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WRONG SOLUTION #2: Score = Average rating = (Positive ratings) / (Total ratings) Why it is wrong: Average rating works fine if you always have a ton of ratings, but suppose item 1 has 2 positive ratings and 0 negative ratings. Suppose item 2 has 100 positive ratings and 1 negative rating. This algorithm puts item two (tons of positive ratings) below item one (very few positive ratings). WRONG. Sites that make this mistake: Amazon.com
CORRECT SOLUTION: Score = Lower bound of Wilson score confidence interval for a Bernoulli parameter Say what: We need to balance the proportion of positive ratings with the uncertainty of a small number of observations. Fortunately, the math for this was worked out in 1927 by Edwin B. Wilson. What we want to ask is: Given the ratings I have, there is a 95% chance that the "real" fraction of positive ratings is at least what? Wilson gives the answer. Considering only positive and negative ratings (i.e. not a 5-star scale), the lower bound on the proportion of positive ratings is given by:
(Use minus where it says plus/minus to calculate the lower bound.) Here p is the observed fraction of positive ratings, z/2isthe(1/2)quantileofthestandardnormaldistribution,andn is the total number of ratings. The same formula implemented in Ruby:require 'statistics2' def ci_lower_bound(pos, n, confidence) if n == 0
is the total number of ratings, and confidence refers to the statistical confidence level: pick 0.95 to have a 95% chance that your lower bound is correct, 0.975 to have a 97.5% chance, etc. The z-score in this function never changes, so if you don't have a statistics package handy or if performance is an issue you can always hard-code a value here for z. (Use 1.96 for a confidence level of 0.95.) UPDATE, April 2012: Here is an illustrative SQL statement that will do the trick, assuming you have a widgets table with positive and negative ratings, and you want to sort them on the lower bound of a 95% confidence interval:SELECT widget_id, ((positive + 1.9208) / (positive + negative) 1.96 * SQRT((positive * negative) / (positive + negative) + 0.9604) / (positive + negative)) / (1 + 3.8416 / (positive + negative)) AS ci_lower_bound FROM widgets WHERE positive + negative > 0 ORDER BY ci_lower_bound DESC;
If your boss doesn't believe that such a complicated SQL statement could possibly return a useful result, just compare the results to the other two method described above:SELECT widget_id, (positive - negative) AS net_positive_ratings FROM widgets ORDER BY net_positive_ratings DESC; SELECT widget_id, positive / (positive + negative) AS average_rating FROM widgets ORDER BY average_rating DESC;
You will quickly see that the extra bit of math makes all the good stuff bubble up to the top. (But before running this SQL on a massive database, talk to your friendly neighborhood database administrator about proper use of indexes.) I initially devised this method for a Chuck Norris-style fact generator to honor of one of my professors, but it has since caught on at places like Reddit, Yelp, and Digg. OTHER APPLICATIONS The Wilson score confidence interval isn't just for sorting, of course. It is useful whenever you want to know with confidence what percentage of people took some sort of action. For example, it could be used to: Detect spam/abuse: What percentage of people who see this item will mark it as spam? Create a "best of" list: What percentage of people who see this item will mark it as "best of"? Create a "Most emailed" list: What percentage of people who see this page will click "Email"? Indeed, it may be more useful in a "top rated" list to display those items with the highest number of positive ratings per page view, download, or purchase, rather than positive ratings per rating. Many people who find something mediocre will not bother to rate it at all; the act of viewing or purchasing something and declining to rate it contains useful information about that item's quality. CHANGES Apr. 4, 2012: New SQL implementation Nov. 13, 2011: Fixed statistical confidence language and altered code example accordingly Feb. 15: Clarified the statistical power example Feb. 13 II: "Other applications" Feb. 13: General clarification, plus a link to the relevant Wikipedia article. Feb. 12, 2009: The example in "Wrong Solution #1" was erroneous. It has been fixed. REFERENCES Binomial proportion confidence interval (Wikipedia) Agresti, Alan and Brent A. Coull (1998), "Approximate is Better than 'Exact' for Interval Estimation of Binomial Proportions," The American Statistician, 52, 119-126. Wilson, E. B. (1927), "Probable Inference, the Law of Succession, and Statistical Inference," Journal of the American Statistical Association, 22, 209-212. Back to Evan Miller's Home Page


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Centre support bearing carriers
Precise gear-mesh in light alloy-cased longitudinal gearboxes
Bolted into the gearbox housingDesigned to minimize the effects of differential thermal expansion, these pre-assembled units feature two cylindrical roller bearings in a sheet metal carrier. Well suited for gearboxes with high power rates, the centre support bearing carriers integrate shoulders and snap ring functionality. Advantages include:
Reduced system costs
- Improved operating efficiency
- Reduced noise and vibration
- More compact, lightweight designs
- Optimized designs before prototyping
- Reduced development time
- Simplified gearbox housing design and assembly

subset: commoncrawl


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While Apple confirmed that purchasing a new AWS-enabled variant of the iPhone 5 was necessary to get on T-Mobile's network, a new jaibreak hack claims to enable LTE at 1700mhz by loading a custom carrier firmware on an existing, unlocked AT&T iPhone 5 (A1428). Leimobile.com posted the full instructions:
Now that you have an unlocked AT&T model A1428 or an officially unlocked model A1428 you can proceed to follow the instructions below to load a custom carrier file onto your iPhone and enable LTE. This will only work on A1428 model iPhone 5′s.
To be clear, this enables LTE AWS support for T-Mobile. It won't allow you to access HSPA+ 42Mbps on 1700mhz like Apple's new A1428 variant…
T-Mobile officially unveiled on Tuesday its plans to carry the iPhone on its new no-contract, no-subsidy, monthly installment plans starting at $99 down for the iPhone 5. Following the announcement, Engadget confirmed with Apple that the existing A1428 model iPhone 5 for AT&T would not support the necessary AWS bands to access T-Mobile's network. Apple said it would phase out the existing A1428 iPhone, meaning new devices would support both AT&T and T-Mobile, but it will be doing so through a firmware update at the factory. In other words, a software update for A1428 iPhone owners isn't possible and existing AT&T iPhone 5 owners are out of luck when it comes to support on T-Mobile's network.
The hack above, which we haven't tested first hand, of course won't work for the Verizon iPhone, as it does not support the correct LTE bands.
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.


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- Home
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- Candy Flavor Sample Packs
Current Top Sellers
Wholesale Prices Available!
De-Ja Juice is bottled by VAPOLOCITY in El Paso, Texas.
For wholesale inquiries, please contact us at: email@example.com
You can also call: (915)-757-1530
Or fill out this form and we will enable your wholesale account and get you on your way to carrying our amazing e-juice in your store:
We are currently working on getting these sample packs together and inputted into the website.
If you have any suggestions or would like to see specific flavors grouped together, please let us know.
Thank you for your patience while we work on these items. :-)
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Fran...I didn't know if you would go back to the give-a-way thread or not, but I posted the following after your post about forgetting to reset your settings on your machine.
"I don't know what kind of machine you have, but my Janome 6600 can save my changes and I don't have to reset it every time I turn my machine off and on. You might check your manual (probably under programming) to see it you can do that."
Senior Member


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I mentioned in an earlier post that January's gourmet club centered around the recipes of Pioneer Woman. We had a great time (as always) and the food was absolutely delicious (again, as always!), but we narrowly avoided a meatball-overload catastrophe this time around. It's rare for the gourmet club members to have to worry about any duplication of recipes since we usually pick a type of food (Northern Italian, Mexican, Greek, etc.) and then pull our recipes from a variety of sources. Choosing Pioneer Woman as our theme, though, left us with two primary sources: her cookbook and her Web site. At a party the night before our meeting, the other members and I were chatting about what we planned to serve when we determined that the existing plan called for these meatballs as both an appetizer and an entrée. Oops! Although our guys pretty much loved the idea of meatballs with a side of meatballs, I decided to change up my appetizers a bit to avoid the repeat. (I wasn't about to get in the way of meatballs and macaroni and cheese for dinner, believe me.) Plus, don't things usually taste better when someone else makes them for you?
I didn't mind giving up my plan since I had already experimented with the meatballs earlier in the week. Since the work was done and the photos were taken, I could still share them here with you. 🙂 To make them, I started by combining 1 1/2 pounds of ground beef, 3/4 cup of quick-cooking oats, 1 cup of milk, 3 tablespoons of finely minced onion, 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt (I used coarse), and ground black pepper (to taste) in a large bowl. (Try not to overwork the meat so the meatballs stay tender.) I portioned the mixture in heaping tablespoonfuls onto a baking sheet, formed them into balls, and placed the sheet in the freezer for 5 minutes.
While the meatballs were chilling, I made the sauce. In a medium bowl, I combined 1 cup of ketchup, 2 tablespoons of sugar, 3 tablespoons of white vinegar, 2 tablespoons of Worcestershire, 4 tablespoons of finely minced onion, and a dash of hot sauce. (I used Cholula.)
After 5 minutes of chilling, I dredged the meatballs in plain all-purpose flour and transferred them to a plate. Next, I browned them in batches in a large skillet (medium heat, 3 batches, 1 tablespoon of canola oil per batch) and transferred them to a glass baking dish. (Mine is about 11 x 17 inches, but a 9 x 13-inch dish would work well.) I poured the sauce over the meatballs, baked them (uncovered) at 350F for 45 minutes, and served them with Bacon Onion Cheddar Biscuits and green beans.
These weren't the absolute best meatballs I've ever had, but they're certainly good, solid, crowd-pleasing comfort food. On one end of the spectrum, kids would probably love them (with really finely minced onion, of course); on the other end, you can dress them up and serve them with Fancy Macaroni for your foodie club. They're really more of a meatloaf-style meatball; I especially liked the tangy, slightly sweet sauce. Since they're super easy and could be prepared ahead, I would probably make them again.
TIPS: I made my meatballs with 92% lean beef and my friend Katie made hers with 80% lean beef. While they were already extra delicious because Katie made them for us, I have to admit they were tastier and more tender with the fattier meat. Pioneer Woman would approve.
