title: Tucker 48

text: It was discovered that the Cord 810/812's Auburn Gear, front-wheel-drive; 4-speed transmission, with the Bendix "Electric Hand" electro-vacuum shifting mechanism, fit the immediate design requirements needed to get the cars built, and on the road; until a future automatic (Tucker-built transmission) was worked out. This transmission was designed originally behind a standard V-8 engine, and pointed forward towards the front of the car, for the front wheels. However, this transmission came with a poor reputation, following its original use, in the Cord 810 automobile. (In 1936, when the Cord 810 made its debut at the New York Automobile show, the transmissions were so problematic that 810 models were mostly shown without any transmission installed. Problems abounded until the last Cord was produced in 1937.) The Cord transmissions, even with refurbishing, were initially inadequate for the power and torque of the O-335 engine. The Cords lacked adequate lubrication and the main shaft was so long that it warped under load (causing gears to pop out of play), and the gear-teeth were quite weak. Nevertheless, in the Tucker, this transmission worked well enough for the new engine configuration; it provided an adequate (albeit fragile) transmission, with a reverse gear. The company then sent several of its staff, including Preston Tucker Jr., on a campaign to buy used Cord transmissions, for reconditioning; a total of 22 used transmissions were acquired from junkyards and used car dealers. These transmissions were taken to the Ypsilanti Machine And Tool Company. After refurbishment, several were mated to the O-335 and found to work, providing four speeds forward and reverse. It was decided, consequently, that the Cord design - nearly 12 years old - would become the "manual transmission" for the 1948 and subsequent Tucker automobiles. About 18 of the 22 Cords were found to be usable and – since newly made Y-1 transmissions were not yet available – were installed in production Tucker vehicles. Several of the cars have survived with Cord transmissions.


title: Tucker 48

text: Ypsilanti Machine and Tool Company, which was tapped to recondition the Cord units, began immediately redesigning the transmission for mass production for Tucker. This new design, which had few similar parts to the Cord transmission, still used the same basic indirect transmission design, but had all new gearing, shafts and electro-vacuum controls. Tucker and his engineers modified it, installing stronger gears and lengthening the case. The modified Cord transmission was named the Tucker Y-1 (Ypsilanti-1) and was installed in a few Tuckers. Both also used a Bendix designed electric vacuum shift mechanism with no mechanical linkage to the steering column shift lever. These EVS's had problems of their own with electrical connections and vacuum leaks that hindered shifting, so a new fully mechanical shift design would have been needed, had the Tucker made it into 1949.


title: Tucker 48

text: To solve the transmission problems with a new final transmission design, Warren Rice, creator of the Buick Dynaflow transmission, was consulted. A unique continuously variable transmission called the "Tuckermatic" was designed, which was strong enough to handle the Franklin O-335's power and torque. It was a simple but effective design with a single, rear-mounted torque converter and only 27 basic moving parts which was about 90 fewer than normally required for a contemporary automatic. The variable pitch torque converter allowed a continuously variable drive ratio with two forward gears and one reverse gear.


title: Tucker 48

text: The only surviving car with a Tuckermatic installed had a standard column shift lever, with a three position quadrant on the steering column. Up was reverse, the middle was neutral, and down was drive. Due to the Tuckermatic's design, no lower gear selections were necessary, hence there was no need for a multi gated selector like other automatics.


title: Tucker 48

text: Three versions of the Tuckermatic were made: the R-1, R-1-2, and R-3 (R for Warren Rice, its designer). The first version, the R-1, was not installed on any of the final cars. It required the engine to be off in order to select a gear. The R-1-2 was improved by adding a layshaft brake to allow gear selection while the engine was running. This version was installed on cars #1026 and 1042 only. The R-3 version had further improvements including a centrifugal clutch to help shifting between forward and reverse even further, and may have been destined for car #1048 for further testing.


title: Tucker 48

text: Because the external torque converter on the Tuckermatic made the engine-transmission unit longer, the fuel tank in the Tucker 48 had to be moved from behind the rear seat to in front of the dashboard for all Tuckers from car #1026 forward, even though only two of them actually had the Tuckermatic installed. This had the added advantage of improving weight distribution in the car.


title: Tucker 48

text: A Borg-Warner based, 3-speed automatic was supposedly tested and was installed on car #1048 at some point when the company was in business, although no histories written ever mentioned such a drive. That said, Tucker ultimately wanted to design his own transmission for the final car, which came to fruition with the Tuckermatic. In 1949, #1048 was sold at the receivership auction without a transmission installed. Today, #1048 has the 4 speed pre-selector transmission that was used on all but two of the original 50 pilot models. It is likely this transmission was privately installed after the auction, and that the unit was the Ypsilanti-built Y-1 transmission.


title: Tucker 48

text: Suspension designs, especially the front suspension, had to be changed throughout development. Rather than steel springs, Tucker used an elastomeric (rubber) 4-wheel independent suspension similar to what was used on the race cars he developed with Harry Miller at the Indianapolis 500. The rubber elastomers were developed with assistance from the Firestone Tire Company and used a special vulcanization process to produce a specific spring rate.


title: Tucker 48

text: Tucker's suspension designs were plagued with severe stiffness throughout development, which, while good for handling, caused front-wheel corner lift when cornering on uneven surfaces. The test bed and the prototype had a double-rubber disc type front and rear suspension, similar to Miller's race cars, which was too weak for the weight of a passenger car. On cars #1001 and 1002 the rear wheels could not be removed without removing the fender or suspension due to the stiffness of the suspension and the rear wheel arch fender design. From car #1003 on, the rear fender shape was changed so the tire could be removed easily. Aside from the fender changes, the rear suspension remained the same from car #1001 on.


title: Tucker 48

text: Three versions of the front suspension were installed in the cars (aside from the rubber-disc style used on the prototype). Cars #1001–1002 used a rubber torsion tube design, which suffered from severe toe-in during heavy braking. Tucker then switched to a rubber sandwich type suspension (with a rubber block sandwiched between the upper and lower A-arms) on cars #1003–1025, however, this type was severely stiff. Starting on car #1026, Tucker finally settled on a suspension design with a modified version of the rubber torsion tube with the toe-in braking problem corrected.


title: Tucker 48

text: Having raised $17,000,000 in a stock issue, one of the first speculative IPOs, Tucker needed more money to continue development of the car. He sold dealerships and distributorships throughout the country. Another money maker was the Tucker Accessories Program. In order to secure a spot on the Tucker waiting list, future buyers could purchase accessories, like seat covers, radio, and luggage, before their car was built. This brought in an additional $2,000,000.


title: Tucker 48

text: With the final design in place, Preston Tucker took the pre-production cars on the road to show them in towns across the country. The cars were an instant success, with crowds gathering wherever they stopped. One report says Tucker was pulled over by a police officer intent on getting a better look at the car.


title: Tucker 48

text: To prove the road-worthiness of his cars, Tucker and his engineers ran several cars at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in several endurance tests. During this testing, car #1027 was rolled three times at 95 miles per hour (153 km/h), and the driver (chief mechanic Eddie Offutt) walked away with just bruises. During the crash, the windshield popped out as designed, verifying Tucker's safety features were effective. Afterwards, upon replacing a damaged tire, the car started up and was driven off the track.


title: Tucker 48

text: One of Tucker's most innovative business ideas caused trouble for the company. His Accessories Program raised funds by selling accessories before the car was even in production. After the war, demand for new cars was greater than dealers could supply, and most dealers had waiting lists for new cars. Preference was given to returning veterans, which meant that non-veterans were bumped down on the waiting lists indefinitely. Tucker's program allowed potential buyers that purchased Tucker accessories to obtain a guaranteed spot on the Tucker dealer waiting list for a Tucker 48 car.


title: Tucker 48

text: This concept was investigated by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and the United States Attorney, and led to an indictment of company executives. Although all charges were eventually dropped, the negative publicity destroyed the company and halted production of the car.


title: Tucker 48

text: The first Tucker produced was a prototype sedan, known as the "Tin Goose". 58 frames and bodies were built at the factory. From these parts, 36 sedans were finished before the factory was closed. After the factory closed, but before liquidation of his assets, Tucker retained a core of employees who assembled an additional 14 sedans, for a total of 50. A 51st car was partially completed. A few of the remaining frames and bodies were built into complete cars specifically #1052 and #1057 (the 1949 prototype with design changes), but the fate of the others is unknown.


title: Tucker 48

text: In the early 1950s, Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, fairgrounds owner Nick Jenin purchased over ten Tuckers, the original Tucker testbed chassis, numerous Tucker parts, photos and documents. He developed a traveling display called "The Fabulous Tuckers". He hauled the cars and memorabilia around the country for nearly 10 years displaying them at fairgrounds and car shows. His display highlighted the questionable policies and SEC fraud investigation which brought Tucker down.


title: Tucker 48

text: When the cars appear at auction, which is rare, they command prices attained by only a few marquee cars. In August 2010, Tucker #1045 sold for $1.127 million, while Tucker #1043 went for $2.915 million at an auction in 2012.


title: Tucker 48

text: In 1997, Rob Ida Automotive started work on a replica of the Tucker 48, which culminated in the release and marketing of the 2001 Ida Automotive New Tucker 48. This replica faithfully recreates the Tucker's external bodywork, but is built on a hotrod chassis with resin-infused plastic body panels. The paint and wheels reflect modern hotrod styling, and the interior is fully modernized. It is powered by a mid-mounted Cadillac Northstar V8. Its claimed performance is 0–60 in 7 seconds, with a top speed in excess of . Ida has built three Tucker replicas.


title: Rowan Williams

text: Rowan Douglas Williams, Baron Williams of Oystermouth, (born 14 June 1950) is a Welsh Anglican bishop, theologian and poet. He was the 104th Archbishop of Canterbury, a position he held from December 2002 to December 2012. Previously the Bishop of Monmouth and Archbishop of Wales, Williams was the first Archbishop of Canterbury in modern times not to be appointed from within the Church of England.


title: Rowan Williams

text: Williams's primacy was marked by speculation that the Anglican Communion (in which the Archbishop of Canterbury is the leading figure) was on the verge of fragmentation over disagreements on contemporary issues such as homosexuality and the ordination of women. Williams worked to keep all sides talking to one another. Notable events during his time as Archbishop of Canterbury include the rejection by a majority of dioceses of his proposed Anglican Covenant and, in the final general synod of his tenure, his unsuccessful attempt to secure a sufficient majority for a measure to allow the appointment of women as bishops in the Church of England.


