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in our Latest issue of Racer X available now.Playing soccer on 250cc motorcycles might sound like a strange form of riding, but in Russia they do it with great passion—and for very little reward. Page 112.
The Conversation
Put 3 foot hop jumps on the inside of every 90 degree turn, the outside berms will never be used in these turns, follow the leader for 15 min. 180 deg turns are a must, put more of them in
This track does seem alot better though, longggg whoop section would be nice also
Really long whoops after the first turn?? Will the race be over after turn 2 again?
Yeah there comes a time when they need to relize how the races are going and take these blueprints, that they drew up in Agust, crumple them up and start over. Just like that right hand start in Jacksonville, havn't seen one since. Make the first three lanes wider also, dont make the second bowl turn so steep that you get a pile up, In not an expert but you can see a patern
Since the finish line is 1/2 through the track are they only going 19.5 laps? 20.5 laps?
Does every section need to run the entire lenght of the field? A few tighter / more challenging and slower sections may give us some lap times closer to the minute mark....but the laptimes will just barely break the 50's.....like last week, it will be probably 46-49 second laptimes come racetime...
rgeniec...it'll be a 19 1/2 lap race. It does look like short lap times again. I wonder how many bikes will hit that Toyota truck as they head into the 1st turn.
I had an idea a couple years back, posted it on Transworld website where people had a fit. Wonder if people here are more open minded, here goes:
Cut the feild down to maybe 12-15 riders in both classes, and start a new class which would be a open class but a true production class for start up and privateer teams, that don't have budget and suport of top teams.
It would allow the top guys to run with each from the start making for better racing,and not making the holeshot as important. It would cut down on first turn crashes and lappers.
It would give other racers/teams more exposer running up front, let along making a main. And take the financial strain off teams trying to keep up with the top teams. In turn it would take pressure off new young riders.
decent idea, just not realistic.
Why is the line that determines the hole shot after the first turn? The 'hole shot' is the first guy to the first turn not the first guy out of the first turn and over the first jump. And really, on this particular track, it looks to me like the line is actually after the second turn. Hell, why not put the hole shot line after the whoop section? Same difference..
not a bad idea but lappers is what makes the end of a race interesting. It can make or break someone's race. A smart rider needs to know how to get through them. Also, don't forget a championship contender (Reed) was the cause of two pileups two races in a row.
Long whoops on the first straight into a 180 bowl turn?? They haven't learned much have they? I guess big pile ups and havoc equal big ratings and that is all that matters. Certainly not the safety of the riders or all the work and effort they have put in through the week only to have no chance cuz they are at the bottom of an unnecessary turn one pile up. It was interesting the first time The second time was a bit much. Putting that exact set up in there a third time is just obvious.
They should pick riders to design the tracks like they did a couple years ago.
You know when I purchaced these tickets for Cowboy stadium I picked some club seats on section 135 over by the sand section. I figured they would be jumping it to it and it would last for at least 2 blipps of the throttle ! Boy was I off... I think I could spit farther than that section..............LOL ! Any how lets see some different layouts !! \ Also the proposed track layout is nothing on the sx site like it is when you look at the track sketches vs. the ticket section for the race.. Kind of disappointing is to guess what layout you will see........... It is a big mystery till these GOOFY ANIMATED things show up on the Racer X site !! Could be a lot more professional !!!
Wow, boring track! I guess I just don't understand the logic in track building. The long sections might make for more passing. Maybe the dirt will be good and make for better racing - or not.
Another week, another bad track. Are they trying to slow everyone down and make it equal. Yes, they are. Because the lap times were getting too short. They had to do something, and disturbing the flow is how they did it. At the same time, they got more "parity" - so for Feld, it was Win-Win. Not so much for the top riders. Another Yard Sale in the whoops coming up.
Furthermore, they're creating "highlight" videos for next year. The promoters believe that fans like crashes, and that's what they give them.
The arrow had about a 55 second lap time from stripe to stripe. It was kind of dogging it in some of the corners, but made up time by somehow accelerating in mid-air.
See ya at the race East Coast Swing
awesome track........looking forward to a great race. good luck to # 18 >>>some of you guys sure know alot about how a track should be designed?
copro........i was always told the rider to come out of the first turn in first was the man with the holeshot. AND feld has verified that is fact............you really should have known!
Ye Haw I'll have my MX BOB shirt on !! or Captain Kangarro shirt either is the same ...LOL
A groundhog by any other name is still a marmot.
WANTED. Additional Flagmen and Track Personnel to assist in clean up in turn two!
I think you have a good idea.
Obviously not perfect but i think it would improve the show.
I have been thinking that the premier class should run 250f's and the lites class run 150f's.
Obviously no one make 150cc bikes so it couldn't work.
If all else fails they should make obstacles that slow the riders down and need technique to negotiate.
Whoop sections that incline towards the end and drop into deep sand or whoop sections that loop round one end of the stadium. (i am sure they did that a few years ago).
The tracks to me seem very generic right now and lack creativity.
I dont think it will work because of the scheduling. I'm not trying to put you down for thinking outside of the box which is great. But everytime classes are discussed on pulpmx they say they show is long enough as it is, and they need to keep the fans interested. Between ktm juniors, heats, lcq's, rider intros, and the mains there is plenty enough.
I know what you are saying about seperating the pro's from the semi-amatuers and givign them a chance, but really, that only applies for the 250's. The 450 class is stacked!! The guying coming 17th each week isnt just riding around, he could be top 3 if he dropped back to 250s and/or dominate any arenacross race. There is not a single guy in that top 20 who is getting in anyone's way (except the 800 who has no regard for cutting across mid-air)
just my 2 cents.
This isn't even close to the original track map they released at the beginning of the year. We already have this track in MxSimulator and its totally different.
What I want to know is why did this guy create it this way when here at this link its not even close...
Here it comes again, long whoops after 1st turn (2 left turns, 180 whatever) I see a whoop or second 180 (3rd turn) pile up.
Hope Reed is not at the helm again!
you guys need to shut your mouth, the whoops just make a good start just that much more important.
Jacob Burnell
Piece of crap D-Mau !
i am so pissed i missed the supercross race tonight i thought that it was at 7 30 but it was at 5 30 i am pissed


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Drug War
Rating: 3½ stars out of 5
Starring: Louis Koo, Sun Honglei
Directed by: Johnnie To
Running time: 107 minutes
Parental guidance: Violence, coarse language
Cops and robbers, drugs and money, and the brutal violence at the end of it all: Yes, Hong Kong action director Johnnie To is back in town. The surprise is that the town he's in is in China.
To — whose gangster films such as Election have made him a favourite of Quentin Tarantino — is one of the modern masters of the closely choreographed mayhem that has changed modern movies. Drug War is a complex, propulsive and sometimes muddled thriller, a cat-and-mouse game in which you're never quite sure who's got the cheese, or what the cat would do with it if he won.
It starts with a drug bust: A busload of couriers is arrested, all of them with packets of drugs hidden in their colons, which makes for a rather distressing search. At the same time, a drugmaker named Timmy Choi (the commanding Louis Koo) is having some traffic problems of his own. His meth lab has just exploded, and he ricochets down the highway, foaming at the mouth.
Choi is captured, and like all drug dealers in China he faces execution — Drug War is to some extent a portrait of a society where the penalties are severe, but don't seem to be doing much good. Like many movie criminals, Choi is a coward. "I don't want a death sentence," he pleads. "Let me redeem myself."
Thus he falls into the clutches of police Capt. Zhang (Chinese star Sun Honglei), a deadpan enforcer who wires him up and sends him back into the criminal underground to spy on his colleagues. There's a major drug deal going down involving millions in heroin, and Zhang may be able to arrest criminals from just about every country in East Asia, guys with names like Hatred and Fatso.
