text:
2003 in Singapore

The following lists events that happened during 2003 in Singapore.

Incumbents

 * President: S.R. Nathan
 * Prime Minister: Goh Chok Tong

January

 * 1 January –
 * The Goods and Services Tax is raised from 3% to 4%.
 * The Media Development Authority is formed to better regulate and encourage Singapore's media industry.
 * 3 January – RSS Courageous got into a collision with ANL Indonesia, causing four fatalities. An investigation found that errors by the RSS Courageous crew contributed to the tragedy.
 * 5 January - Ang Mo Kio Public Library is officially reopened after a one year renovation.
 * 17 January – The Majestic is opened as a shopping mall after being renovated from a theatre.
 * 18 January – The East Loop of the Sengkang LRT line is opened, as well as the Sengkang Bus Interchange which is Singapore's second air-conditioned bus interchange.
 * 20 January – Stage 3 of the Circle MRT line is announced, which will travel through Serangoon and Bishan. It is slated for completion by 2008, but is eventually delayed to 2009.
 * 21 January – FairPrice's new Fresh Food Distribution Centre is officially opened, enhancing freshness and safety of food.
 * 27 January – The Land Transport Authority introduced a new licensing scheme for taxi operators, resulting in increased competition. Since then, more taxi operators joined in.

February

 * 15 February – The Ministry of Community Development and Sports announced plans to redevelop the National Stadium as part of a recommendation from a study. The proposed S$650m facility will have a 55,000-capacity stadium, a commercial district and indoor halls, which is targeted for completion by 2009 (though work only started in 2010). In addition, new rules are released to increase transparency in National Sports Associations, taking effect from 1 January 2004.
 * 17 February – The World Trade Centre Retail reopens as HarbourFront Centre.
 * 20 February – Fusionopolis is launched as a place to fuse the infocomm, media and engineering sectors together.
 * 21 February – NEWater is launched in Singapore.

March

 * 1 March to 16 July – An outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) occurs in Singapore.
 * 1 March – The first SARS patient is warded in Tan Tock Seng Hospital, after 3 women fell ill from a visit to Hong Kong.
 * 15 March – The term SARS is coined by the WHO. As a result, the Ministry of Health forms a task force to tackle SARS. On that day, 16 cases are confirmed.
 * 16 March – Guidelines are issued to screen emergency department patients for fever and travel history to SARS-affected areas, as well as on infection-control.
 * 22 March – TTSH is designated the SARS hospital. The SARS hotline is set up, with the number of cases increasing to 44.
 * 24 March – Singapore invokes the Infectious Diseases Act. As a result, about 740 people are placed on Home Quarantine Orders for 10 days.
 * 25 March – The first SARS death happens.
 * 26 March –
 * A second person dies due to SARS.
 * The Ministry of Education (MOE) and Ministry of Health (MOH) will close all primary schools, secondary schools, junior colleges and centralised institutes due to the SARS outbreak from 27 March to 6 April. Due to this, the school term will be extended into the holidays. Institutes of Higher Learning (IHLs) are unaffected by this closure of schools. In addition, childcare centres, special education schools, madrasahs, playgroups and tuition classes will also close during this period with pre-school centres and student care centres advised to close. As a result, this makes it the first time since Singapore's independence that schools are closed.
 * 27 March – Patients who die of SARS must be cremated within 24 hours.
 * 29 March – Temperature checks are introduced for all passengers arriving into Singapore through Changi Airport.
 * 5 April –
 * A SARS outbreak occurs at Singapore General Hospital.
 * MOE and MOH extend school closures with reopening of schools in stages, starting from junior colleges and centralised institutes on 9 April, secondary schools on 14 April and finally primary schools on 16 April. Pre-school centres and kindergartens will be allowed to reopen from 16 April.
 * 6 April – A ministerial committee to tackle SARS is formed.
 * 7 April – TTSH doctor Ong Hok Su becomes the first hospital worker to die from SARS. In addition, another patient dies from SARS.
 * 11 April – The new Infrared Fever Sensing System (IFSS) is introduced in Changi Airport to screen travellers arriving into Singapore. Originally intended for military use, the system is jointly developed by Defence Science & Technology Agency (DSTA) and ST Electronics. 4 more IFSS systems will be deployed by 18 April.
 * 20 April – After several SARS cases discovered, the Pasir Panjang Vegetable Wholesale Market (PPWC) is ordered to close until 29 April.
 * 22 April – SGH surgeon Alexandre Chao dies from SARS.
 * 23 April – All eight IFSS systems are in operation across various checkpoints, including Woodlands Checkpoint and Tuas Checkpoint.
 * 28 April – PPWC's closure is extended until 5 May after the extension of Home Quarantine Orders for tenants and workers there.
 * 29 April – Temperature checks are introduced for all passengers arriving and departing Singapore by sea from 7pm. Tighter screening procedures are also introduced for all cargo and passenger vessels to contain SARS.
 * 11 May – Nurse Hamidah Ismail dies on Mother's Day.
 * 18 May – Last SARS patient detected.
 * 21 May – The SARS Channel is launched in partnership with MediaCorp, SPH MediaWorks and StarHub. The channel shows SARS-related programming, as well as news and infomercials on SARS, broadcasting until 9 July, after all countries are taken off the SARS list.
 * 30 May – Singapore is officially declared SARS-free by the World Health Organization, taking effect the following day.
 * 16 July – SARS is eradicated from Singapore. By the time the outbreak ended, a total of 238 people are infected with 33 dead.
 * 1 March – Online identification-based service, SingPass is launched.
 * 20 March – The Airport Logistics Park is officially opened.
 * 21 March – Compressed natural gas (CNG) taxis are launched to encourage vehicles to run on cleaner fuels.
 * 24 March – Downer EDI Group (an Australian firm) announced the acquisition of CPG Corporation from Temasek Holdings, which is completed on 1 April.
 * 29 March – ComfortDelGro Corporation is formed from the merger of land transport companies Comfort Group and DelGro Corporation, first announced on 21 November 2002. Since then, ComfortDelGro Corporation has become a multinational transport operator.
 * 31 March – Daimaru shuts its last stores in Singapore.

April

 * 1 April –
 * The Immigration and Checkpoints Authority is formed to tackle new security threats, leading to the formation of Singapore Customs. As a result, the Registry of Societies and Registry of Political Donations will transfer to the Ministry of Home Affairs and Elections Department respectively.
 * Meidi-Ya opens in Liang Court, taking over what used to be a Daimaru store.
 * 28 April – The last traces of the Overseas Union Bank (OUB) name will disappear by end-2003 as it merged into United Overseas Bank (UOB).

May

 * 6 May – Singapore and United States sign the United States-Singapore Free Trade Agreement (USS-FTA).
 * 26 May – The Action Community for Entrepreneurship (ACE) is launched to help businesses thrive.

June

 * 9 June – The Declaration of Religious Harmony is unveiled.
 * 20 June – The North East MRT line opens, the first line operated by SBS Transit. Stretching about 20 km long, the line is the world's first fully automated underground line.

July

 * 1 July – The then HDB Corporation (renamed to Surbana and now Surbana Jurong) is formed from a corporatisation.
 * 7 July – The Singapore civil service now allows gay employees to be employed, as revealed in a Time magazine interview.
 * 8 July – The Iranian twins are separated, but the operation takes a drastic turn. Both of them eventually passed on.
 * 14 July – Bungee jumping will be allowed after being turned down years back on grounds of safety. It is hoped this will encourage a more risk-taking society.
 * 22 July – A pair of South Korean twins are successfully separated.
 * 24 July – Singapore and Malaysia jointly submit to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) a dispute concerning sovereignty over Pedra Branca (Pulau Batu Puteh, Middle Rocks and South Ledge).

August

 * 1 August –
 * DesignSingapore Council is launched to spearhead design in Singapore.
 * Bar-top dancing is legalised, and some bars are allowed to operate 24/7.
 * 4 August – The Sumatra-Singapore gas pipeline is inaugurated.
 * 6 August – Creative Technology announced that they will progressively launch 90 new products.
 * 25 August – The National Volunteer Centre is renamed to the National Volunteer and Philanthropy Centre.

September

 * 8 September – The Ministry of Health announced that a laboratory technician caught SARS, after a big outbreak earlier in March. It is later learnt that it is caused by a mix-up in viruses for research.
 * 17 September – The Singapore Workforce Development Agency is formed to help workers find jobs, especially during the ongoing economic downturn.
 * 25 September – BreadTalk launches the first Din Tai Fung restaurant in The Paragon.

October

 * 1 October – In view of economic restructuring, CPF rates were cut by 3 percentage points.
 * 10 October – The Raffles Terrace is officially opened.
 * 16 October – MoneySENSE is launched to educate Singaporeans on financial literacy.
 * 20 October – The Ministry of Health launched SingaporeMedicine to promote Singapore as a leading medical hub.
 * 29 October – Biopolis is opened as a research hub.
 * 31 October – The Queenstown Community Library is reopened after upgrading works.

November

 * 10 November – Amendments to the Computer Misuse Act are passed to protect against potential cyberattacks that could disrupt critical information infrastructure (CIIs) on the basis of national security, but not before addressing concerns on privacy and liberties. The new law also compounds certain offences.
 * 14 November – Dairy Farm will acquire Delhaize's stake in Shop N Save, which is also owned by QAF Limited.

December

 * 12 December – Stages 4 and 5 of the Circle MRT line are unveiled, connecting western Singapore from Bishan to HarbourFront. It is slated for completion in 2010, but later delayed to 2011.
 * 13 December – 10-year-old Megan Zheng becomes the first Singaporean actress to win the Taipei Film Festival Golden Horse Award for Best New Performer (co-recipient) with her role in Jack Neo's movie Homerun.
 * 30 December – The Kaki Bukit Viaduct opens to traffic.
 * 31 December – Passion 99.5FM shuts down after a lack of funding.

Date unknown

 * A&W pulls out of Singapore, only returning in 2019 at Jewel Changi Airport.

Deaths

 * 9 January – Thabun Pranee, murder victim in the Chai Chee rape and murder (b. 1977).
 * 10 March – Diana Teo Siew Peng, murder victim of Harith Gary Lee (b. 1970).
 * 7 April – Ong Hok Su, TTSH doctor (b. 1976).
 * 17 April – Ong Poh Lim, former badminton player (b. 1923).
 * 22 April – Alexandre Chao, SGH vascular surgeon (b. 1966).
 * 11 May – Hamidah Ismail, nurse (b. 1958).
 * 28 June – Chi Tue Tiong, murder victim of Zailani bin Ahmad and Rachel (b. 1935).

Unknown date

 * Jonnel Pabuyon Pinera, nurse at Orange Valley Nursing Home.
 * Kiew Miyaw Tan, SGH attendant.

title: 2003 in Singapore


text:
Goodnites

Goodnites (formerly Pull-Ups Goodnites; known as DryNites in the United Kingdom and most markets outside of North America) are  diapers designed for managing bedwetting. Goodnites are produced by Kimberly-Clark. The product has also been seen titled as Huggies Goodnites on official Huggies branded webpages.

