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Running rigging

Running rigging is the rigging of a sailing vessel that is used for raising, lowering, shaping and controlling the sails on a sailing vessel—as opposed to the standing rigging, which supports the mast and bowsprit. Running rigging varies between vessels that are rigged fore and aft and those that are square-rigged.

History of materials
In centuries past, a ship's rigging was typically fashioned from rope. In the 19th century this was commonly referred to as Manilla, a reference to the origin of much good quality rope. Traditionally the running rigging was easily recognized since, for flexibility, it was not coated with tar and therefore of a lighter color than the standing rigging which was tarred for protection from weather and therefore darker or even black in color. On modern vessels, running rigging is likely to be made from synthetic fibers, while the standing rigging is most often fashioned from stainless steel "wire rope". Since the 1990s, several new synthetic fibers have become common, particularly on racing and other high-performance sailing boats. These fibers include Ultra High Molecular Weight Polyethylene (UHMWPE) (also known as Spectra or Dynema), Vectran, and Technora.

Fore-and-aft rigged vessels
Fore-and-aft rigged vessels have rigging that supports, shapes, and adjusts the sails to optimize their performance in the wind.

Supporting

 * Halyards (sometimes haulyards), are used to raise sails and control luff tension. In large yachts the halyard returns to the deck but in small racing dinghies the head of the sail is attached by a short line to the head of the mast while the boat is lying on its gunwale.
 * Topping lifts, which hold booms and yards aloft.
 * Brails run from the leech of a fore-and-aft rigged sail (a spanker or lateen mizzen, for example) to the gaff and mast and serve the same function as buntlines: to haul in the sail when furling. In this case, however, the action is more horizontal than vertical, hauling the sail forwards, toward the luff and a bit up, towards the gaff.

Shaping

 * Barber haulers, which adjust the spinnaker/jib sheeting angle by pulling the sheet/sail inboard or outboard at right angles to the sheet. Consists of either a ring or clip on the sheet attached to cordage which is secured and adjusted via fairlead and cam cleat.
 * Kicking straps / boom vangs, which control a boom-footed sail's leech tension by exerting downward force mid-boom. Normally this is a system of highly geared blocks, of flexible stainless steel wire and low stretch cordage but recently some sail boats have a short spar instead, often of carbon fibre. When sailing downwind the kicking strap (kicker) is tensioned to stop the boom lifting.
 * Cunninghams, which tighten the luff of a boom-footed sail by pulling downward on a cringle in the luff of a mainsail above the tack. The idea is to flatten the main sail in heavier weather or when sailing to windward. In its simplest form a stainless steel hook that goes through the cringle. From the hook a cordage tail passes through a turnblock on the deck at the base of the mast and back to a cleat on the deck. Often the tail is split so the cunningham can be operated from either sidedeck in a racing dinghy.
 * Downhauls, which lower a sail or a yard, and can be used to adjust the tension on the luff of a sail.
 * Outhauls, which control the foot tension of a boom-footed sail. This is one of the main controls for sail fullness. In a racing boat the boom outhaul runs from the sail clew through a turning block along the inside of the boom and out through another turning block at the fore end of the boom. For simplicity many small racing craft have the boom outhaul attached to a powerful hyfield lever mounted on the boom or deck. The lever is let off for down wind sailing, so the main sail becomes full. Alternatively the outhaul tail can be attached to a block and tackle system so that it can be adjusted to many positions.

Adjusting angle to the wind

 * Guys, which control spar angle with respect to the apparent wind.
 * Preventer, is cordage attached to the end of the boom and fixed to (or running through a block) on the rail athwart or forward of the mast. Its most common purpose is to prevent potentially dangerous movement of the spar in an accidental gybe.
 * Sheets, which control foot tension of loose-footed sails, angle of attack with respect to the apparent wind and/or the amount of leech "twist" near the head of the sail. Central sheeting refers to main sheets that attach to the centre of the boom. Sheets are made from thin low stretch cordage in racing yachts.

Stability

 * Trapeze wires, which are narrow gauge flexible stainless steel wire, running from about the cross trees on the mast to the harness worn by a crew member and sometimes skipper on a high speed racing skiff. The lower section often has a system of small blocks which are used by the crew to alter the length of the trapeze wire as the crew moves aft on a broad reach. When the boat changes tack the crew unclips the hook, the wire is automatically sprung into the gunwale by an elastic tail.

Square-rigged vessels
Square-rigged vessels require more controlling lines than fore-and-aft rigged ones.

Supporting

 * Halyards (sometimes haulyards) are used to raise and lower the yards.
 * Buntlines, spaced every few feet along the front of a sail, run from a point on the mast above the yard to the foot (bottom edge) of the sail and serve to raise the foot up for shortening sail or for furling.
 * Lifts adjust the tilt of a yard, to raise or lower the ends off the horizontal.
 * Leechlines run to the leech (outer vertical edges) of a sail and serve to pull the leech both in and up when furling.

Shaping

 * Bowlines run from the leech (outer vertical edges) of a sail forward (towards the bow) and are used to control the weather leech, keeping it taut and thus preventing it from curling back on itself. To extend its spread it was often attached to a bridle and thence to three or four bowline cringles set upon the leech.
 * Clewlines raise the clews (bottom corners) of a square sail to the yard above, either to the outer ends of a yard or, more commonly, to near the middle of the yard, near (but not quite at) the mast. As the clewlines were hauled in, the sheets would be slacked off. This process would be reversed when setting sail.

Adjusting angle to the wind

 * Braces are used to adjust the fore and aft angle of a yard (i.e. to rotate the yard laterally, fore and aft, around the mast).
 * Sheets attach to the clews (bottom corners) of a sail to control the sail's angle to the wind. Sheets run aft (for comparison, see tacks).
 * Tacks are used to haul the clew of a loose-footed square sail (for example, a course) forward when sailing close to the wind. Tacks run forward (for comparison, see sheets).

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

title: Running rigging


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Talk:Aktion Reinhard

I see that this page is largely the same as although better written than) Operation Reinhard. Propose merger. PaulinSaudi 15:58, 17 May 2004 (UTC)]]

title: Talk:Aktion Reinhard


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Talk:Ecosystem valuation

To assist attribution, please note that the first May 2004 version of this article is identical to by OpenFacts contributor 142.177.103.52. --Zigger 15:59, 2004 May 17 (UTC)

If nobody objects, I will change the content of this article in the coming weeks. The content is not structured clearly, much information is missing and some content of the second section (ecology or economics?) is redundant. Brogol 15:14, 10 Jun 2005 (UTC)

External links modified
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External links modified (January 2018)
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title: Talk:Ecosystem valuation


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File:Bob Dylan - Blonde on Blonde.jpg

Summary
Cover of the Bob Dylan album Blonde on Blonde.

title: File:Bob Dylan - Blonde on Blonde.jpg


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Mizoguchi

Mizoguchi (written: 溝口 lit. "gutter/drain entrance") is a Japanese surname. Notable people with the surname include:

 * Hajime Mizoguchi, musician
 * Mizoguchi Hidekatsu (溝口 秀勝), Japanese samurai and daimyō
 * Kazuhiro Mizoguchi, javelin thrower
 * Kenji Mizoguchi, filmmaker
 * Koji Mizoguchi (born in 1963), Japanese archaeologist
 * Mizoguchi Naoatsu (溝口 直温), Japanese daimyō
 * Mizoguchi Naoharu (溝口 直治), Japanese daimyō
 * Noriko Mizoguchi, Japanese judoka

Fictional characters

 * Hiroshi Mizoguchi, Hikaru no Go
 * Mizoguchi Makoto, Fighter's History
 * The main character of Yukio Mishima's novel Kinkaku-ji

title: Mizoguchi


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Search.ch

Search.ch is a search engine and web portal based in Zürich, Switzerland. It was founded in 1995 by Rudolf Räber and Bernhard Seefeld as a regional search engine.

The search engine allows the user to restrict their search to a specific region of Switzerland, such as a canton or a city. The web crawler only looks at sites within the .ch and .li top-level domains, along with a small number of Swiss websites.

title: Search.ch


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Talk:Thymus

This section is grossly false: "Removal of the thymus in infancy results in often fatal immunodeficiency, because functional T cells have not developed.[2] In older children and adults, which have a functioning lymphatic system with mature T cells also situated in other lymphoid organs, the effect is lesser, and limited to failure to mount immune responses against new antigens."

This is dangerously incorrect since pretty much any major infant heart surgery involves removal of the thymus. These patients go on to live decades. There is no evidence whatsoever that these patients suffer "fatal immunodeficiency".

Source: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/2150135111403328 — Preceding unsigned comment added by 107.129.183.124 (talk) 03:29, 7 October 2020 (UTC)

title: Talk:Thymus


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User:Dori (watchman account)

This is just User:Dori...account created to watch over RC and newpages and add suspicious/junk/non-formatted articles to my watchlist to look at later.

User:Dori/Sandbox

Token confirmation edit

title: User:Dori (watchman account)


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Same-sex marriage in the Republic of Ireland

Same-sex marriage has been legal in Ireland since 16 November 2015. A referendum on 22 May 2015 amended the Constitution of Ireland to provide that marriage is recognised irrespective of the sex of the partners. The measure was signed into law by the President of Ireland, Michael D. Higgins, as the Thirty-fourth Amendment of the Constitution of Ireland on 29 August 2015. The Marriage Act 2015, passed by the Oireachtas on 22 October 2015 and signed into law by the Presidential Commission on 29 October 2015, gave legislative effect to the amendment. Same-sex marriages in Ireland began being recognised from 16 November 2015, and the first marriage ceremonies of same-sex couples in Ireland occurred the following day. Ireland was the eighteenth country in the world and the eleventh in Europe to allow same-sex couples to marry nationwide.

Civil partnerships, granted under the Civil Partnership and Certain Rights and Obligations of Cohabitants Act 2010, gave same-sex couples rights and responsibilities similar, but not equal, to those of civil marriage. The 2011 Irish census revealed 143,600 cohabiting couples, up from 77,000 in 2002. This included 4,042 in same-sex relationships, up from 1,300.

Law Reform Commission
In December 2000, as part of the Second Programme of Law Reform, the government requested the Law Reform Commission of Ireland to examine the rights and duties of cohabitees. In April 2004, the commission published a consultation paper with provisional recommendations on legal issues related to cohabiting relationships. The report included an analysis of issues for same-sex couples. Following responses, the final report was launched in December 2006 by Justice Minister Michael McDowell.

