This article's lead section may not adequately summarize its contents. Please consider expanding the lead to provide an accessible overview of the article's key points. (June 2010)

Child benefit (children's allowance) is a social security payment disbursed to the parents or guardians of children. Child benefit is means-tested in some countries.

Australia[link]

In Australia, Child benefit payments are currently called Family Tax Benefit. Family Tax Benefit is income tested and is linked to the Australian Income tax system. It can be claimed as fortnighly payments or as an annual lump sum. It may be payable for dependant children from birth up to the age of 24. Children 16 years or older may alternatively be eligible for Youth Allowance. Parents of dependant children under the age of 16 may also be eligible for Income Support Payments including Parenting Payment and Newstart Allowance for Primary Carers of Children.

On 1 July 2000 the Australian government introduced major changes to the tax system including the introduction of a broad-based Goods and Service Tax (a VAT), substantial income tax cuts, as well as major changes to assistance for families.

These changes to family assistance simplified payments, by amalgamating a number of different forms of assistance, and also provided higher levels of assistance, with reductions in income test withdrawal rates. The new structure combined twelve of the pre-existing types of assistance into three new programs of assistance. The two most important of these are Family Tax Benefit Part A, which assists with the general costs of raising children, and Family Tax Benefit Part B, which is directed to single income and sole parent families. The third programme is Child Care Benefit.

The Family Tax Benefit Part A is paid for dependent children up to 20 years of age, and for dependent full-time students up to the age of 24 (who are not getting Youth Allowance or similar payments such as ABSTUDY and Veterans' Children Education Supplement). It is essentially a two-tier but integrated payment directed to most families with children, with a higher rate for lower income families, including both those in work and receiving income support.

The maximum rate is paid up to a family income of $28,200, and is then reduced by 30 cents for every extra dollar of income, until the minimum rate is reached. Part-payment at the minimum rate is available up to a family income of $73,000 (plus an additional $3,000 for each dependent child after the first). Payments are then reduced by 30 cents in every dollar over that amount until the payment reaches nil.

To receive some Family Tax Benefit Part A, the maximum income levels are $76,256 a year for a family with one dependent child under 18 and $77,355 a year for a family with one dependent 18- to 24-year-old. These thresholds are lifted by $6,257 for each additional dependent child under 18 and $7,356 for each additional dependent 18- to 24-year-old.

Families receiving Family Tax Benefit Part A may also be eligible for extra payments, such as Rent Assistance if renting privately, the Large Family Supplement for four or more children, and Multiple Birth Allowance for three or more children born during the same birth.

Family Tax Benefit Part B provides extra assistance to single income families including sole parents - particularly families with children under 5 years of age. In a couple, if the secondary earner's income is above $1,616 a year, payments are reduced by 30 cents for every extra dollar of income. Parents receive therefore some Family Tax Benefit Part B if the secondary earner's income is below $10,416 a year if the youngest child is under 5 years of age, or $7,786 a year if the youngest child is between 5 and 18 years of age. There is no income test on the primary earner’s income, so in the case of sole parents the payment is universal.

The previous entry referred to Youth allowance and Parenting Payment. These are income support payments for young people and for parents who are not employed and looking after children respectively.^[1]

Ireland[link]

Child Benefit (Sochar Leanaí) is payable to parents of children under 16 years of age, or 19 years if they are in full-time education. The payment is paid by the Department of Social Protection. The monthly payments are as follows:^[2]

Multiple births are a special case. In the event of twins, 150% of the monthly payment is paid for each child. Triplets, or more, are paid the double (200%) rate each; provided that all of them remain qualified (i.e. stay in further education until 19). In addition, a special 'once-off' grant of €635 is paid on all multiple births. Further 'once-off' grants of €635 are paid when the children are 4 and 12 years old respectively.^[2]

Fraudulent claims of Child Benefit are treated very seriously, and can result in 3 years imprisonment or fines of up to €12,697.38.^{[citation needed]}

Japan[link]

See Kodomo Teate law

Sweden[link]

After World War I, many countries were left with dwindling populations. In an attempt to solve this problem, Sweden began a program called "family allowance". These were government funds given to families with children to encourage them to bear more children and increase the birthrate.^{[citation needed]}

Today, the guardians of all children aged 16 or younger, are awarded child benefits of 1050 crowns per month. http://www.forsakringskassan.se/wps/wcm/connect/3573e1a0-c838-4e7c-bf65-c634544bc55d/barnbidrag_flerbarnstillagg_eng.pdf?MOD=AJPERES

The couple Alva and Gunnar Myrdal have played a very influential role in the Swedish society. (Alva got Nobel’s Peace prize in 1982 and Gunnar got Nobel’s prize in economics in 1974). You can find more information here: http://sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kris_i_befolkningsfr%C3%A5gan Their book “Kris i befolkningsfrågan” (Crisis in the Population Development”) was published in 1934. It painted a very dark picture of Sweden. The growth of the population would turn negative and Sweden be filled with mostly elderly people.