It's an old story, but Drug War plays it with unusual sophistication. Zhang not only runs Choi, he also takes part in the sting. He impersonates an important drug buyer in order to meet the powerful Ha Ha (Hao Ping), a middleman with the irritating habit of laughing artificially at the end of every sentence. Then he impersonates Ha Ha to meet the head of the drug cartel. His imitation is authentically nettlesome.
The power shifts back and forth as Choi plants bugs in his own drug factory (omnipresent surveillance is another of the subtexts of Drug War) and the police chase back and forth across the country trying to keep up with various shipments. A couple of stoner truck drivers become a running gag in the movie, driving a load of white powder from city to city, getting more lost and intoxicated as they go.
It gets kind of confusing until the big-bang finish: Like many of his Hong Kong colleagues, To is a master at the action set-piece, and Drug War explodes into a long and bloody gun battle whose outcome echoes the power shifts of the film itself. This is To's first action film to be shot in mainland China, which has a strict system of censorship, but apparently its anti-drug aesthetic permitted the use of such unusual brutality. You don't want to be selling drugs in China. You don't want to be an innocent bystander, either.
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of the Fabricators & Manufacturers Association, Intl.
Through its manufacturing summer camps and scholarships, NBT is inspiring the next generation of manufacturers, inventors, and entrepreneurs. New for the NBT scholarship program in 2012 is a strong focus on scholarships to assist students who will attend community and technical colleges as well as trade schools to prepare for hands-on careers in manufacturing.
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text: This is a great jacket and so versatile that I think everyone should have one of these in their outerwear arsenal. This is a very lightweight jacket that takes up very little space if you need to pack it. For its weight, it is very warm. It also looks nice enough to wear out in town and not look like you have your winter jacket on.My favorite feature of this jacket is how well it fits. Most down jackets make you look like the Michelin Man due to their bulky loft. This jacket eliminates this problem by putting a stretchy, non-down fabric on the sides and back of the jacket (referred to as side stretch panels in the product description). These panels give you a great fit and really separate this jacket from the rest of the competition. Try it on to see how much difference this makes in the fit and look of this jacket. You will not be disappointed.


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BrotherWarrior wrote:You couldnt be more wrong.being vegan is way more than just a "dietary" decision. It stands for so much more than that. The point of veganism is to end the suffering of human and non human animals. animal agriculture is one of the biggest contributors to global warming,climate change, extreme pollution. It is the largest sectoral source for water pollution,and is a key component in land degredation. This is just a slice off the top of what animal agriculture in this country does. Not to mention all of the health risks involved with consuming antibiotics and hormones that are given to the animals to grow at unnatural rates to speed up production.the animals are fed these drugs and by eating these animals we in turn ingest them as well. It's sad and really really disgusting the way the animals are treated. Abused, tortured, treated as commodities. And it turn its making humans sick..we spend billions annually on diet related surgeries ie open heart surgeries heart attacks, diabetes etc. So to me, by being vegan I am standing up to agro business and demanding it to change, even if its in a small way. But guess what, the vegan population has more than doubled in the past ten years, so by making a stand others will follow and change will happen. Also, i want to address your, how would everyone be fed question. it takes 16 pounds of feed(which is made up of corn,soy and grains) to produce only one pound of edible flesh. If we used this source more efficiently and fed it to humans instead of breeding animals to eat, we could solve world hunger. farmers in developing countries who have efficient plant based agriculture are being replaced by intensive livestock rearing. These farmers are being pushed out as a result. If more people were vegan we would be less reliant on government and this industry and more reliant on ourselves. More people need to grow their own food so we arent so dependent and it would make produce more affordable. big agro business forces independent organic farmers out making it less accessible and more expensive to eat fresh foods. If more people supported the small independent farmers, the demand would go up and these things would not be seen bourgeois.I dont want to eat fuckin GMO S and crazy ass chemicals. fuck that, its fucked how we think we have no control of this but we do, by demanding it. i dont trust a corporation or this government with my livelihood and especially not the food i eat, clearly the insurane industries BANK on all the sick americans. anyways, i didnt join this to fight, i joined in to find community.
No fucking shit to all of that, but diet is not a political/radical/revolutionary tactic and should not be proposed as one.


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to my personal journal through my viewfinder. A place where I leave the world behind and try to find the spirit of what I am seeing.
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Daily Archives: June 3, 2011
Bridge of Hope Online Auction
A friend of mine who is a cancer survivor runs online auctions of items donated to her. Last year a print of mine raised over $1,000 for her charity. While I do not expect the same results here, I thought … Continue reading
Posted in Nature
Tagged american cancer society, auction, bridge, canvas print, creek, fundraiser, gorge, ithaca, new york, relay for life, stream, taughannock falls, trail, waterfall, wooden
9 Comments


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The view from our beach house! |
If you think this letter was funny, you should read the humble brag letters in my book, Spending the Holidays with People I Want to Punch in the Throat. Buy it here.
I think the title sums it up. If you can't figure it out, then go away before I punch you in the throat.
The view from our beach house! |
I know that this letter is a joke, but why is it written in the third person? I have not been fortunate enough to receive anything like this during the holidays. My friends and family do not send these things. So, my question is, are these types of letters supposed to be written in the third person? Is it proper etiquette or something? For a second, I thought that it would be signed by a mistress of Whitman. That would have been awesome!
ReplyDeleteDon't think you'll top this one!
It's quite thorough. It actually comes through the mail printed in full color on glossy paper. Some people get the full sixteen page version in the mail. Others get a condensed version with this link to the full version on-line.
I can't imagine how long this takes to create. Enjoy!
Holy hilarious. Was in the toddler gym this morning and there was a sign hanging up from last night's kiddo bday party: "Happy birthday, Neel!" Snorted some coffee out right then and there, and then kicked myself that I didn't have my phone with me so I could take and send you a pic. Was dying to etch in the silent "k" as suggested by another one of your readers...
ReplyDeleteI know this is super late, but I had to share this. I have a "frenemy" from high school who sent out a postcard-style photo card on which was printed little bulleted lists of things each child had done, including the 2-year-old they just adopted from China this summer. Plus, a DVD of photos was included detailing the toddler's first five months in the country. I SOOOO wanted to write a note to her thanking her for the drink coaster. LOL!


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sorry not sure where to ask this but, will we be allowed to parody songs much like Weird Al does?
This is one genre RB doesn't have, comedy. Not sure if ppl would want it but surely if done right it could be a huge hit.
You don't need copyrights just need players to play the tracks.


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Tag Archives: embrace your geekness day
Geek in the Pink: Today is "Embrace Your Geekness" Day!
We all have our secret nerdiness, don't we? Well, don't keep it a secret anymore. Today is the one day of the year when you should let your GEEK flag fly! Over the last few years, geekiness has suddenly gone … Continue reading


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Dolce Vita
Valentina Petticoat Embroidery Long Sleeve Dress
Dolce Vita exudes a hip and trendy vibe inspired by Southern California's most stylish and in-the-know trendsetters. The collection exudes effortless cool and Dolce Vita is always on the pulse of the hottest new trends; setting many of their own. In Dolce Vita shoes, you'll always be wearing the most spectacular styles in the hottest colors and silhouettes.
- Self: 70% cotton 30% silk
Lining: 100% poly - Shoulder seam to hem measures approx 35" in length
- Partially lined
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- Back button placket
- Styled with Dolce Vita Nita Heel in Black.
- Styled with House of Harlow Horseshoe Nail Cuff in Antique Gold.
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- Styled with gorjana Infinity II Ring in Gold.
- Styled with House of Harlow Olbers Paradox Ring in Gold.
- Modeled in size S. See fit guide for model's dimensions.
