#i got several questions Saban explain

[kunoichi-of--destiny]

No one:

Me looking up the original script idea for Power Rangers Samurai and also wondered how the hell did Jayden and Lauren have the last name Shiba when they're white:

(For all purposes, this is a joke/half-serious. Don't get on my ass.)

[jphbk1982]

Second part to a story I wrote entitled "Open Window". Disclaimer: Saban owns Power Rangers and the characters within, not I. Another Visit Kimberly looked around nervously to see if anyone could see her. When she was satisfied that the coast was clear she jumped up onto the roof of the house in front of her. She was still getting used to being able to do things like that and turned to look at the ground below, amazed at the height she had covered. She quietly made her way over to the window in front of her to see that it was cracked open just like he had said it would be. Kimberly smiled before she easily slid the window open. She quickly slipped inside of the room and turned to the bed to see that it was empty. She furrowed her brow for a moment before movement out of the corner of her eye caused her to jump. "Hey." Jason spoke from the corner of the room as he sat up in a chair and placed the book he was reading down onto the desk next to him. "Hi.. gosh you scared me." She responded. "Sorry.. I couldn't sleep." He responded with a slight grin and stood up from his chair to walk over to her. "I wasn't sure if you meant it when you said you would be back or not." "Well... here I am." Kim responded as Jason made his way to stand in front of her. She glanced up to lock their gazes. "Here you are.." He replied. "So..." She began, before having to clear her throat slightly. "Where were we?" "Just about here." He replied before tentatively leaning down to kiss her. She met him halfway and they picked up the session from where they had left it earlier. After a few moments of kissing, they both came up for a breath of air. "Jason..." She was a little breathless. "We.. um... are we.." "I want to." He responded. "I um.. I want to too." She informed him before she kissed him once more. After a few moments she pulled away to speak once more. "Are your parents still asleep?" "I think.." Jason began before turning to see the time. "Oh crap!" "What?" Kim barely had time to get out before she heard movement in the hallway. Her eyes widened as she turned to the door and back to Jason. He was pointing frantically towards the window but before they could either make a move there was a knock on his bedroom door. Soon the knob was turning and Kim did the only thing she knew to do. She jumped down onto the floor on the opposite side of Jason's bed from the door. "Jason.. you up son?" Sam Scott's voice infiltrated the room as he stuck his head inside. Kimberly turned back to see Jason standing there now facing his dad looking every bit the part of a deer in the headlights. She watched as he regained his composure and responded. "Hey.. yeah.. I'm up." Jason replied as he walked over and sat down on the side of the bed closest to the door. Sam opened the door up fully. "I thought I saw the light on and heard some noise in here, thought I'd check on you before I left for the boat." Sam stated as he gave the room a courtesy look over. "Yeah... having a little trouble sleeping." Jason explained. Sam nodded his head and then walked over to sit down on the bed next to Jason. "Listen son... I know there has been a lot of crazy things going on around here, and if you want to talk..." Sam began. "I'm okay, dad." Jason gently interrupted. "Okay... well then." Sam reacted as he glanced up to the doorway before turning back to Jason. "And son... I know I've been um.. kind of hard on you lately." "I get it dad.. I screwed up.." Jason responded. "Yeah you did." Sam agreed. "But that doesn't excuse me for being a jerk." "It's okay dad." Jason replied as he saw the troubled look on his dad's face. It was not everyday one got an apology out of Sam Scott. "It's not really Jason." Sam rebutted. "When I was your age... football was my life... I mean I still did all of the stupid things that teenagers sometimes do, but somehow I guess from sheer dumb luck or whatever, I never got caught.. and it never messed with anything to do with football." There was a silence between them as Jason waited for Sam to continue. He was very interested to hear where the conversation was going. "But you are not me son.. and I get that now.. as good as you are at football, I don't think you're heart was ever in it the way mine was.. right?" Sam questioned. "Honestly... no." Jason replied. Sam nodded and placed his hand on his son's shoulder. "I suspected you were doing it to make me happy and yet I never appreciated it the way I should... I'm sorry son, I really am... the events of the past few days have shown me what's really important." Sam stated before standing up. He slowly made his way over to the door. "Dad?" Jason spoke as he stood up too. Sam turned around to him. "Thanks." "Of course." Sam replied with a smile. He grabbed the door handle and just about shut it before sticking his head in one more time. "And Jason... if you are going to do something stupid... please try harder not to get caught." "Okay.. I will." Jason replied with a chuckle as his dad shut the door. Jason lied back on his bed and looked over at Kimberly on the other side. She was looking up at him. "It's safe now." "Well.." Kim began as she stood up. "You heard your dad.. just don't get caught doing stupid stuff.." "Like.. um.. having a girl in my room in the middle of the night?" Jason quipped. "Yeah.. like that." Kim joked in return. Jason swung around to the side of the bed she was on and then took her by the hand to pull her down on the bed with him. "Probably an even worse idea if I got caught with her lying in the bed with me." Jason continued his jesting as he looked over next to her lying next to him now with a big smile on her face. "Yeah.. that would be bad." She played along as she too turned to face him. Their faces started to come closer together before the sound of the doorknob started turning once more. Both of them jumped up and Kim returned to her place on the floor while Jason spun around to the opposite side of the bed and awaited what he presumed would be his dad's return presence. After the door opened and there was no one in the line of vision where Jason was looking though, he realized who his newest vistor was. He lowered his eyes to see his younger sister Pearl looking up at him and rubbing her eyes. "Pearl.. what's wrong?" Jason asked as Pearl sleepily made her way into his room and stood before him. "I had a nightmare." Pearl replied with a troubled look on her face and her voice slightly quivering. Jason instinctively pulled her into a hug. "Hey.. it's okay.. it was just a dream." Jason said soothingly as Pearl wrapped her arms tightly around his neck. "It was very real Jason.. the scary woman came into my room." Pearl replied into Jason's chest. For a moment Jason tensed up as he realized who the scary woman Pearl was referring to was. He took a deep breath and then gently coaxed Pearl far enough away so he could look her in the eyes. "Pearl.. that woman is gone.. she can't hurt anyone now." Jason attempted to comfort her. "Are you sure bubby?" Pearl asked, referring to him with her nickname for him. "I'm sure." He replied offering her a smile. "Besides.. if she ever came back the same people who stopped her before would be waiting on her." "I hope so... I like them." Pearl replied. "I promise." Jason said. This seemed to satisfy her as she offered him a wide smile before a yawn overtook her. "Okay Jason... I'm gonna go back to bed now, but if she comes back I'll be back." Pearl said before she turned around to leave the room. "I'll be here if you need me." Jason said to her as she got to the doorway. "Love you bubby." Pearl said she entered the hallway. "Love you too." Jason responded as he got up and walked to the hall to watch her disappear into her bedroom and close the door behind her. He was slightly startled when he felt a hand on his arm. He turned to see Kim looking up at him with a smile. "She's adorable." Kim commented. "Yeah.." Jason replied fondly before turning back to Kim and closing the door. "So... it's a miracle I haven't got caught yet... I should probably go.." Kim stated as she nodded towards his window. "Don't go." Jason replied, prompting Kim to turn back to him. "I mean.. I'd like you to stay awhile longer." "What if I get caught?" She inquired. "Well.. I think.." He began as he moved a hand up to her cheek. "I think it'd be worth it." "Really?" She replied softly relishing in the feeling of his hand on her face. "Really." He responded as he moved in to kiss her once more. This kiss was more gentle. At least it started out the way, but the intensity of it picked up quickly and soon they were absentmindedly making their way over to his bed. Jason found himself getting tripped up and falling onto the bed, with Kim falling on top of him. Both broke out into a fit of laughter, before quickly placing their hands over the other's mouths. "Oh my gosh.. Jason.. we are so bad at this." Kim said trying her best to stifle the laughter. "You think so?" He responded. "Sneaking around is not our thing huh?" "No.. I don't think it is." She replied as she lied on top of him still their faces still very close to each other. "I agree... maybe we should not sneak around." Jason said. She searched his face to read his expression. "What do you mean?" She asked. "I like you Kimberly.. a lot." He answered. "I like you too." She replied. He smiled from beneath her. "So... um.. maybe we could... not hide that?" He suggested. "Are you asking me out?" She questioned. "I am." He responded. She kept her expression unreadable for as long as she could but just the thought was making her happier than she had been in a long time and she found the smile on her facing giving Jason the answer long before she could form it with words. "Is that a yes?" "That's a yes." She replied before giving him another quick kiss. She rolled off of him and they lied on the bed next to each other staring up at the ceiling for several moments. Soon she felt his hand envelope hers and she intertwined their fingers. "Jason?" "Yeah?" He responded. "Can I still sneak in here though?" She asked. "Of course... window will always be open." He answered turning to see her smiling at his response. "Good." She replied. "And Jason..." "Yeah?" He said as he watched her turn to face him. "Maybe next time.. you try locking your door?" She suggested with a wink.

