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User talk:Timothy57

Welcome to the Wikipedia
Here are some links I find useful

 * Policy Library
 * Cite your sources
 * Verifiability
 * Wikiquette
 * Conflict resolution
 * Brilliant prose
 * Neutral point of view
 * Pages needing attention
 * Peer review
 * Bad jokes and other deleted nonsense
 * Village pump
 * Boilerplate text

Cheers, Sam Spade 00:59, 14 May 2004 (UTC)

Unverified images
Hi! Thanks for uploading the following images:

 * Image:Ivans_childhood.jpg
 * Image:Ivans_childhood2.jpg
 * Image:Ivans_childhood3.JPG

I notice it currently doesn't have an image copyright tag. Could you add one to let us know its copyright status? (You can use if you release it under the GNU Free Documentation License,  if you claim fair use, etc.) If you don't know what any of this means, just let me know where you got the imagesand I'll tag them for you. Thanks so much. [[User:Poccil|Peter O. (Talk, automation script)]] 01:17, Dec 10, 2004 (UTC)

P.S. You can help tag other images at User:Yann/Untagged_Images. Thanks again.

Unverified images
Hi! Thanks for uploading the following image:

 * Image:Ivan's_Childhood.jpg

I notice it currently doesn't have an image copyright tag. Could you add one to let us know its copyright status? (You can use if you release it under the GNU Free Documentation License,  if you claim fair use, etc.) If you don't know what any of this means, just let me know at my talk page where you got the images and I'll tag them for you. Thanks so much. [[User:Poccil|Peter O. (Talk, automation script)]] 22:41, Dec 10, 2004 (UTC)

P.S. You can help tag other images at User:Yann/Untagged_Images. Thanks again.

Cauchy product
Your edits to Cauchy product missed the point completely. I've changed it back, with some accompanying warnings against the mistake you made. Michael Hardy 21:10, 11 July 2006 (UTC)

 * OK, maybe my comments above are a bit rash, but use of the sum notation makes me think it's about sums rather than about formal objects, where concern for convergence or divergence comes only later. Michael Hardy 00:24, 12 July 2006 (UTC)

Image:Manchester Grammar School buildings in winter.jpg
Thanks for uploading Image:Manchester Grammar School buildings in winter.jpg. I notice the 'image' page specifies that the image is being used under fair use, but its use in Wikipedia articles fails our first fair use criterion in that it illustrates a subject for which a free image could reasonably be found or created. If you believe this image is not replaceable, please:
 * 1) Go to the image description page and edit it to add
 * 2) On the image discussion page, write the reason why this image is not replaceable at all.

If you have uploaded other fair use media, consider checking that you have specified how these images fully satisfy our fair use criteria. You can find a list of 'image' pages you have edited by clicking on [ this link]. Note that any fair use images which are replaceable by free-licensed alternatives will be deleted one week after they have been uploaded, as described on criteria for speedy deletion. If you have any questions please ask them at the Media copyright questions page. Thank you. – Quadell (talk) (random) 22:43, 19 October 2006 (UTC)

Jan Silva
Another editor has added the "prod" template to the article Jan Silva, suggesting that it be deleted according to the proposed deletion process. All contributions are appreciated, but the editor doesn't believe it satisfies Wikipedia's criteria for inclusion, and has explained why in the article (see also What Wikipedia is not and Notability). Please either work to improve the article if the topic is worthy of inclusion in Wikipedia or discuss the relevant issues at its talk page. If you remove the prod template, the article will not be deleted, but note that it may still be sent to Articles for deletion, where it may be deleted if consensus to delete is reached. BJBot (talk) 22:01, 22 January 2008 (UTC)

Orphaned non-free image File:Ivans childhood3.JPG
 Thanks for uploading File:Ivans childhood3.JPG. The image description page currently specifies that the image is non-free and may only be used on Wikipedia under a claim of fair use. However, the image is currently orphaned, meaning that it is not used in any articles on Wikipedia. If the image was previously in an article, please go to the article and see why it was removed. You may add it back if you think that that will be useful. However, please note that images for which a replacement could be created are not acceptable for use on Wikipedia (see our policy for non-free media).

If you have uploaded other unlicensed media, please check whether they're used in any articles or not. You can find a list of "file" pages you have edited by clicking on the "my contributions" link (it is located at the very top of any Wikipedia page when you are logged in), and then selecting "File" from the dropdown box. Note that any non-free images not used in any articles will be deleted after seven days, as described on criteria for speedy deletion. Thank you. Krinkle (talk) 01:59, 20 February 2010 (UTC)

title: User talk:Timothy57


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User talk:Yizzerin

Welcome to the Wikipedia
Here are some links I find useful

 * Policy Library
 * Cite your sources
 * Verifiability
 * Wikiquette
 * Conflict resolution
 * Brilliant prose
 * Neutral point of view
 * Pages needing attention
 * Peer review
 * Bad jokes and other deleted nonsense
 * Village pump
 * Boilerplate text

Cheers, Sam Spade 00:59, 14 May 2004 (UTC)

Miguel León-Portilla
Dear Nanahuatzin and Yizzerin: I am working on adding citations to various articles. Please help me with the article about Miguel León-Portilla. Thank you in advance for all of your help in this matter. Geraldshields11 (talk) 14:55, 20 November 2013 (UTC)

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

title: User talk:Yizzerin


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Corn dog

A corn dog (also spelled corndog and also known by several other names) is a sausage (usually a wiener) on a stick that has been coated in a thick layer of cornmeal batter and deep fried. It originated in the United States and is commonly found in American cuisine.

Names
While the name "corn dog" is used in the United States and Canada, there are regional variations of the food's name. In Québec, Canada, there is a popular local brand produced by Conagra called "Pogo".

In Australia, where they have become a popular food at agricultural shows and carnivals, they are known as either "Pluto pups", "Dagwood dogs", "dippy dogs" or (historically) "pronto pups". The name "Pluto pup" likely derives from the Disney character Pluto, who is a dog. "Dagwood dog" is derived from the name of a character from the American comic strip Blondie, which was created in 1930. In the comic strip, Dagwood, Blondie's husband, has a dog named Daisy. Historically, the name "pronto pup" was originally used as a brand name in the United States in 1941, although this name had become obsolete as early as 1949 and was replaced by the name "Pluto pup". Some have suggested that Pluto pups are made in factories, while Dagwood dogs are prepared on site.

In France, the term beignet de saucisse is used, which literally translates to "sausage donut".

In Japanese, the most common name for them is "American dog" (アメリカンドッグ).

In Korean, they are referred to as hatdogeu (핫도그), which literally translates to "hot dog". This has caused some confusion, however, especially for English speakers.

In Mexico, the name banderilla is used, which literally translates to "small flag".

In New Zealand, the name "hot dog" or "mini hot dog" is often used.

In South Africa, they are often referred to as yankees in Afrikaans.

History
Newly arrived German immigrants in Texas, who were sausage-makers finding resistance to the sausages they used to make, have been credited with introducing the corn dog to the United States, though the serving stick came later. A US patent filed in 1927, granted in 1929, for a Combined Dipping, Cooking, and Article Holding Apparatus, describes corn dogs, among other fried food impaled on a stick; it reads in part: "I have discovered that articles of food such, for instance, as wieners, boiled ham, hard boiled eggs, cheese, sliced peaches, pineapples, bananas and like fruit, and cherries, dates, figs, strawberries, etc., when impaled on sticks and dipped in batter, which includes in its ingredients a self rising flour, and then deep fried in a vegetable oil at a temperature of about 390 F, the resultant food product on a stick for a handle is a clean, wholesome and tasty refreshment."

A "Krusty Korn Dog" baker machine appeared in the 1926 Albert Pick-Barth wholesale catalog of hotel and restaurant supplies. The 'korn dogs' were baked in a corn batter and resembled ears of corn when cooked.

A number of current corn dog vendors claim responsibility for the invention and/or popularization of the corn dog. Carl and Neil Fletcher lay such a claim, having introduced their "Corny Dogs" at the State Fair of Texas sometime between 1938 and 1942. Pronto Pup of Rockaway Beach, Oregon, claims to have invented the corn dog in 1939. Cozy Dog Drive-in, in Springfield, Illinois, claims to have been the first to serve corn dogs on sticks, on June 16, 1946. Also in 1946, Dave Barham opened the first location of Hot Dog on a Stick at Muscle Beach in Santa Monica, California.

Preparation
Corn dogs are often served as street food or as fast food. For the best and freshest preparation, some vendors or restaurateurs dip and fry their corn dogs just before serving. Some corn dog purveyors sell pre-made frozen corn dogs, which are then thawed and fried again, or browned in an oven.

Corn dogs can also be found at almost any supermarket and convenience store store in North America as frozen foods as well as served hot and ready to eat. Pre-made frozen corn dogs can also be heated in a microwave oven, but the cornbread coating will lack texture.

Variations
One cheesy variation is prepared either with melted cheese between the hot dog and the breading or by using a cheese-filled hot dog.

Another version is the "cornbrat" (or "corn brat"), which is a corn dog made with bratwurst instead of a wiener or hot dog.

Small corn dogs, known as "corn puppies", "mini corn dogs", or "corn dog nuggets", are a variation served in some restaurants, generally on the children's menu or at fast food establishments. A serving includes multiple pieces, usually 10. In contrast to their larger counterparts, corn puppies are normally served stickless as finger food.

A breakfast version of the corn dog features a breakfast sausage in place of the hot dog, and pancake batter in place of the cornmeal. This variation is commonly called a "pancake on a stick". It was formerly served by the drive-in restaurant Sonic, but it is now made by companies such as Jimmy Dean.

Both vegetarian corn dogs and corn dog nuggets are made as meatless alternatives by many of the same companies that produce vegetarian hot dogs.

Argentina

In Argentina, a panchuker (or panchuque, pancho chino) is a hot snack that can be bought near some train stations and in some places of heavy pedestrian transit. They are more popular in the inner country cities. A panchuker consists of a sausage covered with a waffle-like pastry, and has a stick in it (like a corn dog) so that it can be easily consumed. Some versions contain cheese, and sauces may be served to accompany them. Some variations may be found in Uruguay and other South American countries. Generally, panchukers are offered as a low-price fast food and can only be seen at certain places of the inner country—like the cities of La Plata, Villa Albertina, and Cipoletti —and, in Buenos Aires, they can be found in Barrio Chino and Belgrano. They are particularly popular in certain regions in the Northwest, such as the province of Tucumán.

Australia
In Australia, a hot dog sausage on a stick, deep-fried in batter, is known as a Dagwood Dog, Pluto Pup, or Dippy Dog, depending on region. Variants use wheat-based or corn-based batters. These are not to be confused with the Australian battered sav, a saveloy deep fried in a wheat flour-based batter, as used for fish and chips, which generally does not contain cornmeal.

They are popular at agricultural shows and carnivals, such as the Sydney Royal Easter Show.

