Val Camonica (also Valcamonica or Camonica Valley, Eastern Lombard: Al Camònega) is one of the largest valleys of the central Alps, in eastern Lombardy, Italy. It extends about  from the Tonale Pass to Corna Trentapassi, in the commune of Pisogne near Lake Iseo. It has an area of about  and 118,323 inhabitants.

The River Oglio runs through its full length, rising at Ponte di Legno and flowing into Lake Iseo between Pisogne and Costa Volpino.

Almost all of the valley is included in the administrative territory of the province of Brescia, except for Lovere, Rogno, Costa Volpino and the Val di Scalve, which belong to the province of Bergamo.

Since 1979, the rock drawings located along the valley are a UNESCO World Heritage Site, while the entire valley became a UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve in 2018.

Etymology
Val Camonica is derived from the Latin Vallis Camunnorum, "Valley of the Camunni."

Geography

Territory
Val Camonica can be divided into three main areas:
 Lower Val Camonica: a flat area of meadows and fields, starting from the shores of Lake Iseo and extending to the transverse ridge of Bienno, sometimes referred to as the Breno Threshold.
 Middle Val Camonica: extending from the Breno Threshold to the municipality of Sonico  Edolo. The lower middle valley extends from Breno to Sellero, while the upper middle valley starts at the narrow gorge at Cedegolo and extends to Sonico  Edolo.
 High Val Camonica: This part of the valley follows the Periadriatic Seam, and is  oriented from east to west. Starting in the Val di Corteno, it continues as to the town of Ponte di Legno at the top of the valley. Its climate is similar to that of central Valtellina.

The valley is bounded by these borders:

Hydrography
Val Camonica is traversed by the River Oglio, the fifth longest river in Italy, which rises at Ponte di Legno from the confluence of the Frigidolfo and Narcanello rivers. It flows into Lake Iseo between the municipalities of Pisogne and Costa Volpino.

Numerous streams, some of them seasonal, descend from the mountainsides and flow into the Oglio.

At high altitude there are many alpine lakes, including Lago Moro, as well as many artificial reservoirs, such as the Lago d'Arno.

History
Val Camonica likely became habitable only around 15,000 years ago, at the end of last ice age, with the melting of the glacier that first carved out the valley. It is likely that the first humans visited the valley in epipaleolithic times, and appear to have settled by the Neolithic period. When the Ancient Romans extended their dominions north of the River Po, they encountered a people called the Camunni, who were a Rhaetian tribe, populating the valley. About 300,000 petroglyphs survive from this period. By the end of the first century BC, the Valle Camonica was ruled by Ancient Rome, which established the city of Cividate Camuno, with baths, an amphitheater and a large temple dedicated to Minerva.

During the Middle Ages, numerous clashes between the Guelphs and Ghibellines took place in this region. The Guelphs supported the power of the Bishop of Brescia and the papacy, while the Ghibellines sided with the Holy Roman Emperor. In 1287 the Val Camonica rebelled against control by Brescia and sided with the Visconti, lords of Milan, who extended their control over the area during the 14th century. From 1427 to 1454 there were numerous battles between the Duchy of Milan and the Republic of Venice for the control of the valley. Ultimately the valley came under the control of Venice. During the following centuries, the civilian population grew and engaged in the iron trade.

Val Camonica was separated from Venice after Venice was conquered by Napoleon in 1797. After the deposition of Napoleon, the area was controlled by the Austro-Hungarian Empire. In 1859, Val Camonica was annexed to the Kingdom of Italy. During World War I battle lines stretched along its eastern border, across the Adamello Group. The battles fought in this area are known as the White War in the Adamello.

In 1955, the National Park of Naquane stone carvings at Capo di Ponte was created by the Archaeological Administration of Lombardy.

Monuments and places of interest

UNESCO Site

Val Camonica is home to the greatest complex of rock drawings in Europe, containing approximately 300,000 petroglyphs from the epipaleolithic era to the middle ages.
 Parco nazionale delle incisioni rupestri di Naquane in Capo di Ponte
 Parco archeologico nazionale dei massi di Cemmo
 Parco archeologico comunale di Seradina-Bedolina in Capo di Ponte
 Parco archeologico di Asinino-Anvòia in Ossimo
 Parco archeologico comunale di Luine in Darfo Boario Terme
 Parco archeologico comunale di Sellero
 Parco archeologico comunale di Sonico
 Riserva naturale Incisioni rupestri di Ceto, Cimbergo e Paspardo in Nadro

Camonica was the first site in Italy included in UNESCO's World Heritage list in 1979 because of its unique symbols and more than 140,000 figures carved along 8,000 years on rocks.

Medieval villages
 Bienno, recognised as one of the Most Beautiful Villages of Italy
 Lovere, also recognised as one of the Most Beautiful Villages of Italy
 Pescarzo (Capo di Ponte), a characteristic small town.

Castles
 Castle of Breno, the largest castle in Val Camonica
 Castle of Gorzone, home of the Federici family, standing on a small hill next to the Dezzo torrent
 Castle of Cimbergo, in the valley of the Re, dominates the middle Valley
 Castle of Lozio, the fortress where the Lozio Massacre occurred
 Castle of Mù, the Federici bastion in the upper valley, of which only the foundations remain

Roman city
 Theatre and Amphitheater at Cividate Camuno
 Temple of Minerva at Breno

Mountain excursions
 CAI paths in the Parco dell'Adamello
 First World War (so-called "Guerra Bianca in Adamello") trench at Vezza d'Oglio

Roman Baths
 Boario Terme
 Angolo Terme

Museums and theme parks
 Parco tematico Archeopark, Darfo Boario Terme
 Museo etnografico del ferro, delle arti e tradizioni popolari, Bienno
 Museo Civico Camuno, Breno
 Museo didattico di arte e vita preistorica, Capo di Ponte
 Museo didattico della riserva, Nadro
 Museo archeologico di Valle Camonica, Cividate Camuno
 Mostra museo Camillo Golgi, Corteno Golgi
 Museo etnografico, Ossimo
 Museo parrocchiale d'arte sacra, Ponte di Legno
 Museo della Guerra Bianca in Adamello, Temù

Notable sanctuaries and churches
 Chiesa di Santa Maria della Neve in Pisogne
 Chiesa di Sant'Antonio in Breno
 Chiesa di Santa Maria Annunziata in Bienno
 Santuario del Cristo Re in Bienno
 Chiesa di Santa Maria Assunta in Esine
 Monastero di San Salvatore in Capo di Ponte
 Oratorio dei Disciplini in Montecchio
 Pieve di San Siro in Cemmo
 Santuario della Via Crucis in Cerveno (Sacri Monti)

Winter sports
 Winter sports Centers at Ponte di Legno, Borno, Montecampione, Aprica and Val Palot

Photo gallery

See also
 Camunni
 Rock Drawings in Valcamonica
 Val Camonica witch trials

Notes

References

External links

 Itinera in Valcamonica (EN)
 Italian World Heritage Sites
 National museum and archaeological park with Roman theatre and amphitheatre
 Valcamonica Rock Art, records and pictures
 EuroPreArt, European Prehistoric Art database, 50 Valcamonica rock art records

Archaeological sites in Italy
Province of Bergamo
Province of Brescia
Valleys of the Alps
Camonica
World Heritage Sites in Italy
Biosphere reserves of Italy

Val Camonica


Reuben was the son of Jacob and Leah in the Book of Genesis.

Birth
Jacob was in love with Rachel, the daughter of Laban and asked to marry her. Laban said he would let Jacob marry her if he worked for him as a shepherd for seven years. Jacob worked for those years but they felt like they were only seven days because of how much he loved Rachel. But then, Laban tricked Jacob into marrying Rachel's older sister Leah instead of marrying her and said he didn't believe in the younger daughter marrying before her older sister married so Jacob had to work for Laban for another seven years so that Laban would let him marry Rachel. Jacob loved Rachel but he did not love Leah so Leah prayed to the Lord saying "give me children, for I am despised". So the Lord had mercy on her and she became pregnant and gave birth to a son. And Leah said "now my husband shall love me" and named her son Reuben.

Mandrakes
After Leah gave birth to Simeon, Levi and Judah (Biblical personage), Bilhah gave birth to Gad and Asher, Zilpah gave birth to Dan and Naphtali and Leah gave birth to Zebulun and Issachar, then Reuben found mandrakes and gave them to his mother Leah.  When Rachel asked Leah for the mandrakes,Leah said "first you take from me my husband and now the mandrakes of my son" and agreed to give Rachel the mandrakes if Leah became Jacob's main wife.

Bilhah
It's written in the Torah that Reuben lay down with Bilhah and that his father Jacob heard about it. (Genesis 35:22) Though the Talmud says that this was a metaphor and that Reuben actually took Bilhah's bed from his father's tent but that this was seen as being like the sin of incest (Shabbat 55) and says that this works because in the Book of Job wanting to commit incest is seen as committing incest.

The story of Joseph
In the story of Joseph, when the brothers are about to kill Joseph, Reuben tells them that instead of murdering him they should throw him into a big hole in the ground and leave him to die. But Reuben secretly planned to rescue Joseph and so when Reuben came back to save Joseph and found out that he had already been sold into slavery, Reuben tore his clothes in mourning for Joseph. And after Simeon was jailed, Reuben told his brothers that the Lord was punishing them all for what they did to Joseph.

Inheritance
According to Jewish tradition, Reuben didn't get the inheritance that a firstborn son would usually get because he was being punished for the sin with Bilhah.

Talmud
Rabbi Shimon son of Eliezer teaches that after Leah died and Jacob moved his bed to the tent of Bilhah, Reuben took the bed from Bilhah's tent and put in the tent of his mother Leah to honour his mother's memory  and the sin Reuben committed by doing that was compared to incest but Reuben did not actually have sex with Bilhah. Though there are also Rabbis in the Talmud who say that he did.

The Zohar
According to the Zohar, Reuben lying down with Bilhah cannot be wikt:literally true because then Reuben wouldn't have become the father of a tribe of the Israelites. It says that Reuben knew from prophecy that there were supposed to be only twelve tribes of Israel so he moved his father's bed from Bilhah's tent even though the Shechina is there whenever married people do their religious duty to have sex with each other but by meddling Reuben made the Shechina leave that tent and that was Reuben's sin.

Old Testament people

Reuben


Elke Voelker (born April 3, 1968, in Lampertheim, Hesse) is a German organist, church musician and musicologist.

