Kenneth Allen McDuff (March 21, 1946 – November 17, 1998) was an American serial killer. He was convicted in 1966 of murdering 16-year-old Edna Sullivan, her boyfriend, 17-year-old Robert Brand, and Brand's cousin, 15-year-old Mark Dunnam, who was visiting from California. They were all strangers whom McDuff abducted after noticing Sullivan. McDuff repeatedly raped her before breaking her neck with a broomstick.

McDuff was given three death sentences that were reduced to life imprisonment consequently to the 1972 U.S. Supreme Court ruling Furman v. Georgia. He was paroled in 1989 and went on to kill again. He was executed in 1998, and is suspected to have been responsible for many other killings.

Early life and background
Kenneth Allen McDuff was born at 201 Linden Street in the central Texas town of Rosebud, the fifth of six children born to John Allen "JA" and Addie McDuff. His father ran a successful concrete business during the Texas construction boom of the 1960s. McDuff was indulged by his family, particularly his mother Addie, nicknamed the "pistol packing mama" because she threatened a school bus driver with a gun after the driver kicked McDuff's twin brother Lonnie off the bus.

At Rosebud High School, McDuff earned the reputation of being a bully. He was careful to pick on weaker individuals after the large but not strong McDuff lost a fight he had picked with an athletic and popular boy named Tommy Sammons. As a result, he quit school and worked for his father's business doing manual labor. McDuff would often brag in later interviews that old ladies loved the way he mowed their lawns, making others jealous. McDuff was convicted of a series of burglaries and put in prison.

Earlier criminal activities
McDuff's criminal record began two years before his first murder conviction. In 1964, at age 18, McDuff was convicted of 12 counts of burglary and attempted burglary in three Texas counties: Bell, Milam, and Falls. He was sentenced to 12 four-year prison terms to be served concurrently. He made parole in December 1965.

McDuff briefly returned to prison after becoming involved in a fight, but was soon released. While he had not been convicted of any murders at this time, his accomplice in the 1966 triple murder, Roy Dale Green, said that McDuff bragged openly about his criminal record and claimed to have raped and killed two young women.

Broomstick murders
On August 6, 1966, McDuff and Green, whom he had met around a month earlier through a mutual acquaintance, spent the day pouring concrete for McDuff's father. They then drove around, as McDuff said he was looking for a girl. At 10 pm, Robert Brand (aged 17), his girlfriend Edna Louise Sullivan (aged 16), and Brand's 15-year-old cousin Mark Dunman were standing beside their parked car on a baseball field in Everman, Texas.

While cruising around, McDuff noticed Sullivan and parked around 150 yards away from the soon-to-be victims. He threatened the trio with his .38 Colt revolver and ordered them to get into the trunk of their car. With Green following in McDuff's car, McDuff drove the victims' Ford along a highway and then into a field, where he ordered Sullivan out of the trunk of the Ford and instructed Green to put her into the trunk of his Dodge Coronet. At this point, according to Green's statement, McDuff said he would have to "knock 'em off"; he proceeded to fire six shots into the trunk of the Ford in spite of Dunman and Brand's pleas not to. McDuff then instructed Green to wipe the fingerprints off the Ford.

After driving to another location, McDuff and Green, the latter allegedly under duress, raped Sullivan. After she was raped repeatedly, McDuff asked Green for something with which to strangle her. Green gave him his belt. However, in the end, McDuff opted to use a  piece of broomstick from his car. He choked Sullivan, and then Green and he dumped her body in some bushes. They purchased Coca-Cola from a Hillsboro gas station before driving to Green's house to spend the night. The following day, McDuff buried his revolver beside Green's garage, and their mutual acquaintance Richard Boyd allowed McDuff to wash his car at his house. The next day, Green confessed to Boyd's parents, who told Green's mother, who convinced him to turn himself in. McDuff was arrested by Falls County Sheriff Albert Brady Pamplin (who served with Texas Rangers before serving in World War II with United States Army Air Corps) and Deputy U.S. Marshal Thomas Parnell "T.P." McNamara, Sr.

McDuff received a death sentence in Texas' electric chair; Green received a 25-year sentence and was released in 1979. McDuff's death sentence was commuted to a life sentence, and he hired a lawyer, who amassed a dossier of various evidence that claimed to show that Green was the real killer. Some members of the parole board were impressed by the dossier. During a one-on-one interview with a board member, McDuff offered him a bribe to secure a favorable decision on the parole application. He was given a two-year sentence for trying to bribe the official. It proved meaningless, as board members thought McDuff could still "contribute to society" and decided to grant him a parole. He was released in 1989.

Post-release crimes

McDuff was one of 20 former death-row inmates and 127 murderers to be paroled. After being released, he got a job at a gas station making $4 an hour while taking a class at Texas State Technical College in Waco. Within three days of his release,  he is widely believed to have begun killing again. The body of 29-year-old Sarafia Parker was discovered on October 14, 1989, in Temple, a town 48 miles south of Waco along the I-35 corridor. McDuff was not charged with this crime. However, he was soon returned to prison on a parole violation for making death threats to an African American youth in Rosebud.

Addie McDuff paid $1,500, plus an additional $700 for expenses, to two Huntsville attorneys in return for their "evaluating" her son's prospect of release. On December 18, 1990, McDuff was again released from prison. On the night of October 10, 1991, he picked up a prostitute named Brenda Thompson in Waco. He tied her up, but then stopped his truck about 50 ft from a police checkpoint. When a policeman walked toward McDuff's vehicle, Thompson repeatedly kicked at the windshield of McDuff's truck, cracking it several times.

McDuff accelerated very quickly and drove at the officers. According to a statement filed by the officers later, three of them had to jump to avoid being hit. The policemen gave chase, but McDuff eluded them by turning off his lights and traveling the wrong way down one-way streets. Ultimately, he parked his truck in a wooded area near U.S. Route 84 and tortured Thompson to death. Her body was not discovered until 1998.

Five days later, on October 15, 1991, McDuff and a 17-year-old prostitute named Regenia DeAnne Moore were witnessed having an argument at a Waco motel. Shortly thereafter, the pair drove in McDuff's pickup truck to a remote area beside Texas State Highway 6, near Waco. McDuff tied her arms and legs with stockings before killing her. She had been missing from home for seven years by the time her body was discovered on September 29, 1998. McDuff is also believed to have murdered Cynthia Renee Gonzalez, 23, who was found dead in a creek bed near County Road 313 in heavily wooded terrain 1 mile west of I-35 on September 21, 1991, some six days after she was reported missing in Arlington.

McDuff and an accomplice, Alva Hank Worley, murdered Colleen Reed, a Louisiana native, on December 29, 1991. McDuff and Worley drove to an Austin car wash and kidnapped Reed in plain sight of eyewitnesses before driving away. Worley admitted in an April 1992 interview with the Bell County Sheriff's Department that he had raped Reed and tortured her with cigarettes, but he stated that he did not participate in her murder.

McDuff's next victim was Valencia Joshua, a prostitute who was last seen alive knocking on McDuff's door. He strangled Joshua on February 24, 1992. Her body was discovered on March 15 at a golf course near their college. Next was Melissa Northrup, a 22-year-old store clerk at a Waco Quik-Pak (the same store that McDuff had worked in at one point), who was pregnant when she went missing from the store. The kidnapper also took $250 from the cash register. McDuff was a suspect because he had been seen in the vicinity of the Quik-Pak at the time of Northrup's disappearance. During the investigation before the body was found, a college friend of McDuff's told police officers that he had attempted to enlist his help in robbing the store. Northrup died on March 1, 1992, and a fisherman found her body on April 26.

A major problem for investigators was that McDuff's post-release victims were spread out across several Texas counties. This made a single coordinated investigation difficult. However, the police learned that McDuff was peddling drugs and had an illegal firearm, both federal offenses. Consequently, on March 6, 1992, a local state attorney issued a warrant for his arrest. In April 1992, Bell County investigators had brought in Worley for questioning on the basis that he was a known acquaintance of McDuff's. Worley admitted to his involvement in the kidnapping of Reed. He was held in a Travis County jail while the police continued their search for McDuff.

McDuff had moved to Kansas City, Missouri, where he was working at a refuse collection company and living under the assumed name of Richard Fowler. On May 1, 1992, a coworker of his named Gary Smithee watched the Fox television program America's Most Wanted. Smithee noticed how similar McDuff, who was featured on the program, was to his new co-worker. After discussing the matter with another co-worker, Smithee telephoned the Kansas City Police Department, which searched Fowler's name and found he had been arrested and fingerprinted for soliciting prostitutes. A comparison of the fingerprints taken from Fowler to those of McDuff showed they were the same. On May 4, 1992, a surveillance team of six officers arrested McDuff as he drove to a landfill south of Kansas City. The arresting officers included Deputy U.S. Marshal Thomas Parnell McNamara, Jr., his brother, Deputy U.S. Marshal Mike McNamara, and Falls County Sheriff Larry Pamplin, whose fathers had arrested McDuff in 1966.

Victims

Trial and execution

McDuff was indicted on one count of capital murder for Northrup's murder in McLennan County, Texas, on June 26, 1992. He was found guilty. In Texas, juries determine whether or not an individual convicted of capital murder receives life imprisonment or the death penalty. Journalist Gary Cartwright expressed the hope he would be executed, saying: "If there has ever been a good argument for the death penalty, it's Kenneth McDuff."

On February 18, 1993, the jury, in a special punishment hearing, opted to sentence him to death. Following a number of delays while appeals were heard, the Western District Court denied habeas corpus relief and rescheduled the execution date for November 17, 1998. As he was denied authorization for another, he gave up Reed's burial location a few weeks before his execution.

McDuff is buried in the Captain Joe Byrd Cemetery, also known as "Peckerwood Hill", in Huntsville, Texas.  Prisoners buried there are those whose family chose not to claim their remains. His headstone contains only his date of execution (11-17-98), an "X" (meaning that he was executed by the State of Texas), and his death row number (999055).  His last meal, according to death-row chef Brian Price, was a hamburger fashioned to resemble his request of a steak.

See also
 Capital punishment in Texas
 Capital punishment in the United States
 List of people executed in Texas, 1990–1999
 List of serial killers by number of victims
 List of serial killers in the United States

References

Bibliography

External links
The Many Faces of Kenneth Allen McDuff. Gary M. Lavergne. Retrieved on 2012-01-
U.S. Executions Since 1976

1946 births
1998 deaths
20th-century executions by Texas
20th-century executions of American people
American murderers of children
American rapists
Executed American serial killers
Executed people from Texas
People convicted of murder by Texas
People executed by Texas by lethal injection
People from Rosebud, Texas
People paroled from life sentence
People with antisocial personality disorder
Serial killers from Texas

Kenneth McDuff


Alison Mary Dolling (29 August 1917 – 25 July 2006), also known by the pen-name Mary Broughton, was an Australian writer.