Canada
In Quebec, Ontario, New Brunswick, and Newfoundland and Labrador, a battered hot dog on a stick is called a "pogo" and is traditionally eaten with ordinary yellow mustard, sometimes referred to as "ballpark mustard". The rest of Canada refers to them by the non-trademarked term "corn dog" It is named after the trademarked name of a Conagra inc. frozen product available in all of the country since the 1960s but whose main market is the province of Quebec.

Japan
In Japan, the equivalent food is usually called an "American dog" (アメリカンドッグ) based on the idea of where the food is believed to originate. It is also called "French Dog" in certain parts of Japan including Hokkaido.

New Zealand
A New Zealand Hot Dog is invariably a deep-fried battered saveloy or pre-cooked sausage on a stick that is then usually dipped in tomato sauce (ketchup). The saveloy or sausage used is thicker than a frankfurter, and is coated in a thinner batter layer than American Corndogs. The batter can be cornmeal based or corn flour based. The distinction is not particularly important. The sausage in a bun that is called a hot dog in other countries is known as an "American Hot Dog" and is usually available at the same locations. If a further descriptor is needed to avoid confusion between the two, the New Zealand standard hot dog can be described as a hot dog on a stick.

South Africa
In South Africa, a corn dog is a popular cafe/fair food. A corn dog is usually called "Yankee" in the Afrikaans language. It is usually served with a sweet pink sauce made from a mixture of mayonnaise, tomato sauce and condensed milk.

South Korea
In South Korea, a corn dog is one of the most popular street foods. A corn dog is usually called "hot dog" in the Korean language (핫도그), creating confusion with a genuine hot dog. A French fry–encrusted corn dog, or "Kogo," has especially attracted the attention of Western visitors, including vegans (using vegan hot dogs).

Annual celebration
National Corndog Day is a celebration of the corn dog, tater tots, and American beer that occurs on the first Saturday of March Madness (NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship) of every year.

title: Corn dog


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User:Jbonilla 61

Hello Mr. Bonilla (soon to be Dr.). Welcome to Wikipedia. Hope you stick around. Danny 01:01, 14 May 2004 (UTC)

Welcome to Wikipedia :) Node

title: User:Jbonilla 61


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Geo (automobile)

Geo was a brand of small cars marketed by General Motors (GM) as a subdivision of its Chevrolet division from 1989 to 1997.

Geo was a joint venture between GM and Japanese automakers to compete with the growing small import market in the United States during the mid-1980s. Subcompact cars and SUVs, either badge engineered or based on Japanese models, were produced by GM at its facilities in North America or imported from Japan. Geo was discontinued after the 1997 model year and merged into Chevrolet. The Geo Metro, Prizm, and Tracker were sold as Chevrolets from the 1998 model year until their discontinuances in 2001, 2002, and 2004, respectively. In this sense, Geo existed until 2004, even with the Geo nameplate being dropped in mid-1997.

Asüna, a counterpart marque to Geo in Canada, was introduced by GM in 1992 to provide Pontiac-Buick-GMC dealers access to a similar range of import vehicles.

Manufacturing
Geo models were manufactured by GM in joint ventures with three Japanese automakers: Toyota, Isuzu, and Suzuki. The Prizm was produced at the GM/Toyota joint-venture NUMMI assembly plant in Fremont, California in the United States, and the Metro and Tracker models were produced at the GM/Suzuki joint-venture CAMI assembly plant in Ingersoll, Ontario in Canada. The exceptions, the Spectrum and Storm, were entirely manufactured by Isuzu in Japan. Geo Metro convertibles and early Geo Trackers were built by Suzuki in Japan.

Marketing
Geo's logo was based on the Chevrolet logo which was a globe outline with the Chevrolet bow tie in the middle, primarily seen on steering wheels of most Geo models. Its original slogan was "Get to know Geo" and commercials often featured the song "Getting to Know You" from the musical The King and I.

Metro
The Geo Metro is a small economy car that was based on the Suzuki Swift (Cultus) produced from 1989 to 2001 model years. The first generation was offered in three and five-door hatchback models as well as a 4-door notchback sedan that was only sold in Canada. In 1990, a convertible was available but was phased out after 1993. The Metro came in three trim levels: XFi, base, or LSi. The XFi's engine has less horsepower than the base and LSi and achieved a gas mileage of 53 mpg (city) and 58 mpg (highway). All of the Metros at this time had three cylinder engines with a 5-speed manual or 3-speed automatic transmission. The convertible is also the only first-generation Metro to offer an airbag. In 1995, the Metro was redesigned with a more modern appearance and offered a 70 hp four-cylinder engine, standard dual airbags and optional anti-lock brakes. A four-door sedan replaced the five-door hatchback. The XFi did not return for 1995 and only the Base and LSi models were offered. The three-cylinder engine remained in the base hatchback. In 1998 the Metro, now branded as a Chevrolet, was revamped one last time. It was given minor restyling, improved headlamps, and improved four cylinder engine, now producing 79 hp. The 2000 model year was the last for the Metro hatchback and the three cylinder engine. All 2001 models were four-door sedans that were sold to fleets only.

Prizm
The Prizm is a compact four-door sedan that was based on the Toyota E90 and E100 platform Toyota Sprinter. It was the successor to the Chevrolet Nova. A five-door hatchback model was also offered through 1991. While the Prizm consistently won awards from the auto industry (including a Consumer's Digest Best Buy selection), it was always outsold by the platform twin Toyota Corolla. Additionally, the Prizm was positioned within Chevrolet's own model lineup and competed with the Cavalier for market share and dealer floor space. The Prizm was sold from 1989 through 2002 and produced at NUMMI in Fremont, California. The Prizm came in either a base model or a more upscale LSi version that had an optional 1.8 L engine and a 4-speed automatic transmission. Leather interior was also optional on the LSi model. From 1990 to 1992, the Prizm had a sporty GSi model with red and black badging. It was equivalent in power and equipment to the Corolla GT-S although the latter was a coupe. The GSi was the most powerful Prizm with 130 hp. The Prizm model line was not offered in Canada.

Spectrum
The Spectrum was a short-lived subcompact model based on the Isuzu Gemini and one size up from the Metro. The Spectrum was sold as a regular Chevrolet model from 1985 to 1988. The 85-86 models shared several subtle differences to their 87-89 counterparts and were still fully branded as Chevrolets for the first year of production in 1989. However, with the launch of the Geo marque in 1989, the Spectrum was rebranded as a Geo. Although the grille stayed the same (including the Chevrolet "bowtie" emblem without Geo "globe") the rear "Chevrolet" emblem was replaced with a "Geo" emblem. The Geo Spectrum was only sold in 1989 and was replaced by the Isuzu-produced Geo Storm hatchback.

Storm
The Storm was a sports car based on the Isuzu Impulse, available as a three-door fastback "Sport Coupe" and a two-door "Hatchback", the latter styled as a mini station wagon in profile, often referred to as the "Wagonback" in some markets. The Storm entered Geo's lineup in 1990 as a base model or in GSi trim, replacing the related Geo Spectrum. The base model came with a choice of either a 3-speed automatic or a 5-speed manual. The Storm line entered Canada in 1992, and the Hatchback (wagon) was offered only in base model trim. The GSi models came with either a 5-speed manual or a 4-speed automatic, better handling, a rear spoiler, bucket seats, and a more powerful DOHC engine. In 1992, the front and rear of all models were restyled, the GSi sported a bigger 1.8 liter DOHC engine, replacing the former 1.6 DOHC, and a redesigned rear spoiler. Despite strong sales the Storm was discontinued in 1993, this was due in part to Isuzu discontinuing their car lines, and refocusing on trucks and SUVs. The Geo Storm was the performance oriented vehicle of the Geo marque. The Storm and the Geo Spectrum were produced in Japan by Isuzu.

Tracker
The Geo Tracker was an SUV introduced in 1989 and based on the Suzuki Sidekick. It was a low cost 4x4 vehicle, introduced as a two-door with either a convertible or fixed hard top in base or upscale LSi versions. All models between 1989 and 1990 were offered in 5-speed manual with four-wheel drive. In 1996, the two-door hard top was dropped in favor of the four-door model. The four-door offered a 95 hp engine and an optional four-speed automatic transmission. The Tracker was produced from 1989 to 1998 under the Geo marque, and 1999 to 2004 under Chevrolet itself, making it the longest running Geo model. The Tracker was completely redesigned for the 1999 model year.

title: Geo (automobile)


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Minister for the Civil Service

In the Government of the United Kingdom, the Minister for the Civil Service is responsible for regulations regarding His Majesty's Civil Service, the role of which is to assist the governments of the United Kingdom in formulating and implementing policies. The position is invariably held by the prime minister of the United Kingdom.

The role
In recognition of the primary authority of the prime minister over the Civil Service, it is a constitutional convention that the ministry would always be held by the prime minister. The list of ministers for the civil service is therefore identical to the list of prime ministers of the United Kingdom from 1968 onwards.

By the terms of the Civil Service (Management Functions) Act 1992, the minister may delegate his or her power to ministers and others such as the Scottish Government. Prime Minister Gordon Brown appointed Tom Watson to be responsible for digital engagement and Civil Service issues, while the Prime Minister has given the chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and minister for the Cabinet Office (previously Michael Gove and Steve Barclay) responsibility for the Civil Service.

The statutory instrument The Transfer of Functions (Treasury and Minister for the Civil Service) Order 1995, which transferred functions to the minister responsible for the Civil Service, came into force on 1 April 1995.

The Constitutional Reform and Governance Act 2010 codifies the power of the Minister for the Civil Service to manage the Civil Service, including the 'power to make appointments', the publication of the Civil Service code of conduct, and the right to be consulted before publication of recruitment principles by the Civil Service Commission. The Act also requires the Minister for the Civil Service to publish a special adviser code of conduct, approve the terms and conditions of appointment of special advisers, and publish an annual report about special advisers serving the UK government.

Civil Service Department
The ministership was created for Harold Wilson on 1 November 1968 when responsibilities for the pay and management of the Civil Service was transferred from HM Treasury to a new Civil Service Department.

Margaret Thatcher announced the abolition of the Civil Service Department to the House of Commons on 12 November 1981.

title: Minister for the Civil Service


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Department for Work and Pensions

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) is a ministerial department of the Government of the United Kingdom. It is responsible for welfare, pensions and child maintenance policy. As the UK's biggest public service department it administers the State Pension and a range of working age, disability and ill health benefits to around 20 million claimants and customers. It is the second largest governmental department in terms of employees, and the second largest in terms of expenditure (£228bn ).

The department has two delivery services: Jobcentre Plus administers working age benefits: Universal Credit, Jobseeker's Allowance and Employment and Support Allowance; the Child Maintenance Service provides the statutory child support scheme. DWP also administers State Pension, Pension Credit, disability benefits such as Personal Independence Payment, and support for life events from Maternity Allowance to bereavement benefits.

Non-departmental bodies accountable to DWP include the Health and Safety Executive, The Pensions Regulator and the Money and Pensions Service.