- Revolve Style No. DOLC-WD292
- Manufacturer Style No. VALENTINA


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Christmas Characters from Around the World
While you may only know Santa Claus, there are several other Christmas characters besides the Elf of the Shelf adn Frosty the Snowman to keep children in line.
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Madison Halloween on Main 2013
The Madison Halloween event at Dublin Park. Thank you to everyone who attended!
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"Dare to Do Right," Children's Songbook of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 158
1. Dare to do right! Dare to be true!
You have a work that no other can do;
Do it so bravely, so kindly, so well,
Angels will hasten the story to tell.
Dare, dare, dare to do right;
Dare, dare, dare to be true,
Dare to be true, dare to be true.
2. Dare to do right! Dare to be true!
Other men's failures can never save you.
Stand by your conscience, your honor, your faith;
Stand like a hero and battle till death.
Words: George L. Taylor, b. 1835
Music: Arr. by A. C. Smyth, 1840–1909
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The Office of the Associate Director for Policy (ADP) is the nexus for CDC's policy activities and its vision is to use policy to create a healthier world. Its mission is to bring about policies that result in demonstrable improvements in public health—globally and at the federal, state, and local levels.
ADP features an Office of the Director; the Health Reform Strategy, Policy, and Coordination Office; the Office of the National Prevention Strategy; the Office of Prevention through Healthcare; and the Policy Research, Analysis, and Development Office.
- provides advice to CDC leadership in developing agency policy and legislative strategies;
- creates and maintains partnerships to implement policy and legislative strategies;
- implements key policies to improve public health;
- ensures the agency's scientific credibility, reputation, and needs are respected and supported by policy makers and stakeholders.
Featured Resources
Prevention Badges for the Health Insurance Marketplace will direct visitors to HealthCare.gov to learn more about the preventive services offered through the Health Insurance Marketplace plans including screenings, counseling, and vaccinations.
Resources for Implementing the Community Health Needs Assessment Process provides background information for conducting community health needs assessments and developing strategies that address priority needs.
Principles to Consider for the Implementation of a Community Health Needs Assessment Process offers a pathway for hospitals, public health entities, and others to collaboratively address the health needs of their communities.
Policy Program Areas
Office of the Director
Provides strategic advice to CDC leadership on agency direction and priorities and ensures organizational effectiveness and capacity in policy or strategy
Policy Research, Analysis, and Development Office
Spearheads and coordinates much of the policy work conducted at CDC's Atlanta locations and works in tandem with CDC Washington
Office of Prevention through Healthcare
Uses policy to gain preventive benefits from the clinical system and to integrate clinical care with community health interventions
Health Reform Strategy, Policy, and Coordination Office
Serves as a central CDC resource for monitoring the implementation of the Affordable Care Act and coordinating related public health opportunities.
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Supports the National Prevention Council in the its work to implement the National Prevention Strategy
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Beyonce Live Today:
She sang live today and then asked, "Any Questions?"...
Earlier today, she shut her critics up by pening up the Pepsi Super Bowl XLVII Halftime Show Press Conference with a live a cappella rendition of the National Anthem before asking, "Any Questions?". Of course, the first question that was asked was if she indeed sang to a pre-recorded track during the Inauguration, and she responded:
"Yes. I am a perfectionist. One thing about me is that I practice until my feet bleed. I did not have time to rehearse with the orchestra. It was a live television show. A very emotional show for me. One of my proudest moments. Due to the weather, due to the delay, due to no proper soundtrack, I did not feel comfortable taking a risk. It was about the president and the Inauguration and I wanted to make him proud so I decided to sing along to my pre-recorded track which is very common in the industry and I'm very proud of my performance.
I will absolutely be singing live [at the Super Bowl]. I am well rehearsed. This is what I was born to do. What I am born for."
No matter what she does people still have something bad to say. I guess that's the life of a celebrity.
Check out the Press conference below...


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You're watching...
Fixing America's skills gap
Is there a mismatch between workers' skills and the jobs?
Feb 1, 2012
You're watching...
Is there a mismatch between workers' skills and the jobs?
Feb 1, 2012
Also in this playlist...
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Auto-advanceThis transcript is automatically generated
When things we talk about all the time on the show is jobs in creating jobs and is constantly this question of whether or not we as Americans have the skills to fill.
These jobs that are up and coming.
And former governor Sonny Perdue is on the jobs.
Well job alignment and I guess campaign with education sir thanks your view of us today.
I didn't try to through those sound effects and have -- end -- -- -- So I think what you're doing is really.
It's it's so important -- we don't talk about it enough you know.
Afternoon Detroit in everything that happened with the auto industry we have this -- -- people now that need John and I guess the question is.
Do they have this skills for the next seven jobs they're gonna get.
Well I think this is an effort of a national workforce certification.
Effort there was a very successful here in Georgia.
To identify and help people to understand the skill levels -- and to build a sort of that to employers.
So they don't know what they're getting and helps to Aladdin.
The right people in the right place to make us more productive and I think more fulfilled in the end of the day.
So you're working with.
The ACT I never actually had to take the S the AZT because I'm that old I think the SATs as a kid but the -- in most people know this -- you know your tests for college.
Yeah most people think of the ACP is -- college entrance exam.
Actually organization in the nonprofit foundation has a double done a lot of job research over the years -- got a lot of statistics.
And what they found that there was a misalignment.
And they miss matching those skills that's what's needed in the workplace I hear that anecdotally from employers all the time is it.
We interviewed.
You know -- thousand people and found you know 75 qualified to do what we need.
What -- the skill sets them and I think employers are looking -- These days.
Will it varies obviously in this globally competitive environment.
There are fewer people doing more work.
And I usually means high technology jobs and even in manufacturing and base of manufacturing.
People need applied math skills and calculations skills.
Thinking communication skills how to work fifteen and how to communicate with one another those -- the skill sets and employers are looking for today.
Why do you think we if something happened along the way right there's a little bit of a disconnect was it because there was this insistent on the -- that everyone had a good a four year college.
We sort of you know it almost humorous and it make it failed.
If you went to a trade school.
No that's exactly the stigma that's taken place and -- you may know from statistics.
We've got a lot of blue collar workers quote trade school or vocational jobs.
That are out in the people are making great six -- six digit figures.
There were a lot of college graduates are making half of that so it is a mismatch of skills sets.
And other in the marketplace and we're trying to cure through national work ready certified communities they can really make a difference -- the community involved.
Education and skill set training is everybody's job.
Getting the business people in the community getting the chambers of commerce.
Along with the educational institutions.
To produce safe person out of high school that they wanna go in the career defied the job -- be capable of performing at a global level and that job.
So does that mean then -- that -- you know at the high school level.
You're starting to talk to kids more about -- you do with your life and sort of trying to guide them in the proper direction.
Now that's exactly right we have so why are counselors have gotten so busy with other type of social issues.
There's very little career counseling going on what we did in Georgia was give this certified work ready certificate.
To juniors and seniors in high school that -- -- -- know what skills let they have the report.
Four levels bronze silver gold and platinum and that -- -- was a sort of vacation -- a a general sort of -- employers to know what they were getting in the workplace.
And the matching really paid off in that effort.
And we saw great job growth in Georgia as a result of that plan.
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Here is a blog post Lord Lamington himself could get behind! Seriously. There was such a guy. And you guessed it, this chocolate covered sponge cake rolled in coconut is named after his lordship. Lord Lammo, as I shall affectionately refer to him (for all Australians take proper words and then add an 'o' to the end, as […]
Posts Tagged 'lamingtons'
Double chocolate lamingtons
Posted in Cakes, Festive food, Slices, tagged Australia day, chocolate, chocolate lamingtons, food, humor, lamington recipe, lamingtons, recipce on 17 February 2013 | 14 Comments »


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The Olympia City Council voted unanimously Tuesday night to support a proposed Thurston County ban on plastic bags at grocery stores and a small fee on paper bags.
