text:
Talk:Asbestosis

Untitled
Okay, pppppp--203.193.95.140 (talk) 07:44, 1 June 2009 (UTC)there is big bucks in finding asbestosis victims for compensation claims. That's why you guys are publishing this stuff here, in the hope to attract more clients. Well, here's the news:
 * The history section was copied vertabim from here. That's a copyvio. We don't do copyvios here; we write our own, un-biased stuff.
 * The compensation stuff was all about mesothelioma. As this page is only about asbestosis, I found this a good reason for removing the compensation stuff.

 * I didn't see the history stuff before, so I really can't comment. But I like the article very much the way it is now.  Whoever wrote this did an outstanding job. This article should only be about the disease, and disease process, imho.  It is logical to mention mesothelioma and other lung diseases, to differentiate them from asbestosis.  The legal issues have no place here.  Btw, not all lawyers are trolling for clients.  Contrary to popular belief, we are not all greedy scum suckers.  I left a lucrative career where I made more than I probably ever will as a lawyer.  I went into law because I wanted to learn it, and because I wanted to do something I believed in.  And now I am, and I make a fraction of what I made in engineering.  And I am happier. MollyBloom 04:39, 14 June 2006 (UTC)

Googling for Merrywater Price asbestosis disturbingly brings up Wikipedia as the first search result. This means that you have been using this non-profit site as an advertising medium. Go away. Please. I may have the page protected if this carries on. JFW | T@lk  22:35, 19 Dec 2004 (UTC)

 * Wow ! - that's quite a strong assertion to make, isn't it?

200.216.31.201, we have argued endlessly about this elsewhere. I wrote this before the debate on the "compensation" article started, and I cannot be bothered to argue about it again. JFW | T@lk  13:36, 23 Dec 2004 (UTC)

 * Today's version seems okay. I suggest controversial stuff be moved to an article like asbestosis controversy or asbestos removal or asbestos abatement; or my favorite, campaign to ban asbestos. --user:Ed Poor (talk) 21:31, Jan 21, 2005 (UTC)

I would move to delete any article entitled "Campaign to ban asbestos". My guess is that it would be a rant about the poor companies and how much they have been harmed. At least one of those poor companies, Johns-Manville, lied repeatedly to its workers and to the public about the dangers of asbestos. This is not conjecture or political twisting. There is a volume of written documents that were found, written by executives and a ''medical director" advising the corporate hq not to tell workers of their 'condition' because they should have the 'peace' to go on working in these conditions until they dropped. There were others that warned their colleagues to stay silent, and not discuss any of this to the public or medica, to avoid 'problems.'  These companies are not the victim.  As to jobs, more jobs were created cleaning up asbestos and developing new products, and diversifying.  So that does not hold water either. I am floored that any thinking person would suggest this.  60 countries have banned asbestos for good reason.  IN  the US, 10,000 people die a year from asbestos; 5,000 a year in the UK, and 3,000 a year in Australia.  That does not begin to count the many who become disabled from chronic lung problems.  I simply don't see how even the hard right wingers/industry apologists can argue this is not cause for serious concern, even banning. There are other fire retardants that are safe than asbesots. Cheap and easy to use does not outweigh the pain and agony familes go thorugh, who have had loved ones die. I know aobut this, because my father died of mesothelioma, 5 months after he was diagnosed. This was 40 years after he worked 3 months cutting asbestos shingles.MollyBloom 04:39, 14 June 2006 (UTC)

 * What do you think JFW? I've made a few changes myself, over on the "compensation" page Asbestosis_-_Compensation_and_Liability_Disputes, paraphrasing some quotes, removing some of the more emotional language and including text and references on predatory "runaway litigation" aspects. Should the NPOV and CLEANUP be maintained, or is it ready to have these tags removed? Thanks for any suggestions. Wikityke 11:38, 22 Jan 2005 (UTC)

I've responded on your talkpage. JFW | T@lk  03:44, 23 Jan 2005 (UTC)

Edited the one paragraph to remove "Why Antoine I pu" from the bottom of it, seemed like someone had either written a talk statement on the main page or had randomly vandalised it a bit. R.Hicks

This is an excellent article, JFW!! The only criticism I have of it is the note about mesothelioma. I have researched this at length, because my father died of it in 1986. I have spoken to oncologists and researchers about it. The consensus (and statistics) seems to be (1) it is rare but frequency has increased as those exposed to asbestos age.. The latency period is 20-50 years. It is still a rare disease, but the rate increase is significant,. That rate increase should level off this decade, as the majority of asbestos was installed in the years following WWII. (2) Mesothelioma, unlike even asbestosis, does not take prolonged exposure. My father's oncologist, a specialist in this area, explained that they don't know how much exposure it takes. He also said he treated execs from Johns-Mansville whose only exposure was through the ventilation system, and for a short time. In fact, they believe mesothelioma requires less exposure than the more common asbestosis. My father worked a summer job cutting asbestos shingles 40 years before he died. You are quite right that the prognosis is grim, and the disease is usually fatal within 12 months of diagnosis. I saw on another article 2-4 years, but that seems high.MollyBloom 04:39, 14 June 2006 (UTC)

External links modified
Hello fellow Wikipedians,

I have just added archive links to 1 one external link on Asbestosis. Please take a moment to review my edit. If necessary, add after the link to keep me from modifying it. Alternatively, you can add to keep me off the page altogether. I made the following changes:
 * Added archive https://web.archive.org/20110524203454/http://www.euro.who.int/__data/assets/pdf_file/0015/123072/AQG2ndEd_6_2_asbestos.PDF to http://www.euro.who.int/__data/assets/pdf_file/0015/123072/AQG2ndEd_6_2_asbestos.PDF

When you have finished reviewing my changes, please set the checked parameter below to true to let others know.

Cheers. —cyberbot II  Talk to my owner :Online 02:27, 19 October 2015 (UTC)

Epidemiological info
This article lacks epidemiological info. Especially it's comparison to mesothelioma 182.255.99.214 (talk) 01:07, 8 November 2015 (UTC)

Syntax/style
It's a small point but...I improved the non-standard-English syntax in the intro and it was reverted, then there was a simultaneous change to exactly the same sentence in line with what I had said! I've now made it even better! Dr Greg Wood (talk) 11:53, 7 March 2016 (UTC)

Oh, I see: not "sufferers". Gotcha (although if I had it, I'd feel like I was suffering!). Dr Greg Wood (talk) 12:17, 8 March 2016 (UTC)

Wiki Education assignment: Epidemiology ENPH 450
— Assignment last updated by Llava11 (talk) 15:09, 29 September 2022 (UTC)

Source inaccuracy
Source 10, “Asbestos-related disease statistics, Great Britain 2021”, has a disfunctional link 2601:197:F00:4F0:B580:15BF:594B:B67B (talk) 23:56, 10 December 2023 (UTC)

 * That reference has an archived copy of the PDF (https://web.archive.org/web/20220305120012/https://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/causdis/asbestos-related-disease.pdf). The original is there for posterity (?) but the info is still accessible. Recon rabbit  ( talk | edits ) 15:40, 12 December 2023 (UTC)

title: Talk:Asbestosis


text:
Osh

Osh (Kyrgyz and Ош) is the second-largest city in Kyrgyzstan, located in the Fergana Valley in the south of the country and often referred to as the "capital of the south". It is the oldest city in the country (estimated by UNESCO to be more than 3,000 years old) and has served as the administrative center of Osh Region since 1939. The city has an ethnically mixed population of 322,164, comprising Kyrgyz, Uzbeks, Ukrainians, Koreans, and other smaller ethnic groups.