History
The department was created on 8 June 2001 as a merger of the Department of Social Security, Employment Service and the policy groups of the Department for Education and Employment involved in employment policy and international issues.

The department was initially tasked with creating Jobcentre Plus and the Pensions Service from the Employment Service and the Benefits Agency. The department became responsible for welfare and pension policy. It aims "to help its customers become financially independent and to help reduce child poverty".

In 2012, the department fully subsumed pensions, disability and life events under the DWP name; Jobcentre Plus and Child Maintenance Service remain as distinct identities publicly.

In 2019, the department was found by an independent inquiry to have broken its own rules, in a case where a disabled woman killed herself in 2017 after her benefits were stopped when she missed a Work Capability Assessment because she had pneumonia. Previous research published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health by Oxford University and Liverpool University had found that there were an additional 590 suicides between 2010 and 2013 in areas where such assessments were carried out. The researchers said that the DWP had introduced the policy of moving people off benefits without understanding the consequences.

Until 2021, the DWP was still using ICL VME based computer systems, originating from its 1988 Pension Service Computer System, to support state pension payments. The software was migrated to an in-house VME replacement system, in one of the largest computer replacement projects in Europe.

Ministers
DWP Ministers are as follows, with cabinet members in bold:

The Permanent Secretary is Sir Peter Schofield.

Pension Service
With the creation of the department in June 2001, the Pension Service was created, bringing together many different departments and divisions. The Pension Service is a 'dedicated service for current and future pensioners'.

The Pension Service consists of local Pension Centres and centrally-based centres, many of latter are based at the Tyneview Park complex in Newcastle upon Tyne. At Tyneview Park the following centres are found:

 * Future Pension Centre (FPC) provides state pension forecasts for people approaching retirement age.
 * Newcastle Pension Centre (NPC) originally dealt with the London area, the Home Counties, and part of West Midlands. Now the service is virtual so all pension centres deal with all areas of the country.
 * Pension Tracing Service (PTS) helps track old pensions and pension schemes.
 * International Pension Centre (IPC) deals with all enquiries regarding the payment of state pension, bereavement benefits, incapacity benefits and other such benefits for those living abroad.

Local Pension Centres deal with localised claims for state pension and retirement related benefits. Pension Centres are found all over the country. Benefits dealt with at local Pension Centres include:

 * Pension Credit (replaced a former scheme known as 'Minimum Income Guarantee' in October 2003)
 * Winter Fuel Payments
 * Cold Weather Payments

Disability and Carers Service
The Disability and Carers Service offers financial support for those who are disabled and their carers, whether in or out of employment. The DCS have offices throughout the country and deal with the following benefits:

 * Disability Living Allowance
 * Attendance Allowance
 * Carer's Allowance
 * Vaccine Damage Payment
 * Personal Independence Payment

The department has been found to frequently invite disabled people to interviews in buildings which are themselves not accessible to people with disabilities. When the person does not attend the interview they deny the person disability benefits, causing malnutrition and destitution. The DWP systematically underpaid disabled claimants who were transferred from Incapacity Benefit to Employment and Support allowance, risking hardship for claimants. A cross party committee of MPs, the Public Accounts Committee accused the DWP of a culture of indifference to claimants.

Since at least 2020 DWP has had a policy of cold-calling vulnerable and disabled people to attempt to pressure them into accept lower benefit claims than they were legally entitled. In July 2021 the DWP agreed to stop after it was threatened with legal action.

Disability Confident scheme
DWP administers the Disability Confident scheme, which supports employers to employ people with disabilities and to maintain the employment of staff who become disabled. The scheme operates as three levels:
 * Level 1: Disability Confident Committed
 * Level 2: Disability Confident Employer
 * Level 3: Disability Confident Leader.

The scheme is intended to encourage employers to “think differently about disability and take action to improve how they recruit, retain and develop disabled people”, but the DWP lost more disability discrimination cases at employment tribunal than any other employer in Britain between 2016 and 2019.

Tell Us Once
The DWP introduced the "Tell Us Once" system in 2011 to enable people to use a single interface to inform the government about a change in their personal circumstances. Using ‘Tell Us Once’, departments and agencies like the pensions service, HM Revenue & Customs, the Passport Office and local authorities are informed about a person's change in circumstances in parallel, removing the need for "repeated, unnecessary form-filling". Local authority departments making use of the service include libraries, housing departments, "Blue Badge" services and adult social care.

In most cases, a Registrar of Births, Marriages and Deaths will notify a person who registers a death about using the service.

DWP transferred to a cloud-based service in 2016 using the government's G-Cloud purchasing process for IT services. The Crown Commercial Service states that "cutting administration costs and reducing the overpayments of benefits – usually because of out-of-date records of people’s personal circumstances – protected the cross-government savings generated by Tell Us Once, estimated at more than £20 million per year. By switching from a physical infrastructure to a cloud solution, DWP has also benefited from cost savings of around 50% on the IT running costs of Tell Us Once".

Former structure
Before 2008, The Pension Service and the Disability and Carers Service were two separate executive agencies; however it was decided in April 2008 to merge them into one entity named The Pension, Disability and Carers Service.

Both former agencies kept their corporate branding and provided services under their separate identities. The decision was made due to the two agencies sharing about half of the same customers; as a single agency, the rationalisation of services would provide a better service for customers.

The status of PDCS as an executive agency (and its existence as a merged entity) was removed on 1 October 2011 with the functions being brought back inside the department; and both The Pension Service and the Disability and Carers Service becoming distinct entities once again. Prior to July 2012 the Child Support Agency was the operating arm of the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission (CMEC).

All are now operated wholly from within the department, with the brand names shut down in 2012.

Current structure (Groups and Directorates)
Change Group

Corporate Transformation Group

Digital Group
 * Core Digital Services Directorate
 * Digital ET Directorate
 * Digital Services Directorate
 * Digital Working Age Directorate
 * Technology Services Directorate

Finance Group

People, Capability and Place Group
 * People and Capability Directorate
 * HR Business Partnering Directorate
 * People Services and Resourcing Directorate
 * People Strategy Directorate

Policy Group

Service Excellence Group
 * Child Maintenance Group Directorate
 * Customer Experience Directorate
 * Deployment Directorate
 * Retirement Services Directorate
 * Service Planning and Delivery Directorate

Work and Health Services Group
 * Counter Fraud, Compliance and Debt Directorate
 * Disability Services, Working Age and Move to UC Directorate
 * DWP Visiting Directorate
 * Universal Credit Operations Directorate
 * Work and Health Decision Maker Directorate

Public bodies and estate
The department's public bodies include:

 * the Health and Safety Executive
 * the Pensions Ombudsman
 * the Pensions Regulator

The department has corporate buildings in London, Leeds, Blackpool, Glasgow, Aberdeen, Newcastle upon Tyne, Warrington, Manchester and Sheffield. Jobcentre Plus, Child Maintenance Service and other departmental services operate through a network of around 650 Jobcentres and service centres across the UK.

Budget
The total annual budget of the department in 2011–12 was £151.6 billion, representing approximately 28% of total UK Government spending. The department spends a far greater share of national wealth than any other department in Britain, by a wide margin. The department spends an average of £348.9 million with suppliers a month.

A report of February 2012 found that billions of pounds payable had not been claimed. In 2009–2010 the Dept stated £1.95 billion job-seekers allowance, £2 billion income support and employment and support allowance, £2.4 billion in council tax, £2.8bn in pension credit and £3.1 billion for housing benefit; in total £12.25 billion had not been claimed.

Research
The department is a major commissioner of external social science research, with the objective of providing the evidence base needed to inform departmental strategy, policy-making and delivery. The department has developed and uses various microsimulation and other models, including the Policy Simulation Model (for appraisal of policy options), Pensim2 (to create projections of pension entitlements up to 2100) and Inform (to produce the department's benefit caseload forecasts). Datasets held include the LLMDB and the Family Resources Survey.

During 2012 the department announced records of the number of people born outside of the United Kingdom ("non-UK nationals") claiming work-related benefits from 2011, using data already collated within the department together with those of HM Revenue and Customs and the UK Border Agency (whose duties are now fulfilled by UK Visas and Immigration).

Scotland
Employment, health and safety, and social security policy are reserved matters of the United Kingdom government. The Scotland Act 2016 devolved specific areas of social security to the Scottish Government to administer and reform. The Scottish Parliament passed the Social Security (Scotland) Act 2018 to establish a statutory basis of Social Security in Scotland. This created a principled based legislative agenda for Social Security providing for social security to be a human right in Scotland. Most aspects of social security in Scotland remain reserved to the United Kingdom and those will remain administered by the DWP.

The Act established Social Security Scotland, an executive agency of the Scottish Government.

Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland has parity with Great Britain in three areas:
 * social security
 * child support
 * pensions

Policy in these areas is technically devolved but, in practice, follows policy set by Parliament to provide consistency across the United Kingdom. Employment and health and safety policy are fully devolved.

The department's main counterparts in Northern Ireland are:

 * the Department for Communities (administers welfare policy)
 * the Department for the Economy (oversees the Health and Safety Executive for Northern Ireland)

Controversy
In August 2015, the department admitted using fictional stories from made-up claimants on leaflets advertising the positive impact of benefit sanctions, following a Freedom of Information request from Welfare Weekly, claiming that they were for "illustrative purposes only" and that it was "quite wrong" to pass these off as genuine quotes.

Later that month figures were released which showed that between December 2011 and February 2014, 2,650 people died shortly after their Work Capability Assessment told them that they should be finding work. The DWP had fought hard for the figures not to be released, with chief minister Iain Duncan Smith at one point telling Parliament that they did not exist.

In 2019, a computer systems was introduced but the DWP refused to reveal details. Claimants and their supporters feared it would add to poverty and hardship. Frank Field MP stated in early 2020 that claimants, “will be left at the mercy of online systems that, even now, leave all too many people teetering on the brink of destitution. We’ve already seen, in the gig economy, how workers are managed and sacked, not by people, but by algorithms. Now the welfare state looks set to follow suit, with the ‘social’ human element being stripped away from ‘social security’.

In 2022 the department refused to release data to researchers at Glasgow University that were investigating if benefit sanctions were linked to suicides. This was despite earlier promises by ministers they were supporting the researchers.

title: Department for Work and Pensions


text:
West Coast Computer Faire

The West Coast Computer Faire was an annual computer industry conference and exposition most often associated with San Francisco, its first and most frequent venue. The first fair was held in 1977 and was organized by Jim Warren and Bob Reiling. At the time, it was the biggest computer show in the world, intended to popularize the personal computer in the home. The West Coast PC Faire was formed to provide a more specialized show. However, Apple Inc. stopped exhibiting at the West Coast Computer Faire, refusing to exhibit at any show other than COMDEX that also had PC-based exhibits.

In 1983, Warren sold the rights to the Faire for US$3 million to Prentice Hall, who later sold it to Sheldon Adelson, the owner of Interface Group and COMDEX. In total, sixteen shows were held, with the last in 1991. After Warren sold the show, it had a few more good years, and then declined rapidly.