Biography
She was born at St Peters in Adelaide, 29 August 1917. Her parents were Edward Bruno Dolling and Amy Caroline, née Thiselton. She attended Ellerslie College in Tranmere and Methodist Ladies' College in Wayville, before studying journalism at the University of Washington, Seattle University, and University of California, Berkeley. After a period in England studying at King's College London, she returned to Australia and finally graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Classics from the University of Adelaide. Dolling then worked as a secondary school teacher from 1941, and was also a part-time lecturer at the Adelaide Kindergarten Training College, teaching Australian literature and the history of education. In 1962 she was appointed the editor of Opinion, the journal of the South Australian English Teachers' Association.

Dolling was appointed women's editor of The Chronicle in 1966, using the pen-name Mary Broughton; she held the position until the Chronicle was discontinued in 1975. In 1977 she published a compilation of her writings entitled Chronicle Cameos, and in 1981 published a history of Marion, The History of Marion on the Sturt. The two books were runners-up for the Alexander Henderson Award, which is given by the Australian Institute of Genealogical Studies. Dolling continued to be active in the area of genealogical and women's history, serving as editor of From Shadows into Light, a study of South Australian women artists, in 1988. Her last book, a memoir entitled A Child Went Forth, was published in 2005.

References

1917 births
2006 deaths
Alumni of King's College London
Australian women journalists
20th-century Australian journalists
Australian women editors
Writers from Adelaide
Pseudonymous women writers
20th-century Australian women
20th-century pseudonymous writers

Alison Dolling


The pampas cat or gato de las pampas (Leopardus pajeros or Leopardus colocolo) is a small wild cat that lives in the Andes mountain range.  They live in Argentina, Chile, Bolivia, Peru, Uruguay, Brazil, Ecuador, and Colombia.  Some scientists think this cat is really three species, L. colocolo, L. braccatus, and L. pajeros. Other scientists think they are all one species.

This cat lives in many kinds of habitats: cloud forests, swamps, scrublands, and grasslands.

This cat mostly eats small rodents such as guinea pigs and mice, but they also catch birds, for example flamingoes.  Scientists saw pampas cats going to penguin nests to eat eggs and baby penguins.  Farmers say that this cat can kill goats and chickens.

In most of the countries where the pampas cat lives, it is illegal to kill one.  The pampas cat is in danger of dying out because humans are using or want to use the land that it lives on for farms.   Indigenous people of the South America like the pampas cat because it is a sign of fertility and they believe killing a pampas cat brings bad luck.  But the same people also like to have a dead pampas cat's skin or whole body for ceremonies.

This cat's body is 42 to 79 cm long and its tail is another 22 to 33 cm long.  It can weigh 3 to 4 kg.  Its fur is thick and long.  It can be pale yellow to dark gray-brown or dark dull red in color.  It can have stripes or spots or not.  It almost always has rings on its legs and tail.

The first visual recordings of the pampas cat, a movie and photos, were made in 2006.

References

Felines
Mammals of South America

Pampas cat


Humbert II de la Tour-du-Pin (1312 – 4 May 1355) was the Dauphin of the Viennois from 1333 to 16 July 1349. Humbert was the last dauphin before the title went to the French crown, to be bestowed on the heir apparent.

Character
Humbert was a son of Dauphin John II of Viennois and Beatrice of Hungary. To contemporaries, he was incompetent and extravagant, lacking the warlike ardour of his brother. He passed his youth at Naples enjoying the aesthetic pleasures of the Italian trecento. His subsequent court at Beauvoir-en-Royans had a reputation for extravagance.  Unlike his predecessors, Humbert was not itinerant, moving continually from one dauphinal castle to another, instead preferring to settle in Beauvoir. He depleted his treasury rather than institute oppressive taxes.

War and politics
When Humbert inherited the Dauphiné on the death of his brother Guigues VIII in 1333, they were at war with Aymon, Count of Savoy.  Within a year, King Philip VI of France was able to broker a truce between the new dauphin and Savoy. In 1333, Louis IV, Holy Roman Emperor, sought to counter French influence in the region, and offered Humbert the Kingdom of Arles, an opportunity to gain full authority over Savoy, Provence, and surrounding territories.  Humbert was reluctant to take the crown and the conflict that would follow with all around him, so he declined. Subsequently, Humbert found himself more and more financially dependent on Philip.

Humbert was married to Marie of Baux, niece of King Robert of Naples by his sister Beatrice. Humbert's only son, Andrew, died aged two in October 1335. By 1337 Humbert was planning to cede his inheritance.  He first offered it to Robert, who did not like the terms.  In 1339 due to increasing financial difficulties, he made an inventory of his possessions with the hope of selling them to Pope Benedict XII.

In May 1345, Humbert left Marseille leading a papal fleet called by Pope Clement VI. The Second Smyrniote Crusade was against the Aydınids. It was intended to assist the recaptured Frankish port of Smyrna by responding to a January 1345 attack during a time of truce by the Turkish garrison upon Christians worshiping in the demolished cathedral. While at sail his fleet was attacked by the Genoese near Rhodes. He was also asked to intervene by Venice in the conflict between Bartolomeo Zaccaria and Guglielma Pallavicini over the marquisate of Bodonitsa. Humbert's battle for control of Smyrna in 1346 led to 55 years of Christian rule over the city. During his command, he established the confraternal Order of Saint Catherine.

Humbert's wife died around the start of 1347, shortly before he returned from the crusade. As he was returning, he joined marquesses John II of Montferrat and Thomas II of Saluzzo in their fight against Robert's successor, Queen Joanna I of Naples, who was supported by the Savoyards.  When Pope Clement VI brought the two sides to negotiations, the terms included the possibility of Humbert marrying Bianca of Savoy, though this did not reach agreement.

The planned sale to the pope falling through, Humbert finally succeeded in completing a sale to King Philip VI of France in 1349 for 400,000 écus and an annual pension. To maintain its sovereignty, however, the sale was referred to as a "transfer".  In order to prevent the title from going into abeyance or being swallowed up in another sovereign title, Humbert instituted the "Delphinal Statute" whereby the Dauphiné was exempted from many taxes and imposts. This statute was subject to much parliamentary debate at regional level, as local leaders sought to defend their autonomy and privilege against the state.

Ecclesiastical career

After ceding his lands, Humbert entered the Dominican Order and became Latin Patriarch of Alexandria within two years. He consecrated Rodolphe de Chissé as Bishop of Grenoble in 1351.  It is with these latter titles that his death is recorded in a necrology of Vauvert: in Clermont-en-Auvergne, at 43 years of age in 1355. He was buried in the now demolished church of Couvent des Jacobins in Paris.

Notes

References

Miller, W. "The Marquisate of Boudonitza (1204–1414)." Journal of Hellenic Studies, Vol. 28, 1908, pp 234–249.

1312 births
1355 deaths
Dauphins of Viennois
Christians of the Crusades
French Dominicans
Latin Patriarchs of Alexandria
Archbishops of Reims
14th-century French Roman Catholic bishops
14th-century peers of France
Smyrniote crusades

Humbert II of Viennois


The Grand Olympic Auditorium is a former sports venue in southern Downtown Los Angeles, California. The venue was built in 1924 at 1801 South Grand Avenue, now just south of the Santa Monica Freeway. The grand opening of the Olympic Auditorium was on August 5, 1925, and was a major media event, attended by such celebrities as Jack Dempsey and Rudolph Valentino. One of the last major boxing and wrestling arenas still in existence, the venue now serves as a worship space for the Korean-American evangelical church, "Glory Church of Jesus Christ".

History
Throughout the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s it was home to some of the biggest boxing, wrestling, and roller derby events.

1932 Olympics
The Auditorium was leased by the 1932 Summer Olympics Organizing Committee for a very nominal sum sufficient to cover expenses, for the purpose of conducting the training and competitions of the boxing, wrestling and weightlifting events of the Games. At the time it was the largest indoor venue in the United States.

Boxing

It has become somewhat of a landmark for boxing history. Charles Bukowski wrote about the Olympic: "even the Hollywood (Legion Stadium) boys knew the action was at the Olympic. Raft came, and the others, and all the starlets, hugging those front row seats. the gallery boys went ape and the fighters fought like fighters and the place was blue with cigar smoke, and how we screamed, baby baby, and threw money and drank our whiskey, and when it was over, there was the drive in, the old lovebed with our dyed and vicious women. you slammed it home, then slept like a drunk angel."

The 1960s and 1970s were a major boom period for the Olympic, as major boxing and wrestling events were held at the arena every other Friday night, as well as being the home to the  Roller Games Los Angeles T-Birds.

Closure
The arena closed its doors in the mid-1980s when promoter Mike Le Bell discontinued his weekly wrestling shows due to low attendance figures when the boom of the professional wrestling era began.  This was when the wrestling scene shifted from Los Angeles to Dallas' World Class, Minneapolis' AWA, Jim Crockett Promotions Mid-Atlantic/NWA, and Stamford's WWF, now known as the WWE.

Reopening
It reopened in 1993, but the capacity was reduced from 10,400 to just over 7,300.  In the 2000s the Auditorium sat 7,030 for boxing and wrestling, 4,514 for seated concerts, and 7,007 for general admission concerts. Up to 773 seats could be put on the arena floor, which measured 12,100 square feet (110' by 110').

Throughout the early and mid 1990s, the venue was often the host of many large, all-night rave parties, often held outdoors in the back parking lot, as well as inside the auditorium.  On New Year's Eve of 1996/1997, a large-scale rave called In Seventh Heaven was being held at the Olympic.  Dozens of people had to be taken to the hospital from a suspected overdose of a legal high called Liquid fX, which was being handed out at the party.  The event which had already gathered over 10,000 ravers was shut down by the LAPD before midnight, sending much of the crowd into the street, where a melee broke out between upset revelers and riot police.

On July 16, 2000, ECW held its Heatwave pay-per-view at the Grand Olympic Auditorium. It was ECW's first and only West Coast appearance. Prior to the main event, six wrestlers from the LA-based Xtreme Pro Wrestling promotion, who were given front row tickets by promotion owner Rob Zicari, donned shirts of their promotion, which caught the attention of Tommy Dreamer and ECW security and were promptly ejected. A brawl followed in the parking lot between XPW ring crew and the ECW locker room, based on false reporting that Francine had been touched by someone from XPW.

On February 23, 2002, XPW held its Freefall event at the Grand Olympic Auditorium where New Jack tossed Vic Grimes off a 40-foot scaffold.

Wrestling legends such as Jim Londos, Joe Stecher, Ed "Strangler" Lewis, Gus Sonnenberg, Ray Steele, Frank Sexton, Man Mountain Dean, Everett Marshall, Ed Don George, Enrique Torres, Baron Michele Leone,  Freddie Blassie, John Tolos, Buddy Roberts, The Sheik, Fritz Von Erich, Gorgeous George, The Great Goliath, Black Gordman, Bobo Brazil, Buddy Rogers, Roddy Piper and Chris Adams competed in the arena at one point in their careers, along with the legendary Lou Thesz, Mil Mascaras and André the Giant.  Adams was one of the last big draws at the Olympic before promoters Mike Le Bell and Gene LeBell ended its wrestling cards in 1982.  Adams went to Portland afterwards and eventually to Dallas to join Fritz Von Erich's World Class Championship Wrestling, as the sport's top wrestling city shifted from Los Angeles to Dallas and Atlanta before Vince McMahon's WWF reached national prominence.

Music venue
Until 2005, the Olympic Auditorium was host to many music concerts and shows, as well as boxing and wrestling.  The arena is famous for its box office number "RI-9-5171" (213) 749-5171 which is no longer in use.

As far back as 1951, there had been rhythm and blues concerts at the Grand Olympic.  In 1969-70, The Grand Olympic Auditorium hosted concerts by hard rock acts such as Mountain, Jack Bruce, and Ten Years After.  It would be used more extensively as a musical venue after 1980.  This period in music performances began with a concert by the band Public Image Ltd. which was produced by Punk Rock impresario David Ferguson and his independent CD Presents production company.  This was the first concert held at the auditorium since the early 1970s and is credited with beginning the Olympic's reputation for being a notorious Punk Rock venue.   Thereafter legendary promoter Gary Tovar and Goldenvoice Productions started booking shows at the venue,  with monthly concerts by the likes of GBH, The Exploited, T.S.O.L., SIN 34, Suicidal Tendencies, UK Subs, New Regime, Circle Jerks, Angelic Upstarts, The Dickies, Wasted Youth, Dead Kennedys, The Vandals, D.O.A., Love Canal, Bad Religion, FEAR, M.I.A. and many others. Black Flag was the headliner for a New Year's Eve show 1981-82.

Famous musical celebrities have also used the Olympic Auditorium for their music videos. Below are a few named who have used the venue.
 1985: Survivor's music video for Burning Heart was shot in the venue in October 1985.
 1986: Bon Jovi films the music videos for "You Give Love A Bad Name" and "Livin' On A Prayer" in the auditorium, with Wayne Isham directing them. The music videos for Air Supply's two 1986 hit singles, "Lonely Is the Night" and "One More Chance" were filmed in the same venue on the same year.
 1987: Kiss filmed the music video of the namesake track of their 1987 album Crazy Nights in the same venue. The music video for Janet Jackson's "Control" was recorded here as well in the same year.

Rage Against the Machine played their final show in September 2000 at the Olympic Auditorium before their break-up a month later. The concert was filmed and later released in 2003 as a DVD and CD Live at the Grand Olympic Auditorium.

Glory Church of Jesus Christ
In 2005, the Glory Church of Jesus Christ, a Korean-American Christian church, purchased the entire property. Although the name Grand Olympic Auditorium ceased to exist, many locals and longtime residents of Los Angeles still refer to the property by its former names. In 2007, the arena was given a new facelift back to its original brown coat of paint that was abandoned in 1993 when the arena reopened.

Physical features
  portable stage.
  ceiling height
 2 large loading docks
 13 dressing rooms
 8 concession stands
 5 ticket windows
 2.8 kilowatt-per-channel stereo PA system with CD and cassette tape player, 2 wireless microphones and 1 wired microphone.
 7 restrooms, all renovated (3 are handicap accessible)
 10 C.M. Loadstar motors (4 for flying sound, 4 for stage lighting, 2 for additional lighting) plus 2 aluminum trusses (20.5 inches by 20.5 inches by 40 feet).
 200 telephone lines, installed by AT&T
 Parking lot with 550 spaces; another 2,300 spaces at nearby garage.
 Fully equipped VIP (seating up to 40) and press rooms.
 2 merchandising stands.
 Three 200 ampere 480/277 volt 3-phase, 4-wire transformers, including an isolated transformer.
 One 400 ampere 480/277 volt 3-phase, 4-wire transformer.
 40 kW Caterpillar generator for "back-up" emergency lighting.
 8-zone (dual control) dimming system for house lights by Lutron.
  aluminum lighting truss with 72 par fixtures, permanently installed.

Filming location
Films and TV series with scenes shot at the Grand Olympic Auditorium include:
 The Turning Point (1952)
 The Manchurian Candidate (1962)
 Requiem for a Heavyweight (1962)
 Mannix (1970) ol
 California Split (1974)
 Rocky (1976)
 The Champ (1979)
 Rocky II (1979)
 Raging Bull (1980)
 Incredible Hulk - Psychic (1980) https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0610920/locations/?ref_=tt_dt_loc
 Rocky III (1982)
 The Sting II (1983)
 Ed Wood (1994)
 Virtuosity (1995)
 Exposed! Pro Wrestling's Greatest Secrets (1998)
 BASEketball (1998)
  Man on the Moon (1999)
 Ready to Rumble (2000)
 Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle (2003)
 Heart Like a Hand Grenade (2015)

References

 1932 Summer Olympics official report. p. 70.

Buildings and structures in Downtown Los Angeles
Defunct sports venues in California
Former music venues in California
Defunct indoor arenas in California
Indoor arenas in Los Angeles
Boxing venues in Los Angeles
Music venues in Los Angeles
Wrestling venues in Los Angeles
NWA Hollywood Wrestling
Venues of the 1932 Summer Olympics
Olympic boxing venues
Olympic weightlifting venues
Olympic wrestling venues

Grand Olympic Auditorium


Bad Doberan Minster is the main Lutheran Church of Bad Doberan in Germany. It is the most important religious building on the European Route of Brick Gothic, a tourist route which connects three countries along the Baltic Sea - Denmark, Germany and Poland. It was the first abbey in Mecklenberg. and was founded in 1171. It was the burial site for regional rulers. Because of this, the church became important for cultural and economic development.

Its attractions include:

An altar which was made in about 1300
A tabernacle which was built between 1350 and 1360.
A chalice cupboard which was made in about 1310.
A credenza which was made out of oak in about 1300.
Levite pews which were made in the 14th century.
An ornamental candle holder which shows the mother Mary, made in about 1280.
An eagle lectern which was made in the 19th century.
Choir stalls which were made in the 14th century.
A double sided cross altar which was made between 1360 and 1370.
Pieces of medieval glass which were made in about 1300.
The face of an astronomical clock, which was destroyed during the Thirty Years' War.
The granite sarcophagus of Great Duke Friedrich Franz I. von Mecklenburg, who died in 1837.
Medieval tombstones and pictures.
Pieces of medieval stone tablets.
The von Bülow Chapel and the organ.
The Chapel of Pribislav.
Medieval tombstones and pictures.
Pieces of medieval glass and stone tablets.
The von Bülow Chapel and the organ.
The Chapel of Pribislav.
Mill Altar, scale model and a tomb stone.
Tomb of Lord Samuel von Behr and a swan and antlers.
Figure of Queen Margarete of Denmark and three altars.
The tomb and crypt of Duke Adolf Friedrich I.
The Octagon.
The Tomb of King Albert of Sweden
The memorial statue of Duke Magnus II
The Tomb of Duke Johann Albrecht II von Mecklenburg
The rear of the Levite pews
A picture and text plaque of Peter Wise
A Renaissance style ducal epitaph

Images

Buildings and structures in Germany

Bad Doberan Minster


In Greek mythology, Labdacus  (, Lábdakos) was the only son of Polydorus and a king of Thebes. Labdacus was a grandson of Thebes' founder, Cadmus. His mother was Nycteïs, daughter of Nycteus.

Mythology
Polydorus died while Labdacus was a young child, leaving Nycteus as his regent, although Lycus soon replaced him in that office. When Labdacus had grown, he ruled Thebes for a short time. He died while he was still young, after he lost a war with the king of Athens, Pandion, over their borders. Apollodorus writes that he, like his cousin Pentheus, was ripped apart by women in a bacchic frenzy for disrespect to the god Dionysus. Lycus became regent once more after his death, this time for Labdacus' son, Laius. His descendants were called the Labdacids, and included his son Laius, who fathered Oedipus; Oedipus' children were Polynices, Eteocles, Antigone, and Ismene.

Family tree of Theban Royal House

Notes

References

 Apollodorus, The Library with an English Translation by Sir James George Frazer, F.B.A., F.R.S. in 2 Volumes, Cambridge, MA, Harvard University Press; London, William Heinemann Ltd. 1921. ISBN 0-674-99135-4. Online version at the Perseus Digital Library. Greek text available from the same website.
 Pausanias, Description of Greece with an English Translation by W.H.S. Jones, Litt.D., and H.A. Ormerod, M.A., in 4 Volumes. Cambridge, MA, Harvard University Press; London, William Heinemann Ltd. 1918. . Online version at the Perseus Digital Library
 Pausanias, Graeciae Descriptio. 3 vols. Leipzig, Teubner. 1903.  Greek text available at the Perseus Digital Library.

Theban kings
Kings in Greek mythology
Theban characters in Greek mythology

Labdacus


Little River Band (LRB) are  a rock band formed in Melbourne, Australia, in March 1975. The band achieved commercial success in both Australia and the United States. They have sold more than 30 million records; six studio albums reached the top 10 on the Australian Kent Music Report albums chart including Diamantina Cocktail (May 1977) and First Under the Wire (July 1979), which both peaked at No. 2. Nine singles appeared in the top 20 on the related singles chart, with  "Help Is on Its Way" (1977) as their only number-one hit. Ten singles reached the top 20 on the Billboard Hot 100 with "Reminiscing" their highest, peaking at No. 3.

Little River Band have received many music awards in Australia. The 1976 line-up of Glenn Shorrock, Graeham Goble, Beeb Birtles, George McArdle, David Briggs and Derek Pellicci were inducted into the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) hall of fame at the 18th annual ARIA Music Awards of 2004. Most of the group's 1970s and 1980s material was written by Goble and/or Shorrock, Birtles and Briggs. In May 2001 the Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA), as part of its 75th anniversary celebrations, named "Cool Change", written by Shorrock, as one of the Top 30 Australian songs of all time. "Reminiscing", written by Goble, received a 5-Million Broadcast Citation from BMI in 2020.

The group have undergone numerous personnel changes, with over 30 members since their formation, including John Farnham as lead singer after Shorrock first departed in 1982. None of the musicians now performing as Little River Band are original members, nor members in the 1970s. In the 1980s, members included Farnham, Wayne Nelson, Stephen Housden, David Hirschfelder and Steve Prestwich. The current line-up is Nelson, Chris Marion, Ryan Ricks, Colin Whinnery and Bruce Wallace – none of whom are Australian. Various legal disputes over the band's name occurred in the 2000s, with Housden filing suit against Birtles, Goble and Shorrock.

History

1970–1974: Pre Little River Band

Little River Band formed in March 1975 in Melbourne as a harmony rock group with Beeb Birtles on guitar and vocals, Graham Davidge on lead guitar, Graeham Goble on guitar and vocals, Dave Orams on bass guitar, Derek Pellicci on drums and Glenn Shorrock on lead vocals. Upon formation they were an Australian super group, with Birtles, Goble, Pellicci and Shorrock each from prominent local bands. Birtles had been the bass guitarist and vocalist in the pop-rock band Zoot (which launched the career of singer-guitarist Rick Springfield) from 1967 to 1971.

Goble had led Adelaide-formed folk rock group Allison Gros in 1970. They relocated to Melbourne and in 1972 were renamed as Mississippi, a harmony country rock band, where late that year Birtles joined on guitar and vocals and Pellicci on drums. They had chart success in Australia and built up a following on the concert and festival circuit. During 1971 to 1972 the original members of Mississippi had also recorded as a studio band under the pseudonym Drummond. They achieved a number-one hit, for eight consecutive weeks, on the Go-Set National Top 40 with a novelty cover version of the Rays' song "Daddy Cool".

Shorrock had been the lead singer of a pop band, the Twilights (1964–69), and a country rock group, Axiom, from 1969 to 1971 (alongside singer-songwriter Brian Cadd). Both Axiom and Mississippi had relocated to the United Kingdom to try to break into the local record market, but without success. Axiom disbanded after moving to the UK, and Shorrock sang for a more progressive rock outfit, Esperanto, in 1973. He also provided backing vocals for Cliff Richard.

In late 1974, Birtles, Goble and Pellicci met with talent manager Glenn Wheatley (former bass player of the Masters Apprentices) in London, with a view to forming a new band. After auditioning Peter Doyle as lead singer, they settled on Shorrock. With Wheatley as manager, Birtles, Goble, Pellicci and Shorrock agreed to reconvene in Melbourne in early 1975. Due to the indifferent reception they had each received in the UK, they decided their new band would establish itself in the United States. Wheatley's first-hand experiences of the rip-offs in the 1960s music scene, combined with working in music management in the UK and the US in the early 1970s, allowed him to help the Little River Band become the first Australian group to enjoy consistent commercial and chart success in the US.

After their return to Australia, the members began rehearsing in February 1975, still using the name of Mississippi. On 20 March 1975 they played their first official gig at Martini's Hotel in Carlton. In Birtles' autobiography, Every Day of My Life, he explains how the band came to change its name:

Little River Band (as Mississippi) had recorded their first track, a cover version of the Everly Brothers' song "When Will I Be Loved", in February 1975, at Armstrong Studios. However, Linda Ronstadt's version appeared in the following month, so LRB did not release theirs. Before the group performed, Graham Davidge was replaced by Ric Formosa on guitar, and Dave Orams by Roger McLachlan on bass guitar and backing vocals (ex-Levi Smith's Clefs). Phil Manning (ex-Chain) was LRB's first choice for lead guitar. Manning was busy with his solo career and recommended Formosa. The latter had travelled to Australia from Canada and was working in a music store; he joined soon after.

1975–1976: early years
In May 1975 they signed with EMI Records and started recording their debut self-titled album at Armstrong Studios in the following month. The album was co-produced by Birtles, Goble, Shorrock and Wheatley. Tony Catterall of The Canberra Times described it in November as "one of those flawed creations that inevitably draws a more-in-sorrow-than-in-anger response." Bruce Eder of AllMusic observed, "[it's] an astonishingly strong debut album." Little River Band peaked at No. 17 on the Kent Music Report Albums Chart and was certified gold in early 1976. Their debut single, "Curiosity (Killed the Cat)", was released in September, reaching No. 15 on the related Kent Music Report Singles Chart. Two more singles followed, "Emma" and "It's a Long Way There".

Wheatley travelled to Los Angeles in December 1975 and touted the group to various record companies until Rupert Perry of Capitol Records signed them on Christmas Eve. Little River Band issued their second Australian album, After Hours, in April 1976. It was produced by the band but was not issued in the US until 1980. After Hours peaked at No. 5 and provided the single "Everyday of My Life", in May 1976, which reached the top 30.

1976–1982: success and changes of personnel
During August 1976 both Formosa and McLachlan were replaced. David Briggs joined on guitar (ex-Cycle, the Avengers, Ram Band) and George McArdle on bass guitar (also ex-Ram Band). According to Wheatley, Formosa was not enthusiastic about touring outside of Australia, He left to work as a session musician, composer and arranger. The group had also decided to bring in McArdle to replace McLachlan, who also became a sessions player and joined the country rock group Stars in 1976. Australian music journalist Ed Nimmervoll listed the classic line-up of the band as Birtles, Briggs, Goble, McArdle, Pellici and Shorrock. Formosa still worked with LRB by arranging and writing string parts for several tracks on subsequent albums.

Encouraged by their Australian success, they undertook their first international tour. They flew to the UK in September 1976 to play a show in London's Hyde Park supporting Queen. They then opened shows in the rest of Europe for the Hollies during September and October. Birtles advised fellow Australian bands to establish themselves in Australia first before trying the UK market. In October they performed their first US concert, at James Madison University (then called Madison College) in Harrisonburg, Virginia, as the opening act for Average White Band. Due to US appearances and support from FM stations, "It's a Long Way There" reached No. 28 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Little River Band's third studio album Diamantina Cocktail was released in April 1977. The Australian version was co-produced by the group with John Boylan – who stayed on to co-produce their next two studio albums. Due to tension between band members Birtles, Goble and Shorrock recorded as much of their parts individually as was feasible.

The Canberra Times Julie Meldrum caught their local performance in May 1977 and described the band as "tightly disciplined" and "there was nothing that was not world class." She reviewed the album, which had no Australian references and felt they were aiming at the US West Coast scene with influences from David Crosby, Graham Nash and Little Feat apparent. Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic commented on the US release, "laidback, sweet country-rock, [it] has a similar sound to the band's debut, but the melodies are a little sharper and catchier, making [it] a better, more fully-rounded collection."

In Australia Diamantina Cocktail became their highest charting album, peaking at No. 2; while the US version reached the top 50 on the Billboard 200. In January 1978 it was certified gold by RIAA for sales of 500,000 copies: the first Australian band to do so. The lead single, "Help Is on Its Way" reached No. 1 in Australia. Both it and the fourth single, "Happy Anniversary", peaked in the top 20 on the Billboard Hot 100.

During 1977 they consistently toured, mostly in the US, headlining in smaller venues and appearing in stadiums on multi-billed shows supporting the Doobie Brothers, Supertramp and America. In August they co-headlined day two of the Reading Music Festival in the UK alongside Thin Lizzy. In November they supported Fleetwood Mac and Santana at Rockarena concerts in Sydney and Melbourne.
Early in 1978, Little River Band performed in a free concert on the steps of the Sydney Opera House, drawing 80,000 people, topping the previous record of 57,000, set by Fleetwood Mac and Little River Band on their last Australian tour.

Their fourth studio album, Sleeper Catcher, was released in April 1978 and peaked at No. 4 in Australia and No. 16 in the US. By May of the following year, it was certified platinum by RIAA for sales of 1,000,000 copies: the first Australian recorded album to achieve that feat. AllMusic'''s Mike DeGagne praised Shorrock's vocals, which give it "the perfect MOR sound, draping the tracks with his cool, breezy style that is much more apparent and effectual here than on the band's earlier efforts." Sleeper Catcher provided three singles with "Shut Down Turn Off", their highest charting in Australia at No. 16. However in the US the highest charting was "Reminiscing", which peaked at No. 3. The album's last single, "Lady", reached No. 10 in the US in early 1979.

Pellicci was hospitalised in May 1978 with severe burns due to methylated spirits igniting on a barbecue. Geoff Cox (ex-Brian Cadd, Bootleg Family Band, Avalanche) substituted on drums, rather than cancelling their next US tour. They supported Boz Scaggs, Jimmy Buffett and the Eagles. Cox remained playing alongside Pellicci, when he joined the tour in August 1978; they supported the Eagles at C.N.E. Stadium in Toronto. Cox left once Pellicci had recovered.

Keyboardist Ian Mason, who was a session player on LRB's first three albums, played as a guest on some dates of their 1978 fall Australian jaunt. Mal Logan (ex-the Dingoes, Renée Geyer Band) then joined on keyboards for another US tour which commenced in late December 1978. Logan stayed on as a touring member until the end of 1981.

Nimmervoll observed that by February 1978, "frictions inside the band continued to brew, relieved a little by" side projects. Birtles & Goble showcased tracks rejected for LRB. They issued three singles, "Lonely Lives" (March 1978), "I'm Coming Home" (March 1979) and "How I Feel Tonight" (June 1980) and an album, The Last Romance (May 1980). "I'm Coming Home" reached No. 8 in Australia. Shorrock's solo single was a cover version of Bobby Darin's "Dream Lover" (April 1979), which peaked in the Australian top 10.

Little River Band's fifth studio album, First Under the Wire was released in July 1979, which reached No. 2 in Australia – equalling Diamantina Cocktail. It was also their highest charting album on the Billboard 200 at No. 10. In November it was certified by RIAA as a platinum album. AllMusic's Mark Allan described their "mix of harmony-drenched pop tunes and unthreatening rockers" which had a wide appeal. Both singles, "Lonesome Loser" and "Cool Change" peaked in the US top 10. Briggs wrote "Lonesome Loser" and Shorrock wrote "Cool Change".

Bassist George McArdle left in late January 1979 to become a Christian minister. In July of that year Barry Sullivan (ex-Chain, Renée Geyer Band) took over on bass guitar. He was replaced, in turn, by American Wayne Nelson (ex-Jim Messina Band) in April 1980.

Goble was the producer for Australian pop singer John Farnham's solo album, Uncovered which was released in September 1980. Goble wrote or co-wrote nine of its ten tracks and provided vocals. The album had other LRB alumni: Briggs, Formosa, Logan, Nelson, Pellicci and Sullivan. Farnham had signed with Wheatley's management company.

The line-up of Birtles, Briggs, Goble, Nelson, Pellicci and Shorrock recorded Little River Band's sixth studio album, Time Exposure, which was released in August 1981, with George Martin (the Beatles) producing. The Canberra Times Garry Raffaele felt "it's easy listening, no demands, easing up, slowing down, getting older." By the time it appeared, Stephen Housden (ex-Stevie Wright Band, the Imports) replaced Briggs on lead guitar. The album reached No .9 in Australia and No. 21 in the US; and in November it was certified gold by RIAA.

In August 1981 Nelson provided lead vocals for its lead single, "The Night Owls", which peaked at No. 18 in Australia and No. 6 in the US. Raffaele described the track as "the punchiest thing LRB has done for some time but it's still middle-of-the-road pap, hummable." Nelson also shared vocal duties with Shorrock on the second single, "Take It Easy on Me" (November 1981). According to Nimmervoll, Nelson's presence added to the conflict between band members and that Goble "agitated within the band to replace [Shorrock] with [Farnham]."

1982–1987: John Farnham years
In February 1982, Shorrock left Little River Band and resumed his solo career. Farnham replaced Shorrock on lead vocals and "Man on Your Mind", the third single from Time Exposure (with Shorrock's vocals), reached No. 14 in the US. Birtles described the removal of Briggs and Shorrock:I remember a couple of embarrassing moments in the studio where [Briggs] was quite rude to [Martin], insisting that his way was better and that he didn't need to be told how or what to play. After our return from recording in Montserrat, during a meeting at [Wheatley]'s house, [Goble] was quite vocal about [Briggs'] conduct. He confronted [him] and virtually fired him ... After [Shorrock] took his frustration out on me one day during a rehearsal ... I said I couldn't work with [him] any more. [Goble], who had always been at opposite poles to Shorrock, agreed with me and Wheatley started freaking out saying he thought it was a big mistake ... in hindsight, I believe he was right on the money and to me this would be the mistake that cut Little River Band's throat.

In September 1982, Farnham told Susan Moore of The Australian Women's Weekly how easy it was to fit into the group although both recording and stage work had differed. On covering early LRB repertoire he said, "We've had to change the key with a lot of things because Glenn sang in a different register from me." The first single with Farnham as lead vocalist, "The Other Guy", was released in November 1982 and reached No. 18 in Australia and No. 11 in the US. Another single, "Down on the Border", peaked at No. 7 in Australia.

Their next single, "We Two", from their seventh studio album, The Net, reached No. 22 in the US. It had been co-produced by the group and Ern Rose (Mississippi, Rénee Geyer, Stars). DeGagne reviewed the album, which "failed to capture the same success they experienced with Shorrock at the helm. The same type of soft rock fluidity and laid-back charm has been replaced with a sound that seems forced and somewhat strained". In 1983, "You're Driving Me Out of My Mind" became the group's last single to reach the US Top 40. The band moved towards a 1980s style of sound and added a keyboardist, David Hirschfelder (ex-Peter Cupples Band, who had guested on The Net and at some LRB shows), in September 1983.

The pressures of success and constant touring took their toll on the band as line-up changes continued. Birtles left in October 1983 because he did not like the harder, more progressive musical path which Goble was taking and because he had preferred Shorrock's vocals. Birtles contributed to soundtracks for the feature films From Something Great (1985) and Boulevard of Broken Dreams (1988). He also worked as a session musician, eventually relocating to the US and releasing a solo album, Driven by Dreams, in 2000. Pellicci left in February 1984 for similar reasons and Steve Prestwich (ex-Cold Chisel) replaced him on drums. Pellicci also became a session musician: including working for Brian Cadd.

Their eighth studio album, Playing to Win, was released in January 1985, which delivered a harder sound with producer Spencer Proffer. The change in sound, along with the unofficial shortening of their name to LRB, confused fans and radio programmers. Australian musicologist Ian McFarlane felt it was "a strong album but it failed to halt the band's slide in popularity." It reached No. 38 in Australia and No. 75 on the US charts. The title track made No. 59 on the Australian singles chart, No. 15 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart and No. 60 on Hot 100. The second single, "Blind Eyes", failed to enter the charts.

In July 1985 LRB performed on the Oz for Africa benefit concert (part of the global Live Aid program): "Don't Blame Me", "Full Circle", "Night Owls", and "Playing to Win". They were broadcast in Australia (on both Seven Network and Nine Network) and on MTV in the US. ABC broadcast "Don't Blame Me" and "Night Owls" during their Live Aid telecast ("Night Owls" was only partially transmitted). Farnham left the group following the completion of their short Australian tour in April 1986, which had Malcolm Wakeford drumming in Prestwich's place. Their ninth studio album, No Reins, recorded when Farnham was still aboard, appeared in the next month and was produced by Richard Dodd. It reached the Kent Music Report top 100.

Farnham explained to Pollyanna Sutton of The Canberra Times why he left, "[On the stage] I was up front and had to be the most liked. There was a lot of pressure because it wasn't, perhaps, working as it should, although there were other contributing things like the membership changes and perhaps the material." Nimmervoll described the Farnham years, "The experiment had never worked. Whatever [Farnham]'s talents, America longed for [Shorrock]. At the end of 1985, while LRB was seriously contemplating its future, Farnham took the initiative to start work on another solo album." Farnham continued to be managed by Wheatley – who left LRB in 1987 – and his solo career took off with his next album, Whispering Jack (October 1986). Hirschfelder, McLachlan, Nelson and Pellicci contributed to the album or the related tour.

1987–1998: Shorrock's return
After Farnham's departure, Little River Band were in limbo until July 1987 when Pellicci and Shorrock returned at the request of Irving Azoff, the head of MCA Records, who wanted the band on his label. The reformed group signed new management with  Geoffrey Schuhkraft and Paul Palmer, who assisted the line-up of Goble, Housden, Nelson, Pellicci and Shorrock in establishing a holding company, We Two Pty. Ltd, with all members as directors in equal share. Former manager Glenn Wheatley signed away rights to the band's name to the new company on May 12, 1988.

In July 1988, Pellicci described the group's previous two albums: "It was an overstatement to say the response to No Reins and Playing to Win was lukewarm — there was no response at all." The revamped group with keyboardist James Roche (Jamie Paddle) performed at the opening of World Expo 88 in Brisbane on 30 April. They were joined by the Eagles' Glenn Frey, who also accompanied them that year on tour.

The group released their tenth studio album, Monsoon, in May 1988, which peaked at No. 9 on the Kent Music Report. It was co-produced by Boylan and Goble. The Canberra Times Lisa Wallace was disappointed by its lack of innovation despite showing technical skills. Its lead single, "Love Is a Bridge", co-written by Goble and Housden was released in April and peaked at No. 7 on the Kent Music Report. It was their second highest charting single in the Australian market, and a moderate Adult Contemporary radio hit in the US.

In 1989 the group recorded "Listen to Your Heart", written by Tom Kelly and Billy Steinberg, for the film soundtrack of The Karate Kid Part III.

The eleventh studio album, Get Lucky, was released in April 1990. It was their last charting album in Australia and made the top 60. Mike Boehm of the Los Angeles Times caught their gig in May, where "[Shorrock] was stiff and seemed stuck for words between songs. But he knew what to do when the music started, singing in a comfortably husky voice that resembled Phil Collins in tone and easy pop appeal. [Nelson], the group's Californian, generated more heat in his two lead vocal turns. The three-part harmonies behind Shorrock were exemplary, although the Crosby, Stills & Nash parallels were unmistakable. Lead guitarist [Housden] reinforced the emphasis on melody with his clean, lyrical lines."

MCA released a compilation album, Worldwide Love, of tracks from the previous two LPs on their Curb Records imprint in June 1991. Both Get Lucky and Worldwide Love peaked in the top 40 on the Swiss Hitparade; with the latter also appearing on the Ö3 Austria Top 40. Goble had ceased touring with the group in 1989 and left altogether by 1992, as well as resigning from We Two. Peter Beckett (ex-Player) joined in 1989 to take Goble's place. The group went through a series of keyboard players, including Tony Sciuto (1990–1992, 1993–1997) and Richard Bryant (1992–1993, ex-the Doobie Brothers).

In September 1992, Nelson's daughter was killed in a traffic collision in San Diego while he was on tour with the band in Europe. Nelson immediately returned home and Hal Tupaea substituted on bass guitar for the New Zealand dates of the band's tour in November 1993. Little River Band subsequently took a break until Nelson's return in 1994 and embarked on a four-and-a-half month 20th anniversary US tour in 1995.

Shorrock left again in 1996: he was offered the option to buy out the remaining members of We Two Pty. Ltd. He took a one-third share of the monetary value of the company as he did not want to commit to the band's US touring schedule. Shorrock was replaced on lead vocals by Melbourne singer Steve Wade (ex-Dolphin Street). Nelson also left in 1996 and Tupaea returned on bass guitar. This line-up lasted until late 1997, when everyone, except Housden and Wade, started to leave, including Pellicci, who left again that December. The departure of all original directors left Housden as the sole owner of We Two Pty Ltd and the Little River Band's name and trademarks.

1998–present

In 1998, Housden established a new band configuration with contracted members: Wade was joined by Paul Gildea on vocals and guitars; Kevin Murphy on vocals, drums and percussion; Adrian Scott on vocals and keyboards (ex-Air Supply) and McLachlan, who returned after 22 years, on bass guitar. McLachlan's second tenure was short lived; both he and Scott departed after a year. Nelson returned early in the following year and Glenn Reither joined on keyboards, saxophone and backing vocals. Gildea and Wade left early in 2000 with Australian Greg Hind joining on vocals and guitars and Nelson taking over as lead singer. The line-up of Hind, Housden, Murphy, Nelson and Reither recorded two studio albums, Where We Started From (November 2000) and Test of Time (June 2004).

In March 2002, Birtles Shorrock Goble (BSG) were formed in Melbourne as a soft rock trio, initially billed as "The Original Little River Band" or "The Voices of Little River Band". Wheatley returned as their manager. They undertook a series of concerts performing LRB's earlier material. In June of that year a legal dispute, We Two Pty Ltd v Shorrock (2002), over the use of the name "Little River Band" reached the Federal Court of Australia. Housden's company, We Two Pty Ltd, lodged an action against Birtles, Goble and Shorrock seeking to stop BSG from using the LRB trademarks, logos and band name. Housden provided documentation showing the assignment of those trademarks to We Two, registered by the United States Patent and Trademark Office in 1989, and Birtles' transfer of ownership of the url "littleriverband.com" to We Two in 2000.

The parties settled out of court on 13 June 2002 where We Two had ownership of the Little River Band name, trademarks and logos and that Birtles, Goble and Shorrock could reference their history in advertising separate to BSG's name but only in a descriptive manner. On 12 July of that year Birtles, Goble and Shorrock were directed to pay half of We Two's taxed costs. A further legal case in late July 2005 was also settled out of court which allowed the trio to advertise their Little River Band connection but not to perform under that name. The three former members shared their frustration at the situation via song, with Goble's "Someone's Taken Our History", Birtles' "Revolving Door" and Shorrock's "Hear My Voice".

At the end of 2004, Murphy and Reither left LRB and Chris Marion joined on keyboards, while Kip Raines briefly took on drumming duties until replaced by Billy Thomas in early 2005. Housden stopped touring with the band in 2006 but still participated in their recordings and management. Rich Herring took over lead guitar on tour and Mel Watts replaced Thomas, who had suffered a shoulder injury, on drums in 2007. Ryan Ricks replaced Watts in 2012.Lehigh Valley Musics reviewer John Moser saw their performance in early 2013. He perceived that they largely played material from before 1985 and were unable to deliver improvements on the originals. That August, LRB released the album Cuts Like a Diamond on the Frontiers Records, a majority of which was written by other musicians.

Little River Band were scheduled to appear on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon in January 2015 to promote the group's 40th anniversary. It was cancelled after complaints from early members over advertising that LRB would perform "Reminiscing". Permission for the use of any songs written by Birtles, Briggs, Goble or Shorrock was refused. Shorrock expressed his concerns over LRB's misrepresentations, "They are promoting a newly recorded album of their own material, or whatever material they have got. They should do that rather than pretend they are the band that sold 30 million albums."

In March 2015 the group's appearance in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, was cancelled after the venue received a cease and desist order from the early members regarding the use of their recordings in advertising and the demands by LRB members to be paid in full before performing. The venue described the latter demand as "not only unreasonable, but uncustomary". Rahni Sadler of Australian television show Sunday Night investigated the band name controversy. She asked Housden to display the document which showed the transfer of ownership but he had not located it. Wheatley said that he could not remember signing it when it appeared in the court case. Shorrock offered to make peace with Housden and perform together. Housden told Sadler that he would not allow the original members to work as Little River Band "in this lifetime". Housden and Nelson acknowledged that the later version of the band would not be successful without the songs of the founders.

In September 2015, Little River Band received Casino Musical Entertainer of the Year at the Annual G2E Awards ceremony at the Hard Rock Hotel in Las Vegas. As of 2017, LRB continue to tour, mostly in the US, performing more than 80 concerts annually and re-recording earlier material. When asked about LRB's Hits Revisited album, Birtles disparaged it saying, "That to me is the comedy album ... They re-arranged all the songs and it's bloody awful. They're nothing more than a tribute band." Also in 2017, Little River Band blocked Australia from its official website. Australian access to the band's Facebook page was also blocked.

On 13 November 2017, Birtles on Australian talk show Studio 10 confirmed that the founders would not reunite, saying that "Once [BSG] folded we all realised it wasn't going to go any further than that. It's unfortunate how we lost the name and everything, but if its ruled in the court that way all you can do is walk away from it." In February 2018, Herring in Everyone Loves Guitar disclosed that "We actually re-recorded all the hits and I'll say without any shame that I tried to make it sound as close to the originals as possible by bringing in background singers that actually sounded like those guys did 30-40 years ago. I'm pretty proud of it." Nashville musician Colin Whinnery was recruited to replace Hind on vocals and guitar in 2018, consequently there are no Australians in Little River Band.

In January 2019, an agent for Goble, Birtles and Shorrock applied to the Australian Trademark Office to register "Little River Band" as a trademark. Little River Band Pty Ltd had current registered trademarks for "Little River Band". The application sought to have the existing Little River Band trademarks removed, alleging non-use in the three year period ending December 2018. On 17 May 2021 the Australian Trademark Office ruled in favour of Little River Band Pty Ltd's opposition to the application for removal of their "Little River Band" trademarks.

From May 2020 major music and streaming platforms such as iTunes recognise the original Little River Band as a separate entity to the latter band. On 18 September 2020, Birtles, Briggs, Goble and Shorrock participated in a video-conference where they discussed the formation and early history of the band.

In November 2020 the current lineup released Black Tie which features Little River Band's greatest hits performed with an orchestra (arranged by keyboardist Marion) recorded at a series of concerts with the Craig Turley Rock Symphony. This followed the concept of the album Backstage Pass recorded by the original members of the band in 1978 with the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra.

In December 2020, Rolling Stone Australia magazine reported that "the songwriters responsible for the band's biggest songs – Graeham Goble, Glenn Shorrock, Beeb Birtles and David Briggs – are unable to perform as the Little River Band, the band they themselves invented back in 1974! A fake version of Little River Band continues to tour, playing parodies of their hits. The owner of the title, Stephen Housden, is adamant he won't share the rights with the original members."

Little River Band were listed at number 44 in Rolling Stone Australias "50 Greatest Australian Artists of All Time" issue.

Little River Band's original manager, Glenn Wheatley, died from complications of COVID-19 on 1 February 2022 at the age of 74.

In 2022, Nashville singer, composer and guitarist Bruce Wallace replaced Rich Herring in the current band's lineup.

In September 2022, the band founders announced the remastered and expanded re-release of their first 10 albums, alongside two new compilations, Ultimate Hits and Masterpieces, which were released on 14 October 2022.

Legacy

The Little River Band are considered to be among Australia's most significant bands. As of September 2004 they have sold more than 30 million records and scored 13 US Top 40 hits. In May 2001 the Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA), as part of its 75th anniversary celebrations, named "Cool Change" as one of the Top 30 Australian songs of all time. At that ceremony Goble and Shorrock reconnected after ten years; they proposed a reunion with Birtles to perform their earlier material, which became the trio Birtles Shorrock Goble.

At the ARIA Music Awards of 2004, Little River Band were inducted into the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) Hall of Fame. The presentation acknowledged the band's three decade career and thirteen official members and was accepted by  the 1976 to 1978 line-up of Birtles, Briggs, Goble, Pellicci, McArdle and Shorrock. They were referred to as "The Classic Line-up of the Little River Band". They performed "Help Is on Its Way" at the ceremony on 17 October 2004. Shorrock had previously been inducted in 1991 for his work with the Twilights, Axiom and his solo career. Farnham, who had been inducted in 2003 for his solo work, was not inducted in 2004 with Little River Band. However, Farnham's contribution to LRB was acknowledged by Goble in his acceptance speech. The 2018 version of Little River Band claims the band's Hall of Fame induction, amongst other past achievements, on its website.

With more than five million plays, "Reminiscing", written by Goble, was recognised by Broadcast Music Incorporated (BMI) as one of the most frequently played songs in the history of US radio, the highest achievement of any Australian pop song internationally. According to Albert Goldman's biography, John Lennon named "Reminiscing" as one of his favourite songs. May Pang, Lennon's erstwhile girlfriend, said they considered "Reminiscing" as "our song". "Lady" has accumulated more than four million plays.

LRB were mentioned in the 2010 film The Other Guys, when the character portrayed by Will Ferrell played "Reminiscing" while driving. The character portrayed by Mark Wahlberg threw the CD out the window, but Ferrell's character played it again later on and said that he always had six identical LRB CDs in his car. In Sea Stories: My Life in Special Operations (2019), Admiral William H. McRaven wrote that he would sing "Happy Anniversary" before every jump.

Shorrock was appointed an honorary member of the Order of Australia (AM) on 26 January 2020, awarded for significant service to the performing arts as a singer, songwriter and entertainer. In March 2020 he was due to perform at the Little River Country Fair in the town after which LRB were named. Shorrock wanted to celebrate the 45th anniversary of the group's first show. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic the performance was postponed. In September, Goble was acknowledged for achieving 12 million plays of his songs on US commercial radio by BMI after receiving his fifth such Million-Air Award, with the latest for "The Night Owls" (see their BMI Awards).

Discography

 Little River Band (1975)
 After Hours (1976)
 Diamantina Cocktail (1977)
 Sleeper Catcher (1978)
 First Under the Wire (1979)
 Time Exposure (1981)
 The Net (1983)
 Playing to Win (1985)
 No Reins (1986)
 Monsoon (1988)
 Get Lucky (1990)
 Where We Started From (2000)
 Test of Time (2004)
 We Call It Christmas (2007)
 Cuts Like a Diamond'' (2013)

Personnel

Current members

 Wayne Nelson – bass, vocals (1980–96, 1999–present)
 Chris Marion – keyboards, vocals (2004–present)
 Ryan Ricks – drums, vocals (2012–present)
 Colin Whinnery – guitar, vocals (2018–present)
 Bruce Wallace – guitar, vocals (2022–present)

Former members

 Graeham Goble – guitar, vocals (1975–92)
 Glenn Shorrock – vocals (1975–82, 1987–96)
 Beeb Birtles – guitar, vocals (1975–83)
 Derek Pellicci – drums (1975–84, 1987–98)
 Graham Davidge – lead guitar (1975)
 Dave Orams – bass (1975)
 Ric Formosa – guitar, vocals (1975–76)
 Roger McLachlan – bass (1975–76, 1998–99)
 David Briggs – guitar (1976–81)
 George McArdle – bass (1976–79)
 Geoff Cox – drums (1978)
 Mal Logan – keyboards (1978–82)
 Barry Sullivan – bass (1979–80; died 2003)
 Stephen Housden – guitar (1981–2006)
 John Farnham – vocals (1982–86)
 David Hirschfelder – keyboards, synthesisers, backing vocals (1983–86)
 Steve Prestwich – drums (1984–86; died 2011)

 Malcolm Wakeford – drums (1986)
 James Roche – keyboards (1988–89)
 Peter Beckett – guitar, vocals (1989–97)
 Tony Sciuto – keyboards, guitar, vocals (1990–92, 1993–97)
 Richard Bryant – keyboards, backing vocals (1992–93)
 Steve Wade – lead vocals, guitar (1996–2000)
 Hal Tupea – bass (1996–97)
 Kevin Murphy – drums, vocals (1998–2004)
 Paul Gildea – guitar, vocals (1998–2000)
 Adrian Scott – keyboards, vocals (1998–99)
 Glenn Reither – keyboards, saxophone, backing vocals (1999–2004)
 Greg Hind - vocals, guitar (2000–18)
 Kip Raines – drums (2004–05)
 Billy Thomas – drums (2005–07)
 Rich Herring – guitar, vocals (2006–22)
 Mel Watts – drums (2007–12)

Awards and nominations

References

External links

Shorrock Birtles Goble website
 Little River Band holdings in the National Film and Sound Archive
 "Little River Band: 'L.A. was home to so many great bands and musicians'" interview with Wayne Nelson on Yuzu Melodies, 10 January 2014.

APRA Award winners
ARIA Award winners
Australian supergroups
Musical groups from Melbourne
Australian soft rock music groups
Musical groups established in 1975
ARIA Hall of Fame inductees
1975 establishments in Australia
Capitol Records artists
EMI Records artists
Frontiers Records artists
Harvest Records artists
MCA Records artists

Little River Band


John M. Burke (1842 – April 12, 1917), also known as "Arizona John" and "Major John M. Burke" was an American publicist, manager, and press agent. He is best known for his association with Buffalo Bill's Wild West show.

Early life
John M. Burke was born in New York City, in 1842. He was orphaned in infancy after his parents died and was taken in by relatives in Maryland.

Career
In 1866, he made his way west to Montana Territory where he first met William F. "Buffalo Bill" Cody, who was Chief of Scouts for the Third Cavalry. He served Cody as a personal attendant. In 1877, Arizona John was a part of the 'Texas Jack Combination' formed by Texas Jack Omohundro and debuted in St. Louis that year.

Arizona John served as the press agent and publicist for Buffalo Bill Cody's Wild West Show from 1883 until Cody's death in 1917. He would travel ahead of the company meeting with reporters and employed innovating techniques at the time, such as celebrity endorsements, press kits, publicity stunts, op-ed articles, billboards and product licensing, that contributed to the success and popularity of the show.

In 1893 he published a biography of Buffalo Bill titled Buffalo Bill from Prairie to Palace.

Despite being called "Major", Burke never served in the military; similarly, aside from his name, he was not associated with Arizona.

Death

Burke died in Washington, D.C., on April 12, 1917 and was buried in an unmarked grave in Mount Olivet Cemetery. On April 12, 2017, a permanent marker was erected.

References

External links

1842 births
1917 deaths
People of the American Old West
Public relations pioneers
Wild West shows
Burials at Mount Olivet Cemetery (Washington, D.C.)

Arizona John Burke


2,6-Dimethylpiperidines are chemical compounds with the formula C5H8(CH3)2NH.  Three stereoisomers exist: the achiral (R,S)-isomer and the chiral (R,R)/(S,S) enantiomeric pair. Dimethylpiperidines are derivatives of the heterocycle piperidine, wherein two hydrogen atoms are replaced by methyl groups.

The 2,6-dimethylpiperidines are prepared by reduction of 2,6-dimethylpyridine (2,6-lutidine).  The achiral isomer is the predominant isomer produced in this reaction.

The 2,6-dimethylpiperidines are of interest for their conformational properties. The (R,S)-isomer exists largely in the chair conformation with equatorial methyl groups.  The (R,R)/(S,S)-isomers are attractive chiral secondary amine building blocks.

References

See also
Compound Summary 2,6-Dimethylpiperidine on National Library of Medicine National Center

Piperidines

2,6-Dimethylpiperidine


Kitfo (, ) is an Ethiopian traditional dish which originated among the Gurage people. It consists of minced raw beef, marinated in mitmita (a chili powder-based spice blend) and niter kibbeh (a clarified butter infused with herbs and spices). The word comes from the Ethio-Semitic root k-t-f, meaning "to chop finely; mince."

Kitfo cooked lightly rare is known as kitfo leb leb. Kitfo is often served alongside—sometimes mixed with—a mild cheese called ayibe or cooked greens known as gomen. In many parts of Ethiopia, kitfo is served with injera, a spongy, absorbent sourdough crepe-style bread made from fermented teff flour, although in traditional Gurage cuisine, one would use kocho, a thick flatbread made from the ensete plant. An ensete leaf may be used as a garnish. Though not considered a delicacy, kitfo is generally held in high regard.

Kitfo is served on special occasions such as holidays; it is commonly used on the "Finding of the True Cross" or "Meskel" holiday celebrated annually on September 27 in Ethiopia.

See also
Gored gored
Steak tartare
Kibbeh nayyeh
Raw foodism
Injera
List of African dishes
List of Ethiopian dishes and foods

References

External links
Kitfo recipe

Raw beef dishes
Eritrean cuisine
Ethiopian cuisine

Kitfo


Alun Edward Michael  (born 22 August 1943) is a Welsh Labour and Co-operative politician serving as South Wales Police and Crime Commissioner since 2012. He served as Secretary of State for Wales from 1998 to 1999 and then as the first First Secretary of Wales (later known as First Minister) and Leader of Welsh Labour from 1999 to 2000.

Born on the island of Anglesey, Michael attended Colwyn Bay Grammar School and graduated from the University of Keele in 1966 with a degree in Philosophy and English. He worked as a reporter for the South Wales Echo until 1971 and then as a youth and community worker until 1987. He became a Justice of the Peace in 1972 and served on the Cardiff City Council from 1973 to 1989. He was elected to the House of Commons in 1987, succeeding former Labour Prime Minister James Callaghan for the constituency of Cardiff South and Penarth.

In opposition, he was a Shadow Home Affairs Minister and then when Labour came to power in 1997 he served as a Minister of State for Home Affairs until 1998. In October of that year, Ron Davies resigned as Secretary of State for Wales following a personal controversy and Prime Minister Tony Blair appointed Michael to succeed him. In May 1999, following the first elections to the National Assembly for Wales, Michael defeated Rhodri Morgan to become the Leader of Welsh Labour and thus the First Secretary of Wales. The position was later renamed First Minister of Wales under the tenure of his successor.

Michael resigned as Leader of Welsh Labour and First Secretary nine months later to avoid a vote of no confidence. He resigned from the Welsh Assembly shortly after and served in various junior ministerial positions in the Labour government at Westminster. He resigned from the House of Commons in October 2012 to stand for the newly created position of Police and Crime Commissioner for South Wales, to which he was elected in November 2012 and again in 2016 and 2021.

Background and family life
Michael was born at Bryngwran, Anglesey, the son of Leslie and Betty Michael. He attended Colwyn Bay Grammar School and studied at Keele University for four years from 1962 to 1966 obtaining a BA degree in Philosophy and English.

Professional career
He was a reporter for the South Wales Echo, a Cardiff-based evening newspaper, where he was a contemporary of Michael Buerk (later to become a distinguished BBC correspondent) and of Sue Lawley (later to become presenter of the BBC magazine programme Nationwide). In his autobiography Michael Buerk wrote "Alun Michael with his ginger toothbrush-moustache and battered corduroy jacket, was a rather Pooterish character for the Sixties. He did not stay in journalism, which was no surprise, but went into politics, which certainly was". Michael in fact left journalism in 1971 and spent 16 years until 1987 as a "youth and community worker" before entering Parliament. In 1972 he was appointed a justice of the peace, chairing the Cardiff Juvenile Bench.

Political career
Michael was a member of Cardiff City Council for the Rumney ward, subsequently the Trowbridge ward from 1973 until 1989.

He became an MP at the 1987 general election, inheriting a safe Labour seat from former prime minister James Callaghan. Michael retained this seat in 1992, 1997, 2001, 2005 and 2010 although with declining majorities at each election from 1997 onwards.

Home Office
Michael was a Shadow Home Affairs Minister while in opposition, prior to becoming a Minister of State in the Home Office (he likes to describe himself as having been "Deputy Home Secretary") following Labour's landslide victory in the 1997 general election. His rhetoric when coming to office differed from the eventual delivery. As Home Office minister, he pledged there would be "no hiding place for paedophiles" as there would "be cases where the public will have to be told directly that a paedophile is in their area. Several frightening cases in recent months have hammered it home that we must act." This policy was not realised, and following the case of eight-year-old Sarah Payne and calls for his original policy to be introduced, Michael agreed with the approach being taken by then Dyfed Powys Chief Constable Terence Grange, who said such a plan would drive paedophiles underground. He said "(Grange) warned of the dangers of having open access leading to paedophiles disappearing and therefore posing an even greater risk". Michael defended his decision not to introduce "Sarah's Law" saying, "These are extremely difficult issues and people are understandably very upset, but there is a danger of serious mistakes being made and this has been shown on a number occasions.".

Michael was however responsible for steering the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 through the House of Commons. Amongst other things, this Act introduced ASBOs or Anti-social Behaviour Orders and statutory crime reduction partnerships. He was also responsible for the Government policy on the voluntary and community sector, and introduced the "compact" process to achieve partnership between Government and that sector. Michael later became a member of the Justice Select Committee from November 2007 to May 2010. While on the committee he took part in enquiries into restorative justice, devolution ten years on, the role of the prison officer, and the work of the Crown Prosecution Service.

Wales career
In May 1997 Ron Davies was appointed by Tony Blair to the cabinet position of Secretary of State for Wales and then, in September 1998, narrowly defeated Rhodri Morgan in an internal contest for the Labour leadership in Wales. The first election for the National Assembly of Wales was due to be held in May 1999. Should Labour form a government, the Welsh Labour leader would then become what was to be called "First Secretary" – potentially giving Ron Davies a role in both the UK and Welsh legislatures.

However, on 27 October 1998, Ron Davies abruptly resigned as Secretary of State for Wales after adverse publicity about his personal life. Tony Blair overlooked Rhodri Morgan (then MP for Cardiff West) and controversially appointed Alun Michael as the new Secretary of State for Wales.

Two days later, on 29 October 1998, Ron Davies also resigned the Labour Leadership in Wales, thus relinquishing his ambition to become First Secretary and initiating another leadership contest. Blair again overlooked Morgan and opted to back Alun Michael as putative First Secretary. According to Neath MP Peter Hain "Rhodri was the party's favourite and feelings ran very high" but nevertheless, in a volte-face, Hain agreed to run the campaign for Michael who he described as "the establishment candidate". Although Morgan had the overwhelming support of individual Labour Party members, Alun Michael, backed by Blair and by the trade unions, duly won. This episode led to Michael being described as a "famously tetchy Millbank-backed candidate". The affair was described by Peter Kellner as  "another fix" in order "to ensure Alun Michael became Labour's leader in Wales" which Kellner said "offended so many voters that it lost some of its safest seats, including Rhondda, to Plaid Cymru". Tony Blair's favourable treatment of Michael was later described by Kellner as a "determination to foist Alun Michael on the people of Wales", which "produced a spectacular collapse of support". Michael stressed his Welsh credentials, as someone who had grown up in North Wales, lived for 30 years in South Wales and was a speaker of Welsh. He had approached Blair at a very early stage to suggest he stood for the Welsh Assembly elections.

The first Assembly election resulted in the Welsh Labour Party winning less than half of the available seats. In the first plenary on 12 May 1999 Michael was elected First Secretary.

Rather than form a coalition, Michael took the unconventional route of forming a minority government, believing that this offered the potential for a more collaborative and democratic approach to the work of the Assembly.

However, this was to lead to the very outcome Tony Blair had wanted to prevent, the election of Rhodri Morgan as leader of the Welsh Assembly. On 9 February 2000, after less than nine months in office, Michael resigned in an attempt to avoid a vote of "no confidence" over the availability of Objective 1 funding from the European Union. Blair was in the House of Commons taking Prime Minister's Questions when Michael resigned; his PPS had not been notified of this yet, and moments later Conservative leader William Hague asked: "Will the Prime Minister comment on the fact that within moments of his expressing full confidence in the First Secretary in Wales five or 10 minutes ago, news came through to the House that the First Secretary had resigned, before the vote of confidence had taken place?" This led to an exchange that proved humiliating for Blair as he had not been given any notice of Michael's impending resignation. In his resignation Michael also expressed a desire to avoid a debacle resulting from his inevitable re-appointment (and potential repeated removal, ad infinitum) arising from an inconsistency in the Assembly's brand-new rules.

Michael sat on the Welsh Affairs Select Committee from November 2007 to May 2010 and resigned as an MP on 22 October 2012.

Environment career
In 2001, he was appointed Minister of State for Rural Affairs and Local Environmental Quality, a post within DEFRA. He was the minister most closely connected with a ban on hunting with dogs, for which he attracted much criticism from hunt supporters. Michael was criticised for citing the research of Sir Patrick Bateson as "incontrovertible proof" of the need for a total ban. Sir Patrick said, "Only somebody who was scientifically illiterate could argue that evidence from a new area of research was 'incontrovertible'" but Michael claimed that Bateson had misunderstood the way his work had been cited.

Hunting Act

In 2004, he presided over the enactment of the Hunting Act which banned hare coursing, beagling, fox hunting, mink and stag hunting in the UK from February 2005. At the time this law was being debated, and immediately after it was passed, Michael maintained his visits to rural areas despite threats and protest, but withdrew from the event to launch the "Right to Roam" stating that access to the countryside was too important to be interrupted by pro-hunt protestors whose plans could put the public at risk. Michael maintained that hunting was a "peripheral issue" citing social and economic issues in rural areas as "the day job". In 2004, he formally approved the order designating the New Forest as a National Park.

Trade and Business
In 2005 Michael was moved to a ministerial post in the Department of Trade and Industry as Minister of State for Industry and the Regions, where he served only one year before he was returned to the backbenches in the Cabinet reshuffle of May 2006.

In 2005 the Freedom of Information Act came into force allowing members of the public to request disclosure of information from public bodies. On 18 May 2007 Alun Michael was among the majority of MPs who voted in favour of exempting MPs from having to disclose information under the act.

Votes for 14-year-olds
In his newspaper column in the Penarth Times of 10 May 2010, Michael proposed giving the vote to 14-year-olds as a way of improving turn-out at UK elections. He said: "My first suggestion is to reduce the voting age to 14 – an age which I find young people far better informed and sensibly engaged than was the case in the past – so that everybody takes place in the voting process once before leaving full-time education. They will then know how to vote when they come to engage with political issues later in life". This was going much further than official Labour Party policy. Labour's 2010 Manifesto only promised a free vote in Parliament on reducing the voting age to 16.

Controversies

Parliamentary expenses claims
Michael was one of the MPs who was investigated by The Daily Telegraph in its probe into MPs Expenses Claims in 2009. The Telegraph reported that "Alun Michael claims £4,800 for food in one year, and £2,600 for repairs to his roof at his constituency home in Penarth. Claims for £1,250 cost of repairing a wall and building a 13ft chain link fence." Subsequently, it was reported he was among 390 MPs required by Sir Thomas Legg to repay taxpayers' money which allegedly they had wrongly-claimed. An audit of claims dating back to 2004 revealed that Michael should repay £18,889.56 for mortgage interest on additional loans "not shown to have been for an eligible purpose". He had also been paid £280 more than he was entitled to claim for council tax in the year 2004/05 – claiming expenses for 12 installments when he had only had to pay 10 to the local authority. Michael blamed a "clerical error" for the inflated claim. He said "The council tax payment came at a time when I was under a lot of stress politically". Michael repaid £19,169.56 although later in a 2010 Election Hustings meeting in Splott he said press reports of his having been forced to pay back £20,000 were "untrue" and asserted he had "voluntarily" paid back the money.

Investigated by IPSA
In 2011, Michael was investigated by the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (IPSA) over his website. IPSA found he had contravened the rules of the MPs' Expenses Scheme which prohibit MPs from claiming parliamentary expenses for websites which include party logos. Michael had claimed – and been paid – £346.71 which he was not entitled to. He was given 20 days to amend his website but was not required to pay back the money he had been paid.

Police and Crime Commissioner
On 18 June 2012, Michael was chosen as the Labour Party candidate for the inaugural election for Police and Crime Commissioner for South Wales.

On 13 July 2012 the Western Mail reported that Michael had been "interfering inappropriately" in the selection process for his replacement in Cardiff South and Penarth, to ensure his preferred candidate (Stephen Doughty) was included on the shortlist. Michael responded that he did speak to Ed Miliband, to the party's general secretary Iain McNicol and members of the National Executive Committee, with the purpose to stop a candidate from outside being imposed on the local party.

Having stood down as an MP, Michael was declared the winner of the first-ever election for Police and Crime Commissioner for South Wales on 16 November 2012 (the election having taken place the previous day). The PCC elections used the supplementary vote system. In the first round Michael failed to gain an outright majority against two Independents and a Conservative candidate. In the second-round however Michael garnered 72,751 votes beating the runner-up, Independent candidate and former lawyer Michael Barker, by 11,967 votes.

In a Parliamentary written answer on 11 December 2012, Damian Green, Minister of State for Police and Criminal Justice, reported that Michael's salary as PCC for South Wales is £85,000 per annum.

On 9 November 2017 Michael asked Carwyn Jones to define the allegations made against Carl Sargeant, the former Welsh assembly member who apparently took his own life.

On 23 May 2023, and in reference to the deaths of two boys in a collision in Cardiff, Michael said "It would appear that there were rumours, and those rumours became rife, of a police chase, which wasn't the case and I think it illustrates the speed with which rumours can run around with the activity that goes on social media nowadays, and that events can get out of hand." Later the same day this was apparently contradicted by the emergence of household CCTV footage of a police van closely following two people on an electric bike 900 metres from the crash site. In response, Jane Dodds, the leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats, said, "This footage raises serious questions over the version of events provided by South Wales Police and PCC Alun Michael. We now need an immediate, impartial investigation. Should Alun Michael be found to have misled the public he should resign."

Bibliography
Dragon on Our Doorstep: New Politics for a New Millennium in Wales by Alun Michael (University of Wales, Aberystwyth, 2000)
Labour in Action: Tough on Crime, Tough on the Causes of Crime – a Collection of Essays edited by Alun Michael (Fabian Society, 1997)
Building the Future Together (Labour Party, 1997)

See also
 List of Welsh AMs/MSs with the shortest service

References

External links

Alun Michael website official constituency website
Alun Michael MP Welsh Labour Party profile

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1943 births
Alumni of Keele University
British Secretaries of State
Converts to Anglicanism
Councillors in Cardiff
First Ministers of Wales
Labour Co-operative MPs for Welsh constituencies
Leaders of political parties in Wales
Living people
Members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom
Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for Cardiff constituencies
Members of the Welsh Government
People from Anglesey
Police and crime commissioners in Wales
Secretaries of State for Wales
Wales AMs 1999–2003
Welsh Anglicans
Welsh Labour members of the Senedd
UK MPs 1987–1992
UK MPs 1992–1997
UK MPs 1997–2001
UK MPs 2001–2005
UK MPs 2005–2010
UK MPs 2010–2015
Bryngwran
Welsh-speaking politicians
Labour Party police and crime commissioners

Alun Michael


Oluseyi Abiodun Makinde (dem bon am for 25 December 1967) be Naija businessman, politician plus including philanthropist who be di Governor of Oyo State inside Naija since 29 May, 2019 .Him be engineer wey dey gbaski and get correct experience for wetin dem dey call fluid and gas metering. Na him be di oga kpatakpata for Makon Group Limited wey be local oil and Gas Company for inside Nigeria. Oluseyi Makinde been start his first oil and gas business wey him call Makon Engineering and Technical Services, (METS) when him be 29years of age for year 1997, after him don get correct correct  work experience when him dey work with international oil and gas companies.
Makinde bin contest and lose di 2015 Oyo State gubernatorial election on top the platform of  Social Democratic Party (SDP) .

How e take start
Dem born Oluseyi Makinde inside di family of one correct teacher wey later becom accountant, late Pa Olatubosun Makinde and Madam Abigail Makinde for Aigbofa Compound inside Oja'ba for Ibadan. Na him be di third pikin inside di family.
Makinde bin start primary school for St Paul Primary School come finish am for St Michael Primary School, Yemetu, Ibadan.  Him do secondary school for Bishop Phillips Academy, Monatan, Ibadan. For 1985, him get admission to University of Lagos (Unilag) dat na where e get di certificate wey dem call bachelor's degree for Electrical Engineering.

For 1998, Oluwaseyi waka go Industrial Control Services inside Houston, Texas go get correct training on top wetin dem call Safety Shutdown System; come join Development of Analytical Competence for Managing Operations for Lagos Business School (now Pan-Atlantic University)in 1999. For year 2000, he bin get training for another area wey dem call automation. For year 2002, him waka go study wetin dem call Fundamentals of Crude Sampling for Jiskoot Auto Control Training Centre,inside Kent, England. Again for year 2005, Oluseyi Makinde waka go study Understanding and Solving Complex Business Problems for Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), inside USA.

How im take work and do business
Makinde bin do national service (NYSC) for Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) Nigeria, where dem later give am work as pupil engineer. Him serve for different capacities come handle and join hands on top several key projects between 1990 and 1992. Him bin work as field Engineer (Eket operations) for Rebold International Limited from 1992 to 199 where dem later make am Field Manager in 1995.
For inside year 1997, Makinde start his first business, Makon Engineering and Technical Services Limited (METS), after him don work for five years (1992-1997) with many international oil and gas companies (IOCs), as Engineering Manager. Na him come be the oga kpatakpata for Makon Group of Companies.
Makinde be member of  many correct national and international professional bodies wey include: Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE), Council for Regulations of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN), Oil and Gas Design Engineers of Nigeria (OGDEN), International Society of Automation (ISA), Institute of Measurement and Control UK; and American Measurement Institute (AMI).

How im take do politics
For year 2007, Makinde bin contest and lose election for the Oyo South Senatorial seat on top the platform of the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) to People's Democratic Party candidate- Kamoru Adedibu. Makinde no allow that loss to shake am as him come try try contest in 2010 under the People's Democratic Party, PDP for Oyo South 2011 Senatorial seat but lose inside primary to the Senator wey bin dey represent Oyo South.
For year 2014, Makinde make up him mind to fight for Oyo State 2015 governorship ticket on top  the platform of the People's Democratic Party (PDP) but for  December 2014 when dem finish party's primary election,dem no gree give am the governorship nomination ticket. Na this mata plus to achieve his ambition make Oluseyi makinde waka comot for People's Democratic Party PDP) go join Social Democratic Party (SDP), where him contest for governor of Oyo State in year 2015.
For September 2017,after many talk talk with the Caretaker National Chairman of PDP, Senator Ahmed Makarfi wey come visit am for Ibadan plus including many many meetings National Leaders, Oyo State leaders plus elders of the Social Democratic Party for inside Oyo State, Engineer Seyi Makinde return to his before before political party, People's Democratic Party (PDP) where him talk say him no return for personal gain but na becos him wan join contribute to the development of the state.
For September 29, 2018, Makinde comot as People's Democratic Party (PDP) candidate wey go contest for the governorship election for 2019 general elections for Oyo State, after him get polling 2772 votes at the primary election that took place at liberty stadium, Oke-Ado in Ibadan.

Mr. Seyi Makinde was elected into the Office of the Governor of Oyo State for inside the Gubernatorial elections for Oyo State wey dem do on March 9, 2019 after him get 515,621 votes come take defeat his rival, Mr Adebayo Adelabu of the All Progressive Party wey get 357,982 votes.

Di award wey im collect
 Nigerian Union of Journalists (Oyo State Council)-Laudable Contribution to Humanity Merit Award.
 National Association of Oke-Ogun Students (Ibadan)-Merit Award.
 Fiditi Grammar School (Oyo State)-Old Student Merit Award in appreciation to the commitment, dedication and service to the association and humanity.
 Junior Chamber International (JCI) University of Calabar Chapter.-Entrepreneurial Excellence Award.
 Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (Oyo State Chapter)-Gold Merit Award for immense and invaluable contribution to sports development.
 Nigerian Association of Social Workers Merit Awards (Oyo State Chapter)-Philanthropic gestures and contribution to Social Care Delivery Services.
 CCII National Merit Award.
 Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (Ibadan)  - awarded Seyi "Astute Politician of the Year 2018" for his resilience with which he had continued to assist the less privileged in the society.

Im personal life
Oluwaseyi dey live for Ibadan inside Oyo State. Him dey married to Tamunominini Makinde and dem get three children.

Biography

Seyi Makinde


"When the Tigers Broke Free" is a song by Pink Floyd featured in the musical movie Pink Floyd - The Wall. It is about the main character, Pink, remembering the death of his father in World War II's Operation Shingle in Anzio, Italy. In 2004, a new version of the song was released on The Final Cut.

1980 songs
Pink Floyd songs

When the Tigers Broke Free