title: Rowan Williams

text: Having spent much of his earlier career as an academic at the universities of Cambridge and Oxford successively, Williams speaks three languages and reads at least nine. After standing down as archbishop, Williams took up the position of chancellor of the University of South Wales in 2014 and served as master of Magdalene College, Cambridge between 2013 and 2020. He also delivered the Gifford Lectures at the University of Edinburgh in 2013.


title: Rowan Williams

text: Justin Welby succeeded Williams as the Archbishop of Canterbury on 9 November 2012, being enthroned in March 2013. On 26 December 2012, 10 Downing Street announced Williams's elevation to the peerage as a life peer, so that he could continue to speak in the House of Lords. Following the creation of his title on 8 January and its gazetting on 11 January 2013, he was introduced to the temporal benches of the House of Lords as Baron Williams of Oystermouth on 15 January 2013, sitting as a crossbencher. He retired from the House on 31 August 2020 and from Magdalene College that Michaelmas, returning to Abergavenny, in his former diocese (Monmouthshire).


title: Rowan Williams

text: Williams was born on 14 June 1950 in Swansea, Wales, into a Welsh-speaking family. He was the only child of Aneurin Williams and his wife Nancy Delphine (known as "Del") Williams (née Morris) – Presbyterians who became Anglicans in 1961. He was educated at the state sector Dynevor School, Swansea, before reading theology at Christ's College, Cambridge, whence he graduated with starred first-class honours. He then went to Wadham College, Oxford, where he studied under A. M. Allchin and graduated with a Doctor of Philosophy degree in 1975 with a thesis entitled "The Theology of Vladimir Nikolaievich Lossky: An Exposition and Critique".


title: Rowan Williams

text: Williams lectured and trained for ordination at the College of the Resurrection in Mirfield, West Yorkshire, for two years (1975–1977). In 1977, he returned to Cambridge to teach theology as a tutor (as well as chaplain and Director of Studies) at Westcott House; he was made a deacon in the chapel by Eric Wall, Bishop of Huntingdon, at Michaelmas (2 October). While there, he was ordained a priest the Petertide following (2 July 1978), by Peter Walker, Bishop of Ely, at Ely Cathedral.


title: Rowan Williams

text: On 4 July 1981, Williams married Jane Paul, a writer and lecturer in theology. They have two children.


title: Rowan Williams

text: Williams did not have a formal curacy until 1980, when he served at St George's, Chesterton, Cambridge, until 1983, after having been appointed a university lecturer in divinity at Cambridge. In 1984 he became dean and chaplain of Clare College and, in 1986 at the age of 36, he was appointed to the Lady Margaret Professor of Divinity at Oxford, a position which brought with it appointment to a residentiary canonry of Christ Church Cathedral. In 1989 he received the degree of Doctor of Divinity (DD) and, in 1990, was elected a Fellow of the British Academy (FBA).


title: Rowan Williams

text: On 5 December 1991, Williams was elected Bishop of Monmouth in the Church in Wales: he was consecrated a bishop on 1 May 1992 at St Asaph Cathedral and enthroned at Newport Cathedral on 14 May. He continued to serve as Bishop of Monmouth after he was elected to also be the Archbishop of Wales in December 1999, in which capacity he was enthroned again at Newport Cathedral on 26 February 2000.


title: Rowan Williams

text: In 2002, he was announced as the successor to George Carey as Archbishop of Canterbury — the senior bishop in the Church of England. The Archbishop of Canterbury in England acts as a focus of unity recognised as "primus inter pares" ("first among equals") but does not exercise authority in Anglican provinces outside the Church of England. As a bishop of the disestablished Church in Wales, Williams was the first Archbishop of Canterbury since the English Reformation to be appointed to this office from outside the Church of England. His election by the Chapter of Canterbury Cathedral was confirmed by nine bishops in the customary ceremony in London on 2 December 2002, when he officially became Archbishop of Canterbury. He was enthroned at Canterbury Cathedral on 27 February 2003 as the 104th Archbishop of Canterbury.


title: Rowan Williams

text: The translation of Williams to Canterbury was widely canvassed. As a bishop he had demonstrated a wide range of interests in social and political matters and was widely regarded, by academics and others, as a figure who could make Christianity credible to the intelligent unbeliever. As a patron of Affirming Catholicism, his appointment was a considerable departure from that of his predecessor and his views, such as those expressed in a widely published lecture on homosexuality were seized on by a number of evangelical and conservative Anglicans. The debate had begun to divide the Anglican Communion, however, and Williams, in his new role as its leader was to have an important role.


title: Rowan Williams

text: As Archbishop of Canterbury, Williams acted "ex officio" as visitor of King's College London, the University of Kent and Keble College, Oxford, governor of Charterhouse School, and, since 2005, as (inaugural) chancellor of Canterbury Christ Church University. In addition to these "ex officio" roles, Cambridge University awarded him an honorary doctorate in divinity in 2006; in April 2007, Trinity College and Wycliffe College, both associated with the University of Toronto, awarded him a joint Doctor of Divinity degree during his first visit to Canada since being enthroned and he also received honorary degrees and fellowships from various universities including Kent, Oxford, and Roehampton.


title: Rowan Williams

text: Williams speaks or reads eleven languages: English, Welsh, Spanish, French, German, Russian, Biblical Hebrew, Syriac, Latin, and both Ancient (koine) and Modern Greek. He learnt Russian in order to be able to read the works of Dostoevsky in the original. He has since described his spoken German as a "disaster area" and said that he is "a very clumsy reader and writer of Russian".


title: Rowan Williams

text: Williams is also a poet and translator of poetry. His collection "The Poems of Rowan Williams", published by Perpetua Press, was longlisted for the Wales Book of the Year award in 2004. Beside his own poems, which have a strong spiritual and landscape flavour, the collection contains several fluent translations from Welsh poets. He was criticised in the press for allegedly supporting a "pagan organisation", the Welsh Gorsedd of Bards, which promotes Welsh language and literature and uses druidic ceremonial but is actually not religious in nature.


title: Rowan Williams

text: In 2005, Prince Charles married Camilla Parker Bowles, a divorcee, in a civil ceremony. Afterwards, Williams gave the couple a formal service of blessing. In fact, the arrangements for the wedding and service were strongly supported by the Archbishop "consistent with the Church of England guidelines concerning remarriage". The "strongly-worded" act of penitence by the couple, a confessional prayer written by Thomas Cranmer, Archbishop of Canterbury to King Henry VIII, was interpreted as a confession by the bride and groom of past sins, albeit without specific reference and going "some way towards acknowledging concerns" over their past misdemeanours.


title: Rowan Williams

text: On 16 November 2011, Williams attended a special service at Westminster Abbey celebrating the 400th anniversary of the King James Bible in the presence of Queen Elizabeth, Prince Philip and Prince Charles, Patron of the King James Bible Trust.


title: Rowan Williams

text: To mark the ending of his tenure as Archbishop of Canterbury, Williams presented a BBC television documentary about Canterbury Cathedral, in which he reflected upon his time in office. Entitled "Goodbye to Canterbury", the programme was screened on 1 January 2013.


title: Rowan Williams

text: On 9 February 2010, in an address to the General Synod of the Church of England, Williams warned that damaging infighting over the ordination of women as bishops and gay priests could lead to a permanent split in the Anglican Communion. He stressed that he did not "want nor relish" the prospect of division and called on the Church of England and Anglicans worldwide to step back from a "betrayal" of God's mission and to put the work of Christ before schism. But he conceded that, unless Anglicans could find a way to live with their differences over women as bishops and homosexual ordination, the church would change shape and become a multi-tier communion of different levels – a schism in all but name.


title: Rowan Williams

text: Williams also said that "it may be that the covenant creates a situation in which there are different levels of relationship between those claiming the name of Anglican. I don’t at all want or relish this, but suspect that, without a major change of heart all round, it may be an unavoidable aspect of limiting the damage we are already doing to ourselves." In such a structure, some churches would be given full membership of the Anglican Communion, while others had a lower-level form of membership, with no more than observer status on some issues. Williams also used his keynote address to issue a profound apology for the way that he had spoken about "exemplary and sacrificial" gay Anglican priests in the past. "There are ways of speaking about the question that seem to ignore these human realities or to undervalue them," he said. "I have been criticised for doing just this, and I am profoundly sorry for the carelessness that could give such an impression."


title: Rowan Williams

text: On 17 January 2013, Williams was admitted as the 35th Master of Magdalene College, Cambridge and served until September 2020. He was also made an honorary Professor of Contemporary Christian Thought by the University of Cambridge in 2017. On 18 June 2013, the University of South Wales announced his appointment as its new chancellor, the ceremonial head of the university.


title: Rowan Williams

text: In 2015, it was reported that Williams had written a play called "Shakeshafte", about a meeting between William Shakespeare and Edmund Campion, a Jesuit priest and martyr. Williams suspects that Shakespeare was Catholic, though not a regular churchgoer. The play took to the stage in July 2016, and was received favourably.


title: Rowan Williams

text: Williams is patron of the Canterbury Open Centre run by Catching Lives, a local charity supporting the destitute. He has also been patron of the Peace Mala Youth Project For World Peace since 2002, one of his last engagements as Archbishop of Wales being to lead the charity's launch ceremony. In addition, he is president of WaveLength Charity, a UK-wide organisation which gives TVs and radios to isolated and vulnerable people; every Archbishop of Canterbury since the charity's inception in 1939 has actively participated in this role.


title: Rowan Williams

text: Williams is also patron of the T. S. Eliot Society and delivered the society's annual lecture in November 2013.


title: Rowan Williams

text: Williams was also patron of the Birmingham-based charity The Feast, from 2010 until his retirement as Archbishop of Canterbury.


title: Rowan Williams

text: Williams has been a patron of the Cogwheel Trust, a local Cambridgeshire charity providing affordable counselling, since 2015 and is active in his support.


title: Rowan Williams

text: Together with Grey Ruthven, 2nd Earl of Gowrie, and Sir Daniel Day-Lewis, Williams is a patron of the Wilfred Owen Association, formed in 1989 to commemorate the life and work of the World War I poet Wilfred Owen.


