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NOAA Teacher at Sea Blog
30 YEARS of NEW FRONTIERS
Tag: Woods Hole Massachusetts
Carol Glor: Lights, Camera, Action, July 7, 2014
NOAA Teacher at Sea
Carol Glor
Aboard R/V Hugh R. Sharp
July 5 – 14, 2014
Mission: Sea Scallop Survey (Third leg)
Geographical Area: Northwest Atlantic Ocean
Weather Data from the bridge: Wind SW 18-20 knots, Seas 4-7 ft, Visibility – good
Science and Technology Log: Starring the HabCam
The HabCam is a computerized video camera system. It is a non-invasive method of observing and recording underwater stereo images, and collecting oceanographic data,such as temperature,salinity, and conductivity. The vehicle is towed at 1.5 – 2 meters from the floor of the ocean. The main objective of this mission is to survey the population of scallops as well as noting the substrate (ocean floor make-up) changes. Most substrate is made up of sand, gravel, shell hash and epifauna. We also note the presence of roundfish (eel, sea snakes, monkfish, ocean pout, and hake), flatfish (flounders and fluke), whelk, crab, and skates. Although sea stars (starfish) are a major predator of scallops, they are not included in our annotations.
The HabCam awaiting deployment.
The crew and science staff work on alternate shifts (called watches) to ensure the seamless collection of data. The scallop survey is a 24-hour operation. The science component of the ship consists of 11 members. Six people are part of the night watch from 12am-12pm and the remaining members (myself included) are assigned to the day watch which is from 12pm until 12am. During the HabCam part of the survey all science staff members rotate job tasks during their 12-hour shift. These include:
A. Piloting the HabCam – using a joystick to operate the winch that controls the raising and lowering of the HabCam along the ocean floor. This task is challenging for several reasons. There are six computer monitors that are continually reviewed by the pilot so they can assess the winch direction and speed, monitor the video quality of the sea floor, and ensure that the HabCam remains a constant 1.5 – 2 meters from the ocean floor. The ocean floor is not flat – it consists of sand waves, drop-offs, and valleys. Quick action is necessary to avoid crashing the HabCam into the ocean floor.
Carol piloting the HabCam.
B. The co-pilot is in charge of ensuring the quality of digital images that are being recorded by the HabCam. Using a computer, they tag specific marine life and check to see if the computers are recording the data properly. They also assist the pilot as needed.
One of the images from the HabCam
C. Annotating is another important task on this stage of the survey. Using a computer, each image that is recorded by the HabCam is analyzed in order to highlight the specific species that are found in that image. Live scallops are measured using a line tool and fish, crabs, whelk and skates are highlighted using a boxing tool so they can be reviewed by NOAA personnel at the end of the cruise season.
Personal Log:
When not on watch there is time to sleep, enjoy beautiful ocean views, spot whales and dolphins from the bridge (captain's control center), socialize with fellow science staff and crew members, and of course take lots of pictures. The accommodations are cozy. My cabin is a four-person room consisting of two sets of bunk beds, a sink, and desk area. The room is not meant to be used for more than sleeping or stowing gear. When the ship is moving, it is important to move slowly and purposely throughout the ship. When going up and down the stairs you need to hold onto the railing with one hand and guide the other hand along the wall for stability. This is especially important during choppy seas. The constant motion of the ship is soothing as you sleep but makes for challenging mobility when awake.
My home away from home.
Captain Jimmy runs a tight ship.
Before heading out to sea it is important to practice safety drills. Each person is made aware of their muster station (where to go in the event of an emergency), and is familiarized with specific distress signals. We also practiced donning our immersion suits. These enable a person to be in the water for up to 72 hours (depending upon the temperature of the water). There is a specific way to get into the suit in order to do so in under a minute. We were reminded to put our shoes inside our suit in a real life emergency for when we are rescued. Good advice indeed.
Carol dons her immersion suit.
Life jacket selfie.
The ship makes it's own drinking water. While saltwater is used on deck for cleaning purposes, and in the toilets for waste removal, it is not so good for cooking, showers, or drinking. The ship makes between 600 and 1,000 gallons per day. It is triple-filtered through a reverse-osmosis process to make it safe for drinking. The downside is that the filtration system removes some important minerals that are required for the human body. It also tends to dry out the skin; so using moisturizer is a good idea when out at sea.
Waiting to board the RV Hugh R. Sharp
West Genesee colors; flying high on the Sharp
Floating Frogs at the Woods Hole Biological Museum.
Seal at the Woods Hole Aquarium – Oldest Aquarium in the US.
Virginia Warren: Introduction, June 27, 2013
Virginia Warren
Mission: Sea Scallop Survey
Geographical Area of Cruise: Northwest Atlantic Ocean
Virginia Warren, 2013 NOAA Teacher at Sea
Hello, my name is Virginia Warren and I live in Theodore, Alabama. I teach 5th grade science and social studies at Breitling Elementary School in Grand Bay. I am really excited to have been chosen by NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) to be a part of their Teacher at Sea program! I believe that one of my biggest responsibilities as a teacher is to educate my students about the importance of protecting and conserving the earth and its seas so that they will continue to thrive for many generations to come. Both Theodore and Grand Bay are only minutes from the Gulf Coast. The Gulf Coast has abundance of what I think are the prettiest, sugar-white-sand beaches the world has to offer. Growing up on the Gulf Coast has created a love and passion in my heart for the sea and all the wonder creatures that live in it! I'm so thankful to NOAA for giving me the opportunity to be a real scientist and to learn more about the scientific research behind protecting the seas that I love so much.
Beautiful Dauphin Island, Alabama!
Science and Technology Log:
I will be sailing from Woods Hole, Massachusetts aboard the R/V Hugh R. Sharp to participate in an Atlantic sea scallop survey. The R/V Hugh R. Sharp was built in 2006, is 146 feet long, and is the newest vessel in the University of Delaware's College of Earth, Ocean, and Environment fleet. You can take a virtual tour of the ship by clicking here. If you would like to follow the ship while I am at sea you can track the ship here (Google Earth is required).
R/V Hugh R. Sharp
Courtesy of http://www.nrl.navy.mil/media/news-releases/2013/navy-researchers-reservists-evaluate-novel-passive-sonar-surveillance-methods
The purpose of a sea scallop survey is to protect this important fishery from being over-harvested. Traditionally scientists will dredge the bottom of the ocean with a scallop dredge to collect samples. NOAA uses the information collected from the surveys to make decisions about which areas are okay to harvest scallops.
Atlantic Sea Scallop
Courtesy of http://www.vims.edu/features/research/scallop_management.php
The R/V Hugh R. Sharp is equipped with a relatively new piece of equipment called the HabCam, short for Habitat Camera Mapping System. The HabCam is a less invasive way to survey populations and allows scientists to see what is on the ocean floor. This is an alternative method of surveying, compared to dredging. I look forward to learning how both methods of surveying work.
What I Hope to Learn:
I am so excited to be able to learn firsthand what it's like to be a real scientist and to be able to participate in a genuine research experience. I hope to learn more about the scientific process and pass the knowledge I learn on to my students. I am also excited to learn about the different types of sea life found in the North West Atlantic Ocean and compare that with what I know of sea life from home on the Gulf of Mexico.
Please follow me on this adventure as I post my experiences on this blog. Let me know what you think by leaving your thoughts and questions in the comment section at the bottom of every blog entry.
Sue Cullumber: A Slight Delay and Eagerly Awaiting Departure, June, 5, 2013
Sue Cullumber
Onboard NOAA Ship Gordon Gunter
June 5–24, 2013
Mission: Ecosystem Monitoring Survey
Geographical area of cruise: The continental shelf from north of Cape Hatteras, NC, including Georges Bank and the Gulf of Maine, to the Nova Scotia Shelf
Weather Data from the Bridge:
Time: 1800 (6 pm)
Latitude/ Longitude: 41 degrees 32 N, 71 degrees 19 W
Temperature: 19.5 C or 67 F.
Walkway to the Gordon Gunter. Photo by Kevin Ryan.
Map of our Ecosystem Monitoring Survey.
I am currently onboard the Gordon Gunter, however we have been delayed a day due to an issue with the Automatic Steering Gear. A part was to come in today, but the wrong part was shipped (twice) so we have to remain in port for another day. We are currently at the Naval Station in Newport, Rhode Island and as soon as the part arrives, we will head up to the Gulf of Maine to start our Ecosystem Monitoring Survey. During the survey we will deploy our equipment and gather data at about 120 fixed stations and 25 random ones from the Gulf of Maine down to Norfolk, Virginia. At each station a Bongo Net (phytoplankton) and/or CTD Rosette (salinity, temperature, and density) equipment will be deployed which I will discuss in my upcoming blogs.
The de-commisioned Aircraft Carrier, Saratoga, at the Newport Naval Base. You can see the Gordon Gunter on the far right.
The diesel engines on the Gordon Gunter.
The Gordon Gunter: The NOAA ship Gordon Gunter was originally built in 1989 as the U.S. Naval Ship Relentless. When first built it was designed to be used for ocean surveillance mainly hunting submarines. In 1993 it was transferred to NOAA and became the NOAA ship Gordon Gunter in 1998. Because it was built for hunting submarines, it is a very quiet ship. It runs off of four diesel generators that power all the ship's systems, which includes the ship's two electrical propulsion motors and bow thruster.
The Gordon Gunter is 224 feet long with five levels above the water line. It can go at a top speed of 10 knots (about 11.5 miles per hour). This does not sound very fast, but it is a good speed for completing scientific surveys (and hopefully avoiding getting seasick). Actually most of the trawling nets (like for phytoplankton) are dispatched at 3 knots (about 3.45 miles per hour). The ship also has V-Sat (very small aperture transmission) satellite to provide connection to the internet and phone communications.
Gordon Gunter Mess Hall
The "Wet Lab"
The ship seems to have all the comforts of home! There is the bridge (ship navigation), observation deck, state rooms (sleeping quarters – with a total of 35 bunks), a gym, movie room, TV room, mess hall, store, laundry area, dry lab,and wet lab. The "dry lab" is essentially the computer lab and this is where data from the survey will be entered into the computer. The "wet lab" is the location of where the ocean samples will be processed.
Operations Officer, Mark Weekley, gives us a tour and discusses safety drills.
Today we took a tour of the ship and learned about some of the important safety drills that are required onboard. The three main drills are: Fire and Collision, Man Overboard and Abandon Ship. Each one has it's own set of alarms that we need to be aware of. The day we depart (hopefully tomorrow) we will be doing one or more of these drills to make sure we are ready!
Besides the scientists onboard, there is a NOAA crew that pilots and runs the ship. The Gordon Gunter is involved in many scientific voyages along the Atlantic Coast from as far north as Nova Scotia to down south along the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean. It's home port is the Pascagoula Laboratory in Pascagoula, Mississippi. Each of these expeditions has a different scientific crew, but the ship personnel usually remains the same. This crew is essential to the smooth running of the ship and includes: Commanding Officer, Executive Officer, Operations Officer, Navigation Officer, Safety Officer, Junior Officer, Engineering personnel, Deck personnel, Stewards (meal preparation), and Electronics personnel.
The Bridge – ship operations and navigation.
My stateroom on the Gordon Gunter.
I am getting to learn my way around the ship and am all moved into my stateroom. I was really surprised at how large it is! I have a roommate – Kat, a graduate student, for the first leg of the trip and then Sarah, an intern, for our second leg. We will make a stop in Woods Hole, Massachusetts on June 16th to drop a few people off and welcome aboard some new ones. So far I have met several marine and bird scientists, a college volunteer, graduate student, and college intern. The science and NOAA crew are all very friendly and welcoming, but it is hard to sit here in port and am really looking forward to heading out to sea and learning all the science that I can share with my students.