[fighterxaos]

WHELP! Here we are at the review for Saban’s Power Rangers. However, before we go to the end result, and my thoughts on the film let us look back at how we got here. It was around 2014, when Lionsgate responsible for Twilight (Blegh) and Hunger Games (Ok), announced that they acquired the rights to make a Power Rangers film. Considering that we had two Power Rangers movies before this, the first an alternate take on the opening events of Season 3 was a success and the Turbo movie which was canon was not good, fans around the world were skeptical with Lionsgate for attempting this.

  When the first casting reports came in we only knew who would play Kimberly, Naomi Scott. However, in the weeks to months follow we would discover Dacre Montgomery would be Jason, Ludi Lin as Zack, RJ Cycler as Billy, and Becky Gomez as Trini, thus completing the team. Around that time, Hunger Games star Elizabeth Banks was cast to play the “Wicked One” herself Rita Repulsa. Whereas, Bryan Cranston’s casting as Zordon did not happen until much MUCH later, and not even the other cast members knew Cranston was cast as Zordon until the Comic-Con announcement.

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Then on October 8th 2016, the first teaser was released with very mixed signals. Several fans thought that the film would go down the route of the “BayFormers/ Chronicle” by being grim-and-dark. That conception would THANKFULLY change with the second trailer on January 19th 2017. One thing that fans did criticize was that alongside the trailer releases, Lionsgate would reveal info via the toyline rather than through more official channels. Now, I did not hate that route, because I am burnt out by MMPR in general. However, I am about to tick off a lot of MMPR loyalists, but… I AM BURNED THE HELL OUT ON THE CLASSIC MMPR! The main reason why I can enjoy the comics from Boom! Studios and Lionsgate film is because they are doing new things with the property.

  Lionsgate is keeping the series grounded, and is re-inventing the classic characters for a new generation of fans. Old and current fans seem to scoff at this a lot, with comments like “This is a remake of something from my childhood, it is going to suck!”, “If this movie isn’t EXACTLY like the show, it will bomb!”, and of course, “Will the original cast make cameos?” If one cannot figure it out, I am just shaking my head at these comments. Now, I have lived through Power Rangers’ good times and its dark days. Yet, out of all 21 seasons, as I do not count the SUPER seasons as separate seasons, I have only hated two seasons. These seasons were of course Power Rangers Operation Overdrive and Megaforce, so if anything, I can live through this movie “not being the same as the 1990’s”. Now, with that said let see if Saban’s Power Rangers can deliver a new experience that fans of the franchise can enjoy!

SPOILER WARNING IN EFFECT!!!

Our story begins in the Cenozoic Era, as the Red Ranger is crawling out of a gravel-laden battlefield. The Yellow Ranger removes her Power Coin, and gives it to the Red Ranger before she dies. The Red Ranger can only say to her, “I’m sorry”. We then discover the Red Ranger is Zordon, as he de-morphs and hides the Power Coins of the other fallen Rangers, except for one of them. The Green Ranger, appears who is none other than Rita Repulsa (yeah called it!), and she does not wear the Dragon Shield. Now, before Rita manages to defeat Zordon he radios Alpha-5 to direct a large meteor toward the Earth to act like a tactical nuke. The plan is successful, stopping Rita, as well as killing Zordon. Honestly this feels a little bit like Dino Charge, with Keeper’s crash-landing on the planet…

  Fast-forward to the present day, where Jason is assisting in a prank where the one guy thought he was milking a cow, but Jason reminds him that the cow was a BULL. Oops. Most fans groaned at this, but at least Jason was not doing the “milking” like one other review exclaimed. Jason, and friends get caught and attempt to get away, however Jason crashes his truck. In the crash, he breaks his leg, gets caught and takes the blame for everything. Jason seemingly has a good heart, but it is not in the right place yet. He is then placed under house arrest, kicked off the football team, loses his scholarship, and forced to go to detention. At detention, we then meet Kimberly, and Billy. Kim is there for an unknown reason, but is later revealed to be the reason why she has been ostracized by her former friends. Kim sent out revealing photos of student, and it was a big screw-up. A lot of people call her out for it, but to be honest teenagers do stupid crap and it is an incident that reflects reality. Whereas, Billy is in detention for sort of making a bomb. He loves to tinker with things, and it sometimes results with the items exploding. Billy is also bullied a lot due to the fact he is autistic.

Now, Jason and Billy quickly become friends after Jason stands up for him. To show his gratitude Billy offers to reprogram the Jason house-arrest anklet for him. At first, Jason passes on the idea however takes the offer, but he also needs to help Billy with a favor. The two head out to the quarry where Billy has been investigating the area, being the son of an archaeologist. There they come across Kim, as well as Trini and Zack while Billy sets off a charge. From the blast the group discovers the Power Coins, as security arrives. They make an escape in Billy’s family van, but crash into an on-coming train. They manage to survive due to the powers within the Power Coins, however the power resonating reactivates Rita’s reviving her recovered corpse. Upon her revival, Rita sets forth murder anyone who stands in her way. Rita’s ultimate plan is to obtain as much gold as she can to restore Goldar, and reclaim the Zeo Crystal!

  The next day, the gang discovers they are all completely healed, especially Jason’s busted leg. Then within the following hours discover the powers they have acquired. They all decide it is best to head back to quarry and see if they can find an answer. There they accidentally found an underground cavern, which leads them to the Command Center. Now, it the film the place is never by either of its original names, but just bear with me as I still call it the Power Chamber. The Rangers first encounter Alpha-5 before meeting with Zordon, like their originators and just like the original only Jason is willing to hear out Zordon’s pleas for help. Jason manages to convince the others to join the Zordon, learning they only have 11 days to stop Rita. The following morning the team begins their training, and learn the rules of being a Ranger. One thing that stands out it that to be able to morph the group needs to be synchronized with one another.

They make a few attempts early on to morph, but are unsuccessful. Alpha-5 then steps in to begin teaching them basic combat skills needed to fight Rita’s minions, the Putties. After a montage in how they become skilled fighters, the team is still able to morph. Alpha-5 steps in again thinking that maybe if the Rangers see the Zords that it will inspire them. Alpha-5 also explains that the Zords represent Dinosaurs because at the time they were strongest species on the planet. The explanation however raises the question; would the Dragon Zord or Thunder Zords be based on alien lifeforms that are equivalent to mythical creatures?… Anyways, Zack swipes the Mastodon for a joyride, but almost kills the Rangers in the process. Yet, it goes with his rebellious ways, as well as WHO WOULD NOT WANT TO TAKE A ZORD OUT FOR A JOYRIDE?

  Never the less Zack’s stunt leads to fight with Jason. Billy goes into break up the fight, and in doing so it unlocks his ability to morph, just briefly though. My guess was he unintentional wills himself to morph, due towards the feelings of having friends. Later that night, they host a traditional campfire discuss dealing with their problems. Trini returns home, and she is ambushed by Rita who demands to know where the Zeo Crystal! Yeah, the Zeo Crystal is in the film, and it is shown to be a massive collection of gems that hold an immense power, McGuffin Level! Trini though does not know of its location, so Rita attempts to persuade her to join her in her quest before leaving. Now earlier during training, Jason overhears Zordon and Alpha discussing that once the Rangers can morph, he can revive himself. Jason is quickly pissed with Zordon, and engages him in an argument. Zordon tries to explain that the Rangers will need him in the battles to come, but Jason realizes he is just as scared as everyone else. He then chooses to keep the this a secret, until Trini mentions she has been in contact with Rita. From this they devise that now could be the time to defeat Rita, while she is still weak.