Goodnites constitute the middle level of Kimberly-Clark's line of disposable products, being targeted at children, teens and young adults. The company also produces Huggies diapers for babies, Pull-Ups training pants for toddlers undergoing toilet training, Poise pads for adult women, and Depend incontinence products for adults in general.

== History ==

1990s

 * 1994 - Goodnites released
 * The original Goodnites were released in 1994.
 * They came in two sizes: medium (45-65 lbs) and large (65-85 lbs).
 * 1999 - Goodnites released a new size
 * In 1999, Kimberly-Clark introduced a new extra-large size (85 lbs-125 lbs and up).

2000s

 * 2001
 * A "Cloth-Like Cover" replaced the previous cover.
 * 2003 - Goodnites introduce a new fit
 * Kimberly-Clark introduced the "Trim-Fit" style (a drastic reduction in padding thickness and the overall size of the pull-up).
 * 2004 - Goodnites introduces gender-specific
 * Prior to 2004, Goodnites were unisex, plain-white pull-ups with only a faux tag printed on the back.
 * Kimberly-Clark introduced gender-specific Goodnites with absorbency zoned for boys and girls.
 * Medium Goodnites became small/medium and were designed to fit kids 38-65 pounds.
 * The small/medium size is the equivalent of size 4-8 underwear (Size 8 US is 23.5in Waist ).
 * Large and extra large Goodnites were combined into large/extra-Large for kids from 60-125+ pounds (Height for healthy weight of 125 pounds is 4' 11" up to 5' 8" (The CDC states that the Average Height for Men is 69in or 5' 9" with an average waist size of 40.3in while the Average for Women is 63.6in or 5' 3.6" with the average waist size of 38.7in )).
 * The large/extra-large size is equivalent to size 8-14 underwear (Size 14 US is 27in Waist ).
 * 2007 - Boxer and Sleep Shorts
 * Goodnites brand releases the boxers and sleep shorts

=== 2010s ===

 * 2011
 * Goodnites boxers and sleep shorts disappeared from the official website
 * 2012 - Bed Mats introduced
 * Goodnites released the bed mats product
 * 2014
 * Goodnites Tru-fit where released
 * 2017 - Goodnites release a new size
 * A new extra-small size was introduced for both boys and girls. It fits clothing sizes 3-5 and is designed for children weighing 28-45 lbs.
 * 2019 - Logo style updates and new products
 * Goodnites has updated the logo online and is stating "New Look, Coming Soon The same protection you trust, with brand new packaging!"
 * Goodnites Tru-fit was discontinued
 * Goodnites introduced the absorbent inserts

2020s

 * 2021 - Goodnites released new sizes
 * In early 2021, Kimberly-Clark adjusted the sizing of Goodnites and introduced a new extra-large size, intended for those with kids' underwear size 14 to 20 as well as adult sizes up to a 6 waist (corresponding to up to a 30 in waist) and weight from 95–140 pounds or more (43-63+ kilograms), which are partially aimed toward teenagers and young adults.
 * Extra-small now ranges range from 28-43 pounds (13-20 kilograms) and small/medium at 43-68 pounds (20-31 kilograms), or underwear size 4 to 8.
 * The previous large/extra-large size was downgraded to large and revised to be recommended for underwear sized 8 to 12 or weighing 68-95 pounds (31-43 kilograms).
 * 2023
 * Goodnites absorbent inserts are not mentioned as a product from the Goodnites brand
 * The Goodnites website added a section for articles focusing on ADHD and Autism when it comes to bedwetting as well as the Goodnites brand has teamed up with the Autism Society of America
 * According to the Kimberly-Clark website, Goodnites became the, "...winner in Good Housekeeping 's 2023 Best Parenting Awards in the Diapering Dynamos category."
 * 2024
 * The Goodnites logo has changed a little. Instead of the word "goodnites" in a form of cursive being formed by stars, the word is now a solid line with the same lowercase cursive as before.

== Effectiveness == In a study published in the Bulletin of Pediatric Health, Goodnites and similar bedwetting underpants were analyzed for effectiveness in relieving social anxiety related to bedwetting for boys ages 7 to 13 and for girls ages 5 to 15. Nearly five-hundred boys who wore diapers on a nightly-basis were compared to a control group experiencing the same problem but did not wear diapers to bed. 625 girls who wore diapers on a nightly-basis were compared to a control group experiencing the same problem but did not wear diapers to bed. The study found, predictably, that nearly all of the children were fearful of being discovered by their peers, while 48% of the 7-to-10-year-olds and 81% of the 11-to-13-year-olds described Goodnites, in particular, being "a little" or "very babyish." Despite these statistics, 60% said they would not go to bed without them. Asked about what they feared upon "discovery," the top worries were verbal teasing (89%) and loss of friends (61%) followed closely by physical bullying (gaining bullies, being beaten up by a peer, given wedgies, swirlies, or other kinds of playground bullying) 57%, and being compared to a baby (51%). Actual incidences of bullying due to bedwetting were found to be higher among the wearers than in the control, leading the study's author to conclude that the Goodites and similar products did successfully add to the wearers' confidence, so that they engaged more in what was dubbed for the purposes of the study "risky behavior" (e.g. going to sleepovers, participation in camping trips); 17% of the experimental group reported bullying, while only 11% of the control reported bullying.

Goodnites Nighttime Underwear
Goodnites are designed to be worn to bed in order to prevent wetting of the sheets and pajamas in case of an accident. Goodnites are pull-up style rather than tab-style to make it easier for the wearer to change their own pant and to reduce the chance of stigma associated with having to wear disposable underwear by making the experience more similar to wearing actual underwear.

Goodnites Bed Mats
Goodnites released Goodnites Bed Mats in April 2012. They can be used to protect the mattress from bedwetting accidents. These are made more for that occasional bedwetter. For a person who wets maybe once a week, the Goodnite would be wasted after two nights of wearing. These protect the mattress in the event of an accident. Goodnites Bed Mats feature adhesive to allow them to stick to the bed.

Discontinued Products
===Boxers & Sleep Shorts ===

Goodnites Boxers (for boys) and Sleep Shorts (for girls) were a product manufactured by Kimberly-Clark from 2007–2009, and distributed from 2007–2010. They were designed to look and feel like boxers. They were blue for boys and pink for girls. The outer covering was cloth-like to look like a pair of boxers. The inside was a pull-up underwear.

As of 2011, Kimberly-Clark makes no reference to this product line on the official Goodnites website.

===Tru-Fit  === The Tru-Fit line was a pad-and-pants system that combined an absorbent, disposable liner inside a rubberized, waterproof pair of boxer shorts. They came in 4 styles. Likely released in 2014 and then discontinued in 2019 according to the company Facebook page stating, "Our GoodNites Tru-Fit underwear have been discontinued, however, you may be able to find the Tru-Fit underwear through online retailers until inventories are depleted."

Goodnites Inserts
In 2019, Goodnites introduced inserts for boys who experience minor leakage while sleeping. They fit inside underwear briefs and are one size fits most. They are not recommended for heavy to complete loss of bladder control or for full bedwetting accidents. In 2021, inserts for girls were introduced with similar functionality. They fit inside a standard girls' underwear brief.

As of 2023, the official Goodnites website (owned by Kimberly-Clark) makes no mention of the product.

Competition
When they were first released, Goodnites were an alternative to waterproof mattress pads and more expensive disposable youth diapers intended for the disabled; as a result, they lacked any direct competition. By 2000, Goodnites' primary competition consisted of store brand disposable bedwetting diapers. In 2002, Procter & Gamble, Kimberly-Clark's primary competitor, introduced Luvs Sleepdrys as a direct competitor to Goodnites. Luvs Sleepdrys were discontinued in 2004, and, from 2004 to 2008, store brands were the primary form of direct competition to Goodnites. In 2008, Procter & Gamble released Pampers Underjams as another direct competitor to Goodnites. In 2020, Procter & Gamble discontinued Pampers Underjams and replaced them with Ninjamas. As of 2023, Goodnites' competition comes from both Ninjamas and store brand pull-ups or diapers.

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

title: Goodnites


text:
2002 in Singapore

The following lists events that happened during 2002 in Singapore.

Incumbents

 * President: S.R. Nathan
 * Prime Minister: Goh Chok Tong

January

 * 1 January – The re-registration of NRICs starts for those aged 30 and above. Those turning 30 on or after 1 January 2002 are required to re-register for a new NRIC if they had not replaced their NRIC within the past 10 years.
 * 2 January – City Gas is formed from PowerGas.
 * 5 January – The National Science and Technology Board is renamed to the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*Star).
 * 9 January –
 * A Passenger Security Service Charge will be introduced for passengers who use Changi Airport from 1 March. This is so as to cover security costs incurred in the wake of the 9/11 attacks. In addition, Changi Airport will upgrade Terminal 2 for S$200 million.
 * 11 January – The new building housing the Family and Juvenile Court is officially opened, having been brought together in September 2001.
 * 12 January – MediaCorp channel CityTV ceases transmission after two years due to lack of viewership and poor economic climate.
 * 13 January – Singapore and Japan signed the Japan–Singapore Economic Agreement for a New Age Partnership, making it Singapore's first free-trade agreement FTA with a major trading partner.
 * 14 January – Reclamation works around Chek Jawa area will be deferred as long as development works are not required, with plans made to conserve the island instead.
 * 25 January –
 * Osim's new headquarters is officially opened.
 * Three statutory boards under Ministry of Trade and Industry are renamed to International Enterprise Singapore, SPRING Singapore and Agency for Science, Technology and Research respectively to deal with a changing economy.

February

 * 8 February –
 * Changi Airport MRT station is opened for revenue service.
 * The SAF's new clubhouse, The Chevrons is officially opened.
 * Singapore's first elected President Ong Teng Cheong dies from lymphoma cancer at 8:14pm.
 * 9 February –
 * Jack Neo's I Not Stupid is released. The film triggered a discussion on education streaming, which led to the merging of EM1 and EM2 streams in 2004, with abolishment of EM3 streams by 2008.
 * The Opera Estate Drainage Scheme is completed, having a storage tank during rains.
 * 11 February – The Singapore flags flew at half mast as a mark of respect to mourn the passing of the nation's first elected President Ong Teng Cheong, who died from lymphoma cancer three days earlier at 8:14pm. It was considered very inauspicious by Chinese people since it coincided with Chinese New Year's Eve.
 * 12 February –
 * 371 staff members of Singapore Press Holdings moved from their old office at Times House to SPH News Centre at Toa Payoh.
 * A state-assisted funeral was held for Ong Teng Cheong.
 * 16 February – The Upper Serangoon Viaduct is opened.
 * 25 February – Keppel TatLee Bank merges into OCBC Bank.
 * 27 February – During the official opening of the Changi Airport line, 15 out of 16 stations along the North East MRT line (including Potong Pasir and Punggol) will open after a review, leaving Woodleigh closed.
 * 28 February –
 * Construction starts on National Trades Union Congress's new building, with completion by 2004.
 * Golden Village closes its Eastpoint cinema due to poor performance and was subsequently replaced by a bunch of tuition and enrichment centres.