The consultation proposals called for legal 'presumed' recognition of "qualifying" cohabiting relationships. "Qualifying cohabitees" were defined as unmarried same-sex or opposite-sex cohabiting couples in a 'marriage-like' relationships of 2 years (or 3 years in some cases), to be determined by the courts. The commission reviewed such areas as property, succession, maintenance, pensions, social welfare and tax, and recommended some changes in the law to provide rights for qualifying cohabitees. These rights would be applied by the court on application as distinct from the 'automatic' rights of legal marriage. The commission took care not to propose anything which would equate cohabitation with marriage due to concerns that such a proposal might violate the constitutional protection of the family. The paper also included recommendations on other steps that cohabiting couples should take such writing wills, defining power of attorney, etc.

Constitutional review
The all-party Oireachtas Committee on the Constitution, re-established in December 2002, was conducting a review of the entire Constitution of Ireland. In October 2004, it invited submissions on the articles related to the family. Chairman Denis O'Donovan stated that it was examining these articles "to ascertain the extent to which they are serving the good of individuals and the community, with a view to deciding whether changes in them would bring about a greater balance between the two." Among the many issues raised by the committee were the definition of the family and the rights of same-sex couples to marry.

The relevant provisions are Articles 40.3, 41 and 42
 * Article 41
 * 1° The State pledges itself to guard with special care the institution of marriage, on which the family is founded, and to protect it against attack.

The committee held oral hearings in spring 2005 and received an unexpectedly large volume of written submissions with at least 60% being opposed to any constitutional changes to marriage or the family, including from members of Pro Life Campaign, Family Solidarity and the Mother and Child Campaign. The final report, the tenth interim report of the committee, was launched by Taoiseach Bertie Ahern on 24 January 2006. It recommended no change to the constitutional definitions, as it expected such a referendum to fail. It suggested that there should instead be legislation for a civil partnership registration open to same-sex or opposite-sex couples which would confer succession, maintenance and taxation rights. Controversially, it also recommended that the 'presumed' recognition of cohabiting partners by the courts, as recommended by the Law Reform Commission, should also be legislated for, but only for opposite-sex couples. The basis for the limitation was that it would be easy for the courts to determine the validity of an opposite-sex relationship if there were children.

Colley Report
On 20 December 2005, Minister for Justice Michael McDowell announced that he was creating a working group in the Department of Justice to provide options for government consideration. This announcement came on the day after Belfast in Northern Ireland held the first of the new UK civil partnership registration ceremonies. The government said that it would legislate following the report, but Taoiseach Bertie Ahern also said there might not be time to do so before the upcoming election.

Chaired by former TD Anne Colley, this working group included the Gay and Lesbian Equality Network (GLEN), the gay rights lobby organisation, which said they expected a recommendation for civil marriage. The group facilitated a conference on the topic in May 2006, as input to its reports which was attended by experts from other countries which have introduced civil unions and same-sex marriage. During his speech, McDowell was interrupted by members of the Ancient Order of Hibernians opposed to the government plans.

Initially to report by March 2006, the group presented its report to the government in November 2006. They recommended that a civil partnership scheme would resolve most of the issues for same-sex and cohabiting couples, while providing less benefits than marriage. Offering civil marriage to same-sex couples would be open to a constitutional challenge. They also recommended a legal presumption of partnership for couples who have lived together for three years, or have children together. No recommendations were made for couples in non-conjugal relationships due to lack of research. The cabinet reviewed the report, but no legislation was introduced before the 2007 general election, and in the intervening period the government rejected opposition legislation, saying that legislation should await the Supreme Court appeal in Zappone v. Revenue Commissioners.

Other statutory bodies and NGOs
Since 2002, various statutory bodies have issued reports calling for recognition of de facto same-sex and opposite-sex relationships.

Equality Authority: In January 2001, the authority produced a report on same-sex partnerships in Ireland. In May 2002, the Equality Authority issued its formal report on equality for lesbians, gays and bisexuals, which highlighted the lack of recognition for same-sex couples in Irish law. In a departure from the norm, the report recommended legislative changes. These were to give legal recognition to same-sex couples and to provide equality with married couples in the areas of adoption, inheritance and taxation to eliminate discrimination.

National Economic and Social Forum: In April 2003, the National Economic and Social Forum (NESF) published a report calling for the implementation of equality policies for gay, lesbian and bisexual people, and for the Law Reform Commission to consider models to achieve equal rights for same-sex couples in its then upcoming report.

Irish Human Rights Commission: In a report on de facto couples presented to the Justice Minister in May 2006, the Irish Human Rights Commission (IHRC) evaluated international standards in dealing with unmarried couples, and assessed the changes needed in Irish law from a human rights perspective. The Commission called for legal recognition of all de facto relationships, but did not call for civil marriage to be made available to same-sex couples. The IHRC also released a report on the civil partnership scheme in January 2009.

Irish Council for Civil Liberties: Legal recognition of partnership rights and addressing inequalities in family law were a strategic objective of the Irish Council for Civil Liberties (ICCL) for 2004–2009. In a December 2004 submission, they welcomed the Law Reform proposals, but said that registered unions were necessary. In a 2005 radio interview, the partnerships officer said that full civil marriage would not be likely to succeed in a referendum. However, their May 2006 report on the issue, "Equality for All Families" launched by ICCL founder Kader Asmal, called for legislated partnership registration and revisions to the constitutional provisions on civil marriage and the family, to give improved protection to children. This revision, which might require a referendum, should include a right to marry irrespective of sexual orientation.

Civil partnerships
Civil partnerships (páirtnéireacht shibhialta, ), introduced by the Civil Partnership and Certain Rights and Obligations of Cohabitants Act 2010, gave same-sex couples rights and responsibilities similar, but not equal to, those of civil marriage. The ability to enter into a civil partnership ended on 16 November 2015. Constitutional protections granted to spouses, such as the spouse of a witness not being compelled to give evidence against their spouse in most cases, is one example of protections granted under civil partnerships. Spouses may further claim privilege in so far as necessary to protect the constitutional right to marital privacy. No such constitutional protections existed for civil partnerships. Further inequalities in relation to the family, immigration and other types of Irish law existed. The legislation also provided rights for participants in long-term cohabiting relationships (opposite-sex or same-sex) who had not entered into a civil partnership or marriage. The following entry focuses primarily on the same-sex civil partnership aspect of the Act, as opposed to the cohabitation aspect.

The Civil Partnership Act came into effect on 1 January 2011. It had been expected that the first ceremonies would not take place until April 2011 due to a three-month waiting period required by law for all civil ceremonies. However, the legislation provided a mechanism for exemptions to be sought through the courts, and the first partnership, which was between two men, was registered on 7 February 2011. While this ceremony was carried out publicly in the Civil Registration Office in Dublin, the mainstream media were not present. It was not until 5 April 2011, the date originally anticipated as the date for the first ceremonies, that the media covered a civil partnership. This partnership ceremony, which was between Hugh Walsh and Barry Dignam, also took place in Dublin.

Tax codes were amended in July 2011 under the Finance (No. 3) Act 2011 to take account of civil partnerships. The Act, in the main, is retrospective to 1 January 2011 and it creates virtual parity, in taxation matters, between civil partners on the one hand and married people on the other hand. The Social Welfare Code had already been amended in December 2010 to take account of civil partnerships.

Registration of civil partnerships discontinued on the day same-sex marriage legislation came into effect in November 2015, though existing civil partners are permitted to retain their relationship status, as there is no automatic conversion from a civil partnership to marriage.

Recognition of foreign partnerships
Certain foreign partnerships and same-sex marriages have been recognised as civil partnerships since 13 January 2011. While Glenn Cunningham and Adriano Vilar are often cited as the first same-sex couple to have their civil partnership formally recognised in Ireland, in fact several hundred couples were recognised together at the exactly the same time. The couple had formed a civil partnership at a ceremony in Northern Ireland in 2010.

Section 5 of the Civil Partnership and Certain Rights and Obligations of Cohabitants Act 2010 states the criteria used to govern which classes of relationships can be recognised. They are: The recognition is formally authorised by a statutory instrument, four of which in been passed: in 2010, listing 33 relationship types in 27 jurisdictions; in 2011, adding 6 relationships; in 2012, adding 4; and in 2013, adding 14. The French civil solidarity pact is not included, nor are some other legal relationships, for example, the Dutch registered partnership and some of the domestic partnerships in the United States. The reason is that these kinds of relationships can be dissolved by agreement between the parties (that is by both parties signing a document with a lawyer), not through the courts.
 * the relationship is exclusive in nature
 * the relationship is permanent unless the parties dissolve it through the courts
 * the relationship has been registered under the law of that jurisdiction, and
 * the rights and obligations attendant on the relationship are, in the opinion of the Minister, sufficient to indicate that the relationship would be treated comparably to a civil partnership.

Legal position before civil partnerships
In March 2004, there was controversy in Dáil Éireann surrounding a definition of "spouse" when it was claimed that the Minister for Social and Family Affairs, Mary Coughlan, was seeking to exclude non-married partners from social welfare legislation. The exclusion was a government response to a finding by the Equality Tribunal that a same-sex couple was discriminated against in travel privileges.

The Civil Registration Act 2004 included a prohibition of same-sex marriage. The act explicitly declared that there was an "impediment to a marriage" if "both parties are of the same sex". In December 2006, the High Court held in Zappone v. Revenue Commissioners that marriage as defined in the Irish Constitution was between a man and a woman and that there was no breach of rights in the refusal of the Revenue Commissioners to recognise foreign same-sex marriages.

Norris bill
In December 2004, Independent Senator David Norris, who had been central to the 1970s and 1980s Campaign for Homosexual Law Reform and had been successful in the European Court of Human Rights in Norris v. Ireland, tabled a private member's bill on civil partnerships in Seanad Éireann. The bill provided for the recognition of unmarried partnerships, both same-sex and opposite-sex cohabiting couples. It defined eligibility for a civil partnership and the process of registering a civil partnership. Rather than listing all the rights of a civil partner, it specified that all the rights of marriage would apply to anyone in a civil partnership. However, it specifically defined the dissolution process and the process for recognising foreign civil partnerships. Norris said the bill was initiated "to protect the rights of adults who find themselves in relationships outside the conventional bonds of marriage" and "to meet the requirements of those who are making arrangements in their personal lives outside the formalities of marriage" and who also "need to be supported in the creation of mature stable relationships". Norris said he had done substantial research in order to achieve consensus on a moderate bill which took on board stated reservations.

