherit !important; font-size: inherit !important; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 1px !important; position: static; width: auto !important;">Television</span></span></a> does allow for a more novelistic approach to storytelling, which is great provided you have a novel-length story to tell. <i>Red Widow</i>, though, feels like it would be most satisfying as a two-hour movie (okay, maybe two-and-a-half) and we're not yet convinced that stretching it out to eight hours adds anything more to the material than running time. Seriously, give this same premise to a director like David Fincher or even the guy who made the first <i>Taken</i> and you've got the set-up for a potentially killer one-shot feature. But in this case -- to paraphrase the title of an old <a class="kLink" href="http://www.televisionwithoutpity.com/telefile/2013/03/red-widow-sympathy-for-lady-vengeance.php#" id="KonaLink9" style="background-color: transparent !important; background-image: none !important; border: 0px none transparent !important; bottom: 0px; color: blue; cursor: pointer; display: inline !important; font-family: inherit !important; font-size: inherit !important; font-style: inherit; left: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; position: static; right: 0px; top: 0px;"><span style="border: 0px; color: blue; font-family: inherit !important; font-size: inherit !important; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: static;"><span class="kLink" style="background-color: transparent; background-image: none; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-style: none !important; border-left-width: 0px !important; border-right-style: none !important; border-right-width: 0px !important; border-top-style: none !important; border-top-width: 0px !important; display: inline !important; float: none !important; font-family: inherit !important; font-size: inherit !important; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 1px !important; position: static; width: auto !important;">ABC </span><span class="kLink" style="background-color: transparent; background-image: none; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-style: none !important; border-left-width: 0px !important; border-right-style: none !important; border-right-width: 0px !important; border-top-style: none !important; border-top-width: 0px !important; display: inline !important; float: none !important; font-family: inherit !important; font-size: inherit !important; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 1px !important; position: static; width: auto !important;">series</span></span></a> -- eight seems like more than enough.</div><div style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin-bottom: 1em; padding: 0px;"><b>Miss the premiere of <i>Red Widow</i>? Watch the first hour below.</b></div><div style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin-bottom: 1em; padding: 0px;"><b><br /></b></div></div></div><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="288" mozallowfullscreen="" scrolling="no" src="http://www.hulu.com/embed.html?eid=o0kpb7yd4fc1z_anfksuea&partner=tvwithoutpity&uri=http%3a%2f%2fwww.hulu.com%2fwatch%2f457318" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="512"></iframe></div>

RED WIDOW RED WIDOW: SYMPATHY FOR LADY VENGEANCE

Last spring, ABC experimented with the short-run series model that's so popular abroad (think the Israeli show   Prisoner of War , which...

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Daredevil Media Outlet Behind Rodman’s Trip