Sunset outside the Gordon Gunter – waiting to leave port.
Did you know? NOAA has its beginnings in as far back as 1807, when the Survey of the Coast was started as the nation's first scientific agency.
Angela Greene: "The Tale of My Whale" May 9, 2013
Angela Greene
Aboard NOAA Ship Gordon Gunter
April 29-May 11, 2013
Mission: Northern Right Whale Survey
Geographical Area of Cruise: Atlantic Ocean out of Woods Hole, MA
Weather Data from the Bridge: Air Temperature- 12°C, Sea Temperature- 8.96°C, Wind Speed- 11.61 knots, Relative Humidity- 95%, Barometric Pressure- 1014.79mb.
Wednesday was beautiful. The air was cold, the skies were blue, and the sea was calm. Most importantly: no fog. Sei whales seemed to be popping up everywhere. Then I saw it. The classic "V" shaped blow, a North Atlantic Right Whale. Not our first one of the trip, but the first in a few days.
The classic "V" shaped blow of the North Atlantic Right Whale. Photo: NOAA/NEFSC Peter Duley,
collected under MMPA research permit number 775-1875
I sighted the blow at about 345° off the bow of the ship, and she was swimming toward us. The frenzy began. Our chief scientist, Allison Henry, grabbed the Canon Digital Camera with the 500 mm fixed zoom lens, and began capturing images of the right whale. Remarkably, yet unofficially, she could identify the whale through the lens of the camera. It was a female named Columbine. She was not alone. Columbine had a calf with her!
Side view of blow shot by me! Under NOAA Fisheries Permit # 775-1875
The calf swam very close to its mother and seemed to be rolling over on its back, flapping its flippers in the air. The whales don't seem to be bothered by our large ship being near them.
The small boats were not launched in pursuit of Columbine for two reasons. Allison knew that both animals had already been biopsy sampled, so no need to repeat that process. Also, it is not wise to tag and follow a whale that is raising a calf.
North Atlantic Right Whale (Columbine's calf) Photo Credit- Allison Henry taken under NOAA fisheries permit # 775-1875
Allison contributes photos collected in the field to the North Atlantic Right Catalogue that is maintained by The New England Aquarium. The aquarium maintains a searchable public database of right whale photos, sightings, and body descriptions. There is also a quick whale identification activity to practice photo identification of right whales.
I was dazzled by the flips and turns of Columbine's calf. Giving a whale an official name is a complicated process that is the responsibility of The New England Aquarium and the North Atlantic Right Whale Consortium. However, I would like to unofficially name this baby "Arrow".
North Atlantic Right Whale calf Photo Credit- Allison Henry taken under NOAA fisheries permit # 775-1875
Personal Log: This is my final blog post as a 2013 NOAA Teacher at Sea. I have learned a tremendous amount about marine mammals, but probably my most valuable lesson I have gained from this trip, a lesson I want to take back to my students, is about the nature of biological fieldwork.
I have learned that no two jobs are the same. Biological fieldwork is as different as the organisms being studied or sampled. I have put in some time looking at the way field biologist work, and each job has its own set of unique challenges and protocols. The process of sampling North Atlantic Right Whales in a vast ocean couldn't be further from the process of surveying Lake Erie Water Snakes, identifying tree species in an upland forest, trudging through fast moving rivers for Hellbender salamanders, rummaging through scat to identify elk, moose, and pronghorn, or scaling walls at night for arachnids. I find it fascinating to look at the many faces of fieldwork.
Me and my chief scientist, Allison Henry Photo Credit- Sarah Fortune
There is, however, one common characteristic among my collection of field biologists that I have noticed. It's an unusual sense of drive about the work. You can see it in their eyes when they're on the job. No matter what the conditions, the fieldwork must get done, the sample must get collected, the photo must be shot, and the data must be recorded. It's a maniacal quest for answers. It's passion.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank so many people! Thank you Allison Henry, my chief scientist, for all the lessons, the laughs, and the whales! Thank you to all the NOAA scientists on board, Dave, Jen, Beth, Samara and Eric. Thank you to all the WHOI scientists on board, Mark, Nadine, Lauren, Sarah, and Chris. Thank you to the NOAA Corps officers, the Captain and Crew aboard the NOAA Ship Gordon Gunter. Thank you to everyone in the NOAA Teacher at Sea office. Also I would like to thank all my blog followers, especially my Tecumseh Middle School 8th graders, and my family! I will be home soon with another adventure under my belt!
The end of my time on the NOAA Ship Gordon Gunter, Teacher at Sea 2013- Photo Credit Dave Morin
Angela Greene: "I'll have 3000 Big Macs, please." May 7, 2013
Weather Data from the Bridge: Air Temperature – 12.20°C or 54°F, Sea Temperature 10.16°C or 50°F, Wind Speed- 9.24 kts, Relative Humidity 94%, Barometric Pressure- 1021.05 mb.
Science and Technology Log: Whale work can be intense and exciting, or slow and frustrating. A good day at work is when the weather cooperates the same time the whales cooperate. So far no one is playing nice. Fog has been the enemy for the last two days, making flying-bridge operations nearly impossible. Unless a whale swims up to our ship and jumps in for lunch, we aren't going to be able to see it. Our watch efforts get moved to the bridge where the ship is controlled, and while it's a good time chatting with the NOAA Corps officers, I'd rather be sighting whales.
The fog comes
on little cat feet.
It sits looking over harbor and city
on silent haunches
and then moves on.
For me however, this ship is like a small university on the sea with free tuition. Everyone here knows much more than I do about science, so days like these are spent asking questions. I wanted to focus this blog post on a question that came from my Tecumseh Middle School eighth grade students. They have been following my blog and following the NOAA Ship Gordon Gunter using the NOAA Ship Tracker. The ship tracker can be used to locate any ship in the NOAA fleet on its current cruise or in the last twelve months. Current weather data from the ship can also be displayed.
The current cruise of the NOAA Ship Gordon Gunter. Screen shot courtesy of NOAA Ship Tracker
My students noticed that our ship was staying near the continental shelf, or Georges Bank, and wanted to know if it would be a better idea to look for whales in deeper ocean. I turned to Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute scientist onboard, Dr. Mark Baumgartner (yet another superhero), for answers. He basically told me, the whales go where the food is most abundant.
Georges Bank is a shallow off shore plateau. During the ice age it was above water. Image credit- NOAA
North Atlantic Right Whales eat a zooplankton named Calanus finmarchicus or just Calanus. This tiny crustacean is packed with lots of calories in an internal structure called a lipid sac. In order to grow and develop a hearty lipid sac, the Calanus require lots of phytoplankton. In order to be a yummy and nutritious treat for the Calanus, the phytoplankton need nutrients in the form of nitrogen and phosphorous, water, and sunlight. Nutrients and water are abundant for the phytoplankton, but in order to get the needed sunlight for photosynthesis, the phytoplankton must be as close to sunlight as possible.
Northern Right Whale food- Calanus finmarchicus The lipid sac is clearly visible. Photo credit- C.B. Miller/K. Tande NOAA
Simply put the food chain links together like this: sunlight (source of energy), phytoplankton (producer), Calanus (primary consumer), and right whale (secondary consumer). The topography of the ocean near Georges Bank and the weather over the North Atlantic provide two things for this simple food chain: upwelling and wind.
Upwelling is a phenomenon that occurs in ocean waters when wind and a continental structure circulate water, allowing the cold nutrient rich water on the bottom to replace water on the top. The phytoplankton at the bottom essentially get a free ride to the top of the ocean where they are able perform photosynthesis. The Calanus can feed on the nutrient rich phytoplankton, and the whales can feed on the Calanus. This cycling allows the whales to feed close to the surface, where they need to be in order to breathe. If a whale has to dive deep for food, energy is wasted on the dive. It is more efficient to be able to get a good meal as close to the surface as possible.
Right Whales need the caloric equivalent of 3000 Big Macs per day. I'm lovin it! Image credit- MacDonalds
According to Dr. Baumgartner, a Northern Right Whale needs to eat 1-2 billion Calanus per day. This amount of zooplankton has the same weight as a wet Volkswagen beetle, and is the caloric equivalent of eating 3000 Big Macs per day. So there you have it, TMS 8th graders. The whales go where the food is…
Me with Dr. Mark Baumgartner
Photo Credit-Eric Matzen
Personal Log: Still holding out for "The Big Day", the day we can take the small boats out again. If it doesn't happen, I will be happy for the experience I had on the Gordon Gunter. Sure would be awesome, though…
Angela Greene: "And So the Love Story Begins… " April 25, 2013
(Almost) Aboard NOAA Ship Gordon GunterApril 29-May 11, 2013
I am quite certain I am about to fall in love with a whale, as I embark upon a journey that will surely change me forever. My name is Angela Greene, and I have had the honor of teaching middle school in the Tecumseh Local School District for the last twenty-five years!
Tecumseh Middle School: "Home of My 8th Grade Scientists!"
I care deeply about my students, and I am committed to providing them with amazing science experiences in my classroom! I love my job, my students, and learning. I am a NOAA Teacher at Sea!
I applied for the NOAA Teacher at Sea program because I believe the best way to develop myself, as a professional educator is to seek out field experiences that will enable me to work side by side with leaders in the scientific community. I can't think of a better way to efficiently expose my students to careers in the field of science as well as the scientific issues that will directly affect their lives than to "walk in the shoes" of highly trained scientists.
"Walking in the Shoes of a Scientist": Me with Dr. Kristin Stanford, Lake Erie Water Snake Recovery Plan Coordinator
The purpose of this blog is to tell my family, students, friends, and colleagues a story, a love story, if you will. I hope to share my love of teaching, my love of wildlife, and my insatiable love for learning.
In only a few hours, I will fly to Boston, Massachusetts, take a bus to Woods Hole, and board the NOAA Ship Gordon Gunter. The ship will take me, as well as a group of ocean scientists, into the Northern Atlantic to search for the critically endangered Northern Right Whale.
NOAA Ship Gordon Gunter (photo credit NOAA)
At this point, I know very little about this mammal, so I enlisted the help of my 8th grade scientists using a technique I called "Teach Your Teacher". Together, we brainstormed a list of questions about Right Whales, the Gordon Gunter, and marine research. Each student selected a topic, complied a summary of their findings and wrote me a quick "good bye" note. I collected the pages and promised not to read them until I was on the bus to Woods Hole.
Tecumseh 8th Grader Researching Whale Biopsy
I also wanted my students to have an understanding of the actual size of Northern Right Whales and other North Atlantic Whale species. We celebrated our new learning and my incredible opportunity to sail with NOAA by having "Tecumseh Middle School Whale Day". For one day the concrete campus of our school became ocean habitats to student-created "chalk whales". We calculated the actual size of four whale species using the scaled measurements of sketches found in our research. This data enabled us to create over forty whales using sidewalk chalk! We were amazed at the size of our whales, and the chalk models enabled us to compare the external anatomy among the species. Our local news channel, WDTN, stopped by to film us for the evening news! We determined that 14 middle school students could fit head to toe along the length of a fin whale. We had a terrific day!
My preparation time is coming to an end. I need to finish packing, say my goodbyes to my family and dogs, and focus on the journey that's about to begin. One of the most important lessons a teacher can learn from rare field experience opportunities is that this time will quickly end. I promise to enjoy every second while I am falling in love with a brand new world.
Fourteen Tecumseh Students Fit Head to Toe in a Chalk Fin Whale
Northern Right Whale (Photo Credit NOAA)