The council acted after hearing a spate of reasons for the ban from Ron Jones of the citys Public Works Department. Only 5-9 percent of residents recycle the bags, he said, adding that they cannot be recycled at the curb, like most other recyclables. Many end up in curbside recycling anyway, so they get tangled up in the recycling machinery.
Jones also concluded that voluntary measures for recycling plastic bags arent working and that bags become litter and affect the environment.
Theyre made from nonrenewable resources, he said.
We cant recycle them at the curb. Thats kind of a big issue.
Thurston Countys solid-waste advisory committee, which includes representatives of all the countys cities, voted unanimously in November to support a ban, said Councilman Nathaniel Jones.
Jones, a member of that committee, said what we found was a very compelling case that we need to change business as usual.
He said Thurston County residents go through about 90 million bags per year and that they gum up equipment at a cost of thousands of dollars a year.
Essentially, they contaminate our recycling process, Jones said.
Seven cities in the state already ban plastic bags: Bainbridge Island, Bellingham, Edmonds, Issaquah, Mukilteo, Port Townsend and Seattle. Nathaniel Jones said Thurston Countys proposed ban is consistent with those bans.
A county survey found that 49 percent of respondents favored a ban. But Olympia Councilwoman Karen Rogers questioned whether those respondents were chosen at random or selfreported their answers. Jones said people selfreported .
He said fees on paper bags have ranged from five to 10 cents per bag in areas that have adopted bag bans. He said the Northwest Grocers Association supports such a ban if a small fee is applied to paper bags. But a group of independent grocers, the Northwest Food Association, has some concerns, he said.
Rogers said she wanted to make sure a ban didnt hurt small businesses.
Matt Batcheldor: 360-704-6869 mbatcheldor@theolympian. com @mattbatcheldor


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FEMBA (MBA for the Fully Employed) and
MS in Taxation for Working Professionals
(Irvine Campus)
The Programs
The Mihaylo College of Business and Economics offers two Master's degree programs at the CSUF Irvine Campus, located at 3 Banting (where the 5, 405, and 133 converge); near the Irvine Spectrum. The MBA for the Fully Employed (FEMBA) and MS in Taxation programs are offered in their entirety at this Irvine facility.
Both programs offer unique accelerated schedules which attract experienced working professionals from the area that are looking for a cohort-based program with other experienced working professionals. Each program offers courses twice a week from 7:00 to 9:45 p.m. during the regular semester and from 6:00 to 9:45 p.m. in the summer. Students who attend courses here also benefit by taking one course at a time for the entire session. This schedule allows students to maintain a part-time status of two courses per semester, but enables them to focus on one subject area at a time.
Program Format
MBA for the Fully Employed (FEMBA) - If your undergraduate degree was in Business Administration or a discipline other than Business Administration and your are a working professional you may want consider the FEMBA program in Irvine. The application period for a Fall term starts on October 1 of the previous year.
Students are admitted into the FEMBA program during the fall semester and enter in a cohort. Each cohort goes through the program and graduates together creating a strong sense of community as they progress throughout the program. All courses in the FEMBA program are offered in a lockstep format, meaning that all students take courses in the order that they are offered. Each course in the FEMBA program is broken down into 6-8 week sessions.
The FEMBA program offers students an accelerated course schedule. Students enroll in one course at a time, but still take two courses a semester and one course during the summer. Academic terms include fall, spring and summer. Each course runs for six to eight weeks and enables students to maximize classroom hours while leveraging their workload. Most students complete the program in 31 months.
MS in Taxation for Working Professionals (TAXO) – Students admitted fall and spring semesters.
Students are admitted into the MS in Taxation for Working Professionals (TAXO) program throughout the course of the year. Courses are scheduled around tax season to accommodate the work commitments of our students. All courses in the TAXO program are offered in a lockstep format, meaning that students take courses in the order that they are offered. Each course in the TAXO program is broken down into 6-8 week sessions.
The TAXO program also offers students an accelerated course schedule and features time off during the busy tax season. Academic terms include fall, spring and summer. Each course runs for six to eight weeks and enables students to maximize classroom hours while leveraging their workload.
Program Administration
All student services and administrative procedures, such as registration and payment of fees, are managed through CSUF Extended Education. Curriculum, designation of faculty, and academic advisement are managed by the Mihaylo College of Business and Economics.
Non-State Funded Program
The FEMBA and TAXO programs are not funded by state tax revenue, therefore the tuition reflects an unsubsidized rate, which is slightly higher than the state-based rate. The programs employ the same curriculum, faculty, textbooks, and AACSB accredited standards as their state-support twins. Students graduating in these programs receive the same accredited degree for both programs (either MBA or MS in Taxation).
Admissions Information
Whatever your academic and professional background, we want to be sure that you are
adequately prepared for your FEMBA and TAXO experience with the
Mihaylo College of Business & Economics at
Cal State Fullerton. The FEMBA and TAXO programs are competitive and admission into the program is based
on the holistic assessment of each candidate's academic and personal/professional background.
In evaluating applications, the Admissions Committee considers not only the College's
graduate programs admissions criteria, but also adheres to basic standards and policies set
by the University.
If you have questions, we encourage you to attend one of our information sessions. The information session is an essential step in the admissions process. During the information session we will answer all the questions you may have regarding our graduate business programs. The information sessions are only an hour in length and fill up quickly; please reserve a seat now! Click here
To apply for a graduate program in the College you must submit the following:
- Graduate Application through
CSU Mentor
and $55 application fee.
Prior to submitting your documents below please submit your Graduate Application
- FEMBA in Irvine Graduate Admissions Check List Sheet (domestic students only).
- MS Taxation in Irvine Graduate Admissions Check List Sheet (domestic students only).
- CBE Background Sheet and Statement of Purpose.
- Official transcripts from all higher education institutions that you attended, including documentation of your undergraduate degree. All applicants must have been in good standing at their last college attended.
- Copy of your unofficial GMAT score.
- Official GMAT scores (Graduate Management Assessment Test) sent directly to the University from ETS.
- Up to three letters of recommendation from employers or professors who are familiar with your capabilities in relation to a graduate program.
- All documents must be received by the Steven G. Mihaylo College of Business and Economics deadline. click here
Students with an outstanding academic record are eligible to apply for our Michael A. Reagan scholarship. For more information please click here
Questions and Inquiries
Fact Sheets and Forms
Recruitment Specialist - MBA Programs
(657) 278-1020
Recruitment Specialist - Masters Programs
(657) 278-8580
Application Status and Processing
Evaluations Specialist
(657) 278-2003


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Terry Simonson wanted to be mayor of Tulsa once -- twice, actually.
In January 1998, the Republican Party found itself with only one candidate who had filed to run in the Tulsa mayoral race, Dennis Mahon, and he proudly proclaimed himself a white separatist.
As the filing deadline loomed, so did a major embarrassment for the party. Unless another candidate stepped up to run -- an unattractive proposition, given that the Democratic incumbent, Susan Savage, was wildly popular and considered unbeatable -- the only GOP representative in the race was going to be a guy perhaps best known for operating a "Dial-a-Racist" hotline.
Party leaders did not want that to happen. They approached Simonson, the long-time Tulsa County party chairman, and strongly suggested he take one for the team.
"So on the last day of that filing in January of 1998, with that being the only choice for the Republicans, I went down and just filed (to run) to save the city and the party the embarrassment of that, more than anything else," he said. "Nobody gave me much of a chance to do well. I didn't have any name, I didn't have any money, I didn't have any organization. I didn't have anything going for me. I think most people thought that I'd just be in it just so the other person could be defeated."