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><img src="http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2013/03/04/business/sub-vice/sub-vice-articleLarge.jpg" /><br /><br /><div data-key="TcbHdt" data-num="2" itemprop="articleBody" style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', times, serif; font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 1.467em; margin-bottom: 1em;"></div><div class="articleSpanImage" style="color: #333333; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 8px; width: 600px;"><span itemid="http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2013/03/04/business/sub-vice/sub-vice-articleLarge.jpg" itemprop="associatedMedia" itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/ImageObject"></span><br /><div class="credit" itemprop="copyrightHolder" style="color: #909090; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 0.9em; line-height: 1.223em; margin-bottom: 3px; text-align: right;"><span itemid="http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2013/03/04/business/sub-vice/sub-vice-articleLarge.jpg" itemprop="associatedMedia" itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/ImageObject">North Korean Central News Agency, via European Pressphoto Agency</span></div><span itemid="http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2013/03/04/business/sub-vice/sub-vice-articleLarge.jpg" itemprop="associatedMedia" itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/ImageObject"><div class="caption" itemprop="description" style="color: #666666; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.1em; line-height: 1.2727em;">Kim Jong-un with the former N.B.A. star Dennis Rodman at a game in Pyongyang last week.</div></span></div><nyt_byline style="color: #333333; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;"></nyt_byline><br /><h6 class="byline" style="color: grey; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1em; font-weight: normal; line-height: 1.2em; margin: 2px 0px;">By <span itemid="http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/s/brian_stelter/index.html" itemprop="author creator" itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/Person"><a href="http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/s/brian_stelter/index.html" rel="author" style="color: #666699; text-decoration: none;" title="More Articles by BRIAN STELTER">BRIAN STELTER</a></span></h6><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;"></span><br /><h6 class="dateline" style="color: grey; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1em; font-weight: normal; line-height: 1.2em; margin: 0px;">Published: March 3, 2013</h6><br /><div data-key="TcbHdt" data-num="2" itemprop="articleBody" style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', times, serif; font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 1.467em; margin-bottom: 1em;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 22px;">April 5.</span></div><div data-key="TcbHdt" data-num="2" itemprop="articleBody" style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', times, serif; font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 1.467em; margin-bottom: 1em;">The company’s bosses said they were planning a visit to the secretive country, centered on an exhibition basketball game with the flamboyant former N.B.A. star <a class="meta-per" href="http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/r/dennis_rodman/index.html?inline=nyt-per" style="color: #666699;" title="More articles about Dennis Rodman.">Dennis Rodman</a> and three members of the Harlem Globetrotters. HBO decided to add what Mr. Lombardo said was “a little bit” of extra financing, beyond what it had already agreed to pay for the newsmagazine.</div><div data-key="IflIfl" data-num="3" itemprop="articleBody" style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', times, serif; font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 1.467em; margin-bottom: 1em;">“It felt like something that could be interesting for the show,” Mr. Lombardo, HBO’s president for programming, said last Friday as he recalled the meeting.</div><div data-key="BFtKJs" data-num="4" itemprop="articleBody" style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', times, serif; font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 1.467em; margin-bottom: 1em;">By Friday, the trip wasn’t just “interesting,” it was international news. <a class="meta-per" href="http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/k/kim_jongun/index.html?inline=nyt-per" style="color: #666699;" title="More articles about Kim Jong-un.">Kim Jong-un</a>showed up for the exhibition game in Pyongyang the day before, making Mr. Rodman and Vice’s film crew the first Americans known to have met the North Korean ruler since he inherited power from his father in 2011.</div><div data-key="OtaAtS" data-num="5" itemprop="articleBody" style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', times, serif; font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 1.467em; margin-bottom: 1em;">On television and online, people were debating which group was benefiting more from the publicity, Vice or the North Korean leadership. At the State Department, reporters wanted to know why the United States government wasn’t visibly doing more to debrief Mr. Rodman about his interactions with Mr. Kim, the dictator whom he pronounced his “friend.”</div><div data-key="TVcBMR" data-num="6" itemprop="articleBody" style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', times, serif; font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 1.467em; margin-bottom: 1em;">The Vice crew remains in North Korea; several more days of filming are scheduled. But Mr. Rodman returned home over the weekend, and in <a href="http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2013/03/dennis-rodman-kim-jong-un-wants-president-obama-to-call-him/" style="color: #666699;" title="The interview on ABC’s Web site.">his first interview</a> — on ABC’s “This Week” on Sunday — he said Mr. Kim was “a great guy” and said “he wants Obama to do one thing, call him” — which generated even more news headlines.</div><div data-key="TstWkh" data-num="7" itemprop="articleBody" style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', times, serif; font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 1.467em; margin-bottom: 1em;">To say this was all part of Vice’s master plan would overstate the matter. The producers and reporters had no assurances that Mr. Kim would attend the game. But when they arranged the trip to North Korea, a rarity in and of itself, they thought like diplomats. To get what they wanted, they considered what they could give — and they came up with Mr. Rodman and the Globetrotters. “We knew he’d be tempted by basketball,” said a Vice spokesman, referring to Mr. Kim.