Eleven Madison Park's summer pop-up is a getaway in itself.
What do you do once you've been awarded the title of best restaurant in the world? If you're Will Guidara and David Humm, you close up shop.
The Eleven Madison Park founders shuttered the renowned eatery last month and moved their upscale American cuisine to East Hampton, forgoing the elaborate eleven-course retrospective menu they'd been offering since April, in favor of more casual fare like bacon-wrapped hot dogs and a passion fruit-infused vodka cocktail served in a copper garden gnome.
The move is only temporary, however, as the restaurant's high-ceilinged, art deco home in Manhattan's Flatiron District gets made over in the next couple of months.
With two menus — a casual spread served on the patio and more elevated offerings for those dining inside — the EMP Summer House, as the outpost is called, certainly has enough to keep day trippers satiated, but we recommend making a weekend out of it. Here's how.
This one-time motel reopened as a luxury resort in 2015, continuing its legacy as a Sag Harbor mainstay. With nautical-themed decor by interior designer Colleen Bashaw, a pool overlooking the Sag Harbor Cove Yacht Club, and bike rentals to help you make your way over to Channing Daughters Winery or the EMP Summer House, consider Baron's Cove home base for the perfect beachside getaway.
From the fluke ceviche with cucumber and radish (pictured) to a corn, black truffle and parmesan flatbread, there's no shortage of creativity on chef David Humm's indoor-outdoor menu at the EMP Summer House. Also not to be missed: the requisite lobster roll (served with brown butter and Bibb lettuce) and the "Milk and Honey" soft serve topped with shortbread, brittle and meringue.
Cozy up to one of the picnic tables and be sure to bring an American Express card if you plan on dining indoors. The restaurant is only available to card members (the credit card company is a partner in the pop-up).
Entering the first ever brick-and-mortar store of One Kings Lane is like walking into the most gorgeous summer home ever created. Except, you actually get to buy the furniture.
The furniture e-retailer finally has its own physical storefront — at least through Labor Day, that is. Located in Southampton's iconic former Rogers Memorial Library, the 3,500-square-foot space is filled to the brim with unique finds, from a coffee table with legs resembling tree trunks to a blue-and-white nautical bedroom designed by Mark D. Sikes.
Needless to say, there's a lot to cram into your weekender, or ship back home ahead of you.
Known for its fun and beautifully packaged rosé, Wölffer Estate Vineyard is making it even easier this summer to get your fix of the pink wine. At the vineyard's wine stand in Sagaponack, Long Island, just pull up to this adorable pink wood cart and the winery's staff will load up a case (or two) for you. Just one case of the estate rosé runs for $195, and a case of the fruitier-flavored "Summer In A Bottle" rosé goes for $260. If you're willing to stick around, the stand also offers rosé by the glass and bottle for on-site sipping. Either way, cheers!


text:
Rethinking Super Megafest
11-Nov-11 11:06 AM by Ken Gagne
For the past several years, I've made an annual tradition of attending the Super Megafest, a sci-fi and nostalgia convention held in Framingham, Massachusetts. It's not a massive affair, but for its size and location, it's still fairly enjoyable, with several aspects to entertain the showgoer: vendors of various geek goods; celebrities on-hand for personal autographs (not free or even cheap!); Q&A sessions with said celebrities; and more.
But I found 2010 to be mildly disappointing, due to a variety of logistical decisions. The Q&A sessions are scheduled for specific times and days, but the event coordinator chooses not to publicize those schedules ahead of time, such as on the Super Megafest Web site; my email requesting this data confirmed that it is not available in advance. Although I realize celebrities' schedules often cannot be determined until the last minute, it's frustrating for me to not know if I should be at the conference on Saturday at 10 AM or 5 PM, or on Sunday. Without the Q&A, I need only an hour or two to absorb the event in its entirety; it's unreasonable to block out an entire two-day weekend for whenever the Q&As might be.
The comfort of the celebrities is of course the organizers' priority, so rather than have the stars stand for an hour during Q&A, they're allowed to sit. But the session is held in a conference room large enough that folks in the back can't see someone seated at the front. A simple riser that would elevate the celebrity would be a simple fix.
Last year, I calculated the cost of admission plus that of Christopher Lloyd's autograph and decided it was worth getting the "VIP speed pass", which included admission and autographs by Lloyd and Lea Thompson. The "speed" aspect allowed me to bypass the line for this celebrity, which would otherwise take hours to traverse. But there was no fine print indicating that this privilege was valid only from 9:30 AM to 10:30 AM! The Web site informed me only that I was paying for "a beat-the-line speed pass". Such vague terminology bordered on the deceptive.
Despite all that, I was still glad for the opportunity to meet the stars. Few people had paid for the speed pass, which also granted exclusive access to Lloyd's Q&A session, which made for an intimate setting. Everyone got to ask a question, with mine being: "Does an actor of your renown still have to audition for parts, or are they written for or handed to you?" Lloyd said that sometimes, the writers say to themselves, "Oh, this script calls for a drunk? Let's get Lloyd." But more often, he still needs to audition, as it's not always clear whether he or someone else will be right for a part. Lea Thompson never showed up, so my pass got me two Lloyd autographs instead.
I also met Marina Sirtis, better known as Deanna Troi from Star Trek: TNG. She was very friendly and fun, laughing and smiling and calling everyone "hon". When I saw the various 8"x10" glossies she had available to autograph, I chose an off-camera shot from First Contact, commenting, "You were so funny in that film!" She responded, "I was more myself in that Star Trek movie than in any other."
I had some time to kill between sessions, so I sat in on a Q&A by Kristin Bauer, who plays Pam De Beaufort on True Blood. I'd never seen this show so wasn't very interested, but she redeemed herself with the credit of playing Lt. Laneth on an episode of Star Trek: Enterprise.
I ended the show by getting Peter Mayhew's autograph. The taciturn Wookie didn't have much to say and didn't offer to personalize his signature, though he did do so after I handed it back with the request.
The headliners for this year's Super Megafest are Patrick Stewart and Sean Astin. After a month of waffling, and with just a week to spare, I coughed up the dough for another VIP speed pass. I'm a bit disenchanted with Super Megafest, though, and would not have been roped in for another expensive pass for anyone other than Captain Picard.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Spelling. Are you looking for septa?
Skepta: Joseph Junior Adenuga, better known by his stage name Skepta, is an English rapper, grime artist, MC, songwriter, record producer and recording artist of Nigerian heritage. Skepta is best known for his work in the grime scene. Skepta was originally a DJ for Tottenham based grime crew Meridian Crew, early in his career Skepta released a number of instrumentals the most notable of which were "DTI" and "Private Caller", the latter of which was released as a single and vocaled by various over members of Meridian Crew. Skepta began emceeing shortly before Meridian Crew disbanded in 2005, after which Skepta, alongside his brother JME, joined Roll Deep for a short period of time before becoming founding members of Boy Better Know in 2006. Skepta released his debut studio album Greatest Hits in late 2007 independently, followed by another independent release Microphone Champion in 2009 and Doin' It Again on AATW in 2011.
albums: "Duppy", "Stupid EP", "Greatest Hits", "Microphone Champion", "Stageshow EP", "Cross My Heart (feat. Preeya Kalidas)", "Bad Boy", "Doin' It Again", "Been There Done That", "Private Caller", "Meridian Walk", "So Alive", "Are You Ready?", "Blacklisted", "Hold On", "Rescue Me", "Make Peace Not War", "Thuggish EP", "Can You Hear Me? (Ayayaya)"
See also the blanagrams of Skepta!
Go to the usage examples of Skepta to see it in context!


UK construction equipment exhibition Hillhead saw a record attendance at this year's edition, reaching nearly 20,000.
The three-day show took place from 26-28 June at Tarmac's Hillhead Quarry, in Derbyshire, and its attendance surpassed the previous record set in 2005, with 19,687 present.
It was also the show's most international showing as visitors from 88 countries contributed to a 28% show-on-show increase in overseas attendees. There were 527 more exhibitors than ever at this year's show, too, with many occupying the newly-created space in the enlarged registration pavilion.
The next Hillhead show will take place in late June 2020.