title: Rowan Williams

text: He is the visitor of the Oratory of the Good Shepherd, a dispersed Anglican religious community of male priests and lay brothers. He also acts as visitor to the new monastic Holywell Community in Abergavenny.


title: Rowan Williams

text: He is also a patron of the Fellowship of Saint Alban and Saint Sergius which promotes ecumenical relationships between the Anglican and Orthodox churches.


title: Rowan Williams

text: Williams, a scholar of the Church Fathers and a historian of Christian spirituality, wrote in 1983 that orthodoxy should be seen "as a tool rather than an end in itself..." It is not something which stands still. Thus "old styles come under increasing strain, new speech needs to be generated". He sees orthodoxy as a number of "dialogues": a constant dialogue with Christ, crucified and risen; but also that of the community of faith with the world – "a risky enterprise", as he writes. "We ought to be puzzled", he says, "when the world is not challenged by the gospel." It may mean that Christians have not understood the kinds of bondage to which the gospel is addressed. He has also written that "orthodoxy is inseparable from sacramental practice... The eucharist is the paradigm of that dialogue which is 'orthodoxy'". This stance may help to explain both his social radicalism and his view of the importance of the Church, and thus of the holding together of the Anglican communion over matters such as homosexuality: his belief in the idea of the Church is profound.


title: Rowan Williams

text: John Shelby Spong once accused Williams of being a "neo-medievalist", preaching orthodoxy to the people in the pew but knowing in private that it is not true. In an interview with the magazine "Third Way", Williams responded:


title: Rowan Williams

text: Although generally considered an Anglo-Catholic, Williams has broad sympathies. One of his first publications, in the largely evangelical Grove Books series, has the title "Eucharistic Sacrifice: The Roots of a Metaphor".


title: Rowan Williams

text: Williams's contributions to Anglican views of homosexuality were perceived as quite liberal before he became the Archbishop of Canterbury. These views are evident in a paper written by Williams called "The Body's Grace", which he originally delivered as the 10th Michael Harding Memorial Address in 1989 to the Lesbian and Gay Christian Movement, and which is now part of a series of essays collected in the book "Theology and Sexuality" (ed. Eugene Rogers, Blackwells 2002). At the Lambeth Conference in July 1998, then Bishop Rowan Williams of Monmouth abstained and did not vote in favour of the conservative resolution on human sexuality. These actions, combined with his initial support for openly gay Canon Jeffrey John, gained him support among liberals and caused frustration for conservatives.


title: Rowan Williams

text: His interest in and involvement with social issues is longstanding. While chaplain of Clare College, Cambridge, Williams took part in anti-nuclear demonstrations at United States bases. In 1985, he was arrested for singing psalms as part of a protest organised by the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament at Lakenheath, an American air base in Suffolk; his fine was paid by his college. At this time he was a member of the left-wing Anglo-Catholic Jubilee Group headed by Kenneth Leech and he collaborated with Leech in a number of publications including the anthology of essays to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the Oxford Movement entitled "Essays Catholic and Radical" in 1983.


title: Rowan Williams

text: He was in New York at the time of September 2001 attacks, only yards from Ground Zero delivering a lecture; he subsequently wrote a short book, "Writing in the Dust", offering reflections on the event. In reference to Al Qaeda, he said that terrorists "can have serious moral goals" and that "Bombast about evil individuals doesn't help in understanding anything." He subsequently worked with Muslim leaders in England and on the third anniversary of 9/11 spoke, by invitation, at the Al-Azhar University Institute in Cairo on the subject of the Trinity. He stated that the followers of the will of God should not be led into ways of violence. He contributed to the debate prior to the 2005 general election criticising assertions that immigration was a cause of crime. Williams has argued that the partial adoption of Islamic sharia law in the United Kingdom is "unavoidable" as a method of arbitration in such affairs as marriage, and should not be resisted.


title: Rowan Williams

text: On 15 November 2008 Williams visited the Balaji Temple in Tividale, West Midlands, on a goodwill mission to represent the friendship between Christianity and Hinduism. On 6 May 2010 Williams met Indian Islamic leader, Mohammed Burhanuddin, at "Huseini Mosque" in Northolt, London, to discuss the need for interfaith co-operation; and planted a "tree of faith" in the mosque's grounds to signify the many commonalities between the two religions.


title: Rowan Williams

text: In 2002, Williams delivered the Richard Dimbleby lecture and chose to talk about the problematic nature of the nation-state but also of its successors. He cited the "market state" as offering an inadequate vision of the way a state should operate, partly because it was liable to short-term and narrowed concerns (thus rendering it incapable of dealing with, for instance, issues relating to the degradation of the natural environment) and partly because a public arena which had become value-free was liable to disappear amidst the multitude of competing private interests. (He noted the same moral vacuum in British society after this visit to China in 2006.) He is not uncritical of communitarianism, but his reservations about consumerism have been a constant theme. These views have often been expressed in quite strong terms; for example, he once commented that "Every transaction in the developed economies of the West can be interpreted as an act of aggression against the economic losers in the worldwide game."


title: Rowan Williams

text: Williams has supported the Robin Hood tax campaign since March 2010, re-affirming his support in a November 2011 article he published in the "Financial Times". He is also a vocal opponent of tax avoidance and a proponent of corporate social responsibility, arguing that "economic growth and prosperity are about serving the human good, not about serving private ends".


title: Rowan Williams

text: Williams was to repeat his opposition to American action in October 2002 when he signed a petition against the Iraq War as being against United Nations (UN) ethics and Christian teaching, and "lowering the threshold of war unacceptably". Again on 30 June 2004, together with then-Archbishop of York, David Hope, and on behalf of all 114 Church of England bishops, he wrote to Tony Blair expressing deep concern about UK government policy and criticising the coalition troops' conduct in Iraq. The letter cited the abuse of Iraqi detainees, which was described as having been "deeply damaging" — and stated that the government's apparent double standards "diminish the credibility of western governments". In December 2006 he expressed doubts in an interview on the Today programme on BBC Radio 4 about whether he had done enough to oppose the war.


title: Rowan Williams

text: On 5 October 2007, Williams visited Iraqi refugees in Syria. In a BBC interview after his trip he described advocates of a United States attack on Syria or Iran as "criminal, ignorant and potentially murderous". He said, "When people talk about further destabilization of the region and you read some American political advisers speaking of action against Syria and Iran, I can only say that I regard that as criminal, ignorant and potentially murderous folly." A few days earlier, the former US ambassador to the UN John R. Bolton had called for bombing of Iran at a fringe meeting of the Conservative Party conference. In Williams's Humanitas Programme lecture at the University of Oxford in January 2014, he "characterized the impulse to intervene as a need to be seen to do something rather than nothing" and advocated for "a religiously motivated nonviolence which refuses to idolise human intervention in all circumstances."


title: Rowan Williams

text: Williams became Archbishop of Canterbury at a particularly difficult time in the relations of the churches of the Anglican Communion. His predecessor, George Carey, had sought to keep the peace between the theologically conservative primates of the communion such as Peter Akinola of Nigeria and Drexel Gomez of the West Indies and liberals such as Frank Griswold, the then primate of the US Episcopal Church.


title: Rowan Williams

text: In 2003, in an attempt to encourage dialogue, Williams appointed Robin Eames, Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland, as chairman of the Lambeth Commission on Communion, to examine the challenges to the unity of the Anglican Communion, stemming from the consecration of Gene Robinson as Bishop of New Hampshire, and the blessing of same-sex unions in the Diocese of New Westminster. (Robinson was in a same-sex relationship.) The Windsor Report, as it was called, was published in October 2004. It recommended solidifying the connection between the churches of the communion by having each church ratify an "Anglican Covenant" that would commit them to consulting the wider communion when making major decisions. It also urged those who had contributed to disunity to express their regret.


title: Rowan Williams

text: In November 2005, following a meeting of Anglicans of the "global south" in Cairo at which Williams had addressed them in conciliatory terms, 12 primates who had been present sent him a letter sharply criticising his leadership which said that "We are troubled by your reluctance to use your moral authority to challenge the Episcopal Church and the Anglican Church of Canada." The letter acknowledged his eloquence but strongly criticised his reluctance to take sides in the communion's theological crisis and urged him to make explicit threats to those more liberal churches. Questions were later asked about the authority and provenance of the letter as two additional signatories' names had been added although they had left the meeting before it was produced. Subsequently, the Church of Nigeria appointed an American cleric to deal with relations between the United States and Nigerian churches outside the normal channels. Williams expressed his reservations about this to the General Synod of the Church of England.


title: Rowan Williams

text: Williams later established a working party to examine what a "covenant" between the provinces of the Anglican Communion would mean in line with the Windsor Report.


title: Rowan Williams

text: In a leaked private letter, Williams said that he "had real misgivings about the compatibility of Masonry and Christian profession" and that while he was Bishop of Monmouth he had prevented the appointment of Freemasons to senior positions within his diocese. The leaking of this letter in 2003 caused a controversy, which he sought to defuse by apologising for the distress caused and stating that he did not question "the good faith and generosity of individual Freemasons", not least as his father had been a Freemason. However, he also reiterated his concern about Christian ministers adopting "a private system of profession and initiation, involving the taking of oaths of loyalty."


title: Rowan Williams

text: Williams objected to a proposed French law banning the wearing of the hijab, a traditional Islamic headscarf for women, in French schools. He said that the hijab and any other religious symbols should not be outlawed.


title: Rowan Williams

text: Williams also spoke up against the scapegoating of Muslims in the aftermath of the 7 July 2005 London bombings on underground trains and a bus, which killed 52 and wounded about 700. The initial blame was placed on Al-Qaeda, but Muslims at large were targeted for reprisals: four mosques in England were assaulted and Muslims were verbally insulted in streets and their cars and houses were vandalised. Williams strongly condemned the terrorist attacks and stated that they could not be justified. However, he added that "any person can commit a crime in the name of religion and it is not particularly Islam to be blamed. Some persons committed deeds in the name of Islam but the deeds contradict Islamic belief and philosophy completely."


title: Rowan Williams

text: The response of Williams to a controversy about the teaching of creationism in privately sponsored academies was that it should not be taught in schools as an alternative to evolution. When asked if he was comfortable with the teaching of creationism, he said "I think creationism is, in a sense, a kind of category mistake, as if the Bible were a theory like other theories" and "My worry is creationism can end up reducing the doctrine of creation rather than enhancing it."