Overview
Osh has an important outdoor activity bazaar which has been taking place on the same spot for the past 2,000 years and was a major market along the Silk Road. The city's industrial base, established during the Soviet period, largely collapsed after the break-up of the Soviet Union and has only recently started to revive.

The proximity of the Uzbekistan border, which cuts through historically linked territories and settlements, deprives Osh of much of its former hinterland and presents a serious obstacle to trade and economic development. Daily flights from Osh Airport link Osh—and hence the southern part of Kyrgyzstan—to the national capital Bishkek and some international destinations, mainly in Russia. Osh has two railway stations and a railway connection to Andijan in neighbouring Uzbekistan, but no passenger traffic and only sporadic freight traffic. Most transport is by road. The recent upgrading of the long and arduous road through the mountains to Bishkek has greatly improved communications.

The city has several monuments, including one to the southern Kyrgyz leader (датка) Kurmanjan and one of the few remaining statues of Lenin. A Russian Orthodox church, reopened after the demise of the Soviet Union, the second-largest mosque in the country, built in 2012 and situated beside the bazaar, and the 16th-century Rabat Abdul Khan Mosque can be found here. The only World Heritage Site in Kyrgyzstan, the Sulayman Mountain, offers a splendid view of Osh and its environs.

This mountain is thought by some researchers and historians to be the famous landmark of antiquity known as the "Stone Tower", which Claudius Ptolemy wrote about in his famous work Geography. It marked the midpoint on the ancient Silk Road, the overland trade route taken by caravans between Europe and Asia. The National Historical and Archaeological Museum Complex Sulayman is carved in the mountain, containing a collection of archaeological, geological, and historical finds and information about local flora and fauna.

Its first Western-style supermarket, Narodnyj, opened in March 2007.

Osh is home to Osh State University, one of the largest universities in Kyrgyzstan.

Administration
Osh city (Ош шаар, "Osh shaar") covers 182.5 km2 and, like the capital city of Bishkek, is administered separately and not part of any region, although it is the seat of Osh Region. Besides the city proper, 11 villages are administered by the city: Almalyk, Arek, Gulbaar-Tölöykön, Japalak, Kengesh, Kerme-Too, Orke, Pyatiletka, Teeke and parts of Ozgur and Tölöykön.

Population
Osh is the second-largest city in Kyrgyzstan after the capital city of Bishkek. According to the population estimate of 2021, the city population amounted to 322,164, of which 33,315 resided in the 11 villages that the City of Osh administers. At the 2009 census, 47.9% of the population were Kyrgyz, 44.2% were Uzbeks, 2.5% Russians, 2.2% Turks, 1.1% Tatars and 2.1% other nationalities. The population of the built-up (or metro) area in the surrounding Kara-Suu District and in neighbouring Uzbekistan is estimated at 400,000 inhabitants.

Early history
The name of the city of Osh derives from the river Vakhsh, anthropomorphised there as a water goddess of the same name, who was worshipped (in tandem with Atar, sacred fire) in a Zoroastrian shrine or fire temple situated in the Eagle Cave in the ancient sacred mountain Sulaiman-Too. The river Vakhsh itself, known also as Surkhob or Kyzyl-Suu ( Turkic: “red water”) is a tributary of the Amu Darya, the course of the Vakhsh lying outside and to the South of the Fergana valley, rising as it does on the west side of the 3,536m Taunmurun pass (east of the village of Sary-Tash)  and flowing southwest to its confluence with the Panj at Takht-i Sangin to form the Amu Darya. Oxus, the ancient name of the Amu Darya, like Osh, is cognate with the river name Vakhsh, revealing that the present day Vakhsh/Kyzyl-Suu was conceived to form the upper reaches of the river now known as the Amu Darya.

The city is among the oldest settlements in Central Asia. Osh was known as early as the 8th century as a center for silk production along the Silk Road. The famous trading route crossed Alay Mountains to reach Kashgar to the east.

Babur, founder of the Mughal Empire and descendant of Tamerlane, was born in nearby Andijan, in the Fergana Valley, pondered his future on Sulayman Mountain and even constructed a mosque atop of the mountain. Babur somehow concludes that the confines of the Fergana would cramp his aspirations as a descendant of famous conquering warrior princes. He wrote of the city:

"'There are many sayings about the excellence of Osh. On the southeastern side of the Osh fortress is a well-proportioned mountain called Bara-Koh, where, on its summit, Sultan Mahmud Khan built a pavilion. Farther down, on a spur of the same mountain, I had a porticoed pavilion built in 902 (1496-7)'"

Imperial Russian and Soviet rule
The city was occupied and annexed by the Russian Empire in 1876 when Russia overwhelmed the Central Asian khanates during the so-called "Great Game", the contest between Britain and Russia for dominance in Central Asia. This conquest was achieved and the inclusion to the Russian Empire made by the mid-1880s, with main credit to General von Kaufman and General Mikhail Skobelev.

In the 1960s Osh and other towns in the south of the Kyrgyz SSR began to be industrialized. The population of Osh and other towns in the Fergana Valley that falls within Kyrgyzstan has traditionally consisted of a significant number of ethnic Uzbeks. When Osh started to industrialize the ethnic "Kyrgyz were encouraged to move from the Kyrgyz populated countryside to the cities to work in industrial jobs and public administration." This contributed to the rise of social tension between the two groups.

1990 riots
In 1990, shortly before the end of Soviet power in Central Asia, Osh and its environs experienced bloody ethnic clashes between Kyrgyz and Uzbeks. There were about 1,200 casualties, including over 300 dead and 462 seriously injured. The riots broke out over the division of land resources in and around the city.

2010 ethnic violence
In 2010, after riots in Bishkek and other major Kyrgyz cities, President Kurmanbek Bakiyev took refuge in the city to hide from protesters denouncing his government and its response to the nation's struggling economy. On May 13, 2010, Bakiyev supporters took over government buildings in Osh and seized the airport, preventing interim government officials from landing. The protesters demanded Bakiev's return, and forced the regional governor to flee. The former Osh regional governor Mamasadyk Bakirov was reinstated.