The debate, including contributions from the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform, Michael McDowell, took place on 16 February 2005. The majority of speakers supported the principles behind the bill and complimented Senator Norris on his work. Some expressed reservations due to the constitutional protection of the family. A government amendment designed to postpone a vote attracted much acrimony. This postponement was to allow for input from then ongoing investigations: the Law Reform Commission, the High Court case Zappone v. Revenue Commissioners on the recognition of a Canadian marriage and the Constitutional Review Committee. Eventually, it was agreed to debate the bill but adjourn a vote indefinitely.

Labour Party bills
In December 2006, on the same day as the High Court judgment in Zappone, Brendan Howlin, an opposition Labour Party TD, tabled a private member's bill on civil partnerships in Dáil Éireann. Similar to the Norris bill in its provisions, this bill defined a civil union as providing all the rights and duties as defined for marriage, but specifically limited civil unions to same-sex couples. It also provided for adoption by couples in such unions.

The debate, again including contributions from Justice Minister Michael McDowell, took place in February 2007. All speakers supported civil unions for same-sex couples and complimented Deputy Howlin on the bill. One expressed reservations about adoption. Minister McDowell claimed that the bill violated the constitutional provisions on marriage and the family. Government speakers said that civil unions needed to be introduced but that more time was needed to take account of the ongoing Supreme Court case and investigation work in the Department of Justice. The government amended the bill to delay debate for six months. As expected, the bill then fell when the Dáil was dissolved in the intervening period for the 2007 general election. Deputy Howlin said that the real reason for the delay was that the government did not want to enact this type of social legislation in the face of an election.

Labour again brought their bill before the new house on 31 October 2007 but the government again voted the bill down. The Green Party, now in government also voted in opposition to the bill, with spokesperson Ciarán Cuffe arguing that the bill was unconstitutional but without giving a reasoning. The government committed itself to introducing its own bill for registered civil partnerships by 31 March 2008, a date it would fail to meet.

Government legislation
The Green Party entered government with Fianna Fáil in 2007, and a commitment to legislation introducing civil partnerships was agreed in the Programme for Government in June of that year. On 24 June 2008, the government announced the publication of a civil partnership bill. In response to the legislation, Senator Jim Walsh put forward a party motion to counter the bill. The Irish Times reported that around 30 unidentified backbenchers had signed the motion. One anonymous senator was quoted as claiming that the motion "would have considerable support from the more conservative sections of the parliamentary party". Taoiseach Brian Cowen responded by insisting that the registration of same-sex couples would not interfere with the constitutional status of marriage. Cowen noted that the bill had been drawn up in close consultation with the Attorney General, Paul Gallagher, and had been included in the Programme for Government. The motion was referred to the parliamentary party's justice committee on 1 July 2008. A Fianna Fáil spokesperson was quoted as saying that there was "broad support" within the party for the legislation, while the Taoiseach and the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform, Dermot Ahern, reaffirmed the constitutional compatibility of the law. The announcement was denounced as inadequate by the opposition Labour and Sinn Féin parties. Sinn Féin spokesperson Aengus Ó Snodaigh commented that "the government must do better".

The civil partnership bill was introduced on 26 June 2009. Dermot Ahern, the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform, introduced the bill's second stage on 3 December 2009. He said that consequent modifications to the finance and social welfare provisions would come into effect when the bill was passed. There was further second stage debate on the bill on 21 January 2010. The second stage finished on 27 January 2010, and the committee stage of the bill was completed on 27 May 2010. The bill was passed in the final stage by the Dáil without a vote on 1 July 2010. It was passed in the final stage in the Seanad by a vote of 48–4 on 8 July 2010 and was signed by President Mary McAleese on 19 July 2010. Minister Ahern said, "This is one of the most important pieces of civil rights legislation to be enacted since independence. Its legislative advance has seen an unprecedented degree of unity and support within both Houses of the Oireachtas."

The Minister for Justice signed a commencement order for the Act on 23 December 2010. The Act came into force on 1 January 2011. The date of commencement of the Act was dependent on further legislation in the areas of taxation and social welfare, which was enacted separately. The Social Welfare and Pensions Act 2010 was passed by the Dáil on 14 December and the Seanad on 17 December 2010.

Statistics
2,071 civil partnerships were registered in Ireland between 2011 and 2015; 1,298 between men and 773 between women.

End of civil partnerships
Following Ireland's legalisation of same-sex marriage in 2015, the ability to enter into a civil partnership was closed off. As of 16 November 2015, no further civil partnerships are granted in Ireland and existing civil partners only retain that status if they do not marry. Any civil partnership converted into a marriage is dissolved.

Legal case
In November 2004, Katherine Zappone and Ann Louise Gilligan were granted leave by the High Court of Ireland to pursue a claim to have their September 2003 Vancouver marriage recognised for the filing of joint tax returns in Ireland. The case was heard in October 2006. The judgment was delivered in December 2006 and found that the Irish Constitution had always meant for marriage to be between a man and a woman. The case was appealed to the Supreme Court in February 2007. It came before the Supreme Court in 2012, although returned to the High Court to challenge different elements of law, specifically the Civil Registration Act 2004 and the Civil Partnership Act 2010.

Preparation for the referendum
The coalition government, which took office in March 2011, convened a Constitutional Convention to discuss proposed amendments to the Constitution of Ireland, including plans to introduce same-sex marriage. On 10 July 2012, the Dáil referred the issue of whether to make provision for same-sex marriage to the Constitutional Convention, to report back in a year. On 14 April 2013, the convention approved provisions allowing for same-sex marriage, to be discussed by the Oireachtas and be put to a public referendum. On 2 July 2013, the Constitutional Convention delivered the formal report to the Oireachtas, which had four months to respond. On 5 November 2013, it was announced that a referendum to legalise same-sex marriage would be held in the first half of 2015. On 1 July 2014, Taoiseach Enda Kenny announced that the same-sex marriage referendum would take place in spring 2015. The referendum was held on 22 May 2015.

With the signing into law of the Children and Family Relationships Act 2015 on 6 April 2015, same-sex couples have the ability to adopt stepchildren, as well as being able to obtain parental recognition in assisted reproduction methods. On 18 January 2016, key provisions of the law (including spouses, stepparents, civil partners and cohabiting partners being able to apply to become guardians of a child or for custody) went into effect, following the signing of a commencement order by the Minister for Justice and Equality, Frances Fitzgerald. Portions of the Act allowing for joint adoption, which never went into effect as no commencement order was signed, were repealed in 2017 after passage of the Adoption (Amendment) Act 2017, which legalised joint adoption by married same-sex couples.

Marriage Equality referendum

The amendment to the Constitution was moved on 21 January 2015. The referendum proposed to add the following text to Article 41 of the Constitution: Marriage may be contracted in accordance with law by two persons without distinction as to their sex.

In March 2015, the Department of Justice and Equality published the general scheme of a new marriage bill. The bill set out the changes to be made to legislation if the proposed amendment was approved. These changes included removing the legislative bar on same-sex couples marrying (though the wording of the amendment is self-executing and designed to invalidate it irrespective of legislative delay), addressing the situation of civil partnerships, and updating terminology of existing legislation to reflect the new provision.

The Marriage Equality referendum was held on 22 May 2015. With votes from all 43 constituencies counted, the 62.07% "yes" vote assured the passage of the referendum. In the aftermath of the result, Minister for Justice and Equality Frances Fitzgerald stated that legislation would be brought through the Oireachtas by summer (i.e. sometime in June or July 2015) to make same-sex marriage a reality. However, an unsuccessful legal challenge contesting the validity of the referendum delayed the legislation from going to government and the Oireachtas. The referendum results were published in Iris Oifigiúil  on 26 May.

Marriage Act 2015
On 16 September 2015, following the High Court's rejection of the legal challenge contesting the validity of the referendum result, Fitzgerald brought a same-sex marriage bill before cabinet. A spokesperson for the Department of Justice and Equality stated that "the aim is to have the bill enacted as quickly as possible, subject to the legislative process, so that the first same-sex marriages can take place this year." Under the legislation, the first same-sex marriages would be those of couples who convert a notification of their intention to register a civil partnership into a notification of their intention to marry. The bill passed all stages of the legislative process in the Oireachtas on 22 October 2015. On 29 October 2015, the bill was signed into law by the Presidential Commission, thus becoming the Marriage Act 2015 (An tAcht um Pósadh, 2015, ).

Commencement
Though most same-sex couples seeking to marry are required to give three months notice (as is the case for opposite-sex couples), same-sex couples already in a civil partnership were allowed to make use of a 5-day fast track provision in the legislation. As of 16 November 2015, same-sex couples who married abroad have their marriages recognised in Ireland. The first marriage ceremonies of same-sex couples occurred the following day, on 17 November 2015. The first couple to marry in Ireland were Richard Dowling and Cormac Gollogly on Tuesday, 17 November in Clonmel, County Tipperary. The couple said they "[were] really delighted to be able to do it and we are 12 years together so it was obviously the next move. Having a full marriage was important to us so now we can relax and get old together."

Subsequent changes
On 5 May 2016, the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, James Reilly, announced that the Irish Government had approved the publication of a new adoption bill. The bill would amend the Adoption Act 2010 and the Children and Family Relationships Act 2015 and give legislative effect to the Thirty-first Amendment of the Constitution of Ireland (the children referendum). The purposes of the bill were to allow children to be adopted by their foster carers, where they have cared for the child for at least 18 months, and to allow two people regardless of marital status to adopt children, thus granting married same-sex couples the right to adopt. The bill also allows for the adoption of a child by civil partners and cohabiting couples and gives children a greater say in the adoption process, among many other reforms to the adoption system. The bill passed the Dáil on 30 November 2016, and received approval by the Seanad on 13 June 2017. The bill was signed into law by President Michael D. Higgins on 19 July 2017, becoming the Adoption (Amendment) Act 2017. The commencement order was signed by the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, Katherine Zappone, on 18 October 2017 and the law went into effect the following day.

