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Coleman v. Md. Court of Appeals
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Full title:Daniel COLEMAN, Plaintiff-Appellant, v. MARYLAND COURT OF APPEALS; Frank…
Court:United States Court of Appeals, Fourth Circuit
United States Court of Appeals, Fourth Circuit
holding that an African-American plaintiff's statement that he "was treated differently as a result of his race than whites" was too conclusory to state a claim of discrimination in the employment context
Summary of this case from Hicks v. Anne Arundel Cnty.
Argued: September 23, 2010.
Decided: November 10, 2010.
Appeal from the District of Maryland, Benson Everett Legg, Chief Judge.
ARGUED: Edward Smith, Jr., Law Office of Edward Smith, Jr., Baltimore, Maryland, for Appellant. Hugh Scott Curtis, Office of the Attorney General of Maryland, Baltimore, Maryland, for Appellees. ON BRIEF: Douglas F. Gansler, Attorney General, Kendra Y. Ausby, Assistant Attorney General, Office of the Attorney General of Maryland, Baltimore, Maryland, for Appellees.
Before TRAXLER, Chief Judge, SHEDD, Circuit Judge, and James C. DEVER III, United States District Judge for the Eastern District of North Carolina, sitting by designation.
Affirmed by published opinion. Chief Judge TRAXLER wrote the opinion, in which Judge SHEDD and Judge DEVER joined.
TRAXLER, Chief Judge:
Daniel Coleman appeals the dismissal of his amended complaint in this suit alleging, as is relevant here, violations of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 ("Title VII"), see 42 U.S.C.A. §§ 2000e to 2000e-17 ("West 2003 Supp. 2010), and of the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 ("FMLA"), see 29 U.S.C.A. §§ 2601-54 (West 2009 Supp. 2010). Finding no error, we affirm.
Coleman's Title VII claim was dismissed for failure to state a claim upon which relief can be granted. See Fed.R.Civ.P. 12(b)(6). In reviewing such a dismissal, we accept the facts alleged in the complaint as true and construe them in the light most favorable to the plaintiff. See Flood v. New Hanover Cray., 125 F.3d 249, 251 (4th Cir. 1997). Viewed through that lens, the facts for purposes of this appeal are as follows.
Coleman, an African-American male, was employed by the Maryland Court of Appeals from March 2001 to August 2007 and served as executive director of procurement and contract administration since early 2003. Coleman was supervised by Frank Broccolina, a white male, and Faye Gaskins, whose race is not specified. Larry Jones, whose race also is not specified, was a member of Coleman's staff and was related to Gaskins. In October 2005, Coleman investigated a matter involving Jones and Joyce Shue, a white female. Coleman's investigation "resulted in a five (5) day suspension" for Jones. J.A. 21. After Broccolina and Gaskins intervened, however, Jones's suspension was reduced to only one day. In retaliation for Coleman's investigation, Jones falsely alleged that Coleman had steered contracts to vendors in which Coleman had an interest, and Jones encouraged Broccolina to investigate. Broccolina, in turn, shared the allegations with others despite knowing that they were false.
During his employment, Coleman satisfied the performance standards of his position and received all applicable "raises and increments." J.A. 26. However, in early April 2007, he received a letter of reprimand from Gaskins concerning "a communication protocol." J.A. 25. Coleman's appeal of the reprimand was unsuccessful. Then, on August 2, 2007, Coleman sent Broccolina a sick-leave request "based upon a documented medical condition." J.A. 26. Broccolina contacted Coleman the next day and informed him that he would be terminated if he did not resign. Coleman alleges that he was fired for requesting sick leave and because he is black. He also alleges that the contract-steering charge played a role in his termination.
After exhausting his administrative remedies, Coleman initiated the present action. The complaint before us names Broccolina, Jones, and the Maryland Court of Appeals as defendants and alleges violations of Title VII and the FMLA. On defendants' motion, the district court dismissed the Title VII claim on the grounds that Coleman failed to state a claim for which relief could be granted, see Fed.R.Civ.P. 12(b)(6), and dismissed the FMLA claim on the basis that it was barred by Eleventh Amendment immunity, see Fed.R.Civ.P. 12(b)(1).
The district court construed Coleman's complaint as asserting the FMLA claim against Broccolina and Jones in their official capacities only. Coleman does not challenge that interpretation on appeal.
Coleman's complaint also includes a state-law claim for defamation. The district court dismissed that claim as barred by the Eleventh Amendment and the Maryland Tort Claims Act. Coleman does not challenge the dismissal of that claim.
Arguing that the complaint properly alleged both a claim for disparate treatment and a claim for retaliation, Coleman maintains that the district court erred in dismissing his Title VII cause of action. We disagree.
We review de novo the grant of a motion to dismiss under Rule 12(b)(6). See Sucampo Pharm., Inc. v. Astellas Pharma, Inc., 471 F.3d 544, 550 (4th Cir. 2006). When ruling on such a motion, "a judge must accept as true all of the factual allegations contained in the complaint." Erickson v. Pardus, 551 U.S. 89, 94, 127 S.Ct. 2197, 167 L.Ed.2d 1081 (2007) (per curiam) (citations omitted). A complaint "need only give the defendant fair notice of what the claim is and the grounds upon which it rests." Id. at 93, 127 S.Ct. 2197 (alteration and internal quotation marks omitted). However, to survive a motion to dismiss, the complaint must "state[] a plausible claim for relief that "permit[s] the court to infer more than the mere possibility of misconduct" based upon "its judicial experience and common sense." Ashcroft v. Iqbal ___ U.S. ___, 129 S.Ct. 1937, 1950, 173 L.Ed.2d 868 (2009). In this regard, while a plaintiff is not required to plead facts that constitute a prima facie case in order to survive a motion to dismiss, see Swierkiewicz v. Sorema N.A., 534 U.S. 506, 510-15, 122 S.Ct. 992, 152 L.Ed.2d 1 (2002), "[f]actual allegations must be enough to raise a right to relief above the speculative level," Bell Ail. Corp. v. Twombly, 550 U.S. 544, 555, 127 S.Ct. 1955, 167 L.Ed.2d 929 (2007). See also Francis v. Giacomelli, 588 F.3d 186, 193 (4th Cir. 2009).
Title VII prohibits an employer from "discharg[ing] any individual, or otherwise . . . discriminating] against any individual with respect to his compensation, terms, conditions, or privileges of employment, because of such individual's race." 42 U.S.C.A. § 2000e-2(a). Absent direct evidence, the elements of a prima facie case of discrimination under Title VII are: (1) membership in a protected class; (2) satisfactory job performance; (3) adverse employment action; and (4) different treatment from similarly situated employees outside the protected class. See White v. BFI Waste Servs., LLC, 375 F.3d 288, 295 (4th Cir. 2004). Title VII also prohibits employers from "discriminat[ing] against any of [their] employees . . . because [the employees] ha[ve] opposed any practice made an unlawful employment practice by [Title VII], or because [the employees] ha[ve] . . . participated in any manner in an investigation" under Title VII. 42 U.S.C.A. § 2000e-3(a). The elements of a prima facie retaliation claim under Title VII are: (1) engagement in a protected activity; (2) adverse employment action; and (3) a causal link between the protected activity and the employment action. See Mackey v. Shalala, 360 F.3d 463, 469 (4th Cir. 2004).