On June 10, 2010, riots erupted in Osh, killing at least 81 and injuring hundreds of others. "An explosion of violence, destruction and looting in southern Kyrgyzstan on 11–14 June 2010 killed many dozens of Kyrgyz and Uzbek people. The total of over 2000 buildings were destroyed, mostly homes, and deepened the divide between the country's ethnic Kyrgyz and Uzbeks."

Local media reported that gangs of young men armed with sticks and stones smashed shop windows and set cars aflame in the city center. Several buildings and homes across the city were also set on fire. The city's police force proved incapable of restoring order resulting in a state of emergency being declared and the army being mobilised.

The Kyrgyz intelligence agency claimed that the just-deposed president initiated the 2010 violence, Kurmanbek Bakiyev, who is said to have made a deal with foreign narco-jihadist gangs to take over southern Kyrgyzstan and initiate a shariah state in exchange for the Bakiyev family's being returned to controlling Bishkek. However, to the day no serious proof has been presented to the public and media. According to various sources, up to 100,000 ethnic Uzbek refugees fled to Uzbekistan. Many refugee camps have been organized in the Andijan, Fergana and Namangan regions of Uzbekistan for Uzbek citizens of Kyrgyzstan who cross the border seeking safety.

Climate
Under the Köppen climate classification, Osh features a continental climate (Dsa), with hot, dry summers and cold winters. Osh receives on average roughly 400 millimeters of precipitation annually, the bulk of which typically falls on the city outside the summer months. Summers are hot in Osh, with average high temperatures routinely exceeding 30 °C. Winters are cold with average temperatures below freezing during a good portion of the season. Spring and autumn are transitional seasons, with temperatures rising during the course of the spring season and falling during the course of the autumn.

Notable people

 * Anvar Artykov (born 1951), a Kyrgyz politician, and current member of the Supreme Council of Kyrgyzstan. He served as governor of Osh Region between March and December 2005, and was previously a deputy between 1990 and 2000.
 * Aynuru Altybayeva (born 1958), a Kyrgyz politician, and current member of the Supreme Council of Kyrgyzstan
 * Roza Otunbayeva (born 1950), a Kyrgyz diplomat and politician who served as the President of Kyrgyzstan from April 2010 until 1 December 2011
 * Zhantoro Satybaldiyev (born 1956), a Kyrgyz politician who was Prime Minister of Kyrgyzstan from September 2012 until March 2014
 * Susana Camaladinova (born 1983), a Ukrainian singer of Crimean Tatar origin, winner of the Eurovision Song Contest 2016

Twin towns - sister cities
Osh is twinned with:
 * 🇹🇷 Yozgat, Turkey
 * 🇹🇷 Manisa, Turkey
 * Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

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

title: Osh


text:
User talk:Halibutt/GFDL

You should probably modify this so that it makes what you're asking more clear in GFDL terms. I suggest:
 * That you use a copyright notice, which the GFDL says must be preserved and distributed with the work. A notice of the form (c in a circle character) 2004 (your name) would suffice in most countries. If you want a valid copyright notice in the two minor countries which require it for a valid copyright notice, also include "All rights reserved".
 * You may also use moral rights and require that in moral rights jurisdictions your name be associated with your work. In those jurisdictions that is a right distinct from copyright and does not interfere with the license.

In general, it's also good on Wikipedia to identify photographers in a standard photo credit identifying the photographer. If you see an image for which we don't have the photographer properly credited, please add the appropriate credit. Jamesday 22:45, 19 Dec 2004 (UTC)

title: User talk:Halibutt/GFDL


text:
User:Oliver Lineham/Boilerplates/Untagged Image

Thanks for uploading the image :. I notice it currently doesn't have an image copyright tag. Could you add one to let us know its copyright status? Untagged images may be deleted, since we have no way of knowing whether it's legal to them. (You can use <nowiki></nowiki> if you release it under the GFDL, or <nowiki></nowiki> if you claim fair use, etc.) If you want to reply, please use my talk page. Thanks, ~


text:
Thio-

The prefix thio-, when applied to a chemical, such as an ion, means that an oxygen atom in the compound has been replaced by a sulfur atom. This term is often used in organic chemistry. For example, from the word ether, referring to an oxygen-containing compound having the general chemical structure R\sO\sR′, where R and R′ are organic functional groups and O is an oxygen atom, comes the word thioether, which refers to an analogous compound with the general structure R\sS\sR′, where S is a sulfur atom covalently bonded to two organic groups. A chemical reaction involving the replacement of oxygen to sulfur is called thionation or thiation.

Thio- can be prefixed with di- and tri- in chemical nomenclature.

The word derives (which occurs in Greek epic poetry as θέ(ϝ)ειον and may come from the same root as Latin fumus (Indo-European dh-w) and may have originally meant "fumigation substance".)

Gini

 * Thioamide
 * Thiocyanate
 * Thioether
 * Thioketone
 * Thiol
 * Thiophene
 * Thiourea
 * Thiosulfate

Seed IT

 * Organosulfur compounds
 * IUPAC nomenclature of organic chemistry

title: Thio-


text:
USS Prometheus (1814)

The first USS Prometheus was a brig in the United States Navy from 1814 to 1818.

Prometheus was built by William Seguin, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; purchased in 1814 by the Navy from Messrs. Savage and Dryan, the original owners, as the brig Escape; commissioned and renamed Prometheus, she was fitted out at Philadelphia by Master Commandant Joseph J. Nicholson.

In March–May 1815 she made a cruise to the West Indies to carry U.S. Senators Eligius Fromentin and James Brown to Havana. She sailed for Europe on 14 August 1816 to take Edward Coles, special messenger from the President of the United States to the Emperor Alexander I of Russia, returning to Boston, Massachusetts, on 25 November. In 1817 she was employed in surveying the U.S. coast north of Newport, Rhode Island, and in 1818 she operated along the southern coast and at New Orleans, Louisiana.

In October 1818 she was pronounced unseaworthy and decommissioned. Prometheus was dismantled and sold at auction at New Orleans in 1819.

title: USS Prometheus (1814)


text:
UNSPSC

The United Nations Standard Products and Services Code (UNSPSC) is a taxonomy of products and services for use in eCommerce. It is a four-level hierarchy coded as an eight-digit number, with an optional fifth level adding two more digits.

The latest release (August 14, 2023) of the code set is 26.0801.

The third newest UNv240301 release contains 740 changes to the previous UNSPSC version UNv23.0701 which are 721 new items added, 12 existing items edited, 6 existing items moved, and 1 existing item deleted. The new UNv24.0301 release contains 157,116 total items.

The changes include a new Segment 57000000 -Humanitarian Relief Items, Kits, or Accessories, requested by United Nation Global Marketplace (UNGM); additional codes were added to support the United States Department of Agriculture's Specialty Crops Inspection at the U.S. border.