Recipe link: Comfort Meatballs


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18/18 Reg | 10,746 miles | Diesel | Selenite Grey Metallic | Automatic
Mercedes-Benz of Slough Finance explained
0330 096 6450 quoting 0M1-508464 | Request an instant callback
Combined - 58 mpg EC Extra Urban - 64 mpg EC Urban - 49.
Insurance Group
Insurance groups range from 1 to 50 and dictates the cost of the vehicles insurance. The higher the group, the higher the insurance will be for the vehicle.
Performance (BHP)
BHP rates the engine performance of vehicles and stands for the brake horsepower.
CO2 (g/km)
CO2 is the amount of carbon dioxide emitted by the vehicle in grams per kilometre travelled, the lower the CO2 emissions the cleaner the vehicle is for the environment.
Number Of Seats
The total number of seats in the vehicle.
Road Tax
Road Tax is based upon the CO2 emissions of the vehicle and is split into 13 bands from A to M. The higher the letter the greater the cost of tax paid to drive the vehicle on public roads. In addition to the road tax detailed below, any vehicle that had a manufacturers retail price in excess of £40,000 when first sold, attracts a road tax supplement of an additional £320 per year. This is charged until the vehicle is 6 years old.
"Currently available at Mercedes-Benz of Slough, this E220d AMG Line Estate is finished in Selenite grey metallic paint. Specification includes REVERSE CAMERA, HEATED SEATS, ELECTRIC FOLDING MIRRORS, LED HEADLIGHTS, SD NAVIGATION, and so much more. Our helpful and attentive team at Vertu Mercedes-Benz of Slough are on hand 7 days a week to help you find the perfect car to suits your needs. Our dedicated team can assist you whether you're arranging a test drive or providing you with a personalised video. All Mercedes-Benz Approved Used vehicles undergo a comprehensive series of stringent tests and inspections, allowing you to buy with peace of mind. A minimum of 12 month unlimited mileage warranty with complimentary Roadside Assistance, Key Insurance, MOT test cover, 7 day free Motor Insurance, as well as the Service Care Plan packages. We are proud to be part of Vertu Motors Plc, one the UK's largest Automotive Retail Groups. *CONTACT US NOW FOR A PERSONALISED VIDEO*"
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|Body Glass
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|Electric front/rear windows with one touch/anti pinch
|Polished aluminium upper window surround
|ABS with Brake Assist
|ESP with ASR
|Electronic parking brake
|Hill start assist
|Front brake callipers with mercedes benz lettering
|Adaptive brake system
|Active brake assist
|Bluetooth interface for hands free telephone
|Driver Aids
|Active park assist with parktronic system
|Speed sensitive power steering
|Hill hold assist
|Attention assist
|Park assist pilot with front and rear park assist
|Collision prevention assist
|DYNAMIC SELECT with a choice of driving modes (ECO, Comfort, Sport, Sport+ and Individual)
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|Folding shopping box
|Lockable/illuminated air conditioned glovebox
|Interior Lights
|Ambient Lighting
|Interior rear light/integral reading lights
|Interior lighting pack - E Class
|Mirror pack - E Class
|Driver/front passenger airbag
|Seatbelt warning
|Childproof rear door locks
|Seat occupancy sensor
|Front and rear curtain airbags
|Warning triangle and first aid kit
|Tyre pressure monitoring system
|Drivers knee airbag
|3x3 point rear seatbelts
|Window airbags
|Pre-safe anticipatory safety system
|Driver and passenger side/thorax airbags
|Active bonnet
|Crash sensor
|Electric seat back adjustment
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|Heated front seats
|Front seat back map pockets
|Adjustable front head restraints
|Auto Mercedes-Benz child seat recognition sensor
|Adjustable rear head restraints
|Isofix rear child seat fastenings
|Remote central locking
|Alarm system/interior protection/immobiliser
|Chrome surround electric key
|Keyless Start
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|Vanity Mirrors
|Sunvisors with illuminated vanity mirrors
|Run flat tyres
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The man standing in the middle of a West Denver Street was acting very odd.
There was a good chance that he was inebriated.
It was unsettling to George "Ray" Burgett, who had just driven home with his wife, Beth, after they had spent an evening with friends in Littleton.
It was 10:30 p.m. on Sept. 13.
After parking in their driveway, Ray told his wife that he would go see what was going on, mostly out of concern that the man needed help.
While the 72-year-old man walked towards the source of the neighborhood disturbance, his wife went into her home on the 800 block between Irving and Hooker streets.
Beth was getting ready for bed when she realized that 15 minutes had passed since she left her husband on the back driveway.
She went outside and called for him several times but he did not answer, according to a story in The Denver Post from this time period.
Knowing her husband, the delay could have been related to her husband's habit of helping people in need of help including strangers.
Her husband had been a former seminary student before becoming a professional wildlife photographer and writer. He always preached that you should walk away from a fight.
"I called him repeatedly and got no answer whatsoever," Beth said later.
She climbed the stairs of her home so she could get a better vantage point of the alley from her bedroom window.


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Location: National Peanut Research LaboratoryTitle: Nondestructive analysis of in-shell peanuts for moisture content using a custom built NIR Spectrometer
|Kandala, Chari
|Sundaram, Jaya - University Of Georgia
|Govindarajan, K.n. - University Of Nebraska
|Subbiah, Jeyam - University Of Nebraska
Submitted to: Journal of Food Engineering
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 3/1/2011
Publication Date: 12/1/2011
Citation: Kandala, C., Sundaram, J., Govindarajan, K., Subbiah, J. 2011. Nondestructive analysis of in-shell peanuts for moisture content using a custom built NIR Spectrometer. Journal of Food Engineering. 2:1-7.
Interpretive Summary: Moisture content in peanuts plays important role in the farmer's stock peanut grading. A device that can measure moisture content rapidly, and without destroying the test samples, would be useful. Presently, capacitance type moisture measuring devices are in commercial use. However, they need the peanut samples to be shelled and cleaned before measurements. Some of the instruments are for use on single kernels and not useful for measurements on bulk samples. Techniques using near infrared (NIR) spectroscopy for food quality measurements are becoming more popular in food processing and quality inspection of agricultural commodities. NIR spectroscopy has several advantages over conventional physical and chemical analytical methods of food quality analysis. It is a rapid and non destructive method, and provides more information about the components present in the food and food product samples. By NIR methods more than one parameter can be measured simultaneously. In this work, a custom made NIR spectroscope was used to measure the moisture content of two different varieties of peanuts, Valencia and Virginia. The moistures of the peanuts tested was between 6% and 26% (wet basis). Before collecting the NIR spectrum of the conditioned samples, moisture contents were determined using standard air-oven method. Reflected energy spectrum from the sample was collected and recorded for each sample. Partial Least Square (PLS) analysis was carried for each of the varieties to build a regression model. Several pretreatments were conducted on the collected data of the calibration and validation groups. From PLS analysis carried on calibration groups prediction models were developed. These models were used with the validation groups to predict the moisture content of the peanuts. Predicted moisture content and the measured moisture content using standard air-oven method were compared to find the best model, based on the values of R2 and standard error of prediction (SEP).
Technical Abstract: A Custom made NIR spectroscope was used to determine the moisture content of in-shell peanuts of two different market types namely Virginia and Valencia. Peanuts were conditioned to different moisture levels between 6 and 26 % (wet basis). Samples from the different moisture levels were separated into two groups such as calibration and validation. NIR absorption spectral data from 1000 nm to 2500 nm were collected from the calibration and validation groups. Measurements were obtained on 30 replicates within each moisture level. Reference moisture data were developed using standard air-oven method. Partial Least Square (PLS) analysis was performed on the calibration set spectral data and models were developed. The Standard Error of Calibration (SEC) and R2 of the calibration models were computed to select the best calibration model. Both Valencia and Virginia types gave R2 of 0.99. The models were used to predict the moisture content of peanuts in the validation set. Predicted moisture contents of the validation samples were compared with their standard air-oven moisture values. Goodness of fit was determined based on the lowest Standard Error of Prediction (SEP) and highest R2 value obtained for the prediction models. The model, with reflectance plus normalization spectral data with an SEP of 0.74 for Valencia and 1.57 for Virginia type in-shell peanuts was selected as the best model. The corresponding R2 values were 0.98 for both peanut types.


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Guests: Howard Fineman, Kristen Welker, Howard Fineman, Hampton Pearson, Joy-Ann Reid, Andrew Card, Dave Wilkinson, Kendall Coffey, Gary Siplin, Ken Bell
CHRIS MATTHEWS, HOST: Good for bail.
Let`s play HARDBALL.
Good evening. I`m Chris Matthews in Washington. Leading off tonight:
George Zimmerman on the stand.
It`s a well-known principle defense lawyers don`t let their clients
testify. But today at his bail hearing, covered live by all three cable
networks, George Zimmerman took the stand and told the parents of Trayvon
Martin that he was sorry for their loss, that he did not know how old
Trayvon was, and that he thought he was only -- only -- that he was
slightly younger than himself.
Well, the judge set bail at $150,00. Also on trial, some critics
argue, is Florida`s "stand your ground" law itself. Florida led the nation
in implementing the law. Now the governor there, Rick Scott, has create a
task force to look into "stand your ground." Could it set the trend for
repeal or revision of the law?
Plus, despite polls showing the presidential race essentially even,
Republicans are increasingly discouraged about Mitt Romney`s prospects, and
Democrats have a plan to make them more discouraged -- give up the "Romney
is a flip-flopper" argument and hold him to all that right-wing positioning
he took in the primaries. That`s interesting.
And how did talk of Sarah Palin get tied into the Secret Service
investigation? We`ll get into that one.
Finally, "Let Me Finish" tonight with the eensy-beensy number that
will determine whether Obama or Romney gets elected this year.
We begin with George Zimmerman`s day in court today. It was dramatic.
Joy-Ann Reid is managing editor of Grio.com. She joins us right now. And
Kendall Coffey is a former U.S. attorney.
Well, I always start these conversations by saying I am not a lawyer.
I listen to those who are. Let`s take a look at this. Here`s George
Zimmerman speaking in court this morning and addressing the parents right
there in court of Trayvon Martin. Let`s watch.
GEORGE ZIMMERMAN, CHARGED WITH SECOND-DEGREE MURDER: I wanted to say
I am sorry for the loss of your son. I did not know how old he was. I
thought he was a little bit younger than I am. And I did not know if he
was armed or not.