</div><div data-key="TKdThm" data-num="8" itemprop="articleBody" style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', times, serif; font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 1.467em; margin-bottom: 1em;">The Kim dynasty’s love for the sport, and for the Chicago Bulls in particular, was evident on the Vice co-founder Shane Smith’s two previous trips to the country. In a telephone interview, Mr. Smith recalled that when the Bulls would come up in conversation with North Korean handlers, “their eyes would light up.” The handlers made sure to show him the basketball signed by Michael Jordan and given to Kim Jong-il by Secretary of State Madeleine Albright in 2000, now on display at a museum in Pyongyang.</div><div data-key="MSdBwi" data-num="9" itemprop="articleBody" style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', times, serif; font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 1.467em; margin-bottom: 1em;">Mr. Smith described his staff’s chats about the trip: “We said to ourselves, ‘Well, if we go through normal channels, it’s almost impossible to get in. But what if we put together a sort of exhibition basketball team to go over there?’ ” It has been called “basketball diplomacy” in the press since Mr. Rodman and company arrived — “and that was the actual idea,” Mr. Smith added.</div><div data-key="VhaTca" data-num="10" itemprop="articleBody" style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', times, serif; font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 1.467em; margin-bottom: 1em;">Vice has a reputation for <a href="http://thelede.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/03/01/with-rodman-stunt-american-reality-tv-and-north-korean-propaganda-fuse/" style="color: #666699;" title="Related post on The Lede blog.">stunt journalism</a>, having dispatched people in the past to war zones and hot spots overseas. On <a href="http://www.vice.com/en_us" style="color: #666699;" title="The Web site.">its main Web site</a> over the weekend, an immersive article from India was sandwiched between a first-person essay titled “My Month Without Sex” and another essay about marijuana. The company also publishes magazines, records and YouTube videos, among other things.</div><div data-key="FHtBtw" data-num="11" itemprop="articleBody" style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', times, serif; font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 1.467em; margin-bottom: 1em;">For HBO, the newsmagazine partnership — announced last spring — was a leap, something Mr. Lombardo acknowledged in an interview. But “the whole idea of Vice is to take you places where other organizations are not going,” he said.</div><div data-key="TNKTgi" data-num="12" itemprop="articleBody" style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', times, serif; font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 1.467em; margin-bottom: 1em;">That’s North Korea in a nutshell, since access to the country is so tightly controlled. To get in, a liaison between North Korea and Vice suggested that the company donate basketball hoops and scoreboards to North Korean schools — a good-will gesture of sorts at the beginning of discussions about a visit.</div><div data-key="VebMSa" data-num="13" itemprop="articleBody" style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', times, serif; font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 1.467em; margin-bottom: 1em;">Vice employees based in China did so. The company also contacted Mr. Rodman and the Globetrotters, and paid them an undisclosed amount to take the trip, which began last Tuesday. Mr. Smith, apparently unwelcome in the country because of his previous documentaries, has stayed in touch with his crew there through brief sessions on Skype.</div><div data-key="MLiHnt" data-num="14" itemprop="articleBody" style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', times, serif; font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 1.467em; margin-bottom: 1em;">Mr. Lombardo indicated that the apparent nuclear test by North Korea two weeks ago, widely condemned by the international community, did not change the producers’ thinking about the trip. He noted that Vice was an independent producer, like many of HBO’s partners.</div><div data-key="TwnTwa" data-num="15" itemprop="articleBody" style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', times, serif; font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 1.467em; margin-bottom: 1em;">“This was not, and Vice is not, about going in and doing the definitive story on North Korea and arms,” Mr. Lombardo said. “This was always intended to be, ‘You know what, let’s get our camera into an isolated country that we hear about, we read about and yet is hard for us to even picture.’ ”</div><div data-key="MLsMSf" data-num="16" itemprop="articleBody" style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', times, serif; font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 1.467em; margin-bottom: 1em;">Mr. Lombardo said he was in awe when he saw the photos of Mr. Rodman and Mr. Kim. Mr. Smith felt similarly: “It’s kind of blowing us away,” he said Friday.</div><div data-key="WatWtt" data-num="17" itemprop="articleBody" style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', times, serif; font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 1.467em; margin-bottom: 1em;">While aware that past visits by American celebrities have become propaganda material for North Korean officials, Mr. Smith said he was a “firm believer in dialogue.” He was also aware, he said, that “the last 50 years of diplomacy between North Korea and the U.S. has failed.” But then he quickly added: “We’re not trying to save the world. We’re not politicians. We’re trying to show people something that they won’t see anywhere else.”</div><div class="emActive emReady" data-key="VaHTff" data-num="18" data-sentences="2" itemprop="articleBody" style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', times, serif; font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 1.467em; margin-bottom: 1em;"><span data-num="1" style="background-color: #f2f4f5;">Vice and HBO have not determined when the footage from North Korea will be broadcast.</span><span data-num="2" style="background-color: #f2f4f5;">The first few episodes of the newsmagazine are mostly finished; there will be eight in total, so it could be saved for the season finale</span></div></div>

Dennis Rodman Kim Jong-un Daredevil Media Outlet Behind Rodman’s Trip

North Korean Central News Agency, via European Pressphoto Agency Kim Jong-un with the former N.B.A. star Dennis Rodman at a game in Pyongyan...

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