Biography
Elke Voelker studied organ, church music, German and Roman languages and musicology at the universities of Mannheim, Mainz and Heidelberg. Among her teachers were Leo Krämer, Mathias Breitschaft, Ludwig Finscher.

A scholarship allowed her to study abroad with Wolfgang Rübsam (Chicago), Nicholas Kynaston (London), Michelle Leclerc (Schola Cantorum de Paris), Jean Guillou and Daniel Roth.

1996-2008 Voelker worked as Choir Organist and Cathedral Music Associate at the UNESCO Heritage St. Marys Imperial Cathedral of Speyer. 2009 she was nominated Interims Music Director and Cathedral Organist. Voelker maintains an activ international  concert schedule and teaching career.

She is member of the English Karg-Elert Archive, of the German Gesellschaft der Orgelfreunde (GdO), the American Guild of Organists and Honorary Member of the Associazione Organistica Siciliana. Besides this, she is Founder and Artistic Director of the "Internationaler Orgelherbst Deidesheim" and of the Russian "International Organ Festival Philharmony Perm".

Prizes and awards
 1995: First Prize and Audience Prize "International Organ Competition Speyer Cathedral"
 1999: Finalist at the "Concours International d'Orgue de la Ville de Paris"; Medaille de la Ville de Paris.
 2001: Scholar of the Rotary International Foundation
 2002: Third Prize "International Organ Competition Erfurt"
 2003 und 2004: Diapason Awards 5 for her recordings Karg-Elert Vol.2 and Vol.3
 2007: Répertoire 9 for Karg-Elert Vol.5; Paul Harris Fellow Medal of Rotary International

Articles
Voelker published numerous articles in Musik in Gegenwart und Geschichte (Bärenreiter), in ORGAN - Journal für die Orgel (Schott)  and in Lexikon der Orgel (Laaber).

Discography
 1997: Scherzo, Skizze, Tanz. Motette
 1999: Sigfrid Karg-Elert: Ultimate Organ Works, Vol.1. Aeolus
 2002: Sigfrid Karg-Elert: Ultimate Organ Works, Vol.2. Aeolus.
 2003: Noëls d' Orgue du Postromantisme français, Aeolus.
 2004: Sigfrid Karg-Elert: Ultimate Organ Works, Vol.3. Aeolus.
 2006: Sigfrid Karg-Elert: Ultimate Organ Works, Vol.5. Aeolus. (Choralimprovisations Vol. 1 and 2)
 2008. Sigfrid Karg-Elert: Ultimate Organ Works, Vol.4. Aeolus.
 2010: Sigfrid Karg-Elert: Ultimate Organ Works, Vol.6. Aeolus. (Choralimprovisations Vol. 3 and 4)
 2014: Sigfrid Karg-Elert: Ultimate Organ Works, Vol.7. Aeolus. (Choralimprovisations Vol. 5 and 6)
 2014: Sigfrid Karg-Elert: Ultimate Organ Works, Vol.8. Aeolus.
 2017: César Franck: Franck avant César Franck. Aeolus.

References

External links
 Homepage of Elke Voelker
 Elke Voelker USA Management Site

1968 births
Living people
People from Lampertheim
German classical organists
Women organists
Contemporary classical music performers
20th-century German musicians
20th-century classical musicians
20th-century organists
20th-century women musicians
21st-century German musicians
21st-century classical musicians
21st-century organists
21st-century women musicians
German women musicologists
20th-century German musicologists
21st-century German musicologists

Elke Voelker


In signal processing theory, Gaussian noise, named after Carl Friedrich Gauss, is a kind of signal noise that has a probability density function (pdf) equal to that of the normal distribution (which is also known as the Gaussian distribution). In other words, the values that the noise can take are Gaussian-distributed.

The probability density function  of a Gaussian random variable  is given by:

where  represents the grey level,  the mean grey value and  its standard deviation.

A special case is white Gaussian noise, in which the values at any pair of times are identically distributed and statistically independent (and hence uncorrelated). In communication channel testing and modelling, Gaussian noise is used as additive white noise to generate additive white Gaussian noise.

In telecommunications and computer networking, communication channels can be affected by wideband Gaussian noise coming from many natural sources, such as the thermal vibrations of atoms in conductors (referred to as thermal noise or Johnson–Nyquist noise), shot noise, black-body radiation from the earth and other warm objects, and from celestial sources such as the Sun.

Gaussian noise in digital images

Principal sources of Gaussian noise in digital images arise during acquisition e.g. sensor noise caused by poor illumination and/or high temperature, and/or transmission e.g. electronic circuit noise. In digital image processing Gaussian noise can be reduced using a spatial filter, though when smoothing an image, an undesirable outcome may result in the blurring of fine-scaled image edges and details because they also correspond to blocked high frequencies. Conventional spatial filtering techniques for noise removal include: mean (convolution) filtering, median filtering and Gaussian smoothing.

See also

 Gaussian process
 Gaussian smoothing

References

Stochastic processes
Normal distribution
Acoustics

Gaussian noise


The American Wirehair is a breed of domestic cat originating in upstate New York, which is characterised by its wiry fur and crinkly whiskers caused by a genetic mutation. , though the breed is well-known, it is ranked as the most rare of the 41 Cat Fanciers' Association breeds.

History
The American Wirehair is a spontaneous mutation of the American Shorthair. It first occurred as a random mutation among a litter of five born to a pair of barn cats in 1966 in Vernon, in upstate New York. This single red-and-white male had wiry fur. The dominant genetic mutation, which causes the wirehair, was found to be different from the Rex mutation of other curly-coated breeds—such as the Cornish Rex or Devon Rex. The owner of the cats called a local breeder of Rex cats, Mrs. Joan O'Shea, to a look at the kitten. She bought the kitten for $50, along with one of his normal-coated female littermates, to start a breeding program. The wirehaired male was named Council Rock Farms Adams of Hi-Fi ('Adam' for short), and the female Tip-Top.

Breeding between the two produced wirehaired kittens, many of which were sold off to other interested breeders. As the population grew, cats were exported to Canada and Germany, where they are especially popular. The breed did well, and in 1967 it was recognized by the CFA, and in 1978, it was accepted for championship competition. American Wirehairs have yet to make an appearance in Britain and Australia, among other countries.

Characteristics
American Wirehairs are similar to American Shorthairs, with the exception of a springy, wiry coat, including ear fur, and whiskers.  This coat is similar to the wire coats of some dog breeds, such as terriers. Their fur requires little grooming, although lighter cats may require sunblock. Wirehairs are of a moderate, sturdy build, with round heads, high cheekbones, and a pronounced muzzle.  Females are generally smaller than males. American Wirehairs display the full spectrum of possible cat coat colors, although Himalayan, Chocolate and Lilac are not accepted for competition. When evaluating this breed, the emphasis is mostly on the quality of the coat - out of a total of 100 points for quality coat, an American Wirehair can get 45. This type of coat is easy to maintain because the gene determining the hardness of the coat is dominant. The Wirehair coat trait is dominant, so any breeding between a Wirehair and another cat can produce wired kittens. Wirehairs have golden eyes, except for some white ones that have blue or amber eyes.

Behavior
The Wirehair has an even, balanced temperament which is essentially identical to that of its American Shorthair relative. Wirehairs are equally content to play or fall asleep in their owners' laps. They have been described as cute and somewhat humorous. They are gentle and quiet, but also playful and active. They have quiet voices. American Wirehairs generally prefer to stay indoors.

See also

 List of cat body-type mutations
 List of cat breeds

Notes

References
FBRL Breed Page: American Wirehair

External links

Cat Fanciers' Association:  Breed Profile: American Wirehair
Cat Breeds with Pictures Directory: American Wirehair
Cat Breeds Directory
American Wirehair Guide

Cat breeds
Cat breeds originating in the United States

American Wirehair


Loco moco is a dish featured in contemporary Hawaiian cuisine. There are many variations, but the traditional loco moco consists of white rice, topped with a hamburger, a fried egg, and brown gravy.

History and origin

The dish was reportedly created at the Lincoln Grill restaurants in Hilo, Hawaii, in 1949 by its proprietors, Richard Inouye and his wife, Nancy, at the request of teenagers from the Lincoln Wreckers Sports club seeking something that differed from a sandwich, was inexpensive, and yet could be quickly prepared and served. They asked Nancy to put some rice in a bowl, a hamburger patty over the rice, and then top it with brown gravy. The egg came later. The teenagers named the dish Loco Moco after one of their members, George Okimoto, whose nickname was "Crazy" because of his crazy antics. George Takahashi, who was studying Spanish at Hilo High School, suggested using Loco, which  is Spanish for crazy. They tacked on "moco" which "rhymed with loco and sounded good".

Popularity
This dish was featured on the "Taste of Hawai'i" episode of Girl Meets Hawai'i, a Travel Channel show hosted by Samantha Brown. The episode features the dish being served at the popular restaurant, Hawaiian Style Cafe, in Waimea together with the plate lunch, another Hawaiian specialty dish.

The loco moco was also featured on a Honolulu-based episode of the Travel Channel show Man v. Food (this episode aired in the show's second season). The host, Adam Richman, tried the dish at the Hukilau Café, located in nearby Laie. Richman also tried an off-the-menu loco moco at a San Francisco eatery called Namu Gaji on his 2014 show, Man Finds Food. In 2018, on a different episode of the revived Man v. Food, host Casey Webb tried a loaded version of the loco moco at Da Kitchen in Maui.

Variations may include bacon, ham, Spam, tofu, kalua pork, Portuguese sausage, teriyaki beef, teriyaki chicken, mahi-mahi, shrimp, oysters, and other meats.

See also

 Donburi
 Garbage Plate
 Hamburg steak
 List of Hawaiian dishes
 List of regional dishes of the United States
 Nasi ambeng
 Silog

References

Further reading
.  A reprint of Kelly's original paper.
.

Egg dishes
Hamburgers (food)
Hawaiian fusion cuisine
National dishes
Rice dishes

Loco moco


Maid Marian is a novella by Thomas Love Peacock, his fourth long work of fiction, published in 1822.

Peacock wrote all but the last three chapters of Maid Marian at Marlow in 1818. He wrote to Percy Bysshe Shelley that he did not find "this brilliant summer", of 1818, "very favourable to intellectual exertion" but before it was quite over "rivers, castles, forests, abbeys, monks, maids, kings, and banditti were all dancing before me like a masked ball".  However, in 1819 Peacock was recruited to the East India Company where his official duties delayed the completion and publication of the novella until 1822. As a result of the delay, it was taken for an imitation of Ivanhoe although its composition had, in fact, preceded Scott's novel. It was soon dramatised with great success by James Planché, and was translated into French and German.