Drawn features, lack of tonicity, loss of elasticity.
■ Collagen: Used in aesthetic medicine for its hydrating and smoothing properties.
■ Elastin peptide: Elastin protein fragment with chemotactic properties to improve the elasticity of skin and visibly enhance cutaneous firmness.
■ Xylose: Essential sugar known for its anti-glycation properties, used to boost cutaneous tonicity.
■ Sorghum Juice: Vegetal tensor, rich in polyosides, to form at the surface of the skin a genuine stretching network.


Healing the emotional cause of psoriasis can help to wake up the deadened skin and other areas in your life.
Psoriasis is something that I have experienced first hand. I woke up one morning and my scalp was itchy and flakey.
At first I thought it was dandruff, but I had some serious scaley sores developing on my head and it was not a pretty sight! In fact, when I went to get my hair cut, the sylist's comb would keep sticking on the sores. It was nasty!
As a psychic healer, I have found that many physical problems have a contributing emotional cause and this is is a good example. I have found that psoriasis does have an emotional cause or is at least, a contributing factor.
At the time, however, I was not aware of the emotional cause of my psoriasis and therefore first worked to neutralize the negative emotions around having it so that they didn't block me from finding a remedy. And, at the time, I was not a practicing psychic, I was a computer geek!
In any case, I found relief by using Tachyoned OS Formulas, however, I did have to keep these products on hand for when the psoriasis decided to return. The results were quick though! If I felt an itch on my head, I would start using the products and right away the itching stoped. I would use them for a couple of days but then I wouldn't use them again until I got another itchy indicator of the psoriasis. Specifically, I use the Tachyonized Liver and Gallbladder Tonic in addition to the Tachyonized Lymphatic and Glandular Tonic. These same two products work on eczema, which I would tend to get on my hands.
I no longer have any issues with psoriasis or eczema and I believe that is because I have neutralized the core emotional cause of psoriasis in my specific situation.
In my work, the first thing I do is look for the inciting incident that initiated the creation of the psoriasis. Then I look at the effect that had on your energy field, which oftentimes tells me exactly the emotional cause of the psoriasis. I also look for the mindset that causes the problem to persist. Your spirit is trying to tell you something by creating the physical problem. The mindset that has been established as a result of the inciting incident is suppressing gifts, strengths, abilities & experiences that are meant to take you in a wonderful direction! I also look to see what that is, in addition to looking for the truth that would be more empowering and awakens your senses. A standard healing session will also include a few more Matrix Energetics tricks I have up my sleeve to help you make the shift/transformation you're looking for.
To clear the emotional cause of psoriasis on your own, you can use EFT (Emotional Freedom Techniques)! By utilizing this effective tool, you can clear up the emotional issues that are at the root of the problem, therefore conquering the first step in healing the physical issue.
Although in my healing work I have found the core emotional cause of psoriasis can be very specific to the individual, the EFT statements below utilize Louise Hay's emotional interpretation of the physical problem and may help you. If you are not resonating with Louise Hay's emotional cause of psoriasis, I can help you learn what that is.
EFT works best when you know the core emotional cause of your psoriasis problem.
My free eBook not only teaches you the EFT technique, but also contains a secret method that will help you discover what the core emotional cause is.
In addition, it provides insights as to how imbalances in different aspects of your energy system as a whole can contribute to any dis-ease.
Although EFT can be used on physical symptoms such as "this psoriasis", sometimes with astounding results, it works even better if you are aware of the core emotional issue that is causing the psoriasis problem.
Now onto some EFT statements that may help you clear the emotional cause of the psoriasis.
Setup: Even though I may have this this psoriasis problem and it may be the result of fear of being hurt, deadening the senses of the self and refusing to accept responsibility for my own feelings (Hay's words), I deeply and completely love and approve of myself, and am alive to the joys of living and I deserve and accept the very best in life.
By the way, refusing to accept responsibility for my own feelings may have reminded me of something that was going on with me that I also used in the setup phrase, but being that EFT is such a subtle healer, I don't even remember what it was. If you're having this issue, feel free to be more specific in your setup phrase if you are so aware. An outside perspective can help you with this sort of thing and that's why it's beneficial to work with a practitioner like me :).
"Delete" round of tapping: EB - "deleting this fear of being hurt ", SE: "removing the deadening senses of self ", UE: "deleting any refusal to accept responsibility for my own feelings", UN: "deleting this fear of being hurt ", CH: "deleting any emotions causing my psoriasis", etc. on all the points, including the gamut, alternating with statements relating to the issue. The fear of being hurt thing really hit home for me and that's what I concentrated on the most.
"Insert" round of tapping: EB - "inserting a joy in being alive", SE: "inserting acceptance of the very best in life", UE: "inserting a joy in being alive", UN: "healing this psoriasis ", CH: "inserting acceptance of the very best in life", etc. on all the points, including the gamut, alternating with statements that "insert" a feeling of well being.
If you are not familiar with EFT (Emotional Freedom Techniques), none of this will make sense to you. I hope you will take a few minutes to learn about a powerful procedure that can change your life in many ways by downloading my free eBook.
If the emotional cause for psoriasis mentioned in the EFT statements above do not resonate with you or do not help you, a distance healing session is recommended. In a healing session, I can find the patterns that have caused any problem, look for other contributing factors, and send healing to those patterns in addition to sending healing to the physical issue itself. This may result in a complete healing as a cascade of healing energy coming forth from the time the problem started until the present moment.
As an intuitive life coach and healing practitioner, I am able to detect the emotional (and otherwise) patterns that have caused the psoriasis and send healing to each and every pattern that shows up.
If you'd like help in learning the emotional cause of psoriasis for you and to start transforming your psoriasis problem, I'd love to assist.


Do you think your youngster has what it takes to become model? There are several moms who aren't sure on how they create their cute little angels enter the world of modeling.
There is a most charming baby in the world and you want everyone to find out him. To start with you become passionate about the minds of the child like a famous model whether in television or print, you must know first what to send into a Baby modeling agency in Michigan .
Michigan Baby Model Agency: It is quite disappointing that oldsters tend to be more concerned in looking into who'll service their cars more thoroughly compared to the modeling agency to represent their children in the showbiz industry. It is very important have a modeling agency in Michigan to assist your child in getting modeling jobs in the most convenient way.
One of the things that Michigan modeling agencies need is to talk to your child's natural acting style and discover what the perception of their body is. At least two candid snapshots should be shipped to a respected modeling agency. The photo should be high quality. After sending it to the modeling agency, you need to resist in checking to the business. They'll call you when they're considering having your kid having a contract. Otherwise, it is possible to resubmit your child's photos after six months.
– When you purchase modeling schools that are located in Michigan ?
You shouldn't have to worry about enrolling your child in the modeling school. According to many managers of modeling agencies, the most effective type of training can be learned right then. Usually, the photographers would be the ones to teach them during photo shoot sessions. You can always practice basic acting skills with your child so he will have a taste of the he will really do in the shoot in Michigan .
If the agency wants your child, be confident an interview will quickly be scheduled. This may usually take around 10- fifteen minutes and at the conclusion of the afternoon, the interviewer will have a good plan ones youngsters are right to do the job they've.
A legal contract will probably be mailed for you when a company is decided about representing your child. Each time a job is secured, the business will them collect a fee, usually around 20 % in the income of your child.
Always submit the photo through email or snail mail. Add the snapshots of the child, stats, contact information and resume if it is possible.
Prior to you signing by having an agency, you will need to have a look at many for potential options and greater opportunities.
During interview having a modeling agency representative, act naturally and casually as you can.
Enter in as many baby photo contests in Michigan as you can!