Simonson was expected to win the primary, then essentially concede the general election to the powerful incumbent. The prevailing wisdom among Republicans was that Savage would win easily, but at least there would be no unfortunate criticism about the local GOP being a spawning ground for racist wingnuts.
That didn't sit well with the candidate himself.
"I decided, 'If I'm going to do this, I'll give it all that I have, and I'll figure out some way to be a contender. Even if I don't win, I'm going to go the distance as a contender,'" Simonson said. "And at the end of the election, somehow I got (46 percent) of the vote. The spread between me winning and me losing out of 70,000 -- some votes was (6,000) votes. That was good. I was OK with that, considering where I'd started."
Simonson said he learned a lot from that experience, both about the city and the nature of campaigning. And when 2002 rolled around, he was ready to put that wisdom to work. Little did Simonson realize that his second campaign for mayor was about to teach him even more about the nature of politics, and people, than his first run.
"At the time that I ran in 1998, I said, 'I don't have any money, I don't want to spend a lot of my own money,' and I was kind of pressured from the very, very top of our party on down, so I did it," he said. "There was this subtle and sometimes not-so-subtle promise, 'If you do this -- and you're not going to win, you know you're not going to win, this is a real fall-on-the-sword campaign -- if you do this, chances are when 2002 rolls around, it'll be an open seat, and we'll be there for you.' "
In 2002, there was, in fact, no incumbent in the mayor's race, with Savage having vacated the office to join newly elected Gov. Brad Henry's cabinet. Realizing the opportunity that lay before him and emboldened by his unexpected success four years earlier, Simonson targeted the mayor's office again. He was ready to call in the chits he had earned from making that thankless, goodwill run four years earlier and enjoy all the advantages his earlier campaign had lacked, namely money and support from the local party.
But Simonson's presumed coronation as the GOP nominee got sidetracked when Bill LaFortune -- a former Tulsa County judge and district attorney, and, probably most importantly, the nephew of former Tulsa Mayor Robert LaFortune -- filed for the Republican nomination, as well. It didn't take Simonson long to see the handwriting on the wall.
"And so some of those 1998 commitments and promises all the sudden didn't seem to be so solid," Simonson said. "And more people believed that Bill had a better chance of winning -- not just the nomination but winning the race than I did."
Just like that, much of that promised support vanished. Simonson wound up running a distant second to LaFortune in the GOP primary, who then defeated Democrat Gary Watts in the general election to become mayor.
"But that's politics," Simonson said wistfully. "And I think that's a lesson people should know -- that just because people say, 'If you'll do this for me, I'll do something for you,' don't necessarily put that in the bank vault. You may let that happen to you once because you're kind of naïve -- but you shouldn't ever let it happen to you more than once."
Putting aside his bruised ego, Simonson joined the staff of the Tulsa County Commission and resumed working on behalf of the Republican Party. He insists he never even considered bearing a grudge.
"No, because you learn that, as well," he said. "You learn that sometimes loyalty or commitment in politics can be not as much as you would like it to be. But that's the world you're in, so you take it as you find it."
Now 59 years old, Simonson said he has given up on ever running for public office again -- he also lost bids for the county clerk's office in 1984 and city auditor in 1988 -- insisting he is best suited for his current role as chief of staff and legal counsel to Mayor Dewey Bartlett Jr. and being "the guy behind the guy," as he likes to put it.
As the chief architect of Bartlett's policies, it's Simonson's job to present ideas to the mayor. If Bartlett likes them, Simonson then develops those ideas more fully and plans an implementation strategy.
"He was the first choice and the obvious choice," Bartlett said of Simonson, recalling his thought process when he began putting his staff together after being elected in November 2009. "I thought about one or two others, but I thought, 'No, Terry's it. He has the experience ... He really enjoys the responsibility of governing well. He understands that concept very, very well.'"
The Front Man
At first blush, Simonson might seem to have moved into a low-profile, behind-the-scenes role with the new mayor, but not if the first six months of the Bartlett administration are any indication. Simonson's often brash style has rankled many people, including some members of the City Council, contributing to his being the target of a council investigation into whether he lied to or misled councilors and federal officials this past winter about a federal grant that was used to rehire laid-off police officers.
District 8 Councilor Bill Christiansen, perhaps Simonson's most outspoken critic, believes Simonson has a lot of fence mending to do, regardless of how that investigation turns out.
"I'm really floored at the way it went so negative so fast," Christiansen said of Simonson's relationship with the council. "And I don't think the council did anything to create that.
"I like Terry as an individual," he said. "He's a bright guy with a lot of good ideas. But he never seems to be able to compromise on issues. It's 'My way or the highway.' That's not the way to run city government."
That's not an opinion shared by everyone on the council. District 7 Councilor John Eagleton described Simonson as far easier to work with than others who have held his position.
"He does an effective job far more often than not," Eagleton said.
Simonson hasn't always been immersed in politics, though as it's been a big part of his life for a long time. He has served as a member of the state Horse Racing Commission and the city's Capital Improvements Committee, along with holding various other public service and community positions. He even served a stint writing a column for this publication.
But it was then-Tulsa Mayor Jim Inhofe who brought Simonson to Tulsa from Kansas in February 1979, when he chose him from a field of 400 applicants for the newly created position of court administrator.
Simonson maintains strong ties to the legal field today; as he earned his law degree from the University of Tulsa and practiced privately for 20 years. It was from that background, he said, that he derived his approach to governing.
"I've been an attorney for 20 years, and attorneys tend to become problem solvers," he said. "I read a lot about what's going on elsewhere in the country and the world, and sometimes I get idea inspiration that way. I think a lot about the problems we have, the challenges we have, and I try to think of different ways to approach them."
Eagleton knows Simonson better than most members of the council. The two have worked together on cases in the past, as well as on opposing sides. He said Simonson enjoys a reputation for being capable and hard working -- but not enough so to get the best of Eagleton when the two squared off in court, apparently.
"I kicked his tail," Eagleton said, bursting out in laughter. "He's a good lawyer, but he's not that good."
Bartlett is effusive in his praise of Simonson, particularly when it comes to describing his political acumen.
"He's very articulate, very direct, but he has a great depth of knowledge and ideas about governing -- how to govern well, how to react well," the mayor said. And when it comes to framing those issues for the public, "He's the best I've ever seen."
That perspective is shared by Tulsa County Commissioner Fred Perry, who worked with Simonson from 2007 through 2009, when Simonson served as deputy to then-Commissioner Randi Miller before becoming the county's public information officer and director of governmental affairs.
"Terry is one of the brightest and most articulate people I have met in government during my 16 years of public service," Perry said. "I don't know anyone who is as knowledgeable about the various levels of local and federal government as Simonson. He is a dedicated, hard worker for whoever his employer is and is always striving to make the organization better.
"And he is definitely not an 8-to-5 guy," he said. "We had numerous conversations after hours while he was here, and the same was true of the other commissioners. I first observed this of Terry when he was chairman of the Tulsa County Republican Party, and then saw it up close as he worked for the county. We hated to lose him; he was an asset to the county."
Original Minds, Revisited
Simonson's preference for odd-hours brainstorming is something he has carried with him to City Hall. His day typically starts very early, somewhere around 4am, though he doesn't arrive at the office until 7 or 7:30am. Much of his time in between is spent trying to develop creative solutions to the problems that awaited the Bartlett administration when it took over -- an unprecedented decline in the city's sales tax receipts and a corresponding budget crisis that has dominated the mayor's agenda in his first six months in office.
Simonson frequently processes his ideas by jotting them down on a laptop and fleshing them out during the course of a morning before taking them to work and presenting them to all of the members of the mayor's staff for a thorough hashing out.