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Some uplifting news on VAT clawback - guest opinion
30/05/2018 in Opinion
Hands up who's heard of the Nordania case. It's big in my world, and it could be big in yours. Essentially, Nordania is a by-product of the historic VAT claims centring on the sale of ex-demonstrator cars.
These claims were derived from the European Court decision in another matter known as the Italian Republic case. In effect, the court decided that dealers made a VAT-exempt supply of an ex-demonstrator because they were not able to recover VAT on the initial purchase of the car. VAT exemption means that a restriction must be applied to VAT incurred on general overhead costs.
Around eight years ago, HMRC began to issue assessments to reduce previous windfall claims to reflect the making of exempt supplies. Cleckheaton Holdings and many others appealed against these assessments, with Cleckheaton taking the lead role. Cleckheaton lost on technical grounds but the Judge suggested the parties should negotiate around the method of the calculation, not the theory.
After years of litigation, HMRC has now published a revised basis of calculating the clawback applied post 2009 to M&S/Fleming claims (VAT claims on disposal of ex-demonstrators and de-fleet bonuses centring on 1973-1996) reflecting VAT-exempt supplies made.
From those with appeals in, the reductions based on my own calculations have been significant: up to 55% in the sum assessed plus interest. A tidy windfall. From some dealers with assessments of £10,000 or less, these could be reduced to…. nil. So, if you have had Nordania clawbacks but not made an 'Italian Uplift' claim, there is a window to submit a claim and enhance the payback.
I have a negotiated agreement with HMRC which sees the original tables inflated by around 50% for a volume marque and more than double for some other marques, including prestige vehicles. For those who have acquired individual dealerships or groups, there may be scope to revisit past claims.
Keep a close eye on exempt income
A significant percentage of new car sales are on finance, which has resulted in additional VAT-exempt commission being received. On the downside, it has also meant the recovery of VAT on overhead purchases has become more complex.
Manufacturers, as is their wont, continue to demand changes to franchised dealership facilities to reflect the latest corporate identity and branding requirements.
This is invariably a significant outlay for dealers, who need to raise the funding then find they can't recover all of the VAT incurred due to the partial exemption rules.
This is especially important where dealers either acquire new sites where VAT is charged by the vendor, or where a dealer spends more than £250,000 (net) on refurbishing an existing property. This creates a capital item for the purposes of the Capital Goods Scheme, and additional VAT rules come into play.
I have recently helped a group which had gone from being fully taxable to 2% exempt across an eight-year period but which had continued to recover VAT in full.
Dealers need to keep a close eye on this area and dealing with exempt income needs to be part of a group's overarching VAT strategy.
Important to accentuate the negative
One of the biggest tax and finance issues facing automotive retailers today is negative equity. HM Revenue & Customs is razor sharp on this area and isn't shy of issuing assessments plus penalties to dealers.
Some finance houses have worked with dealers to highlight the negative equity sum as a separate item on the invoice paperwork, which is great. Well done chaps!
The VAT issue crops up where a finance house doesn't cater for separate disclosure. In this situation, the invoice and the finance documents are at odds and HMRC uses the finance documents as the basis of raising an assessment.
The good news is there's a simple and technically correct work-around I have used successfully in the past on behalf of dealers to have assessments withdrawn.
Any dealer who receives or who has had an assessment in the past four years should look to protect their position as HMRC's approach is correct from one perspective but not in its totality.
Take care on contributions
Another potential problem area for dealers is that of deposit contribution. There has been much talk about whether dealer/manufacturer contributions amount to a reduction in a vehicle's selling price.
A dealer deposit contribution is a reduction in the selling price and reduces the VAT payable on the sale. A manufacturer deposit contribution is one of the component parts of how a customer pays for the vehicle. It does not reduce the selling price!
Be careful in submitting claims that include manufacturer deposit contributions as HMRC could levy penalties for the submission of an inaccurate claim.
There aren't many of them around but for those of you who retail Maserati, you'll know the cars are purchased directly from the factories in Modena or Turin.
Thanks to Brexit, as of January 1st 2021 at the latest, the purchase of these cars will no longer be an intra-community movement but an import.
Affected dealers may need to look at setting up a deferment account and possibly Customs regimes to minimise any adverse cashflow issues. This is only an issue if Maserati doesn't do something such as setting up a subsidiary in the UK or similar.
Author: Gerry Myton, head of VAT, Harwood Hutton
demonstrator cars
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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Parting Thoughts on the Politicians Missing in Action
By | Fox News
A growing cadre of Democrats accuses President Bush of botching American foreign policy by threatening force first and failing to give diplomacy a sufficient time -- to give chit-chat a chance.
This is an interesting notion, at odds with the whole of human history. Wars end and talk begins only when one side wins.
The idea is interesting for a second reason, which is that the very politicians who complain about the president's reticence have themselves gone silent before the press. Check Sunday show listings and you will find precisely zero Democratic leaders.
We have called them all, week after week, only to discover that the loyal opposition -- with the exceptions a few, such as Joe Biden, Carl Levin and Harry Reid -- have gone AWOL. They're the milk carton brigade: Missing, and sorely missed.
Two key examples: Senate Democratic Leader Tom Daschle -- tough in speeches, but nowhere to be seen -- and House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi -- watching the show, I hope. Here we are on the cusp of war, and leaders of a key political party are ratcheting up attacks on the commander in chief and hiding from one-on-one national interviews.
Yesterday, Democrats handed responsibility for responding to the president's radio address to a man with the lowest approval ratings in America -- California Governor Gray Davis -- 27 percent approval in the most recent Los Angeles Times poll. The guy didn't talk about war and peace, only his desire for further federal hand-outs. Yeesh.
So I close today with an open and heartfelt invitation: Come back, folks. Let's talk. It's not the same without you and it's not a debate unless both sides show up.