They go to set-up and engage Rita, but she still vastly overpowers the Rangers. The choreography in this scene is great in my opinion. Rita uses her power to tie-up the Rangers, and claims that she will not kill them if they tell her where the Zeo Crystal is. At first the Rangers, hold back the information, but after she tortures Zack, Billy reveals the location. The Zeo Crystal is hidden beneath a Krispy Kreme, of all damn things! Rita then thanks Billy, but her gratitude is shown by drowning Billy and forcing the others to watch. The team recovers Billy’s body and takes him back to Zordon in the hopes he can do something. Initially Zordon says there is nothing he can, but this emotionally unites the team allowing them to morph. Alpha exclaims to Zordon it is time for him to finally return, and he vanishes for mere seconds. However, he returns to the ship having used that time to revive Billy from the dead. The team finally undergoes their morph, and visuals are purely stunning! I honestly enjoy these Guyver-esque bio-organic armors, as well as the added voice modulation system. I also personally like how the suits are both physical ones that are accented by CG like how Marvel does it for their heroes.

  Exiting the Command Center the Rangers encounter a hoard of Putties. Jason manages to pulling out the Power Sword to even the odds. Yet, even then there is still too many of them. Zack’s response is go get his Mastodon to mow down all the Putties. Everyone else follows his lead, and race off to Angel Grove to stop Goldar.  While the Rangers race to the city, the fans are met with a homage to the original sequence accompanied by “Go Go Power Rangers”. However, it is not the new orchestral version, but the original from the 1995 movie, which I found as interesting nod to the original film too. Once entering the city, Rita summons forth another group of Putties to fight the Zords. I personally love the bit where the T-Rex Zord throws a yellow and black racing-striped Camaro with Jason exclaiming, “Sorry, BumbleBee!” I must admit, I laughed my ass off at that! In the battle, Putties causes Jason’s dad to crash his truck, as he was looking for him. Jason jumps out of his Zord to save his dad, but remembers to hide his identity in the process. The rangers manage to hurt Rita which collapses the Putties. It is here where Goldar shows a sign of sentience, going to rescue and heal Rita. The Rangers then attempt to hold a line separating her from the Zeo Crystal. The team blasts Goldar with everything the Zords have. The Zords must run on laser logic because they do not seem to run out of ammo. Goldar crushes the Pterodactyl, sets the Zords ablaze, and sends them into the pit with Zeo Crystal. While the team falls to their death, Billy thanks the team for being his friends as they are engulfed in an explosion.

Yeah Rita, ABOUT THAT… Apparently, the explosion and the team’s unity resonates with the Zeo Crystal allowing the Zords to combine! Thus, the Megazord is formed. Now, I have come to like the design, and the fact each Ranger has their own cockpit. The only thing I do not like is that the battle with Goldar is short. Yet, it has a defining moment where the Megazord hits Goldar with a freaking German Suplex. Instantaneously the scene made me want to cry out “SUPLEX CITY, BITCH!” The Megazord eventually uses the Pterodactyl’s wings as swords, to finish off Goldar. The Rangers then attempt to tell Rita to stand down, and turn over her staff housing the final Power Coin. Rita goes crazy with the whole “I KNOW I AM WORTHY!” line. In that fit of rage, Rita lunges towards the Megazord, but Trini bitch-smacks Rita into space as if she is Team Rocket. The Rangers stand triumphant, with bystanders looking on in awe. Among the people in the crowd are cameos by Amy Jo Johnson, and Jason David Frank.

  The city starts to rebuild after Rita’s attack and Jason returns to the Power Chamber. He returns the Power Sword and Zordon questions why being worthy of the sword. Jason merely replies that he will back for it one day. Jason heads to class meeting up with Kim, and Billy where they pass him a note of the iconic lightning bolt with their colors in it. Meanwhile Trini is home fixing her room, as her brothers talk to her about the Rangers. When Trini mentions the Yellow Ranger, they tell her “He was awesome too!” Trini then replies, “How do you know it’s a boy?” which I felt was a jab at the original issue with Zyuranger’s adaptation as MMPR. There is then a mid-credit scene where the teacher calls for the new student, Tommy Oliver, who is missing from the room. THANK FREAKING CHRIST, the scene does not reveal Tommy, and leaves the reveal for the sequel!

My Thoughts & Final Analysis:

Now, that was Saban’s Power Rangers and I found it to be utterly AMAZING! The fact that we have a backstory on Rita, and Zordon makes this better than the original show. The way it was portrayed makes more sense than the typical good vs. evil plot. Elizabeth Banks KILLS IT as Rita in this movie. She has the crazy down pat, and she can “ham” it up just as much as the original Rita could. Then as for Alpha-5, the character was much like the original out of the way, supportive, and comedic. Bill Hader is a wonderful Alpha-5 too, as he has that sass I enjoy in characters. Hader’s portrayal really reminds me of the corrupted Alpha from “The Wedding” multi-parter. However, the movie DOES drag a bit during the development of the Rangers, but it is reasonable. Fans coming out of the film argued it took much time, and that there was not enough of the suits or “cheesiness”. Yet, I argue the Rangers need to be built up to be a team, and earn powers. Furthermore, if the development occurs after they get the suits, the characters might easily become afterthoughts.

RJ Cyler – Billy/Blue

I gravitate towards Billy the most in this movie since I have Asperger’s Syndrome, and RJ Cyler portrays the symptoms accurately. I feel like Zack and Trini fell by the wayside, and not as used as much as the others. However, during the campfire scene when the gang opens up to one another, is where Trini’s development stands out! Trini’s body-language as Zack jokes about her intimate relations tells the audience everything on she has not entirely able come to terms with the fact that she is gay; or she simply just does not have the confidence to be more open on the subject. Never the less, the whole scene speaks volumes and is another relatable struggle with the teens/ people of today.

  The film also has a ton of Easter Eggs, so one might need to have eagle eyes to catch them all in one viewing. I am serious, trust me, there is a lot of them! However, I will not say what they are because see them is more entertaining. Plus, the film deserves multiple viewings. The movie is a TON of fun, and I cannot wait to see what they do with other past villains. Maybe we can get out of these sequels a new Ivan Ooze? Anyways, I am Zeltrax Millennuim and I hope for those reading this review that it was either on par with those who like the film, or convincing people who have not seen it to check it out!

Final Verdict: 9.5 out of 10

Millennium’s Mind: Saban’s POWER RANGERS Review

WHELP! Here we are at the review for Saban’s Power Rangers. However, before we go to the end result, and my thoughts on the film let us look back at how we got here.

Millennium’s Mind: Saban’s POWER RANGERS Review WHELP! Here we are at the review for Saban's Power Rangers. However, before we go to the end result, and my thoughts on the film let us look back at how we got here.

[gracestudiesabroad]

Final Project

Grace Saban, Monday GLS, Spain

1. I know that I have changed as a result of my experience because… of my personal growth I recognize in myself. In my learning contract, I stated that I wanted to become more confident and outgoing; and, I would do that by exploring Seville, practicing my language skills, and finding an outgoing friend group. To evaluate this, I said I would notice myself feeling more comfortable getting involved on campus and having improved my language skills. While abroad, I took charge and planned trips outside of Seville along with getting the NCC group together to go out and get to know our city. I got out of my comfort zone multiple times by going out to socialize, practicing speaking Spanish at all chances, and making friends outside of NCC. I got involved with an international league soccer group which allowed me to make friends and speak Spanish with both natives and other international students. I went into that alone, and that represents my confidence increase tremendously because it shows that I was doing something for my own benefit, I swallowed my fear and got involved. Regarding the outgoing goal, I feel that I definitely got out of my comfort zone by going out to bars and clubs and drinking and dancing, but also learned that I can say no to people as well. Going out all night wasn’t the highlight of my study abroad experience, but when I did go out I tried to do my best and have fun. I knew when to call it a night and realized that I really despise the idea of going out just to get drunk. Due to that, I learned that I can say no to going out if it is going to be a situation where I will feel uncomfortable. Although others may consider me lame, I learned that even when being outgoing self-care still needs to come first. I believe those are the most important ways I’ve changed, I came home with a stronger understandings of self-care, confidence, and the importance of individuality. It is also important to note that while I have changed and grown a lot personally, it doesn’t mean that all of my anxieties and insecurities are gone, but now I just know what is actually worth stressing over.