text:
Problems in OC Child Welfare System Get Statewide Scrutiny
By NICK GERDA | May 21, 2014
A high-profile case, a judge's stern warning and a critical state audit have made Orange County a recent statewide example for critics who say child welfare systems suffer from chronic mismanagement and poor oversight.
The audit, by the California State Auditor, revealed that child welfare agencies here and elsewhere can fail to do basic background checks and assessments needed to ensure that vulnerable children, who have been neglected or abused, are not again put in unsafe situations.
"It's really hard to even put into words how many changes need to be made, but certainly there needs to be a tremendous amount of oversight and accountability," said Assemblyman Tim Donnelly (R-Twin Peaks), a Republican candidate for governor who identifies closely with the Tea Party.
"I think the system itself is flawed and needs to be fundamentally reformed from the ground up."
The audit of agencies in Orange, San Francisco and Butte counties found a series of problems that, it says, could lead to children being wrongfully kept in dangerous homes or removed unjustifiably.
"This report concludes that these agencies must provide better protection for abused and neglected children," State Auditor Elaine Howe wrote in an April letter to Gov. Jerry Brown accompanying her report.
While the three counties rely on safety and risk assessments, she wrote, "the agencies' social workers frequently did not prepare these assessments in a timely manner, or at all, and the information used in these assessments was often inaccurate."
"This led to flawed evaluations of safety, risk, and needed services and, at times, led to poor decisions related to child safety."
The audit also found cases in which there were long delays by the agency in trying to contact children who couldn't be reached on the first attempt; and a failure to perform background checks on caregivers.
Orange County fared the best among the three counties, though auditors still found that county officials didn't always adhere to their own policies and they need better training and oversight.
In one Orange County case, officials investigating neglect of a young medically vulnerable child learned that a neighbor was taking care of the child because the mother was homeless.
But a history check wasn't performed until 10 days later, after the neighbor failed to take the child in for "vital medical appointments," auditors found. That check revealed that the caregiver had "a 10‑year history of violent crime and drug‑related arrests" and had lost custody of her own children.
Additionally, auditors found a case where a caregiver's previous substantiated neglect, mental health and alcohol abuse weren't included in a risk assessment, despite those issues already being documented.
They also found three Orange County cases where inaccurate information in initial screening documents led to later response times than appropriate.
(Click here to read the audit.)
The audit looked at a random sample of 40 abuse cases at Orange County Child Protective Services, out of roughly 5,000 the agency handles each year.
County officials, meanwhile, say they appreciate the auditors' feedback and are working to implement their recommendations.
"We're committed to improving the safety of children and we want to do all that's in our power to improve the process," said TerryLynn Fisher, a spokeswoman for the Orange County Social Services Agency, which oversees CPS.
As for issues of incomplete and inaccurate information in initial reports, the social services agency has emphasized that the full picture often doesn't emerge until later in the process.
"During the course of a child abuse investigation, additional information regarding alleged perpetrators and victims often becomes available or changes as the investigation progresses," the agency wrote in its response to auditors.
Fisher declined to say if that was the case for the Orange County instances cited in the audit.
Donnelly, meanwhile, said two local cases raise serious questions about the agency, and led him to request that Orange County be included in the child welfare audit. Both cases, he said, should prompt Orange County supervisors to "absolutely" take a close look at their CPS agency.
The first centers on claims that faulty Child Protective Services investigations led to a nine year-old girl being placed in her father's sole custody despite credible reports of sexual abuse.
"Every aspect of it has been deeply troubling," Donnelly said of the case, which has drawn media attention locally and in Sacramento.
Brian Claypool, a high-profile attorney for the girl's mother, Ruby Dillon, says there is a "mountain of evidence suggesting that [the] child has been molested," including reports from a teacher, psychologist, medical doctor and the girl herself.
But when the teacher made an abuse report, Claypool claims, officials failed to follow through with a proper investigation. "CPS never interviewed the teacher, never interviewed [the girl] separately, and never interviewed the father" regarding that report, he said.
The same was true for reports by a doctor and a psychiatrist, according to Claypool.
CPS ultimately conducted 16 investigations and found the abuse claims to be "unfounded," according to court records. Those findings later contributed to a family court ruling that the mother coached her daughter into making the claims.
Spokeswomen for the social services agency and court declined to discuss the case.
Social services officials have previously said they're barred by law from publicly discussing specific cases, making it impossible to defend allegations levied by parents in the media.
Meanwhile, the Social Services Agency's longtime liaison to family court was accused by county human resources officials of "possible perjury" and violations of agency policy regarding his testimony last February in Dillon's custody case.
The liaison, Robert Muñoz, left county employment in September, according to a county spokeswoman. Fisher said she couldn't comment on personnel matters, but that in general the court could review the original investigation documents if there were questions about a liaison's testimony.
(Click here to read Dillon's legal claim against the county.)
The Orange County Sheriff's Department has opened a perjury investigation into the custody case, but months into the probe it appears the family court has yet to provide key documents.
The sheriff's investigator has been "facing some challenges" in obtaining court transcripts, Lt. Jeff Hallock wrote in a May 9 email.
The reason for the delay is unclear. Court spokeswoman Gwen Vieau didn't return a message seeking comment on the issue.
The other case cited by Donnelly is that of Deanna Fogarty-Hardwick, who successfully sued the county over claims she was illegally denied custody of her two daughters after social workers filed false reports and suppressed key evidence.
An Orange County Superior Court jury ruled in her favor, concluding that two social workers acted with "malice, oppression or fraud," and that managers were "deliberately indifferent to the need to train and/or supervise its employees adequately."
The Fourth District Court of Appeal upheld the ruling, adding that there were wider problems at the agency.
"The evidence adduced at trial obviously caused both the jury and the judge to conclude not only that something seriously wrong was done to Fogarty-Hardwick in this case, but also that the wrongful conduct was not an isolated incident," Justice William Bedsworth wrote in the appeals court opinion.
"That conclusion is something the County should be taking very seriously."
(Click here to read the appeals court ruling.)
After the U.S. Supreme Court declined to review the ruling in 2010, the county was ordered to pay $9.6 million – its most expensive liability judgement ever.
In their recent report, auditors cited three Orange County cases where false information in risk assessments led to improper decisions.
"In one example at Orange County, the social worker failed to indicate the caregiver's prior substantiated neglect, mental health concerns, and alcohol abuse on the risk assessment, although all three issues were present in other case documents compiled before the assessment was prepared," the audit states.
"As a result, the assessment indicated a low risk score when the score should have been high, resulting in a default decision to close the referral rather than the correct default decision to open a CWS case."
Additionally, the audit found that Orange County officials didn't conduct basic inquiries into some caregivers' histories.
In the case of the "medically-vulnerable infant," auditors found that a background check wasn't conducted until 10 days after social services learned that a neighbor was taking care of the child.
"After hospital staff reported to the social worker that the infant was not being brought in for its vital medical appointments, the social worker made a formal inquiry into the caregiver's background and discovered not only a 10‑year history of violent crime and drug‑related arrests but also a significant history of CWS intervention—including losing custody of her own children," the audit states.
In their response, social services officials said such checks aren't required by law, but should be performed anyways.
Ultimately, Donnelly says it's time for some major changes to the way these agencies run.
Beyond a thorough overhaul, he has suggested a couple of specific reforms.
Many instances of conflicting court testimony, he said, can be cleared up by requiring social workers to record video and audio of their interactions with parents and children, provided consent is given.
"The overarching principle needs to be one that protect the constitutional rights of everyone involved," said Donnelly, who has introduced a bill to require the recording. "Right now it's the social worker's word against he parents and children."
He also suggested creating independent panels that parents can appeal to.
"Things absolutely should be changing," he said.
You can reach Nick Gerda at [email protected], and follow him on Twitter: @nicholasgerda.
Orange County Sheriffs Department
Orange County Social Services Agency
state audit
Zarate: Health Insurance Should Cover Sexual Abuse Therapy for Survivors
Facing a nightmare and turning it to a positive takes determination and courage. One woman's journey confronts an insurance system that fails those most in need.
County Undergoing Sea Change in Approach to Child Abuse Prevention
Historically, Orange County children suffering from abuse and neglect would likely end up in a group home. But now county officials are working to keep them in family environments.