References

External links
 Text of Maid Marian, at the T. L. Peacock Society

1822 British novels
British novellas
English novels
Novels by Thomas Love Peacock
Robin Hood books
Novels set in Nottinghamshire

Maid Marian (novella)


Heerlen is a municipality in the Dutch province of Limburg. In 2023, 87.116 people lived there. it contains the fourth largest city in Limburg.

the municipality is divided into four different parts. Heerlen-Stad, Heerlerheide, Heerlerbaan and Hoensbroek.

The municipality contains the major landmark of Castle hoensbroek.

Heerlen


Charles George Eustice (born 28 September 1971) is a British politician and former public relations executive who held office as Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs between 2020 and 2022. A member of the Conservative Party, he has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for Camborne and Redruth since 2010.

In the 1999 European Parliament elections, Eustice stood unsuccessfully as a UK Independence Party (UKIP) candidate in South West England. He later joined the Conservative Party and was the Director of Communications at CCHQ; and from 2005 to 2008, he served as David Cameron's Press Secretary during his tenure as Leader of the Opposition. In 2009, Eustice joined Portland Communications, a public relations company.

Eustice was elected to the House of Commons in 2010. In October 2013, as part of Prime Minister Cameron's ministerial reshuffle, Eustice was appointed Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food. On 11 May 2015 he was promoted to Minister of State within the same department. He was retained by Prime Minister Theresa May; however, he resigned from this position on 28 February 2019. Eustice was reappointed to his previous role by Prime Minister Boris Johnson on 25 July 2019. On 13 February 2020 he joined the Cabinet replacing Theresa Villiers as Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, a position he held until Johnson's successor Liz Truss dismissed him from it upon taking office in September 2022. He announced in January 2023 that he would not stand for reelection at the next UK general election.

Early life and career
Eustice was born on 28 September 1971 into a farming family in Penzance. His parents were Adele and Paul Eustice. He grew up at Trevaskis Fruit Farm, near Hayle. He was privately educated at Truro Cathedral School then Truro School, followed by Cornwall College at Pool. He was a member of Cornwall Athletic Club based at Carn Brea, Camborne and ran for Cornwall's cross country team. After finishing his education, he worked for nine years in his family business, a fruit farm near the Cornish village of Connor Downs. He attended Writtle College for three years.

Early political career
At the 1999 European Parliament Elections Eustice stood unsuccessfully as a candidate for UKIP in the South West of England.

In 2000, Eustice was appointed as Campaign Director for "No", the campaign group to ensure that the UK did not adopt the Euro as the national currency.

Eustice became Head of Press under Conservative Party leader Michael Howard during the 2005 general election. Following the election, he was part of David Cameron's Leadership campaign team and, between 2005 and 2008, served as David Cameron's Press Secretary during his tenure as Leader of the Opposition. On leaving Cameron's office, George Eustice worked for Portland Communications, a public relations company.

On 6 December 2008, Eustice was selected as the official Conservative Party candidate for the Camborne & Redruth Constituency.

Parliamentary career

Eustice was elected as Member of Parliament for Camborne & Redruth on Thursday 6 May 2010 with a majority of 66 votes over the Liberal Democrat incumbent Julia Goldsworthy. The result was only confirmed after a recount. He had the second smallest majority of any Conservative elected at the 2010 election, with only Dan Byles 54 vote majority in North Warwickshire being lower, and the fourth smallest majority of any MP.  He made his maiden speech in the House of Commons on 24 June 2010: "It is a special honour for me to represent my home town. I was brought up between Camborne and Hayle, in Cornwall, and my family have lived and worked in the area for more than 400 years. When one has such deep roots in a constituency, one feels a special responsibility for its long-term future." Later in the same speech he said "My No. 1 priority for the area will be economic regeneration."

Eustice was asked to take a leading role in the 2011 "No to AV Referendum" campaign, reportedly as a result of his work for Business for Sterling and the "No" Group, which campaigned to keep the pound and against the adoption of the Euro as currency in the UK.

In September 2011, he argued that Cornwall's heritage should be administered by a Cornish organisation rather than English Heritage.

In September 2011, Eustice, with two other Conservative MPs Andrea Leadsom and Chris Heaton-Harris launched the Fresh Start Group to examine the options for a new UK-EU relationship. He wrote an article in The Guardian on 10 June 2012, which argued for the UK to remain within the EU, but to seek reform from within. On 10 July 2012 the Fresh Start Group released a research paper, which according to The Financial Times, called for "reducing the overall size of the EU budget, overhauling the Common Agricultural Policy to which the UK contributes about £1bn a year and repatriating structural funds."

On 17 May 2012, Eustice was elected to the Executive Committee of the 1922 Committee as part of the "301 Group" of newer MPs.

Eustice has supported statutory underpinning of independent press regulation which arose from the Leveson proposals. On 21 June 2012, he made a submission to the Leveson Inquiry and wrote an article in The Guardian urging both journalists and politicians to back a royal charter. Reacting to the letter, Conservative writer Tim Montgomerie argued that greater press regulation was now more likely.

Eustice was a member of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Select Committee from 12 July 2010 until November 2013 and of the Privacy and Injunctions (Joint Committee) between July 2011 and March 2012.

In April 2013, Downing Street announced Eustice's appointment to the "Number 10 Policy Board", to advise David Cameron on Energy and Environment issues.  Eustice was appointed to work on Conservative rather than Coalition policies, with backbenchers including  Jo Johnson, Jesse Norman, and Peter Lilley.

He was criticised by The Daily Telegraph in November 2012 for signing a letter calling for tougher regulation of the press on the grounds that he had previously been the subject of negative media coverage. The newspaper reported that he had previously been nicknamed "Useless" by some sections of the press and had a difficult relationship with the media because of its treatment of David Cameron when they were working closely together. Eustice responded that the existing system was flawed and that "it would be better by far to have credible and independent regulation much earlier in the process."

On 7 October 2013, Eustice was appointed Parliamentary Under Secretary of State in the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with responsibility for farming and food, marine and fisheries, and animal health. On 11 May 2015 he was promoted to Minister of State for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food.

In May 2016, it was reported that Eustice was one of a number of Conservative MPs being investigated by police in the United Kingdom general election, 2015 party spending investigation, for allegedly spending more than the legal limit on constituency election campaign expenses. In May 2017, the Crown Prosecution Service said that while there was evidence of inaccurate spending returns, it did not "meet the test" for further action.

In August 2016, Eustice was one of two Conservative environment ministers who were accused by environmental campaigners of having a conflict of interest over receiving subsidies on their family businesses whilst being involved in developing the plans for the replacement system to the EU farming support.

He was re-elected at the 2015 general election and 2017 general election. He supported Leave in the 2016 EU membership referendum.

On 28 February 2019, Eustice resigned from his position as Minister of State for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, in protest at Prime Minister Theresa May's promise to allow MPs a vote on delaying Brexit if her deal fails to get through. Eustice stated "it would be dangerous to go to the EU cap in hand at the 11th hour and beg for an extension".

Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
On 13 February 2020, Eustice was appointed as the new Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, replacing Theresa Villiers. Eustice called the post his "dream job".

Later in February 2020, in an interview on Sky News, Eustice refused to guarantee that the UK government would ban chlorinated chicken outright as part of a UK–US trade deal. He described chlorine washes on chicken as "a very outdated technology" and said the UK government was committed to high standards for food safety and for animal welfare, saying there were "no plans" to change food standards laws.

Eustice was criticised for an alleged closeness to the farming industry and for his enabling of badger culling. Prime Minister Boris Johnson signalled an end to badger culling after Eustice had overseen an expansion in licenses for it in 2020.

In late 2020, Eustice repeatedly expressed support for the Internal Market Bill, despite the latter representing a breach of formal commitments made by the Conservative government of which he is a part, and also a breach of international law. He also said that a Scotch egg was a substantial meal in law, so long as there is table service.

In December 2020, during a Sky News interview, Eustice was shown footage of, and asked for his views about, Millwall F.C. supporters booing players taking a knee. Those supporters' behaviour had already been condemned as racist by the English Football League and the Football Association. Eustice declined to condemn the supporters' behaviour or to recognise it as racist, stating that he had not seen the incident and that "the issue of race and racial discrimination is something that we all take very seriously".

In January 2021, Eustice broke his government's pledge to retain a ban on the use of neonicotinoid pesticides, which have been implicated in pollinator decline. In May, Eustice announced a radical new animal welfare strategy to be introduced as the Kept Animals Bill, Animal Welfare (Sentience) Bill and Animals Abroad Bill. These bills would make the  microchipping of cats compulsory, recognise the sentience of vertebrate animals and ban live animal exports for fattening and slaughter. He also announced the government would look at banning practices such as importing foie gras, inhumane poultry caging and inhumane penning of pregnant and suckling pigs.

Eustice was dismissed by incoming Prime Minister Liz Truss on 6 September 2022.

Constituency campaigns
In August 2010, Eustice welcomed the Government's decision to invest £5 million into the regeneration of Hayle Harbour after two months of discussions. According to the West Briton newspaper, Eustice had lobbied ministers over the issue and further argued local social enterprises and community trusts should be actively involved in regeneration plans.

Eustice pledged in his election campaign to work to reduce the burden of water charges on Cornish homes. At a meeting of the Environmental, Farming and Rural Affairs Select Committee in October 2010 he raised the issue of higher water rates paid by South West England consumers and challenged Regina Finn, chief executive of Ofwat to implement the recommendations of the Walker Review which could lead to a decrease in water rates for South West consumers. In June 2013, Eustice welcomed the third annual taxpayer-funded subsidy of £50 for all South West Water customers which the Chancellor, George Osborne, announced in the Comprehensive Spending Review on 26 June. In November 2013, he welcomed South West Water's price freeze until 2015.

In March 2013, Eustice called for the Cornwall Centre, the new facility to house the county's store of historic manuscripts and Cornish materials, to be based in Redruth. Eustice based his call for the location to be Redruth because of the strong mining tradition in the town, which led to widespread migration across the world. The decision to base the facility in Redruth was announced in September 2013, which Eustice welcomed.

