Poison

In biology, poisons are substances that cause disturbances in organisms, usually by chemical reaction or other activity on the molecular scale, when an organism absorbs a sufficient quantity.

The fields of medicine (particularly veterinary) and zoology often distinguish a poison from a toxin, and from a venom. Toxins are poisons produced by organisms in nature, and venoms are toxins injected by a bite or sting (this is exclusive to animals). The difference between venom and other poisons is the delivery method. Industry, agriculture, and other sectors use poisons for reasons other than their toxicity. Pesticides are one group of substances whose toxicity is their prime purpose.

In 2013, unintentional poisonings caused 98,000 deaths worldwide, down from 120,000 deaths in 1990.

Terminology

The term "poison" is often used colloquially to describe any harmful substance—particularly corrosive substances, carcinogens, mutagens, teratogens and harmful pollutants, and to exaggerate the dangers of chemicals. Paracelsus (1493–1541), the father of toxicology, once wrote: "Everything is poison, there is poison in everything. Only the dose makes a thing not a poison" (see median lethal dose). The law defines "poison" more strictly. Substances not legally required to carry the label "poison" can also cause a medical condition of poisoning.

Poison (Bardot song)

"Poison" is a pop song by Australian female group Bardot, and was the first single from their debut album Bardot (2000). It was co-written and produced by Australian producer Michael Szumowski.

The single attracted much hype due to its inclusion on the high-rating Popstars program and debuted at number 1 on the ARIA Singles Chart, where it spent two consecutive weeks, and was certified double platinum. It became the sixth highest selling single in Australia of 2000 and was the highest selling single by an Australian act that year. The single was nominated "Highest Selling Single" at the 2000 ARIA Music Awards, but lost to Madison Avenue's "Don't Call Me Baby". "Poison" was also a big success in New Zealand where the single spent 3 consecutive weeks at number 1 and was certified platinum. In Singapore, it reached number 2. It was released in the UK on 2 April 2001, debuting and peaking at number 45.

Music video

The "Poison" music video was created during the filming of Popstars and therefore, the making of the video featured on the program. The video features the five members, each in their own distinct individual sets for the majority of the song – Tiffani is set in a hotel room, Sophie is set in a fairy garden, Sally is set in an authentic room made of bamboo, Katie is set in a futuristic, bright red room and Belinda is set in a disco room, surrounded by shining disco balls.

Poison (American band)

Poison is an American rock band that achieved great commercial success in the mid-1980s to the mid-1990s. Poison has sold over 45 million records worldwide and has sold 15 million records in the United States alone. The band has also charted ten singles to the Top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100, including six Top 10 singles and the Hot 100 number-one, "Every Rose Has Its Thorn". The band's breakthrough debut album, the multi-platinum Look What the Cat Dragged In, was released in 1986 and they hit their peak with the second album, Open Up and Say... Ahh!, which became the band's most successful album, being certified 5x platinum in the US. The popularity continued into the new decade with their third consecutive multi-platinum selling album, Flesh & Blood.

In the 1990s following the release of the band's first live album, Swallow This Live, the band experienced some line up changes and the fall of pop metal with the grunge movement, but despite a drop in popularity the band's fourth studio album, Native Tongue, still achieved Gold status and the band's first compilation album, Poison's Greatest Hits: 1986–1996, went double platinum.

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.

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.

List of cities and towns in Alabama

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.