Here, although Coleman's complaint conclusorily alleges that Coleman was terminated based on his race, it does not assert facts establishing the plausibility of that allegation. The complaint alleges that Jones and Broccolina began their campaign against Coleman in retaliation for his investigation of Jones's conflict with Shue. The complaint further alleges that Coleman "was treated differently as a result of his race than whites" and specifically identifies Broccolina as a white person who was not disciplined despite having "outside business involvements." J.A. 21-22, 25 (emphasis omitted). However, the complaint fails to establish a plausible basis for believing Broccolina and Coleman were actually similarly situated or that race was the true basis for Coleman's termination. The complaint does not even allege that Broccolina's "outside business involvements" were improper, let alone that any impropriety was comparable to the acts Coleman was alleged to have committed. Absent such support, the complaint's allegations of race discrimination do not, rise above speculation. Thus, the district court correctly concluded that the complaint failed to state a Title VII race discrimination claim. See Iqbal, 129 S.Ct. at 1949 ("Threadbare recitals of the elements of a cause of action, supported by mere conclusory statements, do not suffice.").
The complaint also conclusorily alleges that Coleman was given his letter of reprimand because of his race, but no factual allegations lend any plausibility to this claim either.
The notion that Broccolina's "outside business interests" might make him similarly situated to Coleman is also muddled by Coleman's allegation that Broccolina and Jones knew that the allegations of contract steering against Coleman were false.
The district court also correctly ruled that Coleman failed to state a Title VII retaliation claim. No facts in the complaint identify any protected activity by Coleman that prompted the retaliation of which he complains. Coleman maintains that his protected activity was his intervention in the conflict between Jones and Shue. However, the complaint does not explain why Coleman's investigation would be considered protected activity. We therefore affirm the dismissal of the Title VII claim.
Coleman next contends that the district court erred in dismissing his FMLA claim on the basis of Eleventh Amendment immunity. Specifically, he argues that the district court erred in concluding that Congress unconstitutionally abrogated the states' Eleventh Amendment immunity with respect to the FMLA's self-care provision. We disagree.
The Eleventh Amendment bars suit in federal court against an unconsenting state and any governmental units that are arms of the state unless Congress has abrogated the immunity. See Alden v. Maine, 527 U.S. 706, 755-57, 119 S.Ct. 2240, 144 L.Ed.2d 636 (1999). In order to do so, Congress must unequivocally declare its intent to abrogate and must act pursuant to a valid exercise of its power. See Seminole Tribe of Fla. v. Florida, 517 U.S. 44, 55, 116 S.Ct. 1114, 134 L.Ed.2d 252 (1996). The first prong of this test is clearly satisfied here. See Nevada Dep't of Human Res. v. Hibbs, 538 U.S. 721, 726, 123 S.Ct. 1972, 155 L.Ed.2d 953 (2003) (explaining that "[t]he clarity of Congress' intent" to abrogate the states' immunity to FMLA suits "is not fairly debatable"). It is the second requirement that is at issue.
The Supreme Court has held that while Congress cannot validly abrogate a state's immunity from private suit under its Article I powers, it can do so under its Fourteenth Amendment, § 5 authority. See Bd. of Trs. of Univ. of Ala. v. Garrett, 531 U.S. 356, 364, 121 S.Ct. 955, 148 L.Ed.2d 866 (2001). The Fourteenth Amendment provides that "[n]o State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws." U.S. Const. amend. XIV, § 1. Section 5 authorizes Congress to enact "appropriate legislation" to enforce these substantive guarantees. Id. § 5. This section authorizes Congress not only to codify the Supreme Court's holdings regarding the rights established by the Fourteenth Amendment, but also to prevent future violations of those rights. See City of Boerne v. Flores, 521 U.S. 507, 518, 117 S.Ct. 2157, 138 L.Ed.2d 624 (1997). Although Congress may "enact prophylactic legislation prohibiting conduct that is `not itself unconstitutional,' it may not substantively redefine Fourteenth Amendment protections." Constantine v. Rectors Visitors of George Mason Univ., 411 F.3d 474, 484-85 (4th Cir. 2005) (citing City of Boerne, 521 U.S. at 519, 117 S.Ct. 2157). The Supreme Court has held that to ensure Congress abides by this distinction, "[t]here must be a congruence and proportionality between the injury to be prevented or remedied and the means adopted to that end." City of Boerne, 521 U.S. at 520, 117 S.Ct. 2157.
As originally enacted, the FMLA authorized qualified employees to take up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave annually in four circumstances, three of which concern caring for family members: bearing and caring for a child, see 29 U.S.C.A. § 2612(a)(1)(A), adopting or providing foster care for a child, see id. § 2612(a)(1)(B), and caring for a spouse, child, or parent with a serious health condition, see id. § 2612(a)(1)(C). The fourth circumstance is when "a serious health condition . . . makes the employee unable to perform the functions of [his] position." Id. § 2612(a)(1)(D). Congress has subsequently amended the FMLA to also authorize leave because of an exigency arising out of the fact that an employee's spouse, child, or parent is on covered active duty, or has been notified of an impending call to such duty in the armed forces. See National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2008, Pub.L. No. 110-181, § 585, 122 Stat. 3 (2008) (codified at 29 U.S.C.A. § 2612(a)(1)(E)). The FMLA creates a private right of action for equitable relief or money damages against any employer that denies its employee his FMLA rights. See id. §§ 2615(a), 2617(a).
In Nevada Department of Human Resources v. Hibbs, 538 U.S. 721, 123 S.Ct. 1972, 155 L.Ed.2d 953 (2003), on which Coleman relies, the Supreme Court addressed whether the FMLA's third provision, relating to caring for a family member with a serious health condition, constituted a valid abrogation of the states' sovereign immunity. In concluding that it was, the Court determined that Congress had enacted the FMLA in response to "the States' record of unconstitutional participation in, and fostering of, gender-based discrimination in the administration of leave benefits." Hibbs, 538 U.S. at 735, 123 S.Ct. 1972; see also id. at 731, 123 S.Ct. 1972 (describing the gender gap in state leave policies as being the result of "the pervasive sex-role stereotype that caring for family members is women's work"). The Court confirmed that a "heightened level of scrutiny" applied to gender discrimination, id. at 736, 123 S.Ct. 1972, which requires that classifications distinguishing between different genders be substantially related to the achievement of important governmental objectives. See id. at 728, 123 S.Ct. 1972. The Court held that the test was satisfied in the case of § 2612(a)(1)(C) because it was "narrowly targeted at the fault-line between work and family — precisely where sex-based overgeneralization has been and remains strongest." Id. at 738, 123 S.Ct. 1972. As Hibbs concerned only this family-care provision, § 2612(a)(1)(C), the Court did not discuss whether Congress validly abrogated states" immunity with regard to the self-care provision, § 2612(a)(1)(D).