text:
HomeMarc Arsenault
Scenes From Half Moon Bay
After a heavy duty couple of weeks that included Free Comic Book Day and two comic book artist signings at the Wow Cool Alternative Comics shop, it was time to take a day off and head to the beach. The high winds and barely 60º temperatures cut into the beach time as it cut into
Darwyn Cooke Has Left Us
Unbelievable news today: first, this morning, that comic book artist and animator Darwyn Cooke had gone through a very serious battle with cancer; and then, this evening, that he was dead. I'm not sure I've ever actually properly met or talked to Darwyn, but we've stood very...
Zero Zero Zero Zero Zero Zero
Once upon a time I was the Art Director at the comic book publisher Fantagraphics. I worked most closely there with Kim Thompson, who should have turned 58 today. Probably the two biggest projects we worked on together were the revised and expanded Ultimate Catalog and 10 issues of the...
A Few Blurry Phone Photos From SPX 2014
I went to SPX 2014 and all I got were these seven crappy phone photos, a Hidden Fortress T-Shirt and the new Charles Burns book (signed, with the numbered bookplate and the paper mask). I picked up a ton of new books from various parts of the show for the Wow Cool shop. We expect
Go Read: Capitol Contingency 90s D.C. Music History
Capitol Contingency: Post-Punk, Indie Rock, and Noise Pop in Washington, D.C., 1991-1999 by Brandon Gentry is the sort of book about the D.C. indie scene(s) I've long wanted to read. My needs were pretty simple on this, something along the lines of 'a book that covers Shudder To...
The Wonderful and Frightening World of Gary Panter
Gary Panter is well deservedly a much revered artist for his scratchy line and his many very influential works scattered across various media in a long career. Whether by accident or chance or plan, many of these works – as well as some obvious examples by his peer cohorts Matt Groening...
A Quarter Each or 25 for Five Dollars
In case you hadn't heard, we are having a big sale on Saturday at our Cupertino, California store and on WowCool.com all weekend. You will have to make it to Cupertino to dig through the 17 longboxes of comics we are selling at a quarter a pop (or 25 for five dollars, as it says
Steve Moore Has Minutes To Go In Suspension
I was about ten or eleven when I was first exposed to the writing of the recently deceased Steve Moore in the pages of Doctor Who Weekly. He and Alan Moore (no relation) wrote back-up stories in the magazine. Some of the ones that first caught my attention were the tales of the Cyberman who
Joe Brainard Would Be Nearly 20 Years Older Now
If he was not dead. Today is reported to be his birthday. Joe Brainard was born some 72 years ago. He was one of the most legendary of the Nancy boys (as seen above). I hold onto that otherwise very boring book for his cover art. Thank you to my old band mate Steve Dore
Some Boxes
I had some time to kill with the kids yesterday evening and we happened to be near the "Comic Collector" shop (yes, that's it's name) in Sunnyvale, CA. They have many bins of strange old comics, typically for a dollar. In one stack of beat up coverless comic books I found...
50 Years in Time and Space – The Music of Doctor Who
Now that the dust has settled a little from Doctor Who's 50th anniversary celebrations this past Saturday, November 23, I want to point you toward some coverage of the many types of music and sounds that were featured on the show during its long history. First up is "50 Years in Time...
Lou Reed and Ren GuangYi Chen Tai Chi
As you have probably heard by now, writer and musician Lou Reed has passed away at age 71. I'd listened to his music for years, but there was a side to him I had not heard about that I became very familiar with through my work for Kung Fu Tai Chi Magazine. Lou was a committed practitioner...
The Completely Useless and Incompetent Culture of MI5
As we do nearly every time Adam Curtis opens his mouth, as it were, we are posting a little something about his latest post over on his BBC blog. This one's a real hoot and a serious time commitment. It deals with the innate idiocy of having a state-funded domestic counterintelligence...
Sam Henderson Talks About Comics on Phones
Sam Henderson has a few things to tell you about this reading comics on your phone business. Visit MagicWhistle.com Sam Henderson on Wow Cool
Wow Cool @ 25 Comics FX July 1989
Wow Cool got a whole page in the old small press comics tabloid Comics F/X back in July 1989. The man incorrectly identified as Marc is actually the sculptor Paul Komoda. Sam cleverly altered minor details of Wow Cool history to protect the guilty parties.
Massive Attack v Adam Curtis
I'm afraid you've already missed it. It happened. The Journalist Adam Curtis and Robert Del Naja and his band Massive Attack — with vocalists Elizabeth Fraser (Cocteau Twins) and Horace Andy — staged a show over some nine days at an abandoned railway station as part of...
Maximum RockNRoll #363 August 2013
The latest issue of Maximum RockNRoll will be on newsstands any day now. It contains the expanded print version of the memoriam of Ramones creative director Arturo Vega that I put together with Punk Magazine guy John Holmstrom and photographer Godlis. You should go get that. There is a short...
I Can't Imagine A World Without Kim Thompson
I seriously can't I cannot imagine a world that does not have Kim Thompson in it. One of my longest continuos professional relationships in the strange world of American comic books has suddenly come to an end. Nothing I can do about it. A big cosmic fuck you. I think I first dealt with...
Memorial Music Monday
It seems fitting somehow to present some recent sounds from members of Brown Cuts Neighbors on Memorial Day, since one of our main members – James Kopta – has been gone from us for over a decade. The work lives on, however, and many of our videos will be presented by Jason Martin as...
GeoGuessr Ruined My Life and cost me my marriage and my kids
OK… That's not really true. But this thing is a major potential time-suck of unusual proportion. Well… size of the earth proportion… or, the bit of it that Google Street View has gotten to… or the portion that developer Anton Wallein has deemed fit to drop you in...
Bil Keane's Family-Style Circus at PF Chang's
In PF Chang's restaurants around the land there exists something like this… A former pay telephone alcove, with a shelf and an empty phone jack, guarded not by terracotta warriors, but by enlarged Family Circus cartoons by Bil Keane. PF Chang's opened its first restaurant in...
Wow Cool @25 – Tuna Casserole The Artists Edition
We just got a new scanner here in Wow Cool land, and instead of picking some stunning and masterful piece of art, I chose this crappy jam comic from long ago. Phil Felix stopped by Harvey Kurtzman's class at the School of Visual Arts (SVA) one day back in the mid-late 80s to do a
A Bill of Rights For Comics Creators
Nearly 25 years ago Scott McCloud – creator of Zot! and Understanding Comics – composed a draft of a Creators Bill of Rights for comic book artists. In recognition of World Intellectual Property Day we reproduce it here, and ask, have things improved in the quarter century since...
Pat Povilaitis in Ripley's Believe It Or Not!
In a classic case of 'It always comes back to comics' in my life, Pat 'The Human Vise' Povilaitis – who was the star of the Great Black Swamp Olde Time Strongman Picnic DVD that I made a few years ago with Atomic Athletic and Tiger Claw Martial Arts – appeared...