Highly effective leaders are skilled communicators. Most people assume that communicating is about speaking. Not true. Rule # 1: Excellent communication skills start with listening, THEN devolve to speaking. Only by listening first do we earn the trust of the person we're talking with. Only by listening first do we earn the right to be heard. Only by listening first do we have the ability to speak to the other person's interests, to their listening. Listening is the first characteristic of a skilled communicator.
You've heard the expression, "Dance like nobody's watching." I suggest, "Listen as if the person is going to tell you the most important thing in the world." Most of the time the topics will indeed be mundane. But there will be gold nuggets. AND, the speaker will feel truly honored, creating a relationship for future conversations.
Secondly, a skilled communicator continually looks for feedback from the listener – do they understand it? Do they agree? A skilled communicator also pauses while talking, to allow the listener to digest what has been said and to formulate a response. The difference between introverts and extroverts can be striking in this regard. An extrovert does not know what they are thinking until they say it, so they tend to talk quickly and volubly. An introvert needs time to process what they have heard so they can formulate a response. They are equally intelligent – they just need processing time.
Ethos is the most powerful. Effective speakers try to identify with their listeners, and have their listeners identify with them. Presidential candidates try to identify with the man in the street, or the soccer mom. Finally, whoever tells the stories defines the culture; they combine ethos and pathos. Look at advertisements – most of them tell stories (with pictures, words, and music), rather than merely citing facts and figures. They use the stories to persuade, and then add facts and figures so the potential customer can logically justify the decision they made.


text:
Монтепио има више значења:

 Монтепио (Чилон), насеље у савезној држави Чијапас у Мексику
 Монтепио (Сан Андрес Тустла), насеље у савезној држави Веракруз у Мексику
 Монтепио, Лос Паласиос (Сан Андрес Тустла), насеље у савезној држави Веракруз у Мексику
 Монтепио (Тлакоталпан), насеље у савезној држави Веракруз у Мексику

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


35 day aged Rib Eye - This steak is also known as the Rib Steak. Each steak is approximately 1/2 lb and the total weight will be a bit more than the lbs you order. Each order will contain 2 individually wrapped steaks.


The popular Night Moose 6' x 9' Area Rug has a symphony of bear, moose, canoe and floral border. The decorative border surrounds a pine cone and floral design with rich, earth tone colors that come to life against the deep chocolate brown background. This premium quality rug is hand-hooked with 100% New Zealand wool.


text:
Q: Set a default selected option in vueJS select list In my vueJS application I have following select option in a form

    <dashboard-input-label class="col-sm-2 mb-2 w-full" identifier="schedule_type">
        Schedule type
    </dashboard-input-label>

        <validator-v2
            :identifier="identifier"
            :rules="rules.schedule_type"
        >
            <cs-dashboard-select
                :options="[
                    { value: '1', label: 'On duty'},
                    { value: '2', label: 'On vacation'},
                    { value: '3', label: 'Training'},
                    { value: '4', label: 'Sick leave'},
                ]"
                name="schedule_type"
                v-model="selectedValue"
            > Select type
            </cs-dashboard-select>
        </validator-v2>

How can I make the option 1, On duty as the default selected value?
I tried using
{ value: '1', label: 'On duty', selected},

but it was not working....

A: you directly bind value with selectedValue.
data(){
   return {
      selectedValue : '3'
   }
}

if default value is based on props than,
props: {
  selecedValue : {
      default: '3',
      type: String,
  }