The Court's analysis, focused as it is on the gender-related nature of § 2612(a)(1)(C), does not support the validity of Congress's abrogation of sovereign immunity for violations of § 2612(a)(1)(D). And, the legislative history accompanying the FMLA snows that preventing gender discrimination was not a significant motivation for Congress in including the self-care provision; rather. Congress included that provision to attempt to alleviate the economic effect on employees and their families of job loss due to sickness and also to protect employees from being discriminated against because of their serious health problems. See Brockman v. Wyoming Dep't of Family Servs., 342 F.3d 1159, 1164 (10th Cir. 2003); S.Rep. No. 103-3. at 11-12 (1993), reprinted in 1993 U.S.C. C.A.N. 3, 13-14; H.R. Rep. No. 101-28(1.), at 23 (1990). Moreover, even had Congress intended the self-care provision to be protection against gender discrimination, Congress did not adduce any evidence establishing a pattern of the states as employers discriminating on the basis of gender in granting leave for personal reasons. See Touvell v. Ohio Dep't of Mental Retardation Developmental Disabilities, 422 F.3d 392, 402 (6th Cir. 2005); Law v. New Hampshire, 259 F.3d 1, 10-11 (1st Cir. 2001). Without such evidence, the self-care provision cannot pass the congruence-and-proportionality test. See Touvell, 422 F.3d at 402; Laro, 259 F.3d at 10-11.
Before Hiobs was decided, we held that Congress exceeded its authority in applying the FMLA to 1 lie States. See Lizzi v. Alexander, 255 F.3d 128, 134-36 (4th Cir. 2001). Although Lizzi involved self-care leave, and thus would seem lo be on point, the opinion's rationale was not specific to the self-care provision. Instead, it addressed congressional authority in more general terms, concluding that Congress "does not have the constitutional power to pass such a sweeping statute on the basis of [gender discrimination]." Id. at 135. That analysis is no longer valid in light of Hibbs.
Absent a showing that the self-care provision is congruent and proportional to a Fourteenth Amendment injury that Congress enacted the provision to remedy, Coleman is left to argue that we should simply evaluate the FMLA's immunity abrogation as a whole rather than considering the self-care provision individually. But we know of no basis for adopting such an undifferentiated analysis or concluding that the Hibbs Court did so. See Tennessee v. Lane, 541 U.S. 509, 530-31, 124 S.Ct. 1978, 158 L.Ed.2d 820 (2004) ("[N]othing in our case law requires us to consider Title II [of the Americans with Disabilities Act], with its wide variety of applications, as an undifferentiated whole."); Toeller v. Wisconsin Dep't of Corr., 461 F.3d 871, 879 (7th Cir. 2006) ("[W]e should — indeed must — look at each provision of the [FMLA] separately, even though we should also evaluate each provision in context."). Indeed, the Hibbs Court took pains throughout its opinion to make clear that the case it was deciding concerned only the family-leave portion of the FMLA. See, e.g., Hibbs, 538 U.S. at 725, 123 S.Ct. 1972 ("We hold that employees of the State of Nevada may recover money damages in the event of the State's failure to comply with the family-care provision of the Act."); id. at 737, 123 S.Ct. 1972 ("We believe that Congress' chosen remedy, the family-care leave provision of the FMLA, is congruent and proportional to the targeted violation." (internal quotation marks omitted)); id. at 740, 123 S.Ct. 1972 ("[W]e conclude that § 2612(a)(1)(C) is congruent and proportional to its remedial object.").
We note that since Hibbs was decided, each of the four circuit courts to consider the issue has concluded that Congress did not validly abrogate sovereign immunity as to the FMLA's self-care provision. See Nelson v. Univ. of Tex. at Dallas, 535 F.3d 318, 321 (5th Cir. 2008); Toeller, 461 F.3d at 877-79; Touvell, 422 F.3d at 398-405; Brockman, 342 F.3d at 1164-65. We now join these circuits. Because we hold that Congress did not validly abrogate the states' immunity, we conclude that the district court properly dismissed Coleman's FMLA claim as barred by the Eleventh Amendment.
In sum, holding that Coleman's complaint fails to state a Title VII claim for which relief could be granted and that his FMLA claim is barred by sovereign immunity, we affirm the district court's dismissal of Coleman's action.
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Web Letters
Letters by Letters EditorPosted on 12/04/2020
UO PUTS MONEY FIRST
I am very thankful to everyone taking measures to help slow the spread of COVID-19 on their own accord. I am also grateful that the governor, along with other states, is now making restrictions mandatory as cases have hit an all time high. I work in a restaurant near Broadway. I am going to be out of work soon but am happy to do my part in helping. However, it baffles me to see that the governor and Lane County officials are not addressing the serious lack of accountability on campus.
I ride my bike through campus to get to work. During the day it's astounding to see the huge groups of people not wearing masks. At night when I get off after ten it is a complete madhouse. Parties are happening everywhere, indoors and outdoors. Every single night. A friend of mine who is a professor at the University of Oregon told me that they encourage students to come back and move in with hopes of a winter term in-person. Why do we have college kids in dorms right now? Let alone sororities and fraternities where there are 60-plus people living under the same roof?
Why is the UO and Eugene not taking accountability for this huge mistake? All these questions are rhetorical. It's because the UO makes money off of them. Exploiting our at-risk individuals is less important than the mega money-making monster that is the UO.
Katrina McCullough
SAY NO TO NW NATURAL
Despite NW Natural's best attempts to convince the public otherwise, the fracked gas utility is more closely aligned with the interests of the fossil industry than they are with their customers. Polls show us that the majority of Americans support dramatic action to address the climate crisis, yet NW Natural is still perpetuating the same lies about "natural" gas being a source of clean energy.
After years of fighting against the Jordan Cove fracked gas pipeline, our community isn't falling for these lies. We know that natural gas is just as destructive to our climate as coal. We know that the extraction, transportation and combustion processes are dangerous to the health of anyone living nearby. And we know that these impacts, as well as the broader impacts of the climate crisis, will disproportionately impact Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) communities.
But there's a clear step that our city can take right now to lead the way in the fight against fracked gas. Eugene has the opportunity to take a stand and refuse to renew their franchise agreement with NW Natural until the utility agrees to halt the construction of all new gas infrastructure, end their subsidies for people to transition onto their dirty fuel and pay for the damage that they have already caused through irresponsibly pushing fracked gas onto our community.
It is time for Eugene to take a stand.
Selena Blick
My favorite local store that has oodles of great gift shopping ideas, terrific staff, a history of service to the community and a thorough scrub at the check-out after every customer passes through. It is The Kiva.
One year I gifted family members with rice and beans from The Kiva. But oh what rice! And an amazing swirl of beans. From fine chocolates to fine wines, hand-dipped candles, fascinating indoor plants and much more, The Kiva is my first choice. Gift cards for local gifting helps, too!
Mary Sharon
BILLS DON'T STOP IN THE FREEZE
What would you rather choose between: paying for groceries or paying your rent? Neither, right? Well, the reality is, most students right now have to make this tough choice. As the pandemic rages on, taking jobs and loved ones with it, more and more students have become food and housing insecure as their ability to retain a job has become more difficult.
I work at an art museum on my college campus, but recently we have had to close to the public because of rising COVID cases. I am out of a job until further notice. My income has stopped, but my bills are still rolling in.
In March a COVID relief bill was passed, which allocated $14 billion to colleges and universities. There has been no relief since then, however, and students are struggling more than ever. That is why we are calling on Congress to provide at least another $14 billion for institutions of higher education in the next COVID relief bill and, most importantly, to allocate funds to colleges based on overall student headcount rather than full time enrollment. This would better serve low-resourced schools and support students who are experiencing food and housing insecurity.