text:
004408 Johnson & Johnson Consumer Products. J&J BAND-AID® TOUGH STRIPS™ ADHESIVE BANDAGES. Adhesive Bandage, All One Size, 20/bx, 24 bx/cs (CS)
004408 Johnson & Johnson Consumer Products. J&J BAND-AID® TOUGH STRIPS™ ADHESIVE BANDAGES. Adhesive Bandage, All One Size, 20/bx, 24 bx/cs (CS).
004424 Johnson & Johnson Consumer Products. J&J BAND-AID® TOUGH STRIPS™ ADHESIVE BANDAGES. Adhesive Bandage, X-Large, 10/bx, 24 bx/cs (CS)
004424 Johnson & Johnson Consumer Products. J&J BAND-AID® TOUGH STRIPS™ ADHESIVE BANDAGES. Adhesive Bandage, X-Large, 10/bx, 24 bx/cs (CS).
004430 Johnson & Johnson Consumer Products. J&J BAND-AID® FLEXIBLE FABRIC ADHESIVE BANDAGES. Flexible Fabric Adhesive Bandages, Assorted, 30/bx, 24 bx/cs (CS)
004430 Johnson & Johnson Consumer Products. J&J BAND-AID® FLEXIBLE FABRIC ADHESIVE BANDAGES. Flexible Fabric Adhesive Bandages, Assorted, 30/bx, 24 bx/cs (CS). For areas where freedom of movement is desirable, such as across fingers, elbows,...
004431 Johnson & Johnson Consumer Products. J&J BAND-AID® FLEXIBLE FABRIC ADHESIVE BANDAGES. All One Size Flexible Fabric Adhesive Bandages, 30/bx, 24 bx/cs (CS)
004431 Johnson & Johnson Consumer Products. J&J BAND-AID® FLEXIBLE FABRIC ADHESIVE BANDAGES. All One Size Flexible Fabric Adhesive Bandages, 30/bx, 24 bx/cs (CS). For areas where freedom of movement is desirable, such as across fingers, elbows,...
004434 Johnson & Johnson Consumer Products. J&J BAND-AID® FLEXIBLE FABRIC ADHESIVE BANDAGES. Adhesive Bandage Strip, ¾" x 3", 100/bx, 12 bx/cs (CS)
004434 Johnson & Johnson Consumer Products. J&J BAND-AID® FLEXIBLE FABRIC ADHESIVE BANDAGES. Adhesive Bandage Strip, ¾" x 3", 100/bx, 12 bx/cs (CS). For areas where freedom of movement is desirable, such as across fingers, elbows, knees and...
004444 Johnson & Johnson Consumer Products. J&J BAND-AID® FLEXIBLE FABRIC ADHESIVE BANDAGES. Adhesive Bandage Strip, 1" x 3", 100/bx, 12 bx/cs (96 cs/plt) (CS)
004444 Johnson & Johnson Consumer Products. J&J BAND-AID® FLEXIBLE FABRIC ADHESIVE BANDAGES. Adhesive Bandage Strip, 1" x 3", 100/bx, 12 bx/cs (96 cs/plt) (CS). For areas where freedom of movement is desirable, such as across fingers, elbows,...
004446 Johnson & Johnson Consumer Products. J&J BAND-AID® WATER BLOCK PLUS® ADHESIVE BANDAGES. Adhesive Bandage, Finger-Care™ Assorted, 20/bx, 24 bx/cs (CS)
004446 Johnson & Johnson Consumer Products. J&J BAND-AID® WATER BLOCK PLUS® ADHESIVE BANDAGES. Adhesive Bandage, Finger-Care™ Assorted, 20/bx, 24 bx/cs (CS).
004634 Johnson & Johnson Consumer Products. J&J BAND-AID® SHEER STRIPS & SPOTS. Strips, ¾" x 3", 100/bx, 12 bx/cs (To Be DISCONTINUED) (CS)
004634 Johnson & Johnson Consumer Products. J&J BAND-AID® SHEER STRIPS & SPOTS. Strips, ¾" x 3", 100/bx, 12 bx/cs (To Be DISCONTINUED) (CS). Helps provide all-purpose protection that lets skin breathe.
004666 Johnson & Johnson Consumer Products. J&J BAND-AID® SHEER STRIPS & SPOTS. All One Size Sheer Adhesive Bandages, 40/bx, 24 bx/cs (CS)
004666 Johnson & Johnson Consumer Products. J&J BAND-AID® SHEER STRIPS & SPOTS. All One Size Sheer Adhesive Bandages, 40/bx, 24 bx/cs (CS). Helps provide all-purpose protection that lets skin breathe.
004668 Johnson & Johnson Consumer Products. J&J BAND-AID® SHEER STRIPS & SPOTS. Assorted Sheer Adhesive Bandages, 60/bx, 24 bx/cs (CS)
004668 Johnson & Johnson Consumer Products. J&J BAND-AID® SHEER STRIPS & SPOTS. Assorted Sheer Adhesive Bandages, 60/bx, 24 bx/cs (CS). Helps provide all-purpose protection that lets skin breathe.
004670 Johnson & Johnson Consumer Products. J&J BAND-AID® CLEAR ADHESIVE BANDAGES. Adhesive Bandage, All One Size Clear, 30/bx, 24 bx/cs (CS)
004670 Johnson & Johnson Consumer Products. J&J BAND-AID® CLEAR ADHESIVE BANDAGES. Adhesive Bandage, All One Size Clear, 30/bx, 24 bx/cs (CS).
004711 Johnson & Johnson Consumer Products. J&J BAND-AID® SHEER STRIPS & SPOTS. Assorted Sheer Strips, 280/bx, 18 bx/cs (30 cs/plt) (CS)
004711 Johnson & Johnson Consumer Products. J&J BAND-AID® SHEER STRIPS & SPOTS. Assorted Sheer Strips, 280/bx, 18 bx/cs (30 cs/plt) (CS). Helps provide all-purpose protection that lets skin breathe.
004723 Johnson & Johnson Consumer Products. J&J BAND-AID® SPORT STRIP® ADHESIVE BANDAGES. Adhesive Bandage, X-Wide All One Size, 30/bx, 24 bx/cs (CS)
004723 Johnson & Johnson Consumer Products. J&J BAND-AID® SPORT STRIP® ADHESIVE BANDAGES. Adhesive Bandage, X-Wide All One Size, 30/bx, 24 bx/cs (CS).
004768 Johnson & Johnson Consumer Products. J&J BAND-AID® ADHESIVE PADS. Adhesive Pad, 2 7/8" x 4", 10/bx, 24 bx/cs (CS)
004768 Johnson & Johnson Consumer Products. J&J BAND-AID® ADHESIVE PADS. Adhesive Pad, 2 7/8" x 4", 10/bx, 24 bx/cs (CS).
004848 Johnson & Johnson Consumer Products. J&J BAND-AID® ADHESIVE BANDAGES. Adhesive Bandages, Assorted, 30ct, 6/bx, 4 bx/cs (CS)
004848 Johnson & Johnson Consumer Products. J&J BAND-AID® ADHESIVE BANDAGES. Adhesive Bandages, Assorted, 30ct, 6/bx, 4 bx/cs (CS).
005567 Johnson & Johnson Consumer Products. J&J BAND-AID® ADHESIVE BANDAGES. Adhesive Bandages, One Size, X-Large, 8ct, 6/bx, 4 bx/cs (CS)
005567 Johnson & Johnson Consumer Products. J&J BAND-AID® ADHESIVE BANDAGES. Adhesive Bandages, One Size, X-Large, 8ct, 6/bx, 4 bx/cs (CS).
005635 Johnson & Johnson Consumer Products. J&J BAND-AID® PLASTIC ADHESIVE BANDAGES. Plastic Adhesive Bandages, ¾" x 3", 60/bx, 24 bx/cs (CS)
005635 Johnson & Johnson Consumer Products. J&J BAND-AID® PLASTIC ADHESIVE BANDAGES. Plastic Adhesive Bandages, ¾" x 3", 60/bx, 24 bx/cs (CS). Made from a strong, air-vented plastic backing and coated with a long-lasting adhesive for your...
005658 Johnson & Johnson Consumer Products. J&J BAND-AID® WATER BLOCK PLUS® ADHESIVE BANDAGES. Adhesive Bandage, Finger-Wrap®, Large, 2" x 3", 10/bx, 24 bx/cs (CS)
005658 Johnson & Johnson Consumer Products. J&J BAND-AID® WATER BLOCK PLUS® ADHESIVE BANDAGES. Adhesive Bandage, Finger-Wrap®, Large, 2" x 3", 10/bx, 24 bx/cs (CS).
005659 Johnson & Johnson Consumer Products. J&J BAND-AID® WATER BLOCK PLUS® ADHESIVE BANDAGES. Adhesive Bandage, Clear Assorted, 30/bx, 24 bx/cs (CS)
005659 Johnson & Johnson Consumer Products. J&J BAND-AID® WATER BLOCK PLUS® ADHESIVE BANDAGES. Adhesive Bandage, Clear Assorted, 30/bx, 24 bx/cs (CS).
005685 Johnson & Johnson Consumer Products. J&J BAND-AID® FLEXIBLE FABRIC ADHESIVE BANDAGES. Flexible Fabric Adhesive Bandages, X-Large, 10/bx, 24 bx/cs (CS)
005685 Johnson & Johnson Consumer Products. J&J BAND-AID® FLEXIBLE FABRIC ADHESIVE BANDAGES. Flexible Fabric Adhesive Bandages, X-Large, 10/bx, 24 bx/cs (CS). For areas where freedom of movement is desirable, such as across fingers, elbows,...
005701 Johnson & Johnson Consumer Products. J&J BAND-AID® CLEAR ADHESIVE BANDAGES. Adhesive Bandage, Assorted Clear, 45/bx, 24 bx/cs (CS)
005701 Johnson & Johnson Consumer Products. J&J BAND-AID® CLEAR ADHESIVE BANDAGES. Adhesive Bandage, Assorted Clear, 45/bx, 24 bx/cs (CS).
005716 Johnson & Johnson Consumer Products. J&J BAND-AID® SHEER STRIPS & SPOTS. Strips, 2" x 4½", 50/bx, 18 bx/cs (CS)
005716 Johnson & Johnson Consumer Products. J&J BAND-AID® SHEER STRIPS & SPOTS. Strips, 2" x 4½", 50/bx, 18 bx/cs (CS). Helps provide all-purpose protection that lets skin breathe.
005753 Johnson & Johnson Consumer Products. J&J BAND-AID® FLEXIBLE FABRIC ADHESIVE BANDAGES. Flexible Fabric Adhesvie Bandage, Travel Pack 8 Count, 72 bx/cs (CS)
005753 Johnson & Johnson Consumer Products. J&J BAND-AID® FLEXIBLE FABRIC ADHESIVE BANDAGES. Flexible Fabric Adhesvie Bandage, Travel Pack 8 Count, 72 bx/cs (CS). For areas where freedom of movement is desirable, such as across fingers, elbows,...
02593002 BSN Medical/Jobst. BSN MEDICAL TENSOPLAST® ELASTIC ADHESIVE BANDAGES. Elastic Adhesive Bandage, 1" x 5 yds, White, 1 rl/bx, 36 bx/cs (020566) (CS)
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BSN-02593002