This book had an important influence and in 1937 child allowance was introduced for poor mothers. In 1948 child allowance was extended to all families and was then SEK 260 per year or SEK 22 per child and month. The price of milk was then SEK 0.30 per litre so the value of the monthly allowance was 72 litres per milk and year. – Quite a significant contribution. (For my Swedish friends, the price of 1 kg of falukorv was 3 kr) Using the consumer price index, in 2010 the value would have been SEK 383 per month and child.

In 2001 the child allowance increases as the number of children increases. The number of children borne per mother has decreased as well as the death rates in Sweden as can be seen from the figure below. Regarding the 1948 decision one woman was interviewed by the Swedish Radio, Mrs. Persson. She had 13 children and one had died. The journalist asked her what she would do with the money. Three of her children went to school and they needed clothes. Perhaps she would save some of the child allowance in case the children would study further. She would not use the money on luxury such as bicycles. She did not plan to spend any money on herself. One of the heads of the child allowance system was born in 1948 and he believes that there was very little corruption in the system.

Finland[link]

Child benefit scheme was introduced to Finland in 1948 by law. Since the 1920's there was a child benefit allowance that covered state workes with children. In 1948 this benefit became universal following the example of other Nordic countries. Benefit is paid for children until they turn 17, and it is only paid for children that live in Finland. There is also a supplement for single parents. Benefit is paid through national Finnish Social Insurance institution (KELA).

United Kingdom[link]

In the UK, child benefit is administered by Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs (HMRC). As of April 2010, £20.30 per week is paid for the first child (including the eldest of a multiple birth) and £13.40 per week is paid for each additional child.^[3] The same amount is currently paid without reference to earnings or savings, although higher-rate taxpayers will not receive this benefit from 2013.^[4] More than 80% of children are in families also eligible for means-tested child tax credit.

The system was first implemented in August 1946 as "family allowances" under the Family Allowances Act 1945, at a rate of 5s per week per child in a family, except for the eldest. This was raised from September 1952, by the Family Allowances and National Insurance Act 1952, to 8s, and from October 1956, by the Family Allowances Act and National Insurance Act 1956, to 8s for the second child with 10s for the third and subsequent children. By 1955, some 5,000,000 allowances were being paid, to about 3,250,000 families.^[5]

It was modified in 1977, with the payments being termed "child benefit" and given for the eldest child as well as the younger ones; by 1979 it was worth £4 per child per week. In 1991, the system was further altered, with a higher payment now given for the first child than for their younger siblings. In October 2010, the Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition government announced that Child Benefit would be withdrawn from households containing a higher-rate taxpayer from January 2013. ^[6]

See also[link]

• Baby Bonus
• decreţei
• Parental Leave
• Tax on childlessness
• Taxation in the United Kingdom
• UK labour law
• Cost of raising a child

Notes[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

• UK HMRC child benefit page
• Child Benefit
• EntitledTo.co.uk
• A comparison of Child Benefits in 22 countries in 2001

The Right Honourable Eric Pickles MP
Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government
Incumbent
Assumed office 12 May 2010
Prime Minister	David Cameron
Preceded by	John Denham
Chairman of the Conservative Party
In office 19 January 2009 – 12 May 2010
Leader	David Cameron
Preceded by	Caroline Spelman
Succeeded by	The Baroness Warsi
Shadow Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government
In office 27 June 2007 – 19 January 2009
Leader	David Cameron
Preceded by	Caroline Spelman
Succeeded by	Caroline Spelman
Member of Parliament for Brentwood and Ongar
Incumbent
Assumed office 9 April 1992
Preceded by	Robert McCrindle
Majority	16,920 (33.4%)
Personal details
Born	(1952-04-20) 20 April 1952 (age 60) Keighley, England
Political party	Conservative
Spouse(s)	Irene Coates
Alma mater	Leeds Polytechnic
Religion	Pentecostalism
Website	Official website

Eric Jack Pickles (born 20 April 1952) is a British Conservative Party politician. Pickles was appointed Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government of the coalition government headed by Prime Minister David Cameron on 12 May 2010.

He was the Chairman of the Conservative Party until being replaced by Baroness Warsi in May 2010 and has been Member of Parliament for Brentwood and Ongar in Essex since 1992. He was Co-Chairman of the Joint Committee Against Racism between 1982 and 1987.