March

 * 1 March –
 * The prefix '6' is added to all landline phones.
 * The Changi Business Aviation Centre is opened for business travellers who fly via executive jets. Plans are announced to strengthen the aviation industry, including a future dedicated Business Aviation Centre in Changi Airport subject to demand and research and development projects via AIRport Systems Technology, Research, and Innovation Platform (AIRSTRIP).
 * 3 March – TV Works is renamed to Channel i.
 * 5 March – Construction of the five-stage Circle MRT line starts, spanning 34 km orbitally. The first two stages are scheduled for completion by 2006 with the rest by 2010.
 * 8 March – Singapore Press Holdings's new headquarters (named 'News Centre' on 11 November) is officially opened.
 * 16 March – Raffles Hospital is officially opened.
 * 20 March – PSA Corporation acquires logistics company CWT.
 * 27 March – Singapore Management University's new campus starts construction. Targets for primary cohort in universities will be raised from 21 percent now to 25 percent in 2010.

April

 * 1 April –
 * The Board of Commissioners of Currency, Singapore stops issuing 1-cent coins.
 * The Singapore Business Federation is launched to represent businesses in Singapore.
 * 10 April – The Singapore Tyler Print Institute (now STPI - Creative Workshop & Gallery) is officially opened in Clarke Quay.
 * 13 April – A contact-based card system used for travel, EZ-Link, is launched for sale.
 * 15 April – The Health Sciences Authority orders a stop on Slim 10 sales in a suit caused by one death and a high-profile liver failure case.
 * 25 April – The Merlion is relocated to Merlion Park, 30 years since it first launched.

May

 * 5 May – Khoo Swee Chiow reaches the North Pole, becoming the first Singaporean to do so. As a result, he conquered both the North Pole and the South Pole.
 * 15 May – StarHub and Singapore Cable Vision agree to merge with the new entity starting operations on 1 October.
 * 19 May – The Toa Payoh Bus Interchange opens, the first air-conditioned interchange.

June

 * June – Zhenghua Nature Park is completed.
 * 1 June – SIA's SpaceBed is launched to enhance travellers' comfort.
 * 16 June – The merger of Overseas Union Bank into United Overseas Bank is completed.

July

 * 1 July – The National Environment Agency is launched to tackle environmental issues.
 * 10–21 July – The 2002 ACC Trophy is held.

August

 * 1 August –
 * Republic Polytechnic is established, which teaches with Problem-Based Learning.
 * Compass Point in Sengkang opens its doors to the public.
 * 8 August – Soon Lee Bus Depot is officially opened as a new multi-storey depot, replacing the former Jurong Bus Depot. A second depot in Bedok is expected by 2004.
 * 24 August – The Singapore Green Plan 2012 is launched.

September

 * 5 September – A new Automated People Mover system (now the Changi Airport Skytrain) is announced. The system will link all three terminals, which was completed in 2006.
 * 12 September – library@esplanade is opened in Esplanade as a performing arts library.
 * 15 September – The Merlion is reopened in the new Merlion Park.
 * 23 September – The Heritage Trees Scheme is officially launched to conserve trees of historical value, with some of them ranging 80 to 100 years old. An initial list of 36 trees has been drawn up.
 * 30 September –
 * NRICs will not display blood types from today due to quick blood tests that can be obtained easily.
 * ElderShield is launched as an insurance plan for those with severe disabilities. It will pay S$300 over 5 years.

October

 * 1 October – The Board of Commissioners of Currency, Singapore (BCCS) merges with Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS), first announced on 1 March.
 * 11 October – Virgin Mobile Singapore ceases operations as a mobile virtual network operator after gaining just 3% of the mobile market in Singapore.
 * 12 October – The Esplanade is officially opened by President S. R. Nathan.

November

 * 2 November – After several accidents and two deaths, Fantasy Island in Sentosa is closed.
 * 11 November – The Kallang Paya Lebar Expressway is officially launched, with the 12 km expressway scheduled by 2007.
 * 20 November – A large Chengal Pasir tree was felled by DTZ Debenham Tie Leung. After a court hearing, it was fined in 2003.
 * 21 November – Comfort Group and DelGro Corporation announced a merger between the biggest taxi operator and the largest public bus operator in Singapore respectively, creating a S$1 billion company. The merger results in the formation of ComfortDelGro Corporation on 29 March 2003.

December

 * 1 December – Magnetic-stripe cards for use on Singapore's public transport system are completely phased out, completing the switchover to EZ-Link cards.
 * 5 December – A gender-quota for admission of medical school students will be abolished from the 2003 batch, allowing men and women to pursue medicine as they wish.
 * 21 December – The Ministry of Home Affairs and Ministry of Transport announced that an air marshals unit will be stationed in Singapore Airlines and SilkAir for security, with the first stationed in 2003.
 * 27 December – Two police officers, on normal supervisory rounds from the Changi Neighbourhood Police Centre of Bedok division were killed when their patrol car was overrun from the rear by a large garbage truck along Tanah Merah Ferry Road.
 * 30 December – The Integrated Programme is announced, allowing students to proceed directly to Junior Colleges without taking the O Level exams. The scheme takes its first students in 2004.

Births

 * 28 March – Kiki Lim, Singaporean actress

Deaths

 * 2 January – Kho Nai Guan and Lan Ya Ming, murder victims in the Orchard Towers double murders.
 * 3 January – Fong Oi Lin, murder victim in the Quek Loo Ming case (b. 1940).
 * 4 February – Wang Hong, murder victim in the Rangoon Road murder (b. 1970).
 * 8 February – Ong Teng Cheong, former president of Singapore (b. 1936).
 * 23 April – Gopal Baratham, neurosurgeon, writer (b. 1935).
 * 18 July – Lee Siew Choh, former Barisan Sosialis leader and first Non-Constituency Member of Parliament (NCMP) (b. 1917).
 * 5 August – Anjeli Elisaputri, murder victim in the Anjeli Elisaputri rape and murder (b. 2002).
 * 27 August – Brother Joseph McNally, arts pioneer, founder of LASALLE College of the Arts (b. 1923).
 * 10 September – Kuo Pao Kun, theatre director (b. 1939).

Unknown date

 * Low Ing Sing, Mandarin drama and theatre pioneer (b. 1924).

title: 2002 in Singapore


text:
2001 in Singapore

The following lists events that happened during 2001 in Singapore.

Incumbents

 * President: S.R. Nathan
 * Prime Minister: Goh Chok Tong

January

 * 1 January - At stroke of midnight SGT the channel merged with Television Corporation of Singapore (TCS) Channel NewsAsia. Initially, most of SITV's programmes and presenters migrated to the new channel and it operated from TCS headquarters in Caldecott Broadcast Centre, Singapore. Channel NewsAsia and Singapore International Television officially merged channel launched and was officially merged into Channel NewsAsia Singapore International Television.
 * 8 January – Ascendas is formed after a merger of JTC's subsidiaries, namely Arcasia Land with JTC International's Business Parks and Facilities, first announced on 25 August 2000.  It merged with Singbridge as Ascendas-Singbridge in 2015 and is acquired by CapitaLand in 2019 as part of an S$11 billion deal.
 * 10 January – Expo MRT station is officially opened.
 * 12 January – Jurong Port is formed as a separate corporation operating at arms length from JTC.
 * 15 January – A pipeline feeding gas to Singapore from Indonesia's Natuna field in the South China Sea opens.
 * 19 January – The national anthem, "Majulah Singapura" is re-arranged to use the lower key of F and recorded in seven official versions.

February

 * 12 February –
 * The Television Corporation of Singapore, Radio Corporation of Singapore and Singapore Television Twelve are renamed to MediaCorp TV, MediaCorp Radio and MediaCorp TV12 respectively, being part of MediaCorp.
 * At stroke of midnight SGT, Channel NewsAsia Singapore International Television was officially merged into Channel NewsAsia.
 * Pertamina and Singapore Power have signed an agreement to supply natural gas to Singapore for 20 years starting from 2003. These gas supplies will come from South Sumatra.
 * 14 February – TVMobile is launched, enabling bus passengers to watch television programmes while travelling.
 * 15 February – The Changi Chapel and Museum reopens at a relocated site, which commemorates World War II.
 * 18 February – The Hawker Centres Upgrading Programme (HUP) is announced to improve hawker centres. The programme will be carried out in seven phases.
 * 27 February – FairPrice starts construction of its new Fresh Food Distribution Centre, making it the only supermarket at that time to own such a facility.

March

 * 1 March – The National Courtesy Campaign is merged as part of Singapore Kindness Movement.
 * 3 March – A police land rover from the Airport Police Division lost control and flipped several times across Airport Boulevard near the SATS Inflight Catering Centre in the direction towards the Singapore Changi Airport, killing two officers, SC/CPL Dzulkha Bin Basru, 22, and NSPI Ranosasni Bin Mohamed Salleh, 23. The driver, SGT98227 Tan Chiew Leong Benny, 23, died a day later in hospital. Seven other officers survived the accident, which remains the worst traffic accident in terms of casualties to involve members of the Singapore Police Force.
 * 14 March – The Housing and Development Board (HDB) launches the Lift Upgrading Programme (LUP).
 * 26 March – AXS machines are launched in Marine Parade as a one-stop kiosk for payments.

April

 * 1 April –
 * Several statutory boards are established. The Health Promotion Board promotes a healthy lifestyle, with the Health Sciences Authority regulating medicines, forensic investigations, and blood donations. The Energy Market Authority encourages competition in the electricity and gas markets, and ensure reliable supply, resulting in the reconstitution of Public Utilities Board, handling water-related issues. The Intellectual Property Office of Singapore will handle intellectual property issues.
 * The Baby Bonus Scheme is launched to encourage people to have families. It has since undergone enhancements.
 * 9 April –
 * JTC Consultants is formed from the merger of JTC Corporation's (JTC) Technical Services Group and the international consultancy arm of JTC International, incorporating the consultancy arm. It was renamed Jurong International and then Surbana Jurong in 2015.
 * DBS Bank announced the acquisition of Dao Heng Bank (a Hong Kong bank), which aims to increase DBS' standing as a regional bank. The acquisition was approved two days later and was completed in September 2001.
 * 10 April –
 * Ganga and Jamuna Shreshta, a pair of Nepali conjoined twins, are successfully separated.
 * 15 April – The Housing and Development Board (HDB) launches the Build To Order (BTO) flats system, where flats are built according to demand. The system is fully in place by January 2002.
 * 19 April –
 * The first Car Free Day is launched in Singapore.
 * Amendments are passed to prevent foreign broadcasters from interfering with Singapore's domestic politics.
 * SAFRA Yishun Country Club is officially opened.
 * 20 April – Amendments to the Parliamentary Elections Act are passed to introduce overseas voting and e-voting, taking effect on 15 May. However, after 9/11, overseas voting is suspended during the 2001 General Election, only resuming during the 2006 General Election. The law also sets a recount margin of two percent and restricts use of electoral registers for privacy.
 * 21 April – Rivervale Mall in Sengkang officially opens.
 * 22 April – The National Recycling Programme is launched, with Yuhua in Jurong the first estate to have this initiative. It aims to encourage Singaporeans to recycle more, with the iconic blue bins in place.
 * 26 April – The Singapore Broadcasting Authority grants a licence to SPH MediaWorks for the launch of Channel U and TVWorks.
 * 28 April – The Land Transport Authority announces the construction of the Kallang–Paya Lebar Expressway and Stage 2 of the Circle MRT line. Both projects are scheduled by 2006, but only opened in 2007 and 2010 respectively.