History
The first fair took place on April 16–17, 1977, in San Francisco Civic Auditorium, and saw the debut of the Commodore PET, presented by Chuck Peddle, and the Apple II, presented by then-22-year-old Steve Jobs and 26-year-old Steve Wozniak. At the exhibition, Jobs introduced the Apple II to Japanese textile maker Toshio Mizushima, who became the first authorized Apple dealer in Japan. Other visitors included Tomio Gotō who developed the TK-80 and PC-8001, and Kazuhiko Nishi who produced the MSX. There were about 180 exhibitors, among them Intel, MITS, and Digital Research.

When the first fair opened, almost twice as many people arrived as Warren anticipated, and thousands of people were waiting to get into the auditorium. More than 12,000 people visited the fair.

"As Jim Warren later recalled: “We had these lines running all around the fucking building and nobody was irritated. Nobody was pushy. We didn’t know what we were doing and the exhibitors didn’t know what they were doing and the attendees didn’t know what was going on, but everybody was excited and congenial and undemanding and it was a tremendous turn-on. People just stood and talked—‘Oh, you’ve got an Altair? Far out!’ ‘You solved this problem?’ And nobody was irritated.” ... The first Computer Faire was to the hardware hackers an event comparable to Woodstock in the movement of the sixties. Like the concert at Max Yasgur’s farm, this was both a cultural vindication and a signal that the movement had gotten so big that it no longer belonged to its progenitors."

The 2nd West Coast Computer Faire was held March 3–5, 1978, at what was then the San Jose Convention Center (now Parkside Hall). This event had the first-ever microcomputer chess tournament, won by Sargon.

The 3rd West Coast Computer Faire was held on November 3–5, 1978, at the Los Angeles Convention Center.

The 4th West Coast Computer Faire  returned to San Francisco in May 1979 at Brooks Hall and Civic Auditorium. Dan Bricklin demonstrated VisiCalc, the first spreadsheet program for personal computers.

At the 5th West Coast Computer Faire, held in March 1980, Microsoft announced their first hardware product, the Z-80 SoftCard, which gave the Apple II CP/M capabilities.

The 6th West Coast Computer Faire was held on April 3–5, 1981, notable for being the venue where Adam Osborne introduced the Osborne 1.

The 7th West Coast Computer Faire saw the introduction of the 5 MB Winchester disk drive for IBM PCs by Davong Systems. It was held on March 19–21, 1982, in San Francisco. That year's conference also featured a Saturday breakout session, titled "THE IBM PERSONAL COMPUTER", with eight talks delivered in a three-hour period. One of these was (as listed in the program):

P.C. — Impact on the MicroComputer Industry Bill Gates, President Microsoft 10800 N.E. 8th #819 Bellevue, WA 98004

At its peak, all available spaces for exhibits were rented out, including the balcony of Civic Auditorium, and the hallway to the restrooms in Brooks Hall (where Bob Wallace ("Quicksoft") introduced "PC-Write").

The 8th West Coast Computer Faire was held March 18–20, 1983.

Subsequent West Coast Computer Faires were held in Moscone Center in San Francisco. After the 10th Faire, Bruce Webster wrote that "Warren sold out just in time. The Faire is shrinking. It may not be dying, but it is no longer the important trade show it was two short years ago. Without the giant booths from IBM, Apple, and AT&T, the Faire would have looked like any other small, local, end-user show. The move to the Moscone Center didn't help that impression; a large chunk of the main floor was unused, adding to the impression of the Faire's shrunken size".

The 12th West Coast Computer Faire was held in March 1987.

The 16th West Coast Computer Faire was held from May 30 to June 2, 1991, at Moscone Center.

West Coast IBM PC Faire, SF
First West Coast IBM PC Faire, August 26–28, 1983 in San Francisco, CA, was presented by Computer Faire, Inc., Redwood City, CA.

Personal Computer Faire, SF
Third Personal Computer Faire September 5–7, 1985 in San Francisco, CA was presented by Computer Faire, Inc., Newton, MA.

Fourth Personal Computer Faire, in San Francisco, was presented September 25–27, 1986, by The Interface Group, Needham, Mass.

Northeast Computer Faire
The Northeast Computer Faire in Boston, was presented by Computer Faire Inc., Newton, Mass., a subsidiary of Prentice-Hall.

The Eighth Northeast Computer Faire, September 26–29, 1985, Bayside Exposition Center. Boston. MA. was presented by Computer Faire Inc., Newton, MA.

The 11th Northeast Computer Faire, which ran October 27-29, 1988, was presented by The Interface Group and Boston Computer Society in Boston.

Southern California Computer Faire
Southern California Computer Faire was presented by Computer Faire Inc., Newton, Mass., a subsidiary of Prentice-Hall.

title: West Coast Computer Faire


text: User talk:66.245.110.129

title: User talk:66.245.110.129


text:
Drawsko Pomorskie

Drawsko Pomorskie (until 1948 Drawsko; Dramburg) is a town in the West Pomeranian Voivodeship, in northwestern Poland. It is the administrative seat of Drawsko County and the urban-rural commune of Gmina Drawsko Pomorskie. As of December 2021, the town has a population of 11,292. It is home to the Drawsko Training Ground, one of the largest training areas in Poland.

Geography

Located in the southeast of West Pomeranian Voivodeship (since 1999) in the Pomerania region, Drawsko is situated within the Pomeranian Lakeland, the western spur of the Baltic Uplands. The town lies on the headwater of the Drawa River, a right tributary of the Noteć, west of an expansive woodland with the protected area of the Drawsko Landscape Park.

The regional capital Szczecin is about 100 km to the west. A large training area south of the town is frequently used in NATO exercises.

Medieval Poland
From the 7th century onwards Slavic tribes settled along the shores of the Drawa River, where they erected a fortress a few kilometers north of Lake Lubie. In the 10th century the region was under the sovereignty of the Piast duke Mieszko I of Poland; however, the sparsely inhabited border area during the fragmentation of Poland was also claimed by the Dukes of Pomerania, and later also by the mighty Ascanian margraves John I and Otto III.

New March
At that time, the fortress of Drawsko had been held by Duke Przemysł I of Greater Poland, but after his death the settlement was also acquired by the Margraves of Brandenburg. They invited Premonstratensian monks from Belbuck (Białoboki) Abbey near Trzebiatów to found a monastery in their new territory. These plans failed, however, as the desired location was too far from Belbuck and the monks saw the wilderness as unsuitable. The Brandenburg margraves planned to expand upon a settlement already developing near the fortress of Drawsko. The Uckermark knights Arnold, Konrad and Johann von Goltz were granted the right to develop the settlement into a town mentioned as Drawenborch. It grew after the arrival of German colonists, allowing the margraves to grant it Magdeburg city rights in 1297.

When the Ascanian dynasty became extinct in 1320, the colonisation efforts in the Neumark region abated. Nevertheless, to promote the further development of the newly established town of Dramburg, the Wittelsbach margrave Louis I of Brandenburg released the town from all duties from 1338 until 1350, when he ceded the town as a fief to the noble Wedell family. On 13 February 1368, Dramburg was the setting of a peace treaty between Elector Otto VII of Brandenburg and King Casimir III of Poland, whereby Otto returned the town of Wałcz to Poland. The influx of colonists began to cease, although by the end of the 14th century the Dramburg Neustadt ("new town") had developed on the southern shore of the Drawa. From 1373 the New March was part of the Lands of the Bohemian (Czech) Crown under the House of Luxembourg. The decay of the region continued: held by Jobst of Moravia since 1388, it was pawned by his cousin Sigismund to the Teutonic Knights in 1402, despite an agreement with Poland, based on which Poland was to buy and re-incorporate the territory. The Teutonic Knights also neglected the region, which furthermore was devastated by Hussite forces in 1433. In 1454 the Knights sold the New March to the Hohenzollern elector Frederick II of Brandenburg, in order to raise funds for war with Poland. From that time on, the Hohenzollerns retained the region; the red eagle of the town's coat of arms was taken from the coat of arms of Brandenburg.

In 1537 the former Franciscan friar Faustinus Schliepe introduced Lutheranism to Dramburg during the Protestant Reformation. From 1540 the town was administered by the Order of St. John in Germany (until 1808). A great fire destroyed a wide section of Dramburg in 1620, leaving only five houses unscathed, while five years later numerous citizens died from plague. In 1638 during the Thirty Years' War, the Swedish colonel Beer plundered and pillaged Dramburg. Despite that setback, the town's economic advantages allowed it to recuperate quickly. Dramburg had staple rights, giving it the privilege to force merchants traveling on the Drawa to offer their wares, such as Kołobrzeg (Kolberg) salt, for sale at Dramburg's markets. Wool-weaving and shoe-making were also important craft industries since the Middle Ages.

Province of Pomerania

Dramburg became part of the Kingdom of Prussia in 1701. With the reorganization of the Prussian provinces in 1815 following the Napoleonic Wars, Dramburg left the Neumark region and in 1818 became the seat of Landkreis Dramburg in the Regierungsbezirk of Köslin within the Prussian Province of Pomerania. Dramburg became part of the German Empire after the 1871 unification of Germany.

In 1877 the Pommersche Zentralbahn (Pomeranian Central Railway) became connected to the town, which was also connected in 1896 to the Saatziger Kleinbahnnetz (Szadzko District railroad network). Dramburg's access to the railroads led to the establishment of wood and textile industries. This led the Pommersche Saatzucht Gesellschaft based in Stettin (Szczecin) to use the Dramburg region as a testing area for its plant breeding experiments.

After Poland regained its independence and reincorporated many areas previously annexed by the Germans (but not Drawsko/Dramburg), following the 1919 Treaty of Versailles after World War I, many Germans from the former Province of Posen immigrated to Dramburg, expanding settlement in the south of the town. When the province of Posen-West Prussia was disbanded in 1938, Dramburg became part of Regierungsbezirk Schneidemühl (Piła). At the start of World War II, the German 4th Army invaded Poland from the town, and the Einsatzgruppe IV followed to commit atrocities against the Poles in various cities and towns, including Chojnice, Bydgoszcz, Białystok and Warsaw. During the war, the SS established a large training school for motorcyclists and mechanics in the town. In the course of the Vistula–Oder Offensive, on March 4, 1945 the Red Army and the Polish First Army captured the town, whose center was largely destroyed during the fighting.

Post-war Poland
Polish authorities began administering the town on March 6, 1945. The town became again part of Poland, although with a Soviet-installed communist regime, which remained in power until the 1980s. The remaining German citizens were expelled in accordance with the Potsdam Agreement.

The town, initially named Drawsko, was renamed Drawsko Pomorskie by adding the adjective Pomorskie (meaning Pomeranian or in Pomerania) in 1948 to distinguish it from other Polish settlements of the same name. It was the administrative seat of a powiat until 1975. After the Local Government Reorganization Act of 1998, Drawsko became a county seat again in 1999.