In January 2019, the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection, Regina Doherty, announced that the government had published a bill to amend the Civil Registration Act 2004 to allow lesbian couples who have had donor-assisted children to be automatically registered as their parents. Under the changes, parents may choose the labels "mother" and "father" or "parents", meaning that the non-biological mother would be able to legally register as a co-parent. Previously, only the biological mother could be named on the child's birth certificate. The legislation passed the Daíl in March 2019, and the Seanad in May 2019, and was signed into law by President Higgins on 23 May 2019. It came into effect that same day.

Statistics
91 same-sex marriages were performed between 16 November and 31 December 2015; 47 between two men and 44 were between two women. Data published by the Department of Social Protection a few days ahead of the first anniversary of the Marriage Equality referendum showed that 412 same-sex marriages had been performed in Ireland since November 2015, distributed by county as follows: Dublin (213), Cork (43), Limerick (25), Wicklow (17), Galway (14), Donegal, Kildare and Wexford (all three at 11), Kerry (9), Louth (8), Kilkenny (7), Offaly (6), Meath and Waterford (both at 5), Cavan, Sligo and Tipperary (all three at 4), Laois and Mayo (both at 3), Longford, Roscommon and Westmeath (all three at 2), Carlow, Leitrim and Monaghan (all three at 1), and Clare (0).

1,082 same-sex couples married in Ireland in the one year following the law's entry into force, averaging 21 same-sex weddings a week. 450 of these marriages were performed in Dublin, 93 in Cork, 56 in Wicklow and 48 in Kildare. The counties with the fewest same-sex marriages were Longford with two, followed by three in Roscommon and five in Leitrim. 1,056 same-sex marriages took place in 2016, the first full year when same-sex couples could get married; 606 were male unions and 450 were female unions.

Figures for 2020 are much lower than previous years because of the restrictions in place due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Religious performance
Most religious denominations in Ireland do not support same-sex marriage and do not allow their clergy to bless or officiate at marriages of same-sex couples. The Quakers in Ireland are the only mainstream church in Ireland that performs same-sex marriages. In 2018, a motion supporting and allowing such marriages in their meeting houses was passed at an annual yearly meeting held in Limerick.

The Catholic Church opposes same-sex marriage and does not allow its priests to officiate at such marriages. In December 2023, the Holy See published Fiducia supplicans, a declaration allowing Catholic priests to bless couples who are not considered to be married according to church teaching, including the blessing of same-sex couples. Primate of All Ireland and Archbishop of Armagh Eamon Martin said, "At a practical level as a priest, I welcome the clarity in this document. The pope is very clear that these pastoral blessings are not a kind of a liturgical or ritual acknowledgment that these unions are equivalent or in any way analogous to the marriage between a man or a woman. At the same time, it shows that the issues and the hurts experienced by people identifying as LGBT+ have certainly been heard very loudly within the church. I do hope that people who may have felt excluded in the past, will see this as some step towards them with the love and mercy of Christ." Bishop of Waterford and Lismore Alphonsus Cullinan also welcomed the declaration, "This document is a valuable gift since it focuses on the beauty of blessings flowing from the heart of God and is particularly welcome before Christmas when we celebrate the greatest blessing on our world – Christ Our Saviour – who is born among us. He is the One to whom we turn for spiritual health and goodness and the fulness of life."

The Presbyterian Church in Ireland subscribes to the Westminster Confession of Faith which affirms that marriage "is to be between one man and one woman: neither is it lawful for any man to have more than one wife, nor for any woman to have more than one husband, at the same time". The Reformed Presbyterian Church of Ireland and the Evangelical Presbyterian Church also subscribe to the Westminster Confession of Faith and its definition of marriage. The Methodist Church in Ireland states that marriage is "a relationship, intended as permanent, between one man and one woman" in its "Practical Expressions of Methodist Belief" document. The church opposes "all debased forms of sexuality and sexual practice, whether heterosexual or homosexual" but asks for "understanding and tolerance for those whose sexual orientation is towards those of their own gender" and encourages the wider church "to give a greater lead in the education of society, including Christians, regarding this issue, so that ignorance, prejudice and fear may disappear". The Association of Baptist Churches in Ireland affirms "the creation ordinance of marriage as the lifelong union of one man and one woman" in its Doctrinal Statement.

The Church of Ireland affirms in its canon law that "according to our Lord's teaching that marriage is in its purpose a union permanent and life-long, for better or worse, till death do them part, of one man with one woman, to the exclusion of all others on either side". In 2012, the General Synod of the Church of Ireland reaffirmed this teaching in a motion on "Human Sexuality in the Context of Christian Belief". The motion added that the church "recognises for itself and of itself, no other understanding of marriage" and acknowledged that members of the church "have at times hurt and wounded people by words and actions, in relation to human sexuality". The church affirmed a "continuing commitment to love our neighbour, and opposition to all unbiblical and uncharitable actions and attitudes in respect of human sexuality from whatever perspective, including bigotry, hurtful words or actions, and demeaning or damaging language". In October 2023, the synod of the Diocese of Dublin and Glendalough passed a motion calling on the Church of Ireland to permit same-sex blessings. The Diocese of Tuam, Limerick and Killaloe approved a similar resolution a few weeks later.

Public debate
Following the decriminalisation of buggery in 1993, LGBT rights was not a high-profile issue in Ireland. From 2001 however, Irish media increasingly covered international developments on the recognition of same-sex partnerships. This has included coverage of reports on the issue, legal cases taken by Irish same-sex couples, surrogate parenthood, adoption, extra-legal same-sex unions, blessings and the foreign partnerships of Irish politicians. There was extensive coverage of the 2005 introduction of civil partnerships by the British Government, which applies to Northern Ireland.

Irish legislators began to comment publicly from 2003, some tentatively suggesting legislation, and some referring to Catholic teachings. Among the general public, reaction was favourable, with a 2005 online poll showing most respondents seeing some recognition as inevitable and acceptable. More rigorous public polls taken during 2006 showed an increasing majority of the population, up to 80%,   supporting the introduction of some partnership rights for same-sex couples, with a slim majority favouring marriage. The numbers in favour of adoption by same-sex couples were lower but less clear.

Some public and religious figures, including bishops in the Catholic Church, and in the Church of Ireland also proposed legal recognition in 2004, but in a form different from marriage. Existing and new gay organisations such as the Gay and Lesbian Equality Network, GLUE magazine and LGBT Noise began specifically campaigning for recognition in 2006.

At the 2002 general election, only the manifestos of the Green Party and the Labour Party explicitly referred to the rights of same-sex couples, but from 2004 all political parties, including the Fianna Fáil/Progressive Democrat government, produced policies or made statements in favour of varying forms of recognition. In 2004, Fine Gael was the first party to launch an explicit policy document supporting civil partnerships. In the run-up to the 2007 general election, the manifestos of all parties supported civil unions for same-sex couples, with Sinn Féin and the Green Party supporting civil marriage. All parties ran advertisements in the Gay Community News with commitments to same-sex couples. In 2012, Sinn Féin sought to provide opportunities to bring same-sex marriage to the fore by introducing motions of support at the city and county council level. By November 2013, all parties in the Dáil supported same-sex marriage: the Labour Party, the Green Party, the Socialist Party, Sinn Féin, Fianna Fáil, and Fine Gael.

Polling
A survey carried out in 2008 showed that 84% of Irish people supported civil marriage or civil partnerships for same-sex couples, with 58% (up from 51%) supporting full marriage rights in registry offices. The number who believed same-sex couples should only be allowed to have civil partnerships fell in the same period, from 33% to 26%. A public survey in October 2008 revealed that 62% of adults would vote "yes" in a referendum to extend civil marriage to same-sex couples. A breakdown of the results showed that support was strongest among younger people and in urban areas. Women were more supportive at 68% compared to 56% of men. There was slightly less support for same-sex couples being given the right to adopt. A total of 58% of those under 50 believed same-sex couples should be able to adopt, falling to 33% among the over-50s. A total of 54% believed the definition of the family unit in the Irish Constitution should be changed to include same-sex families.

A survey commissioned by MarriagEquality in February 2009 indicated that 62% of Irish people supported same-sex marriage and would vote in favour of it if a referendum were held.

In September 2010, a survey by The Irish Times/Behaviour Attitudes of 1,006 people showed that 67% of respondents felt same-sex couples should be allowed to marry. This majority extended across all age groups, with the exception of the over-65s, and 66% of Catholics were in favour of same-sex marriage. Only 25% disagreed that same-sex couples should be allowed to marry, opposition that was concentrated among older people and those in rural areas. In terms of same-sex adoption, 46% were in support and 38% opposed; however, a majority of women, 18–44-year-olds, and urban dwellers supported the idea. The survey also showed that 91% of people would not think less of someone who came out as homosexual, while 60% felt the recent civil partnership legislation was not an attack on marriage.

A poll in March 2011 conducted by The Sunday Times/RED C showed that 73% of people supported allowing same-sex marriage, with 53% "agreeing strongly" with the idea, and 60% felt that same-sex couples should be allowed to adopt children. A poll in January 2012 conducted by RED C for the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform showed that 73% of voters supported the idea of same-sex marriages being recognised in the Irish Constitution, and a late 2012 poll by Millward Brown Lansdowne showed that 75% of respondents would vote in favour of extending marriage to same-sex couples.

A poll in November 2013 by RED C for Paddy Power showed that 76% of voters intended to support the introduction of same-sex marriage in any referendum, with 18% opposed and 6% undecided (with the undecideds excluded, the ratio was 81% support and 19% against). Support was highest among women (85%), those under 44 (87%), Labour supporters (96%) and those living in Dublin and commuter counties (83%). A February 2014 poll by RED C for RTÉ's Prime Time and the Business Post showed that 76% of voters would vote "yes" to the introduction of same-sex marriage in any referendum. A poll conducted two months later by The Irish Times and Ipsos MRBI found that 67% of respondents would vote in favour of same-sex marriage and 21% against, with 12% undecided. When the undecided were excluded, 76% were in favour and 24% against.

The 2015 Eurobarometer found that 80% of Irish people thought same-sex marriage should be allowed throughout Europe, whilst 15% were against. A Pew Research Center poll, conducted between April and August 2017 and published in May 2018, showed that 66% of Irish people supported same-sex marriage, 27% were opposed and 7% did not know or had refused to answer. When divided by religion, 87% of religiously unaffiliated people, 80% of non-practicing Christians and 43% of church-attending Christians supported same-sex marriage. Opposition was 20% among 18–34-year-olds.