May

 * 6 May – Channel U is launched by Singapore Press Holdings through SPH MediaWorks to compete with MediaCorp's channels.
 * 14 May –
 * CityTV is launched as a mainstream TV channel, renamed from SportCity.
 * A murder took place in Hougang. Anthony Ler manipulated a youth into murdering his estranged wife Annie Leong. A few days later, Ler and the youth were charged. On 5 December, Ler was found guilty and sentenced to hang. The sentence was carried out on 13 December 2002. The youth was spared the death sentence because he was underage and was detained indefinitely until clemency was granted on 2 November 2018. The clemency was granted by President Halimah for the petition filed by the youth's lawyer, Peter Ong Lip Cheng.
 * 15 May – TVMobile is now available at Suntec City food courts.
 * 16 May – Capital Tower, the headquarters of CapitaLand is officially opened, initially planned as POSBank's headquarters. New plans are also announced to make the city area vibrant, including more pedestrian links and shops in underground links.
 * 20 May – TVWorks is launched by Singapore Press Holdings through SPH MediaWorks to compete with MediaCorp's channels.
 * 26 May – A smoke grenade explosion during a live exercise on Pulau Senang injures eight police officers, one of whom lost his right arm.
 * 31 May – Murder of Sulaiman bin Hashim: A 17-year-old football player named Sulaiman bin Hashim was brutally assaulted and murdered by youth gang 369 (Salakau) outside a pub in South Bridge Road. Six of the eight members involved were eventually jailed and caned for culpable homicide, rioting and voluntarily causing grievous hurt, while the remaining two are still at large till today.

June

 * 1 June – The Singapore Land Authority is formed to manage and survey land.
 * 14 June –
 * A police Sergeant, Quek Yew Ming, is killed when the police scooter he was riding met with a traffic accident at Ophir Road.
 * The Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore approves StarHub's plan to fulfil its local access network obligation by merging with Singapore Cable Vision, forming Singapore's second complete nation-wide telecommunications network.
 * 28 June – The Singapore Democratic Alliance is formed as a coalition between four parties.
 * 29 June –
 * The Ministry of Health announced a new 650-bed hospital in Jurong, to be completed by 2006.
 * Project Eyeball, Singapore's first integrated print and digital newspaper, was suspended just 10 months after it launched due to weak demand and advertising revenue.

July

 * 1 July – The Sporting Singapore Report is released in conjunction with the opening of Choa Chu Kang Sports and Fitness Complex. Among them include empowering National Sports Associations, setting up a Sports School, more sports time and sharing of school facilities, more international sporting events, and the redevelopment of National Stadium, which had been suggested in a Straits Times report on 2 February.
 * 5 July – The Singapore Broadcasting Authority asked Sintercom's owner, Dr Tan Chong Kee, to register. The owner decides to shut the site on 20 August.
 * 9 July – SMRT Corporation makes a takeover bid for Trans Island Bus Services (TIBS), which is accepted. This results in TIBS being renamed to SMRT Buses on 10 May 2004.
 * 25 July – The Tan Tock Seng Hospital is marked as a Historic Institution, along with the opening of TTSH Heritage Museum.
 * 26 July – The Maybank Tower is officially opened.
 * 31 July – A new signage system for the MRT and LRT system is launched, first announced on 9 July. The new system uses one colour for MRT lines instead of two to differentiate travel directions, alphanumeric codes for stations, end destination numbers and new symbols.

August

 * 8 August – SMRT is appointed the operator of the Circle MRT line after winning the bid.
 * 12 August – A 'fireball' UFO was spotted by some 15 people at the Tuas Second Link connecting Malaysia and Singapore.
 * 13 August – Another set of amendments to the Parliamentary Elections Act are passed to allow internet campaigning, as well as disallow exit polls and contesting more than one constituency by any electoral candidate.
 * 17 August – The Heritage Tree Scheme and Heritage Road Scheme are announced to conserve mature trees and tree-lined roads respectively. At the same time, Hindhede Nature Park is officially opened.
 * 31 August – United Overseas Bank will acquire the Overseas Union Bank, outbidding DBS Bank.

September

 * 18 September – MediaCorp Teletext is now operational 24 hours daily, with enhancements to news programmes.

October

 * 1 October –
 * The Civil Service College Singapore is set up to train civil servants.
 * The Family Court moves to the former Ministry of Labour building, following the closure of its previous office on 28 September in Paterson Road.
 * 3 October – WKRZ 91.3 and UFM 1003 are launched by Singapore Press Holdings.
 * 12 October – Virgin Mobile Singapore is launched as a mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) between SingTel and Virgin Mobile. After a failed attempt to compete in the telco market, the service shuts on 11 October 2002.
 * 18 October – Dover MRT station is opened along an existing MRT line, making it the first infill station in Singapore.
 * 23 October – During the official opening of Dover MRT station, three new MRT lines are announced, namely the Bukit Timah Line (now Downtown MRT line Stage 2), the Jurong Region Line (now the Jurong Region MRT line) and the Eastern Region Line (since merged into Thomson–East Coast MRT line Stages 4 and 5 and Downtown MRT line Stage 3).
 * 25 October – Nomination day for 2001 General Election: The People's Action Party wins 55 uncontested seats and hence returns to power.
 * 27 October – 'Cheers!' stores are launched for SMRT stations, bringing convenience to Singaporeans.

November

 * 1 November – SBS Transit is launched after a rebranding exercise from Singapore Bus Service, with the new logo unveiled on 28 November.
 * 3 November – 2001 General Election: The People's Action Party led by Goh Chok Tong wins 82 out of 84 seats (including 55 uncontested seats) with a vote share of 75.3%, with the opposition winning the remaining two. Chiam See Tong and Low Thia Khiang of the Singapore Democratic Alliance and the Workers' Party, retain Potong Pasir SMC and Hougang SMC respectively.
 * 9 November – SembCorp's new cogen plant is officially opened in Jurong Island, making it the largest cogen plant in Singapore and the first Independent Producer Plant.
 * 11 November – The nine Community Development Councils are reduced to five, namely the Central Singapore Community Development Council, North East Community Development Council, North West Community Development Council, South East Community Development Council, and the South West Community Development Council.
 * 12 November – The Sun Yat Sen Nanyang Memorial Hall is officially opened.
 * 13 November – The Chinatown Food Street is opened, bringing back street hawkers after a ban since 1982 due to hygiene concerns. The plans are first announced on 7 February.
 * 30 November – TVMobile is now available on Bintan Resorts ferries.

December

 * 4 December – The Science Hub (now one-north) is officially launched by JTC Corporation as a science park.
 * 6 December – Construction starts on Biopolis, a research area in one-north.
 * 9–24 December – 15 suspected militants of Jemaah Islamiah are arrested for an alleged bomb plot.
 * 20 December – Reclamation works around the Chek Jawa area are called off after feedback by nature groups so that discussions can be held to ensure marine life in the area is protected.
 * 27 December –
 * Tropical Storm Vamei hits Singapore.
 * Steven Tan, a contestant on Who Wants to be a Millionaire won S$250,000; at that point he was the biggest game show winner in the history of Singaporean television.

Date unknown

 * The Health Promotion Board launches the Healthier Choice Symbol to encourage healthier products.

Births

 * 13 July – Damien Teo, actor

Deaths

 * 18 January – Rahim Ishak, politician, journalist (b. 1925).
 * 12 April – Edmund W. Barker, politician (b. 1920).
 * 14 May – Annie Leong, murder victim of 'Z' and Anthony Ler (b. 1970–1971).
 * 23 May – Lee Chiaw Meng, politician (b. 1937).
 * 31 May – Sulaiman bin Hashim, national football player and murder victim (b. 1983).
 * 2 June – Saenphan Thawan, murder victim of Seethong Phichet, Thongthot Yordsa-Art, and Dornchinnamat Yingyos (b. 1978).
 * 6 August – S. Shan Ratnam, medical pioneer (b. 1928).
 * 10 August – Shankar Suppiahmaniam, murder victim of Kanesan Ratnam (b. 1982).
 * 2 October – Soh San, murder victim of Gunasegaran Ramasamy (b. 1973).
 * 4 November – Ng Eng Teng, sculptor, winner of 1981 Cultural Medallion (b. 1934).
 * 22 December – Lourdusamy Lenin Selvanayagan, murder victim of Arun Prakash Vaithilingam (b. 1978).

title: 2001 in Singapore


text:
Talk:Fatima

__NOINDEX__

Factually incorrect according to orthodox Islam
The page says:

When Muhammad died in 632, Fatima and her husband Ali refused to acknowledge the authority of the first caliph, Abu Bakr. The couple and their supporters held that Ali was the rightful successor of Muhammad,[4] possibly referring to his announcement at the Ghadir Khumm.[12]

However, this is not the view held in Orthodox Islam and the majority of Muslims around the world. The page should reflect the Orthodox view and if for the sake of completeness it wishes to include the claim Fatima refused to accept Abu Bakr, a note should be made that this is according to the Shia view. 86.26.78.170 (talk) 23:37, 25 March 2023 (UTC)

 * The page is supposed to reflect reliable sources about the matter and that it does well. It is also the view of the "Orthodox Islam" that Ali withheld his pledge from Abu Bakr for some months after the death of Muhammad (per Sahih Bukhari). He did so obviously because he considered the caliphate to be his own right and his wife Fatima naturally supported his claim until her death. Now the Shia view is that Ali never renounced his claim, based on numerous sayings and letters attributed to him, even though he didn't actively pursue it for the sake of the unity of the Muslim community. Albertatiran (talk) 11:10, 26 March 2023 (UTC)

Semi-protected edit request on 1 May 2023
In this article it states “Umm al-Aima (lit. 'the mother of Imams') is a kunya of Fatima in Twelver sources,[4] as all the Twelve Imams descended from her” please change “ all the Twelve Imams” to 11 of the 12 imams as the first Imaam was actually her husband. 92.9.61.190 (talk) 22:50, 1 May 2023 (UTC)
 * Done! Albertatiran (talk) 09:16, 2 May 2023 (UTC)

A whole section about the Fatimids
Hi ! While a few lines about the Alid descent of the Fatimid dynasty might be relevant, your recent edit is clearly out of the scope of this article. Am I right in concluding that you have directly imported this long new section without any changes from Fatimid dynasty or Fatimid Caliphate? The new references are also missing from the bibliography, creating about a dozen harv errors at the end of the article. May I please ask you to summarize your content in one or two relevant paragraphs and add your sources to the bibliography? Thank you for your interest in the topic and for your help. Please also see WP:OOS and WP:RELEVANCE and WP:EXCESSDETAIL. Albertatiran (talk) 07:29, 31 May 2023 (UTC)