The UNSPSC competes with a number of other product and commodity coding schemes, including the European Union's Common Procurement Vocabulary, ECLASS, and GS1's Global Product Classification.

History
The UNSPSC was organized upon the signature of a Memorandum of Understanding signed on September 29, 1998, by John S. Svendsen, the director of the Inter-agency Procurement Services Office (IAPSO) of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and on November 1, 1998, by Lawrence M. Barth, a Vice President of the Dun & Bradstreet Corporation. The development of the first version was overseen by Peter R. Benson, who was also responsible for the design and development of the code management procedure as a modification of the Delphi statistical forecasting method. The process allowed for the rapid development of consensus without dominance or influence.

The ECCMA, a non-profit membership association, was formed in 1999 to manage and promote the UNSPSC until March 2003, with the release of version 6.0315. The UNDP then appointed GS1 US as code manager in May 2003 and ECCMA develops the ECCMA Open Technical Dictionary (eOTD) and the international standards ISO 22745 and ISO 8000.

Description
The four primary levels of the code are: Segment, Family, Class and Commodity.

Each level is coded in two decimal digits, with '00' treated specially to give segments, families and classes their own eight-digit codes.

Thus 'Cats' are coded as 10101501, 'Dogs' are coded as 10101502 and 'Cattle' as 10101516. The class of 'Livestock' is 10101500; the family of 'Live animals' is 10100000, and all in the segment 10000000 of 'Live Plant and Animal Material and Accessories and Supplies'.

Optionally, a further two digits can be added for the business function, such as 'retail' or wholesale.

Top levels
The first two levels are as follows.

 * UNSPSC
 * Raw Materials, Chemicals, Paper, Fuel
 * Live Plant and Animal Material and Accessories and Supplies
 * Mineral and Textile and Inedible Plant and Animal Materials
 * Chemicals including Bio Chemicals and Gas Materials
 * Resin and Rosin and Rubber and Foam and Film and Elastomeric Materials
 * Paper Materials and Products
 * Fuels and Fuel Additives and Lubricants and Anti corrosive Materials
 * Industrial Equipment & Tools
 * Mining and Well Drilling Machinery and Accessories
 * Farming and Fishing and Forestry and Wildlife Machinery and Accessories
 * Industrial Manufacturing and Processing Machinery and Accessories
 * Material Handling and Conditioning and Storage Machinery and their Accessories and Supplies
 * Power Generation and Distribution Machinery and Accessories
 * Tools and General
 * Components & Supplies
 * Structures and Building and Construction and Manufacturing Components and Supplies
 * Manufacturing Components and Supplies
 * Electronic Components and Supplies
 * Electrical Systems and Lighting and Components and Accessories and Supplies
 * Construction, Transportation & Facility Equipment & Supplies
 * Building and Construction Machinery and Accessories
 * Commercial and Military and Private Vehicles and their Accessories and Components
 * Distribution and Conditioning Systems and Equipment and Components
 * Land and Buildings and Structures and Thoroughfares
 * Medical, Laboratory & Test Equipment & Supplies & Pharmaceuticals
 * Laboratory and Measuring and Observing and Testing Equipment
 * Medical Equipment and Accessories and Supplies
 * Drugs and Pharmaceutical Products
 * Food, Cleaning & Service Industry Equipment & Supplies
 * Cleaning Equipment and Supplies
 * Service Industry Machinery and Equipment and Supplies
 * Food Beverage and Tobacco Products
 * Business, Communication & Technology Equipment & Supplies
 * Information Technology Broadcasting and Telecommunications
 * Office Equipment and Accessories and Supplies
 * Printing and Photographic and Audio and Visual Equipment and Supplies
 * Published Products
 * Defense, Security & Safety Equipment & Supplies
 * Defense and Law Enforcement and Security and Safety Equipment and Supplies
 * Humanitarian Relief Items, Kits, or Accessories
 * Personal, Domestic & Consumer Equipment & Supplies
 * Sports and Recreational Equipment and Supplies and Accessories
 * Domestic Appliances and Supplies and Consumer Electronic Products
 * Apparel and Luggage and Personal Care Products
 * Timepieces and Jewelry and Gemstone Products
 * Furniture and Furnishings
 * Musical Instruments and Games and Toys and Arts and Crafts and Educational Equipment and Materials and Accessories and Supplies
 * Services
 * Financial Instruments, Products, Contracts and Agreements
 * Bank offered products
 * Securities
 * Insurable interest contracts
 * Governmental property right conferrals
 * Farming and Fishing and Forestry and Wildlife Contracting Services
 * Mining and oil and gas services
 * Building and Facility Construction and Maintenance Services
 * Industrial Production and Manufacturing Services
 * Industrial Cleaning Services
 * Environmental Services
 * Transportation and Storage and Mail Services
 * Management and Business Professionals and Administrative Services
 * Engineering and Research and Technology Based Services
 * Editorial and Design and Graphic and Fine Art Services
 * Public Utilities and Public Sector Related Services
 * Financial and Insurance Services
 * Healthcare Services
 * Education and Training Services
 * Travel and Food and Lodging and Entertainment Services
 * Personal and Domestic Services
 * National Defense and Public Order and Security and Safety Services
 * Politics and Civic Affairs Services
 * Organizations and Clubs

Governance
The UNSPSC was jointly developed by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and Dun & Bradstreet in 1998 and is currently managed by GS1 US, which is responsible for overseeing code change requests, revising the codes and issuing regularly scheduled updates to the code, as well as managing special projects and initiatives.

Availability and languages
The codeset is available in English, French, German, Spanish, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Dutch, Mandarin Chinese, Portuguese, Danish, Norwegian, Swedish, and Hungarian. The latest PDF version of the codeset is available for download at no cost, though a user account is required and can be created (also at no cost). A version in Microsoft Excel format is available to members, who can also request changes and suggest additions to the code.

title: UNSPSC


text:
Flight of the Amazon Queen

Flight of the Amazon Queen is a graphical point-and-click adventure game by Interactive Binary Illusions, originally released in 1995 for Amiga and MS-DOS. The game was re-released as freeware in 2004 for use with ScummVM. In January 2022, a sequel was announced, titled Return of the Amazon Queen.

Development
The game was developed on Amiga 500 using AMOS and ported to C for release on MS-DOS. The game engine was called JASPAR: while developers had read about Lucasfilm's SCUMM, the engine was designed in a different way. Deluxe Paint was used for art.

Gameplay is very similar in style to many of LucasArts' popular point-and-click adventures of the 1990s, and was inspired by Monkey Island. The game was inspired by the Indiana Jones film Raiders of the Lost Ark: while the developers knew there was an adventure game of Indiana Jones, at the time it was dismissed as a movie tie-in.