Pickles is a member of the controversial Peniel Pentecostal Church, a local "happy clappy" church located in Pilgrims Hatch, Brentwood, Essex.^[1]

Early life[link]

Born in Keighley, Yorkshire, he went to Greenhead Grammar School (which became Greenhead High School and is now University Academy Keighley) on Greenhead Road in Utley, north Keighley, then attended Leeds Polytechnic. He was born into a Labour supporting family – his great grandfather was one of the founders of the Independent Labour Party, and described himself as "massively inclined" towards communism as a boy^[2] – but he joined the Conservative Party in 1968 after the Soviet Union invaded Czechoslovakia.^[3]

Pickles soon became the chairman of the local Young Conservatives association and later became chairman of the national organisation.^[3]

Bradford councillor[link]

Pickles was first elected to Bradford Council in 1979.^[3] Between 1988 and 1990, he served as leader of the Conservative group on the council. In September 1988 the Conservative Party gained control by using the Conservative mayor's casting vote to become the only inner-city council to be controlled by the Conservatives.

When Bradford Council was hung, Pickles opted to break the agreement that the position of Lord Mayor is rotated between the parties, when he put a Conservative mayor in place again.^[4] This effectively gave the Conservatives a majority due to the Lord Mayor's casting vote. To do this, they also broke the tradition that the Lord Mayor kept the status quo.

Whilst at Bradford, Pickles announced a five-year plan to cut the council's budget by £50m, reduce the workforce by a third, privatise services and undertake council departmental restructures, many of which proved controversial.^[4] A book, The Pickles Papers by Tony Grogan, was written about this period in Pickles's life.^[5]

Parliamentary career[link]

Pickles has been Member of Parliament for Brentwood and Ongar since 1992. He is currently the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government in the coalition government headed by Prime Minister David Cameron, following his appointment to the role on 12 May 2010. Previously he has served as Chairman of the Conservative Party from January 2009 to May 2010 and Shadow Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, having held that post since June 2007. Prior to this he served as Shadow Minister for Local Government from June 2002. Before that Pickles was Shadow Minister for Transport (September 2001 – June 2002) and Shadow Minister for London.

At the 2001 general election, the independent candidate Martin Bell, who had previously won Tatton from Neil Hamilton, stood against him due to accusations that the Peniel Pentecostal Church had infiltrated the local Conservative branch. Pickles's majority was severely reduced, but he retained his seat by a margin of 2,821 votes (6.5%) becoming elected with only 38% of the votes against Martin Bell's 31.5%.

At the 2005 general election Pickles retained the seat with an increased majority of 11,612 (26.3%), nearly as many as the total votes cast for the second place candidate, and making this the second safest seat in Eastern England, and Pickles the MP with the third-highest share of the vote cast^[6] in this region. Pickles polled a total of 23,609 votes (53.5%).

On 2 July 2007 David Cameron appointed Pickles to a reshuffled Shadow Cabinet as Shadow Communities and Local Government Secretary. On 30 December 2008, according to reports in The Times, Pickles unveiled plans to "purge town hall 'fat cats'". The Times reported that under the plans "dozens of council chiefs who earn more than Cabinet ministers would lose their jobs as clusters of councils merged their frontline services and backroom operations to provide better value for money."^[7] Of the eight highest earning chief executives listed in The Times' report, six are employed by councils run by the Conservative party, one by Labour and one by the Liberal Democrats.

Pickles was the campaign manager for the successful Crewe and Nantwich by-election in May 2008. Following this, Pickles was promoted to Chairman of the Conservative Party in January 2009.

In early 2010, Pickles defended the first-past-the-post voting system as resulting in stable government. He attacked Prime Minister Gordon Brown saying he "... now wants to fiddle the electoral system" by wanting to look at a Preferential Voting system with a single transferrable vote, similar to that used in Australia and other countries.

Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government[link]

Pickles was appointed as Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government as part of David Cameron's new coalition Government on 12 May 2010,^[8] and sworn as a Privy Counsellor on 13 May 2010.^[9]

Rt Hon Eric Pickles MP delivers the keynote address at the Flag Institute Spring Meeting 2011 in Mayfair

In his role as Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, on 30 July 2010, Pickles announced plans to hand powers where ministers can cap unreasonable increases in council taxes to local people. A consultation begun in August 2010 and the powers, which will require legislation, should be in force by March 2012. Pickles said he was determined to reverse the presumption that Whitehall knows best by making local councils directly accountable to the local taxpayer. He said: "If councils want to increase council tax further, they will have to prove the case to the electorate. Let the people decide". Residents would be asked to choose between accepting the rise or rejecting it and instead accepting a below inflation rise, but with reduced council services. The average council tax on a Band D property increased from £688 a year in 1997/98 to £1,439 for 2010.^[10]