title: Rowan Williams

text: Williams has maintained traditional support amongst Anglicans and their leaders for the teaching of evolution as fully compatible with Christianity. This support has dated at least back to Frederick Temple's tenure as Archbishop of Canterbury.


title: Rowan Williams

text: In November 2007, Williams gave an interview for "Emel" magazine, a British Muslim magazine. Williams condemned the United States and certain Christian groups for their role in the Middle East, while his criticism of some trends within Islam went largely unreported. As reported by "The Times", he was greatly critical of the United States, the Iraq War, and Christian Zionists, yet made "only mild criticisms of the Islamic world". He claimed "the United States wields its power in a way that is worse than Britain during its imperial heyday". He compared Muslims in Britain to the Good Samaritans, praised Muslim salat ritual of five prayers a day, but said in Muslim nations, the "present political solutions aren't always very impressive".


title: Rowan Williams

text: Williams was the subject of a media and press furore in February 2008 following a lecture he gave to the Temple Foundation at the Royal Courts of Justice on the subject of "Islam and English Law". He raised the question of conflicting loyalties which communities might have, cultural, religious and civic. He also argued that theology has a place in debates about the very nature of law "however hard our culture may try to keep it out" and noted that there is, in a "dominant human rights philosophy", a reluctance to acknowledge the liberty of conscientious objection. He spoke of "supplementary jurisdictions" to that of the civil law. Noting the anxieties which the word sharia provoked in the West, he drew attention to the fact that there was a debate within Islam between what he called "primitivists" for whom, for instance, apostasy should still be punishable and those Muslims who argued that sharia was a developing system of Islamic jurisprudence and that such a view was no longer acceptable. He made comparisons with Orthodox Jewish practice (beth din) and with the recognition of the exercise of conscience of Christians.


title: Rowan Williams

text: Williams's words were critically interpreted as proposing a parallel jurisdiction to the civil law for Muslims (Sharia) and were the subject of demands from elements of the press and media for his resignation. He also attracted criticism from elements of the Anglican Communion.


title: Rowan Williams

text: In response, Williams stated in a BBC interview that "certain provision[s] of sharia are already recognised in our society and under our law; ... we already have in this country a number of situations in which the internal law of religious communities is recognised by the law of the land as justified conscientious objections in certain circumstances in providing certain kinds of social relations" and that "we have Orthodox Jewish courts operating in this country legally and in a regulated way because there are modes of dispute resolution and customary provisions which apply there in the light of Talmud." Williams also denied accusations of proposing a parallel Islamic legal system within Britain. Williams also said of sharia: "In some of the ways it has been codified and practised across the world, it has been appalling and applied to women in places like Saudi Arabia, it is grim."


title: Rowan Williams

text: Williams's position received more support from the legal community, following a speech given on 4 July 2008 by Nicholas Phillips, Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales. He supported the idea that sharia could be reasonably employed as a basis for "mediation or other forms of alternative dispute resolution". He went further to defend the position Williams had taken earlier in the year, explaining that "It was not very radical to advocate embracing sharia law in the context of family disputes, for example, and our system already goes a long way towards accommodating the archbishop's suggestion."; and that "It is possible in this country for those who are entering into a contractual agreement to agree that the agreement shall be governed by a law other than English law." However, some concerns have been raised over the question of how far "embracing" sharia law would be compliant with the UK's obligation under human rights law.


title: Rowan Williams

text: In March 2014, the Law Society of England and Wales issued instructions on how to draft sharia-compliant wills for the network of sharia courts which has grown up in Islamic communities to deal with disputes between Muslim families, and so Williams's idea of sharia in the UK was, for a time, seen to bear fruit. The instructions were withdrawn in November 2014.


title: Rowan Williams

text: On 8 June 2011, Williams said that the British government was committing Britain to "radical, long-term policies for which no-one voted". Writing in the "New Statesman" magazine, Williams raised concerns about the coalition's health, education and welfare reforms. He said there was "indignation" due to a lack of "proper public argument". He also said that the "Big Society" idea was viewed with "widespread suspicion", noting also that "we are still waiting for a full and robust account of what the Left would do differently and what a Left-inspired version of localism would look like". The article also said there was concern that the government would abandon its responsibility for tackling child poverty, illiteracy and poor access to the best schools. He also expressed concern about the "quiet resurgence of the seductive language of 'deserving' and 'undeserving' poor" and the steady pressure to increase "what look like punitive responses to alleged abuses of the system". In response, David Cameron said that he "profoundly disagreed" with Williams's claim that the government was forcing through "radical policies for which no one voted". Cameron said that the government was acting in a "good and moral" fashion and defended the "Big Society" and the coalition's deficit reduction, welfare and education plans. "I am absolutely convinced that our policies are about actually giving people a greater responsibility and greater chances in their life, and I will defend those very vigorously", he said. "By all means let us have a robust debate but I can tell you, it will always be a two-sided debate."


title: Rowan Williams

text: On 26 November 2013, at Clare College, Cambridge, Williams gave the annual T. S. Eliot Lecture, with the title "Eliot's Christian Society and the Current Political Crisis". In this, he recalled the poet's assertion that a competent agnostic would make a better prime minister than an incompetent Christian. "I don't know what he would make of our present prime minister", he said. "I have a suspicion that he might have approved of him. I don't find that a very comfortable thought."


title: Rowan Williams

text: In August 2017, Williams condemned antisemitism and backed a petition to remove the works of David Irving and other Holocaust denial books from the University of Manchester. In a letter to the university, Williams said "At a time when there is, nationally and internationally, a measurable rise in the expression of extremist views I believe this question needs urgent attention."


title: Rowan Williams

text: In March 2022, following the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, Williams urged senior leaders of the Russian Orthodox Church outside Russia to call for an immediate ceasefire in Ukraine and the re-opening of diplomatic engagement. On 3 April, on BBC Radio 4's "Sunday" programme, Williams said there was a strong case for expelling the Russian Orthodox Church from the World Council of Churches, saying, "When a Church is actively supporting a war of aggression, failing to condemn nakedly obvious breaches of any kind of ethical conduct in wartime, then other Churches do have the right to raise the question… I am still waiting for any senior member of the Orthodox hierarchy to say that the slaughter of the innocent is condemned unequivocally by all forms of Christianity."


title: Rowan Williams

text: On 12 April 2022 Williams called for an Easter ceasefire in Ukraine. He gave his remarks in Chernivtsi, at the "Faith in Ukraine" event, organised by the Elijah Interfaith Institute and the Peace Department.


title: Rowan Williams

text: In April 2022, Williams and several other UK religious leaders signed an open letter to the then prime minister Boris Johnson, urging him to include a ban on conversion therapy targeting transgender people alongside planned legislation to ban conversion therapy targeting sexuality.


title: Rowan Williams

text: Williams did his doctoral work on the mid-20th-century Russian Orthodox theologian Vladimir Lossky. He is currently patron of the Fellowship of Saint Alban and Saint Sergius, an ecumenical forum for Orthodox and Western (primarily Anglican) Christians. He has expressed his continuing sympathies with Orthodoxy in lectures and writings since that time.


title: Rowan Williams

text: Williams has written on the Spanish Catholic mystic Teresa of Ávila. On the death of Pope John Paul II, he accepted an invitation to attend his funeral, the first Archbishop of Canterbury to attend a funeral of a Pope since the break under King Henry VIII. He also attended the inauguration of Pope Benedict XVI. During the Pope's state visit to the United Kingdom in September 2010, the two led a service together at Westminster Abbey.


title: Rowan Williams

text: Williams said in April 2010 that the child sexual abuse scandal in the Catholic Church in Ireland had been a "colossal trauma" for Ireland in particular. His remarks were condemned by the second most senior Catholic bishop in Ireland, the Archbishop of Dublin, Diarmuid Martin, who said that "Those working for renewal in the Catholic Church in Ireland did not need this comment on this Easter weekend and do not deserve it."


title: Bart the Bear

text: Bart the Bear (January 19, 1977 – May 10, 2000) was a male Kodiak bear best known for his numerous appearances in films, including "The Bear" (for which he received widespread acclaim), "White Fang", "Legends of the Fall", and "The Edge". He was trained by animal trainers Doug (b. October 8, 1942, in Erie, Pennsylvania) and Lynne Seus (née Lynda Beers on March 27, 1944, in Lincoln, Nebraska) of Wasatch Rocky Mountain Wildlife, Inc., in Heber City, Utah.


title: Bart the Bear

text: Bart was born on January 19, 1977, at the Baltimore Zoo. After reaching adulthood, he made his film debut in the film "Windwalker" (1981). He grew to 9' 7.5" (2.90 m) tall and weighed 1,500 pounds (680 kg) throughout his life as an adult.


title: Bart the Bear

text: Robert Redford, Morgan Freeman, John Candy, Dan Aykroyd, Daryl Hannah, Annette Bening, Ethan Hawke, Steven Seagal, Tchéky Karyo, Brad Pitt, Alec Baldwin, Trevor Howard, and Anthony Hopkins all appeared in films opposite Bart, and all were reportedly impressed with how well he was trained. Film directors Jean-Jacques Annaud and Lee Tamahori, who directed Bart in "The Bear" and "The Edge", respectively, called Bart "The John Wayne of Bears".


title: Bart the Bear

text: Anthony Hopkins worked with Bart in two movies: "Legends of the Fall" and "The Edge". According to Lynne (Doug's wife), "Tony Hopkins was absolutely brilliant with Bart... He acknowledged and respected him like a fellow actor. He would spend hours just looking at Bart and admiring him. He did so many of his own scenes with Bart". Film critic Kenneth Turan called Bart's performance in "The Edge" "the capstone of an illustrious career" and "a milestone in ursine acting".


title: Bart the Bear

text: Bart's greatest recognition came when he starred in the title role of Jean-Jacques Annaud's 1988 French film, "The Bear", playing an adult grizzly who befriends an orphaned cub and defeats hunters. Annaud auditioned fifty bear actors from all over the world before selecting Bart. In order to perform the role, Bart, trained by Seus, successfully learned several new routines and behaviors, including going against his natural abhorrence of a strange bear to accept the unrelated cub co-starring with him. Annaud remained impressed with Bart's performance even after being injured by Bart when the director, against trainers' orders, entered Bart's enclosure to pose for publicity photos. "The Bear" was a hit in both Europe and the United States, grossing over $31 million in the United States and over $100 million worldwide, and reportedly resulting in an Oscar nomination for Bart, which was unable to go forward because animal actors are precluded from receiving Academy Awards.