The 2019 Eurobarometer found that 79% of Irish people thought same-sex marriage should be allowed throughout Europe, while 13% were opposed. The 2023 Eurobarometer showed that support had increased to 86%, while 9% were opposed. The survey also found that 83% of Irish people thought that "there is nothing wrong in a sexual relationship between two persons of the same sex", while 12% disagreed.

 * Notes:

Support is strongest among younger voters. Sinn Féin and Labour voters are somewhat more in favour than Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil voters. Among those intending to vote "yes" in January 2015, 33/77 had "some reservations about same-sex marriage", and 29/77 had "some reservations about adoption by gay couples". A poll conducted a week before the referendum by The Irish Times showed that women supported same-sex marriage more than men.


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User:Wikimaster

Hi, Im Wikinator. This is my Talk!

title: User:Wikimaster


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Salvia hispanica

Salvia hispanica, one of several related species commonly known as chia, is a species of flowering plant in the mint family, Lamiaceae, native to central and southern Mexico and Guatemala. It is considered a pseudocereal, cultivated for its edible, hydrophilic chia seed, grown and commonly used as food in several countries of western South America, western Mexico, and the southwestern United States.

Etymology
The word chia is derived from the Nahuatl word chian, meaning 'oily'.

Other plants known as chia include Salvia columbariae, which is sometimes called "golden chia", Salvia polystachia, and Salvia tiliifolia.

Description
Chia is an annual herb growing up to 1.75 m tall, with opposite leaves that are 4 – long and 3 – wide. Its flowers are purple or white and are produced in numerous clusters in a spike at the end of each stem. Chia is hardy from USDA Zones 9–12. Many plants cultivated as S.hispanica are in fact S. officinalis subsp. lavandulifolia (syn. S. lavandulifolia).

Typically, the seeds are small ovals with a diameter around 1 mm. They are mottle-colored, with brown, gray, black, and white. The seeds are hydrophilic, absorbing up to 12 times their weight in liquid when soaked. While soaking, the seeds develop a mucilaginous coating that gives chia-based beverages a distinctive gelatinous texture.

Chia is grown and consumed commercially in its native Mexico and Guatemala, as well as Bolivia, Ecuador, Colombia, Nicaragua, northwestern Argentina, parts of Australia, and the southwestern United States. New patented varieties of chia have been bred in Kentucky for cultivation in northern latitudes of the United States.

Seeds
Chia is grown commercially for its seed, a food rich in omega-3 fatty acids since the seeds yield 25–30% extractable oil, including α-linolenic acid. Typical composition of the fat of the oil is 55% ω-3, 18% ω-6, 6% ω-9, and 10% saturated fat.

Climate and growing cycle length
The length of the growing cycle for chia varies based on location and is influenced by elevation. For production sites located in different ecosystems in Bolivia, Ecuador and northwestern Argentina, growing cycles are between 100 and 150 days in duration. Accordingly, commercial production fields are located in the range of 8 – altitude across a variety of ecosystems ranging from tropical coastal desert, to tropical rain forest, and inter-Andean dry valley. In northwestern Argentina, a time span from planting to harvest of 120–180 days is reported for fields located at elevations of 900 –.

S. hispanica is a short-day flowering plant, indicating its photoperiodic sensitivity and lack of photoperiodic variability in traditional cultivars, which has limited commercial use of chia seeds to tropical and subtropical latitudes until 2012. Now, traditional domesticated lines of Salvia species grow naturally or can be cultivated in temperate zones at higher latitudes in the United States. In Arizona and Kentucky, seed maturation of traditional chia cultivars is stopped by frost before or after flower set, preventing seed harvesting. Advances in plant breeding during 2012, however, led to development of new early-flowering chia genotypes proving to have higher yields in Kentucky.

Seed yield and composition
Seed yield varies depending on cultivars, mode of cultivation, and growing conditions by geographic region. For example, commercial fields in Argentina and Colombia vary in yield range from 450 to 1250 kg/ha. A small-scale study with three cultivars grown in the inter-Andean valleys of Ecuador produced yields up to 2300 kg/ha, indicating that the favorable growing environment and cultivar interacted to produce the high yields. Genotype has a larger effect on yield than on protein content, oil content, fatty acid composition, or phenolic compounds, whereas high temperature reduces oil content and degree of unsaturation, and raises protein content.

Soil, seedbed requirements, and sowing
The cultivation of S. hispanica requires light to medium clay or sandy soils. The plant prefers well-drained, moderately fertile soils, but can cope with acid soils and moderate drought. Sown chia seeds need moisture for seedling establishment, while the maturing chia plant does not tolerate wet soils during growth.

Traditional cultivation techniques of S. hispanica include soil preparation by disruption and loosening followed by seed broadcasting. In modern commercial production, a typical sowing rate of 6 kg/ha and row spacing of 0.7 – are usually applied.

Fertilization and irrigation
S. hispanica can be cultivated under low fertilizer input, using 100 kg/ha nitrogen or in some cases, no fertilizer is used.

Irrigation frequency in chia production fields may vary from none to eight irrigations per growing season, depending on climatic conditions and rainfall.

Genetic diversity and breeding
The wide range of wild and cultivated varieties of S. hispanica are based on seed size, shattering of seeds, and seed color. Seed weight and color have high heritability, with a single recessive gene responsible for white color.

Diseases and crop management
Currently, no major pests or diseases affect chia production. Essential oils in chia leaves have repellent properties against insects, making it suitable for organic cultivation. Virus infections, however, possibly transmitted by white flies, may occur. Weeds may present a problem in the early development of the chia crop until its canopy closes, but because chia is sensitive to most commonly used herbicides, mechanical weed control is preferred.

Decorative and novelty uses

During the 1980s in the United States, the first substantial wave of chia seed sales was tied to Chia Pets. These "pets" come in the form of clay figures that serve as a base for a sticky paste of chia seeds; the figures then are watered and the seeds sprout into a form suggesting a fur covering for the figure. About 500,000 Chia Pets a year are sold in the US as novelties or house plants.

title: Salvia hispanica


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2002–03 in English football

The 2002–03 season was the 123rd season of competitive football in England.

Overview

 * Wigan Athletic marked their 25th season of Football League membership by winning the Division Two championship and reaching the league's second tier for the very first time.
 * Sheffield Wednesday was demoted to Division Two, just ten years after reaching the finals of both domestic cup competitions and eleven years after coming two places short of the league title.