No one should have to worry about how they are getting their next meal or whether they will have a place to live tomorrow, amid trying to get an education. Part-time students are still full-time humans.
Saher Alladin
JUST TRYING TO MAKE A LIVING IN 2020
I am a small business owner here in Eugene. A couple of days ago I received an eviction notice from the lawyers of the owners of the shop space I rent. It is in a light industrial zoned area.
My original lease ran for two years. I am in my third year of occupancy. During the second year they requested that I sign an amendment to the original lease that would have restricted what I was able to do work-wise in pertaining to the my assigned parking spaces. I checked online for two things. One, was I required to sign the amendment? I was not, so I did not. Two, I checked with the city to see what the specific zoning restrictions for light industrial are. I learned in fact I was in compliance with light industrial zoning.
I attempted to explain to them that all I was trying to do was make a living, which seemed to fall on deaf or uncaring ears.
I believe that they want to maintain a high-end pretty neighborhood in a working light industrial zoned area.
At this time, it would be extremely difficult to comply with this eviction, for several reasons. Essentially my only income for 2020 has been Pandemic Unemployment Assistance. Finding another suitable location is difficult, because I have been looking on and off for the last two years, hoping to find a location that would allow me to work without being hassled in my attempts to put food on my table.
David Duckett
COURTING ILLOGIC
The U.S. Supreme Court majority, in this layman's view, has acted despicably, for three main reasons.
They seem to have put paid to stare decisis, since a short while ago they (a different "they" to be sure) gave the state the power to limit attendance in houses of worship.
The Constitution restricts the court to controversies. The case is moot. So there is no controversy, as the dissenting Chief Justice Roberts noted, and the court is acting without the sanction of the Constitution.
Although conservatives rail against judicial activism, here we have activist conservatives overturning recent court doctrine and doing so without an actual controversy.
All this aside from the illogic of judges making public health decisions. Being honored and obeyed in one learned profession does not give them wisdom in a radically different one. The citizens are now like the wife in a traditional marriage, obliged to honor and obey and about to be regularly f****d.
Larry Koenigsberg
LET'S AIR OUT THE WHITE HOUSE
As his delusion of winning a second term wanes, President Donald Trump throws a "Hail Mary'" in hopes of deodorizing his legacy. In a speech today, he acknowledges that Big Pharma drastically discounts its drug prices and that middlemen are responsible for the high drug prices. Then he contradicts himself and turns against Big Pharma, "who don't like me," and puts the responsibility for high prices on them. To take Big Pharma to task he appoints Alex Azar, former Big Pharma executive and lobbyist, to do the job.
For four years we have awaited his most incredible health plan, which will reduce costs; sadly, this plan did not move at warp speed and we are still waiting. To help with this health care price reduction plan he added Seema Verma to Azar's staff. She is best noted for asking the state governors to charge Medicaid patients and to raise the price for emergency visits.
I think more deodorant may be needed for the legacy and to fumigate the Oval Office.
Henry J. Bielefeld
THE FAMILY OF HUMANKIND
With family in four different states and two foreign countries we'll not be gathering around one big table as in years past. We'll be in small family bubbles where we live. I'll be here wearing my old UO sweatshirt celebrating the wins of our football team. I'm also celebrating Joe Biden and Kamala Harris as our President-elect and Vice President-elect. Biden said in his acceptance speech that he will be president, not of red or blue states, but the United States. What a challenge we all have to build bridges, not walls.
As someone who worked as a registered nurse and a volunteer welcoming foreign students to Oregon, I often quoted Carl Sandburg's prologue to the beautiful "Family of Man":
"Alike and ever alike, we are on all continents, in the need of love, food, clothing, work, speech, worship, sleep, games, dancing, fun. From tropics to arctics humanity lives with these needs so alike, so inexorably alike."
So, this week and in the weeks ahead, I'm thankful for my family, my neighborhood where we come from different backgrounds, different faith communities, different political parties but live as neighbors caring for each other. Most of all I'm grateful that I can still help build bridges that bring hope, health and peace right here where I live.
Shirley Kingsbury
WE NEED A GLOBAL PANDEMIC RESPONSE
The election of President Joe Biden means an effective and secure response to COVID-19, domestically and globally. Biden has emphasized the importance of creating a global coalition to develop a vaccine and help ensure the entire world is safe from the virus. During a speech in Delaware, Biden said, "It is essential to coordinate the global response during a pandemic, and the United States should be leading that response as we had in the past. We should be leading a coordinated global approach on the science, not disregarding experts while pushing dangerous and disproved drugs as if they're treatments."
A global response to the pandemic is essential to eradicating the virus because COVID-19 has no borders. We all must work together to ensure everyone around the world is safe. In addition, it is so important to stand in solidarity with the world's poor because they are being disproportionately affected. COVID-19 is threatening to push 115 million people around the world into extreme poverty. The United States needs to prioritize an increase in the International Affairs Budget to ensure that marginalized communities around the world are protected and a global defeat of COVID-19 is achieved.
Kellie McSween
THE DISSONANT APOCALYPSE
As the Chump train-wreck careens down the track with all loyalists on board, destination RatFuckery (quoting Tom Tomorrow) it was perfect timing to see Jerry Ritter's, Greg Williams' and Doyle Srader's opinions in the same issue. Although Srader's greatly-needed piece didn't name it as such, the Ritter and Williams letters highlight what they all alluded to: cognitive dissonance. As Srader so rightly points out, it is a human trait most humans don't want to own, consciously.
Social psychologist Leon Festinger, through his studies of human behavior and decision making, showed among other things that when people are confronted with facts that are counter to beliefs they've grown conditioned to believing, even when those deeply held beliefs are baseless and/or have little merit and validity, they will still cling to their original decisions. In essence, they are supporting something that goes against their own self-interest — like smoking when you know it may kill you, or voting for something, someone, that doesn't have your best interests in mind. This is cognitive dissonance, and neuroscience.
Many evangelicals now perceive their god to be a Biblical figure, causing "Christian" actor Jon Voight to label leftists as evil and insinuate Biden is Satan. Never mind their god's incessant deceit while holding the Bible upside down; the country in a suspended state of purgatory.
To them, and anyone, I recommend Leon Festinger's book When Prophecy Fails to have a "Revelation," if they choose, about the imminent apocalypse of our own armageddon of belief systems.
Sean S. Doyle
THE PROBLEM ISN'T ELSEWHERE
Greg Williams ("Biden Will Sell Us Out," Letters 11/12) has bought his party's line that the country will go to hell in a handbasket with Joe Biden as president. He clearly hasn't noticed how bad things are now for many, many people who are not like him, and who are greatly relieved that the petty tyrant who demonized them was fired by the American people.
As far as blaming all the little Third World babies being born for the larger world's problems, the lifetime resource use of a baby born in a wealthy country, much of it taken from poor countries, is about 13 times that of a baby born in a poor country. A mother there would have to raise 13 children to adulthood to equal the planetary impact of one baby born to an American mother. The African average fertility rate is only 2.5 times the U.S. rate, and many don't survive the first few years. Conservatives like him seem to be very good at externalizing their demons. In truth, they're usually much closer to home.