Wrong info about Sayyidah Fatimah ra and her family
Ahlul bayt never put so much hatred for sahabah. Infact Abu Bakr ra is the best and the closest companion of Rasulullah Sollaallahu alaihi wasalam until forever. how is it possible that those who have the purity of heart and sincere faith like rasulullah saw hate the good friend of prophet muhammad???? 121.121.56.61 (talk) 00:37, 24 September 2023 (UTC)

 * It is well-known that Sunni tradition has whitewashed the conflicts among early Muslims. Albertatiran (talk) 13:17, 24 September 2023 (UTC)

Portray
@Albertatiran Hello. I have added a painting of Fatima to the section pertaining to her appearance. In my opinion, the lack of such an image might have been a deficiency in the article. Alongside presenting the beliefs of Sunnis, Shiites, and Sufis, incorporating this image by a western painter can enhance the understanding of the topic and contribute to the improvement of the article. But you've deleted this image. I'd be happy to discuss any problem you might have considered. Hosein (talk) 22:30, 2 April 2024 (UTC)

 * Hi! thanks for the ping. How do we know that the painting was intended as a portrait of Fatima, the historical figure? Albertatiran (talk) 10:51, 3 April 2024 (UTC)
 * @Albertatiran We can say that at least allegorically. Jules Lefebvre has painted his works, drawing inspiration from historical figures, biblical characters with mythological and allegorical themes. For example, in 1892, he painted Judith, inspired by this character. The title "Fatima" alone is also attributed to the historical figure of Fatima, and the Arabic motif in the painting further suggests this theme. Hosein (talk) 17:05, 3 April 2024 (UTC)
 * @Hosein I'm sorry but this is clearly not convincing. Albertatiran (talk) 18:27, 3 April 2024 (UTC)
 * @Albertatiran Clearly, "Fatima" means "Fatima," (especially with the Tasbih of Fatimah around her neck in the image) and if you think Fatima alone is not widely recognized by this name, it contradicts the existing consensus about the title of the article. Otherwise, consensus could have been reached on another name for the article, such as Fatima bint Muhammad.
 * If this is not the case, you should express your dissent more clearly. Especially since the article lacks any portrait of her, especially from western artists, which is a deficiency in this article. It is worth mentioning that it is true that in traditional culture, drawing images of the Prophet of Islam and his relatives was usually prohibited, but this should not be a reason for not displaying portraits that help readers' understanding. Hosein (talk) 20:25, 3 April 2024 (UTC)
 * I am also not convinced that because the necklace is similar to a Tasbih, and because this article is called Fatima (instead of Fatima bint Muhammad), we should put that image in this article.Ghazaalch (talk) 01:03, 5 April 2024 (UTC)
 * @Ghazaalch Firstly, in addition to the Tasbih of Fatimah around her neck in the allegorical painting, even the color of her dress (ghamis or gamis) closely matches the one attributed to her in the Istanbul museum (described as yellowish cream with patterns of blue in certain areas). I'm not certain if the dress truly belonged to her, but I mean the painter attempted to draw the most inspiration from the historical figure.
 * Regarding the second matter, I didn't quite grasp your point. I didn't suggest that just because the article is titled "Fatima," it must include this painting. My main emphasis is that this painting contributes significantly to broadening the subject for the reader, in terms of her appearance. However, if you intend to argue that she wasn't widely recognized under the name "Fatima," my question was whether there is a consensus that she was widely recognized under this name (the title of the article), and there's no room for debate on this matter. Hosein (talk) 03:47, 5 April 2024 (UTC)
 * @Hosein You'll need a reliable sources proving that it depicts this Fatima. One auction catalogue describes it as "The portrait of a handsome Oriental woman"(p.201). Wiqi55 06:39, 5 April 2024 (UTC)
 * @Wiqi55 Usually, images in such articles (including this one) lack support from reliable sources, and I haven't read in WP:IUP that such a requirement exists. However, an auction catalog is also not a reliable source. Such descriptions can often be general and may not fully capture the artist's intended symbolism or historical references. In the case of the painting in question, "Fatima," I think several elements within the artwork strongly suggest its connection to the historical figure of Fatima. Hosein (talk) 13:58, 13 April 2024 (UTC)

title: Talk:Fatima


text:
Keller, Georgia

Keller is a small unincorporated community located in southern Bryan County, Georgia, United States, east of Richmond Hill. Its boundaries are ill-defined, but the community could be said to be centered on the intersection of S.R. 144 and Belfast-Keller Road. Currently the area, like most of South Bryan, is an unincorporated community of extensive residential development with a number of planned neighborhoods. However, Keller also has a significant historical aspect. It is near Fort McAllister Historic Park, an earthen Civil War installation captured by General William Sherman on his March to the Sea. Bryan Neck Presbyterian Church, established in 1839 and rebuilt in 1885, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and is located on Belfast-Keller Road about a mile from the S.R. 144 intersection. A number of antebellum plantation houses or sites exist along the marshes and waterfront areas of extreme south Bryan County, though none are in public hands or are preserved as historic sites.

The community is part of the Savannah Metropolitan Statistical Area.

title: Keller, Georgia


text:
Damaskinos of Athens

Archbishop Damaskinos Papandreou (Αρχιεπίσκοπος Δαμασκηνός Παπανδρέου), born Dimitrios Papandreou (Δημήτριος Παπανδρέου; 3 March 1891 – 20 May 1949) was the archbishop of Athens and All Greece from 1941 until his death in 1949. He was also the regent of Greece between the pull-out of the German occupation force in 1944 and the return of King George II to Greece in 1946. His rule was between the liberation of Greece from the Axis occupation of Greece during World War II and the Greek Civil War.

Early life
He was born Dimitrios Papandreou (no relation to the Papandreou political family from Achaea) in Dorvitsa, Greece. He enlisted in the Hellenic Army during the Balkan Wars. He was ordained a Greek Orthodox Church priest in 1917. In 1922, he was made Bishop of Corinth. He spent the early 1930s as an ambassador of the Ecumenical Patriarch in the United States, where he labored to help organize the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America.

In 1938, he was elected Archbishop of Athens, taking the name Damaskinos. Ioannis Metaxas, dictator of Greece at the time, objected to Damaskinos and forced the cancellation of his election and the appointment of Metropolitan Chrysanthus to the post. After the 1941 German invasion of Greece and the fall of the Greek government, the Metropolitans who had elected Damaskinos seized the opportunity to eject Chrysanthus from the throne (with German agreement, as the latter had refused to be present at the oath-taking ceremony of the quisling Prime Minister Georgios Tsolakoglu), and Damaskinos was reinstalled.

Nazi occupation
The Archbishop of Athens was the spiritual leader of the Greek Orthodox people of Athens and All Greece, and Damaskinos worked very hard to live up to his position during those hard times. He frequently clashed with the German authorities and the Quisling government. The Germans took Greeks hostage and threatened to execute their hostages in the event of resistance. Damaskinos often visited hostages in prison the night before their executions to offer spiritual comfort to the doomed. The archbishop frequently sent his lawyer, Iannis Yeorgakis, to argue for freedom on behalf of Greeks tried in German military courts. In December 1942, Yeorgakis was banned from representing Greeks before the military courts after supposedly insulting a military judge. Initially, Yeorgakis accompanied those convicted by the military courts to their executions to offer moral support, but he found this duty to be so hollowing and heart-breaking that he ceased.

In 1943, the Germans began the extermination of the Jews of Greece, and their deportations to Nazi concentration camps. Damaskinos formally protested the actions of the occupational authorities.

Damaskinos first spoke out on behalf of the Jews in March 1943 when he published public letters addressed to Prime Minister Konstantinos Logothetopoulos of the Hellenic State and Günther Altenburg of the Auswärtiges Amt, which together with the Wehrmacht administered Greece. Using his moral authority as archbishop of Athens, Damaskinos also had 19 distinguished Greeks from the arts, the law, academia and business worlds co-sign his letter. Referring to the deportation of the Jews of Thessaloniki to the Auschwitz death camp, which already began earlier in March 1943, Damaskinos wrote that he and others in the Orthodox faith followed the words of St. Paul that "there is neither Jew nor Greek". Altenburg in his reply to the archbishop denied that the Jews of Thessaloniki (which was one of the largest Jewish communities in the Balkans) were being exterminated when they arrived in Poland, claiming that they were merely sent to Poland to work in factories while Logothetopoulos never replied.

According to the International Raoul Wallenberg Foundation, the appeal of Damaskinos and his fellow Greeks is unique as no document similar to the protest against the Nazis during World War II has come to light in any other European country.

The letter in part reads: The Greek Orthodox Church and the Academic World of Greek People Protest against the Persecution... The Greek people were... deeply grieved to learn that the German Occupation Authorities have already started to put into effect a program of gradual deportation of the Greek Jewish community... and that the first groups of deportees are already on their way to Poland...

According to the terms of the armistice, all Greek citizens, without distinction of race or religion, were to be treated equally by the Occupation Authorities. The Greek Jews have proven themselves... valuable contributors to the economic growth of the country [and] law-abiding citizens who fully understand their duties as Greeks. They have made sacrifices for the Greek country, and were always on the front lines of the struggle of the Greek nation to defend its inalienable historical rights...

In our national consciousness, all the children of Mother Greece are an inseparable unity: they are equal members of the national body irrespective of religion... Our holy religion does not recognize superior or inferior qualities based on race or religion, as it is stated: 'There is neither Jew nor Greek' and thus condemns any attempt to discriminate or create racial or religious differences. Our common fate both in days of glory and in periods of national misfortune forged inseparable bonds between all Greek citizens, without exemption, irrespective of race...

Today we are... deeply concerned with the fate of 60,000 of our fellow citizens who are Jews... we have lived together in both slavery and freedom, and we have come to appreciate their feelings, their brotherly attitude, their economic activity, and most important, their indefectible patriotism...

Damaskinos went on to publish the letter, even though the local Schutzstaffel (SS) commander, Jürgen Stroop, threatened to execute him by firing squad. Damaskinos's famous response to him was:

According to the traditions of the Greek Orthodox Church, our prelates are hanged, not shot. Please respect our traditions!

When the occupying forces decided to execute 50 Greeks in retaliation for sabotage, Archbishop Damaskinos went in person to the office of the supreme German military commander, who initially refused to receive him. In response, the Archbishop stayed in the building and waited for him. Finally, after some persistence, the commander let him in, and after a discussion, the commander revoked his decision to execute Damaskinos.

The churches under his jurisdiction were also ordered quietly by Damaskinos to distribute Christian baptismal certificates to Jews fleeing the Nazis, thus saving thousands of Romaniote Jews in and around Athens. Damaskinos advised his priests to do everything they could to help the Jews and to hide those for whom it was not possible to forge baptismal certificates. For his actions in saving Greek Jews during the Holocaust, he was named among the Righteous Among the Nations distinction by Yad Vashem.