Diary of the season

 * 27 June 2002 – Leeds United sack manager David O'Leary after four years in charge. The sacking is thought by many to be down to a combination of both spending more than £100 million on players but never winning a trophy and the publication of his book "Leeds United on Trial", detailing his experiences as manager during the previous season when both Lee Bowyer and Johnathan Woodgate had been on trial for assault.
 * 3 July 2002 – Middlesbrough pay a club record £8.15million for Empoli and Italy striker Massimo Maccarone.
 * 8 July 2002 – Leeds United appoint Terry Venables as their new manager.
 * 10 July 2002 – AFC Wimbledon, a club founded by former supporters of Wimbledon following The FA's approval of the latter club's move to Milton Keynes, play their first match, losing 4–0 in a preseason friendly to Sutton United in front of over 4,600 fans.
 * 11 July 2002 – Arsenal sign defender Pascal Cygan from Lille for £2.1million.
 * 12 July 2002 – Newcastle United sign 20-year-old defender Titus Bramble from Ipswich Town for £5million.
 * 22 July 2002 – Manchester United break the English transfer record for the third time in just over a year. They pay Leeds United £29 million for central defender Rio Ferdinand, amidst reports that the Yorkshire club are in severe financial difficulties after overspending during the previous 3 seasons, and having a crippling loan debt.
 * 24 July 2002 – Everton sign Arsenal goalkeeper Richard Wright for £3.5million.
 * 26 July 2002 – Manchester United sell out-of-favour striker Dwight Yorke to Blackburn Rovers for £2million, with Graeme Souness partnering Yorke with his former Manchester United strike partner Andy Cole.
 * 30 July 2002 – Birmingham City, newly promoted to the Premier League, pay a club record £4.25million for Crystal Palace striker Clinton Morrison.
 * 2 August 2002 – Juninho signs for Middlesbrough for the third time in a £6million move from Atlético Madrid.
 * 4 August 2002 – Leicester City move into their new 32,500-seat Walkers Stadium after 111 years at Filbert Street. They drew 1–1 in a friendly with Athletic Bilbao.
 * 5 August 2002 – Middlesbrough sign Aston Villa midfielder George Boateng for £5million.
 * 7 August 2002 – Players' Union chairman Gordon Taylor calls for the Football League, currently in a financial crisis following the collapse of ITV Digital, to combine with the 12 Scottish Premier League clubs to form an expanded Football League. There has recently been talk of Rangers and Celtic resigning from the Scottish Premier League to join Division One of the English league, and for several years it has frequently been suggested by various sources that the two clubs should join the Premier League.
 * 8 August 2002 – Leeds United sign Liverpool midfielder Nick Barmby for £2.75million.
 * 15 August 2002 – Liverpool sell defender Stephen Wright to Sunderland for £3million.
 * 17 August 2002 – The FA Premier League season begins. West Bromwich Albion's first top division game for 17 years ends in a 1–0 away defeat to Manchester United.
 * 21 August 2002 – Sunderland sign Leicester City midfielder Matt Piper for £3.5million.
 * 29 August 2002 – Lee Hughes rejoins West Bromwich Albion for £2.5million after a year at Coventry City, and is joined for £2.25million by Tranmere Rovers midfielder Jason Koumas.
 * 30 August 2002 – Sunderland sign striker Marcus Stewart from Ipswich Town for £3.25million.
 * 31 August 2002
 * Leeds United sell striker Robbie Keane to Tottenham Hotspur for £7 million, as Glenn Hoddle's team look to push for the Premier League title after three wins and a draw from their opening four games take them to the top of the league as August draws to a close. Arsenal (defending champions), Liverpool, Leeds United and Charlton Athletic complete the top five. Bolton Wanderers, who have lost both of their games this month, prop up the top flight, while winless West Ham United and Southampton complete the bottom three. Sunderland pay a club record £6.75million for Rangers striker Tore Andre Flo. West Bromwich Albion beat Fulham 1–0 to record their first top division win since March 1986.
 * Portsmouth, who were generally not considered as serious promotion challenge, are the surprise leaders of Division One, with their nearest competition coming from last season's beaten playoff finalists Norwich City. Leicester City, Wolverhampton Wanderers, Rotherham United and Nottingham Forest complete the top six.
 * 10 September 2002
 * Sunderland sign goalkeeper Mart Poom from Derby County for £2.5million.
 * A Kevin Nolan goal gives Bolton Wanderers a surprise 1–0 league win over Manchester United at Old Trafford.
 * 14 September 2002 – Manchester United's dismal start to the season continues as they lose 1–0 at Leeds United. They are now ninth in the league, one place below a newly promoted West Bromwich Albion side who have recorded three league wins in a row.
 * 16 September 2002 – Birmingham City beat Aston Villa 3–0 at St Andrew's in the first Second City derby in the league for 15 years, and the first in the top flight for 17 years.
 * 17 September 2002 – After a slow start to the season, the pressure is growing on Sunderland manager Peter Reid. The Daily Mirror tips George Graham to be named as Sunderland manager if Reid is ousted.
 * 21 September 2002 – Ruud van Nistelrooy scores the winning goal from the penalty spot as Manchester United get back on track with a 1–0 home league win over Tottenham.
 * 23 September 2002 – Peter Reid gains unexpected support from Sir Bobby Robson, manager of Sunderland's local rivals Newcastle United, who defends him over the club's recent shortcomings.
 * 26 September 2002 – A poll among Sunderland supporters names David O'Leary as the man they would most like to see as manager in place of under-fire Peter Reid.
 * 30 September 2002 – September finishes with defending champions Arsenal top of the Premier League, two points ahead of second-placed Liverpool. Manchester United, held back by two defeats this month, are fourth in the league and level on points with third-placed Middlesbrough who are mounting a surprise title challenge. Chelsea occupy fifth place, with last month's leaders Tottenham Hotspur now down to sixth. West Ham United, Charlton Athletic and Southampton occupy the bottom three places. Portsmouth and Leicester City lead the way in Division One, with the playoff zone being occupied by Norwich City, Nottingham Forest, Rotherham United and Sheffield United.
 * 7 October 2002 – Peter Reid is sacked by FA Premier League strugglers Sunderland after seven-and-a-half years in charge.
 * 9 October 2002 – Republic of Ireland manager Mick McCarthy is named as a contender for the Sunderland manager's job.
 * 10 October 2002 – After just four months as manager of Stoke City, manager Steve Cotterill leaves the club with a statement revealing that he has agreed to take a role at another club, sparking speculation that he has been appointed as Sunderland's new manager. Hours later, however, it was revealed that Howard Wilkinson has ended his five-year role as technical director of The Football Association to become Sunderland's new manager, with Cotterill as his assistant.
 * 12 October 2002 – England open their Euro 2004 qualifying series with a 2–1 win over Slovakia in Bratislava. David Beckham and Michael Owen score for England.
 * 19 October 2002 – Everton striker Wayne Rooney becomes the youngest-ever goalscorer in FA Premier League history when he scores a last-minute winner against Arsenal, five days before his 17th birthday, to end the opposition's 30-match unbeaten Premiership run. West Ham United winger Trevor Sinclair takes the pressure off his manager Glenn Roeder by scoring the only goal in an away league win over Sunderland, who are playing their first game under the management of Howard Wilkinson.
 * 26 October 2002 – After waiting 12 years to renew old rivalries, Andrew Johnson scores a hat-trick as Crystal Palace crush Brighton 5–0 in a Division One game at Selhurst Park.
 * 27 October 2002 – James Beattie scores a hat-trick as Southampton beat Fulham 4–2 in the league at St Mary's Stadium.
 * 30 October 2002 – Adam Crozier announced his resignation as chief executive of The Football Association after two years in this role.
 * 31 October 2002 – October draws to a close with Liverpool having leapfrogged Arsenal into second place, opening up a four-point gap and looking in a stronger position than ever before to end their league title wait that began in 1990. Chelsea, Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur complete the top five. Bolton Wanderers, Sunderland and West Bromwich Albion occupy the three relegation places. Portsmouth now have a seven-point lead over nearest rivals Leicester City at the top of Division One. The playoff zone is occupied by Norwich City, Sheffield United, Watford and Nottingham Forest.
 * 9 November 2002 – A Shaun Goater double sees Manchester City beat Manchester United 3–1 in the last Manchester derby at Maine Road. It is the first time since September 1989 that City have beaten United in a competitive game, and the first time since March 1993 that United have failed to beat City at Maine Road.
 * 18 December 2002 – Football mourns the deaths of Football Association chairman Sir Bert Millichip, 88, and former Leicester City and Shrewsbury Town striker Arthur Rowley, 76, who scored a record 434 league goals during his 19-year career.
 * 10 November 2002 – Sunderland achieve their first league win under Howard Wilkinson by beating Tottenham 2–0 at the Stadium of Light.
 * 23 November 2002 – Ruud van Nistelrooy scores a hat-trick as Manchester United end a dismal run of league form by beating Newcastle United 5–3 at Old Trafford.
 * 30 November 2002 – As November draws to a close, Liverpool are on a dismal run of form which has seen Arsenal overtake them into first place in the Premier League by a single point. Everton are putting up a surprise title challenge after more than a decade of mediocrity as they occupy third place and are just three points off the top. Chelsea and Manchester United complete the top five. West Ham United, West Bromwich Albion and Bolton Wanderers finish the month in the relegation zone. Portsmouth and Leicester City continue to lead the way in Division One. Nottingham Forest, Norwich City, Reading (newly promoted) and Sheffield United complete the top six.
 * 7 December 2002 – Manchester United's revival continues with a 2–0 home league win over defending champions Arsenal.
 * 14 December 2002 – Manchester United continue to close in on the top of the table with a 3–0 home win over West Ham. Sunderland boost their survival challenge with a 2–1 home win over Liverpool, whose title challenge is continuing to fall away. Marc-Vivien Foé scores twice for Manchester City in a 2–2 draw at Charlton Athletic.
 * 26 December 2002 – Hull City celebrate their first competitive game at their new Kingston Communications Stadium with a 2–0 win over Hartlepool United in Division Three.
 * 4 January 2003 – Shrewsbury Town beat Everton 2–1 in an FA Cup third round tie at Gay Meadow.
 * 31 December 2002 – 2002 ends with Arsenal top of the Premier League, four points ahead of second-placed Chelsea and with a game in hand. Manchester United occupy third place, Everton are fourth and Liverpool's ongoing decline has seen them slip to fifth place just two months after they had a comfortable lead at the top. Southampton's recent resurgence is putting pressure on the top five as they occupy seventh place and look on course for their highest finish since 1995. West Ham United remain bottom and are still looking for their first home win of the season, while West Bromwich Albion and Sunderland complete the bottom three. Portsmouth and Leicester City's two-horse race at the top of Division One continues, with the playoff zone unchanged from last month.
 * 12 January 2003 – Robbie Keane scores a hat-trick as Tottenham beat Everton 4–3 in the league at White Hart Lane.
 * 19 January 2003 – Thierry Henry scores a hat-trick as Arsenal beat West Ham United 3–1 at Highbury.
 * 30 January 2003 – Still struggling with debt, Leeds United sell Robbie Fowler to Manchester City for £6million.
 * 31 January 2003 – January draws to a close with Arsenal still top of the Premier League, two points above second placed Manchester United and within a game in hand. Newcastle United, Chelsea and Everton complete the top five. Liverpool's decline continues as they occupy eighth place, deepening fears that a side looking all set for title glory three months ago might now not even qualify for the UEFA Cup. Meanwhile, West Bromwich Albion's dismal form continues as they and West Ham United prop up the rest of the top flight on goal difference. Sunderland occupy the last relegation place. Middlesbrough boost their bid for a UEFA Cup place by spending a total of £8.5million on new signings Chris Riggott, Malcolm Christie and Michael Ricketts. The true extent of Leeds United's financial difficulties becomes public knowledge during a press conference to announce the sale of Jonathan Woodgate to Newcastle United for £9million, during which Terry Venables states that he had been assured players wouldn't need to be sold. Portsmouth and Leicester City remain in pole position at the top of Division One, and apart from Coventry City edging Reading out of the playoff zone the top six of the division is unchanged from last month.
 * 9 February 2003 – Manchester United drop two priceless points in the Premier League title race as they can only manage a 1–1 draw with City in the Manchester derby at Old Trafford. It is the first time since the 1991–92 season that they have failed to beat City in either derby games.
 * 12 February 2003 – A record of eight black players are capped in the England side's 3–1 home defeated by Australia at Upton Park.
 * 16 February 2003 – One of the most decisive games of the season sees Arsenal cancel out Manchester United in the double race with a 2–0 win at Old Trafford. After the game, David Beckham suffers a gash to his face which is reportedly the result of Sir Alex Ferguson throwing a basket full of boots across the changing room after his side's defeat.
 * 22 February 2003 – Manchester United drop points once again when relegation threatened Bolton hold them to a 1–1 draw at the Reebok Stadium.
 * 28 February 2003 – The month-end leaders for February are Arsenal, who now lead Manchester United by five points. Newcastle United, Chelsea and Everton complete the top five. There will now be a place in the UEFA Cup for the Premier League's sixth place team if Manchester United or Liverpool (who contest this weekend's League Cup final) finish in the top five. Currently in sixth place are Charlton Athletic, while Liverpool are still only seventh in a division which they had looked set to win a few months ago. Portsmouth have a two-point lead over Leicester City at the top of Division One. Reading, Nottingham Forest and Sheffield United remain in the playoff zone, but an improving Wolverhampton Wanderers side have edged Norwich City out of the top six. Rotherham United are in contention for promotion after an impressive season so far.
 * 2 March 2003 – Liverpool win the League Cup for the seventh time in their history thanks to a 2–0 win over Manchester United in the final at Millennium Stadium in Cardiff. On the same day, Arsenal establish an eight-point lead at the top of the league and look all set for a second successive league title.
 * 5 March 2003 – Manchester United cut Arsenal's Premier League lead to five points with a 2–1 home win over struggling Leeds United.
 * 10 March 2003 – Howard Wilkinson is sacked as Sunderland manager (along with his assistant Steve Cotterill) after his team won just two out of 20 Premiership matches under his management. The hunt for his successor begins, with Mick McCarthy, David O'Leary and George Burley the three names being particularly strongly linked with the vacancy.
 * 12 March 2003 – Sunderland appoint former Republic of Ireland national coach Mick McCarthy as their new manager.
 * 15 March 2003 – Arsenal are now just two points ahead of Manchester United at the top of the league, after they lose 2–0 at Blackburn and their rivals win 1–0 at Aston Villa.
 * 19 March 2003 – Two goals in three minutes for Forest sets them on their way to a 3–0 victory over Derby County.
 * 21 March 2003 – Leeds United, 16th in the FA Premier League and £120million in debt, sack Terry Venables after eight months in charge. Peter Reid is named as his successor on a temporary contract until the end of the season, but it is far from clear whether Reid will get the job on a permanent basis.
 * 22 March 2003
 * Derby County (in Division One) suspend manager John Gregory over allegations of misconduct and replace him with George Burley as interim manager.
 * Manchester United beat Fulham 3–0 at Old Trafford, with Ruud van Nistelrooy scoring all three goals, to go top of the Premier League just three weeks after their title hopes had appeared dead.
 * 23 March 2003 – Arsenal return to the top of the Premier League with a narrow 2–1 win over Everton.
 * 31 March 2003 – March draws to a close with Manchester United now leading the Premier League just a month after Arsenal looked to have won it, though Arsène Wenger's team are only a point behind with a game in hand. Three points now separate Portsmouth and Leicester City at the top of Division One. Sheffield United, Reading, Nottingham Forest and Wolverhampton Wanderers remain in the playoff zone. Ipswich Town's resurgence has seen them creep to the fringe of the top six, but Rotherham United's playoff hopes are evaporating.
 * 5 April 2003 – Manchester United seize the initiative in the title challenge by beating Liverpool 4–0 at Old Trafford as Arsenal can only manage a 1–1 draw at Aston Villa. Leeds United move closer to survival with a 6–1 away win over a Charlton side which effectively ends their opposition's hopes of European qualification.
 * 12 April 2003 – Paul Scholes scores a hat-trick as Manchester United beat Newcastle United 6–2 on Tyneside to extend their lead at the top of the Premier League. Newcastle's neighbours Sunderland's relegation is confirmed by a 2–0 defeat at Birmingham City.
 * 16 April 2003 – The much-anticipated "title decider" between Arsenal and Manchester United at Highbury ends in a 2–2 draw, meaning that Arsenal are now three points behind Manchester United but with a game in hand and a remotely superior goal difference.
 * 19 April 2003 – Paul Scholes is on the scoresheet twice as a 3–1 home win over Blackburn Rovers edges Manchester United closer to their eighth Premier League title in 11 seasons, despite Arsenal's 2–0 win at Middlesbrough. West Bromwich Albion are relegated despite a 2–1 away win over already doomed Sunderland. Leicester City seal promotion to the Premier League with a 2–0 win over Brighton.
 * 21 April 2003 – West Ham manager Glenn Roeder is hospitalised with a suspected stroke; director of football Trevor Brooking is placed in charge of the first team until Roeder is well enough to resume control.
 * 26 April 2003 – Arsenal suffer a huge blow to their double hopes, as they surrender a 2–0 lead in their game-in-hand to draw 2–2 with Bolton at the Reebok Stadium – well and truly shifting the title race in Manchester United's favour with three games to go.
 * 27 April 2003 – Portsmouth beat Rotherham 3–2 to win the Division One championship and gain promotion to the Premier League for the first time since the league's inception. Apart from the 1987–88 season, they have not played top division football since the 1950s. On the same day, Alan Shearer receives the Premier League "Player of the Decade" award at a PFA ceremony.
 * 29 April 2003 – Glenn Roeder's illness is diagnosed as a brain tumour which will be operated upon shortly.
 * 30 April 2003 – Sunderland, without a point since January and win since December, end the month, and West Bromwich Albion, with only six wins in their first top division campaign for nearly 20 years, end April with their relegation battle lost. West Ham United complete the bottom three but their survival bid is still very much alive as they are posing a threat to Bolton Wanderers, Birmingham City, Fulham, Aston Villa and a Leeds United team who began the season among the teams expected to challenge for the title but are now battling relegation as well as huge debts.
 * 3 May 2003 – A Ruud van Nistelrooy hat-trick contributes to Manchester United's 4–1 home win over Charlton Athletic and puts them on the brink of title glory.
 * 4 May 2003 – Arsenal lose 3–2 at home to Leeds United, a result which ensures Leeds United's safety and ends Arsenal's defence of the title. Manchester United are crowned league champions for the eighth time in 11 seasons. Sunderland are relegated from the Premiership with a record low of 4 wins, 19 points and 21 goals. Shrewsbury Town are relegated to the Conference, ending 53 years of Football League membership. Exeter City finished 23rd in Division Three and are also relegated to the Conference – the first club to suffer automatic relegation without finishing bottom of the league. Peter Schmeichel calls time on his footballing career six months before his 40th birthday after helping Manchester City to finish ninth in the Premiership.
 * 9 May 2003 – Derby County confirm that suspended manager John Gregory will not be returning, and his contract is terminated to make way for George Burley to receive the job on a permanent basis.
 * 11 May 2003 – West Ham United are relegated after 10 years in the Premier League after failing to get the better of a Birmingham side who hold them to a 2–2 draw. Bolton are safe after a 2–1 home win over Middlesbrough. Sunderland's 4–0 home defeat to Arsenal sees them end the season as officially the worst Premier League team ever with a record low of four wins, 19 points and 21 goals. Not since Stoke City in the old First Division 18 years ago has any top flight club attained such a poor record in the top flight. Ninth placed Manchester City bid farewell to Maine Road after 80 years, their last game before relocation to the City of Manchester Stadium being watched by a 35,000 capacity crowd as they lost 1–0 to eighth placed Southampton. The final goal at the stadium is scored by Saints defender Michael Svensson.
 * 17 May 2003 – Arsenal ease their Premier League disappointment by winning the FA Cup for the ninth time in their history, beating Southampton 1–0 at the Millennium Stadium courtesy of a first-half Robert Pires goal.
 * 22 May 2003 – Everton sign Joseph Yobo from Olympique Marseille for £3.5million.
 * 26 May 2003 – Wolverhampton Wanderers return to the top flight after a 19-year exile by beating Sheffield United 3–0 in the Division One playoff final.
 * 4 June 2003 – After 13 years as goalkeeper for Arsenal, David Seaman joins Manchester City on a free transfer, signing a one-year contract.
 * 17 June 2003 – David Beckham agrees to join Real Madrid in a £25 million deal after 12 years at Manchester United.
 * 26 June 2003 – Marc-Vivien Foé, who spent the 2002–03 season on loan to Manchester City, collapses and dies at the age of 28 during a Confederations Cup tie for Cameroon.