title: Bart the Bear

text: In 1998, Bart made an appearance at the 70th Academy Awards as part of a salute to animal actors. He presented an envelope to Mike Myers onstage.


title: Bart the Bear

text: Bart was a "spokesbear" for the Vital Ground Foundation, a nonprofit conservation organization that works to preserve threatened wildlife habitat along the Rocky Mountains and on Kodiak Island, among other places in North America.


title: Bart the Bear

text: After receiving a cancer diagnosis, Bart also served as the "spokesbear" for the Animal Cancer Center at Colorado State University.


title: Bart the Bear

text: In October 1998, Bart was diagnosed with cancer and later underwent surgery twice to remove tumors from his right paw. The cancer returned, however, taking away his strength and appetite and causing him to not want to take pain medication. He was euthanized on May 10, 2000, at the age of 23. He was buried on the Seus' ranch.


title: Bart the Bear

text: At the time of his death, he was filming the television documentary "Growing Up Grizzly" (2001) (also featuring Bart's namesake, Bart the Bear 2), which was narrated by Brad Pitt, who had also appeared in "Legends of the Fall".


title: Bart the Bear

text: Bart the Bear 2, an unrelated Alaskan brown bear cub (2000–2021), was adopted by Doug and Lynne Seus shortly before Bart's death. He has sometimes been called "Little Bart". He followed in the footsteps of the original Bart and became an established animal actor and Vital Ground ambassador.


title: F.C. United of Manchester

text: Football Club United of Manchester is an amateur football club based in Moston, Manchester, England, that competes in , the seventh tier of the English football league system, and plays home matches at Broadhurst Park.


title: F.C. United of Manchester

text: Founded in 2005 by Manchester United supporters opposed to American businessman Malcolm Glazer's takeover, F.C. United entered Division Two of the North West Counties Football League, earned three consecutive promotions and were promoted for a fourth time to National League North for the 2015–16 season. In cup competitions, F.C. United reached the second round of the FA Cup in 2010–11 and the fourth round of the FA Trophy in 2014–15. In 2019 they were relegated back to the Northern Premier League.


title: F.C. United of Manchester

text: After ground-sharing between 2005 and 2014 with Bury at Gigg Lane, F.C. United opened their own ground, Broadhurst Park in north-east Manchester, in May 2015. The team was managed by Karl Marginson from its formation in 2005 until October 2017. The current manager is Neil Reynolds, who took over as manager in October 2018 from David Chadwick who acted as temporary manager following Tom Greaves's resignation in August 2018. The club's regular kit colours are red shirts, white shorts and black socks. Their badge is based on the Manchester coat of arms and features a ship at sea and three stripes for the three rivers that flow through Manchester.


title: F.C. United of Manchester

text: After Exeter City, United is the second-largest fan-owned football club in the United Kingdom by number of members, and has one of the highest home attendances in English non-league football. The club is democratically run by its members who have equal voting rights and own one share each in the club.


title: F.C. United of Manchester

text: The club was founded in 2005 by disaffected supporters of Manchester United. Although there were varying reasons for their dissatisfaction, the catalyst for F.C. United's formation was the 12 May 2005 takeover of Manchester United by American businessman Malcolm Glazer. Supporters first considered forming a breakaway club in 1998 during an attempted takeover of Manchester United by BSkyB. The creation of F.C. United in the event of a Glazer buyout was first proposed in February 2005 by Manchester United fanzine "Red Issue".


title: F.C. United of Manchester

text: Public meetings for fans were held on 19 May 2005 at the Central Methodist Hall in Manchester's Northern Quarter and on 30 May at the Apollo Theatre. Subsequently, a steering group was created to set up the new club. After the name "F.C. United" was rejected by The Football Association for being too generic, those who had pledged money to the club were asked to vote on a name. On 14 June 2005, it was announced that "F.C. United of Manchester" had been chosen, beating "A.F.C. Manchester 1878", "Manchester Central", and "Newton Heath United", and F.C. United were officially registered with the Manchester County Football Association on the same day.


title: F.C. United of Manchester

text: Karl Marginson was appointed as the club's manager on 22 June, and the club held trials for players four days later. Around 900 players applied to take part in the trials, of whom 200 were chosen to take part and 17 selected to play for F.C. United. Jonathan Mitten, great-nephew of Manchester United forward Charlie Mitten, was the club's first signing.


title: F.C. United of Manchester

text: F.C. United's inaugural members' meeting was held on 5 July 2005 at the Methodist Central Hall. Members voted on the club's constitution, badge, and core principles and elected the 11-member board. By 6 July, over 4,000 people had pledged money to F.C. United and the club had over £100,000 in the bank. During F.C. United's formation, the owners of Leigh RMI offered to merge the two clubs, but the parties decided against the idea. F.C. United later arranged to play their first ever game against Leigh RMI on 16 July 2005; the match ended 0–0.


title: F.C. United of Manchester

text: For the 2005–06 season, F.C. United played in the Second Division of the North West Counties Football League (NWCFL), which is level ten of the English football league system and nine levels below the Premier League. The club played its home matches at Bury's Gigg Lane. F.C. United were ineligible to play in the FA Vase for their first season because the club was formed after the deadline to enter the competition. They were, however, able to play in the North West Counties League Challenge Cup.


title: F.C. United of Manchester

text: F.C. United's first competitive match was a 5–2 away victory against Leek County School Old Boys on 13 August 2005. 2,590 people attended the game. In its home debut on 20 August, the club defeated Padiham 3–2 with two goals from Rory Patterson. During their first season, F.C. United consistently broke NWCFL attendance records. A crowd of 6,032 watched the team during their final home league match of the season against Great Harwood Town, which remains an NWCFL record . Despite losing that game 0–1, the team were promoted to Division One.


title: F.C. United of Manchester

text: F.C. United's successful 2006/07 season in Division One of the NWCFL earned the club a promotion to Division One North of the Northern Premier League. They secured their second successive league title with a 7–1 win over Atherton Laburnum Rovers on 18 April 2007. They then won their second cup of the season by beating Curzon Ashton 2–1 in the NWCFL's Challenge Cup final. In the third round of the FA Vase competition, the club was eliminated when it lost 2–3 in the last minute of extra-time to Quorn.


title: F.C. United of Manchester

text: In 2007–08, F.C. United played in the inaugural season of the Northern Premier League (NPL) Division One North. They made their debut in the FA Cup that season, but lost 1–2 to Fleetwood Town in the first qualifying round. They advanced to the final of the 2007–08 NPL President's Cup, in which they beat Radcliffe Borough 2–0 to pick up their fourth trophy in the three years following the club's formation. The club finished the season second in the league, trailing champions Bradford Park Avenue by one point, and entered the play-offs for the other promotion place. After beating Bamber Bridge 3–2 in the semi-finals, F.C. United faced Skelmersdale United in the promotion play-off final, coming back from a goal down to win 4–1 and earn their third successive promotion to play in the Northern Premier League Premier Division.


title: F.C. United of Manchester

text: In 2008–09, F.C. United made their debut in the FA Trophy, reaching the third qualifying round, and missed out on a play-off place on the last day of the regular season. In the 2009–10 season, they finished 13th in the league, their lowest league position in the first five seasons, before progressing to the play-offs in 2010–11. They beat Bradford Park Avenue 2–0 in the semi-finals but lost the final 0–1 to Colwyn Bay. Earlier that season, F.C. United reached the first round of the FA Cup for the first time, recording victories over Radcliffe Borough, Gainsborough Trinity, Norton & Stockton Ancients and Barrow to play League One side Rochdale. They defeated Rochdale 3–2 after a late winner from Mike Norton, and played eventual 2010–11 League One champions Brighton & Hove Albion in the second round. After a 1–1 away draw at Withdean Stadium, F.C. United lost the replay at Gigg Lane 0–4, in front of their highest home attendance of 6,731.


title: F.C. United of Manchester

text: In the 2011–12 season, F.C. United reached the first round of the FA Trophy for the first time after knocking out Frickley Athletic, Durham City and Altrincham. In the league, they qualified for the end of season play-offs, despite finishing 6th, due to the demotion of Northwich Victoria for breaching of financial rules. They beat Chorley 2–0 in the play-off semi-final to qualify for consecutive play-off finals but lost 0–1 to Bradford Park Avenue in the penultimate minute of extra time.


title: F.C. United of Manchester

text: F.C. United finished third in the 2012–13 season to book a place in the play-offs. They won 3–1 against Witton Albion in the semi-final, but lost the final for the third consecutive time with a 1–2 defeat to Hednesford Town. The following season, the club finished second in the league but lost in the play-offs in the semi-finals. During the 2014–15 campaign, F.C. United reached the fourth round of the FA Trophy and recorded a streak of 21 league games without a loss from December to April, including 16 victories. They secured their promotion to the National League North following a 1–0 win against Stourbridge on 21 April 2015; after seven years of trying. The club's top scorer for this championship winning season was Tom Greaves, the same player who scored the winning goal for Bradford Park Avenue against F.C. United in the 2012 play-off final.


title: F.C. United of Manchester

text: F.C. United recorded their first victory in the National League North in a 3–2 home win over Brackley Town on 22 August 2015, which was the club's first competitive win at Broadhurst Park. In October, for the second time in the club's history, they secured a place in the first round of the FA Cup with a 3–1 away win over Sporting Khalsa, but were eliminated from the competition after a 4–1 home loss against Chesterfield. In November, the club ended their cup runs for the 2015–16 season after two successive home defeats to Stalybridge Celtic 3–4 in the Manchester Premier Cup and to A.F.C. Telford United 1–2 in the FA Trophy. Between September and November 2015, F.C. United lost seven consecutive league matches; their worst run ever . They eventually finished the season in 13th place.


title: F.C. United of Manchester

text: The following 2016–17 season, the team again finished 13th and won the Manchester FA county cup for the first time in their history, beating Stalybridge Celtic 1–0 in the final. After a poor start to the 2017–18 season, Karl Marginson, the team's first and only manager, left the club by mutual consent in October 2017. He was replaced by forward Tom Greaves who took over on a temporary basis and was appointed permanent player-manager the next month. F.C. United finished the season in 16th place and retained the Manchester FA county cup with a penalty shoot-out victory against Trafford F.C. Greaves, who became the club's all-time record goal-scorer in December 2017, saw his contract extended until the end of the 2018–19 season.