Plot
In 1949, Joe King, pilot for hire and owner of the Amazon Queen airplane which he uses for his work, arrives at a hotel in Rio de Janeiro to transport his next customer, famous film actress Faye Russel, only to be ambushed by his Dutch rival Anderson. Locked in a hotel room and trapped by Anderson's goons, Joe quickly gains assistance from Lola, a showgirl at the hotel and a former love interest, and escapes, making it back to the airport with his mechanic Sparky, just in time to stop his rival taking Faye. Wasting no time, Joe quickly pilots the Amazon Queen towards the location of Faye's shoot, only for a storm to cause him to crash-land in the Amazon jungle. After getting Faye and Sparky to safety, Joe begins searching for help, soon encountering a parrot named Wedgewood with a message for help. Seeking out the person the message was for, Joe meets with Trader Bob, a merchant who lives amongst an indigenous tribe in the jungle, who soon asks for his help in rescuing a princess named Azura from Floda, a lederhosen company that Bob suspects is a cover for something much more sinister.

Joe quickly begins searching for the jungle, encountering an entire tribe of Amazon women who capture him and took in Faye when she decided to seek help herself. Released by the tribe, Joe agrees to help them rescue Azura as well. Finding the princess within a hidden base beneath Floda, Joe frees her and returns to her tribe, only to find himself coming face-to-face with Floda's leader - Dr. Frank Ironstein, a mad scientist who seeks to conquer the world by turning Amazon women into dinosaur warriors through the use of his DinoRay invention. Seeing that Joe was smart to get around his security, Ironstein coerces him into helping him find an artifact from a temple that he requires known as the Crystal Skull, threatening to harm Azura if he does not. Left with no choice, Joe agrees, and heads for the temple, navigating traps and puzzles and eventually finding what he needs. Returning it to Ironstein, Joe quickly finds himself betrayed and trapped in Floda's base, but soon escapes and goes after Ironstein with the help of Anderson, his former rival having originally been hired by the scientist to assist but later deciding to turn against him. Heading into the valley, Joe assists in trying to find Ironstein and manages to stop him, saving the day, before taking the scientist's Zeppelin and flying into the sunset with Azura.

Releases
Prior to release, the game was sent by the publisher to Future Publishing's Amiga Power magazine, to be reviewed by Jonathan Nash in issue 51. Whilst playing he found an error which prevented progression through the game (at the start, the bellhop would not relinquish the door key). He informed the publisher which resulted in the game release being delayed for several months as, at the time, the game had been sent to the disk duplication factory ready for reproduction. As it was also too late to change the magazine content and layout, the issue went to press with an apology that they had unintentionally reviewed an "unfinished" game, which was against one of their policies. The screenshots for the issue came from the PC version, also against their policy. The front cover of this issue featured an artist's impression of the 'escape from Rio' car chase scene.

The Amiga version had no voices, whereas the DOS CD version was a talkie featuring full voice-acting. The voice of the Temple Guardian was provided by British actress Penelope Keith. Actor William Hootkins, who played Red Six (Jek Porkins) in Star Wars, also voiced a number of characters.

The DOS CD version contained a mini-game of sorts. The file Queen.1 (1.82MB, CRC-32: D72DCD56) is found in the INTERVIE folder in the CD-ROM's Root. The mini-game is a fully playable adventure game, where the main character tries to get an interview from the game's development team. The game features MIDI music and full text, but no talkie version was ever released. The mini-game features familiar locations, characters, and game spoilers. The mini-game usually goes unnoticed as it is not bootable or playable from within the main game. The mini-game is fully supported by the recent ScummVM release.

In March 2004, the game was released as freeware, and support for it was added to ScummVM, allowing it to be played on Linux, Mac OS X, Windows, and many other operating systems and consoles. The datafiles for both the floppy disk and CD-ROM version are available from the ScummVM website. The Fedora RPM software repository has an installer for the game alongside ScummVM. This game is directly included in the Debian software repository.

In 2009, iPhSoft took ScummVM's FOTAQ iPhone / iPod Touch free port and modified it. This modification has been commercially sold on iTunes but was discontinued in mid-2015 due to lack of iOS 8 and up support.

In 2013, the game was released at GOG.com as a digital download ready to play on modern PCs.

In March 2016, MojoTouch, working with John Passfield, the designer of the original game, released the 20th Anniversary Edition on the App Store (iOS), Google Play and Amazon Appstore. This version includes improved graphics rendering, full voice acting, new touch interface, auto-save, multi-language support, high definition menus and the following bonus material: Making of Flight of the Amazon Queen booklet, a play through of the interactive interview mini-game with audio commentary by John Passfield, the original game manuals (both US and international versions) and the Official Playing Guide.

Reception
Discussing the game's commercial performance, designer John Passfield said in 2013: "I believe it sold fewer than 100,000 copies, which at the time was okay".

Flight of the Amazon Queen received generally positive reviews from critics. At GameRankings the iOS version scores 72.50% and the PC version 75.00%. Pocket Gamer's Spanner Spencer called the iPhone release of Flight of the Amazon Queen more of a direct conversion than an adaptation, but was generally positive for this version.

title: Flight of the Amazon Queen


text:
User talk:Bob1817

Please stop adding nonsense to Wikipedia. It is considered vandalism. If you were just trying to experiment, then use the sandbox instead. Thank you.

title: User talk:Bob1817


text:
JetDirect

HP Jetdirect is the name of a technology sold by Hewlett-Packard that allows computer printers to be directly attached to a local area network. The "Jetdirect" designation covers a range of models from the external 1 and 3 port parallel print servers known as the 300x and 500x, to the internal EIO print servers for use with HP printers. The Jetdirect series also includes wireless print server (Bluetooth, 802.11b and g) models, as well as gigabit Ethernet and IPv6-compliant internal cards.

History

HP Jetdirect was first introduced in March 1991 (code named QuickSilver) with the LaserJet IIIsi network printer (code named Eli). Jetdirect is based on HP's MIO (Modular Input/Output) interface, which was designed from the ground up with the IIIsi to create a mainstream full function high performance networked printer. The initial MIO interface card had Ethernet and Token Ring physical layer variants and used various networking protocols over an AUI/BNC connection. Initially, a printer needed a separate card for each protocol, such as TCP/IP, IPX/SPX, AppleTalk, or DLC/LLC. The following year, the team applied the technology to the legacy accessory slot on the LaserJetIIs and IIIs XIO (Extended Input/Output). MIO type Jetdirect cards were also used for network connectivity on some HP/Agilent laboratory equipment, such as the 6890A and 6890 Plus series of gas chromatographs. These included unusual network connection types such as HPs I-Net, which was used as an interconnect between various pieces of hardware that controlled the 58xx and 68xx series gas chromatographs. Not until 1994 would MIO interface cards be released that could support more than one protocol per card.