England national team
Key: ECQ = 2004 European Championship qualifiers, F = Friendly; scores are written England first

UEFA Champions League

 * Manchester United – quarter-finals
 * Arsenal – Second group phase
 * Newcastle United – Second group phase
 * Liverpool – First group phase (dropped into UEFA Cup)

UEFA Cup

 * Liverpool – quarter-finals
 * Fulham – third round
 * Leeds United – third round
 * Blackburn Rovers – first round
 * Chelsea – first round
 * Ipswich Town – second round

UEFA Intertoto Cup

 * Fulham – winners (qualified for UEFA Cup)
 * Aston Villa – semi-finals

FA Premier League
Manchester United, unbeaten in the league after 26 December, overhauled Arsenal during the final three months of the season to clinch their eighth Premiership title in 11 seasons, while the other two Champions League places went to Newcastle United and Chelsea. Going into the UEFA Cup were Liverpool (who made an excellent start to the league, going unbeaten in their first three months before a sudden collapse and falling to 7th but with a late good form to finish 5th) and Blackburn Rovers who were bouncing in mid table at February, although they missed out on Champions League qualification thanks to staying in mid table for a long time, finished 6th, along with FA Cup runners-up Southampton (who also achieved their best Premiership finish of 8th place) and Fair Play award winners Manchester City (who finished an impressive ninth on their Premiership comeback). Southampton had not played in European competitions for nearly 20 years, while Manchester City's last European campaign was a quarter of a century ago.

Everton finished seventh in their first full season under the management of David Moyes, the club's highest finish for seven years, in a campaign where the club was the centre of national media and public attention following the performances of 17-year-old striker Wayne Rooney, who became the youngest full England international after the season's end.

Compensation for Arsenal after their spectacular failure to retain the league title came in the form of retaining the FA Cup – the first side to do so for 21 years.

Leeds United's season was plagued by a loss of form and mounting debts, and having to sell several key players, as they slipped to 15th place – their lowest finish for 10 years and a stark contrast to the previous five campaigns, where they had never finished outside the top five. Manager Terry Venables was axed towards the end of March after eight months in charge, with Peter Reid taking over for the final weeks of the season to secure survival and earn himself a permanent contract. Aston Villa's 16th-place finish was their lowest for eight years, although their strong home form ensured their survival in the Premier League. However, they sat above Blackburn Rovers in February but only poor form at the end prevented them from qualifying for the UEFA Cup.

Sunderland's season started badly and got worse as they finished with a record Premiership low of 4 wins, 19 points and 21 goals, losing their final 15 league games in the process. The Wearside club went through three managers, with Peter Reid (one of the league's longest-serving managers) leaving in early October to be replaced by Howard Wilkinson, who lasted just five months before Mick McCarthy was appointed. They were joined by West Bromwich Albion, who attained just 26 points in their first top flight season for nearly 20 years and won just three times in the league after September. Last to go down were West Ham United, who went down with 42 points – the highest points tally of any club to be relegated from the Premiership under the 20-club format.

Leading goalscorer: Ruud van Nistelrooy (Manchester United), 25

Football League First Division
Portsmouth won the Division One title by some distance, passing manager Harry Redknapp's old club, West Ham, on the way down and ending their own 15-year exile from the top flight. They were rarely outside the top two at any point of the season.