After the liberation

After the occupation ended, Damaskinos was proclaimed regent of Greece until a referendum was held for the return of King George II from exile. Harold Macmillan, the junior British minister in charge of Mediterranean affairs, met Damaskinos on 14 December 1944 and wrote his impression: "'I was impressed by the wide grasp of European politics, the good sense, humor, and courage of this ecclesiastic. He is willing to accept the regency, but realises the difficulties. He shares our view that there must be no reprisals and no counter-revolution'." The king was opposed to the idea of a regency and used his friendship with Winston Churchill to turn the prime minister completely against Damaskinos, saying he was both a Communist and a collaborator. Based on what he had heard from the king, Churchill called Damaskinos a "pestilent priest, a survival from the Middle Ages". During this time, fighting broke out between pro-royalist Greek soldiers and communist partisans in the Dekemvriana events. He took control of the situation in his early term, appointing himself Prime Minister in late 1945. Though he wielded little power in his latter term, Damaskinos continued to call for peace and order in the country.

During the Dekemvriana fighting in Athens, Churchill visited the city and first met Damaskinos on Christmas Day 1944 aboard HMS Ajax. After meeting him, Churchill completely changed his view of him, writing: "It was impossible to doubt that Damaskinos greatly feared the Communists‘ involvement in Greek affairs...Generally he impressed me with a good deal of confidence". On Boxing Day 1944, Churchill again met Damaskinos and wrote, "I was already convinced that he was the outstanding figure in the Greek turmoil". The same day, Damaskinos chaired a conference aimed at a peaceful solution to the crisis, attended by members of both EAM and the government. At the conference, it was agreed that King George II would not return at once as he wanted, Damaskinos would continue as Regent, the prime minister Georgios Papandreou would resign in favor of General Nikolaos Plastiras and a ceasefire would be proclaimed to end the fighting. On 3 January 1945, Damaskinos swore in a new government headed by Plastiras, which was described as "wholly republican and moderately left-wing".

On 12 January 1945, a truce ended the fighting, and the ELAS forces were pulled out of Athens to a distance of 70 miles from the capital. However, EAM refused to release the hostages it had taken, which led Damaskinos in a press statement to state: "I deeply regret that during the negotiations for a truce it was not made possible to settle the question of the hostages". A conference at Varkiza to settle the conflict opened on 2 February 1945, where it was agreed on 11 February after much difficult negotiation that EAM would release its hostages and disarm in exchange for an amnesty, the end of martial law, and a promise to purge from the civil service those Greeks who had collaborated with the Germans. On 12 February 1945, the Treaty of Varkiza as the peace agreement was signed. On 14 February, Churchill visited Athens on his way home from the Yalta conference and rode in an open car with Damaskinos through the streets of Athens being loudly cheered by 40,000 Athenians.

After fighting began to die down, he relinquished his position and recalled the king formally on September 28, 1946. On 5 July 1947, Damaskinos became a founding member of the Queen's Fund (Vasiliki Pronia), a charity founded by Queen Frederica to assist with the children left homeless by the Greek Civil War. He died in Athens in 1949.

title: Damaskinos of Athens


text: Category:Newfoundland and Labrador geography stubs


text:
2000 in Singapore

The following lists events that happened during 2000 in Singapore.

Incumbents

 * President: S.R. Nathan
 * Prime Minister: Goh Chok Tong

January

 * 1 January to 3 February – McDonald's starts a 40-day Hello Kitty promotion, causing a buying frenzy unprecedented in McDonald's history and several fights.
 * 1 January –
 * The Singapore Airlines broadcasting on Television Corporation of Singapore (TCS) is watched locally to start millennium celebrations.
 * The Nanyang Auditorium is officially opened.
 * 3 January – The Straits Times Index hits a record high of 2582.94 points. The now-former record has been surpassed in 2006, with a current record high of 3875.77 hit in 2007.
 * 7 January – Four members of the Antarctica 2000 team successfully reached the 4,897-metre-high Mount Vinson Massif, the highest point ever in Antarctica.
 * 12 January – The Singapore Management University is incorporated as the first private university funded by the government.
 * 18 January – The Paragon, a mall-cum-medical complex is officially opened.
 * 21 January – The Ministry of Communications and Information Technology announced full telecom competition from 1 April 2000 instead of 1 April 2002 and an immediate lifting on foreign ownership of telecom companies. This will give consumers more choices and compete with an evolving telecoms industry.
 * 27 January – Manja is launched as a lifestyle magazine.
 * 30 January –
 * Prime 12 was officially launching new name becomes Suria after officially turned, shifted and switched language channel to standalone Malay free-to-air terrestrial channel. Officially new name or renamed from Berita 12 to "Berita" and thus becoming the main flagship nightly television news bulletin programmes and aired daily from 8:00pm to 8:30pm Singapore Time due to at 8:00pm slot was usually reserved for Malaysian language main flagship television news bulletin programmes on RTM TV1 (Berita Perdana) and TV3 (Buletin Utama).
 * Premiere 12 was officially launching new name becomes Central was officially divided into three schedule channel programme block such as:
 * Kids Central showcasing on children's programmes block after children's programmes officially moved from Channel 5.
 * Vasantham Central showcasing on Tamil programme after Tamil programmes was officially moved from Prime 12 to Vasantham Central. Officially new name or renamed from Tamil News (Tamil Seithi) to "Vasantham Tamil News (Vasantham Tamil Seithi)" was officially launched new schedule, new clock and new time became daily from 8:30pm to 9:00pm Singapore Time.
 * Arts Central showcasing on culture, arts, documentaries and classical music programme.
 * All sport programmes officially moved from Premiere 12 to new free-to-air terrestrial channel as TCS was officially launched SportCity as sports channel.
 * All sport programmes officially moved from Premiere 12 to new free-to-air terrestrial channel as TCS was officially launched SportCity as sports channel.

February

 * February – Trek 2000 International launches the world's first thumbdrive.
 * 10 February – The Jurong Island Road Link is officially opened.
 * 18 February – ST Engineering acquires the Chartered Industries of Singapore through ST Auto, now called ST Kinetics. The acquisition is first announced on 22 October 1999.
 * 28 February – Shaw Theatres closes its Hougang Plaza branch due to declining patronage and proliferation of video piracy. Its premises has since been taken up by one-stop furnishing retailer Novena Furnishing Centre.

March

 * 4 March – Singapore Turf Club's Kranji Racecourse is officially opened.
 * 8 March – The new Singapore Post Centre is officially opened, along with the launch of personalised stamps called MyStamp. In addition, the Singapore Philatelic Museum will be transferred from the Infocomm Development Authority to the National Heritage Board.
 * 11 March – The Ministry of Trade and Industry announced further liberalisation of the electricity and gas markets by 2001. Temasek Holdings will divest from all three power companies. Foreign ownership limits on these plants will be lifted, with a limit on cross holding generation companies to encourage competition. In addition, Singapore Power will divest from generation companies from 2001, first announced in 1999. It will also divest PowerSupply to Temasek Holdings too. SembCorp Gas will be required to divest from transporting gas if it continues importing and retailing gas to large users. With these measures, full retail competition for large industrial and commercial consumers will commence from 1 April 2001. PowerGrid will be tightly regulated, and an Independent System Operator (ISO) under Public Utilities Board will be established.
 * 15 March –
 * The Defence Science and Technology Agency is formed to help develop Singapore's defence with technology.
 * The National Healthcare Group is formed after a restructuring of Singapore's healthcare system.
 * 27 March – The Jurong Town Corporation launches its first Technopreneur Centre, a precursor to one-north.
 * 30 March – The Pasir Panjang Terminal is officially opened.

April

 * 1 April –
 * The new Tan Tock Seng Hospital building officially opens. At the same time, the Health Promotion Board, which will promote healthy lifestyles will be established by April 2001, bringing together the National Health Education Department, Department of Nutrition, School Health Service and School Dental Service.
 * The Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority of Singapore is launched to handle food-related and veterinary issues.
 * StarHub launches cellular services in Singapore, making it the third telco in Singapore after SingTel and M1.
 * SingHealth is formed after a restructuring of Singapore's healthcare system.
 * Singapore Airlines joins Star Alliance, an airline alliance. SIA is welcomed into the alliance on 7 April 2000.
 * 8 April – The National Cancer Centre Singapore is officially opened to treat cancer patients and research of cancers.
 * 15 April – Life Sciences is identified as a fourth pillar to Singapore's manufacturing economy, in addition to electronics, chemical and engineering. As a result, several plans were announced, including increasing the number of professionals in Life Sciences, more research and educational institutions in Life Sciences and active research programmes.
 * 20 April – The Ministry of Trade and Industry announced that Arcasia Land will develop a new Science Park III at Singapore Science Park, now merged into Science Park II.
 * 29 April – The Speak Good English Movement is launched to encourage Singaporeans to speak Standard English instead of Singlish.

May

 * May – Escape Theme Park is opened.
 * 3 May – The Singapore Tourism Board announced the relocation of Merlion by the middle of 2002. This comes as the Merlion fell into disrepair at the Merlion Park.
 * 8 May – The first C751B trains are put into operation on the North South and East West lines.
 * 22 May – The Political Donations Act is passed to disallow donations by non-permissible donors and require reporting of large donations in a bid to protect Singapore from foreign interference.
 * 28 May – The Marine Parade Community Building is officially opened, housing a community centre, library and The Necessary Stage under one roof.

June

 * 3 June – Snow City is officially opened in partnership with Singapore Science Centre and NTUC Income, allowing Singaporeans to experience snow without travelling out.
 * 5 June – The Ministry of Information and the Arts announced the start of gradual media competition, with MediaCorp allowed to own a newspaper and Singapore Press Holdings allowed to own two TV and two radio channels. MediaCorp will also be awarded a licence to run mobile TV and digital TV services. In addition, the ban on private satellite dishes will be reviewed after Singapore Cable Vision's pay-TV monopoly expires in 2002.
 * 8 June – Singapore Press Holdings launches SPH MediaWorks in preparation for the launch of its TV channels.
 * 9 June – MediaCorp is awarded a licence by the Ministry of Information and the Arts to operate a newspaper.
 * 17 June – The Republic of Singapore Yacht Club's new clubhouse and marina is officially opened.
 * 21 June – The Monetary Authority of Singapore announced several measures to separate financial and non-financial activities of banks and the divestment of non-financial activities, known as the anti-commingling rules. Other measures include having separate management and ownership, a ban on cross shareholding non-financial firms and sharing of bank names.
 * 24 June – Plans were announced to boost Life Sciences in Singapore, including a review of curriculum, the launch of Singapore Genomics Programme (present-day Genome Institute of Singapore) and boosting the R&D fund.