Notable people

 * Karl Christoph von der Goltz (1707–1761) a lieutenant general in the Prussian army during the reign of Frederick the Great
 * Hans Wolter (1911–1978) a German physicist who worked with mirrors
 * Małgorzata Rohde (born 1962) a Polish politician
 * Mariusz Rumak (born 1977) a Polish football manager
 * Krystian Zalewski (born 1989) a Polish distance runner in the 3000 metres steeplechase, competed at the 2016 Summer Olympics

International relations
Drawsko Pomorskie is twinned with:
 * 🇩🇪 Bad Bramstedt, Germany
 * 🇩🇪 Strasburg (Uckermark), Germany
 * 🇵🇱 Złocieniec, Poland

title: Drawsko Pomorskie


text:
Minister for Women and Equalities

The Minister for Women and Equalities is a ministerial position in the United Kingdom which leads the Government Equalities Office. This is an independent department within the wider Cabinet Office that has responsibility for addressing all forms of discrimination, with particular emphasis on gender inequality. Prior to April 2019, the minister was based at the Home Office, DFID and DfE. Its counterpart in the shadow cabinet is the shadow secretary of state for women and equalities.

The minister is deputised by two parliamentary under-secretaries of state; the parliamentary under-secretary of state for women and the parliamentary under-secretary of state for equalities.

The position was formerly known as; "Minister for Women", "Minister for Women and Equality", and "Minister for Equalities".

History
The position of Minister for Women was created by Tony Blair when he became prime minister as a means of prioritising women's issues across government. Prior to that, there had been an equality unit in the Cabinet Office and a Cabinet committee, which were continued under the leadership of the new minister. When Gordon Brown succeeded Blair, he created the post of Minister for Women and Equality to handle a wider range of equalities issues. The first Minister for Women and, ten years later, the first Minister for Women and Equality was Harriet Harman. On 12 October 2007 a new department, the Government Equalities Office, was created to support the minister. When David Cameron became prime minister, he renamed the position to "Minister for Women and Equalities" without a change in its responsibilities. Since its creation, the position has always been held by a minister sitting in Cabinet by virtue of another office (i.e., a Secretary of State or Leader of one of the Houses of Parliament).

Justine Greening replaced Nicky Morgan as both Secretary of State for Education and Minister for Women and Equalities when Theresa May was appointed Prime Minister on 13 July 2016. Morgan initially held the title of Minister for Women after the resignation of Maria Miller in April 2014, in conjunction with being Financial Secretary to the Treasury, whilst the Equalities brief was given to Sajid Javid who had replaced Miller as Secretary of State for Culture. While the Women and Equalities briefs were recombined in July 2014, the responsibility for marriage equality was assigned to Nick Boles, who held the title of Minister of State for Skills, Enterprise and Equalities and had a base in both the Education and Business departments. Both splits in responsibilities were due to Nicky Morgan having voted against the legalisation of gay marriage.

The two most recent female Prime Ministers, Theresa May and Liz Truss, served in this position.

List of ministers
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" ! colspan=10 |

Minister for Women
! colspan=3 | Cabinet minister ! colspan=2 | Junior ministers ! colspan=2 | Term of office ! Political party ! colspan=2 | Ministry
 * - style="height:1em"

! style="background-color:" | (I)
 * - style="height:1em"
 * Official portrait of Rt Hon Harriet Harman QC MP crop 2.jpg
 * Harriet Harman MP for Camberwell and Peckham Social Security Secretary
 * style="background-color:" |
 * Joan Ruddock
 * 3 May 1997
 * 27 July 1998
 * rowspan=5 | Labour
 * rowspan=5 style="background-color:" |
 * rowspan=2 |Blair

! style="background-color:" |
 * - style="height:1em"
 * Official portrait of Baroness Jay of Paddington crop 2, 2019.jpg
 * Margaret Jay Baroness Jay of Paddington Leader of the House of Lords
 * style="background-color:" |
 * Tessa Jowell
 * 27 July 1998
 * 8 June 2001

! style="background-color:" | (II)
 * - style="height:1em"
 * Patricia Hewitt.jpg
 * Patricia Hewitt MP for Leicester West Trade and Industry Secretary
 * style="background-color:" |
 * Baroness Morgan of Huyton (2001) Barbara Roche (2001–2003) Jacqui Smith (2003–2005)
 * 8 June 2001
 * 5 May 2005
 * Blair

! style="background-color:" | (III)
 * - style="height:1em"
 * Tessa Jowell Cropped.jpg
 * Tessa Jowell MP for Dulwich and West Norwood Minister for the Olympics
 * rowspan=2 style="background-color:" |
 * rowspan=2 | Meg Munn
 * 5 May 2005
 * 5 May 2006
 * rowspan=2 |Blair

! style="background-color:" |
 * - style="height:1em"
 * RuthKellyMP.jpg
 * Ruth Kelly MP for Bolton West Communities and Local Govt. Secretary
 * 5 May 2006
 * 28 June 2007

! colspan=10 |
 * - style="height:1em"

Minister for Women and Equality
! colspan=3 | Cabinet Minister ! colspan=2 | Junior ministers ! colspan=2 | Term of office ! Political party ! colspan=2 | Ministry
 * - style="height:1em"

! style="background-color:" |
 * - style="height:1em"
 * Official portrait of Rt Hon Harriet Harman QC MP crop 2.jpg
 * Harriet Harman MP for Camberwell and Peckham Leader of the House of Commons
 * style="background-color:" |
 * Minister of State: Maria Eagle (2009–2010) (jointly with the Ministry of Justice) Parliamentary Secretary: Barbara Follett (2007–2008) Maria Eagle (2008–2009) Michael Foster (2009–2010)
 * 28 June 2007
 * 11 May 2010
 * Labour
 * style="background-color:" |
 * Brown

! colspan=10 |
 * - style="height:1em"

Minister for Women and Equalities
! colspan=3 | Cabinet Minister ! colspan=2 | Parliamentary Secretary ! colspan=2 | Term of office ! Political party ! colspan=2 | Ministry
 * - style="height:1em"

! style="background-color:" |
 * - style="height:1em"
 * Theresa May 2015 (cropped).jpg
 * Theresa May MP for Maidenhead Home Secretary
 * style="background-color:" |
 * Lynne Featherstone (LD)
 * 12 May 2010
 * 4 September 2012
 * rowspan=2 | Coalition (Cons–LD)
 * rowspan=2 style="background-color:#ddd" |
 * rowspan=2 | Cameron-Clegg)

! style="background-color:" |
 * - style="height:1em"
 * Official portrait of Rt Hon Maria Miller MP crop 2.jpg
 * Maria Miller MP for Basingstoke Culture Secretary
 * style="background-color:" |
 * Jo Swinson (LD) Helen Grant (Cons)
 * 4 September 2012
 * 9 April 2014

! colspan=10 |
 * - style="height:1em"

Ministers for Women and Minister for Equalities
! colspan=3 | Cabinet Ministers ! colspan=2 | Junior ministers ! colspan=2 | Term of office ! Political party ! colspan=2 | Ministry
 * - style="height:1em"

! style="background-color:" |
 * - style="height:1em"
 * Official Portrait of Baroness Morgan of Cotes.jpg
 * Women Nicky Morgan MP for Loughborough Financial Secretary to the Treasury
 * rowspan=2 style="background-color:" |
 * rowspan=2 | Jo Swinson (LD) Helen Grant (Cons)
 * rowspan=2 | 9 April 2014
 * rowspan=2 | 15 July 2014
 * rowspan=2 | Coalition (Cons–LD)
 * rowspan=2 style="background-color:#ddd" |
 * rowspan=2 | Cameron-Clegg

! style="background-color:" |
 * - style="height:1em"
 * Official portrait of Rt Hon Sajid Javid MP crop 2.jpg
 * Equalities Sajid Javid MP for Bromsgrove Culture Secretary

! colspan=10 |
 * - style="height:1em"

Minister for Women and Equalities
! colspan=3 | Cabinet Minister ! colspan=2 | Junior ministers ! colspan=2 | Term of office ! Political party ! colspan=2 | Ministry
 * - style="height:1em"

! rowspan=2 style="background-color:" |
 * - style="height:1em"
 * rowspan=2 | Official Portrait of Baroness Morgan of Cotes.jpg
 * rowspan=2 | Nicky Morgan MP for Loughborough Secretary of State for Education
 * style="background-color:" |
 * Jo Swinson (LD) Helen Grant (Cons)
 * height=50|15 July 2014
 * 8 May 2015
 * Coalition (Cons–LD)
 * style="background-color:#ddd" |
 * Cameron-Clegg

 * - style="height:1em"
 * rowspan=2 style="background-color:" |
 * rowspan=2 | Caroline Dinenage
 * 8 May 2015
 * 14 July 2016
 * rowspan=8 | Conservative
 * style="background-color:" |
 * Cameron (II)

! rowspan=2 style="background-color:" |
 * - style="height:1em"
 * rowspan=2 | Official portrait of Justine Greening crop 2.jpg
 * rowspan=2 | Justine Greening MP for Putney Secretary of State for Education
 * 14 July 2016
 * 14 June 2017
 * style="background-color:" |
 * May (I)

 * - style="height:1em"
 * rowspan=6 style="background-color:" |
 * |Nick Gibb (Equalities) Anne Milton (Women)
 * 14 June 2017
 * 8 January 2018
 * style="background-color:" |
 * rowspan=3 | May (II)

! style="background-color:" |
 * - style="height:1em"
 * Official portrait of Amber Rudd crop 2.jpg
 * Amber Rudd MP for Hastings and Rye Home Secretary
 * rowspan=4 | Baroness Williams of Trafford (Equalities) Victoria Atkins (Women)
 * 9 January 2018
 * 30 April 2018
 * style="background-color:" |

! style="background-color:" |
 * - style="height:1em"
 * Rt Hon Penny Mordaunt.jpg
 * Penny Mordaunt MP for Portsmouth North International Development Secretary Defence Secretary
 * 30 April 2018
 * 24 July 2019
 * style="background-color:" |

! style="background-color:" |
 * - style="height:1em"
 * Official portrait of Amber Rudd crop 2.jpg
 * Amber Rudd MP for Hastings and Rye Work and Pensions Secretary
 * 24 July 2019
 * 7 September 2019
 * rowspan=3 style="background-color:" |
 * rowspan=2 |Johnson (I)

! rowspan=2 style="background-color:" |
 * - style="height:1em"
 * rowspan=2 | Liz Truss Official Photo (cropped).jpg
 * rowspan=2 | Liz Truss MP for South West Norfolk Foreign Secretary
 * 10 September 2019
 * 14 February 2020

Mike Freer (Equalities) (16 September 2021 – 6 July 2022) Amanda Solloway (Equalities) (8 July 2022 – 20 September 2022) Baroness Berridge (Women) (until 17 September 2021) Baroness Stedman-Scott (Women) (17 September 2021 – 22 September 2022'')
 * - style="height:1em"
 * Kemi Badenoch (Equalities) (until 6 July 2022)
 * 14 February 2020
 * 6 September 2022
 * Johnson (II)