Leicester City earned a somewhat controversial promotion, as administration and a Creditor's Voluntary Agreement wrote off much of their £30million debt. Partly as a result of this, the League would introduce a 10-point subtraction for any teams entering administration from the next season onwards. The play-offs were won by Wolves, returning to the top flight after nearly 20 years and finally allowing owner Sir Jack Hayward to see the return he wanted on his years of investment. Their opponents, Sheffield United, were semi-finalists in both domestic cups.

Gillingham enjoyed their most successful season to date, finishing a club record eleventh place in the division, the highest in their history. Despite having some of the lowest attendances in senior football after the relocation to Milton Keynes was announced, Wimbledon managed a 10th-place finish in the league, but then went into administration – putting the future of the club under yet more doubt.

Grimsby were relegated, after struggling in the division for five years on extremely limited resources. Both Brighton and Sheffield Wednesday suffered awful starts to the season (Brighton managing only a single win from their first sixteen matches), and despite good runs of form late in the season, neither were able to survive, although Brighton at least had the satisfaction of staying in the hunt for survival up to the last game.

Leading goalscorer: Svetoslav Todorov (Portsmouth), 26

Football League Second Division
Wigan won their first-ever promotion beyond the Second Division. Crewe managed a promotion on the back of their famed youth policy while play-off winners Cardiff were another big-spending team that were able to earn promotion, beating QPR in the final.

Tranmere Rovers had to settle for seventh place – not even enough for a playoff place – despite collecting 80 points, a tally which at times had been enough for some teams to win automatic promotion. Plymouth Argyle and Luton Town both achieved top half finishes a season after promotion.

An ill-advised managerial change mid-season helped send Northampton down. Mansfield Town's first season out of the bottom division in over a decade ended as their previous spell had; with immediate relegation in a season awash with over 160 goals where they had no problems scoring goals but unfortunately leaked goals at an alarming rate. Huddersfield started badly, and a financial crisis later in the season helped condemn them to relegation, only three years after they looked Premiership-bound. Cheltenham came close to survival, but a defeat on the final day of the season saw them return to Division Three.

Leading goalscorer: Robert Earnshaw (Cardiff City), 31

Football League Third Division
Rushden & Diamonds continued their meteoric rise, winning the divisional title. They were helped in no small part by runners-up Hartlepool suffering a shocking late-season collapse, which cost them the title and manager Mike Newell his job. Wrexham took the last automatic promotion spot and bounced back from the previous season's relegation, as did play-off winners AFC Bournemouth, who beat Lincoln City in the final.

Oxford United were promotion contenders a season after finishing fourth from bottom, but in the end just missed out on the playoffs. Despite almost going out of business, York City managed to finish 10th – their highest finish since relegation to Division Three in 1999. Hull City finished 13th under new manager Peter Taylor, who took over from Jan Molby just before the club completed its relocation from Boothferry Park to the new KC Stadium, which gave the club the highest crowds at this level, although the upturn in form was not enough to get them anywhere near the top of the table. Boston United managed a 15th-place finish in their first season as a league club, despite having four points deducted for financial irregularities.

A shock FA Cup victory over Everton did little to help Shrewsbury, and they finished bottom of the League. Exeter City were bought out pre-season in a high-profile takeover spearheaded by Uri Geller; unfortunately, Geller's associates proceeded to asset-strip the club, and despite a late-season run of form, Exeter fell victim to the first-ever dual relegation from the League.

Yeovil Town, who had spent decades making the headlines by defeating league opposition in the FA Cup, finally reached the Football League as Conference champions. The first Conference playoffs were won by Doncaster Rovers, who returned to the league after a five-year exile with the financial backing of John Ryan, who now had a new all-seater stadium in the pipeline.

Leading goalscorer: Andy Morrell (Wrexham), 34

Football Conference

 * Champions:
 * Yeovil Town
 * Also promoted to Third Division:
 * Doncaster Rovers (playoff winners)
 * Relegated:
 * Nuneaton Borough (to Southern League)
 * Southport (to Northern Premier League)
 * Kettering Town (to Isthmian League)

Summer transfer window
The summer transfer window ran from the end of the previous season until 31 August.

 * 2 May 2002
 * Franck Queudrue from Lens to Middlesbrough, £2.5m
 * 14 August 2002
 * Juninho Paulista from Atlético Madrid to Middlesbrough, £6m
 * 30 August 2002
 * Tore André Flo from Rangers to Sunderland, £8m
 * 31 August 2002

January transfer window
The mid-season transfer window ran from 1 to 31 January 2003.

 * 31 January 2003
 * Jonathan Woodgate from Leeds United to Newcastle United, £9m

For subsequent transfer deals see 2003–04 in English football.

Famous Debutants

 * Wayne Rooney, 16-year-old striker, makes his debut for Everton in a 2–2 home draw with Tottenham Hotspur on 17 August 2002.
 * James Milner, 16-year-old winger, makes his debut for Leeds United in a 4–3 away win over West Ham United on 10 November 2002.
 * Milan Baroš, 20-year-old Czech striker, scores twice on his Liverpool debut as they beat Bolton Wanderers 3–2 at the Reebok Stadium on 14 September 2002.
 * Leon Osman, 21-year-old midfielder, makes his debut for Everton in their 4–3 defeat at Tottenham Hotspur on 12 January 2003.

Retirements
11 August 2002: Tony Adams, 35, retires after spending his entire 19-year career at Arsenal, and was team Captain for 14 seasons.

11 May 2003: Peter Schmeichel, 39, retires from playing after spending 10 of the last 12 seasons in England, the final of which was spent at Manchester City, though he is best remembered for his eight-year spell at Manchester United during which he established himself as a world class goalkeeper.

Deaths

 * 7 July 2002: Ray Wood, 71, Manchester United and England goalkeeper, who was a survivor of the Munich Air Disaster and won two league championship medals.
 * 17 August 2002: John Charles, 57, played 118 league games at full-back for his only club West Ham United between 1962 and 1971 before his playing career was ended by injury. He died of cancer, which had been diagnosed in 2001.
 * 5 November 2002: Rob Hindmarch, 41, former Sunderland, Wolverhampton Wanderers and Derby County centre-half, died of motor neurone disease.
 * 30 November 2002: Alan Ashman, 74, former football manager who took Carlisle United into the old First Division in 1974 and West Bromwich Albion to F.A Cup glory in 1968.
 * 18 December 2002:
 * – Bert Millichip, 88, chairman of The Football Association from 1981 until 1996 and a former director of West Bromwich Albion.
 * – Angus Morrison, 78, played 329 games in the English league after moving from his native Scotland in 1946, scoring a total of 95 goals from the left wing for Derby County, Preston North End and Millwall. Although he did not collect any silverware, he was on the losing side with Preston in the 1954 FA Cup Final.
 * 19 December 2002: Arthur Rowley, 76, a former centre forward of Leicester City player and Football League record scorer who scored an English league career record of 434 goals.
 * 31 December 2002: Billy Morris, 84, was an FA Cup runner-up with Burnley in 1947, and scored 47 league goals for the Turf Moor club. He was capped five times by Wales and had two short spells as Wrexham manager in the 1960s.
 * 3 February 2003: Trevor Morris, 82, former Ipswich Town player who made one appearance for the club before his playing career was ended due to injury in a wartime match. Went on to manage Cardiff City and Swansea Town and was appointed secretary of the Football Association of Wales in 1971. Was also later awarded an OBE for his services to Welsh football.
 * 5 February 2003: Dale Roberts, 46, assistant manager of Ipswich Town from 1995 to 2002, died of cancer. He played 24 league games at centre-half for the Suffolk club between 1974 and 1980 before signing for Hull City, spending six years at Boothferry Park and helping the club rise from the Fourth Division to the Second, narrowly missing out on a place in the First Division before he retired through injury in 1986 after 182 league games for the Tigers. He was in charge of Hull's youth team from 1989 to 1993 and was also assistant to George Burley at Ayr United and Colchester United before following him back to Portman Road, where he helped the club win promotion to the Premier League in 2000 and finish fifth a year later, although relegation back to Division One occurred after just two seasons.
 * 29 May 2003: Trevor Ford, 79, played 401 games in English and Dutch leagues as a forward for Swansea, Aston Villa, Sunderland, Cardiff City, PSV Eindhoven and Newport County between 1946 and 1961, scoring 199 goals – peaking at Sunderland where he scored 67 goals in 108 games. He was also one of the leading goalscorers for the Welsh national side, scoring 23 times in 38 appearances, but was not included in the squad for the 1958 World Cup.
 * 26 June 2003: Marc-Vivien Foé, 28, Cameroon midfielder who spent the 2002–03 season on loan to Manchester City from French side Lyon, collapsed and died during a FIFA Confederations Cup game. A post mortem revealed that Foé, who had played for West Ham United earlier in his career, had suffered from an undetected heart condition.

Events
Chelsea are fined £5,000 for the state of the pitch at Stamford Bridge for their Premier League match against Charlton Athletic on 11 January. Chelsea were going to relay their pitch immediately after the match and had removed the old grass surface, leaving only the sand base on which the new pitch would be laid. Chelsea did not inform Charlton of the poor state of the pitch prior to the game, which Chelsea won 4–1.

title: 2002–03 in English football


text:
Talk:Capitaine Corelli

I have never seen the novel titled anything other than Captain Corelli's Mandolin, and if nobody objects, I'm going to move the content of this article back to that title. --Paul A 16:25, 17 May 2004 (UTC)

 * And now I've done it. --Paul A 15:00, 23 May 2004 (UTC)

title: Talk:Capitaine Corelli


text:
Kylie Travis

Kylie Travis (born 27 April 1970) is an English-born Australian actress known for her leading role in the soap opera Central Park West.

Early life
Travis was born in London, England, the oldest of four sisters. After her birth, her family moved to Australia. She modelled for various agencies in Paris, London, and New York City before taking up acting.

Career
Travis' first major role was in the Aaron Spelling soap opera Models Inc. where she played the part of Julie, a vindictive yet loyal model. After the show was cancelled, she was approached by Darren Star, creator of Melrose Place, from which Models Inc was a spin-off, to star in his new prime time drama Central Park West, in which she played scheming fashion editor, Rachel Dennis.

She then went on to play parts in several motion pictures, including Retroactive, Sanctuary as Rachel Malcolm, and Gia.

Personal life
Travis is married to Louis R. Cappelli, a property developer active in Westchester County, New York.

title: Kylie Travis