Before his election, Eustice campaigned for government funding to build a £27m east–west link road at Tuckingmill, linking Camborne, Pool and Redruth. The road would run from Wilson Way to Dolcoath Road.  Cornwall Council also supported the bid, claiming the new road would provide access to "proposed development areas" and remove traffic from the A3047 and the East Hill junction, reduce congestion, noise and improve air quality, "whilst allowing regeneration projects in the area to proceed over the coming years, supporting economic growth". The project received Department for Transport approval on 26 November 2012 and on 16 May 2013, Patrick McLoughlin the Secretary of State for Transport cut the first turf to formally mark the start of work on the £27m road. The road, which received substantial funding from the European Regional Development Fund, was completed in November 2015.

Eustice led Conservative Party opposition to the Conservative Government's plans to impose VAT on hot food, which was also known as the "pasty tax" which eventually led to what opponents claimed was a "U-turn" in Government policy. He welcomed the reverse in policy.

Personal life
Eustice married Katy Taylor-Richards in May 2013; their ceremony took place in the Chapel of St Mary Undercroft at the Palace of Westminster.

Notes

References

External links

George Eustice MP official constituency website
George's Online Diary

1971 births
Conservative Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies
Living people
Politicians from Cornwall
Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for constituencies in Cornwall
People educated at Cornwall College
People educated at Truro Cathedral School
People educated at Truro School
People from Penzance
UK MPs 2010–2015
UK MPs 2015–2017
UK MPs 2017–2019
UK MPs 2019–present
UK Independence Party politicians
British Secretaries of State for the Environment
Free Enterprise Group

George Eustice


The Mavericks is the first album by the American country music band The Mavericks. It was released in 1990 on the Miami, Florida-based Y&T Music label. Written entirely by the lead singer, Raul Malo, it is their only album with the guitarist Ben Peeler. "This Broken Heart", the only official single from this album, failed to chart. "I Don't Care If You Love Me Anymore" was later released on the soundtrack to the 1996 film Michael, and was a low-charting country single that year. "Mr. Jones", "The End of the Line (Jim Baker)", "This Broken Heart" and "A Better Way" were re-recorded in 1992 on the band's first major-label album From Hell to Paradise.

Track listing
All songs written by Raul Malo.
"You'll Never Know" – 2:54
"The End of the Line (Jim Baker)" – 3:34
"This Broken Heart" – 4:16
"Mr. Jones" – 3:25
"Tomorrow Never Comes" – 3:18
"The Lonely Waltz" – 4:27
"Watch Over Me" – 2:47
"A Better Way" – 4:10
"Another Lonely Life (Paul's Song)" – 4:23
"I Don't Care If You Love Me Anymore" – 4:18
"Keep Moving On" – 3:18
"I'll Give You Back (When You Belong to Me)" – 4:14
"Strength to Say Goodbye" – 2:46

Personnel

The Mavericks
Paul Deakin- drums
Raul Malo- acoustic guitar, electric guitar, bass guitar, piano, lead vocals
Ben Peeler- banjo, dobro, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, steel guitar, lap steel guitar, mandolin
Robert Reynolds- bass guitar, screams, sound effects, background vocals

Additional Personnel
Dennis Hetzendorfer- accordion
Steve Newton- bass guitar
Froilan Sossa- background vocals
Debbie Spring- fiddle
Homer Willis- harmonica

References

External links
 http://www.discogs.com/Mavericks-The-Mavericks/master/455585

1990 debut albums
The Mavericks albums

The Mavericks (1990 album)


South West Delhi is one of the eleven administrative districts of the National Capital Territory of Delhi,
India. The Subcity of Dwarka serves as the administrative headquarters of South West Delhi.

It is bounded by the districts of West Delhi to the north, Central Delhi to the northeast, New Delhi and South Delhi to the east, Gurgaon District of Haryana state to the south, and Jhajjar District of Haryana to the west. Rajbir Yadav from Chhawla Block Congress Committee is Alderman of South Delhi District of MCD.

It has a population of 2,292,363 (2011 census), and an area of 420 km², with a population density of  5,445 inhabitants per square kilometre. It is the fourth most populous district in Delhi.

Administratively, the district is divided into three subdivisions, Dwarka, Najafgarh and Kapas Hera.

Demographics
According to the 2011 census South West Delhi has a population of 2,292,363 roughly equal to the nation of Latvia or the US state of New Mexico. This gives it a ranking of 198th in India (out of a total of 640). The district has a population density of . Its population growth rate over the decade 2001-2011 was  30.62%. South West Delhi has a sex ratio of 836 females for every 1000 males, and a literacy rate of 88.81%.

References

Other websites
 South West Delhi District Official website
 List of places in South-West-Delhi

Districts of Delhi

South West Delhi district


Hélène Goudin (born 25 November 1956 in Brussels) is a Swedish politician and former Member of the European Parliament for the June List; part of the Independence and Democracy group.

Goudin was Vice Chair of the ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly and Co-President and Treasurer of the EUDemocrats - Alliance for a Europe of Democracies.

External links
Hélène Goudin at the European Parliament

1956 births
Living people
Politicians from Brussels
June List MEPs
MEPs for Sweden 2004–2009
21st-century women MEPs for Sweden
Swedish people of Belgian descent

Hélène Goudin


The Missouri State Capitol is the home of the Missouri General Assembly and the executive branch of government of the U.S. state of Missouri. Located in Jefferson City at 201 West Capitol Avenue, it is the third capitol to be built in the city. (The previous  two were demolished after they were damaged by fire.) The domed building, designed by the New York City architectural firm of Tracy and Swartwout, was completed in 1917.

The capitol's dome is the first thing travelers see when approaching Jefferson City from the north. In addition to the state Senate and House of Representatives, the capitol also contains offices of the governor, lieutenant governor, secretary of state, state treasurer, state auditor, and some administrative agencies.

It is individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is a contributing property in the Missouri State Capitol Historic District.

Architecture, paintings, and statuary

The capitol exterior

The exterior of the Missouri State Capitol is notable for its architectural features: the Baroque dome, loosely modeled after St. Peter's basilica in Rome, rising   above ground level, topped by sculptor Sherry Fry's bronze statue of Ceres, the Roman goddess of agriculture; the eight  columns on the south portico; the six  columns on the north portico; the -wide grand staircase; and the bronze entrance doors, each —at the time, the largest cast since the Roman era.

The north facade is embellished by a frieze sculpted by Hermon Atkins MacNeil illustrating the history of Missouri, a theme continued on the south facade by the artist Alexander Stirling Calder. The figures in the pediment over the main entrance were sculpted by Adolph Alexander Weinman.

The capitol interior
The capitol's first floor, home of the State Museum, is embellished with mural paintings and statuary. A prime attraction is a series of murals painted by Thomas Hart Benton in the House Lounge. The grand staircase is flanked by large heroic bronze statues of Meriwether Lewis and William Clark, and the third-floor rotunda is the site of the Hall of Famous Missourians, a group of bronze busts of prominent Missourians honored for their achievements and contributions to the state.

A whispering gallery high within the dome, and a small viewing platform on the dome's roof beneath the statue of Ceres, are areas normally not open to the public except for school tours and other special tours.

The capitol gardens
Statuary is a prominent feature of the capitol's grounds: heroic allegorical bronze figures sculpted by Robert Aitken  (representing Missouri's two great rivers—the Mississippi and the Missouri), and a  tall statue of Thomas Jefferson made by James Earle Fraser dominate the south entrance. The Sciences and The Arts Fountains, each with four representative figures, adorn the south lawn.

Sculptor Karl Bitter's bronze relief, depicting the signing of the Louisiana Purchase by Livingston, Monroe and Marbois, and Weinman's Fountain of the Centaurs are features of the north grounds.

Tourism
The capitol is Jefferson City's leading tourist attraction. It is a destination for school groups who arrive by busloads, particularly during General Assembly sessions. Students fill the galleries to watch the Senate and House of Representatives in action.

History of the structure

The present capitol, completed in 1917 and occupied the following year, is the third capitol in Jefferson City and the sixth in Missouri history. The first seat of state government was housed in the Mansion House, located at Third and Vine Streets in St. Louis and the second one was in the Missouri Hotel located at Main and Morgan Streets in St. Charles. St. Charles was designated as the temporary capital of the state in 1821 and remained the seat of government until 1826.

It was decided that the capitol should be located more in the center of the state and specifically that it should be located on the Missouri River within  of the mouth of the Osage. A group was sent out to survey various locations. The present location on top of the bluffs in Jefferson City was chosen because it afforded the best view of the Missouri River of any place which they had seen within the limits prescribed by the Constitution.

The fourth capitol (the first in Jefferson City) was made out of brick, two stories tall, measured approximately , and took two years to complete. It was built for approximately $18,500 (). It was called the "Governor's House and State Capitol." This building burned in 1837. The site is now occupied by the present-day Missouri Governor's Mansion. It was designed by Stephen Hills and modeled on the first Pennsylvania State Capitol in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Hills also designed Academic Hall of the University of Missouri; the six Ionic columns that survived the 1892 fire that destroyed the building are now the campus's landmark columns at the David R. Francis Quadrangle.

The fifth capitol (which was at the current site) was completed in 1840 for approximately $350,000 (), with some claiming that there were bribes and kickbacks. This building also burned on February 5, 1911 when it was struck by lightning. This building was approximately  and by 1911, was far too small to meet the needs of the legislators. Missouri Senator William Warner said, "I have no tears to shed over the fact that the building has been destroyed as it was totally inadequate and not in keeping with the requirements of our great state."

The original budget called for a building to be constructed for $3 million (equivalent to $ million in ), with an additional $500,000 () allocated for site and furnishings.  This was approved in general election by the public by a three-to-one margin, however, the state miscalculated on revenue projections, and ended up collecting $4,215,000 (). All of this money was eventually used for the entire project, which is one of the reasons why the sculptures and artwork are of such high caliber. Edwin William Stephens of Columbia served as chair of the Capitol Decoration Committee along with University of Missouri art professor John Pickard.

It was also decided that the architect would be selected from a design competition; names were redacted from the submissions so that there would be no local favoritism. A total of 69 architecture firms submitted for the competition, from which a short list of 11 was chosen. Tracy & Swarthout from New York was ultimately selected.

The building is symmetrical in plan, giving equal symbolic weight to both the House and Senate (though the interiors of the two chambers differ greatly).  The style makes many historical references to the Capitol in Washington, D.C., as well as to Greek and Roman temples; however, the typical column capital is a unique variation on the canonical Corinthian capital, replacing the acanthus leaves with local flora.