MATTHEWS: Joy-Ann Reid, that is something that the defendant in this
case says he wanted to do earlier, but there he did it in court today.
What do you make of it?
JOY-ANN REID, THEGRIO.COM, MSNBC CONTRIBUTOR: Well, you know what`s
interesting, Chris, is that the family of Trayvon Martin found that very
off-putting and disingenuous. I mean, the truth of the matter is, George
Zimmerman has had opportunities to address the family before.
He started a Web site a couple of weeks ago, at which no such
statements of contrition were included. He`s also had a phone call. He
left a message for a friend, Frank Taaffe, in which he expressed no
So when I spoke with one of the attorneys for the Martin parents, they
simply felt that this was a performance for the cameras, that this was
about humanizing George Zimmerman.
MATTHEWS: OK. Yes, but what did he say was the reason he did it
today? I understood his statement was that he had tried -- he would -- he
was told by counsel not to try to contact the family. Isn`t that the case?
REID: Well, that is what he is saying now. But again, we only heard
for the first time...
MATTHEWS: Well, is that true?
REID: ... he wanted -- the family has essentially said that they`ve
had no contact from George Zimmerman.
MATTHEWS: Well, we know that, but was he told by his attorney --
let`s go over to Mr. Coffey. Would it be normal for an attorney to tell a
defendant or potential defendant in this case not to contact the victim?
KENDALL COFFEY, FMR. U.S. ATTORNEY: Of course it would be. And it
would not very common to put a defendant on the stand for any reason what
so all to -- whatsoever to make what was an unwanted and apparently
unappreciated apology because it creates the risk that the prosecutor might
be able to go somewhere when you expose your client to cross-examination.
Now, the judge kept a very short rein on the prosecutor, so it didn`t
blow up in the defense`s face. But it was an unnecessary risk, and it
certainly doesn`t seem to have accomplished anything for George Zimmerman.
MATTHEWS: By the way, I`m not lawyer, again, but I was -- I`m always
surprised by things that happen in court. Let me ask you this, Mr. Coffey.
Is it normal for a prosecutor in a bond hearing to just say to the person,
the defendant in this case, You committed a crime, that day you committed a
crime, to basically say he`s guilty and act as if he`s been found guilty.
Is that normal parlance, acceptable parlance in a courtroom?
COFFEY: Well, I guess if you can get away with it, it seems like...
MATTHEWS: Did it surprise you he could get away with it?
COFFEY: It surprised me that the defense didn`t object. At the end
of the day, it wasn`t -- didn`t turn out to be a big deal. But yes, he
said, When you were committing that crime -- I thought it would prompt an
objection from somebody. But again, at the end of the day, important
result for George Zimmerman. He is going to be out on bail.
MATTHEWS: Joy-Ann, were you surprised by that, that he just called
him a convicted criminal, basically?
REID: Well, I...
MATTHEWS: He said, You committed a crime, just right there in court.
REID: Yes. Absolutely.
MATTHEWS: As a fact.
REID: And he really also challenged him very much. But yes, I think
that the presentation of the prosecution was as much as he could to try to
cross-examine George Zimmerman. But as Kendall Coffey just said, there was
a very tight rein on him.
The other thing that was interesting...
MATTHEWS: Well, wait a minute. He didn`t cross-examine, he said, You
are a criminal, you committed a crime that day, in his questioning. He
just said it.
REID: Right. I mean, but the idea is, of course, a presumption from
the prosecution is that he is a criminal. That is the presumption...
REID: ... they`re going into this case with. So it`s not shocking
that they would present the case that way because, remember, the defense
was trying to mitigate at every turn what was in that proffer from
prosecutors. They were trying to say the word "confrontation" was
problematic. It should have been "met," that Zimmerman met Trayvon Martin,
rather than confronted him.
MATTHEWS: Well, isn`t it?
REID: So given that...
MATTHEWS: Isn`t "confrontation" -- isn`t "confrontation" a loaded
REID: Well, absolutely, but it`s also what the prosecution is trying
to accomplish.
MATTHEWS: OK. Fine.
REID: They`re trying to prove second-degree murder, so each side
wants to present their evidence...
MATTHEWS: Gotcha.
REID: ... in their best light.
MATTHEWS: Well, let`s take a look at further here. Here`s video
further. He said he didn`t change his story. Here he is, denying that
he`s been giving conflicting accounts. Here`s Zimmerman again on the
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And isn`t it true that in some of those
statements, when you were confronted about your inconsistencies, you
started saying, I don`t remember?
MARK O`MARA, ATTORNEY FOR GEORGE ZIMMERMAN: Outside the scope of
direct examination. I would object, Your Honor.
JUDGE KENNETH LESTER: We`ll give him a little bit of leeway, not a
whole lot, but a little bit here, OK?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Isn`t it true that when you were questioned and
you were questioned about the contradictions in your statements, that the
police didn`t believe it, that you would say, I don`t remember?
LESTER: Granted. I`m going to grand his motion at this time.
O`MARA: Thank you, Your Honor.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Would you agree that you changed your story as it
went along?
MATTHEWS: Mr. Coffey, let me -- Kendall, let me ask you this
question. Is this the normal thing with a bond hearing, that you try to
establish the credibility of a witness -- credibility of the defendant, I
COFFEY: Well, what the prosecutor was doing was trying to take that
little bit of an opening he had and be as aggressive as he could with
George Zimmerman.
MATTHEWS: Right.
COFFEY: By the way, he was also aggressive cross-examining George
Zimmerman`s wife and father, where they were very careful about holding
back was (ph) their best evidence. And anybody that thinks that the best
evidence that the prosecution has was fully displayed today is making the
wrong takeaway from this hearing.
MATTHEWS: Your thought, Joanne? (sic)
REID: No, I...
MATTHEWS: Joy-Ann. I`m sorry.
REID: No, that`s fine. And I think that`s true. I think the
prosecutor actually said right at the end of his presentation, Look, we`ve
got a lot more. And you`ve got to presume that they were trying not to
show too much of their case because, remember, there can be a second
hearing. And Kendall Coffey is the expert that can explain that.
There could be a hearing specifically on "stand your ground." They
don`t want to give the defense attorney a preview of their case, which
would give them an advantage going into that next hearing.
MATTHEWS: Let`s take a look at this hot stuff. Here`s George
Zimmerman`s father, who was questioned via speakerphone this morning. He
was asked about George`s -- his son`s appearance following the shooting
that night. Let`s listen to his case, his testimony, at least, right
O`MARA: So what did George`s head look like when you saw it the day
ROBERT ZIMMERMAN, GEORGE ZIMMERMAN`S FATHER (via telephone): Well,
his face was swollen quite a bit. He had a protective cover over his nose.
His lip was swollen and cut, and there were two vertical gashes on the back
of his head.
O`MARA: Did you take any pictures of that?
R. ZIMMERMAN: I did not take any pictures.
O`MARA: Have you seen any of them?
R. ZIMMERMAN: Yes, I have.
O`MARA: Who showed them to you?
R. ZIMMERMAN: I saw one on the news today.
O`MARA: Did the state attorney`s office ever show you any of those
R. ZIMMERMAN: No, they did not.
MATTHEWS: Well, let`s take a look at the pictures. They`re an
exclusive. We got them from ABC News. Let`s take a look at those
pictures. There it is. I guess there is that gash there, two vertical
gashes on the back of his head, the -- I don`t know how to read injuries.
Joy-Ann, your thoughts about this evidence now, that it`s all over the
country now?
REID: Yes, you know what, Chris? When I saw that picture, the
question I had is when was that taken? Because if you look at the timeline
as presented by the police report, George Zimmerman within minutes of this
shooting was confronted by police officers.
I spoke with EMS officials in Sanford, Florida, who said that Florida
law would have prohibited them from taking any pictures. If a neighbor
walked onto this crime scene shortly after the shooting but before
Zimmerman was treated -- remember, he was treated in the back of a patrol
MATTHEWS: Yes.
REID: ... for cuts and bleeding. No, when did a non-member of the
investigative team get to take a picture of the back of his head? That`s
the question it raises for me.
MATTHEWS: So you`re thinking -- you`re suggesting that the ABC
account is inaccurate.
REID: No, I`m just wondering who could have...
MATTHEWS: Well, what are you saying?
REID: ... taken that picture...
MATTHEWS: Because if you`re saying that, you`re saying it`s not a
picture of him that night.
REID: No, I`m saying it -- did other people get to come onto that
crime scene?
MATTHEWS: Oh.
REID: Did they take that at the scene, which would also raise
questions about the investigation. If people not directly involved until
an investigation were close enough to the crime scene or were on the scene
before he was treated, that means that they encountered George Zimmerman
while the police were still investigating. That was my question.
MATTHEWS: And why is that relevant? Why is that relevant to his
guilt or innocence or his -- whatever happened that night.
REID: I don`t think it`s...
MATTHEWS: Why is that relevant?
REID: ... relevant to that. I think it goes to the way that Sanford
police handled this case, which has been sharply criticized...
MATTHEWS: Yes.
REID: ... not just by Trayvon Martin`s family, but by people I know
in law enforcement who say, Was this crime scene thoroughly checked...
MATTHEWS: Yes.
REID: ... or did they just...
MATTHEWS: That`s a good point.
REID: ... presume he was the victim and then not...
MATTHEWS: There`s a broader point.
REID: ... do a thorough investigation?
MATTHEWS: I think you`re making part of a broader question about the
whole way they dealt with this. And to me, personally, watching this,
again, with the presumption of innocence, I don`t like the way the whole
matter of this guy, this -- this kid -- the way he was treated that night
and now almost irrelevantly he was treated, as almost like they assumed he
was the -- the bad guy.
O`Mara, by the way, Mark O`Mara, who`s the defense attorney here,
questioned the investigator from the state`s attorney`s office as to who
started the fight -- boy, this is a critical question -- between Zimmerman
and Martin. Let`s watch this interplay.
O`MARA: Do you know who started the fight?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Do I know?
O`MARA: Right.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No.
O`MARA: Do you have any evidence that supports who may have started
the fight?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No.