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text:
module.exports = function(grunt)
{
    var CONFIG = require('./build.config.js');

    require('load-grunt-tasks')(grunt);

    // Un-comment to display the elapsed execution time of grunt tasks
    // require('time-grunt')(grunt);
    //
    var bowerClasses = [];
    bowerClasses = require('wiredep')().js;

    var bowerCss = [];
    bowerCss = require('wiredep')().css;

    var tasks = {

        // Checks your JavaScript doesn't have common errors defined by the rules in .jshintrc
        jshint: {
            options: {
                force: true,
                jshintrc: '.jshintrc'
            },

            src: CONFIG.client.sourceFiles
        },

        // Checks your JavaScript code style matches the rules in .jscsrc
        jscs: {
            options: {
                force: true,
                config: '.jscsrc'
            },
            src: CONFIG.client.sourceFiles
        },

        // // Cyclomatic complexity checks for JavaScript files
        complexity: {
            all: {
                src: CONFIG.client.sourceFiles.map(function(item)
                                                {
                                                    return CONFIG.client.baseDirectory + '/' + item;
                                                }
                                              ),
                options: {
                    breakOnErrors: true,
                    errorsOnly: false,               // show only maintainability errors
                    cyclomatic: [3, 7, 12],          // or optionally a single value, like 3
                    halstead: [8, 13, 20],           // or optionally a single value, like 8
                    maintainability: 100,
                    hideComplexFunctions: false,     // only display maintainability
                    broadcast: false                 // broadcast data over event-bus
                }
            }
        },

        // Unit test code coverage for mocha server tests
        // [jwarden 4.20.2015] NOTE: 80% coverage is difucult to get, ecspecially
        // on branches. Consider lowering these numbers signicantly to 10% in the beginning
        // of a large refactoring effort and slowly ratchet up. Branches are ecspecially hard
        // if you're dealign with an older code base wasn't written to be testable.
        coverage: {
            server: {
                options: {
                    dir: CONFIG.client.coverageDirectory,
                    coverageThresholds: {
                     'statements': 80,
                     'branches':   80,
                     'lines':      80,
                     'functions':  80
                    }
                }
            }
        },

        // Runs unit tests
        karma: {
            test: {
                configFile: CONFIG.karma.configFile,
                singleRun: true
            }
        },

        // Cleans up the build folders to have a nice, fresh, new build
        clean: {
            dev: {
                src: [CONFIG.client.buildDirectory, CONFIG.client.coverageDirectory]
            },

            devCSS: {
                src: [CONFIG.client.buildDirectory + '/**/*.css']
            }
        },

        //     prod: {
        //         src: ['build', 'coverage']
        //     },

        //     prodTmp: {
        //         src: '.tmp'
        //     },

        //     prodCSS: {
        //         src: ['build/**/*.css']
        //     }
        // },

        // Copies files from development to the build directory
        copy: {
            devJS: {
                expand: true,
                cwd: CONFIG.client.baseDirectory,
                src: CONFIG.client.sourceFiles,
                dest: CONFIG.client.buildDirectory
            },

            // devAssets: {
            //     expand: true,
            //     cwd: 'src/client/<%= APP_NAME %>/layout/assets',
            //     src: ['**/*.{jpg,png,svg,gif,ico}'],
            //     dest: 'build'
            // },

            devTemplates: {
                expand: true,
                cwd: CONFIG.client.baseDirectory,
                src: ['**/*.html'],
                dest: CONFIG.client.buildDirectory
            },

            html: {
                files: [
                    {
                        expand: false,
                        cwd: '.',
                        src: CONFIG.client.sourceIndexFile,
                        dest: CONFIG.client.buildIndexFile
                    }
                ]
            }
        },

        // Compiles LESS files to CSS
        less: {
            dev: {
                files: CONFIG.client.lessFiles
            }

            // prod: {
            //     options: {
            //         compress: true,
            //         cleancss: true
            //     },
            //     files: {
            //         '<%= COMPILED_LESS_FILE %>': MAIN_LESS_FILE
            //     }
            // }
        },

        // // Parses CSS and adds vendor-prefixed CSS properties
        // autoprefixer: {
        //     options: {
        //         map: false
        //     },
        //     prod: {
        //         files: [
        //             {
        //                 expand: true,
        //                 cwd: '.tmp',
        //                 src: '{,*/}*.css',
        //                 dest: '.tmp'
        //             }
        //         ]
        //     }
        // },

        // // Adds, removes and rebuilds AngularJS dependency injection annotations.
        // // Important especially after uglification.
        // ngAnnotate: {
        //     prod: {
        //         options: {
        //             and: true,
        //             singleQuotes: true
        //         },
        //         files: [{
        //             expand: true,
        //             cwd: 'src/client/',
        //             src: [
        //                 '*.js',
        //                 '**/**.js',
        //                 '!test/**.js',
        //                 '!**/**.spec.js'
        //             ],
        //             dest: '.tmp/scripts'
        //         }]
        //     }
        // },

        // // Concatenates JavaScript files to reduce HTTP requests
        // concat: {
        //     prod: {
        //         cwd: '.',
        //         expand: true,
        //         files: {
        //             '<%= JS_CONCATENATED_PATH %>': [
        //                 '.tmp/scripts/*.js',
        //                 '.tmp/scripts/**/*.module.js',
        //                 '.tmp/scripts/**/*.js'],
        //             '<%= JS_BOWER_CONCATENATED_PATH %>': bowerClasses,
        //             '<%= CSS_BOWER_CONCATENATED_PATH %>': bowerCss
        //         }

        //     }
        // },

        // // Minifies your JavaScript files to save on file size
        // uglify: {
        //     prod: {
        //         files: {
        //             '<%= JS_CONCATENATED_PATH %>': JS_CONCATENATED_PATH
        //         }
        //     }
        // },

        // // Concatenates & pre-loads your AngularJS templates
        // ngtemplates: {
        //     prod: {
        //         options: {
        //             module: APP_MODULE,
        //             standalone: false,
        //             append: true,
        //             htmlmin: {
        //                 collapseWhitespace: true,
        //                 conservativeCollapse: true,
        //                 collapseBooleanAttributes: true,
        //                 removeCommentsFromCDATA: true,
        //                 removeOptionalTags: true
        //             }
        //         },
        //         cwd: 'src/client',
        //         src: ['**/*.html', '!index.html'],
        //         dest: JS_CONCATENATED_PATH
        //     }
        // },

        // // Static asset revisioning through file content hash (cache busting)
        // filerev: {
        //     prod: {
        //         src: [
        //             'build/**/*',
        //             '!build/**/*.{ico,html,xml}'
        //         ],
        //         filter: 'isFile'
        //     }
        // },

        // Injects Bower packages into your index.html
        wiredep: {
            build: {
                src: 'build/index.html',
                ignorePath: /\.\./
            }
        },

        // // Replaces references to non-optimized scripts or stylesheets into a set of HTML files (or any templates/views)
        // usemin: {
        //     'optimize-html': {
        //         options: {
        //             type: 'html'
        //         },
        //         files: [{
        //             src: ['build/index.html']
        //         }]
        //     },
        //     'optimize-css': {
        //         options: {
        //             type: 'css',
        //             assetsDirs: ['build/images']
        //         },
        //         files: [{
        //             src: ['build/**/*.css']
        //         }]
        //     }
        // },

        // Injects references to files (scripts, stylesheets) into other files (index.html)
        injector: {
            options: {
                template: CONFIG.client.buildIndexFile,
                addRootSlash: false,
                ignorePath: 'src/client/'
            },
            // prod: {
            //     dest: 'build/index.html',
            //     src: [
            //         'build/*.css',
            //         'build/*.js'
            //  //       'build/<%= APP_NAME %>.bowerDependencies.js',
            //    //     'build/<%= APP_NAME %>.js',

            //     ]
            // },
            dev: {
                files: CONFIG.client.injectorFiles
            }
        },

        nodemon: {
            serverStatic: {
                script: CONFIG.staticServer.file,
                options: {
                    watch: CONFIG.staticServer.nodemonWatchFiles,
                    delay: 1000,
                    nodeArgs: ['--debug'],
                    env: {
                        PORT: CONFIG.staticServer.port
                    }
                },
                callback: function (nodemon) {
                    nodemon.on('log', function (event) {
                      console.log(event.colour);
                    });

                    // opens browser on initial server start
                    nodemon.on('config:update', function () {
                      // Delay before server listens on port
                      setTimeout(function() {
                        require('open')('http://localhost:' + CONFIG.staticServer.port);
                      }, 1000);
                    });

                    // refreshes browser when server reboots
                    nodemon.on('restart', function () {
                      // Delay before server listens on port
                      setTimeout(function() {
                        require('fs').writeFileSync('.rebooted', 'rebooted');
                      }, 1000);
                    });
                  }
            }
        }

        // concurrent: {
        //     serverApp: {
        //         tasks: [
        //             'nodemon:serverStatic',
        //             'watchServerAndClient',
        //             'open'
        //         ],
        //         options: {
        //             logConcurrentOutput: true
        //         }
        //     }
        // },

        // Runs predefined tasks whenever watched file patterns are added, changed or deleted.
        // watch: {
        //     serverStatic: {
        //         files: ['.rebooted']
        //     },

        //     dev: {
        //         files: 'src/client/**/*',
        //         tasks: ['build_dev'],
        //         options: {
        //             livereload: true
        //         }
        //     },

        //     prod: {
        //         files: 'src/client/**/*',
        //         tasks: 'build_prod'
        //     }
        // }

        // browserSync: {
        //     dev: {
        //         bsFiles: {
        //             src : [
        //                 'src/client/**/*',
        //                 'src/client/index.html'
        //             ]
        //         },
        //         options: {
        //             watchTask: true
        //         }
        //     }
        // }

    };

    grunt.initConfig(tasks);

    grunt.registerTask('hello', function()
    {
        console.log('print');
    });
    // ************************************************************
    // ** development tasks **/
    grunt.registerTask('analyze',
        'Validates your code and ensures it follows consistent styling.', [
            'jshint',
            'jscs',
            'complexity'
    ]);
    grunt.registerTask('test',
        'Runs all unit tests based on the karm.conf.js configurations.', [
            'karma',
            'coverage'
    ]);

    grunt.registerTask('default', ['build_dev1', 'open']);

    grunt.registerTask('open', function()
    {
        require('open')('http://localhost:' + CONFIG.staticServer.port);
    });

    // -- helper tasks --/
    // css
    grunt.registerTask('css_dev', [
        'clean:devCSS',
        'less:dev'
    ]);

