I recalled that the New Paper once ran a story about a place (now a ghost town) in Michigan, USA, called Singapore! So I Googled and...
Here's the story, from ST STOMP's singaporeseen site:
Welcome to Singapore... in Michigan, USA
The next time someone asks you if Singapore is a place in China, tell them America would be a better guess. It seems [that] up until 1871, there really was a place called Singapore in the United States.
The town of Singapore, Michigan, was founded in 1836 by a New York land speculator named Oshea Wilder. He had intended Singapore to be a port town large enough to rival Chicago and Milwaukee. Unfortunately, the town was destroyed in a massive fire on Oct 8, 1871. It is now one of the state's most famous ghost towns, its ruins buried beneath the sand dunes of the Lake Michigan shoreline.
STOMPer John sent in the picture of the heritage sign. He wrote: "Singapore -- the American version? It seems there is a Singapore in Michigan. Maybe it would be worth exploring."
http://singaporeseen.stomp.com.sg/stomp/sgseen/this_urban_jungle/422910/welcome_to_singapore_in_michigan_usa.html
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Next... Singapore, Afghanistan?
Now that you are aware of this nugget of information, you might be less sceptical about an HDB apartment block in Tampines that is located in, yes, Afghanistan! Here it is...
This one is, however, not true. It is a case of SingTel goofing when it sent out the above billing statement to that particular Tampines resident. The story appeared in The Sunday Times (29 April, page 3). A SingTel spokesman told the newspaper that the mistake was an "isolated human error" but declined to elaborate, except to say that the local address had "additional characteristics".
Huh? Was there a holographic Taliban greeting? Anyway, the spokesman went on to claim that was the first time such a thing had happened. Yeah, right. See the pic below:
This time, SingTel had been putting the address of the Land Transport Authority -- a major government agency with hundreds of employees -- in a HDB resident's home! It came to light as a result of the bemused resident's letter to TODAY (30 April).
SingTel bills for the LTA keep going to HDB flat
Letter from Linda Ang Poh Geok
Out of the blue since last year, SingTel has been sending bills for the Land Transport Authority to a Housing and Development Board flat that happens to be my home.
None of the measures I took produced the required result. I sent back the correspondence unopened, highlighting that the LTA could not possibly be housed in a HDB flat.
I sent one such correspondence addressed to SingTel's chief executive officer. Obviously, whoever opened the mail did not bring it to her attention or take any follow-up action. I complained by phone and received promises but no further action.
I hope the LTA understands why some of its bills may be missing.
http://www.todayonline.com/Voices/EDC120430-0000051/SingTel-bills-for-the-LTA-keep-going-to-HDB-flat
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More weird stuff... 'blushable' Chinese names...
This one below is a Lianhe Wanbao story whiuch insing.com picked up:
http://news.insing.com/tabloid/do-children-grow-up-tougher-with-wretched-names/id-da453f00
Many people opt to change their names due to a peculiar Chinese belief that children with weird names grow up tougher.
Chung Ting Fai, a local lawyer who assists clients with changing their names, shares his experience of unusual instances in this line of work. One of the worst names he’s come across is a man named Gau Saik (Dog Sh*t in Hokkien).
The man has been mocked since his primary school days, not just from classmates but also from teachers who try to mask their amusement when calling for him.
To avoid embarrassment, Gau Saik has taken on an English name to hide his real name, but because it is not stated in his identity card, he has no choice but to use his real name when visiting the clinic or conducting business the bank.
Whenever nurses or bank tellers call out his name, the red-faced Gau Saik has to endure snide remarks or snickering from people around him.
He has lived with the unusual name for 27 years until he found out that he could change it with a deed poll done under witness by a lawyer at the Immigrations Checkpoint Authority.
Mr Chung explains that he gets five to six requests every year from people wishing to change their names. Many such requests come from people who have similarly awkward names.
He recalls another man named Lim Cha Bo (Woman in Hokkien) and girls with names like Ah Lian or Lian Hua (Lotus in Chinese) seeking his help.
Some even show up with names that sound like sex organs in dialect.
Mr Chung believes that this phenomenon is the result of a belief that children with awkward names will grow up tougher. Other such names are a result of human errors caused by hasty clerks who have recorded the wrong names in birth certificates.
He added that such a phenomenon also extends to new immigrants. One was named Fan Jian (B*tch in Chinese) and another, Ying Jian (similar to Sl*t in Chinese).
Another odd instance are individuals who ask to add numbers to their names claiming that these were their lucky numbers. Unfortunately for them, local laws do not allow symbols and numbers in names.
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How better, then, to wrap up this blog entry than with this Johnny Cash song, "A Boy Named Sue"...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-1BJfDvSITY
http://news.insing.com/tabloid/do-children-grow-up-tougher-with-wretched-names/id-da453f00
Many people opt to change their names due to a peculiar Chinese belief that children with weird names grow up tougher.
Chung Ting Fai, a local lawyer who assists clients with changing their names, shares his experience of unusual instances in this line of work. One of the worst names he’s come across is a man named Gau Saik (Dog Sh*t in Hokkien).
The man has been mocked since his primary school days, not just from classmates but also from teachers who try to mask their amusement when calling for him.
To avoid embarrassment, Gau Saik has taken on an English name to hide his real name, but because it is not stated in his identity card, he has no choice but to use his real name when visiting the clinic or conducting business the bank.
Whenever nurses or bank tellers call out his name, the red-faced Gau Saik has to endure snide remarks or snickering from people around him.
He has lived with the unusual name for 27 years until he found out that he could change it with a deed poll done under witness by a lawyer at the Immigrations Checkpoint Authority.
Mr Chung explains that he gets five to six requests every year from people wishing to change their names. Many such requests come from people who have similarly awkward names.
He recalls another man named Lim Cha Bo (Woman in Hokkien) and girls with names like Ah Lian or Lian Hua (Lotus in Chinese) seeking his help.
Some even show up with names that sound like sex organs in dialect.
Mr Chung believes that this phenomenon is the result of a belief that children with awkward names will grow up tougher. Other such names are a result of human errors caused by hasty clerks who have recorded the wrong names in birth certificates.
He added that such a phenomenon also extends to new immigrants. One was named Fan Jian (B*tch in Chinese) and another, Ying Jian (similar to Sl*t in Chinese).
Another odd instance are individuals who ask to add numbers to their names claiming that these were their lucky numbers. Unfortunately for them, local laws do not allow symbols and numbers in names.
-------------------------------------------
How better, then, to wrap up this blog entry than with this Johnny Cash song, "A Boy Named Sue"...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-1BJfDvSITY
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