Michael Wherley
CHECK YOUR EGOS
An analogy is made in the movie Legends of the Fall where the same woman has an emotional/romantic relationship with three brothers. The metaphor is that the woman is like pure clean water satisfying the siblings. One of the functions of water is to generate life. In this movie, the water who served as a bond between the men froze and turned to ice, fracturing their unity.
This analogy appears also in activism. Activists who are working on a particular problem are for the most part in agreement about that primary goal. Every one of them also has other issues to which they are also committed. When these affiliations are brought up, sometimes disparity appears, putting in danger the original focus or intention of the group. It is as if the water we treasure so much, freezes into ice derailing us into our primitive instincts.
The "enemy" or groups fighting for the fruit of capitalism, are not as restricted as we are. Their goal is making a lot of money and, in that, they find solidarity. This once solidified, can serve as a launching pad to other business ventures. They work hard, aren't restricted by ethics, nor do they analyze their actions' future impact.
Activists need to check our egos before going to work with others. While we are fighting for our lives, the future of life and justice, we should never forget that our "enemy" is just as human as we are.
David Ivan Piccioni
DON'T BELIEVE ANY OF THEM
The unquestioned obedience and utter submission of Oregonians in accepting the fascist edicts of ignorant politicians (Kate Brown, Joe Biden, Donald Trump) and Big Pharma's lobbyists (Tony Fauci, Bill Gates, the CDC, the WHO) is on par with the childish and illogical belief systems perpetuated by religious salespeople.
Robert Simms
A TIME TO MOVE FORWARD
Joe Biden is president-elect, taking office Jan. 20. It's time to face our problems head on. We have several major issues that need immediate attention. First, equality and justice. We must work to stop systemic racism, starting in our own lives and throughout our communities and we must provide homes for everyone. Second, transition to clean energy and conservation of resources, especially protecting and restoring forests and implementing regenerative agriculture. Critical thinking and using the scientific method help us understand the truths of the climate crisis, toxic pollution and mass species extinction. Third, we must implement fair elections and enact strong campaign finance reforms. Wealthy corporations and individuals have bought legislators and laws that have enriched them and voters have been suppressed at the expense of the people and the planet. Any elected public servant that is not on board should step down and get out of our way.
Pamela Driscoll
NONCOOPERATION AND NONRECOGNITION
Our democracy is in a precarious state. Although we can hope for the best, we must prepare for the worst. During the next two months Americans will be required to stand up and nonviolently defend our fragile democracy. We must not just wait passively.
The Electoral College votes must reflect the respective popular votes of each state; constitutional process must be followed. Coups can overthrow modern democracies gradually, as in Germany, or suddenly, as in Chile. Looking seriously at this reality, we need to find ways to make a decisive difference for the better.
Coups are prevented and democracy upheld by the actions of concerned citizens. Let's urge politicians and civil society — unions, schools, businesses, employers, all of us — to pledge nonrecognition of any federal power seized illegitimately. Let's encourage non-cooperation, demonstrations, political advocacy, and work stoppages if necessary, to ensure a peaceful transfer of power to the duly elected president.
Katherine Bragg
COMMERCE, NOT CONFLICT
As a country that is heavily reliant on exporting it is in the U.S.A.'s interest to create a larger consumer market around the globe. Only 5 percent of the world's population is in the United States, meaning that 95 percent of the world's consumers are on the international market. By uplifting those who currently live merely to subsist, we start the wheels of development. Giving people the opportunity and hope to grow out of a desperate situation will yield a return on investment since these people will now be able to work, produce, and earn an income. The Chamber of Commerce has come out and echoed this same train of thought. The evidence is clear that stabilizing and creating middle classes around the world is beneficial to the U.S. export economy.
From a national security standpoint, we can start to stabilize regions of the world by limiting the desperation. It is human nature to survive, and if there is no one else to get medicine, food and security from, people will end up as foot soldiers on the wrong side of history. We must learn from the examples of the past. Post WWI Germany perfectly illustrates how poverty and desperation can lead to a national security threat. Afghanistan, Sudan and Somalia are all examples of how extreme poverty ends up co-opting men and women into terrorist organizations. Additionally, several four-star generals have emphasized the role of foreign economic development in our maintaining national security. They know best that wars are not won with guns alone.
Arjuna Fournier da Silva
STOP WORSHIPPING WINDMILLS
If you want to protect the human food supply, we need to ban biofuel production, ban industrial windmills and end all subsidies and mandates for solar energy. We should finance research into promising new exotic energy sources that have high energy density and which produce electricity continuously 365 days a year. Bring home all of our troops, get out of NATO and all foreign entanglements, and replace gunboat diplomacy with a crusade to ban nuclear weapons. Even a small nuclear war will shut down food production and kill billions of people worldwide.
Everyone should watch two free YouTube videos. "Balloons in the Air: Understanding Weather and Climate" is by father and son scientists Ronan Connolly and Michael Connolly. They systematically destroy the greenhouse gas theory through analysis of over 20 million weather balloon data recordings. "Planet of the Humans" is director Michael Moore's exposé of the renewable energy disaster.
In the 16th century we carbon based human animals burned people alive as "weather witches." Today we worship windmills and blame cow farts for bad weather. It's insanity piled upon insanity.
Christopher Calder
LEGISLATING TRUTH
The Republicans have broken the 250-year unwritten tradition of a voluntary peaceful transfer of power, up until now always honored by the loser of a presidential election. President Joe Biden can not magically fix this tragedy. The Republicans will just get better at overturning elections. The next time they succeed with their cynical loophole tricks great and small, along with their avalanche of lies, it will become even harder to fix our broken election system. If we fail to act now, the next great American event could be the complete hollowing out of democracy.
We need new federal legislation.
1. An oath to tell the truth. Every elected or appointed person in the federal government who takes an oath also swears under penalty of perjury to always tell the truth, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. There must be a penalty or public officials will never watch their words.
2. Congress could make it a federal crime to falsely allege voter fraud. The law might state that voter fraud complaints must be submitted first in writing to local election boards with a sworn affidavit, and if a complaint has merit, the board can send it to the state's attorney general's office.
3. Congress could pass a "fairness doctrine" law requiring a fact-checking "truth scroll" on the bottom of the TV screen of news programs. Untruths and lies told yesterday will show up today in the fact checking scroll.
Rik Huhtanen
BEZOS SHOULD CLEAN HIS OWN HOUSE
On Nov. 16, The Nature Conservancy (TNC) announced a $100 million gift from Jeff Bezos' $10 billion Earth Fund to protect the Emerald Edge region in Canada and the United States, which TNC calls "the largest intact coastal rainforest on Earth." Other efforts to tackle climate change and advance the science will also be supported.
Bezos' Earth Fund is undeniably a move in the right direction, which all the world's 2,000 billionaires will have to emulate sooner or later or they will go down with the rest of us. However, for Bezos to continue to make money (to give away or not), he has to go on selling crap we don't need from all too many sources that don't pay living wages or their fair share of environmental costs or taxes, not to mention wiping out or buying out small, less efficient local shops, polluting the air with transportation emissions and pretending that the mountains of cardboard, plastic and styrofoam are someone else's responsibility.