! colspan=10 |
 * - style="height:1em"

Minister for Equalities
! colspan=3 | Cabinet Minister ! colspan=2 | Junior ministers ! colspan=2 | Term of office ! Political party ! colspan=2 | Ministry
 * - style="height:1em"

! rowspan=1 style="background-color:" | ! style="background-color:" | ! style="background-color:" |
 * - style="height:1em"
 * Official portrait of Nadhim Zahawi MP crop 2.jpg
 * Nadhim Zahawi MP for Stratford-on-Avon Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Minister for Intergovernmental Relations
 * Katherine Fletcher (Women) Baroness Stedman-Scott (Equalities)
 * 6 September 2022
 * 25 October 2022
 * Conservative
 * Truss

! colspan=10 |
 * - style="height:1em"

Minister for Women and Equalities
! colspan=3 | Cabinet Minister ! colspan=2 | Junior ministers ! colspan=2 | Term of office ! Political party ! colspan=2 | Ministry
 * - style="height:1em"

! style="background-color:" | ! style="background-color:" |
 * - style="height:1em"
 * Kemi Badenoch official Cabinet Portrait; 2022 (cropped).jpg
 * Kemi Badenoch MP for Saffron Walden Secretary of State for International Trade
 * Stuart Andrew (Equalities) Maria Caulfield (Women)
 * height=50|25 October 2022
 * 5 July 2024
 * Conservative
 * style="background-color:" |
 * Sunak

! style="background-color:" | ! style="background-color:" |
 * - style="height:1em"
 * Bridget Phillipson Official Cabinet Portrait, July 2024 (cropped) 2.jpg
 * Bridget Phillipson MP for Houghton and Sunderland South Secretary of State for Education
 * Anneliese Dodds
 * height=50|8 July 2024
 * Incumbent
 * Labour
 * style="background-color:" |
 * Starmer

 * }

title: Minister for Women and Equalities


text:
Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasury

The Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasury is the official title of the most senior whip of the governing party in the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Today, any official links between the Treasury and this office are nominal and the title of the office can be seen as a sinecure that allows the incumbent to draw a Government salary, attend Cabinet, and use a Downing Street residence, traditionally 12 Downing Street.

The position is currently held by Alan Campbell since July 2024.

History
The position of Secretary to the Treasury was created in 1660. Until 1711, there was only one Secretary to the Treasury; however, in that year, a second position was created to help deal with the increasing workload. This new position was known as the junior secretary to the Treasury, and the existing post as the senior secretary to the Treasury. Initially, when the position of Senior Secretary to the Treasury became vacant (except as the result of an election causing a change of government), the junior secretary was usually automatically promoted to the senior role. Over time, however, the roles of the Senior and Junior Secretaries began to diverge, the Senior Secretary post being used as a sinecure post for the chief whip, with no formal responsibilities to the Treasury. The junior secretary post remained a substantive position working in the Treasury. As such, the senior secretary became known as the parliamentary secretary to the Treasury while the junior secretary became known as Financial Secretary to the Treasury, and the 'automatic' promotion from Junior to Senior ceased. While the exact date on which this change occurred is disputed, it is agreed that the distinction was complete by 1830. In the mid-nineteenth century, the parliamentary secretary to the Treasury was referred to as the patronage secretary to the Treasury.

19th century

 * Edward Ellice 1830–1832
 * Charles Wood 1832–1834
 * Sir George Clerk, Bt 1834–1835
 * Hon. Edward Stanley 1835–1841
 * Denis Le Marchant 1841
 * Sir Thomas Fremantle, Baronet 1841–1844
 * John Young 1844–1846
 * Henry Tufnell 1846–1850
 * William Goodenough Hayter 1850–1852
 * William Forbes Mackenzie 1852
 * William Goodenough Hayter 1853–1858
 * Sir William Jolliffe, Baronet 1858–1859
 * Henry Brand 1859–1866
 * Thomas Edward Taylor 1866–1868
 * Gerard Noel 1868
 * George Glyn 1868–1873
 * Arthur Wellesley Peel 1873–1874
 * Sir William Hart Dyke, Bt 1874–1880
 * Lord Richard Grosvenor 1880–1885
 * Aretas Akers-Douglas 1885–1886
 * Arnold Morley 1886
 * Aretas Akers-Douglas 1886–1892
 * Edward Marjoribanks 1892–1894
 * Thomas Edward Ellis 1894–1895
 * Sir William Walrond, Baronet 1895–1902

20th century

 * Sir Alexander Acland-Hood, Baronet 1902–1905
 * George Whiteley 1905–1908
 * Jack Pease 1908–1910
 * Master of Elibank 1910–1912
 * Percy Holden Illingworth 1912–1915
 * John William Gulland 1915
 * Lord Edmund Talbot 1915–1916 (Conservative, jointly)
 * John William Gulland 1915–1916 (Liberal, jointly)
 * Lord Edmund Talbot 1916–1921 (Conservative, jointly)
 * Neil Primrose 1916–1917 (Liberal, jointly)
 * Frederick Guest 1917–1921 (Liberal, jointly)
 * Leslie Orme Wilson 1921–1922 (Conservative, jointly)
 * Charles McCurdy 1921–1922 (Liberal, jointly)
 * Leslie Orme Wilson 1922–1923
 * Bolton Eyres-Monsell 1923–1924
 * Ben Spoor 1924
 * Bolton Eyres-Monsell 1924–1929
 * Tom Kennedy 1929–1931
 * David Margesson 1931–1940
 * Sir Charles Edwards 1940–1942 (Labour, jointly)
 * James Gray Stuart 1941–1945 (Conservative, jointly)
 * William Whiteley 1942–1951 (Labour, jointly until 1945)
 * Patrick Buchan-Hepburn 1951–1955
 * Edward Heath 1955–1959
 * Martin Redmayne 1959–1964
 * Ted Short 1964–1966
 * John Silkin 1966–1969
 * Bob Mellish 1969–1970
 * Francis Pym 1970–1973
 * Humphrey Atkins 1973–1974
 * Bob Mellish 1974–1976
 * Michael Cocks 1976–1979
 * Michael Jopling 1979–1983
 * John Wakeham 1983–1987
 * David Waddington 1987–1989
 * Tim Renton 1989–1990
 * Richard Ryder 1990–1995
 * Alastair Goodlad 1995–1997
 * Nick Brown 1997–1998
 * Ann Taylor 1998–2001

21st century
Colour key (for political parties):

title: Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasury


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Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Nokvir

This page is an archive of the discussion surrounding the proposed deletion of the page entitled Nokvir.

This page is kept as an historic record.

The result of the debate was to delete the article.

As far as I can tell, this is someone's character from some role-playing game. And as such, not particularly encyclopedic. --Stormie 01:15, May 14, 2004 (UTC)
 * Delete, unencyclopedic. Andris 01:27, May 14, 2004 (UTC)
 * Delete. Not notable orphan. All hits seem to be from nokvir.net. Niteowlneils 02:41, 14 May 2004 (UTC)
 * Delete -- Chris 73 | Talk 14:28, 14 May 2004 (UTC)
 * Delete for reasons stated. - Lucky 6.9 16:12, 14 May 2004 (UTC)
 * Delete. See above. - Bceaglejoe 20:33, 14 May 2004 (UTC)
 * Delete -- Cyrius|&#9998 23:22, May 16, 2004 (UTC)

This page is now preserved as an archive of the debate and is no longer 'live'. Subsequent comments on the issue or the deletion should be placed on other relevant 'live' pages. Please do not edit this page.

title: Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Nokvir


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Mercury silvering

Mercury silvering or fire gilding is a silvering technique for applying a thin layer of precious metal such as silver or gold (mercury gilding) to a base metal object. The process was invented during the Middle Ages and is documented in Vannoccio Biringuccio's 1540 book De la pirotechnia. An amalgam of mercury and the precious metal is prepared and applied to the object which is then heated, sometimes in oil, vaporizing most of the mercury. The technique is dangerous since mercury is highly toxic, especially in its vapor phase. Mercury silvering can be detected through a variety of methods.

The technique was also used in Asia, for example tokin plating in Edo-period Japan.

title: Mercury silvering


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Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon

A polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) is a class of organic compounds that is composed of multiple aromatic rings. The simplest representative is naphthalene, having two aromatic rings, and the three-ring compounds anthracene and phenanthrene. PAHs are uncharged, non-polar and planar. Many are colorless. Many of them are found in coal and in oil deposits, and are also produced by the incomplete combustion of organic matter—for example, in engines and incinerators or when biomass burns in forest fires.

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons are discussed as possible starting materials for abiotic syntheses of materials required by the earliest forms of life.

Nomenclature and structure
The terms polyaromatic hydrocarbon, or polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbon (abbreviated as PNA) are also used for this concept.

By definition, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons have multiple aromatic rings, precluding benzene from being considered a PAH. Some sources, such as the US EPA and CDC, consider naphthalene to be the simplest PAH. Other authors consider PAHs to start with the tricyclic species phenanthrene and anthracene. Most authors exclude compounds that include heteroatoms in the rings, or carry substituents.

A polyaromatic hydrocarbon may have rings of various sizes, including some that are not aromatic. Those that have only six-membered rings are said to be alternant.

The following are examples of PAHs that vary in the number and arrangement of their rings:

Geometry
Most PAHs, like naphthalene, anthracene, and coronene, are planar. This geometry is a consequence of the fact that the σ-bonds that result from the merger of sp2 hybrid orbitals of adjacent carbons lie on the same plane as the carbon atom. Those compounds are achiral, since the plane of the molecule is a symmetry plane.

In rare cases, PAHs are not planar. In some cases, the non-planarity may be forced by the topology of the molecule and the stiffness (in length and angle) of the carbon-carbon bonds. For example, unlike coronene, corannulene adopts a bowl shape in order to reduce the bond stress. The two possible configurations, concave and convex, are separated by a relatively low energy barrier (about 11 kcal/mol).

In theory, there are 51 structural isomers of coronene that have six fused benzene rings in a cyclic sequence, with two edge carbons shared between successive rings. All of them must be non-planar and have considerable higher bonding energy (computed to be at least 130 kcal/mol) than coronene; and, as of 2002, none of them had been synthesized.

Other PAHs that might seem to be planar, considering only the carbon skeleton, may be distorted by repulsion or steric hindrance between the hydrogen atoms in their periphery. Benzo[c]phenantrene, with four rings fused in a "C" shape, has a slight helical distortion due to repulsion between the closest pair of hydrogen atoms in the two extremal rings. This effect also causes distortion of picene.

Adding another benzene ring to form dibenzo[c,g]phenantrene creates steric hindrance between the two extreme hydrogen atoms. Adding two more rings on the same sense yields heptahelicene in which the two extreme rings overlap. These non-planar forms are chiral, and their enantiomers can be isolated.