The stone for the exterior is a dense marble from Carthage, Missouri.  Some of the finer details have eroded after 90 years of freeze/thaw cycles.  The state has committed $30 Million to study, restore, and prevent further deterioration. The building measures five stories high,  long,  wide in the center, and  wide in the wings. The dome is  high and the height of the wings is . It includes  of floor space.

Rotunda chandelier incident
In November 2006, the  dome chandelier, which had been lowered almost to the floor for maintenance, fell the remaining five feet. The chandelier was damaged by the impact and by the ornamental chains that fell on it.  It was sent to St. Louis for repairs. Nearly a full year later, the chandelier was returned and raised in the capitol.  The upper lights were also restored, after they had been turned off for four decades due to light damage to the mural above.  Created in 1918 by the Guth Lighting Company of St. Louis for a cost of $5,000  (), the chandelier cost $500,000 () to be restored.

Gallery

See also
List of state and territorial capitols in the United States

Sources
 Hunter, Marie Nau, Missouri and Mississippi: Robert Ingersoll Aitken's Sculpture in Jefferson City, Missouri,  Master's Thesis, University of Missouri-Columbia, 1996
 Kvaran & Lockley A Guide to the Architectural Sculpture of America, unpublished manuscript
 Pickard, John, The Missouri State Capitol: Report of the Capitol Decoration Commission, 1917–1928, Capitol Decoration Committee, Jefferson City Missouri, 1928

References

External links

Missouri State Capitol Missouri Department of Natural Resources
Missouri State Museum Missouri Department of Natural Resources

Government buildings in Missouri
Government of Missouri
Government buildings completed in 1917
State capitols in the United States
Buildings and structures in Jefferson City, Missouri
Government buildings with domes
Museums in Jefferson City, Missouri
History museums in Missouri
Tourist attractions in Jefferson City, Missouri
Individually listed contributing properties to historic districts on the National Register in Missouri
Government buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in Missouri
National Register of Historic Places in Cole County, Missouri
Allegorical sculptures in the United States
1917 establishments in Missouri

Missouri State Capitol


In mathematics and quantum mechanics, a Dirac operator is a differential operator that is a formal square root, or half-iterate, of a second-order operator such as a Laplacian. The original case which concerned Paul Dirac was to factorise formally an operator for Minkowski space, to get a form of quantum theory compatible with special relativity; to get the relevant Laplacian as a product of first-order operators he introduced spinors. It was first published in 1928.

Formal definition

In general, let D be a first-order differential operator acting on a vector bundle V over a Riemannian manifold M. If

where ∆ is the Laplacian of V, then D is called a Dirac operator.

In high-energy physics, this requirement is often relaxed: only the second-order part of D2 must equal the Laplacian.

Examples

Example 1
D = −i ∂x is a Dirac operator on the tangent bundle over a line.

Example 2
Consider a simple bundle of notable importance in physics: the configuration space of a particle with spin  confined to a plane, which is also the base manifold.  It is represented by a wavefunction

where x and y are the usual coordinate functions on R2. χ specifies the probability amplitude for the particle to be in the spin-up state, and similarly for η. The so-called spin-Dirac operator can then be written

where σi are the Pauli matrices. Note that the anticommutation relations for the Pauli matrices make the proof of the above defining property trivial. Those relations define the notion of a Clifford algebra.

Solutions to the Dirac equation for spinor fields are often called harmonic spinors.

Example 3
Feynman's Dirac operator describes the propagation of a free fermion in three dimensions and is elegantly written

using the Feynman slash notation. In introductory textbooks to quantum field theory, this will appear in the form

where  are the off-diagonal Dirac matrices , with  and the remaining constants are  the speed of light,  being Planck's constant, and  the mass of a fermion (for example, an electron). It acts on a four-component wave function , the Sobolev space of smooth, square-integrable functions. It can be extended to a self-adjoint operator on that domain. The square, in this case, is not the Laplacian, but instead  (after setting )

Example 4
Another Dirac operator arises in Clifford analysis. In euclidean n-space this is

where {ej: j = 1, ..., n} is an orthonormal basis for euclidean n-space, and Rn is considered to be embedded in a Clifford algebra.

This is a special case of the Atiyah–Singer–Dirac operator acting on sections of a spinor bundle.

Example 5
For a spin manifold, M, the Atiyah–Singer–Dirac operator is locally defined as follows: For  and e1(x), ..., ej(x) a local orthonormal basis for the tangent space of M at x, the Atiyah–Singer–Dirac operator is

where  is the spin connection, a lifting of the Levi-Civita connection on M to the spinor bundle over M.  The square in this case is not the Laplacian, but instead  where  is the scalar curvature of the connection.

Example 6
On Riemannian manifold  of dimension  with Levi-Civita connection and an orthonormal basis , we can define exterior derivative  and coderivative  as

.

Then we can define a Dirac-Kähler operator , as follows

.

The operator acts on sections of Clifford bundle in general, and it can be restricted to spinor bundle, an ideal of Clifford bundle, only if the projection operator on the ideal is parallel.

Generalisations
In Clifford analysis, the operator  acting on spinor valued functions defined by

is sometimes called Dirac operator in k Clifford variables. In the notation, S is the space of spinors,  are n-dimensional variables and  is the Dirac operator in the i-th variable. This is a common generalization of the Dirac operator () and the Dolbeault operator (, k arbitrary). It is an invariant differential operator, invariant under the action of the group . The resolution of D is known only in some special cases.

See also

AKNS hierarchy
Dirac equation
Clifford algebra
Clifford analysis
Connection
Dolbeault operator
Heat kernel
Spinor bundle

References

Differential operators
Quantum mechanics
Mathematical physics

Dirac operator


A posterior vitreous detachment (PVD) is a condition of the eye in which the vitreous membrane separates from the retina.
It refers to the separation of the posterior hyaloid membrane from the retina anywhere posterior to the vitreous base (a 3–4 mm wide attachment to the ora serrata).

The condition is common for older adults; over 75% of those over the age of 65 develop it. Although less common among people in their 40s or 50s, the condition is not rare for those individuals. Some research has found that the condition is more common among women.

Symptoms

When this occurs there is a characteristic pattern of symptoms:
 Flashes of light (photopsia)
 A sudden dramatic increase in the number of floaters
 A ring of floaters or hairs just to the temporal side of the central vision

As a posterior vitreous detachment proceeds, adherent vitreous membrane may pull on the retina.  While there are no pain fibers in the retina, vitreous traction may stimulate the retina, with resultant flashes that can look like a perfect circle.

If a retinal vessel is torn, the leakage of blood into the vitreous cavity is often perceived as a "shower" of floaters. Retinal vessels may tear in association with a retinal tear, or occasionally without the retina being torn.

A Weiss ring can sometimes be seen with ophthalmoscopy as very strong indicator that vitreous detachment has occurred. This ring can remain free-floating for years after detachment.

Complications
The risk of retinal detachment is the greatest in the first 6 weeks following a vitreous detachment, but can occur over 3 months after the event.

The risk of retinal tears and detachment associated with vitreous detachment is higher in patients with myopic retinal degeneration, lattice degeneration, and a familial or personal history of previous retinal tears/detachment.

Causes
The vitreous (Latin for "glassy") humor is a gel which fills the eye behind the lens. Between it and the retina is the vitreous membrane. With age the vitreous humor changes, shrinking and developing pockets of liquefaction, similar to the way a gelatin dessert shrinks and detaches from the edge of a pan. At some stage the vitreous membrane may peel away from the retina. This is usually a sudden event, but it may also occur slowly over months.

Age and refractive error play a role in determining the onset of PVD in a healthy person. PVD is rare in emmetropic people under the age of 40 years, and increases with age to 86% in the 90s. Several studies have found a broad range of incidence of PVD, from 20% of autopsy cases to 57% in a more elderly population of patients (average age was 83.4 years).

People with myopia (nearsightedness) greater than 6 diopters are at higher risk of PVD at all ages.
Posterior vitreous detachment does not directly threaten vision. Even so, it is of increasing interest because the interaction between the vitreous body and the retina might play a decisive role in the development of major pathologic vitreoretinal conditions, such as epiretinal membrane.

PVD may also occur in cases of cataract surgery, within weeks or months of the surgery.

The vitreous membrane is more firmly attached to the retina anteriorly, at a structure called the vitreous base. The membrane does not normally detach from the vitreous base, although it can be detached with extreme trauma. However, the vitreous base may have an irregular posterior edge. When the edge is irregular, the forces of the vitreous membrane peeling off the retina can become concentrated at small posterior extensions of the vitreous base. Similarly, in some people with retinal lesions such as lattice retinal degeneration or chorio-retinal scars, the vitreous membrane may be abnormally adherent to the retina. If enough traction occurs the retina may tear at these points. If there are only small point tears, these can allow glial cells to enter the vitreous humor and proliferate to create a thin epiretinal membrane that distorts vision. In more severe cases, vitreous fluid may seep under the tear, separating the retina from the back of the eye, creating a retinal detachment. Trauma can be any form from a blunt force trauma to the face such as a boxer's punch or even in some cases has been known to be from extremely vigorous coughing or blowing of the nose.

Diagnosis
Posterior Vitreous Detachment is diagnosed via dilated eye examination. For some patients the vitreous gel is extremely clear and so it can be hard to see the PVD. In these cases, additional imaging such as Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) or ocular ultrasound are used.

Treatment
Therapy is not required or indicated in posterior vitreous detachment, unless there are associated retinal tears, which need to be repaired. In absence of retinal tears, the usual progress is that the vitreous humor will continue to age and liquefy and floaters will usually become less and less noticeable, and eventually most symptoms will completely disappear. Prompt examination of patients experiencing vitreous humor floaters combined with expeditious treatment of any retinal tears has been suggested as the most effective means of preventing certain types of retinal detachments.

See also

 Vitreous membrane
 Central serous retinopathy
 Epiretinal membrane
 Vitrectomy
 Floater

References

External links

Eye diseases

Posterior vitreous detachment


The 1950 All-Ireland Senior Camogie Championship was the high point of the 1950 season in Camogie. The championship was won by Dublin who defeated London by a 21-point margin in the final, having already defeated Antrim by a ten-point margin in the home final.