MATTHEWS: You know, let me go to Mr. Coffey, or Kendall. How do you
-- how -- this is so -- there`s a number of steps in this. When did the
encounter begin? We can assume the encounter began because he was trailing
this guy. He was suspicious of him, whatever. You can throw in the
profiling thing, if you want, but he was suspicious of him. He confronted
there -- they confronted each other at some point.
Does it matter under the law of self-defense who throws the first
punch? Does that matter?
COFFEY: Well, it certainly can, and that`s why I was, frankly,
surprised by the gap in that part of the testimony. But certainly, the
state is going to get to work on fixing that because if, in fact, it
develops that Trayvon Martin started the fight or that the state can`t
prove who started the fight -- and I`m not saying by any means that he did
-- that`s a problem. It certainly helps George Zimmerman with his self-
But we`re very early on in this case. Again, we`ve got to emphasize
the prosecution`s got a lot more ammunition. And that is, as was being
said a moment ago, something that they`ve got to save up for the "stand
your ground" hearing because if there is such a hearing, it gives the judge
the ability to throw this whole case out.
And that`s going to be a much more actively contested hearing than
anything we saw today.
MATTHEWS: Well, the president, Bernie De La Rionda, had one final
message in his press conference. Let`s watch that today.
BERNIE DE LA RIONDA, PROSECUTOR: You all have not heard all the
evidence. Please be patient and wait for the trial! Thank you very much.
MATTHEWS: Well, this is so tricky here, Joy-Ann, and I don`t know how
we`re going to cover this. I`m going to try to do with the presumption of
innocence here, as we do in all case. I think everybody`s going to be
watching this with all kinds of attitude, however, right?
REID: Yes, absolutely. And Chris, the bottom line here is that this
case has already been litigated and relitigated on Twitter, on line, on
blogs. Everyone feels that they, too, are prosecuting this case, and
people have taken a side.
And I think that raises a lot of troubling questions really about jury
selection. Is the entire jury pool in the country tainted? And can
Zimmerman get a fair trial? I think those are all important questions.
MATTHEWS: What scares me, if we could all watch the picture, like a
movie, a tape of everything that happened that night from the beginning to
the end, I think there would be difference of attitude about guilt and
innocence. That`s what scares me about this case. There`s so many
different perspectives, so much history, ever since the first slave arrived
in the United States, the attitude of history here. You can`t push it
aside, I don`t think.
Anyway, thank you, Joy-Ann Reid, for joining us tonight, as always.
Please come back many times.
REID: Thank you.
MATTHEWS: Kendall Coffey, to you, sir, as well.
Coming up: Florida led the country with its "stand your ground" law.
It`s maybe at the heart of this case. We don`t know. After the Trayvon
Martin death, could it be the first in the country to repeal that law?
That`s ahead and it`s coming here in a minute.
This is HARDBALL.
MATTHEWS: Wow, Florida and Ohio could once again be the biggest
battleground states of the 2012 election. Let`s see where they stand right
now in the HARDBALL "Scoreboard."
In Florida, a new Fox News poll finds a tight race. President Obama
is up 2 over Mitt Romney, but that ain`t much, 45-43. Now to Ohio, where
the Fox poll has Obama up a bit more comfortably. He leads Romney by 6,
45-39. Boy, those two are the ones to watch.
We`ll be right back.
GOV. RICK SCOTT (R), FLORIDA: (INAUDIBLE) for the 2nd Amendment. I
also wanted to make sure that we do not rush to conclusions about the
"stand your ground" law or any other laws in our state. We look forward to
hearing from the citizens of our state about their concerns and
recommendations for keeping our state safe.
MATTHEWS: Welcome back to HARDBALL. That was now somewhat famous
Florida governor Rick Scott yesterday announcing a task force he`s created
to review the state`s "stand your ground," now the center of public debate
following the death of Trayvon Martin.
Well, the 17-member task force is headed by Florida`s Republican
lieutenant governor, Jennifer Carroll -- there she is -- an NRA member who
voted to pass the "stand your ground" law while serving in the state
legislature back in 2005. She also voted in favor of the "take your guns
to work" law -- wow -- in 2008.
What is going on? With me are two members of the governor`s task
force, Senator Gary Siplin. He`s a Democratic Florida state senator who
voted to pass the "stand your ground" law in 2005, and Kenneth Bell. He`s
the former -- Judge Bell is the former Florida supreme court justice.
Well, I don`t live in the hedge (ph) you guys live in, guys. I mean,
this pro-gun thing, I don`t get it, I don`t get it, I don`t get it. I
sometimes think you all want to go back to the Long Branch Saloon with --
with -- what`s his name -- Marshall Dillon and trying to clean up the --
why -- I got to start with something really basic.
"Stand your ground" -- OK, I guess I can (INAUDIBLE) the arguments
about if you`re out in the street somewhere and somebody`s really trying to
kill you, you have a right to defend yourself. Fine.
But what`s this gun fetish you`re into? You first, Senator. Why`d
you vote for "stand your ground"? Why are you voting for all this gunplay?
GARY SIPLIN (D), FLORIDA STATE SENATOR: Well, you know...
MATTHEWS: You got 900,000 people in Florida with concealed weapon
licenses, almost a million people walking around in Florida today. You go
into a movie theater, you got 20 guns in the movie theater with you!
What`s that about?
SIPLIN: Well, you know, the law is a result of the looting after the
hurricanes in Florida...
MATTHEWS: Oh!
SIPLIN: ... and they wanted to protect...
MATTHEWS: Give me a break!
SIPLIN: ... our citizens...
MATTHEWS: The looting after the hurricane. Oh, so in other words,
you put a sunrise -- a sunset law on this that only lasted through the
SIPLIN: No, no. It`s a good policy. You know, I think what we tried
to do was protect the home because a person has the right to defend
themself in their home. And a lot of people don`t live in houses, they
live in their cars...
MATTHEWS: OK, wait a minute.
SIPLIN: ... so they got a right to defend themselves in the car.
MATTHEWS: You`re just -- you are -- I`m sorry, Senator, I think
you`re into the BS land here when you say defend your home. The right to
carry a concealed weapon is not the right to have a shotgun upstairs in a
closet. It`s the right to walk the streets, probably walking it rather
proudly, with a gun in your pocket. Why?
SIPLIN: Well, you know, this is America and the Constitution allows
you to have -- to bear arms.
MATTHEWS: No, your law allows it. Your law allows you to carry a
concealed weapon.
SIPLIN: That`s true, just like other states in the United States of
America allows concealed weapons, too.
MATTHEWS: I think you guys are flipped out. Let`s go to Judge Bell.
You`re part of this problem, too. Are you one of these guys that thinks
everybody should walk into a restaurant armed? No, really!
KEN BELL, FMR. FLORIDA SUPREME COURT JUSTICE: No. No. Not at all.
MATTHEWS: There`s people that are out there and they won`t go to
certain hotels unless they let them in with a gun, unless they`re packing
and let people pack, they won`t let them in to have a meal. This is Long
Branch Saloon stuff, guys. And I grew up watching Matt Dillon, but thank
God I didn`t live in that town. Your thoughts, Senator -- I mean, Judge,
Judge Bell.
BELL: Well, I`m on the task force that the governor appointed because
my experience with the general law of using justifiable force in defending
yourself. And that`s what the "stand your ground" -- what you call the
"stand your ground" law is about.
It`s not about guns. It`s about whether or no and in what
circumstances you are allowed to use deadly force to protect or your family
or others.
MATTHEWS: So what else are we talking about besides guns, Judge?
You said it is not about guns. What do you mean?
SIPLIN: Well, Chris, it`s about public safety.
MATTHEWS: No, no, Judge, you`re on the stand here. You said it
wasn`t about guns, stand your ground.
Well, in the Trayvon Martin case, it`s clearly about guns. If Mr.
Zimmerman didn`t have a gun on him, I don`t know what would have happened.
But the other guy wouldn`t have been shot.
BELL: Well, what if he had a knife, what if he had a baseball bat,
what if he had a sword or any other weapon? There could have been other
weapons used in the case that he could have used deadly force in an
appropriate or inappropriate way.
MATTHEWS: Sure.
BELL: The purpose of the task force is to look at the changes to the
And the law itself doesn`t address the issue of the right to bear arms
or concealed weapons.
MATTHEWS: Yes.
BELL: The law that is in question is justifiable use of force and
when -- and the presumptions and the immunity and other things given there.
MATTHEWS: Let me go back to Senator Siplin.
Do you think it`s is a good idea to review this law and see if it`s a
good law or not?
SIPLIN: Yes, I do because a lot of defendants who use deadly force
under suspicious circumstances are resorting to the stand your ground
I think it`s appropriate that we do go across the state of Florida,
which is our intent, to take testimony to review those cases that are
suspicious and see if we do need to go right to Tallahassee and redraft the
law or tweak or do something.
MATTHEWS: Because it`s an easy defense, isn`t it?
SIPLIN: Absolutely, and I think it`s being abused throughout the
MATTHEWS: Give me an example of how it`s been abused by your lights.
SIPLIN: Well, here in Sanford, Florida, with Trayvon Martin and Mr.
MATTHEWS: Please, let`s not litigate that case here, because that
case is going to trial.
Find another case. You`re a state senator. You must know other
incidents where it`s been abused.
SIPLIN: I think there was a case in Jacksonville where a person was
walking down the street and he utilized -- he ended up killing the person,
and utilized the stand your ground defense and he won.
Let me ask you about that, Judge. Here`s the question I have.
Everybody knows in this country, especially in tough neighborhoods, you`re
going to have street fights, you`re going to have people in ballrooms,
people getting in trouble, especially it seems about 2:00 or 3:00 in the
morning. That is when all hell breaks loose.
One gets into a fight with another guy and he says the wrong thing and
the other pulls a gun and kills him. But he says this other guy had a
knife, or this other guy threatened me. Is that what we`re talking about
as an abuse where there is clearly a killing which is totally criminal but
the guy gets off because he says -- or the woman I guess -- gets off by
saying the other guy threatened me, and there`s no way to disprove that
Is that what we`re talking about here?
BELL: Yes. That`s part of the problem in this case is the granting
of immunity from prosecution or civil actions and the granting of
presumptions that you`re fearful. It`s primarily when you`re in your home
or in your car. There was a case in northern Florida where a gentleman was
in his automobile and somebody attacked him, but then he was being pulled
away and as he was being pulled away, the gentleman in the car shot him.