6. I wish I could explain to my family and friends that… my desire to go back to Spain doesn’t mean I don’t love them or didn’t miss them. I came home on December 20th, so from the 21st to getting back to school after New Years my family and friends asked me tons of questions. A recurring question was if I missed Spain or wanted to go back, and my instant answer was yes. I do miss Seville. I felt my most content there, the weather was great, and I learned a lot about myself. What I noticed was that many people disregarded my response and said how I should just feel great to be home and that my desire to return will pass. In reality, re-entry culture shock was hitting me hard and I didn’t know how to feel. I felt guilty for missing Spain because everyone was right, I was back home where everything was “normal” and I had to move on. Now, I realize that over the four months I was away their lives may have not necessarily changed, but mine did. I wish I had a way to explain that to everyone who is surprised or maybe even offended when I talk about missing Spain or wanting to go back. Throughout studying abroad I kept saying how I wished that instead of going home, I could bring everyone to Spain and we could all live our lives there. All because I miss where I spent lots and lots of time doesn’t mean I didn’t miss those who I left behind at home.

7. Many say that re-entry culture shock is more challenging than the initial culture shock. What are some things that I might do to make the transition easier? A way that I’ve learned to deal with reverse culture shock is talking about my experience with my friends. Being able to talk about how I feel now, whether it be challenges or reminiscing, has helped me because as I say things I can recognize if any of my thoughts are distorted. However, then there is a fear of repeating stories, feeling like people just don’t care, or coming off as a bragger or want-to-be European. To avoid making myself or others uncomfortable, I can read the conversation and see if any of my stories or remarks are relevant or helpful. Along with that, It is important that I ask other people questions about their own fall or travel experiences so that it isn’t a one-sided conversation. Another re-entry culture shock experience I had was the quick and severe mood change coming from Spain. Abroad, I was the most content I’ve been in a long time. Stress was easier dealt with and classes weren’t as monumental. Then, once home I felt confused, people thought I was depressed again, and I felt homesick from Spain. To get through this, talking with my other travel mates and study abroad returnees about if they feel the same way has tremendously helped. Knowing I’m not alone in this process is really what has kept grounded.

8. What have been the important things about this study abroad experience that I want to share with friends and family? I would like to take my experience and use it to help my family and friends become more culturally aware, and avoid being quick to judgement. While abroad, I met people of various cultures and traveled around to learn more about them. Having had that opportunity I’d like to share how everyone has something beneficial to offer. The peace and friendliness I found in Morocco could be useful here in the United States. The importance Morocco places on religion I’m sure some people of other religious could also find positivity in their strong practices. I’d also like to help others realize that being different doesn’t make it a bad thing. I think being different scares people because it may imply change to some people, and that’s scary. However, learning something different is more beneficial to a person because it gives them the ability to increase both their self and cultural awareness. Especially in the United States I find it especially important to engage with and appreciate differences rather than judge them and vote against change.

9. What do I want to do with the experiences I’ve had? With four months living in a foreign country I was able to learn more about myself and the Spanish language. Since coming home, I have been searching out experiences to talk about my experience or practice my Spanish. At the re-entry conference I learned how I can take my time abroad and incorporate it on my resume or in job interviews where it is relevant. The ways that I have grown personally have made my set of skills longer and more desirable for hiring personal. If I get the chance to explain that to people I think it allow me to find more opportunities within my field of psychology. Regarding the language improvement, I changed my Spanish minor to a Spanish major. Looking over my transcript, I saw that my overall Spanish grades and GPA have been good. To continue keeping this up, I made myself a double major so that I can hold myself more accountable for practicing and continue studying the language. I look forward to the additional Spanish classes I’ll be taking next year, and I know that learning abroad in the environment helped me tremendously.

[flauntpage]

Your Tuesday Morning Roundup

Roll Tide.

In an instant classic, Alabama proved its dynasty is still strong with a comeback 26-23 win over Georgia in the College Football National Championship. ‘Bama was down 13-0 at intermission and trailed 20-7 midway through the second half.

Nick Saban benched starting QB Jalen Hurts for freshman Tua Tagovailoa, who more than delivered. The future of the program was 14-24 for 166 yards, 3 touchdowns, and 1 interception. It culminated with this game-winning pass on 2nd and 26 after taking a 16-yard sack:

TRUE FRESHMAN TO TRUE FRESHMAN

BAMA WINS http://pic.twitter.com/3Jei32dMVn

— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) January 9, 2018

President Donald Trump attended the first half of the game and was on the field for the national anthem ceremony:

MOMENTS AGO: President Trump Takes To The Field at #NationalChampionship Game For Singing of The National Anthem http://pic.twitter.com/dkHUXCixVG

— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) January 9, 2018

The college football season is officially over. Now full focus on the NFL and the Eagles’ road to the Super Bowl.

Let’s go!

The Roundup:

The Phillies announced the replacement for Larry Andersen in the radio booth this season for road games, they’ll use a revolving door of Kevins:

Phillies hire Kevin Frandsen, Kevin Jordan and Kevin Stocker to their radio broadcast team. They will rotate working road games alongside Scott Franzke.

— Todd Zolecki (@ToddZolecki) January 8, 2018

—

Phillies third baseman Maikel Franco is playing winter ball, in between his partying, but how long will he be a Phillie? BWanksCB dives in:

Coming off a miserable year in which posted a disturbing .230/.409/.690 slash line, the optimism and hype once surrounding Franco has been replaced with varying degrees of disappointment and disgust.

His inability to adapt to the frequently utilized game plan of opposing pitchers working him with off-speed stuff low, away, and often out of the strike zone, has earned him the reputation of an impatient and undisciplined hitter–one who either lacks the intelligence to understand how he’s being attacked, or, worse, the concern. Is either characterization fair for a 25-year-old who’s logged a relatively small sample of just over 1,600 plate appearances?

—

On the ice, the Flyers are back on the up-swing, winners of three straight heading into this bye week of sorts. The team is off from game-action until a Saturday night showdown against the New Jersey Devils.

Everything may be looking good for the Fly Guys, but Anthony SanFilippo wants you to take off those rose-colored glasses:

There’s a long way to go. Forty games in fact. To say you are “feeling” close to the playoffs is a little disingenuous. A lot has to happen for the Flyers to be a playoff team. I’ll explain why after this short list.

Not sure anyone suggested “blowing the team up” but there were several of us – and my hand is raised here too – who thought a coaching change could be in order. And frankly Jake, even when you guys are winning, there are systemic things that we see watching a game where we have to wonder what the heck is going on? Why do you sit back in your 1-2-2 trap with a one goal lead? If pressuring the puck and creating turnovers is how you got the lead to begin with, why not stick with it? Lineup decisions are troubling. The penalty kill is way too passive. There are myriad reasons to question the process and the implementation of strategy, even in wins.

Tyrell Goulbourne was sent down to the Lehigh Valley Phantoms after his successful NHL debut.

—

Not only do the Flyers have a bye, the Sixers have somewhat of a respite from game action as they try to get acclimated to a new time zone. The team flew to London last night to prepare for its Thursday afternoon battle against the Boston Celtics. CB’s Sixers reporter Kevin Kinkead was at the team’s last stateside practice before boarding the plane.

His Markelle Fultz update:

We got a small nugget from Joel Embiid, who said the rookie guard practiced with the Sixers second team. JJ Redick said Fultz has “looked great” since jumping into five-on-five activities.

“He was just able to do a little bit more,” head coach Brett Brown added. “I thought he looked a little bit better and he’s a little bit further along.”

Brown was asked what he and the team are looking for from Fultz in day-to-day improvement.

“It’s the stuff where he’s not feeling any resistance with shoulder discomfort as much as anything,” he replied. “That’s the area we’re all really zoomed in on and the thing that affected his shot the most. With the medical team sort of leading the way, I’m sort of more of a recipient of the news, rather than saying, ‘oh, it looks like discomfort.’ It’s not that. I learn in retrospect, after he’s done stuff, of where he’s at. But I think he’s moving forward. And, to me, the compass is going to be that, the discomfort in his shoulder as it affects his shot.”

Check out the rest of his piece for the team’s thoughts on going internationally for a game in the middle of the season.

Before boarding the plane, the team put its British knowledge to the test:

British or Not?

The guys test their British knowledge before going across the pond for our game in London. #NBALondon http://pic.twitter.com/RcVph0y3JV

— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) January 8, 2018

—

That Sixers-Celtics tilt tips at 3 p.m. on Thursday and serves as the perfect prequel for the Live Crossing Broadcast podcast at Carlino’s Market in Ardmore on Thursday night from 7 p.m. – 9 p.m. Good food and the good people from CB (not the scrubs like me) will be on hand. Details here.