Structure
Galway defeated Roscommon by 7–7 to nil in the Connacht final. Kathleen Cody and Kathleen Mills dominated midfield and as Dublin beat Galway 9–7 to 2–1 at Parnell Park while goals from Madge Rainey, Sarah O'Neill and Mary Rua McGarry gave Antrim victory over Munster champions Tipperary at Corrigan Park

Home Final
Sophie Brack's goal for Dublin in the first minute of the final was disallowed.  Goals from Madge Rainey and Mary McKeever helped Antrim take a 2-0 to 0-3 lead before Brack scored just before half time from close range. It was level at half time Dublin 2-3 to Antrim 2-0. Antrim levelled again with a Madge Rainey goal with 15 minutes to go before Dublin pulled away with four goals, one each from Sophie Brack and Patsy Cooney, 1-1 from Kathleen Cody and another Sophie Brack goal. It was played, according to the Irish Independent"at a fast and exciting tempo":
 Dublin captured the title for the eleventh time by outstaying a rejuvenated Antrim side in the last quarter of the match. Until that all important final quarter the Ulster girls matched the holders puck for puck, and score for score and showed spirit and gameness in fighting back time after time when Dublin seemed to be getting on top. For all their great-hearted efforts Antrim lacked the finesse, the high degree of polished stick work and positional skill displayed by the star-studded Dublin team. The Antrim forwards never attempted to emulate the delightful combined movements of the winners attack, but in and around the goalmouth they seized on the slightest slip by a defender. Mary Rua McGarry was particularly adept at these tactics.
The Irish Press noted:
None of those who saw the match would agree there were ten points in the difference. It was a game which surpassed all expectations. This was not only a complete vindication of the wisdom of staging an All Ireland championship in this code, but was a most eloquent tribute to the tenacity and purposefulness of the enthusiasts in Antrim, who have kept the game going there. As a game it was a treat to watch and the whole sixty minutes sparkled with good play. Every girl on the field had her heart in her job and the appreciative cheers of the 3,000 people present were eloquent testimony to the very high level of play set up by this gallant 24."

Final Proper
Dublin then travelled to Belfast to play London in the "final proper" played alongside the Ward Cup match between Meath and Mayo before a large crowd. London were hampered in the loss of their captain Noreen Collins in the first ten minutes. Dublin led 4–2 to nil at half time, Patsy Cooney scoring three of their eight goals in an 8–2 to 1–2 victory,

Final stages

MATCH RULES
50 minutes
Replay if scores level
Maximum of 3 substitutions

See also
 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship
 Wikipedia List of Camogie players
 National Camogie League
 Camogie All Stars Awards
 Ashbourne Cup

References

External links
 Camogie Association
 Historical reports of All Ireland finals
 All-Ireland Senior Camogie Championship: Roll of Honour
 Camogie on facebook
 Camogie on GAA Oral History Project

1950 in camogie
1950


The Vision Touch and Hearing Research Centre (VTHRC, 1988-2007) was the first Commonwealth Special Research Centre to be awarded to the University of Queensland. Located on the St. Lucia campus of the University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia, the VTHRC was headed by Prof. Jack Pettigrew FRS, FAAS.

The core research conducted at the VTHRC involved the use of sensory systems as models for understanding brain function and neuronal plasticity. Other major research themes included neuronal death and neuroprotection, the evolution and functional adaptation of sensory systems (sensory ecology) and the brain, the neuronal basis of behaviour (neuroethology), mental health and altered states of consciousness. Throughout its first decade (1988-1998) the VTHRC's activities were centered on four  'units', each encompassing multiple lines of research: the Vision, Touch, Hearing and Comparative Neuroscience units.

Cognitive science research institutes
Research institutes in Australia

Vision, Touch and Hearing Research Centre


The Cook Islands are a constitutional monarchy within the Realm of New Zealand. Under the Cook Islands Constitution, the Sovereign in Right of New Zealand (currently ) has been Head of State of the Cook Islands since 4 August 1965.  The Sovereign is represented by the 's Representative; as such, the  is the de jure head of state, holding several powers that are  alone, while the 's Representative is sometimes referred to as the de facto head of state.  The viceregal position is currently held by Tom Marsters.

Constitutional role
In 1965 Queen Elizabeth II became Head of State of the Cook Islands when the country obtained a position of free-association with New Zealand.

Article 2 of the Cook Islands Constitution states that "Her Majesty the Queen in Right of New Zealand shall be the Head of State of the Cook Islands." The expression "in Right of New Zealand" refers directly to the constitutional concept of the "Realm of New Zealand," as described in the 1983 Letters Patent Constituting the Office of Governor-General of New Zealand, approved by the Cook Islands after consultation with New Zealand. In clause 1, the Realm of New Zealand is defined as including New Zealand, the self-governing state of the Cook Islands, the self-governing state of Niue, Tokelau and the Ross Dependency.

Thus, Elizabeth II, by virtue of being Head of State of her entire Realm of New Zealand, as described in the Letters Patent, was also Head of State of that part of her Realm of New Zealand referred to in the Letters Patent as "the self-governing state of the Cook Islands."

The New Zealand - Cook Islands Joint Centenary Declaration states that:

On the passing of Elizabeth II on 8 September 2022, her son King Charles III immediately succeeded her to become Head of State of the Cook Islands via its free-association with New Zealand.

Sovereign's Representative

The Monarch's constitutional roles in the Cook Islands have been almost entirely delegated to the Sovereign's Representative. Royal assent and proclamation are required for all acts of Parliament; usually granted by the Sovereign's Representative.

Originally the viceregal representative was titled as High Commissioner and was appointed by the Governor-General of New Zealand on the recommendation of the Minister of the Government of New Zealand who was deemed responsible for matters relating to the Cook Islands, and after consultation with the Premier of the Cook Islands.  In the early 1980s, the Cook Island Constitution was amended so that the words "Queen's Representative" were substituted for the word "High Commissioner," and the words "Prime Minister" were substituted for the word "Premier." Further, the 1981 Constitution Amendment decreed that the King's representative was appointed directly by the Monarch; not the Governor-General of New Zealand.  The text states that "[there] shall be a representative of Her Majesty the Queen in the Cook Islands, to be known as the Queen's Representative [to be appointed] by Her Majesty the Queen..."

Article 5 of the Constitution states that the Queen's Representative is to act on the advice of her Cook Islands Ministers: "The Queen's Representative in the performance of his functions as the representative of Her Majesty the Queen shall act on the advice of Cabinet, the Prime Minister, or the appropriate Minister as the case may be..."

Over the Realm of New Zealand, the Letters Patent established the office of the Governor-General, and provide that the Governor-General is "[the Queen's] representative in [the] Realm of New Zealand" who may exercise his or her powers and authorities "without prejudice to the office, powers, or authorities of any other person who has been or may be appointed to represent [Her Majesty] in any part of [her] Realm of New Zealand and to exercise powers and authorities on [her] behalf." However, the relationship between the Governor-General of New Zealand and the Queen's Representative is quite different. Under the Cook Islands' Constitution, executive power is "vested in Her Majesty the Queen in right of New Zealand... the executive authority of the Cook Islands may be exercised on behalf of Her Majesty by the Queen's Representative either directly or through officers subordinate to him. This leaves the Governor-General with only an indirect constitutional role in the form of the defence and external affairs prerogatives, arising from the Governor-General's constitutional position in terms of the Realm as a whole. Any viceregal powers and responsibilities in the Cook Islands are vested in the Sovereign's Representative, leaving the Governor-General with no substantive role in relation to the territory.

Title

The King's official title is: King Charles the Third, By the Grace of God King of New Zealand and of His Other Realms and Territories, Head of the Commonwealth, Defender of the Faith.

Succession
Royal succession is governed by the Royal Succession Act 2013. This legislation lays out the rules that the Monarch cannot be a Roman Catholic, and must be in communion with the Church of England upon ascending the throne.

The heir apparent is Charles III's eldest son, William, Prince of Wales.

Symbols of monarchy

References to the monarch are commonplace in public life in the Cook Islands. There are references to the Crown in legal documents, Oaths of office taken by the King's Representative, Members of Parliament and Judges of the High Court, and prescriptions in the Constitution require allegiance to be sworn to the reigning Sovereign as the Head of State of the Cook Islands.

Unlike in the United Kingdom, the King's Official Birthday is a public holiday on the first Monday in June. Elizabeth II's portrait continues to appear on the obverse of coins, and all banknotes feature the portrait of Elizabeth II as the watermark until new currency is issued with Charles III's portrait. However, only the $20 banknote bears her image as the main feature (Cook Islands use the New Zealand dollar).

Elizabeth II undertook a royal tour of the Cook Islands between 28 January and 29 January 1974.

Notes

References

See also
 Monarchy in New Zealand
 Monarchy of the United Kingdom

British Empire
Politics of the Cook Islands
Political organisations based in the Cook Islands
Politics of New Zealand
Government of the Cook Islands
Cook Islands and the Commonwealth of Nations

Monarchy in the Cook Islands


The WM and WN series are the third and final generation of the Holden Caprice/Statesman, a range of  full-size luxury saloons produced by the Australian manufacturer Holden from August 2006 to October 2017, sold primarily in Australia and New Zealand. They were also exported in various guises to the United States, the Middle East, China and South Korea. The range debuted alongside the smaller VE series Holden Commodore, which the Caprice shares its "Zeta" platform with, on 16 July 2006 at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre.

The WM Caprice and Statesman were an A$190 million investment, in combination with the $1.03 billion VE Commodore programme. The car's main target market was to senior Federal and State politicians, government officials, businesspeople and private buyers in Australia and overseas. In August 2010 the WM Series II was released, and the 'Statesman' variant was discontinued, leaving only the Caprice. The range was updated further to the WN in 2013, followed by the WN Series II in 2015.

Holden discontinued production of the Caprice, retired the range and exited the large luxury sedan segment as of October 2017.

Models and Updates

WM
Starting in 2006, Holden offered the WM series in two trim levels:

 Statesman: Features basic leather seats, woodgrain trim, Blaupunkt base sound system, dual-zone climate control for front passengers, 4-way power adjusting front passenger seat, halogen headlights and 17-inch alloy wheels. Features a slatted front grille and a chrome number plate surround on the rear bumper. Comes standard with the 3.6-litre LY7 V6 engine.
 Caprice: Gains bolstered premium leather seats, rear seat entertainment system with twin LCD screens and DVD player, rear seat tri-zone climate control, brushed aluminium trim, Bose premium sound system, 8-way power adjusting front passenger seat, bi-xenon headlights, headlight washers, heated side mirrors, chrome-accented door handles, 18-inch alloy wheels and sports suspension. Has a different front bumper to the Statesman. Comes standard with the 6.0-litre L98 V8 engine.