And the immunity applied.
MATTHEWS: Why would he be able to shoot somebody in self-defense,
even under stand your ground, if the other guy was no longer a threat to
BELL: Well, because there was a presumption that he was in fear, and
there was a presumption that the gentleman was intending to hurt him.
And then there is that immunity. There a lot that needs to be looked
at by the task force. I think this is a great task force. There are
people from a broad racial background, geographical background, interests
from different communities.
And I think it`s a great opportunity. A tragedy occurred in Trayvon
Martin, and we can be destructive or divisive or we can be constructive and
bring unity. And I think this is an effort -- and that`s why I`m involved
or agreed to be involved -- is an effort to look at it and bring balance
where necessary.
MATTHEWS: Well said. Thank you so much, Judge Bell.
And thank you, state Senator Gary Siplin. Please come back on the
show. I`m sure we will be talking about this as you proceed with your task
SIPLIN: Absolutely.
MATTHEWS: Up next, Chris Christie, the governor of New Jersey, wants
you to know full well he never falls asleep during a Springsteen concert.
He listens to the boss quite intently, in fact. He took on that allegation
as only he can coming up in the "Sideshow."
You`re watching HARDBALL.
MATTHEWS: Back to HARDBALL and now for the "Sideshow."
Yesterday, I talked about Massachusetts voters` latest beef with
Senator Scott Brown, that he accepted a sizable campaign donation from the
president of the New York Yankees.
Today, Senator John Kerry joined the "MORNING JOE" team at Fenway
Park`s the 100th birthday celebration and didn`t pass up the chance to
knock Brown for his ties to the evil empire.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I`m the lone Yankee fan on set today. I was
listening to something that...
SEN. JOHN KERRY (D), MASSACHUSETTS: No, you had Scott Brown there.
KERRY: I`m just playing around. We`re just having fun. I want to
announce to the Boston press, that`s fun, only fun.
MATTHEWS: Well, the progressive super PAC American Bridge is also
reminding voters that Brown has a rocky history with the Sox.
Back in 2001, he supported a plan to move the Sox out of Fenway to
Foxborough, Massachusetts, where the Patriots play.
SEN. SCOTT BROWN (R), MASSACHUSETTS: I know lots of things have
changed over the years, but not Fenway Park. There`s been a lot of talk
over the years about replacing the park, but that would have been a
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Perhaps not so surprisingly, Brown forgets to
remind listeners he once wrote a letter asking the Red Sox to move their
ballpark to Foxborough.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Brown suggested in a letter to Patriots owner
Robert Kraft asked that the baseball team move to the football team`s new
stadium in Foxborough.
MATTHEWS: The things they fight about out there.
Next up, last week, "The New York Post" reported that New Jersey
Governor Chris Christie had been spotted dozing off during a Bruce
Springsteen concert in Madison Square Garden.
Well, the sighting was a hot topic at Christie`s press conference
GOV. CHRIS CHRISTIE (R), NEW JERSEY: What happened was, during "Rocky
Ground," which is like kind of a really spiritual song, people sat. So I
sat up on the seat and I put my head back and closed my eyes and listened
to the song.
When I was like fist-pumping during "Badlands," nobody -- I`m glad no
one took pictures of that. When I was contorting myself during "Because
the Night," no one took pictures of that.
I have never fallen asleep during a Bruce Springsteen show. I will
never fall asleep during a Bruce Springsteen show.
MATTHEWS: Actually, I believe him. Christie says he`s been to more
than 120 Springsteen concerts and has been lobbying the Boss to perform
this summer a new casino in Atlantic City.
Well, up next, Republicans are increasing worried that Mitt Romney
just can`t win this election, and the Obama campaign wants to make sure
they`re right by making Romney pay for all those right-wing positions he
took during the primary. They will not let him swing back to the center.
And that`s head. You`re watching HARDBALL.
HAMPTON PEARSON, CNBC CORRESPONDENT: I`m Hampton Pearson with your
CNBC "Market Wrap."
The Dow closes up 65 points, the S&P is up one and change, but the
Nasdaq is down seven points. Shares of GE helped loose the Dow. The
company`s earnings beat estimates thanks to strong jet engine sells. GE is
a minority shareholder of NBC Universal. McDonald`s was also a gainer
after its earnings met expectations, but it`s been a rough stretch for
Apple, which is more than 10 percent from its high, down about two-and-a-
half percent today.
That`s it from CNBC, first in business worldwide -- Now back to
MATTHEWS: Welcome back to HARDBALL.
Do Republicans think Mitt Romney is already doomed right now? Take a
look at what Jonathan Martin wrote in Politico today -- quote -- "Poll
after poll indicates the presidential campaign is a dead heat, but you
wouldn`t know it from talking to many Republican professionals. If you
gave them truth serum, they would tell you they think Mitt Romney will
lose. Under the table, there is pervasive pessimism among Republicans
about Romney`s prospects this fall. Among his first task as nominee in
waiting is to convince members of his own party that he can win."
Well, are Republicans looking past Mitt Romney already to 2016?
Andy Card is a former White House chief of staff for President George
W. Bush. He is now dean of the Bush School of Government.
Wonder how you got that job?
MATTHEWS: And public service at Texas A&M. And Howard Fineman is
editorial director for The Huffington Post and an MSNBC contributor.
Andy, with all the respect that goes to a former White House chief of
staff, we start with you.
Why do we keep getting these whiffs of disinterest, of pessimism, of
ennui, to use a French term, about Romney? They don`t seem that excited
about this guy.
ANDREW CARD, FORMER GEORGE W. BUSH WHITE HOUSE CHIEF OF STAFF: Chris,
why would you use a French term?
CARD: But, at any rate...
MATTHEWS: Because I`m not one of you French-hating Republicans.
That`s why.
CARD: No, seriously, Republicans are getting enthused about Mitt
Romney. He`s going to be our party nominee. We know that.
He`s actually putting together a great campaign. There is still some
angst over what happened in the primary process. And this is not unlike
when Ronald Reagan won the Republican nomination and there were people
thinking he wasn`t the best nominee, he wasn`t the best candidate.
He was, and he was a great president. I think Mitt Romney will be a
great president. He`s putting together a team. There is not a lot of
second-guessing about the Mitt Romney nomination. We`re exciting to think
-- see who he might pick as a running mate.
MATTHEWS: Are you excited about Mitt Romney being the nominee?
CARD: ... Democratic ticket.
MATTHEWS: Are you excited...
CARD: Yes, I am.
MATTHEWS: You`re excited?
CARD: I am excited.
MATTHEWS: You don`t look excited.
CARD: Because I think Mitt Romney is a leader. He has the capacity
to lead this nation.
I watched him make a big difference at the Olympics in Salt Lake City.
MATTHEWS: Sure.
CARD: And he certainly did a good job as governor in Massachusetts in
a tough state.
MATTHEWS: Howard, you talk to a lot of people. I see you as one of
the best reporters in town, besides have to do TV all the time. But you do
a lot of reporting. Is this the reality out there among professionals,
HOWARD FINEMAN, NBC CHIEF POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, I think
they`re trying to get over the mood that Jonathan...
MATTHEWS: The ennui.
FINEMAN: Yes, that Jonathan Martin described accurately in his piece.
But I think they`re trying to get there. They`re not trying to get
there by way of saying how much they love Mitt Romney himself. I think
Andy may be a little bit of an exception there. Mostly they`re saying he`s
going to have a gangbusters professional campaign. He`s running against
the president, who can be beaten, and he`s running at a time when the
economy is still very dicey, and he does have legitimate business
In other words, they`re trying to will themselves into getting excited
about it. If you look at the polls, Mitt Romney...
MATTHEWS: You know how funny this sounds, don`t you?
FINEMAN: Yes.
Mitt Romney has now consolidated the Republican vote in the polls, but
the problem, the question is whether those people turn out.
MATTHEWS: They`re about to run this guy for president and they got to
talk themselves into being excited about him.
MATTHEWS: Here`s a guy that is not exactly Mr. Excitement here, not
exactly the Count of Monte Cristo himself, Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels.
He had some strong words about the Romney campaign saying, he`s too
focused on the wealthy, as opposed to people who are struggling to get some
money. He told the "Indianapolis Star" newspaper -- quote -- "You have to
campaign to govern, not just to win. You have got to spend the precious
time and dollars explaining what`s at stake and a constructive program to
make life better. And, as I say, look at everything through the lens of
folks who have yet to achieve. Romney doesn`t talk that way."
Now, is that something he needs to do, is to find some way, Andy, of
talking to people who aren`t as successful -- and when he`s always talking
how successful his family is -- as his has been?
CARD: I agree.
I love Mitch Daniels. And I actually respect him a lot. I
encouraging him to run for president. Mitt Romney will be our nominee.
And I hope that Governor Romney listens to Mitch Daniels. I know that he
will, and I think his campaign will be a very robust campaign.
We don`t get to pick the perfect nominee of our parties. We get to
have the candidate run for president who represents our party. And Mitt
Romney is going to represent our party. He will do a good job. He will be
a great president because he has the courage to make tough decisions.
He`s got the wisdom to give thought to those decisions in the context
of our economy and the people. And I think he will do a good job.
There are just as many Democrats who have angst about the Democratic
ticket this year as about the Republican ticket.
MATTHEWS: Really?
CARD: I know a lot of my Democrat friends think, oh, absolutely.
Is that the right ticket? Should Biden be replaced by Hillary
Clinton? I hear it all the time.
MATTHEWS: Right.
CARD: And maybe they -- some of them even say there`s a little
buyer`s remorse with President Obama.
MATTHEWS: Who do you hang out with?
MATTHEWS: I know what you`re talking about. You have a good point
CARD: I travel the country quite a bit.
MATTHEWS: No, I think you have a good point. I hear the same thing
you hear.
Let`s take a look at this. This is one of the bosses of your party,
Andy, the new bosses, like Rush Limbaugh. His name is Grover Norquist.