The latest episode of the podcast dropped on Monday. Kyle, Adam and Russ discuss the Sixers’ recent success, Eagles-Falcons, and NFL playoff action. Give it a listen.

—

Pistons head coach Stan Van Gundy is so pissed at ESPN for its LaVar Ball coverage, he is threatening to boycott the network during its upcoming broadcast of a Detroit game.

—

To the gridiron, and Wild Card Weekend is behind us, but was it good? Kinkead has takeaways from the opening round of the postseason:

Andy Reid has now lost 13 playoff games.

He’s 1-7 in his last eight postseason games.

Saturday, his team blew an 18-point first half lead.

I’m not a guy who cheers against Andy. I appreciate what he did in Philadelphia, even if he never won the Super Bowl.

Yeah, Alex Smith could have made a few second half plays. Yeah, the drops hurt the offense. Yeah, Travis Kelce was sorely missed. And the defense was not the same in the 3rd and 4th quarters.

But when you’re winning by multiple scores and Kareem Hunt finishes with 11 carries, it’s indefensible.

—

P!nk will sing the national anthem at the Super Bowl next month.

—

The second head coaching hire of the 2018 offseason, which hasn’t officially started yet, occurred on Monday as the Chicago Bears announced the hiring of Matt Nagy, the Chiefs offensive coordinator.

—

Eagles QB coach John DeFilippo interviewed for the opening and was thought by some to be the favorite for the job. So the birds dodged a bullet there. He is still in the running for other openings as is defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz.

However, according to Coggin Toboggan, if he knew what was good for him, he wouldn’t go anywhere:

But here’s the thing….Jim Schwartz is not head coaching material and hopefully he’s smart enough to know it.

Schwartz has a good thing going with the Eagles. The media loves him, he gets to coach an extraordinarily young and talented group of defenders, and he doesn’t have to worry about ANYTHING on the other side of the ball. All of his energy can be used to cook up new and intricate defensive schemes to terrorize NFC East opponents and administer vast amounts of head trauma to opposing quarterbacks.

It’s perfect for him, and at the same time it’s what made him such an abject failure as a head coach in Detroit.

Jon Gruden was of course the biggest hire so far this off-season, and the first. MMQB’s Robert Klemko has a great story on Gruden’s final days before getting back into coaching:

Eight seasons and six Sports Emmy award nominations later, Gruden sat at a conference table at the Raphael Hotel with about 30 MNF staffers to run down the plan for the upcoming broadcast, his last. At the end of the meeting, Rothman asked those who wanted to speak to talk about their time with Gruden. They paid tribute to the color commentator’s work ethic, devotion to family, and leadership of the broadcast. Then it was Gruden’s turn.

“I have a calling,” Gruden said as he fought back tears, according to those in the room, “and the football Gods are calling me one last time. I don’t want to have any regrets.”

—

A Rivals reporter who was reported missing over the weekend was found safe on Monday and the story is weird.

—

North and South Korea are in talks about the Olympics.

—

In non-sports news…

Toyota and Pizza Hut are working on self-driving cars that deliver pizza.

Oprah is reportedly considering a run for the presidency in 2020, although others refute the reporting.

Advil could be keeping your little ‘swimmers’ from ‘swimming.’

Your Tuesday Morning Roundup published first on http://ift.tt/2pLTmlv

[everettwilkinson]

POLITICO Playbook: GAME DAY in Alabama

Good Tuesday morning. Hanukkah begins tonight. IT IS ELECTION DAY IN ALABAMA, and voters will choose between Roy Moore and Doug Jones. REPUBLICANS’ GOAL: Pass the tax bill before the new senator gets seated. Moore or Jones will be seated after Dec. 20, we hear.

NEW: WE HEAR if everything goes according to plan, the Senate could vote on the negotiated tax plan next Monday or Tuesday, and the House would then vote Tuesday or Wednesday. The negotiated House-Senate tax plan is scheduled to be filed this Friday. This timeframe is designed to give adequate time to deal with government funding, which expires next Friday, and a deal to boost spending caps. Of course, a million things can go wrong between now and then. But this is what’s being discussed at the top levels of Republican leadership.

Story Continued Below

GAME DAY IN ALABAMA — “Moore, wife blast Washington establishment and media in final appeal,” by Alex Isenstadt and Gabe Debenedetti in Midland City, Alabama: “A defiant Roy Moore returned to the campaign trail Monday evening, delivering a thundering speech at an election eve rally in which he implored Alabamians to ignore outsiders who he said were bent on stopping him in the Senate special election. ‘We dare to defend our rights and we will defend our rights,’ Moore, who has been abandoned by much of the Republican Party establishment, told an audience of several hundred packed into a barn. ‘We’re up to our neck in people that don’t want change in Washington, D.C., they want to keep their power, keep it the same, keep their positions, and we’ve got to change that.’

“The 24-minute speech served as the capstone of a campaign that has thrust the special election into a spiraling national dialogue over sexual harassment. Moore, a twice-removed controversial former state Supreme Court justice, has faced allegations that he preyed on teenage girls as a man in his 30s. As he has done in the past, Moore denied the allegations against him — this time, calling them ‘disgusting’ and reiterating his belief that they emerged just weeks before the election in an attempt to defeat him. He cast the accusations as part of a broader, establishment-led effort to destroy him and to undermine his character. Neither Republicans nor Democrats, he argued, wanted him in the Senate.

“Moore also pointed out that both parties had spent millions against him, first in the Republican primary and then in Tuesday’s general election, when he faces Democrat Doug Jones. Yet the ‘verdict’ of the race, he said, wasn’t up to the Washington political class or the members of the national media who were also in attendance. ‘If you don’t believe in my character,’ he added, ‘don’t vote for me.’” http://politi.co/2knnQpA

DANIEL STRAUSS: “Alabama Senate election: 5 things to watch”: http://politi.co/2BdLNdv

— LESSONS LEARNED: “Pollsters dodge Alabama prediction game,” by Steven Shepard: “Who’s leading in Tuesday’s special Senate election in Alabama? The race is so peculiar and has so many variables that some pollsters are reluctant to say. Rather than put out a single result that could be viewed as a projection in the race between Democrat Doug Jones and Republican Roy Moore, several polling outfits have simply released a number of different turnout models that explain how the composition of the electorate could swing the election. It’s an approach that they say best reflects the tremendous uncertainty surrounding a historically unusual, off-year, mid-December special election in a racially polarized state — where one candidate is an accused child molester.” http://politi.co/2ALGvTY

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ON THE GROUND — @daveweigel: “Roy Moore’s wife Kayla: ‘Fake news will tell you that we don’t care for Jews. One of our attorneys is a Jew!’ #ALsen”. 36-second video http://bit.ly/2AOtLvU … @Bencjacobs: “Among those spotted at the Roy Moore event tonight: Steve Bannon sipping Red Bull, Louie Gohmert, Paul Nehlen and Sheriff David Clarke”.

— MYSTERY SOLVED: “Secret super PAC backing Jones in Alabama exposed,” by Gabe Debenedetti in Birmingham, Alabama: “A mystery super PAC backing Democrat Doug Jones in Alabama is controlled by a pair of groups closely aligned with the national Democratic Party, even as the candidate strives to dissociate himself from Washington interests. Highway 31, which dropped more than $4.1 million in support of Jones and against Roy Moore ahead of Tuesday’s Senate special election, is a joint project of two of the largest national Democratic super PACs — Senate Majority PAC and Priorities USA Action — along with a group of Alabama Democrats, multiple senior officials familiar with the arrangement told POLITICO. Highway 31 was created in November, [FEC] filings show. …

“The groups have collected checks from a gamut of top Democratic donors, led by longtime party contributors like George Soros, Jim Simons, Haim Saban and Fred Eychaner. While both Jones and Moore have gotten support from other outside groups in recent weeks, Highway 31 is by far the biggest-spending.” http://politi.co/2iRTlYy

FOR THOSE SEEKING STEVE BANNON’S BACKING, from Bloomberg’s Josh Green: “Bannon worked to create a counter-narrative that ultimately would change many Republicans’ perception of the [Roy Moore] scandal. A former filmmaker, he’s long been captivated by the propaganda films of Leni Riefenstahl, the Nazi filmmaker, and the Soviet director Sergei Eisenstein for their power to shape public sentiment. Earlier this year, Bannon told the New Yorker’s Jane Mayer his 2012 anti-Obama film ‘The Hope and the Change,’ had consciously mimicked Riefenstahl’s infamous, ‘Triumph of the Will.’ Her film, he added, ‘seared into me’ that unhappy voters could be influenced if they felt they were being conned.