In late 2010, Sir Alan Sugar criticised Pickles; referring to him as "another pointless politician doing yet another menial administrative job that could be done by anyone that has been educated in any vague sort of half coherent English".^[11]

Localism Act[link]

Pickles was responsible for the Localism Act 2011 that changed the powers of local government in England. The measures affected by the Act include more elected mayors and referendums. The Localism Act opens with Part 1, Chapter 1(1), under the heading "Local authority’s general power of competence", "A local authority has power to do anything that individuals generally may do".^[12]

The bill was introduced by Pickles, and given its first reading on 13 December 2010. The Bill completed the third reading in the House of Lords on 31 October 2011.^[13] The bill received Royal Assent on 15 November 2011.

The bill was quickly undermined however, published on 13 December, one of the claims made for it is that it would “give local communities real control over housing and planning decisions”. On the same day, Mr Pickles issued a decision in a planning appeal. National Grid had applied to Tewkesbury Borough Council to build a gas plant just outside Tirley in Gloucestershire. The installation would occupy more than 16 acres and was unlikely to be beautiful. The application had been opposed by more than 1,000 residents (and this in a sparsely populated rural area); by 12 parish councils and, indeed, by every single member of the planning committee of the local planning authority. Mr Pickles chose to grant permission to build the gas plant.^{[citation needed]}

Council prayers[link]

On 10 February 2012, the National Secular Society obtained a judicial review by the High Court of Christian prayers held during meetings in council chambers, that non-Christian councillors were forced to attend as prayers formed part of the formal agenda. Councillors are obliged to attend for the duration of the formal agenda. Mr Justice Ouseley ruled: "The saying of prayers as part of the formal meeting of a Council is not lawful under s111 of the Local Government Act 1972, and there is no statutory power permitting the practice to continue. I do not think the 1972 Act should be interpreted as permitting the religious views of one group of councillors, however sincere or large in number, to exclude, or even to a modest extent, to impose burdens on or even to mark out those who do not share their views and do not wish to participate in their expression of them. They are all equally elected councillors".^[14]

Although Mr Justice Ouseley said prayers were permitted to be held before the start of the formal agenda, Eric Pickles vowed to reverse the High Court decision, despite a recent Yougov poll showing 55% were against councils holding prayers with just 26% in favour.^[15] Eric Pickles brought forward his Localism Act, due to become law in April 2012, and made it law on 17 February 2012 claiming he is 'effectively reversing' the High Court decision.^[16]

Keith Porteous Wood, Executive Director of the National Secular Society, commented "A number of senior lawyers have expressed doubt whether the Localism Act will, as Mr Pickles hopes, make prayers lawful, and the Act was clearly not passed with that express intention. His powers to pass legislation are not, as he implies, untrammelled. Council prayers increasingly look set to become a battle between the Government and the courts at ever higher levels".^[17]

The Localism Act permits local government councils to do anything that is not forbidden. Mr Justice Ouseley's ruling forbid prayers to be said as part of the formal agenda in council meetings. To do so would be contrary to common law and so the Localism Act is powerless to overturn the ruling. Eric Pickles has written to all local government councils encouraging them to flout the law and continue with prayers in council meetings,^[18] contrary to the Serious Crime Act 2007 forbidding encouraging or assisting a crime in English law.

Flags[link]

Pickles is a self-proclaimed flag enthusiast,^[19] and has taken a personal interest in ensuring that English County flags are regularly flown from the Department for Communities and Local Government.^[20][21] He has urged people to fly the St George Cross of England more widely for St. George’s Day and encouraged public bodies to adopt a common sense approach to flying the flag.^[22] On 14 May 2011, at the Flag Institute Spring Meeting, Pickles announced a consultation aimed at “Making it easier for people to celebrate an identity or an organisation that means something to them.”^[23]

Second home[link]

On 26 March 2009, Pickles appeared on the political debate programme Question Time in Newcastle upon Tyne. While discussing the controversy over Tony McNulty (who had recently admitted claiming expenses on a second home, occupied by his parents, only 8 miles away from his primary residence), Pickles admitted he claimed a second home allowance because he lived 37 miles from Westminster and needed to leave his constituency house in Brentwood at 5.30 am in order to get to Westminster for 9.30 am,^[24][25] given that he tended to get home at midnight or 1 am, although the standard time for commuters from this region is usually ninety minutes.^[26] He went on to say that it was "no fun" commuting into London from where he lived. In response to Pickles's comments that he "had to be there [the House of Commons] on time", Question Time host David Dimbleby, replied "Like a job, in other words?" prompting amusement amongst the audience.