As for the latter, he should institute a company-wide policy to recycle such materials, as well as old electronics and appliances purchased through Amazon, and, if necessary, build the recycling facilities himself, creating even more jobs. Nice that Bezos is going to help protect and restore the planet, but he needs to clean up his own business at the same time.
IT'S ALL ABOUT CORPORATE POWER
Examining President Donald Trump's goals concerning unfair trade deals, immigration, China's government and regulations, let's consider a little history. During Ronald Reagan's Republican administration, the United States transformed from the largest importer of raw goods and exporter of finished goods, to the largest exporter of raw goods and importer of finished goods.
Democratic President Bill Clinton signed NAFTA in his first year in 1992, but it was formulated during the Reagan and George H.W. Bush's Republican administrations, and updated with the USMCA in Trump's Republican administration. Normalization with China commenced in 1979 in a conference between Democratic President Carter and Deng Xiaoping, but the Chinese trade systems were then formulated during the Reagan administration. These agreements, developed by American Corporations through the Republican Party are two of the building blocks of globalization.
The American government doesn't "send" industries abroad, nor do Mexico and China "steal" American factories. Industries are located to foreign countries by their corporate owners to take advantage of cheaper labor and less regulation. Likewise foreign workers don't "steal" American jobs. Corporations and businesses hire foreign workers because they work for lower wages and don't unionize.
Consolidation of corporate wealth and power are standard Republican policies. Cutting taxes for the wealthy and reducing corporate regulations were Republican President Trump's major accomplishments. The economy grew at the same steady rate from 2009 until 2019, negating the need for these changes in the tax laws and regulatory structure.
Stripping wealth and power from the working and middle classes is at the root of our nation's problems and has been for 40 years.
Patrick Plaia
Tags: letters / opinion / readers
When History Imitates Fantasy
Letters 6 days ago
As I was watching the events of Jan. 6, 2021 unfold in Washington D.C., the sight of the barbarians waving their T**** flags on the … Continue reading →
Save The Restaurants
Still a temporary freeze on eat-in restaurants? How much longer will we have this restriction? As we roll over into 2021, we are on our … Continue reading →
Oregon's Letting Its Guard Down
James Houston is right ("Defend Oregon's Southern Border," Letters 1/7). You know it's spring at the coast when the Florida license plates arrive: AZ, TX, … Continue reading →
Give Housing, Save Money
Lane County is providing hundreds of housing units and services to chronically homeless people while saving hospitals and governments money
Rhonda Messal sits in her apartment, provided for free by local housing organization ShelterCare. She was homeless for three years before she enrolled in ShelterCare's housing program.Photo by Todd Cooper
Rhonda Messal was homeless in Eugene for three years, camping under carports and couch-surfing when people would let her stay in their homes. One winter, … Continue reading →
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Volunteer at the Round Barn
dawnshelton Follow on Twitter Send an email January 29, 2018
ARCADIA – Melvin Schemm became an Arcadia Round Barn volunteer just three months ago, and already he's had conversations with visitors from Germany, The Netherlands, Mexico, Australia and Canada. That's in addition to all the people from Oklahoma and across the United States who have visited the Route 66 attraction while he is on duty.
"It's surprising how many interesting people we get," said Schemm, a retired farmer and native of Wallace County, Kansas. "I try to meet everybody who comes in." Schemm, 80, said he signed on after someone at his church mentioned the Round Barn was in need of volunteers.
"I like to have something to do," he said.
Schemm said he got hooked on volunteering while doing work for the Lutheran church. And talking to road trekkers comes naturally, he said, after spending many years in a second career as a recreational vehicle service technician for Holiday Rambler.
Volunteers who serve as tour guides love to tell the story of the barn that was built in 1898 by a pioneer farmer and rescued by local volunteers after the roof collapsed in 1988. The meticulous restoration was completed in 1992.
In addition to reigning as one of the best photo opportunities along Oklahoma's portion of Route 66, the Round Barn serves Oklahoma residents as a venue for weddings and other special events, the site of a monthly acoustic music concert and a great place for school field trips. Local residents often bring their out-of-town guests. The gift shop offers Round Barn and Route 66 souvenirs, and proceeds help maintain the barn.
With spring break and the busy summer season approaching, the nonprofit Arcadia Historical Society is in need of more volunteers to greet visitors and run the gift shop. Volunteers work three-hour morning shifts or four-hour afternoon shifts and keep the barn open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. seven days a week.
For more information or to become a Round Barn volunteer, contact Volunteer Coordinator Kimberly Burk at (405) 651-0240 or [email protected]
Arcadia hospitality Round Barn Route 66 volunteer
Pecan Pies for a Cause
Saturday Fall Festival in Arcadia
MVP & LION FOOTBALL AWARDS
Cleaning up The Town
ODOT Says They Want to Hear From You
Attorney General: Share the Local Covid Data
A stoplight at 66 & Luther Road?
Luther Tree Lighting, Carriage Rides and Santa Event on Dec 7
Middle School Cheer holds dance for Fifth & Sixth Grade Students


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January 29, 2015 February 1, 2015 • notlefthandedfilmguy
Now is a great time to be Disney. Not only are they producing the next Star Wars film (which has a real chance of robbing Avatar of its position as the most financially successful film ever) but they are also the studio that owns Marvel who made films including Avengers (third most financially successful film ever) and Iron Man 3 (sixth most financially successful film ever). Of course, with Frozen (fifth most financially successful film ever) they have also just taken back their crown from Pixar (which is a company they also own) as the champions of American animation.
For their latest gig they have taken a previously unfilmed Marvel comics story and turned it into a big CGI cartoon. Big Hero 6 in its original incarnation debuted on the page in 1998. It centres around a group of Japanese government appointed, newly manufactured superheroes which include scientists, secret agents and samurai. One of their number is Hiro, a teenage genius who builds a robot bodyguard capable of transforming into a dragon.
The links between this film and the source material are actually pretty slight and it doesn't feel like your average Marvel movie either, beyond the Stan Lee cameo and the obligatory post credit sequence. What Disney have done is pick up the boy hero and his robot buddy and, literally in the case of the android, made them a lot more cuddly. The question is what does it mostly compare to? Pixar's brilliant superhero pic The Incredibles or Disney's own recent attempt at a superhero toon, the underwhelming Bolt.
Well, inevitably, it is somewhere between the two. It doesn't have the tight witty script, endearing characters or involving story of the best of Pixar's work but neither is it laboured and derivative as with some of the Disney films that missed the mark.
The thing is that Disney Animation Studios just don't do as well in contemporary settings. The less-cynical, less satirical, more fantastical, more romantic style that they excel in works beautifully in their fairytales but when they step out of their comfort zone they falter. Movies like Lady and the Tramp and 101 Dalmatians worked well but the fifties and early sixties was a very different time to now. Planet Earth in the new Millennium just doesn't seem to suit their sensibilities.
The possible exception to this is Lilo & Stitch but this only strengthens my argument. Hawaii may have mobile phones but it is a very different world to the one most of us live in, especially the romanticised version they gave us. There is no way that film would have worked had it been set in the city. They are not terrible films by any stretch but animated features like Chicken Little, Meet the Robinsons and Planes just don't stand out. They don't have that Disney magic.
Of course Big Hero 6 is set in a city, the city of San Fransokyo in fact which literally transfers the Japanese setting of the original story to the United States of America. The backgrounds looks great but it is not this part of the film that really works. The strength of the movie lies with the boy hero and his big inflatable robot.