    // html
    grunt.registerTask('html_prod', [
        'clean:prod',
        'copy:prodHTML',
        'wiredep:build'
    ]);

    grunt.registerTask('build_dev1', [
        'clean:dev',
        'less:dev',
        'copy:devJS',
        'copy:devTemplates',
        'copy:html',
        'wiredep',
        'injector:dev'
    ]);

    // build
    grunt.registerTask('build_dev', [
        'clean:dev',
        'css_dev',
        'copy:devJS',
        'copy:devAssets',
        'copy:devTemplates',
        'copy:prodHTML',
        'wiredep:build',
        'injector:dev'
    ]);

    grunt.registerTask('buildDev', function()
    {
        browserSync.notify("Recompiling dev...");
        grunt.task.run('build_dev');
    });

    grunt.registerTask('build_prod', [
        'clean:prod',
        'clean:prodCSS',
        'analyze',
        'test',
        'copy:devAssets',
        'less:prod',
        'autoprefixer:prod',
        'ngAnnotate:prod',

        'concat:prod',

        'ngtemplates:prod',
        'copy:prodHTML',
        'injector:prod',
    //   'wiredep:build',
        'uglify',
        'usemin:optimize-html',
        'usemin:optimize-css',
        'clean:prodTmp'

    ]);

    if (process.env.NODE_ENV === 'dev') {
        grunt.registerTask('build', ['build_dev']);
        grunt.registerTask('serve',
            'Validates your code, ensures styling is consistent, and then runs a local node server to test your application. It will then watch your local files. If they change, it will automatically reload.', [
            'build_dev',
            'concurrent'
        ]);
    }
    else {
        grunt.registerTask('build', ['build_prod']);
        grunt.registerTask('serve',
            'Validates your code, ensures styling is consistent, runs all of your unit tests, and concatenates and uglifies your CSS, HTML, and JavaScript together for production deployment. It then runs a local node server to test your application, and will then watch your local files. If they change, it will automatically reload.', [
                'build_prod',
                'concurrent'
        ]);
    }
};

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


Maunula Remix is a discussion and exhibition event focusing on collaborative art, local influence and the role of art institutions in producing collaborative processes. The event also exhibits fragments of art projects produced by m-cult in Maunula 2016-18.
Collaborative & media art programme in the Maunula neighbourhood.


Sexual harassment and discrimination can be found in almost any company that employs humans, and Microsoft is no exception.
In response to reports of sexual harassment in the firm, Microsoft's Satya Nadella issued a memo promising change in the organisation.
Primarily, the firm will be overhauling its HR procedures to ensure that there is more transparency in expected outcomes so that a HR manager's decisions will fall within a strict set of guidelines. Any deviation will have to be approved by a CVP. Microsoft will also create an employee advocacy team to help its employees navigate the process of reporting any form of misconduct, and reshuffle its investigations under its Corporate, External, and Legal Affairs team. More investigators will be added for faster dispute resolution times.


People with frontotemporal dementia (FTD) are often misdiagnosed with Alzheimer's disease (AD), psychiatric disorders, vascular dementia or Parkinson's disease. The early symptoms and the brain image are often the most helpful tools to reach the right diagnosis.
AD is the most common dementia in older people. Therefore, it is often one of the first diseases a doctor considers. But Alzheimer's disease usually begins with memory loss, while FTD is typically a behavior or language disorder.
The probability of AD is strongly affected by the age of the person showing the symptoms. The odds of having Alzheimer's disease increase markedly the older you get, while the odds for FTD may decrease with age.
FTD often begins with distinct behavioral changes (socially inappropriate, apathetic, impulsive, etc.) while people with Alzheimer's disease in the early stages tend to remain socially skillful despite their memory problems (they may even become adept at covering up their difficulties). In advanced AD, people generally have trouble managing their finances, show poor judgment and irritability, and may become equally difficult to manage as people with FTD.
People with AD usually have an early and profound difficulty learning and retaining new information. As the disease progresses, memory for new and old information is lost. These memory problems may lead to language problems as well, but the root is a problem remembering. In contrast, most mildly impaired FTD patients generally know the day or time and their location, and they are able to keep track of recent events. They may not test well, but that may be due to lack of concern or effort in the testing situation.
When behavioral symptoms predominate, people with FTD who become ill in mid-life may be confused with patients who have late life depression. When the onset is in younger persons, the FTD may be confused with schizophrenia or bipolar disorder. Repetitive compulsive behaviors are very common in bvFTD, and some patients may initially be given the diagnosis of obsessive-compulsive disorder. Since the history and exam of a person with a psychiatric disorder and a person with FTD may look very similar, neuropsychological testing and a brain image may help clarify the picture. MRI can help rule out other diseases and support a diagnosis of FTD.
Once other likely explanations have been ruled out, an FTD diagnosis is made by looking at the data from a neurological exam and personal history (which may come from the patient, family or another caregiver); neuropsychological tests that help quantify memory, language and other cognitive skills; and a brain image – usually a MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) scan but perhaps a functional scan like PET (positron emission tomography), which can show increased or lowered brain activity in the frontal and anterior temporal areas.


At Humble Emire we strive to create the the best server we can possible create, we spend a lot of time typing in permissions to do so.
We have the game modes that fit you, Creative mode and survival factions and we hope to expand in the furure.
"The Sky is a lie"


text:
Q: how create an vocal assistant with python I would like to know if creating an ai that interprets the words seems feasible for a beginner
For example currently I have to say "give weather" and it gives me the weather, but if I say give the weather please it won't.
I don't realize how difficult my ambitions are
So, if you have already done or you know yourselves in IA (or not) and you have any advice, I will be grateful to you.

A: What you are talking about is a voice assistant, if I understood correctly. Creating a real AI is possible for a beginner, but it would be smart to stick with event driven programming.
Anyways, if you are willing to make an assistant, this should help you get started on windows:
import speech_recognition as sr
import pyttsx3

r = sr.Recognizer()                  #
engine = pyttsx3.init()              #
engine.setProperty('rate', 145)      #
                                     #  The Main Part (Listens to the voice)
def speak(audio):                    #
    engine.say(audio)                #
    engine.runAndWait()              #

with sr.Microphone() as source:
    print("Say Something:  ")
    audio = r.listen(source)         #Starts listening

    try:
        text = r.recognize_google(audio).lower()
        print('You said : {}'.format(text))       #Tries to understand what you said

    except:
        print('Sorry I could not recognize your voice')

This should help you have a rough layout, some of the modules are different on other operating systems.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
How To Make A White Russian Like 'The Big Lebowski'
Jeff Bridges - who turns 67 today - is an enduring cannabis culture icon thanks to his performance as "The Dude" in the Joel and Ethan Coen brothers' 1998 stoner comedy The Big Lebowski. But fans of the cult comedy know that Lebowski was a connoisseur of White Russians as well as cannabis. And there's only one way to mix The Dude's signature cocktail correctly according to Jeff Bridges.
In 2012, Bridges and an MSNBC camera crew crashed the bar at Washington, D.C.'s BlackFinn Saloon and offered a free mixology lesson. To make a White Russian The Dude's way, Bridges says you need to first coat the glass in milk and Kahlua. Then add two scoops of ice - one for the glass and one to slip inside the pocket of an unsuspecting patron at the bar. Then you fill the glass with a generous amount of vodka - preferably Tito's, the pride of Austin, Texas.
Somehow Bridges kept a straight face through the mock tutorial. But the joke ended up being on him. While The Dude happily slurps White Russians any chance he gets, Bridges isn't a fan of the cocktail - even though he gets free ones from fans all the time. And teaching them how to make it the proper way probably encouraged fans to send him more freebies.
In February 2015, Bridges told Jimmy Kimmel that he usually turns down the free drinks, but sometimes he indulges fans and his sweet tooth. "I'll have a White Russian when I feel like drinking a dessert," he told Jimmy Kimmel in February 2015.
The Bridges abides...


text:
How MySpace Works
by Julia Layton & Patrick Brothers
MySpace Users
Some of the first people to utilize MySpace were musicians and bands, who may have heard about it in the first place from the Web site's founders, who were active in the L.A. music scene. Bands used it to establish a free online presence to post performance dates and communicate with their fans. In 2004, MySpace became a full-fledged Internet indie-music portal with the creation of MySpace Music, a subsection on MySpace. The new area let bands not only create an online presence, but also stream their music through their MySpace profiles and let people download MP3s of their songs, all for free. This attracted even more musicians, along with the demographic most known for consuming music: teenagers and 20-somethings.
And what do teenagers and 20-somethings desire most? Many would tell you it's freedom to express themselves without censorship, and MySpace got it right in this area. The only things MySpace censors is hate speech and extreme nudity (you'll find some bare breasts and buttocks, but that's about it). It's more accessible and more customizable than any networking site that came before it. Users can add music, video, graphics, new fonts and crazy layout schemes to their profiles. They can use graphics and video files that are hosted elsewhere. The "do what you want, we don't care" attitude is a big draw for 16- to 25-year-olds (and everybody else except their parents, probably). Everyone can access full profiles, even if they haven't registered, and they don't need to have any particular affiliation (with a school, business or interest) to use the site.
So, if MySpace is for everyone, who is actually using it? Sixteen- to 25-year-olds make up the majority of MySpace users, and 25 percent of users are registered as minors (aged 14 to 17 -- you need to be at least 14 to register). But you'll find people of all ages using the site for all reasons. There are kids who are clearly about 12 lying about their age because MySpace is the place to be. There are 30-somethings looking to meet people because it's hard to make friends once you're out of grad school, 50-somethings embracing the online networking trend to find new business associates, and 70-somethings looking for a date. You can switch up all of those ages and purposes. You'll find people looking to publish their poetry online or advertise and accept orders for their latest book through their profile page. Unsigned bands use the site to get their music out there and build a following. Established artists like Madonna, the Black Eyed Peas, Audioslave and Billy Corgan use the site to communicate with fans and get feedback on tracks.
It's probably starting to become clear why Rupert Murdoch thinks MySpace is worth more than half a billion dollars. MySpace is a popular-culture magnet.
More Networking


