Shin-Lamedh-Mem is the triconsonantal root of many Semitic words, and many of those words are used as names. The root meaning translates to "whole, safe, intact". Its earliest known form is in the name of Shalim, the ancient God of Dusk of Ugarit. Derived from this are meanings of "to be safe, secure, at peace", hence "well-being, health" and passively "to be secured, pacified, submitted".
Arabic salām (سَلاَم), Maltese sliem, Hebrew Shalom (שָׁלוֹם), Ge'ez sälam (ሰላም), Syriac šlama (pronounced Shlama, or Shlomo in the Western Syriac dialect) (ܫܠܡܐ) are cognate Semitic terms for 'peace', deriving from a Proto-Semitic *šalām-.
Given names derived from the same root include Solomon (Süleyman), Selim, Salem, Salim, Salma, Salmah, Selimah, Shelimah, Salome, etc.
Arabic, Maltese, Hebrew and Aramaic have cognate expressions meaning 'peace be upon you' used as a greeting:
Salaam (Hebrew: סלאאם) or Od Yavo Shalom Aleinu (Hebrew: עוד יבוא שלום עלינו) is a song of Mosh Ben Ari composed while in the band Sheva (seven) and is sung in Hebrew and Arabic and that has gained popularity in Israeli folk music. "Od Yavo Shalom Aleinu" means "still/indeed, it will come, peace, upon us". It is an upbeat song that became a theme tune amongst almost all youth movements in Israel and amongst Jewish diaspora. A large chart hit in Israel several years ago, it has now come to symbolize a call for peace and end to the Arab-Israeli conflict.
The song typically begins slowly and perhaps with plaintive style and will then, perhaps in stages, increase in tempo and excitement.
Representative text of Salaam as from the bridge
The MS al-Salam Boccaccio 98 was an Egyptian Ro/Ro passenger ferry, operated by El Salam Maritime Transport, that sank on 3 February 2006 in the Red Sea en route from Duba, Saudi Arabia, to Safaga in southern Egypt.
The ship was carrying about 1400 passengers and crew. The majority are thought to have been Egyptians working in Saudi Arabia, but they included pilgrims returning from the Hajj in Mecca. The ship was also carrying about 220 vehicles. No Mayday had been heard from the ship and poor weather conditions hampered the search and rescue operation. 388 people were rescued.
The immediate cause of the sinking appears to have been a build-up of sea-water in the hull, when the fire-fighters were trying to extinguish a fire in the engine-room. This was compounded by design faults inherent in Ro/Ro vessels, where minor flooding of the deck can gain rapid momentum (‘free surface effect’). When the captain asked permission to return to port, the ship’s owners ordered him to continue, despite knowing that there had been a fire. The owners were jailed in 2009 after their original acquittal was overturned.
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.
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.
Texas has a total of 254 counties, many cities, and numerous special districts, the most common of which is the independent school district.
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.
Alabama is a state located in the Southern United States. According to the 2010 United States Census, Alabama is the 23rd most populous state with 4,779,745 inhabitants and the 28th largest by land area spanning 50,645.33 square miles (131,170.8 km2) of land.Alabama is divided into 67 counties and contains 460 incorporated municipalities consisting of 169 cities and 291 towns. These cities and towns cover only 7000960000000000000♠9.6% of the state's land mass but are home to 7001604000000000000♠60.4% of its population.
The Code of Alabama 1975 defines the legal use of the terms "town" and "city" based on population. A municipality with a population of 2,000 or more is a city, while less than 2,000 is a town. For legislative purposes, municipalities are divided into eight classes based on population. Class 1 is defined as all cities with a population of 300,000. Although no cities in the state currently meet this population requirement, Birmingham was allowed to remain a class 1 city since it incorporated with a 1970 population of 300,910 before the cutoff date of June 28, 1979. Class 2 are cities between 175,000 and 299,999 inhabitants which include present day Montgomery, Mobile, and Huntsville. There are no present Class 3 cities which require populations between 100,000 and 174,999 inhabitants. Tuscaloosa, Hoover, Dothan, Decatur and Auburn are Class 4 cities with between 50,000 and 99,999 inhabitants. Ten cities fall under Class 5: a population greater than 25,000 and less than 49,999. There are 34 cities that are Class 6, with between 12,000 and 24,999 inhabitants, and 40 cities that are Class 7 with a population from 6,000 to 11,999 inhabitants. Class 8 includes all towns, plus all remaining cities with populations of less than 6,000.