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Martin Naughton, widely considered to be one of the most influential disability activists in Ireland over the last fifty years, passed away age sixty-two on 13 October 2016. Last March on his sixty-third birthday, those who knew and loved him posted some beautiful tributes to Martin on Facebook. These tributes illustrate the extraordinary person Martin was and how sadly he was missed.
I first met Martin in the CIL Bolton Street office. I remember about five staff trying to get into the one toilet to hide, and two running out the door for coffee break. He zooms through the door shouting orders at Joe T and Fiachra, such an amazing presence. The first words I ever spoke to him were. "Don't you ever shout at me like you've just done to everyone".
I first met Martin in Smithfield. Scariest job interview ever, before or since.
I first met Martin back in 2005 when I was looking for a summer job. My PA had arranged an interview with this 'great man' Martin Naughton, who was setting up something called a Leader Forum. Now you have to understand that I knew everything about everything, I was twenty-one and studying at Trinity, one of the most prestigious colleges in the world. He absolutely needed me! Oh I can laugh at my arrogance now… I went to the interview in Smithfield where I met the man himself. For some reason the first thing I noticed about him were his eyes, they always twinkled and smiled. He wanted me to coordinate the setting up of the Dublin Leader Forum, I didn't have a clue what he was on about but told him that I was his woman and so I had a job. And with Susan O' Brien and Sarah Campbell secretly helping me (transferring Martin's vision into easy-to-follow instructions) we did just that. Martin was only human like the rest of us but what I loved about him was his daring spirit and his clear vision for achieving what he might consider the true philosophy of Independent Living. Another thing I loved about Martin was that he took the time to get to know you. I'll never forget the day in 2011 that Offaly CIL welcomed *the* Judy Heumann (one of the original US activists) to the Centre, and Martin introduced me to Judy as a hardworking, passionate activist. By then he was a celebrity in my eyes so the fact he even knew my name was exciting to me!! But he was introducing me to Judy Heumann! I felt like a teenager meeting One Direction! It was Martin that made me so interested in the history of the movement, where we've come from. But Martin himself was always looking to the future and so we have an obligation to ensure that we keep his spirit and passion alive!
I first met Martin in DFI when I was working on the mainstreaming for my project and Martin was my mentor. I remember so well that first meeting in the Board room. He kept saying 'do I know you from somewhere?' – and as he has relatives who are Crowes he reckoned it could be that. SOOOO many adventures after that and so many projects. Happy Birthday Martin – we all miss you.
Just before I met Martin in 1995 for the first time, Sandra O Connor told me if I wanted some weekend work to make a few bob, to call around to Martin's. I was told all I would have to do is help out a guy in a wheelchair. So I went around and introduced myself. Before long I found myself losing whatever I had made on a game of cards (21) to (if memory serves me right) Hubert McCormack, Joe T Mooney, Tony Maloney and someone else I can't remember right now. The other thing I will never forget was that same weekend, I got to cook my first chicken…. and pretty much every Sunday after that with a game of 21 after dinner.
I met Martin in 2012. He gave me hope that I would be living independently, and since then my relationship with him changed. I saw Martin as the godfather of the disability community. I looked up to him in so many ways, and when I am having bad days in life, I know Martin and my brother are helping me get through it.
I met Martin in 1997 when I had starting using a Personal Assistant. He went on to become a great mentor and amazing friend someone who was always in my comer. We did many different protests together over the years and someone who I miss very much.
I met Martin many many years ago during a protest outside the Dail where he chained himself to the railings because his group could not get a meeting with the then Minister of Transport Mary O'Rourke to discuss their issues regarding transport.
"Integration in our Nation". A slogan on a float for the St Patrick's Day Parade in 1981 – the Year of the Disabled – One of the first political projects which I was involved with Martin Naughton on. Of course, it was his idea. We were both living in Baldoyle at the time and little did I know that as I was being physically lifted by "Big Bren" on to the back of that float (a 40ft artic) on a cold wet day in my scout uniform, that this would be just one of many great projects for the next 35 years. Nothing will ever replace the fun (and sometimes, not so fun) times we had together. Great memories and happy times.
RIP my friend. Will never forget you.
He was in good humour that day. I was introduced by Frederick I think and Martin asked how I was getting on. I can't remember what I said but I know I was enthusiastic (I was already quite happily and voluntarily working many hours beyond my CE hours of 20) and I showed him the work I had been doing which was the typing up of the first 'Leader Manual' which Julie had been writing in conjunction with all the Leaders. He told me a few stories about CIL's history and its people including the one about how he fell out of a plane. I think my eyes betrayed that I didn't quite believe that one…!
There was a mutual liking and respect born that day and a few days later I found myself outside the Dáil overnight, firmly entrenched in CIL it's philosophy and the CIL family less than 3 weeks in the job.
It was 1980-something! My Confirmation. The nuns in Baldoyle were harassing my parents for money they didn't have. It was awful embarrassing. Martin ran a sports club. They did fundraising. He organised money for new clothes and shoes for myself and my sister Mary. He knew things were difficult for Travellers. We didn't have money for Confirmation. Also, when I was 15 Martin, who ran the swimming pool, gave me a job as his secretary. The person who normally held that position was on holiday. It was fantastic. Other kids went home during the holidays. This was not always possible for some of the children – me being one of them. Also, other children were good at sports or they went to secondary school outside the hospital, which was a rare privilege in those days. Anyway, I was secretary for Martin. This gave me a badly needed boost of pride and self-esteem. During that time Martin raised my consciousness, not just about disability issues but about women and believe it or not, yes, this man also was talking about Traveller rights.
And that was the start of my independence. He got me into college, into suitable accommodation, my first power chair which my family didn't want me to have because in those days a Traveller woman was not entitled to any freedom. Often, I wonder what way my life would be if I hadn't met Martin. No doubt in my mind I wouldn't have lived as long of a life if he had not given the gift of dreaming, ambition and freedom.
I first met Martin in the summer of 1993 after taking a job as a PA with Joe T Mooney in Donegal. During the interview held in Joe's mushroom houses, he'd asked me if I'd any experience driving to Dublin, where I assured him I had (had actually only ever been in Dublin once on a bus to a Tina Turner concert and had a licence for all of 2 weeks) but felt the chances of being asked to actually drive him to Dublin were slight so what the hell. About 10 days later Joe tells me we're off to Dublin for a weekend's training (nightmare) and staying with Martin.
lf I'd never tell a lie again and find myself another job next week given that it wasn't quite what I was expecting. Within a few hours in Martin's company though I was, let's say, hooked!
I met first met Martin in the Summer of 1969 or 1970 that was when I first went to Baldoyle. To me he was a leader and someone I looked up to over those years. I would have been regularly in trouble with the nuns and very frequently summoned to the convent to be reprimanded for some small thing or two. Martin would always jump to my rescue and smooth things over. Martin use to always organise regular trips to soccer matches and I remember one particular match Newcastle United were playing Dalymount Park. It was getting close to the end of the game and we decided to go ahead of the crowd. The chap that was helping me decided to bring me up the steps backwards on his own. Unfortunately the plastic cover around one of the handles of my chair came away and landed down the three steps damaging my ankle. I was taken into the United dressing room where the trainer strapped up the ankle. I got to meet the whole team getting lots of momentos, and I even met my hero, Malcolm McDonald.
After leaving Baldoyle I lost touch with Martin and the many friends then. Then just over a year ago I met Martin through AT (Áiseanna Tacaíochta) down in Waterford where I now live. On our last meeting, around a month before he passed away. I spoke with him by phone again when he informed me he had secured five hours for me from local HSE. R.I.P.
Happy birthday Martin! Some of you may have read the blog post that I wrote for By Us With Us. The first time that I met Martin I think was in the GDIL meeting room when it was located in Green Street.
The stories of people who knew Martin longer than me show how passionate he was for people with disabilities of any nature to be included. I learned this as for the first few times that we met I didn't know what to say to him as without his vision of people with disabilities having a personal assistant service, I wouldn't be where I am today.
The disability protest that I did in 2015 gave me the opportunity to speak to Martin for the longest period that we ever got to speak. This was a clear memory for us both as on the last 2 occasions that we met at events in Blanchardstown, his response when routine formalities were happening was that he remembered me from that encounter.
I absolutely cannot claim to have been at the beginning of the independent living movement. I met Martin in the late 1980s. Martin was organising MDI member holidays. Later we talked about a different model of living, the philosophy of independent living. I was living in Cheshire home for about 8 years at that time I witnessed first-hand how Department of Health was abjectly against the independent living model when we met them.
However, Martin Naughton, unwilling to let such inward looking bureaucrats prevent his mission, stepped right outside the Irish government and to bureaucrats and secured funding from the EU. Following on from this I was part of the working group overseeing Operation Get Out, the groundbreaking action to enable a pioneering group of people with disability to leave institutional care and become Leaders. However, it is a matter of regret that I didn't have the independent spirit, or perhaps courage to move out of that institution myself, only following sometime later.
As many others will have commented and remembered, Martin liked lighting a flame in people and then watching them grow. He did so with me in spades. I spent 10 enjoyable years as a director and then chairman of CIL Carmichael House, during which I organised a resistance group to the cuts in PA funding during the financial crash. Thank you Martin.
Many moons ago, myself, Martin, Ursula, Jimmy, Florence and PA'S booked two fabulous holiday homes in Spiddal and off we went for a week's break. Flo was the Mammy, Ursula was the crazy one, I was the bold one and the men were just afraid and did what they were told. Ursula was out early every day in her bikini catching every ray of sun, Flo was up early cleaning every morning (she actually brought her own cleaning supplies with her). My room was upstairs so she couldn't check it (it was bad) I just lived out of my bag, clothes everywhere and never made my bed, but she wouldn't rest till she saw it and got Jimmy to go up and take photos think I was grounded that day.
Us girls went for a drive one day and Ursula made me drive down this really narrow half a road, myself and Flo terrified because there was nowhere to turn back. We just happened to be in the bloody sea and the tide started coming in which Ursula (no fear) thought was hilarious.
We checked out every pub and restaurant for miles around, myself and Ursula usually being the two drunkards who left everyone waiting in vans while we finished our dancing. Martin was outnumbered by the women and was too scared to give out. We laughed all week, stayed up half the night in front of a big fire playing cards and talking rubbish. One of my best holidays!
I remember one time Joe, Hubert and Flo were on the phone talking about going to one of Martin 's meetings. It was to be held in Carmichael House on a Saturday morning at 10 30 . Of course this wasn't a one of meeting. They had been the previous Saturday and during the week. The trio had decided not to go. You'd think Martin had heard their conversation as he rang the night before just to encourage or make sure they were going. All I heard was Joe saying ah I'll be there Martin. When he went Flo and Hubert were there too. ! Martin was very kind to me down the years and was only a phone call away when Joe T died. Happy Birthday Martin.
Working in many diffrent areas with cross section of community groups and orgonisatins in society in the area of gender advocacy human rights community development.
It was an honnor to work with Martin and the team on Operation Get Out supporting and coaching young people with disabilities to live independently in their community place of choice; many had lived in communal settings up until this project. They were starting something new they managed and trained their own PAs. A lot of learning trailblazing the way and testing and sharing came out of it. Martin with others was always there supporting encouraging along the way.
Martin reminded us all many times to use our voice to bring about change and to support one another in what ever way we can. We may not always agree but that solidarity is important my friend. I always answered his call to come and show support for many a campaign and encouraged others too. He was always generous with his time when we bumped in to each other over the years where ever it was and so looked forward to those chats on the sidelines of events when he did get a moment.
Martin, you gave me confidence in myself that I was creative visionary and knew my way forward and could bring others along too on the journey to self-discovery. You introduced me to so many new supportive colleges out there. You gave me freedom within the role to carry out my duties in my own style in a supportive way. This gave a huge sense of freedom in that this allowed me to develop my skills, talents and become the person I am today! Thank you. We will keep fighting the fight all of us together men women children family friends all together. For a brighter better future which is built on respect inclusion choice and equality.
Well done to all those scribblers who wrote very moving and truthful words about Martin N.Thanks a I did learn a lot more from you and your interaction with Martin. No doubt is was a teacher and philosopher that will and should go down in the history books a decent comrade.


Rufus lives in Felixstowe on the East Anglian coast and runs a cafe church each week. Those attending sit and drink coffee and do bible study and prayer. Rufus and others are close to the container port and pray for the seafarers occasionally too. Rufus serves in Minor Orders.


We'll just have to get used to it, won't we? The abrupt departure of Lou Simon from Sirius XM's '60s on 6 has a lot of people asking questions. Now, to be fair, Simon is still working at Sirius XM, but is in another capacity and will be overseeing other things. In his place at Channel 6 is former Baltimore radio jock Ken Merson.
Do you prefer a christmas red, bright yellow or deep purple shirt for yourself?
Do you wear pull over sweaters or cardigans?
Is there a limit for the Ignore List?
Not the real jungle though, just our front bedroom/computer room/craft room/office.