“‘Riefenstahl and Eisenstein both created an image of their nation that coalesced in the minds of citizens and shaped public opinion through narratives, which is essentially what Bannon is doing in politics,’ says Nadia Szold, a filmmaker and documentarian who has studied Bannon’s films and discussed his influences with him. ‘They all evoke emotions like nostalgia, patriotism or paranoia that strengthen a collective sentiment.’” https://bloom.bg/2BEIdKc

CRUNCH TIME ON TAXES — “GOP lawmakers struggle to close gaps in tax plan,” by Bernie Becker, Aaron Lorenzo and Seung Min Kim: “Top congressional Republicans, racing to hammer out a final tax agreement by the end of the week, have yet to make any breakthroughs on a range of key issues. House and Senate negotiators bounced proposals back and forth over the weekend, but said Monday that they still had to find compromises on where to set the corporate tax rate, how to treat millions of businesses that aren’t set up as corporations and how much of a deduction to allow for state and local taxes.

“‘We speak of little else these days,’ said Senate Majority Whip John Cornyn (R-Texas). On the House side, Ways and Means Chairman Kevin Brady (R-Texas) deflected questions about a slew of potential trouble spots, also including the estate tax, the Alternative Minimum Tax and the fate of an existing law barring churches and other tax-exempt groups from openly politicking. Asked Monday what differences the House and Senate had resolved, Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) responded: ‘Well, nothing really.

“‘I don’t think you can say at this point anything is really nailed down,’ added Thune, a member of GOP leadership and the tax conference committee working to settle the chambers’ differences. ‘But I think the way it’s shaping up right now, I feel like we’re getting pretty close, and every time that we have an exchange of offers the differences are narrowing.’” http://politi.co/2C5UDrt

— THEIR GOAL is to have a tax bill on the president’s desk by Dec. 20, but time is quickly slipping away.

COMING ATTRACTIONS? — “Looming pension shortfalls to complicate next shutdown fight,” by Elana Schor: “The next potential sleeper cause of a government shutdown? Pensions. Congress barely averted a shutdown last year amid a fight over miners’ health care. Now the looming collapse of pension plans for the miners — as well as thousands of Teamster truck drivers and food service workers — is fueling another, even more expensive, round of brinkmanship.

“Key Democrats are vowing to fight for a fix as part of any forthcoming deal to fund the government. And they warn that if Congress doesn’t step in soon to forestall the insolvency of several key pension plans — including the massive Central States plan, which covers an estimated 400,000 union workers and retirees — taxpayers risk ending up on the hook for an even bigger multi-billion-dollar rescue for the government’s pension guarantee agency. But it’s far from clear the workers will get their rescue. Conservative Republicans will be loath to provide anything that looks like a bailout, particularly for union workers. And one of the Senate’s leading Democratic advocates for relief, Sherrod Brown of Ohio, is one of the GOP’s top targets ahead of his reelection next year.” http://politi.co/2BgBdCJ

****** A message from the Embassy of the United Arab Emirates: UAE airlines bought $42 billion in US-made commercial aircraft at the 2017 Dubai Airshow. That’s economic growth and jobs for Americans. The UAE-US commercial aviation relationship is a win-win deal. http://politi.co/2AtLDMj ******

INSIDE BLAKE FARENTHOLD’S OFFICE — “Texas Congressman Runs What Former Aides Call a Hostile Workplace,” by NYT’s Sheryl Gay Stolberg: “Throughout the Capitol, House aides have described office cultures where sexually explicit conversations are routine, pickup lines are part of daily life, hiring can be based on looks, tolerance is expected and intolerance of such behavior is career-ending. In Farenthold’s case, legal documents and interviews with former aides suggest an atmosphere in which the congressman set the tone for off-color jokes and inappropriate banter, which flourished among his underlings. … [Elizabeth] Peace and another former aide to Mr. Farenthold, who spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear of harming that aide’s reputation, described an atmosphere in his Washington office that was freewheeling, yet also filled with anxiety. The congressman, they said, was volatile.

“When he was angry, they added, Mr. Farenthold would berate them, sometimes sweeping his arm across his desk, knocking its contents to the floor, and threatening to fire people. … The refrigerator in the ‘bullpen’ — the open area where aides worked — was filled with beer, and sometimes happy hour would begin at 4:30 p.m., which his aides called ‘beer-thirty.’ Ms. Peace said women would discuss which male lobbyists had texted them pictures of their genitals, and both men and women would talk about strip clubs and whether certain Fox News anchors had breast implants.” http://nyti.ms/2AbYDoX

— “#MeToo spotlight increasingly pointed at past Trump conduct,” by AP’s Jonathan Lemire: “The president’s advisers were stunned Sunday when one of the highest-ranking women in the Trump administration [Nikki Haley] broke with the White House line and said the accusers’ voices ‘should be heard.’ … Haley’s comments infuriated the president, according to two people who are familiar with his views but who spoke on condition of anonymity because they aren’t authorized to speak publicly about private conversations.” http://bit.ly/2BU2OWE

HAPPENING TOMORROW — HOUSE MINORITY LEADER NANCY PELOSI is hosting a meeting tomorrow to “discuss sexual harassment prevention policies and the ME TOO Congress Act legislation.” California Rep. Jackie Speier and Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s Charlotte Burrows and Chai Feldblum will speak.

WAR REPORT — “White House hides troop numbers in Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan,” by Yahoo News’ Olivier Knox: “The White House left out the number of U.S. troops fighting in Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria from a semi-annual accounting it provided to Congress on Monday. In a previous report, sent to Congress in June, the administration had said how many Americans are in those war zones.

“The omissions reflect President Trump’s eagerness to keep secret the size of U.S. deployments in some global hot spots under the theory that the numbers, no matter how vague, might give extremists and other enemies a strategic advantage, a senior administration official told Yahoo News. Military, congressional and even some other administration officials privately dispute that notion and say some transparency is necessary for informed debate about America’s use of force. It is unclear whether the administration detailed the figures to Congress in a classified addendum to the letter.” https://yhoo.it/2AMdcjY

— “DOJ seeks emergency halt to transgender troop deadline,” by Jacqueline Klimas: “The Trump administration on Monday night requested an emergency stay to a court decision that would require the Defense Department to begin accepting transgender recruits on Jan. 1. The action came hours after the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia said the military must begin accepting transgender recruits on New Year’s Day — the latest action to stall President Donald Trump’s proposed ban. The Justice Department then turned to the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals, saying the Pentagon will still be reviewing the policy until February but needs a stay now.” http://politi.co/2AMdBmu

IN THE MIDDLE EAST — “Hezbollah Leader Calls for Arab Countries to Stop Seeking New Ties With Israel,” by NYT’s Nada Homsi in Beirut: “The leader of the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah called on Monday for Arab countries to support the Palestinian cause and abandon their pursuit of normalizing relations with Israel.

“Speaking via a video feed at a rally in Beirut, the Lebanese capital, that was organized to protest President Trump’s decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, the Hezbollah leader, Hassan Nasrallah, called on Arab and Muslim countries to evict Israeli embassies and cut diplomatic ties with Israel.

“‘Today we are witnessing a true intifada,’ or uprising, Mr. Nasrallah told the crowd, speaking of protests that have spread throughout the Palestinian territories of the West Bank and Gaza. ‘Muslims and Christians are all united to defend their holy sites in Jerusalem.’ The rally drew thousands of protesters and was the largest yet in Lebanon in response to Mr. Trump’s Jerusalem declaration last week, which upset a decades-old diplomatic status quo.” http://nyti.ms/2Bfjhs0

PUTIN’S MIDDLE EAST PLAY, by NYT’s Neil MacFarquhar in Moscow and Anne Bernard in Beirut: “President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia undertook a whirlwind tour to his new allies in the Middle East on Monday, underscoring the extension of Russia’s influence in the region and the continuing shrinkage of the United States’ role.