He has provided the impetus for many of Bartlett's more noteworthy proposals so far, including the idea to have an efficiency audit conducted of all city departments by the firm KPMG as a cost-saving measure. The mayor initially wanted the organization to examine just one department, but Simonson suggested a city-wide audit instead.
"His thought process was more expansive than mine initially," Bartlett said, adding that he and his chief of staff set aside 10 to 15 minutes each day to kick around new ideas.
Simonson's biggest impact might come from his ideas about how to widen the city's revenue stream. Heavily reliant on sales tax receipts for its general fund, Tulsa routinely experiences trouble maintaining basic government services during economic downturns, when consumer spending declines.
At no time in its history has that been more of an issue than during the current fiscal year, when city leaders found themselves so cash strapped that they had to resort to reducing or terminating many of those services, along with furloughing all city employees for eight days and laying off others.
Simonson put together a list of ideas designed to generate new revenue and enable the city to reverse many of those reductions. Bartlett presented them in late April to the council, but the proposals were widely panned as mere tax increases by councilors, who voted late last week to adopt a budget that didn't include any of Simonson's revenue-enhancement ideas.
Simonson was disappointed to see many of those ideas panned initially by the council. He considered that ironic, since the genesis of many of those proposals came from councilors themselves, he said.
"I sat through a number of City Council committee meetings and heard councilors throw out ideas of their own," he said. "For instance, Councilor (Jack) Henderson threw out, 'Let's have a public safety sales tax.' Councilor (Roscoe) Turner threw out, 'No, let's have an entertainment tax.' And then you have councilors (Maria) Barnes and (Chris) Trail, 'No, let's do a voluntary donation program.'
"Now, in and of themselves, each of those ideas probably weren't going to make it on their own, but I sensed in those ideas another idea, another way of doing it," Simonson said. "And so they should get the credit, at least for throwing those things out, because I thought a voluntary idea, like Councilor Barnes and Trail brought up, is a good idea. And something for public safety, that's a good idea. How do we make it a workable idea? So, I'll take something like that and just begin researching it."
By the time those ideas have worked their way through the mayor's staff and are presented to the public, they might not bear much resemblance to their original form. That's OK, Simonson said, who maintains he learned long ago not to take those kinds of changes personally.
He hopes others can embrace the same philosophy.
"It's not being afraid that if it doesn't end the way it started, you don't have to feel offended," he said. "If it comes out different, it's still a good idea at the end than it was the way it began. Then you should feel like you at least accomplished something, because it's about the idea, it's not about the ego."
Keeping It Separate
Easier said than done, perhaps. Ego and politics seem to go together like oil slicks and Gulf beaches these days; although criticism is often an equal partner in that equation. While Simonson is no stranger to having unflattering things said about him, he tries to remain philosophical about the less-savory aspects of a career in politics.
"If you truly believe that you can make a difference on the inside of these glass walls, then you have to develop a tough skin," he said. "I think, historically, some of the best leaders in government at all levels have been survivors. If you want to think outside the box or have new ideas, whatever you want to call it, at the end of the day, if it means change, you can expect to be attacked by people comfortable with the status quo.
"But if we don't change, things eventually will move backward. You never get ahead standing still."
That philosophy led Bartlett and Simonson to take an aggressive approach to bringing the city's financial difficulties to heel. Both have maintained that the position Tulsa finds itself in today was years in the making, and the road to long--term stability will also take some time, somewhat painfully perhaps -- a situation Simonson believes citizens have grasped for themselves.
"I think for the most part, people realized that the problems and challenges that Mayor Bartlett found were none of his making, so there was no blame or holding him responsible for something he did not do," he said.
"I think by the time he arrived here, people knew the pain was not over, and that tough times call for tough decisions," Simonson said. "I don't think he and I realized that there were so many complex problems, but he ran as mayor to be a change agent and to do what he could to get Tulsa back on its feet. And he asked me to come help him."
Simonson said he never spoke to Bartlett about a position in his administration while working on his campaign. But he recalled having a "What if?" conversation with his wife Karen about the possibility of going to work for Bartlett if he were elected. He was intrigued by the idea, but didn't make up his mind for certain until Bartlett actually approached him with the idea after the campaign, offering him the dual position of chief of staff and lead counsel.
Simonson now earns a salary of more than $145,000 -- considerably more than the mayor's annual pay of $105,000 and tops among Bartlett's lieutenants. That contrasts with the $135,000 that Amy Polonchek, Mayor Kathy Taylor's chief of staff, pulled down and the almost $95,000 that Nancy Siegel, Taylor's general counsel, earned -- though Simonson fills both roles, resulting in a net savings of $85,000 for the mayor's budget.
Serving in a dual capacity does not seem to have overwhelmed Simonson -- despite the demanding nature of the task at hand and the fact that the city found itself in uncharted financial waters last winter.
In an odd way, Simonson said, he has been energized by the difficulties the Bartlett administration inherited, for it has provided a chance to re-examine almost every aspect of municipal government operations.
"During the good times, you can't pull people to change," he said. "The good times is the status quo, and why are we changing the status quo, it's a good time? ... The bigger the challenge, the less people can stand out there and defend the mess. The less people can say, 'I like how we're sliding down the hill. I like how we're no longer able to provide good, basic services.'"
Of course, no one would ever say that, he said.
"So that opens the door wide to say, 'OK, then, we're going to make it better than it is,' and nobody needs (to say) that we're doing it the best that we can and the status quo is terrific," he said. "And nobody has. I think it's come home real clear over this last year of having to cut $15 million and 300 positions that this is a serious situation."
Upon going to work for Bartlett, Simonson -- a veteran of the mayoral administrations of Inhofe and Dick Crawford -- quickly sized up the situation for his new boss.
"One of the things I told him early on was, I said, 'You're going to hear a lot of information,'" he said. "I said, 'There's probably no job that has so much data overload. Smart leaders know that there's at least two sides to every story. But a discerning leader knows which side to believe. And that's the kind of leader you need to be. You're already a smart guy. You need to be a discerning leader. And that's where I can help you.'"
A JAGged edge
Simonson's tenure as the mayor's chief policy architect hasn't unfolded without a degree of controversy. The most serious problem he's faced has been the charge that he lied to or misled members of the council and federal officials when it came to using Justice Assistance Grant funds to rehire officers from the Tulsa Police Department who had been laid off because of budget cuts in January.
The charge was outlined in a letter three deputy police chiefs sent to Police Chief Chuck Jordan in March. The City Council hired independent investigator Terry Laflin to look into the matter, but Laflin has said his efforts have been hamstrung by his inability to get Simonson or Bartlett to sit down for an interview. Bartlett has called on the council twice to drop the investigation, to no avail, his latest request being denied by District 2 Councilor Rick Westcott on May 27.
"I feel comfortable in saying that several councilors have expressed a certain amount of distrust in things Terry has presented," Westcott said. "They believe that Terry intentionally presented false information regarding the availability of the JAG funds. I would prefer we get the results of the investigation before I draw any conclusions."
Laflin's report was presented on June 17 to councilors, who went into executive session to discuss it. That session was continued until a special meeting on June 22, after which Laflin's findings were expected to be released.
Christiansen is particularly vexed by the difficulty Laflin said he has had in getting Simonson and the mayor to submit to an interview.
"They have put off meeting with the investigator, as I understand it, four times," he said. "I just don't understand that. I would think they should want to get this behind them as soon as possible."
The gravity of the situation is demonstrated by the fact that every member of the council, including its five Republicans -- Christiansen, Westcott, Eagleton, G.T. Bynum, Chris Trail and Jim Mautino -- voted in favor of the motion to investigate the charges, he said.