Animated odd couples are of course an area in which Disney do excel and Hiro and Baymax continue this tradition. They are kind of Mowgli and Baloo with their characters switched. The energetic kid has the smarts this time and his tubby buddy the innocence and eagerness to please. Their relationship is the glue that holds the film together and without them Big Hero 6 would be fairly forgettable.
The design of bouncy Baymax is high point all by itself. Comfortably familiar, in Apple's world of smooth white hardware, but simultaneously original. In retrospect there is a family resemblance to Wall.E's Eve but this didn't occur to me at the time, so different is his balloonish construction. Filling the guy with air also turns out to be comedy gold and much humour is derived from his various states of deflation. The studio even uses him to bring back the funny drunk, a surprisingly common convention from their earlier films but now a little taboo. He's low on battery power you understand, not actually inebriated, but the result is exactly the same.
I don't think Big Hero 6 is going to be a classic but it is still a fun trip to the movies. It feels like the set up for a series which is surprisingly rare for Disney, commercially minded as they are. If there is a Big Hero 7 my gut feeling is that it won't be great but for now there is enough here to entertain kids and grown ups alike.
The Ripley Factor:
There are females in the superhero crew but, like everyone other than the central duo, they are too thinly sketched to really register.
One of the things I look for when judging films on feminist principles is whether there are any women in typically male roles so a Big Hero 6 gets extra credit for having a female astronaut.
Is this one for the kids?
There's family death and there's mourning but again this is something that Disney showed they could handle sensitively back when Bambi's mother was taken out.
The battle scenes are fun, with nothing to upset (or any real sense of jeopardy).
Providing your kids don't have globophobia they'll be okay.
Ex Machina – An Important Film for Feminist Cinema


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import com.redshape.plugins.loaders.resources.IPluginResource;

import java.net.URI;

/**
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


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01.28.2007 New BWS Show Dates
2007 opened with a bang for the Belgian Wrestling School! Before the official BWS year even started, two of our wrestlers, Eddy De La Combé and T.Quila, went to Paris to compete in a thriple threat match against KID KASH.
The young guys came up short against the ex-WWE, ECW and TNA veteran but not after giving him a hard-fought match.
On March 24 BWS will come to Liège (Luik) for our first show of 2007. Shortly thereafter, on April 9, we will come back to Boom. And on the 19th of May BWS will celebrate its first anniversary with a big show in De Schorre in Boom, where it all started in 2006. On top of these dates, on the 4th of March BWS will be respresented again in Paris!
2007 will be bigger and better, and we hope to have you with us again!


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STEELY DAN Sued By Former Singer
Posted by tarjavirmakari on March 3, 2014
Posted in: Int. News. Tagged: Can't Buy A Thrill, David Palmer, Steely Dan. Leave a comment
Classic Rock Magazine has issued that the Former STEELY DAN vocalist David Palmer has launched a lawsuit against mainmen Donald Fagen and Walter Becker, seeking unpaid royalties for his work on the band's debut album, Can't Buy A Thrill.
Palmer sang lead vocals on the tracks Dirty Work and Brooklyn (Owes The Charmer Under Me) for the 1972 album, and backing vocals on a number of other songs. He also fronted the band when they toured in support of the album.
After Fagen took over lead vocals, Palmer remained with the band to record backing tracks on 1973′s Countdown To Ecstasy album before moving on.
Palmer, who now works as a photographer, realised he'd been underpaid when rights organisation AFTRA asked him to confirm whether he was entitled to royalties for his work. The singer confirmed he had a contract agreeing to pay him one-sixth of the income from the tracks he led, and that digital royalties had remained unpaid.
Steely Dan Inc wrote him a cheque for $8,000 to cover the period June 2013 to March 2014, but he believes he's owed more, and on Friday he filed legal papers in Los Angeles.
It's thought the legal wrangles are the reason why Steely Dan refused to allow Dirty Work to appear on the soundtrack album for the move American Hustle, in which it has high-profile use.
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Reminds me of "Old Briar"
Delighted to find this. Had search high and low for a match for my old favorite "Old Briar" and this is pretty close.


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NRMA report predicts autonomous cars in Australia by 2025
By Peter Khoury on 09 August 2017
Australia's relationship with the car will change dramatically within the decade and the impact on the nation's economy will be profound, according to the ground-breaking The Future of Car Ownership report released by the NRMA today.
The report, which provides a blueprint for the transformation of mobility in Australia over the next two decades, has highlighted that Level Five Automation, or cars without steering wheels, are likely to appear on Australian roads within eight years as the world's automotive manufacturers fast-track the new technology.
The Future of Car Ownership highlights that Level Three Automation (Conditional Automation) will be available next year when the Audi A8 enters the market. This enables the car to undertake most operational tasks itself, such as steering and braking, with human oversight.
While considerable global attention has been given to the work undertaken by industry disruptors such as Google and Tesla, the NRMA report highlights that investment by traditional car brands, often in partnership with technology companies, are fast-tracking the arrival of autonomous vehicles.
Ambitious targets set by car manufacturers has led to the NRMA to forecast the appearance of Level Four Automation, whereby the driver is only required to interact with the car to take over controls in certain situations, will begin appearing in Australia within three years.
Some Level Four vehicles such as the Navya Arma and Easymile EZ10 Driverless Shuttle are already being trialled in Australia and in overseas locations.
Full automation (Level Five) technology – a car without a steering wheel – will be available from 2025, with the likes of Daimler-Bosch, VW, Intel and Continental committing to this timeframe.
Building on the popularity of new mobility services like Uber and GoGet, the report states that as autonomous vehicles become more prolific, Australian households will own fewer cars. Instead, households may opt for subscription-based transport services allowing people to tailor their vehicle choice to the individual journey.
NRMA Chairman, Kyle Loades, said the NRMA's Future of Car Ownership report provided Australia with a blueprint to prepare for and maximise the global autonomous vehicle and mobility revolution.
"Australia is not ready for the mobility revolution and we need to be," Mr Loades said.
"The NRMA was central to the technology revolution of the last century, moving from horse and cart to automobile and will be just as central to this century's revolution from automobile to autonomous vehicle.
"The impact of autonomous vehicles will be profound to the point that it is hard to imagine a section of Australia that won't be affected. The NRMA's Future of Car Ownership report outlines the steps we need to take as a nation to maximise the benefits of this mobility revolution."
The Future of Car Ownership also highlights the economic and employment impact of technological advances on the transport sector. Jobs in freight, taxis, couriers, car manufacturing and traffic police are among those sectors likely to be considerably affected.
However, the report also identifies the likelihood of increased employment opportunities in data and technology, electric engineering, and electric and alternative fuel technology.
Mr Loades said the upheaval that technology had caused to the telecommunications and media sectors was about to hit the transport sector.
"There are strong headwinds approaching those companies in the transport and mobility sectors, and the race is on to adapt or die," Mr Loades said.
"That's why the NRMA has embarked on our aggressive new strategy to get ahead of the change and position ourselves to in fact benefit from this revolution. The challenges facing our sector are significant, but so too are the opportunities for those companies smart enough to adapt."