Benzenoid hydrocarbons
The benzenoid hydrocarbons have been defined as condensed polycyclic unsaturated fully-conjugated hydrocarbons whose molecules are essentially planar with all rings six-membered. Full conjugation means that all carbon atoms and carbon-carbon bonds must have the sp2 structure of benzene. This class is largely a subset of the alternant PAHs, but is considered to include unstable or hypothetical compounds like triangulene or heptacene.

As of 2012, over 300 benzenoid hydrocarbons had been isolated and characterized.

Bonding and aromaticity
The aromaticity varies for PAHs. According to Clar's rule, the resonance structure of a PAH that has the largest number of disjoint aromatic pi sextets—i.e. benzene-like moieties—is the most important for the characterization of the properties of that PAH.

For example, phenanthrene has two Clar structures: one with just one aromatic sextet (the middle ring), and the other with two (the first and third rings). The latter case is therefore the more characteristic electronic nature of the two. Therefore, in this molecule the outer rings have greater aromatic character whereas the central ring is less aromatic and therefore more reactive. In contrast, in anthracene the resonance structures have one sextet each, which can be at any of the three rings, and the aromaticity spreads out more evenly across the whole molecule. This difference in number of sextets is reflected in the differing ultraviolet–visible spectra of these two isomers, as higher Clar pi-sextets are associated with larger HOMO-LUMO gaps; the highest-wavelength absorbance of phenanthrene is at 293 nm, while anthracene is at 374 nm. Three Clar structures with two sextets each are present in the four-ring chrysene structure: one having sextets in the first and third rings, one in the second and fourth rings, and one in the first and fourth rings. Superposition of these structures reveals that the aromaticity in the outer rings is greater (each has a sextet in two of the three Clar structures) compared to the inner rings (each has a sextet in only one of the three).

Physicochemical
PAHs are nonpolar and lipophilic. Larger PAHs are generally insoluble in water, although some smaller PAHs are soluble. The larger members are also poorly soluble in organic solvents and in lipids. The larger members, e.g. perylene, are strongly colored.

Redox
Polycyclic aromatic compounds characteristically yield radicals and anions upon treatment with alkali metals. The large PAH form dianions as well. The redox potential correlates with the size of the PAH.
 * {| class="wikitable"

!Compound !Potential (V)
 * +Half-cell potential of aromatic compounds against the SCE (Fc+/0)
 * benzene
 * −3.42
 * biphenyl
 * −2.60 (-3.18)
 * naphthalene
 * −2.51 (-3.1)
 * anthracene
 * −1.96 (-2.5)
 * phenanthrene
 * −2.46
 * perylene
 * −1.67 (-2.2)
 * pentacene
 * −1.35
 * }
 * perylene
 * −1.67 (-2.2)
 * pentacene
 * −1.35
 * }
 * −1.35
 * }

Artificial
The dominant sources of PAHs in the environment are from human activity: wood-burning and combustion of other biofuels such as dung or crop residues contribute more than half of annual global PAH emissions, particularly due to biofuel use in India and China. As of 2004, industrial processes and the extraction and use of fossil fuels made up slightly more than one quarter of global PAH emissions, dominating outputs in industrial countries such as the United States.

A year-long sampling campaign in Athens, Greece found a third (31%) of PAH urban air pollution to be caused by wood-burning, like diesel and oil (33%) and gasoline (29%). It also found that wood-burning is responsible for nearly half (43%) of annual PAH cancer-risk (carcinogenic potential) compared to the other sources and that wintertime PAH levels were 7 times higher than in other seasons, especially if atmospheric dispersion is low.

Lower-temperature combustion, such as tobacco smoking or wood-burning, tends to generate low molecular weight PAHs, whereas high-temperature industrial processes typically generate PAHs with higher molecular weights. Incense is also a source.

PAHs are typically found as complex mixtures.

Natural fires
PAHs may result from the incomplete combustion of organic matter in natural wildfires. Substantially higher outdoor air, soil, and water concentrations of PAHs have been measured in Asia, Africa, and Latin America than in Europe, Australia, the U.S., and Canada.

Fossil carbon
Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons are primarily found in natural sources such as bitumen.

PAHs can also be produced geologically when organic sediments are chemically transformed into fossil fuels such as oil and coal. The rare minerals idrialite, curtisite, and carpathite consist almost entirely of PAHs that originated from such sediments, that were extracted, processed, separated, and deposited by very hot fluids. High levels of such PAHs have been detected in the Cretaceous-Tertiary (K-T) boundary, more than 100 times the level in adjacent layers. The spike was attributed to massive fires that consumed about 20% of the terrestrial above-ground biomass in a very short time.

Extraterrestrial
PAHs are prevalent in the interstellar medium (ISM) of galaxies in both the nearby and distant Universe and make up a dominant emission mechanism in the mid-infrared wavelength range, containing as much as 10% of the total integrated infrared luminosity of galaxies. PAHs generally trace regions of cold molecular gas, which are optimum environments for the formation of stars.

NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope and James Webb Space Telescope include instruments for obtaining both images and spectra of light emitted by PAHs associated with star formation. These images can trace the surface of star-forming clouds in our own galaxy or identify star forming galaxies in the distant universe. In June 2013, PAHs were detected in the upper atmosphere of Titan, the largest moon of the planet Saturn.

Minor sources
Volcanic eruptions may emit PAHs.

Certain PAHs such as perylene can also be generated in anaerobic sediments from existing organic material, although it remains undetermined whether abiotic or microbial processes drive their production.

Aquatic environments
Most PAHs are insoluble in water, which limits their mobility in the environment, although PAHs sorb to fine-grained organic-rich sediments. Aqueous solubility of PAHs decreases approximately logarithmically as molecular mass increases.

Two-ringed PAHs, and to a lesser extent three-ringed PAHs, dissolve in water, making them more available for biological uptake and degradation. Further, two- to four-ringed PAHs volatilize sufficiently to appear in the atmosphere predominantly in gaseous form, although the physical state of four-ring PAHs can depend on temperature. In contrast, compounds with five or more rings have low solubility in water and low volatility; they are therefore predominantly in solid state, bound to particulate air pollution, soils, or sediments. In solid state, these compounds are less accessible for biological uptake or degradation, increasing their persistence in the environment.

Human exposure
Human exposure varies across the globe and depends on factors such as smoking rates, fuel types in cooking, and pollution controls on power plants, industrial processes, and vehicles. Developed countries with stricter air and water pollution controls, cleaner sources of cooking (i.e., gas and electricity vs. coal or biofuels), and prohibitions of public smoking tend to have lower levels of PAH exposure, while developing and undeveloped countries tend to have higher levels. Surgical smoke plumes have been proven to contain PAHs in several independent research studies.

Burning solid fuels such as coal and biofuels in the home for cooking and heating is a dominant global source of PAH emissions that in developing countries leads to high levels of exposure to indoor particulate air pollution containing PAHs, particularly for women and children who spend more time in the home or cooking.

In industrial countries, people who smoke tobacco products, or who are exposed to second-hand smoke, are among the most highly exposed groups; tobacco smoke contributes to 90% of indoor PAH levels in the homes of smokers. For the general population in developed countries, the diet is otherwise the dominant source of PAH exposure, particularly from smoking or grilling meat or consuming PAHs deposited on plant foods, especially broad-leafed vegetables, during growth. Exposure also occurs through drinking alcohol aged in charred barrels, flavored with peat smoke, or made with roasted grains. PAHs are typically at low concentrations in drinking water.

Emissions from vehicles such as cars and trucks can be a substantial outdoor source of PAHs in particulate air pollution. Geographically, major roadways are thus sources of PAHs, which may distribute in the atmosphere or deposit nearby. Catalytic converters are estimated to reduce PAH emissions from gasoline-fired vehicles by 25-fold.

People can also be occupationally exposed during work that involves fossil fuels or their derivatives, wood-burning, carbon electrodes, or exposure to diesel exhaust. Industrial activity that can produce and distribute PAHs includes aluminum, iron, and steel manufacturing; coal gasification, tar distillation, shale oil extraction; production of coke, creosote, carbon black, and calcium carbide; road paving and asphalt manufacturing; rubber tire production; manufacturing or use of metal working fluids; and activity of coal or natural gas power stations.

Environmental pollution and degradation
PAHs typically disperse from urban and suburban non-point sources through road runoff, sewage, and atmospheric circulation and subsequent deposition of particulate air pollution. Soil and river sediment near industrial sites such as creosote manufacturing facilities can be highly contaminated with PAHs. Oil spills, creosote, coal mining dust, and other fossil fuel sources can also distribute PAHs in the environment.

Two- and three-ringed PAHs can disperse widely while dissolved in water or as gases in the atmosphere, while PAHs with higher molecular weights can disperse locally or regionally adhered to particulate matter that is suspended in air or water until the particles land or settle out of the water column. PAHs have a strong affinity for organic carbon, and thus highly organic sediments in rivers, lakes, and the ocean can be a substantial sink for PAHs.

Algae and some invertebrates such as protozoans, mollusks, and many polychaetes have limited ability to metabolize PAHs and bioaccumulate disproportionate concentrations of PAHs in their tissues; however, PAH metabolism can vary substantially across invertebrate species. Most vertebrates metabolize and excrete PAHs relatively rapidly. Tissue concentrations of PAHs do not increase (biomagnify) from the lowest to highest levels of food chains.

PAHs transform slowly to a wide range of degradation products. Biological degradation by microbes is a dominant form of PAH transformation in the environment. Soil-consuming invertebrates such as earthworms speed PAH degradation, either through direct metabolism or by improving the conditions for microbial transformations. Abiotic degradation in the atmosphere and the top layers of surface waters can produce nitrogenated, halogenated, hydroxylated, and oxygenated PAHs; some of these compounds can be more toxic, water-soluble, and mobile than their parent PAHs.

Urban soils
The British Geological Survey reported the amount and distribution of PAH compounds including parent and alkylated forms in urban soils at 76 locations in Greater London. The study showed that parent (16 PAH) content ranged from 4 to 67 mg/kg (dry soil weight) and an average PAH concentration of 18 mg/kg (dry soil weight) whereas the total PAH content (33 PAH) ranged from 6 to 88 mg/kg and fluoranthene and pyrene were generally the most abundant PAHs. Benzo[a]pyrene (BaP), the most toxic of the parent PAHs, is widely considered a key marker PAH for environmental assessments; the normal background concentration of BaP in the London urban sites was 6.9 mg/kg (dry soil weight). London soils contained more stable four- to six-ringed PAHs which were indicative of combustion and pyrolytic sources, such as coal and oil burning and traffic-sourced particulates. However, the overall distribution also suggested that the PAHs in London soils had undergone weathering and been modified by a variety of pre-and post-depositional processes such as volatilization and microbial biodegradation.

Peatlands
Managed burning of moorland vegetation in the UK has been shown to generate PAHs which become incorporated into the peat surface. Burning of moorland vegetation such as heather initially generates high amounts of two- and three-ringed PAHs relative to four- to six-ringed PAHs in surface sediments, however, this pattern is reversed as the lower molecular weight PAHs are attenuated by biotic decay and photodegradation. Evaluation of the PAH distributions using statistical methods such as principal component analyses (PCA) enabled the study to link the source (burnt moorland) to pathway (suspended stream sediment) to the depositional sink (reservoir bed).