"In my heart, I thought it was a major step for the five Republicans on the council to vote for the investigation," Christiansen said. "That is worth a thousand words, as far as I'm concerned. We wouldn't have initiated it if we didn't believe there was some substance to this."
The mayor doesn't share that viewpoint. He stands firmly behind his chief of staff, though he acknowledged the issue has become a distraction.
"It's much to do about nothing," Bartlett said. "It's unnecessary. The unfortunate thing is, his integrity was brought into question. Once this is resolved, and I certainly think it will be resolved in his favor, I do hope the individuals who made the accusations apologize -- and sincerely apologize -- because he will be owed an apology."
Simonson has maintained his innocence all along, arguing that Stuart McCalman, an aide to Bartlett who recently resigned, has taken the blame for providing the mayor and his chief of staff with conflicting information about the availability of the grant money. According to the Tulsa World, McCalman had been sending information to Christiansen that appeared to lend weight to the charges by the three deputy chiefs that Simonson lied about the specifics of the federal funding used to rehire the laid-off officers.
"So I think once he came forward and confessed, I felt like that should have and will put to rest that I never intentionally misled or misrepresented anything to the council," Simonson said. "Everything I said and presented came from the advice of Mr. McCalman -- who we were told was the expert on all of that. He was in Mayor Taylor's administration, she highly touted him, told Mayor Bartlett, 'You need to keep him, he knows everything he needs to know about all these grants,' and so, to our detriment, we relied on him.
"So that would seem to leave some police officers believing somehow I lied to the Department of Justice," he said. "Of course, that never happened. The Department of Justice believes we properly administered the grant, we properly used the money. They have no concerns. They aren't investigating anything whatsoever. So if the council believes they have to move forward with that, I'm 100 percent confident that the Department of Justice is not going to find that I did anything out of line with that. And the reason I know I did everything proper is because we would not have gotten the approval to redirect the money for the police officers if we had done it improperly. It was only because we followed the rules and regulations correctly that we got the approval."
That claim was bolstered when a Justice Department official e-mailed Bartlett in late May to inform him the agency was not concerned about its dealings with Simonson.
As for the information McCalman was sending to Christiansen, Simonson said it obviously impacted his relationship with the council.
"I did not know that, and I could not understand why they were having a hard time believing me as I was explaining the process that we went through with the police department," he said. "And I didn't know that I was being -- and that the mayor was being -- undercut by somebody in the office telling us one thing to say to the council and then saying just the opposite to the council."
Simonson claimed he has never been presented with a detailed explanation of what he is alleged to have done wrong.
"Nobody has specifically said, 'You made this statement or statements on this date, and we believe that to have been a lie,'" he said. "Still, to this day, almost 60 or 90 days later, nobody's ever told me that. Nobody's ever told me what 'it' is. So, the mayor has confidence in me. He was involved in all those meetings and discussions. He knows that there's nothing to this, and at the end of the day, the mayor is responsible for all the personnel."
Simonson said, that like it has become to Bartlett, the issue is a distraction, and the lesson he will take from this is that communication between himself, the mayor and the council needs to be improved.
As for the impact of the investigation on Simonson's ability to deal with the council, Eagleton said he didn't perceive that any councilors had prejudged the evidence, and he believes Simonson can continue to be an effective advocate for the mayor.
"I see no impediment to Terry's continued service," he said.
Christiansen declined to speculate about how the investigation might turn out, but he said he's been alienated by Simonson's approach.
"It's a shame this situation has arisen," he said. "I was looking forward to working with Mayor Bartlett. He campaigned as a conservative Republican, one who wasn't going to raise taxes. But it's regressed, and I don't think that would have happened if Mr. Simonson wasn't in the position he's in."
The Confrontation Thing
If Simonson's boss has a problem with the way he conducts himself, the mayor doesn't show it. Indeed, Bartlett acknowledges that his chief of staff certainly isn't the type to back down from a fight.
"Oh, no, no," Bartlett said, smiling. "He will speak his mind -- respectfully, but very directly. Sometimes people are not used to having their opinion respectfully criticized and don't like it. He's had to tone down his positioning on things a few times because he realizes some people don't appreciate a direct expression. He understands that."
Eagleton, himself no shrinking violet, isn't put off by Simonson's manner, explaining that he considers it a positive whenever he doesn't have to guess about someone's position on an issue.
"In politics, if you speak your mind bluntly, you get a reputation for being confrontational," he said. "Personally, I think I have a bit of that reputation, too. Anyone who is straight to the point and blunt does not bother me at all."
That directness might not always come to the surface, at least as far as Elizabeth Wright is concerned. As a member of the Tulsa Metropolitan Area Planning Commission, Wright was the target of an attempted ouster attempt by Tulsa County Commissioner Karen Keith in November 2009, when Simonson was still working for the county. He wound up conveying Keith's concerns to Wright, even being directed at one point to seek her resignation, which she refused to submit. Wright ultimately survived the ouster attempt, but she came away from the experience with ambivalent feelings about Simonson.
"I felt like there was always something brewing beneath the surface that wasn't coming up," she said. "He was guarded -- and perhaps appropriately so for his position."
Simonson seems to strike people in a variety of ways. Westcott -- who has known Simonson since 2003, when Westcott began getting involved in political campaigns -- said he's never witnessed the in-your-face style that others attribute to the mayor's chief of staff.
"I've not seen that side of Terry," Westcott said, who described Simonson as professional and friendly in their dealings. "I will say, if he admits that is something he has trouble with, that is not always productive in business or municipal government. In a working environment as small as ours ... that strategy really doesn't work at all."
While others might have concerns about Simonson's truthfulness, Westcott isn't one of them.
"I have found him to be, in my opinion, as forthcoming as he can be, recognizing that in any professional situation, in government or in a private company, there are sure to be times when any person in upper management can't reveal everything," he said. "That's the nature of the business. I do believe Terry's been as forthcoming as he can be."
For his part, Simonson makes no apologies for his unwillingness to back down in his role as the mayor's advocate.
"Whether it works for you or works against you, having been an attorney for 20 years and having spent a good part of that 20 years in courtrooms and in trials, you learn you don't let anybody push you around," he said. "You stand up for your client -- in this case, the mayor. You're more prepared when you walk in the room than anybody else in the room, and you've got to be quick thinking and quick responding in a fast-moving environment like this.
"If it's not worth fighting for, then you shouldn't be doing this job," he said. "This job has to be for fighters. So if you have a cause or something you really believe in and you want somebody who's a passionate, fighting advocate, and I'm on your team, then hopefully, I've added value to your team."
The difficult decisions that have had to be made during the past six months perhaps have forced Simonson to take a hard line, he said.
"These kinds of challenges really galvanize your convictions," he said. "If you don't have any character or grit, this job will blow you out in 30 days because you'll have strong forces, as we have seen, come at you with all the force they have to see what you're made of. Can they bend you, and, eventually, can they break you? And you just have to resolve you're not going to let that happen."
Christiansen, on the other hand, would appreciate some flexibility -- and humility -- from Simonson.
"I think Terry needs to realize that city government is made up by the charter as a checks-and-balances system, sort of like saying, 'Nobody's the king,'" he said. "And I feel as though when Terry became the chief of staff, he was bound and determined he was going to do it his way or the highway ... It's not a kingdom, it's a democracy."
Christiansen acknowledged he hasn't voiced his dissatisfaction with Simonson to Bartlett, but he pointed out the mayor hasn't asked him what he thinks. And he doubts it would come as news to Bartlett.
"I think the mayor's probably heard it from a lot of people," Christiansen said.
Now in his fifth term, Christiansen said he can't compare the current situation to any he's seen before. He believes Simonson has become a major problem for Bartlett.