“Mr. Putin touched down in rapid succession in Syria and Egypt, where he met briefly with their leaders, and landed in Ankara, the capital of Turkey, later in the day. His excursion came as anger at the United States was running high over President Trump’s unilateral decision to recognize Jerusalem, the third holiest city in Islam, as the capital of Israel. That decision has helped isolate the United States and Israel, angering allies in Europe and the Arab world while helping to convince the Arab public that the United States is solidly anti-Muslim.” http://nyti.ms/2AwVDaU

SPICER RETURNS — “Spicer writing book about White House tenure,” by Brent D. Griffiths: “Former White House press secretary Sean Spicer announced Monday night that he is writing a book about his brief run behind the podium, taking readers ‘behind the scenes of his turbulent tenure.’ ‘I’ve decided that it is incumbent on me to set the record straight,’ Spicer told Fox News’ Sean Hannity on Monday night.

“‘I looked back at the coverage of the campaign, the transition and the first six, seven months of this White House and realized that the stories that are being told are not an accurate represent[ation] of what President Trump went through to get the nomination, to transition to the White House and then his first six months in office.’ His book titled ‘The Briefing’ will be published by Regnery Publishing, which calls itself ‘the leader in conservative books,’ in July.” http://politi.co/2kqbdu1

TRUMP’S TUESDAY — The president will sign the National Defense Authorization Act. He will also meet with Deputy Secretary of State John Sullivan and U.S. Ambassador to Japan William Hagerty. VP MIKE PENCE speaks to the Values Action Team on Capitol Hill, and has lunch with Senate Republicans.

THE JUICE …

— SNEAK PEEK: REP. PATRICK MCHENRY (R-N.C.), the party’s chief deputy whip, will announce a $1 million transfer to the NRCC at this morning’s House Republican Conference meeting at the Capitol Hill Club, according to a source familiar with his plans. McHenry has transferred nearly $1.85 million to the party committee this year. McHenry has raised roughly $5 million for his House GOP colleagues and roughly $7.5 million overall.

— JEH JOHNSON, former DHS secretary and current partner at Paul Weiss, is joining the board of directors of Lockheed Martin. Directors make roughly $300,000 in equity and cash.

— SENATE LEADERSHIP FUND, a super-PAC closely aligned with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, held a private political discussion and appreciation reception Monday night. SLF President and CEO Steven Law noted in his remarks that 2017 was a record fundraising year for the group. SPOTTED: McConnell, Karl Rove, NRSC Chairman Cory Gardner (R-Colo.) and Republican Sens. Steve Daines (Mont.), Thom Tillis (N.C.), Todd Young (Ind.) and Tim Scott (S.C.).

— OUT AND ABOUT IN NYC — Last night in TriBeCa Dan Senor hosted a private screening for the premiere of the second season of the Israeli thriller “Fauda,” followed by a panel discussion with co-creator Avi Issacharoff and lead members of the cast, including Lior Raz (Doron) and Shadi Mari (Walid). Trailer for the second season http://bit.ly/2B8xWEQ

SPOTTED: Alexandra Pelosi, Bret Stephens, Jon Lerner, Bari Weiss, Cy Vance, Ben Wallace, Jamie Gangel, Dan Silva, Gabe Sherman, Campbell Brown, Michael Aronov, Greg Zuckerman, Abe Greenwald, Noah Rothman, Banks Tarver, Dan Selig, David Bushman, Jay Lefkowitz, Ethan Bronner, Josh Block, Matthew Hiltzik, Mosheh Oinounou, Reihan and Kathryn Salam, Rich Lowry, Richard Cohen, Sewell Chan, Sohrab Ahmari, Stu Loeser and Roger Bennett. (NOTE from Jake: If you don’t watch Fauda, you should. It’s one of the best shows on television. Season one is on Netflix.)

LATE NIGHT BEST — After taking last week off because of his son Billy’s second open heart surgery, which was successful, JIMMY KIMMEL made a tearful return to his show last night and made the case for CHIP funding. 5-min. video http://bit.ly/2BDPYjc

PHOTO DU JOUR: President Donald Trump holds an astronaut toy after a signing ceremony for Space Policy Directive 1, with the aim of returning Americans to the moon, at the White House on Dec. 11. | Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images

ISAAC DOVERE talks with DAVID PETRAEUS for the latest OFF MESSAGE podcast — “David Petraeus Would Still Work for Trump, Under ‘Certain Conditions’: Life is good for the former CIA director and four-star general. But he’s keeping his options open”: Isaac talks to retired four star general and CIA director, who offers his battlefield advice in response to Trump’s saying he’s winning the war against ISIS and that previous administrations weren’t letting troops win: “Be first with the truth.” “There are other presidents who have also made some declarations that they undoubtedly wished that they hadn’t made,” he said.

He’s not on Twitter, but he sees the tweets. “What you should follow more is the troops, the money and the substance of policies, which we can overlook if we get too mesmerized by reading tweets,” he says. What he sees: “more continuity than you might have expected,” though he worries about Trump’s “occasional ambivalence about what does ‘America First’ mean relative to the traditional role of the United States in the post-World War II era and particularly, in the post-Cold War era.” http://politi.co/2jRI0Zj

BLAKE HOUNSHELL in POLITICO Magazine, “Paul Manafort’s Dirty Secret: He’s a Terrible Propagandist: If bad editing’s a crime, lock him up”: “We must first indict Manafort for letting [Oleg] Voloshin’s proposed headline [in the Kyiv Post] stand. Typically, authors don’t write their own, but sometimes an editor will accept a suggestion out of sheer inertia or a lack of creativity. (It’s fine to offer a good one when you file your draft — just don’t insist on it or editors will consider you gauche and difficult to work with.)

“In this case, Voloshin had come up with a real stinker: ‘European integration unknown soldier.’ A bad headline can be fatal even to a good piece of writing. Manafort should have proposed his own. In this age of social media-fueled narcissism, it’s usually best to go with a first-person hed when you have the opportunity. I might have suggested something a bit more web-friendly, such as, ‘I Know Paul Manafort. He’s No Russian Stooge.’” http://politi.co/2BfMGSW

FOR YOUR RADAR — “Fearing the Worst, China Plans Refugee Camps on North Korean Border,” by NYT’s Jane Perlez in Beijing: “A Chinese county along the border with North Korea is constructing refugee camps intended to house thousands of migrants fleeing a possible crisis on the Korean Peninsula, according to an internal document that appears to have been leaked from China’s main state-owned telecommunications company. Three villages in Changbai County and two cities in the northeastern border province of Jilin, have been designated for the camps, according to the document from China Mobile. … The camps are an unusual, albeit tacit, admission by China that instability in North Korea is increasingly likely, and that refugees could swarm across the Tumen River, a narrow ribbon of water that divides the two countries.” http://nyti.ms/2Bae5W2

— “North Korea’s prisons are as bad as Nazi camps, says judge who survived Auschwitz,” by WaPo’s Anna Fifield in Tokyo: “North Korea’s political prisons are just as bad as — and perhaps even worse than — the Nazi concentration camps of the Holocaust, a renowned judge and Auschwitz survivor has concluded after hearing from former North Korean prisoners and guards. Thomas Buergenthal, who served on the International Court of Justice, is one of three jurists who have concluded that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un should be tried for crimes against humanity for the way his regime uses brutal political prisons to control the population.” http://wapo.st/2l2lYGM

****** A message from the Embassy of the United Arab Emirates: Boeing is the preferred supplier for UAE commercial aviation requirements. Over the past 10 years, UAE customers have ordered $150 billion in Boeing planes, supporting 781,000 jobs in the US and injecting billions of dollars into the US economy. In 2016, the US had a $19 billion trade surplus with the UAE, America’s third largest trade surplus globally. http://politi.co/2AtLDMj ******

MEDIAWATCH — “New Yorker fires Ryan Lizza over alleged ‘improper sexual conduct,’” by Michael Calderone: “The New Yorker magazine announced Monday it had fired Washington correspondent Ryan Lizza following an allegation of sexual misconduct. … In a statement, Lizza said the magazine made ‘a terrible mistake’ and rejected its characterization of his relationship. ‘I am dismayed that The New Yorker has decided to characterize a respectful relationship with a woman I dated as somehow inappropriate,’ he said. … Douglas Wigdor, an attorney representing the unnamed woman who accused Lizza of misconduct, disputed that characterization. … Lizza also is an adjunct lecturer at Georgetown University, where he taught this past fall. A university spokesperson said that classes had already concluded for the fall semester and that Lizza was not previously scheduled to teach in the spring.” http://politi.co/2z2LgsV

— “Comcast Says No Longer Reviewing Deal for 21st Century Fox Assets,” by WSJ’s Joe Flint: “Comcast Corp. said it is no longer pursuing an acquisition of several key media and entertainment assets from 21st Century Fox, leaving Rupert Murdoch’s media empire in position to finalize a deal with Walt Disney Co. The Philadelphia-based cable and programming giant had approached 21st Century Fox about assets that included its international properties, movie and television studios, and some U.S. cable networks, The Wall Street Journal had previously reported, citing people familiar with the matter.” http://on.wsj.com/2z37VFu

— Rebecca Pilar Buckwalter-Poza is joining Daily Kos as its first-ever judicial affairs editor. She previously was a fellow at the Center for American Progress and is currently a contributor to the Pacific Standard.