The next development releases added connection interfaces. In 1992, a card with both 8P8C modular telephone and BNC connectors for Ethernet was released, and in 1993, the first external Jetdirects were introduced with a parallel interface. This enabled Jetdirect cards to connect to almost any printer, making that printer network-capable. In 1995, the Ex plus 3 was released, with 3 parallel ports on one network interface, allowing 3 printers to share 1 network address.

1997 saw the new numbering format for both internal and external Jetdirect servers. Internals began the 6xx series with the release of the 600n, multiprotocol card that supported TCP/IP, IPX/SPX, DLC/LLC, and AppleTalk over a Token Ring network; along with the 1760x series external print server - also multiprotocol. An Ethernet version of the 600n was released in 1998. In 1999, the Jetdirect autoswitch was introduced.

1998 also saw the release of 170x, the first value-line print server aimed at smaller companies that did not necessarily need full networking - only TCP/IP or IPX/SPX support. This was followed in 2000 by the Jetdirect 70x home print server.

Protocols
More advanced versions of JetDirect supported a number of network printing protocols. However, the protocol that ended up being associated with it, the JetDirect protocol, is its raw TCP/IP protocol sometimes referred to as Socket API or RAW. It is an extremely simple network printing protocol. Submitting a print job can be done by netcating a file containing the page description language (e.g. PostScript, PCL) to the appropriate TCP port on the printer (default port is 9100). Information about the printer and job is simply sent to the client while the TCP connection is active. The port would reject connections if the printer is busy.

AppSocket is a very similar implementation by Tektronix for Phaser printers, later sold to Xerox. This protocol adds support for querying for printer status by non-printing users via a separate UDP port.

Most JetDirect devices also came with, JetDirect Interface, a telnet interface for configuring the device or printer.

MIO
MIO (Modular Input/Output) was the first technology developed by HP for its laser printers to enable the addition of peripheral cards such as Jetdirect.

LIO
LIO (Low-end I/O) interfaces were developed by HP as a corporate response to the strictly internal MIO and EIO development path. The LIO interface differs from MIO/EIO in that the card is wrapped in an external plastic casing and is hot-swappable. The LIO backplane technology is based on a low power/low-voltage (< 1-volt) differential signaling technology.

 * 200N (C6502a) - Parallel with Centronics Interface
 * 200m (J6039C) – 10/100 BASE-T (Supports only Windows and Apple Mac, fixed firmware)
 * 250m (J6042B) – 10/100 BASE-T (Full support for Netware and Unix, firmware upgradeable)
 * 280m (J6044A) – 802.11b Wireless

EIO

EIO (Enhanced Input/Output) is a modular interface developed by HP for its printers to expand their capabilities. EIO does not just serve Jetdirect cards, but EIO hard drives and the EIO Connectivity card for adding communication ports to the printers as well. EIO utilizes the 3.3V signaling technology of the Conventional PCI bus and is significantly more energy-efficient than MIO technology. EIO print servers will not work in LIO slots, nor will the LIO print servers work in EIO slots.

 * 1284B Parallel Card (J7972G) - Provides one Type C Mini-Centronics 36-pin parallel port.
 * 600n – 10/100BASE-TX/10BASE2/LocalTalk (J3110A, J3111A, J3112A, J3113A) (Discontinued)
 * 610n – Ethernet/Fast Ethernet/802.5, DE9, RJ45 (J4169A, J4167A) (Discontinued)
 * 615n – Ethernet/Fast Ethernet (10/100BASE-TX, 802.3) (J6057A) (Discontinued)
 * 620n – Ethernet/Fast Ethernet (10/100BASE-TX, 802.3) (J7934A, J7934G)
 * 625n – Ethernet/Fast Ethernet/Gigabit (10/100/1000BASE-TX, 802.3) (J7960A, J7960G) (Discontinued)
 * 630n – Ethernet/Fast Etnernet/Gigabit (10/100/1000BASE-Tx, 802.3) IPv6 (J7997G) replacement for 625n (Discontinued)
 * 635n – Ethernet/Fast Ethernet/Gigabit (10/100/1000BASE-TX, 802.3) IPv6/IPsec (J7961A, J7961G) (Discontinued)
 * 640n - Ethernet/Fast Ethernet/Gigabit (10/100/1000BASE-TX, 802.3) IPv6/IPsec (J8025A)
 * 680n – 802.11b Wireless (Discontinued)
 * 690n – Ethernet/Fast Ethernet/Wireless (10/100BASE-TX, 802.3, 802.11b/g) IPv6/IPsec (J8007G) (Discontinued)
 * 695nw - Ethernet/Fast Ethernet/Gigabit/Wireless (10/100/1000BASE-TX, 802.3, 802.11b/g/n) IPv6/IPsec (J8024A)

615n series ASIC issue
In 2002 HP released the 615n series of Internal EIO print server. This model featured a new chipset manufactured in Singapore that had a problem related to either overheating or data overload. Otherwise known as the ASIC issue, this meant the 615n card could fail without warning, and when it failed, would completely shut down, appearing to vanish from the printer entirely.

Soon afterwards, HP began to do a per-item replacement policy that has ended as of October 31, 2008, when all known 615n cards were at least 4 years old and at such time HP felt it had taken appropriate corporate responsibility for a defect in manufacturing.

The 615n cards most often affected were the units installed in the Laserjet 2300, 4200 and Color 4600 series. Those cards appear to be most prone to failure.

Any 615n series card can fail, but it is up to HP to determine if the failure is due to the chipset or some other factor. HP recommended to call them or contact them through the Web site and they will proceed to do some simple troubleshooting steps to determine if the failure is due to the chipset or some other cause. If it is proven to be the chipset, HP would be able to replace the card under warranty with an as-new card (nominally a 620n).

bt1300
The BT1300 is a Bluetooth compliant network adapter for network-ready parallel or USB printers. (Discontinued)
 * 2MB flash memory for software and print server upgrades

Print Server Appliance 4250
The Print Server Appliance 4250 is perhaps the most ambitious of the Jetdirect products - being a complete printing facility in a box. The system comes ready to go with a pre-loaded and configured Print Server running on a Linux core with an Apache Web Server. Once connected to the network, the device is able to manage up to 50 print shares with any supported network-ready printer, not just HP products. (Discontinued)
 * 128MB onboard memory
 * 20GB onboard HDD with 7GB available for print spool operations
 * Supports up to 50 individual print queues or printer installs
 * Allows up to 350 simultaneous client connections for enterprise printing
 * Allows for updating and loading of print drivers from any source through an on-board web browser interface
 * Supports both TCP/IP connections and LPD connections (LPD for printing only) for communication to virtually any network-compliant printer

EIO connectivity card
The Jetdirect EIO connectivity card allows for the expansion of any EIO printer to gain a USB 1.0, Serial, and Localtalk interface. This card has all three interface connectors and on-board electronics to give the printer the ability to use these interfaces. (Discontinued)

title: JetDirect


text:
Asipovichy

Asipovichy (Асiповiчы; Осиповичи) is a town in Mogilev Region, Belarus. It serves as the administrative center of Asipovichy District. It is located 136 km southwest of Mogilev, 3 km south of the Minsk-Gomel expressway. It is located at the junction of railway lines between Minsk, Gomel, Mogilev, and Baranavichy. In 2020, its population was 29,900. As of 2024, it has a population of 29,103.