As of late-October 2017, this is the longest S&P 500 rally in history without a 6%+ "small correction".
Current rally's time: 376 trading days (as of December 21, 2017).
Here are the next 7 longest rallies in history.
October 5, 1992 – January 31, 1994. 335 trading days.
September 9, 1994 – February 13, 1996. 297 trading days.
October 24, 1962 – October 29, 1963. 255 trading days.
March 12, 2003 – March 5, 2004. 248 trading days.
July 25, 1984 – July 17, 1985. 247 trading days.
October 30, 1978 – October 5, 1979. 236 trading days.
November 16, 1988 – October 10, 1989. 226 trading days.
This is the longest historical rally (after the current rally). Here is the daily bar chart.
There are 2 main differences between the current rally and this historical rally.
Historical rally: the S&P rose 23% from the beginning of the rally to the end.
Current rally: the S&P has risen 35.3%.
Historical rally: the S&P went up in a very choppy fashion with many 3%, 4%, and 5% pullbacks.
Current rally: volatility in the stock market is insanely low.
After this historical small rally was over, the S&P made a 14% correction in 1994. Our model predicted this significant correction.
This was the rally that started the internet boom. The S&P soared 49.9%! The S&P made a 6% small correction after this HUGE rally. Here is a chart.
This historical case is similar to today's rally.
A massive rally (in terms of magnitude).
Read this post for studies that demonstrate how similar 2017 is to 1995.
The S&P rose 43% because it was climbing out of the shadow of 1962's massive "significant correction"(the S&P fell 28%). Obviously, this is not comparable to today because the S&P isn't climbing out of the shadow of a massive correction right now. Here's the chart.
The S&P made a 7.5% "small correction" after this rally was over.
The S&P soared 47% because this was the first real rally from the 2000-2003 bear market. The first rally in every bull market is ALWAYS very fierce because there's a strong mean-reversion theme going on. Obviously, this historical case cannot be applied to today. We are nowhere near the bottom of a bear market. We are in the final 1/3 or final 1/4 of the current bull market. Here's the chart.
After this rally, the S&P made a small correction that was very long (84 trading days).
Coming out of the 1983-1984 significant correction (which our model predicted), the S&P rallied 33%. Then it made a 8.4% "small correction". Here's the daily bar chart.
The current rally's magnitude is 35.3%.
The current rally occurred after a significant correction from 2015-2016.
The S&P rallied 22.3% during this historical rally. This historical case does not apply to today because the U.S. economy was clearly slipping into a recession at the time. U.S. economic growth is robust today. Here's the chart.
The S&P rallied 34.2% in this historical case. That is comparable to today's rally. HOWEVER, this historical rally occurred while the U.S. economy was clearly going downhill. U.S. economic growth is robust today and shows no signs of deterioration. Here's the chart.
This historical rally ended when the S&P made a 9.2% "small correction".
These 2 historical rallies are most similar to today.
Both of these historical rallies were followed by a "small correction". This makes sense. Rallies are extremely long when the "buy the dip" mentality is strong. So when the S&P makes a correction, investors will buy the dip and prevent the "small correction" from turning into a "significant correction" (as defined by our model).
Why is the current rally so long?
Here's why I think the current rally has broken historical records.
Lack of alternatives. Interest rates are near all-time lows. So bonds aren't attractive. Real estate prices in major cities are sky-high (thanks to Chinese speculation).
The tax cut. Historically, major tax cuts (e.g. Reagan's tax cut in 1986) have always resulted in massive S&P 500 rallies. History rhymes. The current rally coupled with Trump's tax cut is no exception.
There is more "dumb money" than ever before. Part of this is due to Chinese money. Chinese money is causing massive asset bubbles in real estate, art, and cryptocurrency. (Chinese money laundering is how Bitcoin first became popular). The Chinese today are similar to the Japanese in the 1980s. They LOVE speculation, and they have such an insane herd mentality.
Rallies, bull markets, and bubbles are being stretched in all assets. Global money is flowing faster than ever before. E.g. Bitcoin is literally the fastest bubble in history. Most historical bubbles only had 2 parabolic legs with 1 big correction in between. Bitcoin has had 4 parabolic legs! Here is Bitcoin's weekly bar chart in log scale.
*I don't like to use the word "dumb money". It's very hard to separate "smart money" from "dumb money". Are hedge funds "smart money" or "dumb money"? As a professional industry, hedge funds should be smart money. But they've consistently underperformed the S&P over the past 10 years.


Dallas--Riverstone Residential Group has named Loyal Proffitt executive vice president for the company's South Central Region.
Dallas–Riverstone Residential Group, a national third-party multifamily property management company, has named Loyal Proffitt executive vice president for the company's South Central Region. In his new role, Proffitt and his team will be responsible for overseeing management operations of almost 16,000 units and business development and client services for the region, which includes Texas, Oklahoma and Louisiana.
In his 25 years in real estate, Proffitt has specialized in property management. Prior to joining Riverstone, he was the president of Henry S. Miller Realty Management, LLC, overseeing all commercial and residential property management functions for the company and its clients. Previously, Proffitt was one of the founding partners of WaterStone Residential, a regional apartment management company that eventually merged with the Henry S. Miller family of companies. In addition, he has extensive experience managing properties for smaller, individual investors as well as nonprofit groups and larger institutional clients.


text:
Nanaimo Regional General Hospital. NEWS BULLETIN file photo (Nanaimo News Bulletin file image)
Supreme Court vindicates B.C. doctor who medicated dying woman against her son's wishes
Health Professions Review Board's decision deemed transparent and justifiable
Nicholas Pescod
The Supreme Court of B.C. has decided there will be no judicial review of a ruling regarding an end-of-life care case that happened in Nanaimo.
A man calling on a provincial health tribunal to reverse a ruling on a case involving his now-deceased mother had his application for judicial review dismissed by the Supreme Court of B.C. last week.
The case involves Thomas William Sanders's mother, Arleane, an 80-year-old double amputee who experienced pressure ulcers, wound infections and extreme pain, and doctors including Robin Love, a palliative care physician in Nanaimo, according to court documents.
Arleane was admitted to Nanaimo Regional General Hospital multiple times between November 2014 and March 2015 according to the documents, which state that Love was one of the doctors who provided care to her during her time at NRGH.
Prior to admission to NRGH, Arleane spent months living at Nanaimo Seniors Village, where she required daily dressing changes and "often screamed in pain" and one doctor wrote that staff overmedicated her so that "she would not be a nuisance," court documents show.
In November 2014, the son had become concerned about the side effects of pain medication his mother was taking, which included opioids. Thomas, described in court documents as a "well-intentioned" man, had become so concerned that he believed the opioids his mother was taking were causing her to experience "delirium" and that she was being over-medicated to the point where she could no longer eat or drink. It was at that point that Love was brought in to address issues of pain management and medication options, as well as conflict between the son and hospital staff, according to court documents. Arleane had granted her son permission to give or refuse consent to medical care on her behalf through a representation agreement in 2013.
By early March 2015, Arleane was admitted to NRGH following the development of a large open cavity and there was no possibility of treating it, according to court documents, which also state that Thomas refused to consent to increasing Arleane's pain medication and disagreed with Dr. Love and hospital staff over pain management plans. Nurses at NRGH were "distressed and tearful" and found it hard to provide care because Thomas interfered with their ability to provide painkillers.
On March 6, 2015, Love, who has more than 20 years of experience, called the son and told him his mother was in extreme pain and dying and needed better pain medication to reduce her suffering. Thomas disagreed, believing that Love was not acting in Arleane's best interests.
Thomas's decision-making privileges were eventually taken away by Love following advice from multiple health organizations including Vancouver Island Health Authority, as well as a legal opinion. Thomas filed a complaint to College of Physicians and Surgeons of British Columbia against Love, arguing that the doctor's actions violated the Health Care Professions Act, that end-of-life care had begun without proper consent and that he was improperly removed as his mother's representative.
In the final days before her death, the doctor said nurses treating Arleane were "completely traumatized" and that one nurse had witnessed the woman crying for two days. Love told Thomas that his "personal ethics and morals mandated that he provide proper pain medication."
Arleane died on March 22, 2015.
Following her death, the College of Physicians and Surgeons of B.C.'s inquiry committee conducted an investigation into Thomas's complaint against Love. After the inquiry committee ended up dismissing the complaint in 2016, Thomas contacted the Health Professions Review Board, which determined the committee's investigation had been adequate.
Thomas filed a application for judicial review with the Supreme Court of B.C. last year, seeking to have the review board's decision quashed and to have the board rule that Love breached his professional obligations.
Last week, the Supreme Court dismissed the application for judicial review. In his decision, Justice Michael Brundrett noted that this case was not a "clear situation in which a physician plainly acted illegally against the wishes of a representative" and that the Health Professions Review Board's decision was transparent and justifiable.
Although the Vancouver Island Patient Care Quality Review Board determined in 2016 that "it does not appear that the hospital had the right to revoke or override" the son's representation agreement with his mother, the Supreme Court decision concluded that the inquiry committee was entitled to their finding that Love's conduct was "satisfactory."
The inquiry committee, the HPRB and the Supreme Court did not make a legal finding over the issue of consent that had been raised by the petitioner.
nicholas.pescod@nanaimobulletin.com
Like us on Facebook or follow Nicholas Pescod on Twitter
Friends of Mount Doug stand guard over Saanich treasure
Man escapes burning van near Topaz Park