Anyway, he told Politico -- quote -- "This is not the Taft-Eisenhower
or Goldwater-Rockefeller. We`re not nominating a candidate to tell the
party what direction to go. All of them ran as Reagan Republicans. We
know what we`re going to do. We just want a guy to sign the bills. We`re
electing a coach of a team that knows to play."
In others they want a vessel, you`re seeing Romney as just some guy
to sign the bills. I mean, some incredible statements. You`re not looking
for a leader. You know where you`re going. You just want Romney to be
this factotum, this functionary that just going to sign the bills that you
guys passed. What an amazingly low estimate of a leader, I think. Your
CARD: Well, I worked with President Reagan. I worked with President
H.W. Bush and President George W. Bush. I want a president who has the
courage to make tough decisions, and I believe Mitt Romney will do that.
Mitt Romney is a leader. He made tough decisions in the business world.
He certainly has made them in the political and governmental world.
He has the capacity to be a good decider, and he will make tough
decisions, implement them well. And I think we`ll be a better country
because of it.
MATTHEWS: Who is Mitt Romney? You know, from Massachusetts, he was
the guy that was -- who was pro-choice, he was sophisticated about things
like science and certainly didn`t say --- he didn`t believe in Evolution
when he was governor of Massachusetts. He was a moderate in terms of all
social issues and then he went out and ran for president as this screaming
anti-immigrant candidate who is far to the right on that issue, who has
said he doesn`t really want anything done about climate change, who is pro-
Is he the guy who ran this year or the guy who run as governor and
served as governor of Massachusetts? Which is the real Mitt Romney?
CARD: You know, I`ve known Mitt Romney for a period of time. He`s a
very private person. But if you look at his life, his life speaks volumes
because he walks the walk. He is the real thing when it comes to family
values, he`s the real thing when it comes to concern about fellow
Americans, he`s the real thing about making tough decisions, and he has the
capacity to make tough decision because he`s done it so many times.
So, I`m very comfortable with him and I`m excited about his
candidacy. I think the Republican Party is going to be in a good position
as we move into the general election. The Democrats didn`t have a primary
battle, but there was still a primary debate among Democrats and they`re
not real thrilled with the ticket that they put forward.
MATTHEWS: OK. Did you see how he answered that question, Howard?
HOWARD FINEMAN, MSNBC POLITICAL ANALYST: How he didn`t answer that
MATTHEWS: I understand why he didn`t answer because of the
Massachusetts -- he`s got that Massachusetts accent, he can`t deny. He
witnessed this moderate Republican governor.
FINEMAN: Let me just say, I`ve covered Andy for years. I think he`s
a straightforward guy --
FINEMAN: No, he said, Andy you said, I think, I love Mitch Daniels.
I tried to convince him to run for president.
CARD: I did.
FINEMAN: That sort of explains the situation. I think there are a
lot of people in the party, including Andy Card, who wanted somebody else
and they`ll settle for Mitt Romney.
MATTHEWS: Let`s make it tougher for you. A new NBC poll just came
out. This is fascinating among the numbers. Let`s take a look at this,
Obama versus Romney. Look at these numbers and the advantage the president
enjoys here.
Among Latinos -- I mean, take a look at this group, 69 percent to 22
percent among Latinos. That`s a pretty strong set of numbers there, 69 to
22. Among younger voters: 18 to 34, 80 percent to 34 percent, it can`t be
that -- 60 percent to 34 percent. Women, 53 percent to 41 percent.
Independent voters, 44-34.
These numbers are really triumphant almost for the president.
How does -- how does Mitt Romney change the minds of Latinos he`s
been sort of bashing all this campaign saying he wants them to self-deport?
And young people, how does he become hip? How does he convince women he`s
not from the yahoo party? And how does he get independents to vote for him
when he`s been a right winger all through the primaries?
Your thoughts.
CARD: First of all, I feel it`s very, very early. Polls today
aren`t necessarily going to predict what people are by a mile when it comes
to November. We`re still two generations away from the general election.
MATTHEWS: OK. Howard?
FINEMAN: Well, I think the Latino problem is one that Mitt Romney
himself has acknowledged. I mean, it`s -- they can`t that -- they can`t
win this way. The Republicans will lose if those numbers stay the way they
are with Latino community.
Don`t forget, the guy that Andy is working for, through after George
W. Bush school there, at Texas A&M won --
CARD: -- George H.W. Bush --
MATTHEWS: I was confused. He`s not --
FINEMAN: Oh, you`re H, not the W.
MATTHEWS: He`s not a --
CARD: Texas A&M University --
MATTHEWS: No, by the way --
FINEMAN: OK. Well, let`s say that the son won, over 40 percent of
the Hispanic vote, especially in the second election. I don`t think a
Republican can win with those kinds of numbers. That`s -- of the numbers
you showed there, those are the most important.
CARD: But we have time to work. You know, a lot of people in
America were not paying attention to the Republican primary.
MATTHEWS: OK, we have to go.
CARD: Republicans were, but a lot of independents and Democrats were
MATTHEWS: Andy --
CARD: They are paying attention to the economy and Mitt Romney has
the best answers for the economy --
MATTHEWS: Thanks for coming on the show. Andy, I`m going to be
really nice because I`m trying to get an interview with George Bush, Sr.
You are one great guy.
Anyway, thank you. Congratulations on getting that deanship, what an
honor that must be to be dean of that great school down there.
Up next, new details in the Secret Service sex scandal coming up in
just a second. We`ll get the latest next. This is HARDBALL.
MATTHEWS: We`ll be back with the latest developments, HUD
developments in the Secret Service scandal tonight and how Sarah Palin
found herself in the thick of this story somehow.
Back after this.
MATTHEWS: We`re back with breaking news. There are new developments
in the Secret Service prostitution scandal down in Colombia.
Kristen Welker is the White House correspondent for NBC News.
Kristen, what do we got?
KRISTEN WELKER, NBC NEWS: Well, Chris, just talking to one of my
sources moments ago with knowledge of this investigation, who tells me that
there are now 12 Secret Service personnel who are under investigation.
Just a few hours ago, it was 11 who are under investigation. So, now, that
number has bumped up to 12.
I`m also being told that it`s possible that one of the original 11
will be cleared in this instance. That I want to stress the word
"possible" because they are still sort of making sure that they have their
stories straight.
The other big piece of breaking news here, Chris, we are he can
expecting within the half hour, according to multiple sources who are
familiar with the investigation, and also our sources on the Hill, we are
expecting the Secret Service to announce that they are effectively ousting
three more personnel members.
Now, as you know, earlier this week, we announced that they were
starting the process of getting rid of three agents in the Secret Service.
Two supervisors and one non-supervisor. So this is a big announcement.
Three more Secret Service personnel expected to effectively be dismissed by
the end of business today.
MATTHEWS: Wow.
WELKER: They want to get ahead of this investigation. They want it
to be fast. They want to show essentially that they are on top of this --
MATTHEWS: Let me ask you about -- what have you learned about the
background of the agents that were -- have had to leave already.
WELKER: Well, David Chaney is one of them. This is someone who has
a long history with the Secret service. His father was in the Secret
Service under the Johnson administration. Chaney has worked in the Secret
Service for nearly two decades.
So, this is someone who has a long history with this agency. He was
a supervisor. His colleagues apparently thought quite a lot of him. So he
is the Secret Service agent who was allowed to retire. He has sought legal
counsel, though.
MATTHEWS: Sure.
WELKER: We have confirmed that, although, his attorney is not
The second person is Greg Stokes, who worked with the K-9 unit, also
a supervisor. He is taking legal action. He was effectively reprimanded
for removal, which is another way for saying that he was fired. But he has
30 days to follow up with that.
Both of these agents have a long history with the Secret Service and
those who know them say that they really surprised by these allegations --
MATTHEWS: Thanks for that great report, Kristen Welker, at the White
Let`s go right now to Dave Wilkinson. He retired from the Secret
Service after 22 years in the agency. He served as assistant special agent
in charge of the president`s detail for eight years under Presidents
Clinton and Bush.
So, what do you make of the conduct of these agents who have been
under fire right now? The 11 we heard, maybe there`s one less now, maybe
there`s three more, it looks like. Or three of them are big trouble.
What do you make of the postings where you put out a picture of Sarah
Palin and that kind of thing, and they are making fun of her and talking
about her?
DAVE WILKINSON, FORMER SECRET SERVICE AGENT: Well, Chris, the Secret
Service has long had a culture of absolute zero tolerance against any type
of personal misconduct. Anything like this is just a nightmare for agents
and the Secret Service when they see something like this.
I would just -- I would just argue with anyone that would suggest
that the culture of the Secret Service has changed in some way to allow
this sort of thing, a culture that would allow this to happen day in and
day out. It`s just not the case. It actually couldn`t be farther from the
MATTHEWS: Perhaps this does depart from that. But here`s a photo
from David Chaney. He`s one of the agents involved in this -- his Facebook
page showing the Secret Service agent standing watch behind Sarah Palin in
a 2008 campaign. And the comments for the photo, Chaney wrote, "I was
really checking her out, if you know what I mean."
What do you think about that?
WILKINSON: Well, I`ll tell you what? Chris, again, it`s our worst
nightmare. I just can`t imagine. Those agents every day, they go through
training, they go through briefings. And this is the sort of thing exactly
that they are told not to do continuously.
I don`t know what to say to it other than every Secret Service agent
that sees this cringes when they see because they all know that this is
definitely against the rules of the Secret Service.
MATTHEWS: Well, Dave Wilkinson, I have to tell you, I agree with
you. After years of working at the White House and coming into contact
with them as a reporter, I`ve always found that they almost like the people
at the Buckingham Palace or at Arlington Cemetery, they don`t --they don`t
engage. They are very professional.
I agree. That`s been their manner. This is a departure from it, I
Anyway, thank you, Dave Wilkinson , for joining us -- a former Secret
Service agent himself at the president`s protection unit for eight years.
When we return, "Let Me Finish" with the one number that will
determine whether Obama or Romney gets elected this year. The one number.
You`re watching HARDBALL.
MATTHEWS: "Let Me Finish" tonight with this.
Sometimes being a political pundit is the easiest thing in the world.
Want to know who is likely to win the battle between President Obama and
Mitt Romney? No brainer, look at one number, one itsy-bitsy number, the
jobless rate.