There were also remarks from the audience about nurses and firemen etc. having to commute across London and get to their jobs on time and having to do without a second home.

Pickles was asked to pay back £300 following the MP's expenses scandal, which he had claimed for cleaning.^[27]

Radio show[link]

Pickles also appeared as a radio presenter on local community radio station Phoenix FM together with the then Leader of Brentwood Council (and fellow Conservative) Brandon Lewis in a show titled The Eric and Brandon Show. The show was billed as non-party political, and involved the two politicians interviewing local personalities interspersed with music.

Personal life[link]

Pickles married Irene Coates in 1976 in Staincliffe, a district of Batley in West Yorkshire.

He is a Pentecostal Christian.^[1]

References[link]

Sources[link]

• Grogan, Tony (1989), The Pickles Papers, Bradford: 1 in 12 Publications, ISBN 0-948994-04-5 .

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Eric Pickles

• Eric Pickles MP official constituency website
• Profile at Parliament of the United Kingdom
• Contributions in Parliament at Hansard 1803–2005
• Current session contributions in Parliament at Hansard
• Electoral history and profile at The Guardian
• Voting record at PublicWhip.org
• Record in Parliament at TheyWorkForYou.com
• Profile at Westminster Parliamentary Record
• Profile at BBC News Democracy Live
• Articles authored at Journalisted
• Contributor page at The Guardian
• The Pickles Papers, Tony Grogan, 1989
• Eric Pickles news at publicservice.co.uk
• Video: "Eric Pickles' War Room Briefing: The challenge facing us at the next election" on the Webcameron YouTube channel.

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Emily Bear (born August 30, 2001) is a pianist and composer from Rockford, Illinois.^[1]

When Bear was two years old, her grandmother recognized her talent at the piano. She began to study with Emilio del Rosario at the Music Institute of Chicago. Within four years, she was enrolled at the Winnetka campus to study classical music.^[2] Bear started to compose music at the age of three. By the age of eight, she had composed more than 350 pieces.^[3] For her piece Northern Lights, she won the ASCAP Foundation Morton Gould Young Composer Award for composers under 18 years of age.^[4] She also won the Rockford Area Music Industry Award (RAMI).^[5]

Bear has made six appearances on The Ellen DeGeneres Show,^[6][7] played at the White House for President George W. Bush when she was 6,^[4] and performed Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 23 with the Champaign-Urbana Symphony Orchestra.

Dates and performances[link]

• October 3, 2007 - The Ellen DeGeneres Show
• November 23, 2007 - The Ellen DeGeneres Show
• January 8, 2008 - Radio feature: Note By Note: The Making of Steinway L1037
• March 24, 2008 - White House
• March 28, 2008 - ASCAP 2008 Morton Gould Young Composer Award
• April 13, 2008 - 2008 Music Institute of Chicago Gala on May 7, 2008
• April 13, 2008 - RAMI Outstanding Achievement Award
• April 15, 2008 - New CD "The Love in Us" released, Web Shop.
• August 3, 2008 - The Ellen DeGeneres Favorite Moments Montage
• August 3, 2008 - WFMT's Introductions Radio Program on September 20, 2008
• September 7, 2008 - Ravinia Festival in Chicago, IL
• October 3, 2008 - Grand Opening of Chicago's American Girl Place
• October 26, 2008 - Master Class with Lang Lang
• November 13, 2008 - New CD "Once Upon A Wish" released, Web Shop.
• November 17, 2008 - The Ellen DeGeneres Show, Video
• February 15, 2009 - Emily (piano) and her sister Lauren (harp) perform at Music In The Loft
• March 28, 2009 - Rockford Symphony Orchestra
• April 11, 2009 - Champaign-Urbana Symphony Orchestra
• April 17, 2009 - Harris Theater for Music and Dance, Chicago 25th Anniversary Season Benefit Performance
• April 26, 2009 - Luxury Living Expo
• April 28, 2009 - The Ellen DeGeneres Show
• May 2, 2009 - 5th Annual Big Mac Under Glass Gala
• May 9, 2009 - Noche de Niños Gala
• January 5, 2010 - The Ellen DeGeneres Show
• November 9, 2010 - Dancing with the Stars
• November 22, 2010 - New CD "Hope" is released
• December 2, 2010 - Carnegie Hall Debut
• January 18, 2011 - A concert in Geneva Switzerland
• February 23, 2011 - Featured on ABC Nightline
• March 1, 2011 - Featured on German TV on SAT1 channel
• May 4, 2011 - 3rd Annual PTTOW
• May 15, 2011 - Concert in New Music School in Chicago
• June 21, 2011 - Charity Ball and Awards Gala
• July 13, 2011 - 45th Annual Montreux Jazz Festival
• July 20, 2011 - Festival Castell de Peralada in Spain
• September 7, 2011 - Quincy Jones and the Global Gumbo All Stars at the Hollywood Bowl
• December 2, 2011 - The American Christmas Carol in New York
• December 8, 2011 - UNICEF Ball
• February, 2012 - Art on Ice. Zurich, Switzerland
• April, 2012 - UNICEF Message of Hope Gala in Chicago
• May, 2012 - Life Ball AIDS. Vienna, Austria.