July

 * 1 July –
 * CityLink Mall is opened as Singapore's first subterranean mall, which acts as an underpass too.
 * BreadTalk opens its first outlet at Parco Bugis Junction. Since then, it became a multinational company with outlets in 18 territories.
 * 7 July – The National Volunteer Centre (since renamed as National Volunteer and Philanthropy Centre) is officially opened to encourage volunteerism in Singapore.
 * 8 July – Construction starts on the first phase of the Deep Tunnel Sewerage System, which will serve Central and eastern Singapore. It will be completed by 2008.
 * 12 July – DBS Land and Pidemco Land will merge to form the largest listed property company in South East Asia with about $18 billion worth in assets. The merger, which is approved by shareholders on 18 October, results in the formation of CapitaLand.
 * 22 July – The RSS Conqueror is commissioned, making it Singapore's first submarine.
 * 25 July – The National Neuroscience Institute is officially opened.
 * 26 July –
 * SMRT Corporation is listed on the Singapore Exchange, making it the first metro operator in the world to be listed, lasting until its delisting in 2016.
 * The Prison School is officially opened to enable inmates to receive an education.
 * 29 July – The Singapore Management University is established as the first private university funded by the government.

August

 * 1 August – Wildlife Reserves Singapore is formed, which manages the Singapore Zoological Gardens, Jurong Bird Park and Night Safari.
 * 12 August – Project Eyeball, an integrated print and digital newspaper is launched.
 * 13 August – The National Football Academy is launched to raise football standards. In addition, plans to attract foreign soccer players are announced.
 * 25 August – JTC's subsidiaries Arcasia Land and JTC International's Business Parks and Facilities announced that they will merge, resulting in the formation of Ascendas on 8 January 2001.

September

 * 1 September –
 * Speakers' Corner is officially opened in Hong Lim Park.
 * Jurong Town Corporation is appointed to develop the Buona Vista Science Hub (now one-north), with details announced. JTC will immediately set up an incubator park. Meanwhile, rules are and will be reviewed to encourage entrepreneurship.
 * 2 September – The first President's Challenge is launched to get Singaporeans to care.
 * 3 September
 * The Ren Ci Hospital & Medicare Centre's Pavilion Wards is officially opened at the old Tan Tock Seng Hospital premises.
 * Bus service 61 was transferred to TIBS from SBS.
 * 4 September – Streats is launched as the first freesheet in Singapore.
 * 5 September –
 * The University Cultural Centre is officially opened at the National University of Singapore.
 * The National Skills Recognition System is launched as an accessible national skills framework to enhance the competitiveness of workers. It is managed by the Productivity and Standards Board with the National Skills Council implementing the framework.
 * 12 September – Hand, foot, and mouth disease outbreak: The Ministry of the Environment shuts Cutie Kidz Playhouse after a suspected fatal case of hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD) two days earlier with four suspect cases later found from the same centre.
 * 13 September – HFMD outbreak: HFMD will be legally notifiable from 1 October to better control the disease. In addition, there are 9 cases from Cutie Kidz Playhouse with 24 suspected cases from Tumbelina Educare Centre and Sweetlands Childcare and Development Centre, bringing the total to 33. The former is shut for at least 10 days while investigations into the death continue.
 * 14 September – HFMD outbreak: 5 more centres report 20 cases, bringing the total to 53.
 * 15 September –
 * HFMD outbreak: 8 more centres report 54 cases, bringing the total to 107.
 * The new Heritage Conservation Centre is opened to conserve Singapore's heritage.
 * 20 September – Tuas Power Station is officially opened.
 * 28 September – Channel NewsAsia's service in Asia–Pacific is officially grand opening took place.
 * 29 September – Singapore Airlines announced an order for 25 Airbus A3XX very large aircraft (now known as A380), with the first delivery scheduled for 2006.

October

 * 6 October –
 * Nanyang Polytechnic's new campus is officially opened.
 * Pasir Ris Public Library is officially opened by Minister for Defence Teo Chee Hean.
 * 7 October – Changi Airport's Terminal 3 starts construction. It will be a spacious and lush terminal with IT facilities, with a handling capacity of 20 million passengers per year. The terminal will be finished by 2006, but ultimately opened on 9 January 2008.
 * 9 October – The Compulsory Education Act is passed, making primary education compulsory for all children born from 1996.
 * 10 October – Singapore is elected as a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) at the 55th session of the UN General Assembly.
 * 12 October –
 * Singapore's first Internet Home is launched in Bishan, allowing families to enjoy better services on the Internet and convenience.
 * The Brani Naval Base is permanently closed.
 * 13 October – The Ministry of Education launches a new sexuality education curriculum called the Framework for Sexuality Education and The 'Growing Years' Series.
 * 14 October – Jurong Island, formed by joining seven small islands into one is officially opened. The island is mainly used by petrochemical and energy industries.
 * 31 October – Singapore Airlines Flight 006 crashes during take-off in Chiang Kai-shek International Airport, killing 83 people.

November

 * 3 November – Frenchman Alain Robert attempts a climb on OUB Centre, which is eventually aborted on the 23rd floor. As a result, he is arrested, and let off with a warning.
 * 5 November – Downtown East opens to the public.
 * 10 November – Today, a freesheet, is launched to compete with Streats, another freesheet launched two months earlier. The newspaper is owned by MediaCorp, together with SingTel and SMRT, with DelGro pulling out of the launch two days earlier.
 * 14 November – The Agreement between New Zealand and Singapore on a Closer Economic Partnership (ANZSCEP) is signed.
 * 15 November – Jurong Town Corporation is renamed to JTC Corporation during the opening of its new headquarters, the JTC Summit. In addition, MTI statutory boards will be restructured.
 * 19 November – Singapore's first lung transplant operation is performed on 54-year-old Thanvanthri N. Veerappan.
 * 20 November –
 * The Singapore Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Lim Yau, makes a new recording of the national anthem, Majulah Singapura at the Victoria Concert Hall.
 * The National Healthcare Group is officially inaugurated. More GPs will join NHG Polyclinics from January 2001 with a pilot night clinic project in Jurong.
 * 23 November – The Singapore Exchange lists its shares on the stock exchange, becoming the third in Asia to do so.
 * 24 November – The Airport Logistics Park is officially launched.
 * 25 November –
 * Tuas South Incineration Plant is officially opened, making it the fourth incineration plant in Singapore.
 * The Ministry of Education announced a new Life Sciences curriculum to encourage future economic development and understanding.
 * 28 November – CapitaLand is officially launched, being created from a merger between DBS Land and Pidemco Land.
 * 30 November – JTC Corporation launches the first iPark 21 development in Paya Lebar.

December

 * 7 December – PSA Corporation sets up The HarbourFront Limited (present day Mapletree) to spearhead development of PSA's properties.
 * 18 December – The Currency House is officially opened.
 * 28 December – A contract for the Circle MRT line is awarded to a consortium, with Alstom handling trains and ST Electronics handling the line's systems.

Births

 * 2 August – Tahsh Khemlani, Singaporean musician
 * 14 October – Jarrell Huang, Singaporean singer and actor
 * 20 December – Quah Jing Wen, swimmer

Deaths

 * 18 January – Jacob Ballas, stockbroker and philanthropist (b. 1921).
 * 14 February – Linda Chua, murder and rape victim of an unsolved case (b. 1972).
 * 21 February – Chao Tzee Cheng, forensic pathologist (b. 1934).
 * 3 April – James Puthucheary, politician (b. 1922).
 * 17 May – Leong Fook Weng, murder victim of See Chee Keong, Robson Tay Teik Chai, Lim Hin Teck, and Ong Chin Huat (b. 1964).
 * 15 June – Ong Huay Dee, murder victim of Khwan-On Natthaphon (b. 1935).
 * 8 August – Koh Ngiap Yong, murder victim of Wan Kamil Mohamed Shafian, Ibrahim Mohamed, and Rosli Ahmat (b. 1958).
 * 26 August – Jahabar Sathick, murder victim of Wan Kamil Mohamed Shafian and Ibrahim Mohamed (b. 1961).
 * 3 September – C. K. Tang, founder of Tangs department stores (b. 1901).
 * 11 November – N. Palanivelu, poet (b. 1908).

title: 2000 in Singapore


text:
William Dockwra

William Dockwra (c. 1635–1716) was an English merchant who along with his partner Robert Murray created the first Penny Post in London in 1680. In latter 17th century London there was no official postal system for mail delivery within the city of London and its suburbs. Dockwra's London Penny Post was a mail delivery system that fulfilled this need. His system worked so well that it compromised the interests of private couriers and porters and royal officials alike.

Early life
Dockwra was born in the City of London, the son of an armourer, and died in 1716. His date of birth is uncertain; however, records show him to have been baptised in 1635. He was the uncle of Mary Davies, whose dowry of Mayfair and other lands near London would make the Grosvenor family the richest family in England by the 19th century, and this connection was to prove beneficial to Dockwra's own fortunes.

Dockwra was apprenticed to one of his father's fellows in the Armourers' Company, but his career subsequently took a variety of turns. In the 1660s he obtained a position at the Custom House. By the 1670s, he was a merchant in the African slave trade, but he suffered major losses when a ship in which he had a large share was seized for breaching the Royal African Company's licensed monopoly, and in the 1680s he was involved in the development of Jersey in the United States, being appointed to the board of the East Jersey Board of Proprietors in 1683.

The Penny Post
On 1 April 1680, Dockwra established the first penny post, which served London and the surrounding area to a distance of ten miles. The service worked on the basis that the one penny postage was paid when the letter was accepted (a key element of Rowland Hill's 1839 reforms of the British postal system). Dockwra obtained a patent for his service, but unfortunately for him the profits from the government-operated General Post Office had been granted to the King's brother the Duke of York. Dockwra was required to surrender his patent and pay £2,000 in compensation. His fortunes improved after the Duke, by then King James II, was expelled from the country in 1688. In 1690, Dockwra was granted a pension of £500 a year ; then in 1697, he was appointed as comptroller of the penny post. He was dismissed in 1700, however, after an investigation into his conduct of the business, including complaints that he had moved the central office from Cornhill to a less convenient location and had opened and detained correspondence.

Later life
Dockwra was appointed as the London agent for the sale of lead from the Grosvenor family's lead mines in Wales, and had become the senior partner in a brass smelting business based in Esher. This project introduced some technical innovations and helped to reduce England's dependence on imports, but it was not a financial success for Dockwra, who lost control of the business. He is believed to have been poor at his death.

Publications

 * A Penny Well Beſtowed. Or a Brief Account of the New Deſign contrived for the great Increaſe of Trade, and Eaſe of Correſpondence, to the great Advantage of the Inhabitants of all ſorts, by Conveying of LETTERS or PACQUETS under a Pound Weight, to and from all parts within the Cities of London and Weſtminſter; and the Out Pariſhes within the Weekly Bills of Mortality. Broadsheet published April 1680.
 * The practical method of the penny-post. Being a sheet very necessary for all persons to have by them with an explanation of the following stamps for the marking of all letters. Pamphlet printed by George Larkin, London, 1681.

title: William Dockwra


text: Template:NewfoundlandLabrador-geo-stub

title: Template:NewfoundlandLabrador-geo-stub


text: Template:Labrador-geo-stub

title: Template:Labrador-geo-stub


text:
Stubbins

Stubbins is an industrial village in the southern part of the Rossendale Valley, Lancashire, England.