Both trims featured common leather-wrapped steering wheels, 8-way power adjusting drivers seats, reversing sensors, built-in fog lights and LED taillights, as well as a Holden-developed MP3/CD/radio infotainment system with a 6.5-inch colour screen, 3.5 mm auxiliary audio input and Bluetooth connectivity for phone calls. Options across the range included a GPS navigation add-on for the infotainment system, sunroof, full-size spare wheel and a limited slip differential. The available V6 and V8 engines were optional for both trims. Automatic transmission is standard for all WM models, with no manual option available in any configuration.

The WM received upgraded engines in 2009. The Statesman's LY7 V6 was replaced with the new direct-injected LLT V6, while the Caprice received the L77 V8 with GM's Active Fuel Management cylinder deactivation technology. New badges were added to the cars advertising these technologies. The V6 variants also received the same 6L80 6-speed transmission as the V8, replacing the older 5-speed unit.

The front windscreen and the front doors are the only parts of the Caprice that are visually the same as the related VE Holden Commodore. Unlike previous Caprice models, the rear doors were not taken from the Commodore wagon; the WM has its own elongated rear door designs that enable easier entry and egress.

Compared to the previous generation, more sporting trim highlights are used in the cabin and the centre dash incorporates real aluminium. The already considerable rear leg-room has been increased over previous models. Holden's tri-zone climate control system was carried over from the WL Caprice, allowing regulation of the car's temperature at three separate places inside the cabin. Themes for the specialist interior design team were comfort, sophistication, harmony, luxury and attention to detail. The extroverted instrument pad features a wide binnacle, unique chrome-ringed instrument cluster and integrated centre stack with a high resolution colour screen, zoned audio and climate controls and satin chrome detailing.

WM Series II
The WM was updated to a Series II designation in mid-2010. The 'Statesman' nameplate and trim was discontinued, including its unique wheels, front and rear styling and woodgrain interior trim. To replace it, the remaining Caprice was split into two trim levels - a decontented base Caprice intended to replace the Statesman in both price and equipment, and a new flagship Caprice 'V' series. The Caprice V gained its own alloy wheel design, standard sunroof and rear seat entertainment system over the base Caprice, making it roughly equivalent to the original WM Series 1 Caprice in equipment. Drivetrain options were also standardised; the Caprice came standard with the 3.6L V6 with an optional LPG variant, while the 6.0L V8 became the sole engine choice on the Caprice V.

The WM2 Caprice was largely unchanged in general interior design from the WM1, but gained Holden's new 'iQ' infotainment system, enabling the connection of USB devices, enhanced bluetooth connectivity for music streaming, satellite navigation with traffic alerts and a reversing camera. The exterior remained similarly unchanged, except for new wheel designs and the chrome boot garnish, which was modified to house the reversing camera. The 'Caprice' nameplate was moved from the garnish to a separate badge as a result.

WN
The new 'WN' generation Caprice V was released in July 2013.

For the first time, the Caprice no longer had a unique dashboard; instead, the WN gained the same all-new interior, dashboard, sports steering wheel and corporate MyLink infotainment system from the VF generation Holden Calais. The LCD screens for the Caprice V's rear seat entertainment system were redesigned to fold into the seat backs instead of being housed in the front headrests as before and in addition, new auxiliary ports were added for external video devices. Only dual-zone climate control for front passengers is offered on all models; the tri-zone system and rear seat controls from the WM were deleted. The exterior design of the WN Caprice was left almost completely unchanged from the 2006 WM; the only minor visual differences were new, larger 19-inch alloy wheels as standard, a new chromed door handle design and a new rear antenna assembly.

Various new safety and convenience technologies were implemented, including trailer stability control, rear cross traffic alert, backup camera, blind spot monitor, lane departure warning system, forward collision alert, HUD (head-up display), electric park brake, electric-assisted steering, automatic parking and keyless entry and ignition. The previously optional limited slip differential became standard across all WN "V" models.

The flagship Caprice V was offered in two engine choices. The standard option was the carryover 6.0L V8 from WM series 1 and 2, and an optional LPG 3.6L V6 that was only available for one year from 2014 to 2015. The decontented, base trim, non-V Caprice came only with the LPG 3.6L V6, and was primarily aimed at fleets. It came with the older 18-inch alloy wheels from the WM2 Caprice V, featured a non-sport steering wheel, leather seating and a standard sound system, and deleted the optional rear seat entertainment system, heated seats, HUD, memory seats, lane departure warning, forward collision alert and electric passenger seat adjustment. In 2015, Holden discontinued the base Caprice with no replacement, and the LPG V6 was removed from the entire lineup as a result.

WN Series II
The final series II revision of the WN Caprice was released in September 2015. The range was streamlined further with the deletion of the 3.6L LPG V6, leaving only a single trim level with a single V8 drivetrain. The 6.0L L77 V8 engine was replaced with the 6.2L LS3 V8 from the HSV Grange, albeit detuned to . Cosmetic exterior changes included a new 19-inch alloy wheel design, a rear lip spoiler as standard, and dual exhaust tips replacing the quad exhaust tips of previous V8 models. The interior was mostly unchanged, bar the deletion of the rear seat cupholders and the 3.5 mm auxiliary audio input jack.

Drivetrain
The WM Caprice originally came standard with the 6.0-litre L98 V8 engine, producing  coupled to the GM 6L80E six-speed automatic transmission as featured on sports Commodore variants. A , 3.6-litre Alloytec V6 was also standard on the Statesman, and optional for the Caprice. The semi-sports suspension was stiffened compared to the Statesman, sitting halfway between their standard suspension tune and the "FE2" suspension tune of their sports models. The L98 V8 had a claimed  time of a little over six seconds.

For the WM MY09.5 update, the L98 was superseded with the newer L77 V8, matched to a six-speed automatic transmission with Active Select. Although less powerful than the L98 at , the L77 introduced Active Fuel Management (AFM) cylinder deactivation technology, and also offered the ability to run on bio-ethanol or E85 fuels. The WM series 2 update also received Holden's new  3.6-litre SIDI direct injection V6, paired to the same automatic transmission. In 2012 the option for an LPG engine was introduced. It was based on vapor injection technology rather liquid injection offered by competitors. The engine offered 180kW and 320Nm and was paired to the same six speed automatic as the rest of the engine lineup.

For the final WN series 2 update, the long-running L77 V8 was superseded by the 6.2 litre LS3 V8, producing  of power.

Safety
In the safety aspect the Statesman comes with Bosch Electronic Stability Control, traction control, ABS brakes, EBD, BAS and a tyre pressure monitoring system as standard Front, side and curtain airbags come as standard which is another incentive to improve the Caprice's safety equipment, this also contributed to the fact that the Caprice's safety rating surpass that off its main rival, the LTD. Development commenced with the largest virtual crash modelling program Holden has ever undertaken. Emphasis was placed on considering the range of impact scenarios that occur in real world accident situations and differing occupant criteria. Safety technologies were benchmarked along with the world's leading luxury brands and major engineering programs delivered a stiffer body structure and vastly increased usage of advanced strength steels. Multiple load corridor strategies for frontal, side and rear impacts improve passenger compartment integrity. They are complemented by an improved multi-point airbag sensing system and an adaptive restraint system which includes dual stage front airbags, thorax side impact airbags, curtain airbags and front seat active head restraints as standard equipment. Structurally optimised crush zones absorb crash energy and other occupant protection features include a steering column ride-down mechanism and breakaway brake pedal.

HSV Grange

E-Series (WM)
Tuning house Holden Special Vehicles released their version of the top-spec Caprice, the E1-series Grange, for the Australian and New Zealand markets in 2007. Unlike the Caprice's L98 V8, the Grange was factory-fitted with a 6.0L LS2 V8 from the C6 Chevrolet Corvette, making  peak power. It also gained magnetic ride control suspension, 19-inch staggered wheels and unique, HSV-designed front bumper, rear spoiler and rear diffuser. The price of a Grange was A$82,990, A$13,000 more than a standard Caprice. The E1 Grange can accelerate from  in 5.0 seconds.

In mid-2008, production of the LS2 engine was discontinued, necessitating a switch to the new 6.2L LS3 V8, rated at  power. Although the Grange had received a new engine, it continued to be designated the E1 until mid-2009, when the new E2 series was formally released. The E2 Grange featured completely redesigned front and rear bumpers, chrome side mirrors, new alloy wheel designs, rectangular exhaust tips on the rear, DRLs (daylight running lamps) on the front and came standard with a bi-modal exhaust.

This was followed in mid-2010 by the new E3 Grange, in line with Holden's release of the WM Series II Caprice, which included the all-new Holden iQ infotainment system from the WM2 Caprice. Along with other E series HSVs, the E3 Grange received HSV's EDI (Enhanced Driver Interface), and add-on to the iQ system that provides real-time dynamics, race, performance and engine statistics. The E3 also gained a performance upgrade to the LS3 V8, making  at 6000 rpm and  of torque at 4600 rpm. This engine tune was shared with the E3 GTS, HSV's performance flagship.

Gen-F (WN)

In 2013, the Gen-F series Grange was launched, in line with Holden's new WN series Caprice. Like the Caprice, the Gen-F Grange continued with the same drivetrain and same unchanged exterior as the preceding E2 and E3 series, but gained new 20-inch staggered alloy wheels. Inside, it received the brand new interior, dashboard, rear seat entertainment and MyLink infotainment upgrade from the WN Caprice, and featured unique HSV-branded suede dashboard trim, extra battery and oil pressure gauges, paddle shifters and the latest version of HSV's EDI system. It also came standard with a further  upgrade to its LS3 V8 engine, shared with the Gen-F HSV Senator.

In September 2015, the Gen-F2 series of HSVs was launched, in line with Holden's VF Series II Commodore range. However, the Gen-F2 Grange was largely unchanged, differentiated only by a further new alloy wheel design, and the extra interior gauges deleted. It was the only car in HSV's lineup to not get the new supercharged 6.2L LSA V8 engine, and now shared its aging LS3 V8 with the much cheaper WN2 Caprice.

In October 2016, HSV announced the discontinuation of the Grange, and a commemorative final run of 50 limited edition Granges, named the 'SV' edition. The Grange SV boasted four-piston AP Racing brakes with black calipers, blacked out accents, trim and grille, and 20-inch Rapier gloss black forged alloy wheels.