Source: Emily Bear's Official homepage^[8]

Discography[link]

• Five Years Wise (2007)
• The Love In Us (2008)
• Once Upon A Wish (2008)
• Always True (2009)
• Hope (2010)

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official site
• The Next Mozart? WGN feature

Arnel Pineda
Background information
Birth name	Arnel Pineda
Born	(1967-09-05) September 5, 1967 (age 44) Sampaloc, Manila, Philippines
Genres	Rock, hard rock, soft rock, OPM
Occupations	Singer-songwriter
Instruments	Vocals, guitar, bandurria
Years active	1982–Present
Labels	Universal Music Group
Associated acts	Ijos Band, Amo, New Age, Most W@nted, The Zoo, Journey

Arnel Pineda (born September 5, 1967) is a Filipino singer-songwriter who has served as the lead singer of the American rock band Journey since 2007.^[1] Pineda has had a successful musical career in the Philippines for the last 25 years.

Biography[link]

Arnel Pineda was born in Sampaloc, Marikina Sampaloc, Manila, in the Philippines. His mother instilled his love for singing at an early age, encouraging him to sing along to songs from his favorite singers like Karen Carpenter and Barbra Streisand. Growing up, his parents entered him in many singing contests.^[2]

His mother, who had been suffering from heart disease, died when he was thirteen. Her illness had left their family deep in debt.^[3] Being 6 months or one year behind on their rented apartment and unable to sufficiently provide for the family, his father decided to move out and ask relatives to take in Pineda's siblings. To ease his father's burden, Pineda quit school and volunteered to strike out on his own.

About two years of his life were spent out on the streets, sleeping wherever he could: in public parks, or on a narrow bench outside a friend's crowded house. He earned meager money by collecting glass bottles, newspapers, and scrap metal and selling them to recyclers. He would also go to the pier with his friends and take on odd jobs like cleaning scrap metal and docked ships. He didn't have much to eat, sometimes rationing a small package of Marie biscuit as his meal for two days.^[4]

Singing career[link]

In 1982, when Pineda was 15 years old, he became the lead singer of the Filipino group Ijos. He used to sing in Shakey's Taft. In 1986, some members of Ijos formed a group called Amo. Amo entered and won the Rock Wars contest in the Philippines.^[5]

In 1988, Amo entered and won the Philippines leg of the Yamaha World Band Explosion. They went on to the finals in Hong Kong, but were not qualified to win due to a technicality. The rules stated the winning song had to be an original composition. However, they also stated that the song entry in the finals had to be the same song with which the band won their country's leg of the competition. Amo's winning song in the Philippines was Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody. After the contest, the band continued as Amo, performing live. They opened for Robert Palmer in Manila in 1989.^[5] Amo played in clubs in Quezon City, Olongapo City and Makati City, which are located in Luzon, the biggest island in the Philippines. Amo was very popular in the Chinese-owned California Jam club in Olongapo City, which was frequented by United States military personnel.^[5]

In 1990, Pineda and other members of Amo formed another band called Intensity five and once again entered the Yamaha World Band Explosion. Pineda won the Best Vocalist award and the band came in as first runner up.^[5]

Later in 1990, five of Amo's original members split from the band leader, Ulysis Ablang and formed another band behind Pineda, New Age. This occurred prior to the release of Amo's only album released in 1990 titled Ang Tunay na Amo ("The Real Master") on BMG records which spawned one popular radio hit called "Running Away". (The song gained recognition in 2006 by another Filipino artist Erik Santos, who won an American Idol type Filipino TV show, Star In A Million.) The remaining members of Amo went on to become The Boss Band, while Pineda's band, New Age, played regularly at Fire and Rain in Makati City.