It`s 8.2 right now and that`s the starting point. So the question
is, where is it going to be on the Friday before the election? That first
Friday in November.
Here`s my HARDBALL line -- ready, set, go. If the jobless number for
October is up near nine, Obama`s got real, deep trouble. Anybody who says
different is either out of it or simply covering for him. Anywhere near 9
percent, in the high 8 percent, it`s bad, bad news for the president.
What`s a good, solid number? Again, I told you, this is easy. If
the jobless number drops to eight, he`s got a good case to make that he`s
got things headed in the right direction. I know being a Democrat, Obama
and his people will be talked into not bragging about such a number.
Remember Al Gore booted it in 2000 by not taking credit for the strong
economy for fear it might offend someone.
But the fact is, people who pay attention to the news, the economic
news, will feel like the president is on solid ground, again, if it`s down
to 8 percent, down from where its peak was when he first took office that
first year, 10.2 in October 2009.
So, we`ll all be watching the big three hour-and-a-half debates
between Obama and Romney. It will be great theater. But both candidates
will be operating in an economic situation that will allow one to attack
and the other to have to defend. It will decide as much as any of them
either of them have to say those nights.
Why? Because everything Romney had to say about Obama having failed
will rise or fail on whether jobless number is rising or falling, because
everything president Obama says about having done the right things as
president will depend on whether he`s making real progress in creating jobs
or he`s not.
I can`t think of anything that will distract from that itsy-bitsy
number -- eight, Obama wins. Nine, Romney wins.
And that`s HARDBALL for now. Thanks for being with us.
"POLITICS NATION" with Al Sharpton starts right now.
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For Spring Break, Lagoona invites all of her friends to come with her to the Great Scarrier Reef with a luxurious ship her parents sent. The only one she has not yet invited is Gil, because she wants to surprise him during the pre-spring break school carnival.
Operetta, Spectra, Clawd, and Deuce all received invites to the Great Scarrier Reef, but aren't able to come along because they or their families have other plans already. This leaves Lagoona herself, Cleo, Clawdeen, Draculaura, Frankie, Abbey, and Ghoulia for the trip together. Gil finally receives his invite, and though he cannot refuse his girlfriend, he makes no secret of it either that he doesn't want to go and fears Lagoona's parents reaction to a freshie like him.
Lagoona and Gil discuss the matter on board later, with Gil being adamant that the seas and oceans are scary places where everything tries to harm you. Lagoona is exasperated he thinks so badly of her home, but has to swallow her words when the ship is attacked by a kraken and sinks, leaving the group stuck on a small raft.
Not far from them, two humans are having problems of their own too. A man named Bartleby Farnum is an eccentric show-and salesman with nothing left to show or sell, his frustation over which he takes out on his assistant Kipling, a freak who keeps his head covered by a sack with holes poked into it so that he can see. As Farnum tries to think up something that can earn them some money, he hears shouting outside and is delighted to find the young monsters adrift. Planning to exhibit them, he saves them from the raft. However, his plan to exhibit them is swiftly ditched when he sees Frankie, who looks remarkably similiar to an unnamed explorer from early in the 20th century. This explorer had a particular attachment to a creature Farnum has been wanting to capture for a long time, the Beast of Skull Shores, so he plans to use Frankie as bait.
Pretending to bring the group to the Great Scarrier Reef, Farnum instead takes them to Skull Shores, which he excuses by claiming he has to pick up supplies. Lagoona is suspicious and a bit stressed since her parents are waiting for her, but accepts Farnum's story. Once docked, the group, and Frankie in particular, is welcomed by the local population, the Tiki. Farnum has had previous dealings with the Tiki and knows of their fear of the beast, so he easily convinces them to keep the group entertained so that he can work out a trap for the beast.
However, Farnum's plan missed to take one thing into account: the Monster High students are primarily non-judgemental and nice folks. Their attitude wins over the Tiki, who express concerns over the plan to trick them. Farnum deals with it by reminding the Tiki of their life in constant fear of the beast.
While suspicious of the fact that Skull Shores is littered with statues that look a lot like Frankie, the students are convinced to spent the night on the island because the Tiki are organizing festivities for them. Frankie is declared guest of honor and asked to participate in a performance Farnum and the Tiki want to do. Naturally, she accepts. At the same time, Lagoona's suspicion grows again when Farnum refuses her entry to his boat to check the maps on the distance between Skull Shores and the Great Scarrier Reef. That evening, she and a reluctant Gil sneak aboard to figure out what Farnum's up to and find a recording of the beast and the explorer who befriended him, finding out that Farnum is using Frankie as bait to capture the beast, they then rush off to warn their friend.
At the island, the performance starts with Farnum giving Frankie a necklace. He proceeds to tell the "Tall Tale of the Beast of Skull Shores", which is visualized by the Tiki's shadowgraphy. Farnum reveals the existence of the beast to the students and how only one person has ever been able to soothe it. Frankie's chair suddenly rises in the air and Farnum elaborates that the Tiki gave the girl to the beast to keep him from attacking them. Clawdeen is the first of the students to demand the performance to end because it's starting to become scary, but only a moment later the beast appears, lured by the drums of the Tiki. The students are shocked and Frankie is very afraid in her vulnerable position, until she notices the way the beast is looking at her. Farnum and the Tiki launch their attack, throwing spears at the beast. The spears cannot pierce the beast's skin though, and the beast makes sure no harm comes to Frankie either. After a few seconds, it grabs Frankie and marches off with her. Ghoulia and Abbey are forced into a pitfall trap, but Clawdeen, Draculaura, and Cleo are able to escape. Farnum splits up the Tiki in two groups: one that will remain in the village and keep guard under the Tiki chief's guidance, and one that will follow the beast's trail as well as the tracking device in Frankie's necklace with Farnum. Lagoona and Gil return shortly afterwards to find that they are too late and set off to save Frankie on their own.
The next morning, Frankie awakens in an elaborate tree house made from old ship parts. To her surprise, a shy, handsome boy is with her. She asks who he is, then remembers the monster and tells him they should flee while it is gone. The boy answers that won't be necessary, as the beast and he are the same creature. He introduces himself as Andy, and explains that he is different. He was born some centuries ago with a particular affliction that causes him to change into a huge beast if he experiences hate, anger, or fear, whether his own or another's. Due to this, his family had to move often to escape mob retaliation, which only made the affliction worse because Andy didn't get a chance to learn to trust others. Eventually, he reached Skull Shores in search of a place to live in peace. That dream was shattered when the Tiki found out about him and began to fear him. Nonetheless, he stayed, having nowhere else to go anymore.
Meanwhile, Clawdeen, Cleo, and Draculaura are following the trail of the beast on their own with the help of Clawdeen's superior olfactory sense. Back In the village, Ghoulia and Abbey trick the remaining Tiki down the pit to give them food, at which point Abbey freezes them, allowing the girls to use the tiki as stairs to escape. Abbey intends to go after Farnum immediately, but Ghoulia points out they can't leave the Tiki like this. Abbey agrees and unfreezes them, making sure they get stuck in the pit. She then holds a speech that the Tiki are foolish to trust Farnum and let themselves be treated like this, which moves the Tiki to join forces with the students to stop Farnum. In the jungle, Lagoona and Gil are spying on Farnum from a promontory and realize he has a tracking device planted on Frankie. They intend to follow him, but the rock slips away from under Lagoona and she falls down. On Farnum's orders, Kipling captures Lagoona. Gil runs off, leaving both Lagoona and Farnum certain he's acting on cowardice. As Farnum mocks both Lagoona and Gil, Lagoona tries to convince Kipling to break ties with Farnum, because he isn't anything like his cruel master. Kipling declines, certain he has no one else to rely on.
Out for a walk, Frankie asks Andy about the statues on the island. Andy tells her about his friendship with a girl a long time ago, who was the only one he ever met who wasn't afraid of him. He made the statues after she left, so as to be reminded of her whenever he felt upset. Suddenly, the duo notices movement in the bushes and Andy charges in to attack, only to find the surprised trio of Clawdeen, Draculaura, and Cleo. Any joy about the reunion is squashed mere moments later, when Farnum is spotted. Frankie urges Andy to run since Farnum is only interested in him. Andy does so reluctantly, but doesn't make it far before he has to hide and subsequently overhears the entire exchange between the students and Farnum. Though Farnum initially has the upper hand, Abbey and Ghoulia make their entrance, backed up by the Tiki chief who orders the Tiki with Farnum to turn on him. Only mildly bothered, Farnum takes his special cane and makes a magnet appear, which pulls Frankie to him. Threatening to suck the electricity from her with his cane, Farnum shouts for the beast to appear. Andy is enraged and changes, but like the others finds he can't do anything but obey lest he risks Frankie's very life. He changes back and turns himself in. Farnum is delighted about the beast's dual nature and how that makes him much more manageable than he had thought the beast would be.
Back at Farnum's boat, Farnum is still holding onto Frankie as Andy gets into the boat and her friends watch. However, the group is surprised to see Gil rise from the water. Gil demands that Farnum releases his friends, to which Farnum asks how he intends to enforce his demand. Gil reveals he's not alone - with him is a small army of dolphins as well as the kraken that destroyed the students' boat. This time, the kraken destroys Farnum's boat, then picks up the crook and flings him into the jungle. Kipling runs after his master, despite Lagoona's plea for him to stay. With the threat gone, Gil explains that he ran and swam off to the Great Scarrier Reef to ask Lagoona's parents for help. They talked to the kraken, who felt sorry for what he had done and not only agreed to save Lagoona and co., but also to fix the boat he had destroyed. The students resume their journey, taking Andy with them. Lagoona is overjoyed about the courage and reliability Gil showed her, but also happy he finally stopped being scared of her parents and her home.
At a distance, Farnum and Kipling watch the students, who've forgotten about Frankie's necklace, leave. Farnum swears this isn't the end of the matter.
With Spring Break over, Frankie and her friends try to make Andy feel at home at their school, which turns out to be more work than initially thought. Due to Andy's long-time isolation, he is unfamiliar with 21st century technology. At one point, Headless Headmistress Bloodgood announces something over the intercom, prompting Andy to believe there's a woman stuck in 'that box', which he promptly rips from the wall. The students and teachers take it in stride though, laughing about Andy's antics at worst. Andy starts feeling welcomed, but remains doubtful that the others would like him if they knew about his true nature.