Exports

Chevrolet Caprice (Middle East)

As with previous models, the WM Caprice was exported to Middle East markets (including Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Oman and the UAE) from 2007 to 2017, where it was marketed and sold under the Chevrolet brand. Chevrolet offered four different trim levels for the Caprice, all largely similar to the Australian models with some differences:

 LS: Based largely on the Holden Statesman, but features halogen headlights and taillights, black plastic mirrors and door handles and 17-inch wheels. Front fog lights and chrome highlights on the bodywork are deleted. Interior has cloth seats, plastic steering wheel and the full entry-level VE Commodore Omega dashboard and head unit, with base Blaupunkt sound system.
 This base model trim was not available in Australia or New Zealand; its role there was fulfilled by the similarly specified VE Commodore Omega.
 LTZ: As LS, but gains fog lights, full Statesman 'Prestige' dashboard and head unit with woodgrain trim and leather-wrapped steering wheel, 18-inch alloy wheels and tri-zone climate control for rear passengers.
 SS: As LTZ, but gains projector headlights and LED taillights, brushed metal dashboard and interior trim, full Holden Caprice front bumper with fog lights, boot lip spoiler and an Impala badge on the bootlid in place of the Chevrolet badge.
 Royale: As LTZ, but gains projector headlights and LED taillights, headlight washers, leather seats with rear seat entertainment system, sunroof, reversing camera and premium Bose sound system. Features a chrome slatted grille and a Chevrolet hood ornament unique to this model.

The Middle East-market Caprice was equipped with same engine and powertrain options as available in Australia, although the 3.6L V6 engine was removed from the lineup for the WM Series II update in 2011. The Caprice received all subsequent updates (WN and WN Series II) through to the end of Australian production. The Middle East region comprised the majority of Caprice exports outside of Australia.

Chevrolet Caprice PPV (United States)

The WM and WN Caprices were exported to the United States as the Chevrolet Caprice PPV (Police Patrol Vehicle) from 2011 to 2017. Unlike past US-market Caprices, the imported Caprice PPV was strictly police-only, and not offered by Chevrolet or otherwise legally available to the public as a new, untitled vehicle. The PPV was initially available in two specification levels, both significantly decontented and downmarket compared to the Australian models:

 PPV 9C3 (Detective): As per the Middle Eastern 'LS' base model, but with 18-inch steel wheels, amber front indicators, black plastic guard vents, black plastic interior door handles and seat-mounted seatbelts. The glovebox lock, rear seat map pockets and folding middle rear seat were all deleted, and the iQ infotainment system was locked down to AM/FM radio operation only. The unique front bumper was based on the VE2 Commodore Omega. The rear bumper also deleted the chrome trims and the diffuser.
 The 9C3 was discontinued after the 2013 model year as part of the WN update.
 PPV 9C1 (Patrol): As per the 9C3, but the centre console and armrest were deleted and replaced with a large police accessory mounting bracket. As a result, the power window switches were relocated to the front doors, the handbrake was replaced with a foot brake, and the automatic shifter was moved closer to the driver. GM's Tap Shift feature was deleted from the automatic shifter, instead featuring a selectable Pursuit Mode, which raised the up- and down-shift points, sacrificing fuel economy for more aggressive throttle and transmission response when necessary. 9C1s feature vinyl flooring instead of carpeting standard.
 2014+ WN versions of the 9C1 gained the brand new dashboard and infotainment system from the WN Holden Caprice. The floor shifter was deleted entirely and replaced with a unique column shifter, freeing up maximum space in the centre mounting rack for police equipment. The WN PPV also continued to use a traditional ignition key barrel, in place of the Holden version's new keyless ignition button.

The standard engine across the PPV range was the 6.0L L77 petrol V8; the 6.2L LS3 V8 from later Holden versions was never offered. The 3.6-litre LFX V6 petrol engine became available as an option from 2012 onwards. The car enjoyed a positive reception in the US, with near perfect scores in an assessment by the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, and the only criticism being directed at over-cautious electronic stability control.

The Caprice PPV was updated to the new WN generation in 2014, now only available in the 9C1 trim level. In 2015, the PPV gained the reversing camera from the Holden Caprice. The car's final update for 2017 made standard a limited-slip differential with the V6, a vinyl rear bench seat with seat-back security panel, and an 18-inch full size spare wheel.

Buick Park Avenue (China)

Starting in April 2007, the WM Caprice was sold in China under the Buick brand as the third-generation Park Avenue, replacing the outgoing WL Caprice-based Buick Royaum. It is the only version of the Caprice that was not fully built in Australia by Holden; complete knock down kits were exported by Holden to China for local assembly by Shanghai GM. Like the Caprice for Holden, the Park Avenue was positioned as Buick's largest flagship luxury car, and was available in four trim levels: Flagship, Luxury, Elite and Comfort.

The Park Avenue shares a similar basic specification to the WM Caprice, but the local Chinese assembly allowed many new changes to be made, making it the most unique, luxurious and fully featured Caprice variant. Inside, it gained an all-new Buick-designed dashboard with a new infotainment system, analog clock and woodgrain trim with chrome highlights. Heated front seats were added with rotating headrests, a closing lid was added to the centre cupholders and the electric window and mirror switches were relocated to the doors. The interior doors were redesigned to accommodate new aircon vents, a different, chromed and backlit handle design and expandable map pockets. An electric handbrake replaced the lever brake, and remote start functionality was added.

The back of the car featured the biggest change; a modified rear floor to accommodate electrically adjustable rear seats, with heating, ventilation and massage functions, and a large, folding middle seat centre console with seating controls and cupholders. A single roof-mounted DVD screen was fitted ahead of the DVD player for rear seat entertainment. The Park Avenue also added rear sunvisors, a passenger-side seat-mounted fold-down table, auxiliary AV ports and built-in window sunshades. Cigarette lighters and ashtrays were added as standard on all models in the front and back of the car. The tri-zone air conditioning controls were relocated from the roof to the centre armrest. A premium Harman Kardon sound system replaced the Bose and Blaupunkt systems used in other Caprice variants.

Exterior changes included new alloy wheel designs, a Buick 'waterfall' chrome front grille, different guard indicators, a new front bumper design and a large 'Buick' chrome garnish on the bootlid. The 'bee-sting' wire antenna on the roof was also replaced with a smaller 'shark-fin' antenna. Initially, the Park Avenue was available with the Caprice's 3.6-litre LY7 petrol V6 engine, as well as an additional 2.8-litre LP1 V6 on lower spec models, which was exclusive to the Park Avenue. The range was streamlined to a single drivetrain, the 3.0-litre LF1 V6 in 2010, which was also used in the Australian VE series II Commodore Omega. No V8 options were available.

Buick discontinued production of the Park Avenue in October 2012, with no WN update and no direct replacement model.

Daewoo Veritas (South Korea)

Holden exported Caprices to South Korea in 2008 as the Daewoo Veritas, after showcasing a pre-production Daewoo L4X concept in 2007. The Veritas is very close in specification to the Middle Eastern Chevrolet Caprice Royale, with a similar plain slatted grille and Daewoo hood ornament. However, in the back, the Veritas shares the Buick Park Avenue's electrically adjustable, heated and massaging back seats, along with the same flip-down centre console with seat controls, and the same single roof-mounted DVD screen fitted for rear seat entertainment. The Veritas gained its own unique features not used on other Caprices, including an internal air purifier system, power-folding side mirrors and an extra bank of navigation and infotainment controls located near the shifter. The sole powertrain on offer was the 3.6-litre LFX V6, later upgraded to the direct injection LLT version in 2010.

The Veritas was discontinued in 2011, when the Daewoo brand was shuttered in Korea.

Bitter Vero (Germany)

In 2008, the small-scale German manufacturer Bitter launched the Vero, an imported, modified WM Caprice, after first showcasing it at the Geneva Motor Show. The Vero came standard with the 6.0L L98 V8 engine and was presented as a boutique luxury car. It featured a host of cosmetic changes, such as a unique brown leather interior and dashboard trim, heated front seats, 'B'-shaped exhaust tips, new alloy wheels and a new front bumper & grille, with a droopsnoot bonnet treatment.

Only ten units were built; all were purchased and imported directly from Holden, via Erich Bitter's friendship with Holden's former managing director, Peter Hanenberger. The Vero was sold in Germany for  and was discontinued in 2012.

References

See also
 HSV Grange

Full-size vehicles
WM
Cars of Australia
Rear-wheel-drive vehicles
Sedans
Cars introduced in 2006
2010s cars
Luxury vehicles

Holden Caprice (WM)


Washington Square is one of the 26 officially recognized neighborhoods of Syracuse, New York.

Description
Washington Square encompasses what used to be the old Village of Salina which has a concentration of two, three, and four- family structures, and larger apartments surrounded by single-family homes.  The neighborhood contains mixed-use buildings along the North Salina Street corridor.  Washington Square has the most historic rooming/boarding houses out of all the city's neighborhoods.  Historic multiple residences ranked second highest, and apartment buildings ranked seventh.  Almost 50 percent of Washington Square's mixed-use buildings have historic significance.

The North Salina Street Historic District runs from the 500 Block (where Prospect Street meets N. Salina Street), to the end of the 900 block at Union Place.  The City of Syracuse hired a consultant to initiate a streetscape enhancement plan, which includes improved sidewalks, new street furniture, improved parking, new landscaping, interpretive historic markers, and a pedestrian friendly atmosphere.  This is intended to be a catalyst for store owners to rehabilitate or improve their own storefronts in order to attract more businesses to locate on this once magnificent 19th Century commercial strip.

The Washington Square neighborhood consists of a mix of residential, commercial and industrial sectors.  Businesses are concentrated along North Salina, North State Street, East Hiawatha Boulevard, and Wolf Street.  Retail, professional, service, wholesale, and industrial type businesses populate the area.  Franklin Elementary is the school located in the neighborhood.

Schiller Park serves the needs for this area.  Woodlawn Cemetery, though not a park, is often used for dog walking and strolling by the neighbors.  Washington Square Park lies in the far western corner, along North Salina Street.

In addition to the North Salina Street Historic District, the Chapman House and Gang House are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Geography
It borders three other Syracuse neighborhoods, with Northside to the east, Near Northeast to the southeast, and Lakefront to the west.

References

 City of Syracuse (Official Site) Neighborhoods

Neighborhoods in Syracuse, New York

Washington Square, Syracuse