SPOTTED: on the 2 p.m. Acela from New York Penn Station to D.C.: Sens. Dean Heller (R-Nev.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), Heidi Heitkamp (D-N.D.), Bill Cassidy (R-La.), and John Thune (R-S.D.) and Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J.) … Rep. Trent Franks (R-Ariz.) waiting to catch a flight on Monday to Phoenix from DCA, where he “stopped to have a word with former Rep. Sue Myrick [R-N.C.] on the concourse,�� per our tipster. … Sen. Johnny Isakson (R-Ga.) in first class on the 3:17 p.m. Delta flight from Atlanta to DCA. Reps. Martha Roby (R-Ala.) and Tom Graves (R-Ga.) were in coach.

HOLIDAY PARTY CIRCUIT — SPOTTED at AEI’s annual holiday party last night: Arthur Brooks, Danielle Pletka, Michael Barone, Tim Carney, Ramesh Ponnuru, Jonah Goldberg, Paul Wolfowitz, Paul Teller, FDA commissioner Scott Gottlieb, Andrew Bremberg, Reps. Joe Wilson (R-S.C.), Jim Banks (R-Ind.), and Paul Mitchell (R-Mich.), Scott Parkinson, Kristen Soltis Anderson, Leigh Ann Caldwell, Carl Cannon, Mona Charen, Daniel Halper, Julia Ioffe, Greg Ip, Chris Isham, Eliana Johnson, Matt Lewis, Shawn McCoy, John Parkinson, Abby Phillip, Josh and Ali Rogin, Phil Rucker, Meridith McGraw, Margy Slattery, Byron York, Mike Stone, Elias Groll, Halley Toosi, Mallory Shelbourne, Ryan Nabil, Maddy Weast, Steve Guest, Jenna Lifhits, Marcus Weisgerber and Oriana Pawlyk.

— HOUSE MAJORITY WHIP STEVE SCALISE (R-La.) held a Cajun Christmas party in Eastern Market last night. Pool report: “Guests dined on traditional Cajun cuisine as the Capitol Hillbillies played. Scalise joined them to play his washboard, known as the ‘Zydeco Lightning.’” Pic http://bit.ly/2knsGTS

SPOTTED: Speaker Paul Ryan, Brett Horton, Chris Bond, Lauren Fine, Kelley Hudak, Bill Hughes, Matt Bravo, Ben Napier, Bart Reising, Drew Ferguson, Reps. Dennis Ross (R-Fla.), Andy Barr (R-Ky.), Paul Mitchell (R-Mich.), David Valadao (R-Calif.), Bob Latta (R-Ohio), Rodney Davis (R-Ill.), Bradley Byrne (R-Ala.), John Faso (R-N.Y.), Scott Taylor (R-Va.), Randy Weber (R-Texas), Brian Babin (R-Texas), Will Hurd (R-Texas), John Shimkus (R-Ill.), Erik Paulsen (R-Minn.), Don Bacon (R-Neb.), Ann Wagner (R-Mo.), Mike Gallagher (R-Wis.), Jason Lewis (R-Minn.), Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.), and Tom Emmer (R-Minn.), and members of Scalise’s medical team, including Dr. Jack Sava and Dr. Rob Golden.

— Pool report: German “Ambassador Peter Wittig, Huberta von Voss-Wittig, and Liz Mohn … hosted the fourth annual Neue Stimmen concert Monday evening at the Ambassador’s Residence. Four soloists from the Neue Stimmen competition performed pieces from Faust and The Barber of Seville, among others, along with a medley of Christmas standards.”

SPOTTED: Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Justice Samuel Alito and Martha-Ann Alito, national security adviser HR McMaster and Kathleen McMaster, DNI Dan Coats and Marsha Coats, Jane Harman, Barbara Allbritton, Alexandra de Borchgrave, Calvin Cafritz and Jane Cafritz, Amb. Rafat Mahmood and Shaista Mahmood, Sally Quinn, David Ignatius, Ben Chang, John Arundel, Sandra Pandit, Lee Merritt and Julie Folger, Annie Totah, John and JoAnn Mason, Karl Matthias Klause.

TRANSITION — KELLEY MCCORMICK has been hired as SVP of corporate communications at Under Armour, where she will start on Jan 8. She most recently has been a managing director at SKDKnickerbocker.

BIRTHDAY OF THE DAY: Lanny Davis, co-founder and partner of Trident DMG and co-founder and partner of Davis Goldberg & Galper PLLC, is 72. How he got his start in politics: “In the Vietnam War era in the mid-1960s, I realized that politics meant life or death unless America elected someone to get America out of Vietnam. So I knocked on doors for Sen. Gene McCarthy in the 1968 New Hampshire primary – and haven’t missed knocking on doors in a Democratic New Hampshire presidential primary since then.” Read his Playbook Plus Q&A: http://politi.co/2BWRWYq

BIRTHDAYS: Jesse Ferguson is 37 … David Pasch, HHS digital director and Mets fanatic, is 29 (hat tips: Charmaine Yoest and Brian Jack) … Allan Karl (h/t little bro Jonathan) … Maggie Rodriguez … Broderick Johnson, partner at Bryan Cave and Obama alum (h/t Jon Haber) … Jeff Goldstein, MBA/MPA concurrent degree candidate at Dartmouth Tuck and Harvard Kennedy School (h/t Katie Glueck) … Politico’s Taylor Miller Thomas … Andrew Platt, Maryland State Delegate … Katy Bachman … ABC News’ Becky Perlow … Nora Boustany … Peter Fenn … former Rep. Joe Sestak (D-Pa.) is 66 … former Rep. Steve Kagen (D-Wis.) is 68 … AP science writer Seth Borenstein … Bret Wincup, director at Hewlett Packard Enterprise … Jeff Burton, founder of Burton Strategy Group and Cantor/NRCC alum, is 43 … Rep. Blake Farenthold (R-Texas) is 56 … Liz Brim … Alexander Levine …

… Sarah Horowitz, senior media strategist at Raffetto Herman Strategic Communications … Jenna Kruse, VP of research at EMILY’s List … BBC’s Reeta Chakrabarti … Politico Europe’s Esther King … Nick Pearson of Google (h/t Riva Sciuto) … David Mays … Bush WH alum Rebecca Neale, now at the Paulson Institute … Jamie Brown Hantman … Danny Russel, diplomat in residence and senior fellow at Asia Society Policy Institute … Dwight Fettig … Jen Richer … Bob Wood … Ed Espinoza … Caroline Whitehouse, senior account executive at Edelman … Carolyn Castore … Dawn Laguens … Tina Henry … Tanner Hishta … Bush 43 alum Angela Hernandez … Kelly O’Brien … Maren Hesla … Peter Bock …Diane Welsh … David Sandretti, Obama USDA alum … Dan Schooff … Dawn Laguens … Madeline Sasse … Tony Winnicker (h/ts Teresa Vilmain)

****** A message from the Embassy of the United Arab Emirates: UAE airlines have received or have on order more than 800 Boeing aircraft. Emirates is the world’s largest operator of Boeing 777s and has 40 Boeing 787-10s currently on order. Flydubai operates an all-Boeing fleet of planes and has a total of 361 Boeing 737s on order. Etihad operates 24 Boeing 777s with 25 more on order, and has an additional $8.7 billion order for Boeing 787-10s. UAE airlines now serve 11 US gateway cities from Dubai and Abu Dhabi with more than 250 weekly nonstop flights. http://politi.co/2AtLDMj ******

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