After some days, Headless Headmistress Bloodgood orders everyone to the auditorium for a speech about tolerance by a human guest speaker. While the man appears merely eccentric at first, realization hits when he starts calling the individual students "specimens" and "oddities". He appears particularly intent to torment Andy with his derogative words, leading to Bloodgood demanding he leave as his speech has nothing to do with tolerance. The man joyously explains he must have misspoken: he didn't mean to lecture about tolerance, but about intolerance. Pestering Andy further, he is slammed away by the boy, and finally reveals that he is Farnum. This revelation first draws the ire of the Wolf siblings, who prepare to attack, but Farnum pulls out a dog whistle to keep them at bay. Next, Deuce tries to petrify him, but Farnum pulls out a mirror from his cane, petrifying Deuce instead. Other students have similar success.
Andy, pushed by the chaos, transforms and bursts through the roof, sending the other students and teachers fleeing for their lives as the ceiling comes down on them. Frankie stays and tries to calm Andy, but he picks her up and climbs one of Monster High's towers with her to escape the chaos. Farnum and Kipling show up on the bridge between the towers and Farnum convinces Andy that, just as with Kipling, a freak like him has nowhere else to turn to than to a man like Farnum. Though Frankie tells him not to listen, Andy does and agrees with Farnum's reasoning. Kipling, though, finally realizes he's been wrong to let Farnum's abuse crush his self-confidence. He takes off his hood, revealing his ears are deformed in the form of an elephant's, and picks up Farnum. Spotting one of the carnival stands not yet removed, (which contains a tar pit), he throws Farnum into it. During his fall, Farnum crosses paths with a flock of birds, causing him to end up not only tarred, but feathered too. Aghast about his own freaky look, Farnum runs off, only to be captured by a bunch of humans he probably had called himself to capture Andy.
As Andy, Frankie, and Kipling join the students below, Frankie tells Kipling to stay. While freed from Farnum's influence, Kipling isn't sure he'll be accepted until he spots two monster girls who have elephant ears too and clearly think he's a looker. The happy end seems to be gone with that when Headless Headmistress Bloodgood announces she has grave news. Due to the damages done to the school, Spring Break is extended with a week to get reparations done. As Headless Headmistress Bloodgood ends in an upbeat tone of voice, the students cheer. On recommendation by Abbey, the entire student body decides to enjoy the extra vacation on Skull Shores, much to the Tikis' delight too.
- "Escape From Skull Shores" is based on the late 19th century/early 20th century exotic expedition fiction, particularly the 1933 movie King Kong. The scene in which Andy climbs one of the towers of Monster High with Frankie in his hand mimics the icon scene in King Kong in which Kong climbs the Empire State Building with Ann Darrow in his hand.
- "Escape From Skull Shores" also uses elements from the fairy tale Beauty and the Beast, such as Andy's changing from handsome young man to a beast. The scene in which Andy shows horrible table manners at Monster High appears inspired by Disney's movie adaption of the fairy tale.
- The carnival cutout Lagoona and Gil use for a photo is based on the painting American Gothic.
- Four Screamers is likely a play on Four Seasons.
- Heath previously made the exact same mistake of insulting a Wolf girl by questioning her athletic abilities in the Volume 1 webisode "Fur Will Fly". Then, his target was Clawdeen Wolf.
- Heath also earlier had a 'job' as dunk-dummy in "Fright On!".
- Manny's dislike of mazes will be brought up again in "Ghouls Rule".
- In "Fright On!", Abbey could not speak Zombie and needed someone to translate Ghoulia for her. She can understand Ghoulia just fine in "Escape From Skull Shores", meaning she's mastered the language in the meantime.
- Four Screamers was previously mentioned in "Witch Trials", in which Cleo also compared her temporary cabin residence to it.
- Frankie tells Andy how she, during fearleading tryouts, lost her leg and hit the captain in the face. This is a simplified version of an event in "New Ghoul @ School".
- The Great Scarrier Reef is mentioned again in the special of the same name.
- Rochelle Goyle, Bartleby Farnum, Andy Beast, Kipling, and the Tiki make their cartoon debuts.
- Posters depicting Robecca Steam can be seen in Farnum's cabin.
- Rochelle is one of the students almost run over by Nightmare. According to "Friday Night Frights", she shouldn't be a student at Monster High yet.
- Just before Lagoona tells Gil that she'll take him with her to the Great Scarrier Reef to meet her parents, her flower sits on the right side of her head instead of the left.
- Despite going to the Great Scarrier Reef it's referred to as the Great Barrier Reef in the special.
- The web game Fintastic Rescue ties into this TV special.
- The March entry of Freaky Fab 13 contained a trailer of the TV special and a fictional flyer for Skull Shores.
- As with "Why Do Ghouls Fall in Love?", Swapit put up "Escape From Skull Shores" for the UK audience, but initially forgot to region-lock it. The TV special was available to everyone for a few hours on April 13.
- The Gory Gazette article "MHGG Exclusive: Frankie on Planning Spring Break" implies that Andy's old friend is Frankie's mother. However, the article's details don't match the TV special's, and the article's details also don't match with other details known about Frankie's parents. In particular, the old friend does not have scars or neck bolts (which Frankie's mother has according to Frankie's SDCCI diary). Not to mention that Gil identifies the girl in the film as a "normie scientist".


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The Rev. Justin Cannon, an ordained Episcopal priest, says majoring in French had wonderful surprises.
"I was originally going to be a religion major and French minor but switched those around for two reasons," he says. "First, after a semester abroad in Martinique my sophomore year I realized I was already more than half-way to a French major, so it would be practically more feasible. I also realized by doing so I could take the religion classes I wanted to take, as opposed to all the classes I would be required to take as a religion major. "
As an undergraduate at Earlham, Cannon was able to enroll in graduate level courses at Earlham School of Religion.
"Also by majoring in French, I was able to explore French religious literature and did an independent study wherein I worked on translating the book "Mémoires d'Espérance" by Olivier Clément, a French theologian I met when I spent time in Paris," he explains. "I found him in the phone book, and next thing I knew I was in his study with him talking for three hours, in French, of course.
Cannon says his call to the ministry unfolded with time.
The initial indicator came during the difficult middle school years, when Cannon says he had a powerful experience of God's love.
"I decided shortly thereafter that I wanted to be a 'lover,' which I defined as one who shows God's love to the world," he says. "It wasn't until late high school and early college when I realized I needed to find a career, and ordained ministry seemed the natural path toward committing my life to sharing about God's love with people.
"I am drawn to my vocation as it seems a place where all my gifts and talents can come together to open people to the reality of God's presence in their lives."
"In my early college years, being gay and having a strong sense of call to ordained minister was quite troubling to me," he continues. Cannon spent a lot of time during his first two years at Earlham studying scripture.
"I came to learn that nothing in the Bible condemns loving, gay relationships, and every mention of same-sex relations in the Scriptures was tied to contexts of abuse and pederasty," he says.
During his junior year at Earlham, Cannon compiled his research, and his bishop had it published as "The Bible, Christianity, & Homosexuality." Also in 2005 he began his "Truth Sets Free" ministry to disseminate the study. In 2007 he relaunched the ministry as "Inclusive Orthodoxy." In 2006 Cannon was named one of Out Magazine's Top 100 most influential gay people, and in 2005 he was selected as a Future Gay Hero by The Advocate.
"I feel I am where I belong and where who I am and my gifts can best be used," he explains. "Being a clergy person isn't always something you want to do per se, but more something you know you are called to do. It's like that notion: 'Here I stand, I can do no other.' It's not always the easiest work, but it is deeply rewarding and is very much who I am, not just something I do."
Hometown: Orinda, Calif.
Major at Earlham: French


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New Board Members Nominated
POSTED ON: September 21, 2012
The Board of Trustees and the President are pleased to announce three distinguished nominations for membership to the Cooper Union Board of Trustees: Edgar Mokuvos (EE'78), Jeremy Wertheimer (BS'82) and Rachel Lee Warren. The nominations were approved at the September 19, 2012 Board meeting.
Trustees elected to the Board earlier in the year include individuals from many industries and backgrounds, including Peter Cooper descendant Joseph Dobronyi, Alumni Association President Peter Cafiero (CE'83), Thomas Driscoll (ME'77), Raymond G. Falci (ME'86), and Lee H. Skolnick (AR'79).
Edgar Mokuvos is the founder of Kasaken Capital, a private equity firm offering financing and management consulting services to enable companies to enhance their value. Before starting Kasaken Capital in 2004, Mokuvos spent 21 years of his career at Accenture, a global management consulting, technology services and outsourcing company. He was a senior partner in Accenture's Capital Markets Group when he left the company to join Bank of America as Chief Information Officer for the Asset Management Group. It was here that he developed an appreciation for how to manage the day to day running of a business while effectively implementing strategic changes.
Jeremy Wertheimer is Vice President of Travel at Google, Inc. He is the co-founder of ITA Software, a trailblazing enterprise responsible for building the first widely adopted Internet airfare and pricing system—a system that is now in use by travel companies such as Orbitz, Bing Travel, Kayak.com, CheapTickets, and airlines including American, United, Virgin Atlantic, Alitalia, and others. Wertheimer founded ITA with partner Richard Aiken in 1996, while completing his Ph.D. in artificial intelligence at MIT. In April 2011, ITA Software was acquired by Google. Before attending MIT, Wertheimer completed his undergraduate Bachelor of Science degree at Cooper Union.
Rachel Lee Warren is a New York-based attorney who serves as an independent advisor and general counsel to privately held companies, family offices, and high net worth individuals. She is the daughter of an alumnus, Willard L. Warren (EE'50), who serves as a director of the C.V. Starr Research Foundation at The Cooper Union. Warren has also represented television news professionals in their disputes with agents and personal managers, and, in addition, to appearing on CourtTV as an expert in this field, has consulted on dozens of cases across the country. She has also worked with Sharyl Attkisson, a CBS News correspondent, to develop a primer for news professionals, So ...You Want An Agent? Warren was formerly a Partner at law firm Davidoff Malito & Hutcher LLP and currently works through the Warren Advisory Group.


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