title: F.C. United of Manchester

text: After a poor start to the 2018–19 season, Greaves left the club at the end of August 2018, with long-serving former player David Chadwick acting as interim manager. In late October, the club appointed Neil Reynolds as first team manager. On 22 April 2019, Easter Monday, FC United were relegated back to the Northern Premier League following a 1–2 home defeat to Blyth Spartans.


title: F.C. United of Manchester

text: F.C. United's club colours are red, white and black — the same colours worn by Manchester United. The shirt bears no sponsorship logo, as it was written into the club's constitution that the club should not have a shirt sponsor. The club's first kit was a plain red shirt, white shorts and plain black socks. The club introduced a new home shirt for the 2007–08 season with a striped collar and striped ends on the sleeves which lasted until 2009. This was changed for the 2009–11 seasons to a red shirt with a black and white stripe down the left side, manufactured by Admiral Sportswear. For seasons 2011–13 the club reverted to a plain red shirt, manufactured by O'Neills. At the start of the 2018–19 season, Errea replaced O'Neill's as kit supplier.


title: F.C. United of Manchester

text: The club's second kit, worn when playing away against a team with a predominantly red kit, is a white shirt, white shorts and socks. The club has an alternative plain blue kit with the clenched fist logo and the words "Our Club Our Rules" on the shirt front for playing against a team with a red and white kit. In past seasons white shirts with diagonal black or red stripes and a white shirt with a red trim, black shorts and white socks have all been used as the second kits.


title: F.C. United of Manchester

text: The club's badge is red, white, black and yellow, and incorporates elements from the coat of arms of Manchester City Council; a ship representing Manchester's industry and three stripes representing the three rivers that flow through Manchester: the Irk, the Irwell and the Medlock.


title: F.C. United of Manchester

text: F.C. United play at the 4,400 capacity Broadhurst Park, which opened in May 2015. The ground was built at a cost of £6.3 million, using £2 million from a Community Share Scheme and the remainder from a variety of governmental and charity grants. The ground is surrounded on all sides by covered stands: the St. Mary's Road End (east), the North Stand, the Lightbowne Road End (west) and the Main Stand (south), the latter of which has seating sections. Within the Main Stand is a clubhouse with a bar and catering facilities, club offices, changing rooms, a medical suite and a classroom. The stadium is shared with a local junior team, Moston Juniors F.C.


title: F.C. United of Manchester

text: From their foundation in 2005 until 2014, F.C. United were based at Bury F.C.'s Gigg Lane stadium. F.C. United's first proposed stadium was announced in 2010 for Newton Heath, the original home of Manchester United. The development was planned to be located on the site of the Ten Acres Lane sports centre and would have cost £3.5 million, to be financed by public donations, a Community Shares issue and grant funding. However a year later, in March 2011, Manchester City Council backed out from funding the stadium. The Broadhurst Park site in Moston, north-east Manchester, was announced in April 2011. Detailed information about the new facility was released in June 2011 and Manchester City Council approved the planning permission for the site on 27 October 2011. F.C. United had to overcome some obstacles including funding agreements, contractor and lease negotiations and a legal challenge from local residents which caused a further two-year delay before building commenced in November 2013.


title: F.C. United of Manchester

text: During their time at Bury, fixture clashes meant that F.C. United used a further six stadia for home fixtures: Altrincham's Moss Lane; Radcliffe Borough's Stainton Park; Hyde United's Ewen Fields; Stalybridge Celtic's Bower Fold; Curzon Ashton's Tameside Stadium; and Flixton's Valley Road.


title: F.C. United of Manchester

text: For the 2014–15 season, F.C. United ended their groundsharing agreement with Bury after nine seasons in preparation for their move to Broadhurst Park. As the ground was not ready at the start of the season, they used Bower Fold as a temporary home. Delays with Broadhurst Park meant that F.C. United were unable to move in until May 2015, and following fixture clashes with Stalybridge Celtic the club moved in December 2014 to the Tameside Stadium for the remainder of the season. F.C. United hosted a test event at Broadhurst Park on 16 May 2015, staging a short match between their first team and an Invitational XI made up of past players. The official opening game was a friendly against Benfica B on 29 May, the anniversary of Manchester United's victory over Benfica in the 1968 European Cup Final. Benfica won the opening game 1–0 in front of a crowd of 4,232.


title: F.C. United of Manchester

text: F.C. United are owned by 5,000 of their members and are the second supporter-owned football club in the United Kingdom by number of members. Each member can vote on how the club is run, including voting for board members, kit designs and season ticket prices. Most F.C. United supporters still support Manchester United and many were previously season ticket holders at Old Trafford. F.C. United fans are known for the large range of songs that they sing at matches, and the atmosphere created by fans has been praised in the media.


title: F.C. United of Manchester

text: During their first season (2005–06), F.C. United had the second-highest average attendance in English non-League football with an average gate of 3,059 and were the 87th best supported club across all divisions. Attendances fell in the next two seasons and they were the 92nd best supported club in 2006–07 and 100th best supported club by 2007–08. Their average league attendance then levelled out at approximately 2,000 per game, before rising to an average of 2,155 in 2014–15, the then-seventh highest attendance in non-League football. After moving to Broadhurst Park in May 2015, the club averaged a gate of 3,394 in 2015–16, a season-on-season increase of over 57% and the fourth highest attendance in non-League football.


title: F.C. United of Manchester

text: F.C. United operate as a community benefit society. Membership is obtained by paying an annual fee of £15 to the club (£3 for children) but each member receives only one share in the club and is entitled to a single vote at meetings, regardless of the amount donated. The board consists of up to 11 members who are elected by the members of the club. Day-to-day operations of the club are overseen by a Chief Executive Officer; Andy Walsh, a founding member of F.C. United, was appointed to the position in 2005. He stepped down from the role at the end of June 2016. Damian Chadwick, another founding member of the club, took up the position in November 2016. Chadwick stood down in 2018 and was replaced by Paul Smith.


title: F.C. United of Manchester

text: The club accepts sponsorship but does not allow sponsors' logos to be displayed on the team's shirts. The club's main sponsor in its inaugural 2005–06 season was the Bhopal Medical Appeal and in the 2006–07 season it was the Williams BMW Group. Between 2011–2016, F.C. United were sponsored by mxData, a Manchester-based mobile app development company. In October 2014, F.C. United became the first football club in the United Kingdom to be accredited as a living wage employer by the Living Wage Foundation.


title: F.C. United of Manchester

text: F.C. United and their founders have been criticised and supported by fans of Manchester United and the media; some fans view those who chose to leave to follow F.C. United as "traitors". Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson questioned the loyalty of fans who decided to form the club and the motivation behind the forming of F.C. United in a 2006 book:


title: F.C. United of Manchester

text: Former Manchester United forward Eric Cantona has supported the club, describing them as "having a great idea" and expressing hope that F.C. United will "become a great club and win the European Cup in 50 years' time". In 2010, aged 43, he said that he would be prepared to play for the club. Steve Coppell, Manchester United winger between 1975 and 1983, joined the club as a co-owner in April 2016.


title: F.C. United of Manchester

text: F.C. United have been criticised by their own members for abandoning their principles, including agreeing to a photo op with a Conservative Party government minister in October 2015, despite a club policy not to be used for political promotion, and a day after some club members took part in a march against government cuts in Manchester. F.C. United defended the visit as "an essential part" of the development of financial vehicles for football fans, arguing that it will help government representatives to better understand the benefits and challenges of social investment.


title: F.C. United of Manchester

text: The club's programme editor resigned from his position in June 2015 over a one-off price rise of the programme for Broadhurst Park's opening game against Benfica the previous month; a Board decision that was described as breaching the club's founding principle of avoiding outright commercialism. F.C. United were also criticised at the time for a deficit in democracy, transparency and accountability between their officials and the membership.


title: F.C. United of Manchester

text: In 2016, protests by supporters led to several board members stepping down and an Emergency General Meeting (EGM) to elect a new board was subsequently called. The protests culminated in several fans invading the pitch during the last home game of the 2015–16 season, calling for the remaining board members deemed responsible for the lack of democracy and transparency at the club to resign. Three board members resigned within a week of the on-pitch protest, along with the club's Press and Communications Officer. On 5 June, the EGM took place and a new board of 11 members were elected, leading to "a sense of progression and an air of optimism" among the club's members.


title: F.C. United of Manchester

text: The record for the most appearances for F.C. United is held by Jerome Wright, with 400 . Tom Greaves is the club's all-time record goal-scorer with 102 goals in all competitions, which includes 86 in the league and 16 in cup matches . Six other players, Rory Patterson, Mike Norton, Matthew Wolfenden, Jerome Wright, Simon Carden and Stuart Rudd have also scored more than 50 goals for the club. Rudd holds the record for most goals scored in a single season, having scored 45 goals in the 2006–07 season.


title: F.C. United of Manchester

text: The largest number of points the team accrued is 112 in the 2006–07 season, and the highest number of goals scored in a season is 157, achieved in 42 matches in 2006–07. The club's best performance in the FA Cup was a second round appearance during the 2010–11 season. After a 3–2 first round win over Rochdale, F.C. United recorded a 1–1 away draw with Brighton & Hove Albion, forcing a home replay which they lost 0–4. The team has since advanced to the first round of the FA Cup twice, losing 1–4 in 2015–16 to Chesterfield and 1–5 in 2020–21 to Doncaster Rovers.


title: F.C. United of Manchester

text: In the 2006–07 season, F.C. United reached the third round of the FA Vase, beating Padiham and Salford City in the first two rounds but lost 2–3 at home to Quorn after extra time. In the 2014–15 season, they progressed to the fourth round of the FA Trophy, defeating Harrogate Town, Chorley and AFC Fylde in the first three rounds before losing 0–1 away to Torquay United.


title: F.C. United of Manchester

text: The club's record league victory was a 10–2 win over Castleton Gabriels on 10 December 2005 in the North West Counties Football League Division Two; Simon Carden scored five of the goals, which is the club record for the highest number of goals scored by a player in a single game. F.C. United achieved eight-goal victory margins on three further occasions, in 8–0 wins over Squires Gate, Glossop North End and Nelson, all during the 2006–07 season. The club's heaviest league defeat is 0–6 away to Harrogate Town on 10 March 2018 in the National League North.