"Thriving" brought TEDxFargo to our community for the first time. A small group of committed people gathered to share ideas and to explore how ideas can solve problems and create possibilities.
Michael J. Strand is Professor of Art and Head of Visual Arts at North Dakota State University. With a background as afunctional potter, Michael's work has moved seamlessly into social and community engagement while remaining dedicated to the traditional object as he investigates the potential of craft as a catalyst for social change.
Dr. Susan Mathison is a Stanford educated, triple-board certified physician, and the founder of the Catalyst Medical Center.
CEO and founder of Peterson Farms Seed, Carl Peterson is proud to say, "I have lived in the same house my entire life and I've never had a job." Which means, Carl grew up and still lives on the home place his grandfather purchased in 1918. And that, as an entrepreneur and small business owner, he has never had to go through an employment interview. Carl thrives on identifying and solving problems. His professional credentials include a BS in Ag Production from Iowa State; MS in Ag Econ from Purdue; MBA from Indiana University; and is CCA accredited. Carl reads voraciously and most weekends he can be found playing piano and singing on his church worship team. And as a master of trivia, he always seems to have a quirky come-back.
Founder of the Kilbourne Group in Fargo, ND.


Entwining the Furylite's classic sensibilities with distinctive design, the crafted woven upper of this kick is a head turner. The lightweight feel and grippy bottom come standard. The easy-on build and textured-weave detailing add unparalleled panache.