In 1991, during one of those performances, a talent agent spotted Pineda and New Age and asked them to move to Hong Kong to perform at a very popular entertainment restaurant called Grammy's. With New Age, Pineda performed six nights a week, Tuesday through Sunday, for several years thereafter.^[5] After a long-term serious relationship failed in 1994, Pineda suffered health problems, which almost destroyed his voice. He returned to the Philippines. After six months of recuperation, he was able to sing again.^[5][6] He returned to Hong Kong and resumed singing with his band. In 1998, the owner of Igor's, the premiere theme restaurant/nightclub in Hong Kong, asked New Age to perform there. Dressed in skeleton outfits, they called themselves The Rolling Bones.^[5]

In 1999, Pineda caught the attention of Warner Bros. record label and flew back to the Philippines on his days off to record a solo album, the self-titled Arnel Pineda. Most of the album’s ten original songs were slow ballads, with only two upbeat numbers, one of which carries a Latin style. One of the songs, “Iiyak Ka Rin” (You Will Cry Too) became a karaoke favorite in Asia, while another song "Sayang" (Too Bad) became a radio favorite. Pineda wrote and arranged several songs. Pineda continued to perform with New Age while making his album and for several years thereafter. In 2001, Pineda sang one song with Filipino band, South Border’s album The Way We Do. The song is called “Looking Glass”. Earlier that year, Pineda formed a new band,eventually called "9mm" and played around the city's top bars including The Hard Rock Cafe in Makati City.The band played a three month stint at “The Edge” in Lan Kwai Fong, Hong Kong in 2002.

In 2004, three members of New Age reformed with a female singer sharing lead vocals with Pineda and called themselves Most W@nted. This band played 3–4 hour sets Monday through Saturday at The Cavern Club in Hong Kong.^[7] On their only day off, Sundays, the band often performed at Filipino community events.

In 2005, Arnel recorded the theme song of the short-lived Filipino radio show "Dayo". A band named The Visitors was briefly formed for promotion purposes of the "Dayo" soundtrack consisting of three members from Ijos/Yjoz, Amo, New Age and Most W@nted.^[5]

The Zoo[link]

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In 2006, encouraged by well-respected Filipino talent manager and TV director, Bert de Leon, Pineda moved back to the Philippines with Monet Cajipe, the guitarist who had been in all of Pineda’s previous bands. They formed The Zoo with Emil Bondoc on bass, Edgar Mendoza on keyboards, and Mckoy Alcantara on drums. They signed on with de Leon's company, Sundance Entertainment Corporation. The Zoo performed several nights a week at clubs in Manila and Olongapo during 2006 and 2007. Shows regularly spanned 3–5 hours. The Zoo’s first album Zoology was released by MCA Universal in September 2007 featuring 12 original tracks and one cover song ("Pain in My Heart," originally recorded a decade earlier by Second Wind), five of which were penned by Pineda, and another was co-written by Pineda and Mark Valliente.

Journey[link]

Arnel Pineda at the PNC Bank Arts Center, New Jersey, 8/11/2008

Videos of The Zoo performing cover songs by Journey, Survivor, Aerosmith, Led Zeppelin, Air Supply, The Eagles, Kenny Loggins, Stryper and other popular acts from the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s, began appearing on YouTube.com in February 2007. On June 28, 2007,^[8] Neal Schon of Journey contacted Noel Gomez, a longtime fan and friend of Pineda who uploaded many of these videos, to ask for Pineda's contact information. Schon sent an e-mail to Pineda inviting him to audition for Journey. Pineda initially dismissed the e-mail as a hoax, but after being persuaded by Gomez, he finally replied to Schon's e-mail. Ten minutes later, Pineda received a phone call from Schon.^[9] On August 12,^[10] Pineda, along with his manager Bert de Leon, flew to Marin County, just north of San Francisco, for a two-day audition.^[11][12] The star-struck Pineda was welcomed warmly but he described the audition as "nerve-wracking, tense".^[13] On December 5, 2007, Pineda was announced as the lead singer of Journey. CNN Headline News ran the story as part of their "News to Me" segment.^[14]

Pineda debuted as the lead singer of Journey on February 21, 2008 at the Viña del Mar International Song Festival held at the Quinta Vergara Amphitheater in Viña del Mar, Chile.^[15][16]

Chilean media acclaimed Pineda's performance (translated to English): "The new vocalist fits very well with the band, his vocal aptitudes shining through, which are very similar to the legendary musician of the band, Steve Perry."^[17] Journey keyboardist Jonathan Cain described Pineda's performance in a radio interview: "We went to Chile just recently, where we had never played and they went crazy, they absolutely went nuts...Arnel's first show — talk about a stressful thing — we had a televised concert for 25 million people...Is the guy a winner? Yeah, he's a winner. He's a clutch player."^[18]

Journey returned to the US for a private RE/MAX Convention event at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas on March 6, 2008, then performed at Las Vegas' Planet Hollywood on March 8, 2008 (this concert was recorded and used, in part, for the Revelation DVD).