Rivers, estuarine and coastal sediments
Concentrations of PAHs in river and estuarine sediments vary according to a variety of factors including proximity to municipal and industrial discharge points, wind direction and distance from major urban roadways, as well as tidal regime which controls the diluting effect of generally cleaner marine sediments relative to freshwater discharge. Consequently, the concentrations of pollutants in estuaries tends to decrease at the river mouth. Understanding of sediment hosted PAHs in estuaries is important for the protection of commercial fisheries (such as mussels) and general environmental habitat conservation because PAHs can impact the health of suspension and sediment feeding organism. River-estuary surface sediments in the UK tend to have a lower PAH content than sediments buried 10–60 cm from the surface reflecting lower present day industrial activity combined with improvement in environmental legislation of PAH. Typical PAH concentrations in UK estuaries range from about 19 to 16,163 µg/kg (dry sediment weight) in the River Clyde and 626 to 3,766 µg/kg in the River Mersey. In general estuarine sediments with a higher natural total organic carbon content (TOC) tend to accumulate PAHs due to high sorption capacity of organic matter. A similar correspondence between PAHs and TOC has also been observed in the sediments of tropical mangroves located on the coast of southern China.

Human health
Cancer is a primary human health risk of exposure to PAHs. Exposure to PAHs has also been linked with cardiovascular disease and poor fetal development.

Cancer
PAHs have been linked to skin, lung, bladder, liver, and stomach cancers in well-established animal model studies. Specific compounds classified by various agencies as possible or probable human carcinogens are identified in the section "Regulation and Oversight" below.

History
Historically, PAHs contributed substantially to our understanding of adverse health effects from exposures to environmental contaminants, including chemical carcinogenesis. In 1775, Percivall Pott, a surgeon at St. Bartholomew's Hospital in London, observed that scrotal cancer was unusually common in chimney sweepers and proposed the cause as occupational exposure to soot. A century later, Richard von Volkmann reported increased skin cancers in workers of the coal tar industry of Germany, and by the early 1900s increased rates of cancer from exposure to soot and coal tar was widely accepted. In 1915, Yamigawa and Ichicawa were the first to experimentally produce cancers, specifically of the skin, by topically applying coal tar to rabbit ears.

In 1922, Ernest Kennaway determined that the carcinogenic component of coal tar mixtures was an organic compound consisting of only carbon and hydrogen. This component was later linked to a characteristic fluorescent pattern that was similar but not identical to benz[a]anthracene, a PAH that was subsequently demonstrated to cause tumors. Cook, Hewett and Hieger then linked the specific spectroscopic fluorescent profile of benzo[a]pyrene to that of the carcinogenic component of coal tar, the first time that a specific compound from an environmental mixture (coal tar) was demonstrated to be carcinogenic.

In the 1930s and later, epidemiologists from Japan, the UK, and the US, including Richard Doll and various others, reported greater rates of death from lung cancer following occupational exposure to PAH-rich environments among workers in coke ovens and coal carbonization and gasification processes.

Mechanisms of carcinogenesis
The structure of a PAH influences whether and how the individual compound is carcinogenic. Some carcinogenic PAHs are genotoxic and induce mutations that initiate cancer; others are not genotoxic and instead affect cancer promotion or progression.

PAHs that affect cancer initiation are typically first chemically modified by enzymes into metabolites that react with DNA, leading to mutations. When the DNA sequence is altered in genes that regulate cell replication, cancer can result. Mutagenic PAHs, such as benzo[a]pyrene, usually have four or more aromatic rings as well as a "bay region", a structural pocket that increases reactivity of the molecule to the metabolizing enzymes. Mutagenic metabolites of PAHs include diol epoxides, quinones, and radical PAH cations. These metabolites can bind to DNA at specific sites, forming bulky complexes called DNA adducts that can be stable or unstable. Stable adducts may lead to DNA replication errors, while unstable adducts react with the DNA strand, removing a purine base (either adenine or guanine). Such mutations, if they are not repaired, can transform genes encoding for normal cell signaling proteins into cancer-causing oncogenes. Quinones can also repeatedly generate reactive oxygen species that may independently damage DNA.

Enzymes in the cytochrome family (CYP1A1, CYP1A2, CYP1B1) metabolize PAHs to diol epoxides. PAH exposure can increase production of the cytochrome enzymes, allowing the enzymes to convert PAHs into mutagenic diol epoxides at greater rates. In this pathway, PAH molecules bind to the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) and activate it as a transcription factor that increases production of the cytochrome enzymes. The activity of these enzymes may at times conversely protect against PAH toxicity, which is not yet well understood.

Low molecular weight PAHs, with two to four aromatic hydrocarbon rings, are more potent as co-carcinogens during the promotional stage of cancer. In this stage, an initiated cell (a cell that has retained a carcinogenic mutation in a key gene related to cell replication) is removed from growth-suppressing signals from its neighboring cells and begins to clonally replicate. Low-molecular-weight PAHs that have bay or bay-like regions can dysregulate gap junction channels, interfering with intercellular communication, and also affect mitogen-activated protein kinases that activate transcription factors involved in cell proliferation. Closure of gap junction protein channels is a normal precursor to cell division. Excessive closure of these channels after exposure to PAHs results in removing a cell from the normal growth-regulating signals imposed by its local community of cells, thus allowing initiated cancerous cells to replicate. These PAHs do not need to be enzymatically metabolized first. Low molecular weight PAHs are prevalent in the environment, thus posing a significant risk to human health at the promotional phases of cancer.

Cardiovascular disease
Adult exposure to PAHs has been linked to cardiovascular disease. PAHs are among the complex suite of contaminants in tobacco smoke and particulate air pollution and may contribute to cardiovascular disease resulting from such exposures.

In laboratory experiments, animals exposed to certain PAHs have shown increased development of plaques (atherogenesis) within arteries. Potential mechanisms for the pathogenesis and development of atherosclerotic plaques may be similar to the mechanisms involved in the carcinogenic and mutagenic properties of PAHs. A leading hypothesis is that PAHs may activate the cytochrome enzyme CYP1B1 in vascular smooth muscle cells. This enzyme then metabolically processes the PAHs to quinone metabolites that bind to DNA in reactive adducts that remove purine bases. The resulting mutations may contribute to unregulated growth of vascular smooth muscle cells or to their migration to the inside of the artery, which are steps in plaque formation. These quinone metabolites also generate reactive oxygen species that may alter the activity of genes that affect plaque formation.

Oxidative stress following PAH exposure could also result in cardiovascular disease by causing inflammation, which has been recognized as an important factor in the development of atherosclerosis and cardiovascular disease. Biomarkers of exposure to PAHs in humans have been associated with inflammatory biomarkers that are recognized as important predictors of cardiovascular disease, suggesting that oxidative stress resulting from exposure to PAHs may be a mechanism of cardiovascular disease in humans.

Developmental impacts
Multiple epidemiological studies of people living in Europe, the United States, and China have linked in utero exposure to PAHs, through air pollution or parental occupational exposure, with poor fetal growth, reduced immune function, and poorer neurological development, including lower IQ.

Regulation and oversight
Some governmental bodies, including the European Union as well as NIOSH and the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), regulate concentrations of PAHs in air, water, and soil. The European Commission has restricted concentrations of 8 carcinogenic PAHs in consumer products that contact the skin or mouth.

Priority polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons identified by the US EPA, the US Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR), and the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) due to their carcinogenicity or genotoxicity and/or ability to be monitored are the following:

 * Considered probable or possible human carcinogens by the US EPA, the European Union, and/or the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC).

Detection and optical properties
A spectral database exists for tracking polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in the universe. Detection of PAHs in materials is often done using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry or liquid chromatography with ultraviolet-visible or fluorescence spectroscopic methods or by using rapid test PAH indicator strips. Structures of PAHs have been analyzed using infrared spectroscopy.

PAHs possess very characteristic UV absorbance spectra. These often possess many absorbance bands and are unique for each ring structure. Thus, for a set of isomers, each isomer has a different UV absorbance spectrum than the others. This is particularly useful in the identification of PAHs. Most PAHs are also fluorescent, emitting characteristic wavelengths of light when they are excited (when the molecules absorb light). The extended pi-electron electronic structures of PAHs lead to these spectra, as well as to certain large PAHs also exhibiting semi-conducting and other behaviors.

Origins of life

PAHs may be abundant in the universe. They seem to have been formed as early as a couple of billion years after the Big Bang, and are associated with new stars and exoplanets. More than 20% of the carbon in the universe may be associated with PAHs. PAHs are considered possible starting material for the earliest forms of life. Light emitted by the Red Rectangle nebula possesses spectral signatures that suggest the presence of anthracene and pyrene. This report was considered a controversial hypothesis that as nebulae of the same type as the Red Rectangle approach the ends of their lives, convection currents cause carbon and hydrogen in the nebulae's cores to get caught in stellar winds, and radiate outward. As they cool, the atoms supposedly bond to each other in various ways and eventually form particles of a million or more atoms. Adolf Witt and his team inferred that PAHs—which may have been vital in the formation of early life on Earth—can only originate in nebulae.

PAHs, subjected to interstellar medium (ISM) conditions, are transformed, through hydrogenation, oxygenation, and hydroxylation, to more complex organic compounds—"a step along the path toward amino acids and nucleotides, the raw materials of proteins and DNA, respectively". Further, as a result of these transformations, the PAHs lose their spectroscopic signature which could be one of the reasons "for the lack of PAH detection in interstellar ice grains, particularly the outer regions of cold, dense clouds or the upper molecular layers of protoplanetary disks."

Low-temperature chemical pathways from simple organic compounds to complex PAHs are of interest. Such chemical pathways may help explain the presence of PAHs in the low-temperature atmosphere of Saturn's moon Titan, and may be significant pathways, in terms of the PAH world hypothesis, in producing precursors to biochemicals related to life as we know it.

title: Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon


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Esselte Leitz GmbH & Co KG

The Esselte Leitz GmbH & Co KG, also Leitz, is a German manufacturer of office products. The company, which is headquartered in Stuttgart, is owned by Esselte since 1998, who in turn were acquired by ACCO Brands in 2017. Today the brand Leitz is used by Esselte mainly for filing and workspace products.

Leitz was founded by Louis Leitz.

In 1998, the company was acquired by the Esselte Group. At the time of the sale, the company had 2,500 employees and sales of 280 million euros. A large number of employees were laid off at the time.

In 2017, the ACCO Group acquired the Esselte Group from the private equity company J.W. Childs, which also includes the Leitz company, among others. As part of this, the name of the company "Esselte Leitz GmbH & Co KG" was changed to "LEITZ ACCO Brands GmbH & Co KG". At the time of the sale, Leitz had 455 employees with sales of 205.8 million euros.

title: Esselte Leitz GmbH & Co KG