"For a guy who ran on getting along with the council, he's probably got the worst relationship any mayor has had with the council since I've been on the council," he said.
After a rugged start, Christiansen said Simonson tried to patch up his relationship with the council.
"But the way things were handled and the way he was condescending to councilors during those meetings, I think Dewey would be a lot better off for the next three years if he went with a different chief of staff," he said.
That doesn't appear to be something the mayor is considering. Simonson acknowledged his style isn't always received well, but he believes it serves Bartlett's purposes well. And that's his primary concern.
"I think one of the things that makes the mayor and I kind of compatible in what we do here is, I'm probably more the kind of guy that's going to get right back in your face," Simonson said. "And the mayor is probably more of the kind of guy that is more diplomatic. I think there's absolutely a time and place for both.
"And that's maybe more of my role, is to not take stuff off people that I know is untrue, incorrect, inaccurate or incomplete and stand by in silence, leading them to believe that they're absolutely right. And if there's any reason I believe that, 'No, you're not absolutely right for whatever reason,' then I feel it's my loyal obligation and duty to this mayor to stand up to that. And I'm sure that might sometimes come off as too confrontational. And maybe if there was anything I needed to work on to be better at, it was maybe to try to tone that down. Just kind of tone that down."
A Kinder, Gentler Approach?
"I'm working on it," he said, laughing. "I've even told the mayor, 'Maybe that's one of the reasons that I've had some early difficulties with the council is because early on I watched how they treated some of the staff and didn't feel like some of the staff that appeared in front of the council were treated very well by some of the councilors. And I think part of that was they weren't as prepared as maybe they should have been when they went to the council.
"So I decided that I'm going to be prepared for everything," he said. "But if anybody tries to push on me, then I'll push back because I didn't come down here to be pushed on. I came down here to work with you on whatever the topic might be. I don't think they like that, or maybe they weren't used to that. And so I've told the mayor maybe I need to find a softer, gentler approach in how I make my points. I'm willing to concede that that would be helpful. So I'm working on it."
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[Pokemon] Justified (T; Many, many implied deaths)
A fanfic by:
This quick little oneshot was inspired by a few dex entries and the name of an ability, of all things.
Castelia City, Unova. 111 AD.
People fled from the ruins of a dockside temple as the terra-cotta building collapsed onto the marble stairs. A dust storm desceneded onto the hard-packed dirt streets below and over the sea.
The temple was the centerpiece of the small port city, whose buildings were made from clay, seawater, and hay. The salt-adobe buildings were surprisingly tough, albeit bland-looking. With enough wood supports and generous coatings of berry-juice paint, tall, tacky skyscrapers towered before the desert coast.
A man, frightened and skittish, stopped in his tracks as he spread his arms, his feet slowly being stained red with the blood trickling down the temple steps. He was dressed in a plain blue tunic made from a sack and some ropes.
"Please, forgive me! I forgot the berry tree I cut down was sacred! Please, O Great Master Cobalion! I simply wanted to feed my son! His mother died in labor! No, spare my life," the man began to cower and sob, "I will never eat a piece of meat again in my life I-"
"Enough groveling, mortal," out from the temple's ruins came a charismatic voice, with a metallic ring, "We, the protectors, have decided your fate. For destroying a most precious Enigma tree, you are to witness your child be flayed, as the Earth Mother has."
Blue-tunic man began sobbing and screaming for his child. His hands slammed on the hard stairs, which were coated in blood.
Descending the steps came a regal figure, walking on four legs. His cobalt blue skin was contrasted by yellow horns, and his body looked made of metal. Behind him, from the rubble, was a green figure of feminine stature and similar gait; and another was bulky, and looked to be made of stone.
"Cobalion," the stone beast yelled out to his comrade, "Where does the defiler live?"
"Terakion," the green one hissed, her voice filled with distaste, "I told you a minute ago! Did you hit your head while you were crushing all those humans?"
Terakion huffed silightly as he walked down the steps, nudging the hysterical man in the blue tunic, "It's those damn rock dwellings the humans make that always collapse on me, Virizion! It hurts my head! Makes me forgetful!"
Virizion cackled to herself at the thought of her stone-headed comrade being stupider than he already was. In her opinion, Terakion was only good for knocking things down.
"Just bust every building until you find a motherless baby," Cobalion commanded. "Now. my friend, you will see the consequences of tampering with nature. Not only are you fully responsible for the death of your child, but of the ruin of your home city. I hope you are proud of yourself."
The man in the blue tunic looked up into Cobalion's eyes. They were filled with regret and anguish, something the legendary couldn't help but sneer at the sight of.
"How do you and your bretheren sleep at night, knowing you have killed so many men?" He whimpered out.
"Very well," Cobalion hissed, his voice full of joy. He could hear the screams of human pain that erupted from the streets as Terakion destroyed every building he could find. "We are the Guardians of Nature, as you know so well. Our lives are dedicated to destroying your civilization, but we do it out of our own desire. We made you a goddess we could hide behind, the *snicker* Earth Mother. What she 'says' is gospel. Everything is... Justified."
The PokeDex Entries that inspired the story:
"This legendary Pokémon battled against humans to protect Pokémon. Its personality is calm and composed. It has a heart and body of steel."
"Its charge is strong enough to break through a giant castle wall in one blow. This Pokémon is spoken of in legends."
Right from the first time I saw their dexes, I thought the Muskedeers were evil misanthropes. Remember that, while they came to the aid of nature, they were spoken of in legends. Legends change alot over time.
Noob out.


text: Main Content House Bill 5633 (2012) rss friendly link printer friendly Sponsor Lisa Lyons Categories Education, curricula; Education, graduation requirements; State agencies (existing), education Education; curricula; obsolete act concerning teaching of civics and political science; repeal. Repeals 1931 PA 205 (MCL 388.372). Bill Document Formatting Information [x] The following bill formatting applies to the 2011-2012 session:- New language in an amendatory bill will be shown in BOLD AND UPPERCASE.- Language to be removed will be stricken.- Amendments made by the House will be blue with square brackets, such as: [House amended text].- Amendments made by the Senate will be red with double greater/lesser than symbols, such as: <<Senate amended text>>. (gray icons indicate that the action did not occur or that the document is not available) Documents House Introduced Bill Introduced bills appear as they were introduced and reflect no subsequent amendments or changes. As Passed by the House As Passed by the House is the bill, as introduced, that includes any adopted House amendments. As Passed by the Senate As Passed by the Senate is the bill, as received from the House, that includes any adopted Senate amendments. House Enrolled Bill Enrolled bill is the version passed in identical form by both houses of the Legislature. House Fiscal Agency Analysis Summary As Introduced (06-06-12)This document analyzes: HB5629, HB5630, HB5631, HB5632, HB5633, HB5634, HB5635, HB5636 History(House actions in lowercase, Senate actions in UPPERCASE) Date JournalAction 5/15/2012HJ 47 Pg. 848introduced by Representative Lisa Lyons 5/15/2012HJ 47 Pg. 848read a first time 5/15/2012HJ 47 Pg. 848referred to Committee on Education 5/16/2012HJ 48 Pg. 858printed bill filed 05/16/2012 6/7/2012HJ 59 Pg. 1713reported with recommendation without amendment 6/7/2012HJ 59 Pg. 1713referred to second reading 6/7/2012HJ 59 Pg. 1722read a second time 6/7/2012HJ 59 Pg. 1722placed on third reading 6/7/2012HJ 59 Pg. 1740placed on immediate passage 6/7/2012HJ 59 Pg. 1740read a third time 6/7/2012HJ 59 Pg. 1740passed; given immediate effect Roll Call # 402 Yeas 107 Nays 0 6/7/2012HJ 59 Pg. 1740transmitted 6/12/2012SJ 58 Pg. 1710REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION