Look up conference in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

A conference is a meeting of people who "confer" about a topic.

• Academic conference, in science and academia, a formal event where researchers present results, workshops, and other activities.
• Business conference, organized to discuss business-related matters
• Conference call, in telecommunications, a "multi-party call"
• Conference hall, room where conferences are held
• News conference, an announcement to the press (print, radio, television) with the expectation of questions, about the announced matter, following.
• Parent-teacher conference, a meeting with a child's teacher to discuss grades and school performance.
• Peace conference, a diplomatic meeting to end conflict.
• Settlement conference, a meeting between the plaintiff and the respondent in lawsuit, wherein they try to settle their dispute without proceeding to trial
• Trade conference, or trade fair, organized like a business conference but with wider participation and providing the opportunity for business people and the general public alike to network and learn more about topics of interest through workshops, viewing whitepaper presentations, and meeting vendors of similar or related services.
• Unconference

'''Conference''' may also refer to:

Sports[link]

• American Football Conference and National Football Conference, two halves of NFL, a professional American football league
• Athletic conference, a competitive grouping of teams, often geographical
• Football Conference, an English football league
• The distinct competitions, currently three, within each season of the Philippine Basketball Association

Other uses[link]

• One European pear cultivar is named 'Conference'

See also[link]

• American Conference (disambiguation)
• Convention (disambiguation)
• General assembly (disambiguation)
• List of World War II conferences
• National Conference
• Summit (meeting)
• Symposium

This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the same title. If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article.

The following is a list of significant men and women known for being the father, mother, or considered the founders mostly in Western socities in a field, listed by category. In most non-science fields, the title of being the "father" is debatable.

Church[link]

Games[link]

Humanities[link]

Military[link]

Nations[link]

Natural and social sciences[link]

Sports[link]

Technology[link]

Fields[link]

Inventions[link]

Towns, cities and regions[link]

Transport[link]

See also[link]

• List of inventors
• Father of medicare
• Founders of statistics

References[link]

Andy Ellis

Full name	Andrew Michael Ellis
Date of birth	(1984-02-21) 21 February 1984 (age 28)
Place of birth	Christchurch, New Zealand
Height	1.81 m (5 ft 11 1⁄2 in)
Weight	89 kg (14 st 0 lb)
School	Burnside High School [1]
University	Lincoln University
Rugby union career
Playing career
Position	Scrum-half
New Zealand No.	1068
Provincial/State sides
Years	Club / team	Caps	(points)
2005–	Canterbury	49	(5)
correct as of 2012-04-14.
Super Rugby
Years	Club / team	Caps	(points)
2006–	Crusaders	72	(69)
Current local club	University, Christchurch
correct as of 2012-04-18.
National team(s)
Years	Club / team	Caps	(points)
2006–	New Zealand	37	(20)
correct as of 14 April 2012.

Andrew "Andy" Ellis (born 21 February 1984 in Christchurch, New Zealand) is a New Zealand rugby union player who specialises in the position of scrum-half. He currently plays for the Crusaders in the Super Rugby league and Canterbury in provincial rugby.^[2]

Career[link]

In 2005 Ellis played in the New Zealand under-21 side.^[3] His Super 14 rookie year saw him oust All Black Kevin Senio from the Crusaders starting line-up. Ellis missed the 2006 Super 14 Final after sustaining a knee injury in the semi-final against the Bulls.^[4][5]

Although injury meant Ellis was unavailable for the 2006 All Blacks tests against Ireland and Argentina,^[6] he was later named to make his All Black debut against England at Twickenham.^[7] For the 2007 Rugby World Cup Ellis was selected ahead of Wellington halfback Piri Weepu.^{[citation needed]}

Personal life[link]

Ellis attended Burnside High School.^[8]

He is the eldest of three children to Sue and Greg Ellis. He has 2 siblings, Amanda and Simon.

Ellis married his wife, Emma Bainbridge in 2007, after a seven year relationship.^[9] In December 2009 they had a daughter, Scarlett.

References[link]

External links[link]

• Andy Ellis at AllBlacks.com

Daniel James Morcombe (19 December 1989 – c.7 December 2003) was a 13-year-old Australian boy who was abducted from the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, on 7 December 2003. In August 2011 Brett Peter Cowan, a former Sunshine Coast resident, was charged with Morcombe's murder. In the same month, DNA tests confirmed bones found in an area being searched by police were Morcombe's.

Abduction[link]

It is believed that Morcombe was abducted from an unofficial bus stop under the Kiel Mountain Road overpass in the Woombye district of the Sunshine Coast approximately 2 km north of The Big Pineapple on Sunday, 7 December 2003.^[2] Morcombe planned to catch the 1:35 pm bus to the Sunshine Plaza Shopping Centre for a haircut and to buy Christmas presents for his family, but he failed to return.

Witnesses reported seeing Morcombe at approximately 2:10 pm on the Nambour Connection Road under the Kiel Mountain Road overpass. The bus he was supposed to catch had broken down a few kilometres before his stop, and was behind schedule. When a replacement bus eventually arrived, Morcombe hailed the bus, but it carried on without stopping, due to its delay and the fact that his stop was only an unofficial request stop. The driver of the bus radioed the depot for another bus to go and pick up Morcombe. The bus driver and other witnesses later reported seeing a man standing a distance behind Morcombe and another man slightly farther away at the time. When the second bus came a couple of minutes later, Morcombe and the man had both gone.^[2]

A blue 1980s model sedan, possibly a Toyota Corolla, with yellow New South Wales license plates, is believed to be the car used by the abductor(s).^[3] Morcombe owned a distinctive fob style pocket watch with "Dan" engraved on it, which has not been found.^[3]

Ongoing investigation[link]

The death of Daniel Morcombe is one of the most extensively investigated crimes in Queensland's history.

As of 12 December 2008, a total reward of $1,000,000 ($250,000 from the Government and another $750,000 donated privately) had been offered. The privately donated portion of the reward expired at midnight on 31 May 2009. On this day, the Seven Network reported that a known paedophile (identified by the media as Douglas Jackway), who had been released from prison in 2003 - one month before Morcombe's disappearance - could be of interest to the police.^[4]

By early 2009, the investigation had seemingly run out of leads, but in May a full-size clay model of the man believed to be involved in Morcombe's abduction was placed at the spot where Morcombe disappeared. Within a few days there were more than 300 tip-offs.^[5]

In June 2009, the Queensland Government came under criticism from Parliament over the release of Jackway from prison. One MP claimed the Supreme Court had presented clear evidence of his risk of reoffending.^[6] This publicity also prompted civil liberties groups to call for laws banning media outlets from naming people linked to criminal cases.

In July 2009, the parents of Morcombe called for a coronial inquest in the hope of finding answers to their son's abduction and murder.^[7] The Morcombes said that after 5½ years, it was time for an inquest. Of particular interest to the family are several criminals who have told police they know who killed Morcombe and where his body was buried.

Murder charge[link]

On 13 August 2011, a Perth man was taken into custody and charged with Morcombe's murder and other offences, including child stealing, deprivation of liberty, indecent treatment of a child under 16, and interfering with a corpse. In 2006 the man had admitted to police that he travelled the road from which Morcombe disappeared on the same day of his disappearance, on his way to purchase marijuana from a drug dealer.^[8][9] The accused was subsequently named as 41-year-old Brett Peter Cowan.^[10]

Around this time, a white Mitsubishi Pajero was seized from a property on Russell Island. The vehicle was believed to have been involved in Morcombe's abduction after a witness at the coronial inquest in April 2011 reported seeing a vehicle of similar description parked 100 metres north of the site where Morcombe was last seen.^[11]

Remains found[link]

On 21 August 2011, two shoes and three human bones were found at a search site at Glass House Mountains.^[12] Forensic testing confirmed that the bones were Morcombe's.^[13] The shoes were similar to the ones that Morcombe was wearing when he disappeared.^[14]

Impact[link]

The Morcombe family started the "Daniel Morcombe Foundation", and has put its resources into keeping Morcombe's disappearance in the public eye and trying to find out what happened to their son. The foundation is committed to educating children about personal safety and to raising awareness throughout Australia of the dangers of predatory criminals. These efforts are supported by the Australian media, especially on each anniversary of Morcombe's disappearance when a "Day for Daniel" is held to promote awareness of the vulnerability of children. An accompanying event is the "Ride for Daniel", which covers 50 km of the Sunshine Coast, held each year since 2005.^[15]

Morcombe's murder was the focus of the Crime Investigation Australia Season 1 episode "Tears for Daniel".^[16]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Daniel Morcombe Foundation
• Day for Daniel
• Queensland Police Reward

Joe Arpaio
Arpaio speaking in Phoenix on February 26, 2011
Maricopa County Sheriff
Incumbent
Assumed office January 1, 1993
Preceded by	Tom Agnos
Personal details
Born	Joseph M. Arpaio (1932-06-14) June 14, 1932 (age 80) Springfield, Massachusetts, U.S.
Political party	Republican
Spouse(s)	Ava Arpaio
Occupation	Sheriff

Joseph M. "Joe" Arpaio (born June 14, 1932) is the elected Sheriff of Maricopa County in the U.S. state of Arizona. First voted into office in 1992, Arpaio is responsible for law enforcement in Maricopa County. This includes management of the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office, county jail, courtroom security, prisoner transport, service of warrants, and service of process. Arpaio styles himself as "America's Toughest Sheriff."^[1][2] He is well known for his outspoken stance against illegal immigration.^[3] Arpaio has become a flashpoint for controversy surrounding Arizona's SB1070 anti-illegal immigration act.^[4] He is also known for his investigation of President Barack Obama's citizenship.^[5][6][7]

Arpaio was once widely popular among voters in Arizona.^[8] His popularity has waned since 2007, notably by independent and Republican voters but still has a 57% positive job rating among Republicans; he has been re-elected five times.^[9][10]

History and law enforcement background[link]

Arpaio was born Joseph M. Arpaio in Springfield, Massachusetts on June 14, 1932, to Italian parents both from Lacedonia, Italy.^[11] Arpaio's mother died while giving birth to him, and Arpaio was raised by his father, a grocery store owner. Arpaio completed high school and worked in his father's business until age 18 when he enlisted in the United States Army.^[12]

Arpaio served in the Army from 1950 to 1954 in the Medical Detachment Division and was stationed in France for part of the time as a military policeman.^[13]

Following his discharge in 1954, Arpaio moved to Washington, D.C. and became a police officer, moving in 1957 to Las Vegas, Nevada. He served as a police officer in Las Vegas for six months before being appointed as a special agent with the Federal Bureau of Narcotics, which later became part of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).^[14] During his 25-year tenure with the DEA, he was stationed in Argentina, Turkey and Mexico, and advanced through the ranks to the position of head of the DEA's Arizona branch.^[15]

In 1992, Arpaio successfully campaigned for the office of Maricopa County Sheriff. The voters of Maricopa County re-elected him in 1996, 2000, 2004, and 2008.^[16]

Arpaio married his wife Ava in 1958. Together, they have two children and four grandchildren.^[17] They currently reside in Fountain Hills, Arizona.^[18]

Actions as Maricopa County Sheriff[link]

Arpaio at the 2011 Veterans Day parade in Phoenix, Arizona, along with his wife Ava

Television[link]

In late 2008 and early 2009, Arpaio came out in Smile...You're Under Arrest!, a three-episode Fox Reality Channel series in which persons with outstanding warrants were tricked into presenting themselves for arrest.^[19]

On June 9, 2011, Arpaio was interviewed on Fox News on KSAZ-TV about a song on iTunes called "F#@K Sheriff Joe" by Contraband, describing him on his deathbed battling his own mortality.^[20]

Jails[link]

Arpaio's practices include serving inmates surplus food^[21] and limiting meals to twice daily.^[22] He has also banned inmates from possessing "sexually explicit material" including Playboy magazine after female officers complained that inmates openly masturbated while viewing them or harassed the officers by comparing their anatomy to that of the nude models in the publications. The ban was challenged on First Amendment grounds but upheld by the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.^[23]

In February 2007, Arpaio instituted an in-house radio station he calls KJOE.^[24] Arpaio's radio station broadcasts classical music, opera, Frank Sinatra hits, patriotic music and educational programming. It operates from the basement of the county jail for five days a week, four hours each day.

In an ongoing case, federal judge Neil V. Wake ruled in 2008 and 2010 that the Maricopa County jails violated the constitutional rights of inmates in medical and other care related issues.^[25][26]

Tent City[link]

Arpaio set up a "Tent City" as an extension of the Maricopa County Jail.^[27] Arpaio has described Tent City as a concentration camp.^[28] Tent City is located in a yard next to a more permanent structure containing toilets, showers, and an area for meals.^[29] It has become notable particularly because of Phoenix's extreme temperatures.

On July 2, 2011, when the temperature in Phoenix hit 118 °F (48 °C), Arpaio measured the temperature inside Tent City at 145 °F (63 °C). Some inmates complained that fans near their beds were not working, and that their shoes were melting from the heat.^[30] During the summer of 2003, when outside temperatures exceeded 110 °F (43 °C), Arpaio said to complaining inmates, "It's 120 degrees in Iraq and the soldiers are living in tents, have to wear full body armor, and they didn't commit any crimes, so shut your mouths."^[31] In 1997, Amnesty International published a report on Arpaio's jails which found that Tent City is not an "adequate or humane alternative to housing inmates in suitable ... jail facilities."^[32] Tent City is criticized by groups contending that there are violations of human and constitutional rights.^[33] Those critical of Arpaio also point out that the vast majority of inmates within Tent City have not been convicted; rather, they are merely awaiting trial.^[34]

Volunteer chain gangs[link]

In 1995, Arpaio reinstituted chain gangs. In 1996, he expanded the chain gang concept by instituting female volunteer chain gangs.^[35] Female inmates work seven hours a day (7 a.m. to 2 p.m.), six days a week. He has also instituted the world's first all-juvenile volunteer chain gang; volunteers earn high school credit toward a diploma.^[36]

Pink underwear[link]

One of his most visible public-relations actions was the introduction of pink underwear, which the Maricopa County Sheriff's website cites as being, "world-famous."^{[citation needed]} Arpaio subsequently started to sell customized pink boxers (with the Maricopa County Sheriff's logo and "Go Joe") as a fund-raiser for Sheriff's Posse Association. Despite allegations of misuse of funds received from these sales, Arpaio declined to provide an accounting for the money.^[37]

Arpaio's success in gaining press coverage with the pink underwear resulted in his extending the use of the color. He introduced pink handcuffs, using the event to promote his book, Sheriff Joe Arpaio, America's Toughest Sheriff.^[38]

Selective Service registration and organ donors[link]

In 2001, he was the first sheriff to require all inmates aged 18 and over to register for the Selective Service System. (Registration is required by federal law for all U.S. males between 18 and 26 years of age, as well as for resident aliens of the same age, regardless of their immigration status.) Since 2001, a total of 28,000 inmates (including 9,000 aliens) have registered for Selective Service.^[39][40]

Arpaio also started the "Have a Heart" program in which inmates may volunteer to be organ donors.^[40]

Sheriff's posse[link]

Building upon Maricopa County's 50-year-old program, Arpaio expanded the all-volunteer citizen posse through heavy recruiting. The volunteers perform many duties for the sheriff's office:

• Search and rescue
• Emergency communications
• Prisoner transport
• Traffic control
• Backup for sworn deputies
• Office administrative duties
• Holiday Mall Patrol (which provides motorist assistance and security for shoppers during the holiday shopping season)
• Deadbeat parent details targeting men and women with outstanding arrest warrants for failure to pay child support
• Assisting in immigration sweeps
• Current investigation of President Barack Obama's birth certificate

Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio. standing in the blue suit behind Arizona State Senator Russell Pearce

In November 2010, Arpaio created an armed illegal immigration operations posse, to help his deputies enforce immigration law. Members of this posse include celebrity actors Steven Seagal, Lou Ferrigno, and Peter Lupus.^[41]

Controversies[link]

Arpaio has been a controversial sheriff. His practices have been criticized by government agencies such as the United States Department of Justice, United States District Courts, and organizations such as Amnesty International,^[42] the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), the Arizona Ecumenical Council, the American Jewish Committee,^[43] and the Arizona chapter of the Anti-Defamation League.^[44] The editorial board of The New York Times called Arpaio "America's Worst Sheriff".^[45] Controversial issues surrounding Arpaio have included allegations of racial profiling, in which the ACLU has sued the sheriff.^[46][47]

Unconstitutional jail conditions[link]

Federal Judge Neil V. Wake ruled in 2008, and again in 2010, that the Maricopa County jails violated the constitutional rights of inmates in medical and other care related issues.^[25][26] This ruling was a result of a lawsuit brought by the ACLU, which alleged that "Arpaio routinely abused pre-trial detainees at Maricopa County Jail by feeding them moldy bread, rotten fruit and other contaminated food, housing them in cells so hot as to endanger their health, denying them care for serious medical and mental health needs and keeping them packed as tightly as sardines in holding cells for days at a time during intake."^[48]

In a ruling issued in October 2010, the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ordered Arpaio to follow Judge Wake's 2008 ruling, which required Arpaio to end severe overcrowding and ensure all detainees receive necessary medical and mental health care, be given uninterrupted access to all medications prescribed by correctional medical staff, be given access to exercise and to sinks, toilets, toilet paper and soap and be served food that meets or exceeds the U.S. Department of Agriculture's dietary guidelines.^{[49][50][51][52]}

Lack of cooperation with Department of Justice[link]

In June 2008,^[53] the Department of Justice Civil Rights Division began an investigation of Arpaio amid accusations of discrimination and unconstitutional searches and seizures. The investigation was conducted under the authority of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which forbids discrimination related to programs that receive federal funds. On July 7, 2009, Arpaio held a press conference, and announced that he would not cooperate with the investigation, either by providing documents, or permitting interviews with personnel. On September 2, 2010, the Department of Justice filed suit against Arpaio,^[54] to compel his cooperation with the investigation. A spokeswoman for the Justice Department stated that it was unprecedented for an agency to refuse to cooperate with a Title VI investigation, and that this is the first time the Justice Department has sued to compel access to documents and facilities.^[55][56][57] The suit was settled in June 2011, after Arpaio allowed federal officials to interview Sheriff's office employees, and review hundreds of thousands of documents for the investigation.^{[58] [59]}

Racial profiling[link]

On December 15, 2011, the Justice Department released their findings after a 3-year investigation of Arpaio's office amid complaints of racial profiling and a culture of bias at the agency's top level. The report stated that under Arpaio, the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office has "a pervasive culture of discriminatory bias against Latinos" that "reaches the highest levels of the agency."^[60]

The Justice Department accused Arpaio of engaging in "unconstitutional policing" by unfairly targeting Latinos for detention and arrest, and retaliating against critics.^[61] In the report, a Justice Department expert concluded that Arpaio oversaw the worst pattern of racial profiling in U.S. history.^[62]

Loss of authority to identify illegal immigrants[link]

Based on the Justice Department report on discriminatory policing practices within the MCSO, on December 15, 2011, the United States Department of Homeland Security revoked the MCSO's federal authority to identify and detain illegal immigrants.^[63]

In a separate action on December 23, 2011, U.S. District Court Judge G. Murray Snow enjoined Arpaio and the MCSO from "detaining any person based only on knowledge or reasonable belief, without more, that the person is unlawfully present within the United States," halting anti-illegal immigration enforcement by MCSO in its current form.^[64]

Federal grand jury inquiry[link]

As of December 2011, a federal grand jury had been investigating Arpaio's office on criminal abuse-of-power allegations since at least December 2009 and was specifically examining the investigative work of the sheriff's anti-public corruption squad.^[65]

Abuse of power[link]