On February 1, 2009 he performed with Journey at the Super Bowl XLIII Pregame Show.

[edit] Revelation album and tour

Journey's first album with Pineda, Revelation, debuted at No. 5 in the Billboard Top 200 album charts in the week following its release (released June 3, 2008), and remained in the Top 20 for six weeks. It was certified gold by the RIAA with more than 336,000 units sold within the first few days.^[19] It achieved platinum status by October 1, 2008.

The US version of the album (distributed exclusively through Wal-Mart) consists of 10 new songs ("Faith in the Heartland" was co-written and originally recorded by vocalist Steve Augeri and S. Augeri is credited as song writer in the liner notes of this album) and 12 re-recorded classics, plus a live in-concert DVD filmed during the March 8, 2008 concert in Las Vegas. The European version distributed through Frontiers Records contains 11 new songs, 11 re-recorded classics, plus one new bonus track, but does not include the DVD. All of the music on Revelation was produced by Kevin Shirley (who previously worked with Journey on their Platinum-certified Trial by Fire album).^[20]

Jonathan Cain described the album in an interview: "We recorded our greatest hits with our brand new singer from the Philippines, Arnel Pineda, and it's unbelievable when you listen to it. We paid a lot of attention to the details because everybody loves those hits and we weren't about to step all over it. We've got that and a brand new CD as well, and then there's a bonus DVD of what the band looks like now, about an hour of songs... It's a 3-disc package... We're excited because we think Arnel is the future for our franchise... We knew that if we were ever gonna move on, we had to get somebody that was really gonna be our future and sound like Journey is supposed to sound...I think Journey fans are in for a real treat."^[18]

In an interview soon after Pineda joined the band, Neal Schon said, "We feel reborn. I think there’s a lot of chemistry among the five of us. At first we were going to go into the studio and just write 4 songs, but now it’s escalated to a lot of great new and diverse material. The stuff sounds tremendous. Everyone’s so stoked about it. We feel very fortunate to have found Arnel."^[21]

Journey's 2008 tour accompanying the release of Revelation began on June 8, 2008, in Spain, followed by four dates in Germany, and one date in the Netherlands. Journey toured the United Kingdom and Ireland from June 17 through June 28, 2008. The US tour (with Heart and Cheap Trick) began on July 9, 2008, in Denver, Colorado, and continued through October 4, 2008, in Albuquerque, NM. Many dates were already sold out, well in advance. Pineda celebrated his 41st birthday on September 5, 2008 during a concert at the Molson Amphitheater in Toronto, Canada. In September 2008, Journey performed back-to-back sold-out concerts at the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles.^[22] Pineda sang in 57 concerts during the 2008 Journey World Tour. Journey's recent visit to the United States Gulf Coast performing at the Wharf Amphitheater, Orange Beach, Alabama and at the Pensacola Civic Center, Pensacola, Florida was a tremendous hit due to the large Filipino communities living in that area.

In the second leg of the tour, Journey went on an Asian–Hawaiian tour, going to Tokyo, Japan; Nagoya, Japan; Osaka, Japan; Manila, Philippines; Macau, China; Kahului, Hawaii; Honolulu, Hawaii; and Waikoloa, Hawaii.^[23] The Manila concert was released as a live concert DVD. Total concert revenue for Journey in 2008 was $35,695,481.^[24]

Television[link]

• Protege (Mentor of Nomer Limatog - replacement of Rachelle Ann Go) (GMA Network)
• ASAP (Co-host; 2008–present) (ABS-CBN)
• Simply KC (Guest) (ABS-CBN)
• Showtime (Guest judge) (ABS-CBN)
• Eat Bulaga! (Guest) (GMA Network)
• Boy and Kris (Guest) (ABS-CBN)
• Ellen DeGeneres Show
• CBS Early Show (Guest with Journey) (CBS)
• The Oprah Winfrey Show (Guest with Journey)
• NBC Today Show (Guest with Journey)

Discography[link]

Solo albums[link]

• Arnel Pineda (1999)

With Zoo[link]

• Zoology (2007)

With Journey[link]

• Revelation (2008)
• Journey: Live in Manila (2009, DVD)
• Eclipse (2011)

Other lead vocals[link]

• South Border — The Way We Do (track "Looking Glass") (2001)

References[link]

External links[link]

• Arnel Pineda Official Site
• Arnel Pineda Foundation Inc. - Non-profit organization, Philippines