title: F.C. United of Manchester

text: F.C. United's highest home attendances are 6,731 against Brighton in the second round of the 2010–11 FA Cup on 8 December 2010 and 6,023 against Great Harwood Town in the North West Counties Football League Division Two on 22 April 2006, both at Gigg Lane.


title: F.C. United of Manchester

text: F.C. United have assisted in providing several players for the international football scene; the club's all-time record goal-scorer Rory Patterson went on to play and score for Northern Ireland at senior level and forward Matthew Walwyn debuted for Saint Kitts and Nevis in a friendly against Andorra in November 2015. F.C. United's youth team were represented in the England Schoolboys squad by Scott Cheetham in 2011 and in 2013, the club signed Pakistan international defender Amjad Iqbal from Bradford Park Avenue. Other F.C. United players to have played international football include Stephen O'Halloran (Republic of Ireland), Ludovic Quistin (Guadeloupe), Jason St Juste and Jacob Hazel (both St Kitts and Nevis).


title: F.C. United of Manchester

text: Upon its formation, F.C. United appointed Karl Marginson as its manager. He led the team to four promotions, three league titles, two league cups and a county cup. He left the club by mutual consent in October 2017 after a poor start to the 2017–18 season. He was replaced by forward Tom Greaves who took on the role of a caretaker player-manager, a decision that was made permanent on 21 November 2017. He was subsequently replaced by Dave Chadwick as Caretaker Manager in August 2018 when he resigned. Neil Reynolds is the current manager of the club having been in position since 18 October 2018, taking over from Chadwick.


title: F.C. United of Manchester

text: F.C. United's women's team competed for the first time in the 2012–13 season. They finished second in the Greater Manchester Women's Football League behind Manchester City Ladies. They also reached the GMWFL League Cup final but lost 0–1 to Manchester City Ladies. After finishing runners-up again in 2013–14, the team won a league and cup double in 2015, gaining promotion to the North West Women's Regional Football League Division One South. They finished runners-up in the two following seasons, behind MSB Woolton Ladies in 2015–16 and Merseyrail Bootle in 2016–17, winning a league and county cup in the latter season. In 2017–18, the team won their first Treble, defending the league and county cups and securing a promotion to the North West Women's Regional Football League Premier Division after an unbeaten league campaign. After two seasons that were curtailed by the COVID-19 pandemic with no promotion or relegation, F.C. United were among various women's teams that gained promotion through an application process. As a result, the team reached the 4th division for the first time in their history.


title: Experimental rock

text: Experimental rock, also called avant-rock, is a subgenre of rock music that pushes the boundaries of common composition and performance technique or which experiments with the basic elements of the genre. Artists aim to liberate and innovate, with some of the genre's distinguishing characteristics being improvisational performances, avant-garde influences, odd instrumentation, opaque lyrics (or instrumentals), unorthodox structures and rhythms, and an underlying rejection of commercial aspirations.


title: Experimental rock

text: From its inception, rock music was experimental, but it was not until the late 1960s that rock artists began creating extended and complex compositions through advancements in multitrack recording. In 1967, the genre was as commercially viable as pop music, but by 1970, most of its leading players had incapacitated themselves in some form. In Germany, the krautrock subgenre merged elements of improvisation and psychedelic rock with electronic music, avant-garde and contemporary classical pieces. Later in the 1970s, significant musical crossbreeding took place in tandem with the developments of punk and new wave, DIY experimentation, and electronic music. Funk, jazz-rock, and fusion rhythms also became integrated into experimental rock music.


title: Experimental rock

text: Early 1980s experimental rock groups had few direct precedents for their sound. Later in the decade, avant-rock pursued a psychedelic aesthetic that differed from the self-consciousness and vigilance of earlier post-punk. During the 1990s, a loose movement known as post-rock became the dominant form of experimental rock. As of the 2010s, the term "experimental rock" has fallen to indiscriminate use, with many modern rock bands being categorized under prefixes such as "post-", "kraut-", "psych-", "art-", "prog-", "avant-" and "noise-".


title: Experimental rock

text: Although experimentation had always existed in rock music, it was not until the late 1960s that new openings were created from the aesthetic intersecting with the social. In 1966, the boundaries between pop music and the avant-garde began to blur as rock albums were conceived and executed as distinct, extended statements. Self-taught rock musicians in the middle and late 1960s drew from the work of composers such as John Cage, Karlheinz Stockhausen, and Luciano Berio. Academic Bill Martin writes: "in the case of imitative painters, what came out was almost always merely derivative, whereas in the case of rock music, the result could be quite original, because assimilation, synthesis, and imitation are integral parts of the language of rock."


title: Experimental rock

text: Martin says that the advancing technology of multitrack recording and mixing boards were more influential to experimental rock than electronic instruments such as the synthesizer, allowing the Beatles and the Beach Boys to become the first crop of non-classically trained musicians to create extended and complex compositions. Drawing from the influence of George Martin, the Beatles' producer, and the Beach Boys' Brian Wilson, music producers after the mid-1960s began to view the recording studio as an instrument used to aid the process of composition. When the Beach Boys' "Pet Sounds" (1966) was released to a four-month chart stay in the British top 10, many British groups responded to the album by making more experimental use of recording studio techniques.


title: Experimental rock

text: In the late 1960s, groups such as the Mothers of Invention, the Velvet Underground, the Fugs, the Monks, Red Krayola, Soft Machine, Pink Floyd and the Beatles began incorporating elements of avant-garde music, sound collage, and poetry in their work. Historian David Simonelli writes that, further to the Beatles' "Tomorrow Never Knows" ("Revolver", 1966), the band's February 1967 double A-side single, pairing "Strawberry Fields Forever" with "Penny Lane", "establish[ed] the Beatles as the most avant-garde [rock] composers of the postwar era". Aside from the Beatles, author Doyle Greene identifies Frank Zappa, the Velvet Underground, Plastic Ono Band, Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band, Pink Floyd, the Soft Machine and Nico as "pioneers of avant-rock". In addition, "The Quietus" Ben Graham described duos the Silver Apples and Suicide as antecedents of avant-rock. Pitchfork cited Red Krayola as being "likely the most experimental band of the 1960s" on their review of God Bless the Red Krayola and All Who Sail With It.


title: Experimental rock

text: In the opinion of Stuart Rosenberg, the first "noteworthy" experimental rock group was the Mothers of Invention, led by composer Frank Zappa. Greene recognises the group's debut album, "Freak Out!", as marking the "emergence of the 'avant-rock' studio album" at a time when Warhol's presentation of the Velvet Underground's shows was redefining the parameters of a rock concert. According to author Kelly Fisher Lowe, Zappa "set the tone" for experimental rock with the way he incorporated "countertextural aspects ... calling attention to the very recordedness of the album". This was reflected in other contemporary experimental rock LPs, such as the Beach Boys' "Pet Sounds" and "Smile", the Who's "The Who Sell Out" (1967) and "Tommy" (1969), and the Beatles' "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" (1967). The Velvet Underground were a "groundbreaking group in experimental rock", according to Rosenberg, "even further out of step with popular culture than the early recordings of the Mothers of Invention". The band were playing experimental rock in 1965 before other significant countercultural rock scenes had developed, pioneering avant-rock through their integration of minimalist rock and avant-garde ideas.


title: Experimental rock

text: The Beatles' album "Sgt. Pepper's" inspired a new consideration for experimental rock as commercially viable music. Once the group released their December 1967 film "Magical Mystery Tour", author Barry Faulk writes, "pop music and experimental rock were [briefly] synonymous, and the Beatles stood at the apex of a progressive movement in musical capitalism". The musical passage recorded by the Doors in 1968, "Not to Touch the Earth", is what critic Mick Wall described as "nearly four minutes of avant-rock." As progressive rock developed, experimental rock acquired notoriety alongside art rock. By 1970, most of the musicians which had been at the forefront of experimental rock had incapacitated themselves. From then on, the ideas and work of British artist and former Roxy Music member Brian Eno—which suggested that ideas from the art world, including those of experimental music and the avant-garde, should be deployed in the context of experimental rock—were a key innovation throughout the decade.


title: Experimental rock

text: In the late 1960s and early 1970s, Germany's "krautrock" scene (also referred to as kosmische or elektronische musik) saw bands develop a form of experimental rock that drew on rock sources, such as the Velvet Underground and Frank Zappa, as well as wider avant-garde influences. Groups such as Can, Faust, Neu!, Amon Düül II, Ash Ra Tempel, Kraftwerk, Tangerine Dream, and Popol Vuh merged elements of psychedelic rock with electronic music, funk rhythms, jazz improvisation, and avant-garde and contemporary classical compositions, as well as new electronic instrumentation. The ideas of minimalism and composers such as Stockhausen would be particularly influential. The movement was partly born out of the student movements of 1968, as German youth sought a unique countercultural identity and wanted to develop a form of German music that was distinct from the mainstream music of the period.


title: Experimental rock

text: The late 1970s post-punk movement was devised as a break with rock tradition, exploring new possibilities by embracing electronics, noise, jazz and the classical avant-garde, and the production methods of dub and disco. During this era, funk, jazz-rock, and fusion rhythms became integrated into experimental rock music. Some groups who were categorized as "post-punk" considered themselves part of an experimental rock trajectory, with This Heat as one of the prominent players. The late 1970s no wave scene consisted of New York experimental rock bands that aimed to break with new wave, and who, according to "Village Voice" writer Steve Anderson, pursued an abrasive reductionism which "undermined the power and mystique of a rock vanguard by depriving it of a tradition to react against." Anderson claims that the no wave scene represented "New York’s last stylistically cohesive avant-rock movement."


title: Experimental rock

text: The early 1980s would see avant-rock develop significantly following the punk and new wave, DIY experimentation, electronic music, and musical cross-breeding of the previous decade, according to "Pitchfork". Dominique Leone of "Pitchfork" claims that the first wave of 1980s experimental rock groups, including acts such as Material, the Work, This Heat, Ornette Coleman's Prime Time, James Blood Ulmer, Last Exit, and Massacre, had few direct precedents for their sound. Steve Redhead noted the resuscitation of New York's avant-rock scene, including artists such as Sonic Youth and John Zorn, in the 1980s. According to journalist David Stubbs, "no other major rock group [...] has done as much to try to bridge the gap between rock and the avant garde" as Sonic Youth, who drew on improvisation and noise as well as the Velvet Underground.