The active industries of Asipovichy include machine building, building materials, food production, and light and wood processing. It is home to the hydro-electric power plant on the Svislach River.

History
A village existed on the site of the modern town during the 18th century, which in 1787 had seventeen dwellings as part of the Protasevichi folwark owned by Dominik Hieronim Radzivil in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. After the Second Partition of Poland the village came under control of the Russian Empire. According to an inventory in 1805, there were 22 dwellings and 146 inhabitants in the village, and then 26 dwellings in 1834. In addition to agriculture and animal husbandry, the villagers were engaged in weaving, fishing, and woodworking. A sawmill and flour mill were founded in 1885. Meanwhile, a railway station on the Libau–Romny Railway was founded in forest two kilometers from the village in 1872. The railway contributed to the expansion of the forestry industry and the development of crafts in the area. During the late 1880s and first half of the 1890s, two sawmills, a mill, several houses, a post office, and an inn were built. The narrow-gauge Asapovichy-Darahanava railway was laid down in 1896. The Russian Empire 1897 census recorded 449 inhabitants in the village and 99 in the settlement that developed around the station; the region was part of the Bobruysky Uyezd.

A railway sleeper plant was founded in 1900 and in the early 20th century the village turned into an urban settlement with a bakery, workshops for the manufacture and repair of sled wheels and agricultural implements. There were more than 1,000 inhabitants in 1904, and in the 1905 Russian Revolution there was a worker's demonstration on 17 September 1905. The Asapovichy-Darahanava railway was extended to Uručča between 1905 and 1907, and the town turned into a rail junction from which more than a million poods of forestry products were shipped annually. There were two schools, a steam mill was built in 1908, a tar factory founded in 1909, and communication was established with Minsk and Mogilev. A locomotive depot opened in 1913 and the railway was extended to Slutsk in 1915 during World War I and converted to broad gauge. Soldiers of the town garrison rioted during August and September 1915. By 1917 there were 601 inhabitants in the village and 4,178 at the station, which became a town. After the October Revolution, a Red Guard detachment of 1,000 men was formed, which in January and February 1918 took part in the defeat of Józef Dowbor-Muśnicki's Polish troops. The town was occupied by German troops between 19 February and November 1918, and by Polish troops between August 1919 and July 1920. Red partisan detachments occupied in the vicinity during 1919 and 1920.

A pharmacy was opened in 1921 and telegraph restored, two schools, a railway club were opened, and a library followed the next year. Asipovichy became the volost center in January 1922. A power plant was put into operation in 1922 and the Red Chemist tar factory the next year. The People's House and Hospital was opened in 1924, and two clinics in 1925. The locomotive depot, sawmills, mill, and crafts workshops were restored, and a beekeeping cooperative was founded in 1925. A weather station was founded in 1926, and radio came to the town in 1925. By 1926 there were 3,504 inhabitants in the urban settlement, 616 in the village, and 141 at the station. During collectivization a machine tractor station was established in 1931 and an agricultural machinery repair workshop followed in 1932. From Asapovichy, a district newspaper began publishing and the Red Lumberjack newspaper targeted at loggers was published in 1934. Asapovichy received city status on 15 July 1935, and a secondary school, maternity hospital, and public bathhouse were built. In 1940 the town had grown to 14,000 inhabitants.

The town came under German occupation during World War II on 30 June 1941. Soviet partisans were active in the region during the war, undertaking sabotage against the railway junction and burning down the creamery. The town was liberated by the Red Army and local partisans on 30 June 1944.

In early 1944, the town was transferred to the administration of Bobruysk Region, reverting back to the Mogilev Region in 1954. Soon after liberation, the town was rebuilt – the forestry enterprise, mill, creamery and the artels Red Chemist, Progress, and Social Work were restored, telephone and telegraph services resumed. The radio station began broadcasting and the depot and railway station were rebuilt. During the postwar years, enterprises were reconstructed and expanded and new ones established. A reservoir and associated hydroelectric power station were built near the town in 1953. Its population had grown to 15,777 by 1959. Industry in the town expanded significantly by 1990 with a roofing plant, reinforced concrete, industrial plant, forest products, automobile assembly, bread products, household services, creamery, stationery, and concentrates factories.

In 2006, there were enterprises of mechanical engineering and metalworking, construction materials, and the food industry. There was a professional lyceum, a Belarusian gymnasium school, four secondary schools, a special boarding school, a children's and youth sports and music school, an art school, 12 children's preschools, and a center for correctional and developmental training and rehabilitation. There was a district Cultural Center, 5 libraries, a center for children and youth, a club for children and youth tourism and local lore, a district center of folk crafts, 2 hospitals, a clinic and pharmacies, and district service centers. The city has 2 hotels, 2 public houses, a factory of consumer services, 2 points of collective use, a computer club, driving schools and DTSAAF clubs, stadiums, gyms and sports complex grounds, restaurants, cafes, the city market, 5 post offices and others. Attractions include the Asipovichy Museum of History and Local Lore, Mass graves of Soviet soldiers and guerrillas who died in the Great Patriotic War, graves of victims of fascism. Liberation Monument, and the Church of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross.

Military
The Yuzhny (South) military base is located on the southeastern outskirts of the town on ulitsa Rabochye-Krestyanskaya (street). The base is home to the 51st Guards Artillery Brigade, 336th Rocket Artillery Brigade, and the 465th Missile Brigade. In 2017 the 51st Guards Artillery Brigade marked 25 years located in the town. A now-closed military base known as Severny (North) was also located on the northern outskirts.

Notable residents

 * Uladzimer Krukoǔski (6 March 1937 - 3 March 2022) - Belarusian artist

title: Asipovichy


text:
Sharon Springs

Sharon Springs may refer to a place in the United States:

 * Sharon Springs, Kansas
 * Sharon Springs, New York
 * Sharon Springs, Georgia

title: Sharon Springs


text:
Écu

The term écu may refer to one of several French coins. The first écu was a gold coin (the écu d'or) minted during the reign of Louis IX of France, in 1266. The value of the écu varied considerably over time, and silver coins (known as écu d'argent) were also introduced.

Écu (from Latin scutum) means shield, and the coin was so called because its design included the coat of arms of France. The word is related to the Catalan escut, Italian scudo, or Portuguese and Castilian escudo. In English, the écu was often referred to as the crown, or the French crown in the eras of the English crown, British crown, and other crowns.