text:
Notes from Pig City
Tagged: Neil Finn
Something To Believe In: A Playlist
I was driving alongside the Brisbane River not far from home, with a Ramones anthology playing at full volume, when it hit me. I was trying to piece myself back together after a difficult couple of years. My mother had been transferred into care with advanced Alzheimer's disease and my marriage had broken up. Something To Believe In was the song that did it – an almost-forgotten single from the Ramones' troubled mid-'80s era. It was about losing your grip on yourself, on life, then rediscovering your sense of purpose. I knew I wasn't going to be the same person but, then again, I didn't want to be.
It was March 2018. I'd written a few pieces that began to sketch out a story of a life on the margins of music but from the perspective of a fan, a wannabe, rather than a player. Over the next two months, a music memoir poured out: the first 30,000 words in three weeks. It was finished by Mother's Day. Something To Believe In was the obvious title, music being that something that had kept me sane, kept me going and, at times, kept me alive.
What follows is a playlist of 10 songs – most sublime, at least one ridiculous – that signposted that journey.
1. The Ramones – Something To Believe In (1986)
For whatever reason, the title track of Something To Believe In isn't on Spotify, so you'll have to go to YouTube for it. It's a Dee Dee Ramone song; he wrote most of the band's really dark stuff. This is one of his saddest but it's also uplifting. Joey's vocal will put a lump in your throat. In the first half, he wishes he was someone else. After Johnny's solo – one of very few solos by the guitarist – there's a bridge where he grabs life by the throat: he decides he's going to accept himself instead.
2. The Velvet Underground – Rock & Roll (1970)
In the liner notes for the Velvets' Live 1969 album, singer-songwriter Elliott Murphy wrote: "The difference between the movies and rock & roll is that rock & roll doesn't lie. It never promises a happy ending." I used those words as an epigraph. Murphy wrote them when rock was still young, the Velvets were still a cult, and he predicted that in 100 years kids would be writing school reports about the band as "classical rock & roll". It's a pretty far-sighted piece of early rock criticism. For anyone whose life was saved by rock & roll (or pop, or hip-hop, or whatever your thing is), this book doesn't promise a happy ending, but hopefully it offers a shot at redemption.
3. Iggy & The Stooges – Raw Power (original mix, 1973)
To me, this is the greatest song about the power and the glory of rock & roll ever written. The chorus – "Don't you try, don't you try to tell me what to do" – is what it's all about. So is this lyric: "Raw power's got a healing hand / Raw power can destroy a man." Who knows how Iggy is one of the last true originals left standing but you only have to count the bodies to know he's right, and his next stop after recording this album was a psych ward. It's a classic now but, at the time, Raw Power was so far ahead of the curve no one even knew there was one up ahead. David Bowie's mix buried the rhythm section but it's still punk as almighty fuck.
4. Do Re Mi – Man Overboard (1985)
This came out when I was 14 years old. At that time I knew nothing about women, let alone feminism, and I didn't really understand this song but connected with it anyway. I was a tiny kid and got bullied a fair bit in the playground, and I think I just related to Deborah Conway's rage and hurt more than anything. It's a post-punk song and a lot of punk spoke to people who had been marginalised in some way. These days I identify more with the object of Conway's disdain in ways I'd rather not – I know I'm addicted to attention and, as a music writer, I've been wallowing in a swamp of trivia for most of my adult life.
5. Patti Smith – Free Money (1975)
Lenny Kaye, guitarist for the Patti Smith group and compiler of the great '60s anthology Nuggets, once said garage music reminded people of why they wanted to rock & roll in the first place, which was pure desire. And we always want what we can't have. Another key concept of rock & roll is transcendence, the conceit that it can take us outside ourselves and so set us free. Smith embodied both in this song about escaping the prison of poverty. What really gets it over is the intensity of her performance. She sounds as though she's clawing out of your speakers. It starts slow, with just Smith and Richard Sohl on piano, then the band shifts through the gears until they're at maximum horsepower.
6. Kate Bush – The Big Sky (1985)
This is similar to Free Money in that what makes it leap out is Bush's wild performance. Hounds Of Love, the album that it's from, is really special to me; it seems to keep reappearing at key times. This song is about moving on – the idea is that we're all just specks in the cosmos. It's all big tribal drumming and stacked vocals, arranged for maximum impact. It gets louder the longer it goes as more elements are added to the mix but at the centre of it is Bush's voice. From about the three-minute mark she completely loses it – she sounds as though she's talking in tongues, then from 3.45 she unleashes a series of heart-stopping shrieks. She was possessed.
7. Liz Phair – Johnny Sunshine (1993)
A lot of these songs are about the self-mythologising of rock & roll, something the Rolling Stones were pretty adept at. Liz Phair was in love with that ideal too – and the Stones – but understandably she had a problem with a lot of the lyrics. So she decided to write a song-by-song feminist response to the Stones' Exile On Main St. That was her first album, Exile In Guyville, and it upended all those old cliches. I write about Divorce Song in the book (because, well, divorce) but Johnny Sunshine is closer to the theme I'm getting at here. It's Phair's response to All Down The Line, where the protagonist takes off with a "sanctified girl". In Johnny Sunshine, Phair replies from the perspective of the woman he's left behind. Living in an adolescent fantasy world usually means that someone, somewhere is getting hurt.
8. Jen Cloher – Hold My Hand (2013)
My mother is in the final stage of Alzheimer's disease; she has been bedridden and unable to communicate for more than 18 months now. But the years before that were harder for her emotionally, and for her family and friends, as her illness stripped her identity from her, piece by incremental piece. She got it young, too, when she was in her mid-50s (she's 71 now). When Jen's song appeared, it reduced me to ash. Her mother had suffered from Alzheimer's too and the song describes a circular conversation between her parents: her dad explains to her mum how they met but she forgets instantly, so she asks him again. I had lots of conversations with my mum like that. The message of the song is that "love is more than a reward or balm we use to soothe". It's an ongoing test of patience and loyalty.
9. Neil Finn – Chameleon Days (2017)
In early September 2017 I was in Auckland for a music conference when I should have been in hospital. I was in a hotel room and had enough tablets on hand, plus booze, to kill a horse. I was in a really serious, unstable condition. But I had one thing left to do: I had to review Neil Finn's album. It sounds absurd but it was important to me to finish this one task. I listened to Chameleon Days about a dozen times in a row and it stayed my hand. It's a very gentle song about fate, change and radical acceptance. The next day I was up at Roundhead Studios where Neil had livestreamed cutting the song.
10. Kiss – God Gave Rock & Roll To You II (1991)
It's worth finishing with something big and dumb and silly, and they don't get bigger, dumber or sillier than Kiss. Originally this song was a hit for Argent in 1973. Kiss covered it in 1991, long after the face paint had come off. I love it, partly because it's so ridiculous, but also because it posits rock & roll as a primal life force in and of itself. Paul Stanley's rave at the end is hilarious: "I know life sometimes can get tough! And I know life sometimes can be a drag. But people! We have been given a gift. We have been given a road. And that road's name is … rock & roll!" He was a true believer.
• Crisis support services can be reached 24 hours a day: Lifeline 13 11 14; Suicide Call Back Service 1300 659 467; Kids Helpline 1800 55 1800; MensLine Australia 1300 78 99 78; Beyond Blue 1300 22 4636
First published in The Guardian, 28 June 2019
Written by Andrew Stafford Comments Off on Something To Believe In: A Playlist Posted in music	Tagged with David Bowie, Deborah Conway, Do Re Mi, Elliott Murphy, Iggy & The Stooges, Jen Cloher, Kate Bush, Kiss, Lenny Kaye, Liz Phair, Neil Finn, Patti Smith, Paul Stanley, Something To Believe In (book), the Ramones, the Rolling Stones, the Velvet Underground
The Triumph And Tragedy Of The Chills
The independent scene that emerged from Dunedin, New Zealand, in the early 1980s had all the strange qualities musical trainspotters around the world associate with isolation. Hamish Kilgour from the Clean describes the city as a cauldron, with the low-hanging sky its lid. It's a creative pressure cooker from which artists must escape.
In the decades since, the bands that steamed from the top of that cauldron have gone global. Next to the Clean, the biggest name is Martin Phillipps, the legendary leader – of 21 different lineups – of the Chills. They were the definitive Dunedin band, with a strange, light, airy, eerie, breezy magic that both matched the city's geography and transcended it.
But they were cursed. The subtitle of The Chills: The Triumph And Tragedy of Martin Phillipps – a new documentary by Julia Parnell and Rob Curry – tells you that this is, first and foremost, a portrait of the artist. A consummate songwriter, Phillipps appears as both a driven man and a lost boy, emotionally cut off from those drawn into his orbit to help him realise his vision.
The film opens in the interior of Phillipps' home. Over the haunted opening notes of Pink Frost ("That's fine art, according to me," we hear Iggy Pop say, on a radio show), Phillipps pulls out his keyboard – then breaks into Heavenly Pop Hit, which wasn't so much his biggest hit as his nearest miss.
Spliced amid scenes of festival crowds, ecstatic gigs and the video clip of the song, Phillipps climbs into a decrepit car and drives himself to hospital to receive the results of his liver function tests. Phillipps has hepatitis C. He is told, with medical precision, that he has a 31 percent chance of dying within 12 months.
Then he is given a guarantee: "If you do keep drinking, Martin, you will die," the physician says.
There is so much about the Chills' story that is, on the face of it, cliched. After a number of acclaimed singles and EPs, Phillipps, whose best songs are touched with a sense of wonder, signs his band to a multi-album deal with a US label, Slash. When the hits fail to materialise, he sinks into a fog of heroin addiction, alcoholism, depression and withdrawal.
But Parnell and Curry treat their subject with unusual sensitivity, helped by Phillipps' extraordinary candour. He allows them access to every step of his treatment process, as well as to his archives (he is an obsessive collector). Around him, other band members, each of them individually numbered, step forward to speak.
What they have to say is just as unfiltered. The former drummer Caroline Easther (Chill No. 12) says Phillipps made her feel anxious. The bassist Justin Harwood (Chill No. 14) comments that he didn't know if he was needed or expendable. He came to the latter conclusion after Phillipps told him he planned to write the bass parts on the band's next album himself.
Another bass player, Terry Moore (No. 6), who played in two stints with the band, wonders if he's going to be next. The drummer Jimmy Stephenson (No. 15) has been left traumatised. In tears, he pulls out a gold record of the band's biggest album, Submarine Bells, the glass cracked after falling off his wall in an earthquake: to him it's symbol of both "great success and shattered dreams".
In between, we watch Phillipps going through piles of junk as he reassesses his life, sorting the detritus from the essentials. Preparing for an art exhibition – while spray-painting a mummified cat – he muses that "it's much more fun working as a team on anything. But I'm not going to sacrifice the quality for just a bit of team spirit." Phillipps remained Chill No. 1.
Over it all, Dunedin hovers. "The black cloud rolled in and it was there for a good long stay," says Chill No. 26, Phil Kusabs. He's speaking of Phillipps but he may as well be talking about the city, for its combination of suburban blandness and gothic grandeur. We see trees bent out of shape by the elements and the forest in which Pink Frost was shot behind the town.
It's beautifully filmed, suffusing the documentary with an atmosphere to match the Chills' glorious music, and we get to hear much of that, too. But it's never allowed to get in the way of the story – there's no recounting of the band's discography and, other than Neil Finn and the aforementioned Iggy Pop, no higher luminaries are called on to affirm the band's standing.