The NRMA is responding to the rise of new mobility by expanding beyond the organisation's traditional roadside assistance to embrace new technology such as the connected car to reduce Members' risk of breaking down and improve safety.
The organisation is also looking to broaden the transport solutions it offers to its Members beyond the car, and is also investing heavily in Australia's domestic tourism sector.
The Future of Car Ownership identified 10 key recommendations for Australian policymakers and industry. Key among them were:
All levels of Government should facilitate autonomous vehicle trials and commence these trials as soon as possible
Australian transport planners need to develop mobility policies for the future, which should include next generation smart infrastructure to service autonomous vehicles
Specific legislation for autonomous vehicle trial and roll-out
Private sector involvement in transport service delivery should be facilitated to provide smart mobility solutions to Australia's growing urban centres
The Australian Government should remove impediments to purchasing electric vehicles, such as the abolishment of the Luxury Car Tax for electric and hybrid vehicles
Driverless cars: The benefits and what it means for the future of mobility
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This year's 19th issue of Hakusensha's Hana to Yume magazine has announced on Saturday that V.B. Rose manga creator Banri Hidaka will be launching a new manga called Tenshi 1/2 Hōteishiki (Angel 1/2 Equation) in the next issue on September 18. The story will feature the next generation of the "Akiyoshi Family" metaseries — Hidaka's string of manga titles with members of the Akiyoshi family. Specifically, the new romantic comedy will feature the children of a couple from Hidaka's I Hate You More than Anyone (Sekai de Ichiban Daikirai) manga.
In a Saturday blog entry, Hidaka said that her other current work, Berry Berry, will continue, although she asked for her readers' patience.
Tokyopop will publish the 10th V.B. Rose manga volume in North America in November. DC Comics' CMX Manga imprint published the ninth I Hate You More Than Anyone volume and the seventh and final Tears of a Lamb volume earlier this year, before DC Comics shuttered the imprint in July.
Kirarin Revolution manga creator An Nakahara has also launched a new series called Niji-iro*Prism Girl (Rainbow-Colored Prism Girl) in the October issue of Shogakukan's Ciao magazine on Friday. The story in the first 45-page chapter centers on the daughter of a talent agency president. She has beauty, athleticism, and everything else she needs to be an actress — except she happens to despise the entertainment world.
In the same October issue of Ciao, Mizuki Kuze (Dennō Coil) is launching her Mashiro-ke Complex! (Mashiro Family Complex!) manga series. In this manga, a girl discovers that her three brothers may not be her biological brothers after all. The first version of the story appeared in the spinoff magazine Ciao DX .
Nao Maita has finished her Ano Hi, Bokura wa… manga series in the October issue of Ciao, and Yuka Nakajima (Waratte Himiko-san, Kirakira Hikare) will launch her Kokoro Curtain (Heart Curtain, pictured at left) school romance manga in the next issue on October 2.


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A soffit describes the underside of any built structure, but in roofing, soffits are the horizontal surfaces located beneath roof eaves. Soffits usually are often vented to allow air to flow under the roof structure to the attic.
Charleston roofing contractor Lowcountry Roofing answers a question: Are soffits pre-finished, or do they need to be painted on-site?
Most manufactured soffit and fascia trims are pre-finished, offering consumers plenty of colors and textures from which to chose. Some sofft and fascia materials will need to be re-painted after seven to 10 years. Many of today's soffit and trim materials can retain their finish throughout the lifetime of the roof.
Adding the right finishing touches to a roof takes more than just painting a fascia board to match the home trim or picking out a few attractive vent covers. A roof isn't truly complete until the right soffit and fascia materials are chosen and installed by a reliable Charleston roofing contractor.
They may seem like merely decorative touches, but roof soffits and fascia are vital parts of the entire roofing system. Protecting the vulnerable underside of the roof eaves from water damage, soffits provide important ventilation to the roof's attic and keep animals and birds from nesting in the eaves. Similarly, fascia boards and trim create a decorative and functional transition between the roof deck and soffit. They protect the edges of the roof from the elements and form an important link to roof gutters.
With these functions in mind, it's important for homeowners to select the soffit and fascia materials that best suit an individual home's needs, style and local climate conditions. Luckily, with today's diverse soffit and fascia products, homeowners won't have to sacrifice their home's style for their budget or for practical needs.
Have a question regarding shingle roofs or gutters and downspouts? Ask a roofing contractor at Lowcountry roofing of Charleston SC.
One of the most popular choices for roof soffits and fascia trim is made of fiber cement which can be finished to match the home's siding color and style in various textures. The fabrication provides excellent protection for homes in humid climates because it resists rotting. Made of wood fiber, sand and cement, fiber cement soffits and fascia are extremely durable and offer excellent resistance to fire. They are also available in vented formats. They rarely bow, shrink or chip. Best of all, fiber cement soffits are one of the most affordable options available to homeowners.
Vinyl is also a popular choice for soffits and fascia because it is versatile, affordable and relatively simple for professionals to install. It is also available in a number of colors to suit the home's exterior color palette. Vinyl soffits and fascia are known for their ability to endure heat and moisture without degrading or becoming compromised.
Other options for soffits and fascia trim include traditional wood boards, aluminum, engineered wood, medium density overlay and a variety of other manufactured materials. Homeowners should keep in mind that many of these products may work for their homes, so it's best to consult with a trusted roofer. Local roofing professionals understand what homes in the area need to resist the elements, and they can help consumers select soffit and fascia materials that best fit their budgets, home styles and needs.


Pinnacles United | Stoat – Where?
One of the guys, Ian, had a meeting up in Jurien Bay today, so I hopped in the car to go with him and get a taste of the Australian road. Jurien Bay is pretty close as things go in Australia, being 'only' 3 hours north of Perth, up the coast. So far, if I had to pick a word to describe Australia, it would be 'red'. Whether it's the case elsewhere in the country, the roads and dirt outside the city here are a deep orangey-red colour, which everybody apart from me seems thoroughly unimpressed with. I guess it's the same 'so what?' attitude I have to living 20 minutes away from the 2000 year old City of Chester.
Jurien Beach is miles and miles of rugged coastline, along which I saw precisely one person. That was Ian. As far as the eye could see, there was sand, dune bushes and driftwood and nothing else. It's a far cry from the crowding of inner city life in Japan that was the norm for me less than 2 months ago.
Because he's a kind soul, Ian took me up to see the Pinnacles even though they were quite a detour from our route. We didn't really know what to expect, but at the end of the 17km winding road to get to the entrance and after paying 9 bucks to get in (I don't care what the woman says, the sign with the prices 17km earlier was very small), we rounded a corner to be faced with thousands of rocks standing like jockeys meerkats on the lookout for Prince predators.
The Pinnacles are a natural phenomenon caused by the buildup and selective erosion of limestone over long periods of time. At the end of the day, they're only rocks, but I absolutely loved it and spent half the time hanging out of the car window like a fool. Despite not posting any for a long time, I'm still taking lots of photos and I outdid myself here with 70 photos of yellow sand, orange rocks and blue sky. They're all unique and all totally the same. There's a couple of the white, greater-spotted Jamie as well. It's nice to have finally seen something that's unique to Australia and I even managed to see emus on the way back home. I still haven't seen any kangaroos though, despite a round trip that was over 600km. Maybe soon.