Origin
When Louis IX took the throne, France still used small silver deniers (abbreviated d.), which had circulated since the time of Charlemagne to the exclusion of larger silver or gold coins. Over the years, French kings had granted numerous nobles and bishops the right to strike coins and their “feudal” coinages competed with the royal coinage. Venice and Florence had already shown that there was demand for larger silver and gold coins and in 1266 Louis IX sought an advantage for the royal coinage by expanding it in these areas. His gold écu d'or showed a shield strewn with fleur-de-lis, which was the coat of arms of the kings of France at the time. These coins were valued as if gold was worth only 10 times as much as silver, an unrealistic ratio which Edward III of England had unsuccessfully tried to use. It failed again, Louis IX's silver coins were a great success but his gold was not accepted at this rate and his successor discontinued gold coinage.

Écu d'or
Philip IV reintroduced gold coinage to France in 1296 and began a sequence of extravagantly designed but rapidly changing types. These coins were generally named for their obverse design, and the écu à la chaise which Philip VI introduced in 1337 showed a shield with the coat of arms of the kings of France beside the seated king. Philip VI spent vast quantities of these coins subsidizing his allies in the Netherlands at the outset of the Hundred Years' War, and this coin was widely copied in the Netherlands.

Charles VI ended the practice of frequently changing gold coin designs (but not that of tampering with their weight and value) with his écu à la couronne in 1385. This is again named after the shield on the obverse, which now has a crown above it and the modern coat of arms of the kings of France with three fleur-de-lis. Charles VI's father had scored major gains against the English but had passed the cost on to his children. The government of the child Charles VI abandoned his father's sound money policy by replacing his gold franc à cheval. The new écu à la couronne weighed less than the franc but its value was increased from 1livre (₶.), i.e. 20 sous (abbr. s), for the franc to 22s. 6d. (i.e. 1₶. 2s. 6d.) for the écu. Not only was this a devaluation, but while the franc had been identified with its valuation of one livre the valuation of the écu à la couronne was subject to manipulation.

In 1475, Louis XI created a variant of the écu à la couronne called an écu au soleil because the Sun now appeared above the shield. The process of devaluation continued. In 1515 the écu au soleil was valued at 36s. 9d., but this was increased to 45s. by 1547 even though its weight and fineness had been decreased in 1519. The écu design continued, essentially unchanged, on French gold coins until 1640 when the louis d’or replaced it.

In the second half of the 1500s gold and silver imported from Spanish America impacted the French economy, but the king of France was not getting much of the new wealth. He responded by revaluing the écu d’or in stages from 45s. in 1547 to 60s., i.e. 3₶., in 1577. This exacerbated the inflation caused by the increase in the supply of gold and silver, and the Estates General, which met at Blois in 1576, added to the public pressure to stop currency manipulation.

In 1577, Henri III agreed to stabilize the écu d’or at 3₶. and to adopt a new monetary system with prices quoted in écus. As part of this system, he introduced quarter and eighth écu coins struck in silver. The types of quarter and eighth écus d'argent paralleled those of the écu d’or, with the royal arms on the obverse and a cross on the reverse. For the first time in French history, these coins had a mark of value, with IIII or VIII placed on either side of the shield. Royal coins struck at mints in Navarre and Béarn added local heraldry to the fleur-de-lis of France. Feudal coinages at Bouillon and Sedan, Château-Renaud, and Rethel also struck quarter écus, with their own arms replacing the royal arms. By the 17th century this écu d’or would rise in value from 3₶. to more than 5₶., while the hammered silver quarter écu struck until 1646 would rise in value from 15s. to 1₶.

Silver Louis or écu of 1641

This still did not give France a coin which could compete with the thalers which were popular in Germany. Moreover, French coins were still made by hand, so precious metal could be illegally shaved from the edges of the coins before passing them on. Finally, the écu d’or was made of 23 carat gold, which was not the international standard. Louis XIII fixed all this. He installed coinage making machinery in the Paris mint and replaced the écu d’or with the Louis d'or in 1640. In 1641 he introduced a thaler-sized silver coin originally called a Louis d’argent, issued at 9 to a French Mark of silver, 11/12 fine (24.93 g fine silver), and valued at three livres tournois - the same value in which the écu d’or was stabilized in 1577. This new 3₶. coin also came to be called an écu.

Silver écu of 1726
From 1690 to 1725 rates were unstable, resulting in the discontinuation of the Louis d'argent in favor of the new silver écu. In 1726 it was first issued at issued 8.3 to a French Mark of silver, 11/12 fine (or 27.03 g fine silver), and valued at 6₶. The silver écu was further broken down into a $1/undefined$ value coin (huitième d'écu), a 1⁄4 value coin (the quart d'écu) and a 1⁄2 value coin (the demi-écu). All had the king's bust on the obverse and the royal coat of arms on the reverse.

This silver écu was known as the laubthaler in Germany. It circulated in Southern Germany at 2.8 South German gulden. In Switzerland it was worth four Berne livres or four francs of the Helvetic Republic. For more on the 17th-18th centuries currency system, see Louis d'or, livre tournois and Italian scudo.

French Revolution
The silver écu disappeared during the French Revolution and was replaced by the franc at the rate of 6₶. = 6/1.0125 or 5.93 francs. At 4.5 g fine silver per franc this implied each écu contained only 26.66 g fine silver.

But the 5-franc silver coins minted throughout the 19th century were just a continuation of the old écus, and were often still called écu by French people. The écu, as it existed immediately before the French Revolution, was approximately equivalent (in terms of purchasing power) to 24 euro or 30 U.S. dollars in 2017.

References in novels
The Count of Monte Cristo (Penguin Classics - by Alexandre Dumas -translated by Robin Buss) “The speculators were the richer by eight hundred thousand écus.” (Page 179)

title: Écu


text:
Brigade de répression du banditisme

The Brigade de Répression du Banditisme ('Banditry Repression Brigade') are police special units of the French Ministry of the Interior (Ministère de l'Intérieur). They are in charge of armed robberies, serious burglaries and scams, stolen cars and art thefts. The first analogue of the Brigade de répression du banditisme was created in 1894, when the Sûreté service seconded the so-called “voie publique” brigade to the headquarters of the Paris police. The main task of the "voie publique Brigade" was the fight against crime, which takes place in an ordinary, but nevertheless very hostile environment: on the street.

In 1948, Commissioner Charles Chenevier organized and led, under the auspices of la Sûreté nationale, a group called "Brigade de répression du banditisme". In addition to Commissioner Chenevier himself, the group included Commissioner Gillard, Inspector Leclerc, Inspector Hours and Inspector Roger Bornish.

Trivia

 * The BRB of Paris (BRB-PP) is featured in the 2004 film Department 36.

title: Brigade de répression du banditisme