It is half a mile north of Ramsbottom town centre on the A676 between Bolton and Edenfield. For local government purposes, it receives services from Rossendale Borough Council and Lancashire County Council. Nearby are the hamlets of Chatterton and Strongstry.

It is part of the Rossendale and Darwen constituency, with Jake Berry having been the Member of Parliament since 2010.

Description
Much of the land to the west of the village is in the care of the National Trust and consists of hillside pasture and woodland leading up to Holcombe Moor and Peel Tower.

The adjoining parkland (at Chatterton) was given to the people of the district of Ramsbottom as a peace memorial by the Porritt family. The village public house (now private offices – redeveloped in 2006), the Corner Pin, was originally the Railway Hotel, recalling the days when the village was still served by Stubbins railway station. This branch of the line is still used by the East Lancashire Railway to run regular weekend steam services between Rawtenstall and Bury. The second line now provides an attractive walk to Irwell Vale. Col. A.T. Porritt gave much of the nearby countryside to the National Trust in memory of his son, Richard, who was killed during World War II.

History
Stubbins has a long history; its name (see below) looks back to the Middle Ages when people were carving new farms out of the heavily wooded countryside. Like other communities in Rossendale, Stubbins grew in the Industrial Revolution. The change to an industrial village began towards the end of the 18th century when a calico printworks was built on the site now occupied by Georgia-Pacific.

The 19th-century owners of the printworks began to give the village its present shape by building rows of terraced houses for their workers. The other main employers were the Porritt family who built Stubbins Vale Mill in 1851 and the Ramsbottom Spinning and Manufacturing Co., a co-operative of working men, whose 1861 factory was christened Union Mill. Much of Stubbins Vale Mill was demolished in the 1970s, but the old weaving sheds were taken over as the administrative head office of TNT, the international carriers.

Etymology
Stubbing 1563. Old English meaning 'a place with tree stumps', implying a place from which many trees have been cleared.

title: Stubbins


text:
Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Dancing Elephants

 This page is an archive of the proposed deletion of the article below. Further comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page (such as the article's talk page or on a Votes for Undeletion nomination). No further edits should be made to this page.

The result of the debate was SPEEDY DELETED by FCYTravis. -Splash 21:30, 12 September 2005 (UTC)

Dancing Elephants
delte this page it is udder nonsense This is utter nonsense this page is actually offensiv to many delte this page it is udder nonsense

This page is utter nonsense and is actually offensive to many, very rude.

Please block those involved

I would recomend blocking of all users involved delete this page now!

 * Speedy delete, looks like utter nonsense. -- M e r o v i n g i a n  (t) (c) 09:42, July 15, 2005 (UTC)

 * Speedy Delete Unverifiable, and nominated by author. --Blu Aardvark | (talk) 09:43, 15 July 2005 (UTC)
 * Speedy Delete utter nonsense --Apyule 08:01, 8 August 2005 (UTC)
 * This nom was never added to a main VfD page. Adding now.  Delete.  Possible borderline speedy, but it's not patent nonsense and others apart from the author have edited it so it doesn't clearly fall into any criterion.  JYolkowski // talk 14:59, 4 September 2005 (UTC)
 * Delete. Source unverifiable.  --Hurricane111 15:14, 4 September 2005 (UTC)
 * Patent nonsense. (If you don't believe me, have a look at some of the past revisions.) For this reason, and since nobody but User:213.249.154.98 added any material into the article, delete - candidate for speedy deletion. - Mike Rosoft 20:51, 4 September 2005 (UTC)
 * The above discussion is preserved as an archive of the debate. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page (such as the article's talk page or in an undeletion request). No further edits should be made to this page.


text:
User:Krishna.Bandi

Krishna Mohan Bandi

I did my schooling from Anantapur;

upto 10th standard in S.V.E.M. School (Sri Vidyaranya English Medium) College at Government Junior College, Anantapur B.Sc (in Computer Science) (1991-1994) from Hindupur M.C.A (1994-1997) from S.R.K.P.G Center from Nandyal affiliated to S.K.University

As a fresh post graduate; I started looking for a job; joined PriyaDarshini Multimedia center at Hyderabad as a faculty to teach C and Unix. worked there for only few months;

One of the dream come true!

On February 1999, joined Bartronics India Pvt. Ltd, Hyderabad; as a software Engineer; developed small applications for Handheld computers; which is turning point for my dreamed-software-engineer job. On August 1999, through a Walk-in interview, joined WiproGE Medical Systems, Bangalore. Worked with WiproGE till August 13, 2004. I have been to Chicago mutilple times on a project work. Joined Siemens Information Systems Ltd, Bangalore on August 16, 2004. Now I am in Germany thus creating this wonderful wiki page.

title: User:Krishna.Bandi


text:
Jajah

Jajah was a VoIP (Voice over IP) provider, founded by Austrians Roman Scharf and Daniel Mattes in 2005. The Jajah headquarters was located in Mountain View, CA, USA, and Luxembourg. Jajah maintained a development centre in Israel. On 23 December 2009, it was announced that Jajah had been bought by Telefónica through its subsidiary Telefónica Europe. In December 2013, Telefónica announced that Jajah would shut down at the end of January 2014.

Jajah's primary service, Jajah Web, took an approach called web-activated telephony, using VoIP to connect traditional phones (landline or mobile). Calls were made without download or user-installed software, and in most cases at rates lower than those of traditional phone companies or even free of charge.

The company's competitors included Ribbit and IntelePeer.

History
Jajah was founded in 2005 by Roman Scharf and Daniel Mattes. The first beta version of the Jajah Webphone, a proprietary peer-to-peer internet telephony (VoIP) softphone, was released in July 2005. Jajah Web version 1.0 (build 1708) released February 8, 2006. Jajah Web version 1.1 (build 1714) including conference calls was released September 12, 2006. On September 27, 2007, Jajah launches a solution named "Jajah Buttons" which enables small businesses or individuals to embed buttons on their Web sites to allow others to contact them by phone using the company's Internet telephony platform. Jajah Buttons caused a notable controversy when eBay removed and banned such buttons from auction listings in eBay's site, presumably to protect revenues from its own VOIP solution provided by Skype. On November 19, 2007, Jajah launched the Jajah Direct service, which enables users to make phone calls without having to be next to a computer. Jajah Direct is a phone service that allows you to make long-distance or international calls by calling a local number, it works with every phone. There are no free calls using this service. On April 28, 2008, Jajah provideds its proprietary telephony infrastructure, payment processing, and customer care to Yahoo! Messenger users using the platform for receiving calls from the PSTN network, or for making calls to land lines and mobile phones. Telefónica bought Jajah for a reported $207 million on December 23, 2009.

On April 14, 2011, Jajah announced a partnership with Globe Telecom to allow Filipinos living outside Philippines to call home at inexpensive rate. It announced November 30, 2012 that effective January 30, 2013, Yahoo! Messenger will no longer offer Yahoo! Voice Phone In and Phone Out capabilities, the co-branded landline and mobile phone service from Jajah.

On January 31, 2014, Jajah closed down its website and services.

Jajah Web
Jajah Web connected existing traditional landline or mobile phones with calls that are set up via Jajah's Web site. Jajah claimed that their service worked with any standard web browser.

Jajah Direct
Jajah Direct assigned local numbers to international contacts.

Jajah Free Global Calling
Jajah launched a service offering free calls globally on June 27, 2006. The service is limited to specified geographic areas, and Jajah has also adopted a fair use policy which limits the amount of free Jajah calls.

Calls between registered Jajah users were free of charge for landline and mobile calls within the US, Canada, China, Singapore, Hong Kong, Thailand and apply also for landline calls to and within most European countries as well as Argentina, Australia, Israel, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico City, New Zealand, Venezuela and Zambia.

A limitation is that scheduled calls and conference calls cannot be free. In addition, Jajah's FAQ pages said that Jajah asks its customers to pay from time to time (every six weeks). If the user chose not to pay, Jajah would start charging as it would for a normal call. The lowest amount that could be credited to a user account (every six weeks, to retain the free minutes) was $10.

Facebook Calling
In April 2011, Jajah introduced a VoIP application for Android phones that can be used with Facebook contacts.

title: Jajah


text:
Kate Langbroek

Katherine Langbroek (born 8 August 1965) is an Australian comedian, radio and television presenter. Langbroek currently hosts Nine Network's reality program My Mum Your Dad, and is a regular presenter on The Project and co-hosts the show on Tuesday nights alongside Waleed Aly, Sarah Harris and Sam Taunton. She has previously hosted Hughesy & Kate with Dave Hughes on the HIT Network.

Career
Langbroek has a degree in journalism and has appeared on The Panel, Thank God You're Here, The Project, All Star Family Feud, Have You Been Paying Attention?, and Hughesy, We Have a Problem.

From the start of 2018, Langbroek co-hosts Hughesy & Kate on the Australian HIT Network, with Dave Hughes and anchor Jack Laurence. It is an afternoon drive time program. The program was on the KIIS Network until the end of 2017. A previous segment of the program was 'Katie Cracks It' in which she talked about whatever has made her angry over the past few days. She was a radio announcer on the 3RRR programme Breakfasters. Langbroek previously worked as an actress (appearing in soap opera Chances and in a Transport Accident Commission Community Service Announcement); and as a script writer for Neighbours. Langbroek was a competitor in Dancing with the Stars in 2006. She was the sixth celebrity eliminated in Episode 8. She also competed in, and won, the weekly Thank God You're Here challenge on Network Ten on Wednesday, 18 July 2007.

Kate was also a guest on, and won, the quiz show Out of the Question, for the episode airing on Thursday 28 February 2008. Her name was engraved on the 'Out of the Question' trophy, alongside the likes of Ed Kavalee and Tony Moclair. Langbroek has also been a guest co-host on Network Ten's morning show The Circle. In November 2020, it was announced that Langbroek would replace Rebecca Judd as the co-host of the 3pm Pick-up in 2021. In October 2022, it was announced that Langbroek and her co-hosts Monty Dimond and Yumi Stynes would be leaving the show and the KIIS Network.

In November 2022, it was announced that Langbroek would be joining the Nine Network as the host of the brand new love and dating show titled My Mum Your Dad.

Personal life
Her mother, Anne, is part Jamaican and American, and her father, Jan Langbroek, is Dutch, and they both worked as missionaries in Papua New Guinea. She was raised as a Jehovah's Witness and was bullied for her religion and appearance during her attendance at Salisbury High School (Queensland). She married engineer and multimillionaire bar owner, Peter Allan Lewis in 2003, and is the mother of four children. She breast-fed live on The Panel shortly after the birth of her first son. Her brother is John-Paul Langbroek, a Queensland state politician and former leader of the Liberal National Party.

On 8 August 2013, Langbroek revealed that in March 2013, her eldest child had received the "all clear" after a three-and-a-half-year battle with leukaemia. The family had chosen not to share on the radio his battle with cancer. In 2015, Langbroek was appointed Ambassador of the Children's Cancer Foundation and shared her story at the Foundation's annual fundraiser, The Million Dollar Lunch. In January 2019, Langbroek and her family relocated to Bologna, Italy initially for the period of 1 year.

title: Kate Langbroek