City

A city is a large and permanent human settlement. Although there is no agreement on how a city is distinguished from a town in general English language meanings, many cities have a particular administrative, legal, or historical status based on local law.

Cities generally have complex systems for sanitation, utilities, land usage, housing, and transportation. The concentration of development greatly facilitates interaction between people and businesses, benefiting both parties in the process, but it also presents challenges to managing urban growth.

A big city or metropolis usually has associated suburbs and exurbs. Such cities are usually associated with metropolitan areas and urban areas, creating numerous business commuters traveling to urban centers for employment. Once a city expands far enough to reach another city, this region can be deemed a conurbation or megalopolis. In terms of population, the largest city proper is Shanghai, while the fastest-growing is Dubai.

Origins

There is not enough evidence to assert what conditions gave rise to the first cities. Some theorists have speculated on what they consider suitable pre-conditions and basic mechanisms that might have been important driving forces.

City government in Washington (state)

There are 281 municipalities in the U.S. state of Washington. State law determines the various powers its municipalities have.

City classes

Legally, a city in Washington can be described primarily by its class. There are five classes of cities in Washington:

First class cities are cities with a population over 10,000 at the time of reorganization and operating under a home rule charter. They are permitted to perform any function specifically granted them by Title 35 RCW (Revised Code of Washington). Among them are Seattle, Tacoma, Spokane, Vancouver, and Yakima.

Second class cities are cities with a population over 1,500 at the time of reorganization and operating without a home rule charter. Like first class cities, they are permitted to perform any function specifically granted them by Title 35 RCW. Among them are Port Orchard, Wapato, and Colville.

Towns are municipalities with a population of under 1,500 at the time of reorganization. Towns are not authorized to operate under a charter. Like the previously listed cities, they are permitted to perform any function specifically granted them by Title 35 RCW. Among them are Steilacoom, Friday Harbor, Eatonville, and Waterville. In 1994, the legislature made 1,500 the minimum population required to incorporate.

Administrative divisions of Texas

Texas has a total of 254 counties, many cities, and numerous special districts, the most common of which is the independent school district.

County

Texas has a total of 254 counties, by far the largest number of counties of any state.

Each county is run by a five-member Commissioners' Court consisting of four commissioners elected from single-member districts (called commissioner precincts) and a county judge elected at-large. The county judge does not have authority to veto a decision of the commissioners court; the judge votes along with the commissioners (being the tie-breaker in close calls). In smaller counties, the county judge actually does perform judicial duties, but in larger counties the judge's role is limited to serving on the commissioners court and certifying elections. Certain officials, such as the sheriff and tax collector, are elected separately by the voters, but the commissioners court determines their office budgets, and sets overall county policy. All county elections are partisan, and commissioner precincts are redistricted after each ten year Census both to equalize the voting power in each and in consideration of the political party preferences of the voters in each.

Argo (automobile)

The Argo was a short-lived United States automobile manufactured by the Argo Motor Co in Jackson, Michigan, between 1914 and 1918. The factory had been previously used by the Standard Electric Car Co to build an electric car.

The company originally made the four-cylinder "Motorvique" cyclecar based on the Ajax built by the Briscoe brothers in France. It had a 4-cylinder 12 hp engine and was different from the French market Ajax only in that it did not use friction drive.

Few cyclecars sold well in America, and in 1916, it was replaced by a conventional 22 hp assembled touring car in an attempt to rival Ford at producing a "motor car for the millions". The 1916 model sold for $405 in two-seater form.

In 1917 the company was sold to Mansell Hackett and the name was changed to Hackett and moved its operations to Grand Rapids, Michigan.

The company had no known connection with the Saginaw, Michigan, based Argo Electric vehicle company.

References

Argo (2006 film)

Argo is a 2006 short romance drama film that marks Jordan Bayne's short film writing and directorial debut.Co-written and co-directed by Bayne and Michael Knowles, the film was shot on location in Joshua Tree, California, in 2005.

Synopsis

According to production company's official synopsis, Argo tells the story of two individuals living outside society in the American desert. It explores the struggles of being human in a world seemed bent on crushing the human spirit. Becca (played by Jordana Spiro) is a dispossessed soul whose chance encounter with Cal (played by Marcus Chait) becomes a collision course that changes their lives. The film shows that loneliness and desperation can create an unconscious longing for human connection and that hope can be found in the most unexpected places.

Awards and nominations

Argo has received recognition while on the festival circuit, screening in 2006 at the Napa Sonoma Wine Country Film Festival, Tacoma Film Festival, the Independent Film Festival of North Texas, and in 2007 at the Sunscreen Film festival,Westchester Film Festival, FilmFest ReLoaded, Pumelo Independent Film Festival, Miami Underground Film Festival, Delray Beach Film Festival, Sedona Film Festival, NewFilmMakers Winter Series, Soho House Screening Series, and the DeREEL Independent Film Festival.

Argo (oceanography)

Argo is a system for observing temperature, salinity, and currents in the Earth's oceans which has been operational since the early 2000s. The real-time data it provides is used in climate and oceanographic research. A special research interest is to quantify the ocean heat content (OHC).

Argo consists of a fleet of almost 4000 drifting profiling floats deployed worldwide. Each Argo float weighs 20–30 kg. Profiling floats are commonly used in oceanography and become "Argo floats" only when they are deployed in conformity with the Argo data policy. In most cases probes drift at a depth of 1000 metres (the so-called parking depth) and, every 10 days, by changing their buoyancy, dive to a depth of 2000 metres and then move to the sea-surface, measuring conductivity and temperature profiles as well as pressure. From these, salinity and density can be calculated. Seawater density is important in determining large-scale motions in the ocean. Average current velocities at 1000 metres are directly measured by the distance and direction a float drifts while parked at that depth, which is determined by GPS or Argos system positions at the surface. The data are transmitted to shore via satellite, and are freely available to everyone, without restrictions.