title: Experimental rock

text: In the late 1980s, avant-rock pursued a "frazzled, psychedelia-tinged, 'blissed out'" aesthetic that differed from the self-consciousness and vigilance of earlier post-punk. The UK shoegaze scene was seen by some as a continuation of an experimental rock tradition. "Pitchfork" described contemporary acts My Bloody Valentine, Spacemen 3, and the Jesus and Mary Chain as "avant-rock icons." According to Paul Hegarty and Martin Halliwell, some 1980s and early 1990s avant-rock acts such as the British musicians David Sylvian and Talk Talk returned to the ideas of progressive rock, which they call "post-progressive". During the 1990s, a loose movement known as post-rock became the dominant form of experimental rock. In a reaction against traditional rock music formula, post-rock artists combined standard rock instrumentation with electronics and influences from styles such as ambient music, IDM, krautrock, minimalism, and jazz. In 2015, "The Quietus" Bryan Brussee noted uncertainty with the term "experimental rock", and that "it seems like every rock band today has some kind of post-, kraut-, psych-, or noise- prefixed to their genre."


title: Johor Bahru

text: Johor Bahru (), colloquially referred to as JB, is the capital city of the state of Johor, Malaysia. It is located along the Straits of Johor, at the southern end of Peninsular Malaysia. The city has a population of 1,711,191 people within an area of 220 km. Johor Bahru is adjacent to the city of Iskandar Puteri and Pasir Gudang, together with their surrounding areas anchoring Malaysia's second largest urban agglomeration, Iskandar Malaysia, with a population of 2,500,000.


title: Johor Bahru

text: Johor Bahru was founded in 1855 as Tanjung Puteri when the Sultanate of Johor came under the influence of Temenggong Daeng Ibrahim. The area was renamed "Johore Bahru" in 1862 and became the capital of the Sultanate when the Sultanate administration centre was moved there from Telok Blangah, which is today located within southern Singapore.


title: Johor Bahru

text: Johor Bahru serves as one of the two land border connections on the Malaysian side between the countries of Singapore and Malaysia, the other being the Second Link that links Iskandar Puteri to Tuas. It is the busiest crossing in the world; its direct land link to Woodlands, Singapore through the causeway is a key economic driver of the border city. Johor Bahru is categorised as Zone A of Iskandar Malaysia and is adjacent to Senai International Airport and the 15th busiest port in the world, Port of Tanjung Pelepas.


title: Johor Bahru

text: During the reign of Sultan Abu Bakar, there was further development and modernisation within the city; with the construction of administrative buildings, schools, religious buildings, and railways connecting to Woodlands in Singapore. Along with most of Southeast Asia, Japanese forces occupied Johor Bahru from 1942 to 1945 during the Pacific War. Johor Bahru became the cradle of Malay nationalism after the war and a major political party known as the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) was founded at the Istana Besar of Johor Bahru in 1946. After the formation of Malaysia in 1963, Johor Bahru retained its status as state capital and was granted city status in 1994. Today, it is one of the most developed cities in the nation and currently serves as the financial centre and logistics hub of southern Malaysia.


title: Johor Bahru

text: The present area of Johor Bahru was originally known as "Tanjung Puteri", and was a fishing village of the Malays. Temenggong Daeng Ibrahim then renamed "Tanjung Puteri" to "Iskandar Puteri" once he arrived in the area in 1858 after acquiring the territory from Sultan Ali; before it was renamed Johor Bahru by Sultan Abu Bakar following the Temenggong's death. (The suffix "Bah(a)ru" means "new" in Malay, normally written "baru" in standard spelling today but appearing with several variants in place names, such as Kota Bharu and Indonesian Pekanbaru.) The British preferred to spell its name as "Johore Bahru" or "Johore Bharu", but the current accepted western spelling is "Johor Bahru", as "Johore" is only spelt "Johor" (without the letter "e" at the end of the word) in the Malay language. The city is also spelt as Johor Baru or Johor Baharu.


title: Johor Bahru

text: The city was also once known as "Little Swatow (Shantou)" by the Chinese community in Johor Bahru, as most of Johor Bahru's Chinese residents are Teochew people whose ancestry can be traced back to Shantou, China. They arrived in the mid 19th century, during the reign of Temenggong Daeng Ibrahim.


title: Johor Bahru

text: Due to a dispute between the Malays and the Bugis, the Johor-Riau Sultanate was split in 1819 with the mainland portion of the Johor Sultanate coming under the control of Temenggong Daeng Ibrahim while the Riau-Lingga Sultanate came under the control of the Bugis. The Temenggong intended to create a new administration centre for the Johor Sultanate to create a dynasty under the entity of Temenggong. As the Temenggong already had a close relationship with the British and the British intended to have control over trade activities in Singapore, a treaty was signed between Sultan Ali and Temenggong Ibrahim in Singapore on 10 March 1855. According to the treaty, Ali would be crowned as the Sultan of Johor and receive $5,000 (in Spanish dollars) with an allowance of $500 per month. In return, Ali was required to cede the sovereignty of the territory of Johor (except Kesang of Muar which would be the only territory under his control) to Temenggong Ibrahim. When both sides agreed on Temenggong acquiring the territory, he renamed it "Iskandar Puteri" and began to administer it from Telok Blangah in Singapore.


title: Johor Bahru

text: As the area was still an undeveloped jungle, Temenggong encouraged the migration of Chinese and Javanese to clear the land and to develop an agricultural economy in Johor. The Chinese planted the area with black pepper and gambier, while the Javanese dug "parit" (canals) to drain water from the land, build roads and plant coconuts. During this time, a Chinese businessman, pepper and gambier cultivator, Wong Ah Fook arrived; at the same time, the "Kangchu" and Javanese labour contract systems were introduced by the Chinese and Javanese communities. After Temenggong's death on 31 January 1862, the town was renamed "Johor Bahru" and his position was succeeded by his son, Abu Bakar, with the administration centre in Telok Blangah being moved to the area in 1889.


title: Johor Bahru

text: In the first phase of Abu Bakar's administration, the British only recognised him as a "maharaja" rather than a "sultan". In 1855, the British Colonial Office began to recognise his status as a Sultan after he met Queen Victoria. He managed to regain Kesang territory for Johor after a civil war with the aid of British forces and he boosted the town's infrastructure and agricultural economy. Infrastructure such as the State Mosque and Royal Palace was built with the aid of Wong Ah Fook, who had become a close patron for the Sultan since his migration during the Temenggong reign. As the Johor-British relationship improved, Abu Bakar also set up his administration under a British style and implemented a constitution known as "Undang-undang Tubuh Negeri Johor" (Johor State Constitution). Although the British had long been advisers for the Sultanate of Johor, the Sultanate never came under direct colonial rule of the British. The direct colonial rule only came into effect when the status of the adviser was elevated to a status similar to that of a Resident in the Federated Malay States (FMS) during the reign of Sultan Ibrahim in 1914.


title: Johor Bahru

text: In Johor Bahru, the Malay Peninsula railway extension was finished in 1909, and in 1923 the Johor–Singapore Causeway was completed. Johor Bahru developed at a modest rate between the First and Second World Wars. The secretariat building—Sultan Ibrahim Building—was completed in 1940 as the British colonial government attempted to streamline the state's administration.


title: Johor Bahru

text: The continuous development of Johor Bahru was, however, halted when the Japanese under General Tomoyuki Yamashita invaded the town on 31 January 1942. As the Japanese had reached northwest Johor by 15 January, they easily captured major towns of Johor such of Batu Pahat, Yong Peng, Kluang and Ayer Hitam. The British and other Allied forces were forced to retreat towards Johor Bahru; however, following a further series of bombings by the Japanese on 29 January, the British retreated to Singapore and blew up the causeway the following day as a final attempt to stop the Japanese advance in British Malaya. The Japanese then used the Sultan's residence of Bukit Serene Palace located in the town as their main temporary base for their future initial plans to conquer Singapore while waiting to reconnect the causeway. The Japanese chose the palace as their main base because they already knew the British would not dare to attack it as this would harm their close relationship with Johor.


title: Johor Bahru

text: In less than a month, the Japanese repaired the causeway and invaded the Singapore island easily. Soon after the war ended in 1946, the town became the main hotspot for Malay nationalism in Malaya. Onn Jaafar, a local Malay politician who later became the Chief Minister of Johor, formed the United Malay National Organisation party on 11 May 1946 when the Malays expressed their widespread disenchantment over the British government's action for granting citizenship laws to non-Malays in the proposed states of the Malayan Union. An agreement over the policy was then reached in the town with Malays agreeing with the dominance of economy by the non-Malays and the Malays' dominance in political matters being agreed upon by non-Malays. Racial conflict between the Malay and non-Malays, especially the Chinese, is being provoked continuously since the Malayan Emergency.


title: Johor Bahru

text: After the formation of the Federation of Malaysia in 1963, Johor Bahru continued as the state capital and more development was carried out, with the town's expansion and the construction of more new townships and industrial estates. The Indonesian confrontation did not directly affect Johor Bahru as the main Indonesian landing point in Johor was in Labis and Tenang in Segamat District as well Pontian District. There is only one active Indonesian spy organisation in the town, known as "Gerakan Ekonomi Melayu Indonesia" (GEMI). They frequently engaged with the Indonesian communities living there to contribute information for Indonesian commandos until the bombing of the MacDonald House in Singapore in 1965. By the early 1990s, the town had considerably expanded in size, and was officially granted a city status on 1 January 1994. Johor Bahru City Council was formed and the city's current main square, Dataran Bandaraya Johor Bahru, was constructed to commemorate the event. A central business district was developed in the centre of the city from the mid-1990s in the area around Wong Ah Fook Street. The state and federal government channelled considerable funds for the development of the city—particularly more so after 2006, when the Iskandar Malaysia was formed. However, more than ten years of unbridled building construction in Iskandar, especially of higher-end high-rise apartments and commercial property, has led to a serious glut of such property in the region. Occupancy of high-rise accommodation has been predicted to fall to 50 percent, and commercial property to 65 percent, by the end of 2019 due to continued incoming supply.