Phillipps' story resonates because despite his self-involvement, it's bigger than he is. It's about artistic integrity, self-realisation, self-acceptance and a reflection on mortality. Towards the end of this sad, lovely film, the emotional rush is equivalent to the Dunedin surf washing on to the cold beaches – it finishes far more optimistically than it promises to.
As a fan, I wanted to punch the air. And of course, it will be fans of the Chills who queue up first to see this documentary. If you've not yet had the distinctive pleasure of hearing his band, the triumph and tragedy of Phillipps' story will make you one for life.
Written by Andrew Stafford Comments Off on The Triumph And Tragedy Of The Chills Posted in music	Tagged with Caroline Easther, Dunedin, Flying Nun Records, Hamish Kilgour, Iggy Pop, Jimmy Stephenson, Julian Parnell, Justin Harwood, Martin Phillipps, Neil Finn, Phil Kusabs, Rob Curry, Terry Moore, The Chills, The Clean
Neil Finn: Out Of Silence review
Perhaps the first thing the listener needs to do with Out Of Silence is forget about the circumstances in which it was created. For four consecutive Fridays in August, Neil Finn has live-streamed the making of his fourth solo album via his Facebook page, releasing the singles More Than One Of You and Second Nature on the 11th and 18th respectively. The recording was completed in a final four-hour session on the 25th.
Clearly, this approach excited Finn and his fans. But when the process is forgotten, all that is left behind is the music itself: piano-based orchestral pop, with a minimum of drums and percussion. The album is compact at 35 minutes, and complex in its instrumentation and arrangements, scored by composer Victoria Kelly. It is beautiful on the surface and yet seemingly bottomless: these songs are too subtle and densely textured to take in all at once.
But it feels like easy listening; as natural as breathing. Finn's last album Dizzy Heights, produced by Dave Fridmann with Kelly also on board, was unusually hard work by comparison. And it's here that you appreciate the craft in these songs and the manner in which they've been executed. The songs were recorded quickly, but tightly rehearsed: you may have been a fly on the wall, but that doesn't mean Out Of Silence was made on the fly.
Chameleon Days exemplifies how Finn can make the most sophisticated pop music sound like the simplest thing in the world. Opening with ghostly vibraphone and strings, it's joined by Finn on piano, singing in a high falsetto, and one of the album's few drum tracks. The lyrics shapeshift with the melody: "That must be how the music is meant to be played / The colours change in our lives / We all have our own chameleon days."
There is so much going on in this song that it feels almost unstable, especially when it hits a surging bridge, with backing vocals doubling down heavily on the beat. But Finn's piano keeps returning to the hook that keeps it anchored, at least until its final, breathtaking coda, where it's finally cut loose and allowed to float away. It's one of his loveliest creations, as good as Fall At Your Feet or Private Universe.
Second Nature is the other track with drums, played at a brisk gallop, and the most familiar in style to Finn's work with Crowded House. But, as a steady quiver of violin and cello keep pace, male and female backing vocals alternately blend and diverge. It's the most baroque of pop songs, reminiscent of Andy Partridge's later work with XTC, but a deserving single, immediate in its appeal.
Other songs are much darker, as Finn goes into territory he's rarely explored lyrically. The Law Is Always On Your Side is a short but moving piano ballad about a police killing. Terrorise Me is a song inspired by the horrible events at the Bataclan in Paris in November 2015, Finn looking terror straight in the eye and refusing to be cowed: "If you want to terrorise me / Make me hate you in return / Love is stronger when it hurts."
Finn has often been compared to Paul McCartney – famously the former Beatle deferred to Finn when asked how it felt to be the greatest songwriter alive – but at moments like this, he's closer to George Harrison: a mystic determined to appeal to our better angels. "I think that we can fight and still be friends / Words are hard to control, and some better left unspoken," he sings in the opening song, Love Is Emotional.
At the top of it all is Finn's voice. Of all his outstanding qualities, perhaps it's his singing that's the most undersold: completely distinctive, unforced and gentle, whispering melodies only he could conjure in your ear. Out Of Silence sees him at his most contemplative and tender, at the most troubled of times. If you missed out on watching this album being born, rest assured the songs will wait for you.
First published in The Guardian, 2 September 2017
NB. Apparently the McCartney story is a myth!
Written by Andrew Stafford Comments Off on Neil Finn: Out Of Silence review Posted in music	Tagged with Andy Partridge, Crowded House, Dave Fridmann, George Harrison, Neil Finn, Paul McCartney, the Beatles, Victoria Kelly, XTC
10 of the best: Flying Nun Records
ONE of the world's great independent labels, Flying Nun Records was founded in 1981 by Christchurch-based Roger Shepherd. But the locus of the emerging New Zealand punk and post-punk scene and many of its key players were further south, in Dunedin: all bar one of the following bands, Christchurch's JPS Experience, hail from the university town in the region of Otago. At its peak, the label was home to dozens of bands and 10 of the best is exactly that (with apologies to Bailter Space, Alastair Galbraith and Peter Gutteridge, all storied figures in the New Zealand pop history). Shepherd walked away from the label in 1999, selling it to Warner; in 2010, Crowded House's Neil Finn, who owns a quarter-share, helped him buy it back again. Large chunks of the label's catalogue are being reissued by Brooklyn's Captured Tracks, with the Clean, the Chills and the Bats – who release their seventh album, The Deep Set, today – remaining active to this day.
The Clean Anything Could Happen
Formed in 1978 in Dunedin, the Clean's first single Tally Ho!, released a few years later, put the fledgling Flying Nun Records label on the map, reaching the top 20 with its nagging keyboard riff. (Disclaimer: it probably wouldn't have taken a huge number of sales to reach the New Zealand top 20.) From there the band, formed by brothers David and Hamish Kilgour and future Bats leader Robert Scott, carved a reputation as probably the most influential band on the label with a sound heavily influenced by the Velvet Underground. But their best song, Anything Could Happen, would do Bob Dylan proud with its folk-rock chord changes and dry, deadpan lyrics.
The Verlaines Death And The Maiden
Another key figure in Flying Nun's early history, Dr Graham Downes – he heads the department of music at the University of Otago – would bring classical influences to the Flying Nun sound on their 1987 album Bird-Dog. You wouldn't have seen that coming on their first single four years earlier, which had Downes ecstatically chanting the name of the French symbolist poet Paul Verlaine, from whom they took their name (not, as is sometimes thought, Television's Tom Verlaine). Features the immortal lines "You shouldn't talk to me / Find better company / There's better things to know / You'll only end up like Rimbaud."
The Chills Pink Frost
It was Martin Phillipps that played that nagging riff in Tally Ho!, but he already had the Chills who, over well over a dozen line-up changes, became the greatest singles band New Zealand produced after Split Enz, achieving enduring success with a sound that was alternately pitch dark and lighter than air. Released in 1984, Pink Frost combined both in the same song, shifting abruptly from a spry opening guitar hook to a haunting, bass-driven pulse, as Phillipps tells a deeply unsettling story of loss and survivor's guilt.
Look Blue Go Purple Cactus Cat
It's tiresome to point to Look Blue Go Purple's gender – something that followed the five-piece wherever they went, much to their justified irritation. But the fact remains there weren't too many women on Flying Nun, and the band's three EPs are a critical and often unsung part of its legacy. Cactus Cat is from the second of them, released in 1986. This joyously nonsensical paean to Denise Roughan's moggy rides along on a couple of chords, punctuated by two backwards guitar solos played by former Chill Terry Moore.
The Bats Made Up In Blue
After four years in the Clean, bass player Robert Scott realised he needed a new vehicle for his own prolific songwriting. With the Bats, he has explored endless variations on an instantly identifiable sound. They nailed that sound on this ebullient 1986 single: bright, mid-tempo guitar pop, with the stinging lead work of Kaye Woodward and Paul Kean's rumbling bass over the top giving a harder edge to Scott's nasal, wistful vocals.
Jean-Paul Sartre Experience Inside And Out
There were more critical bands in Flying Nun discography than the Jean-Paul Sartre Experience, but I can't ignore the hypnotic opening cut from this often overlooked band's excellent second album The Size Of Food, from 1990. Incredibly, soon after a lawsuit was served by the estate of Jean-Paul Sartre, forcing them to change their name to the JPS Experience and, while it almost certainly had nothing to do with it, they were never quite the same again.
Straitjacket Fits Down In Splendour
By the turn of the 1990s, the Chills and the Straitjacket Fits looked like the bands most likely to cross over to major success, with American record deals and more polished – dare one say cleaner-sounding – studio recordings. It didn't hurt that the Straitjacket Fits were the best-looking band on the label, either. Written by Andrew Brough, the breathtaking Down In Splendour, from the band's second and best album Melt, shows off the band's exquisite vocal harmonies and twin-guitar interplay without losing any of the tension that would ultimately destroy the group.
Straitjacket Fits APS
The Straitjacket Fits are privileged with two entries on account of them being blessed with two very different songwriters. The prettiness of Down In Splendour was the jewel in a crown of thorns: the Fits' spikier side was dominated by brooding leader Shayne Carter. This live recording of APS (also from Melt) demonstrates their explosive power on stage; at its conclusion Carter checks: "are everyone's strings intact?" But in barely the next breath, he cattily introduces Down In Splendour "for all you grandmas out there"; soon after Brough was unceremoniously ejected from the band, announced with a gleeful press release: "No more slow songs!" Unfortunately, it destroyed the band's delicate balance; their final album Blow was a disappointment.
3Ds Beautiful Things
The 3Ds – Dominic Stones, Denise Roughan and David Saunders – emerged late in the 1980s, quickly added another D, David Mitchell for good measure and, like the Straitjacket Fits, based their considerable attack on a twin-guitar sound. But where the Fits exuded menace, the 3Ds were as bright, playful and often unhinged as their lurid cover artwork. Beautiful Things (from 1993's The Venus Trail and sung by Roughan, previously of Look Blue Go Purple) caught them at a rare tranquil moment, with a gliding chord progression and beatific lyrics: "Don't you see, beautiful things can be / Waiting outside your door, for all to see." A famous story about the band goes that during a support slot on U2's ZooTV tour, an associate nicked a bottle of wine from U2's dressing room, leading the promoter to inform the band they would not be paid. Bono intervened, gave them another bottle of wine and told the promoter they would be paid double.
Chris Knox Not Given Lightly
Talisman, spiritual heartbeat and conscience of New Zealand punk, Chris Knox all but started the movement in Dunedin with his bands the Enemy, then Toy Love. He later maintained a prolific career as one-half of the Tall Dwarfs, as a soloist, and as a newspaper columnist and cartoonist. His best-known tune, released in 1989, was a plain-spoken love song to "John and Liesha's mother", and featured just a percussion loop and fuzz guitar. Tragically Knox was cut down by a severe stroke in 2009 that has left him unable to say more than a few words; a tribute album to raise funds for his ongoing rehabilitation featured Yo La Tengo, the late Jay Reatard, Bonnie Prince Billy and Bill Callahan, as well as many of the bands mentioned above.
Originally published in The Guardian, 28 January 2017
Written by Andrew Stafford Comments Off on 10 of the best: Flying Nun Records Posted in music	Tagged with 3Ds, Alastair Galbraith, Andrew Brough, Bailter Space, Bill Callahan, Bonnie Prince Billy, Bono, Captured Tracks, Chris Knox, David Kilgour, David Mitchell, David Saunders, Denise Roughan, Dominic Stones, Flying Nun Records, Graham Downes, Hamish Kilgour, Jay Reatard, Jean-Paul Sartre Experience, Kaye Woodward, Look Blue Go Purple, Martin Phillipps, Neil Finn, Paul Kean, Peter Gutteridge, Robert Scott, Roger Shepherd, Shayne Carter, Split Enz, Straitjacket Fits, Tall Dwarfs, Television, Terry Moore, The Bats, The Chills, The Clean, The Enemy, The Verlaines, Tom Verlaine, Toy Love, U2, Yo La Tengo
Final: The Great Australian Songbook V (10-1)
Count-dow-wn! It's time for the top 10!
10. PAUL KELLY/KEV CARMODY – From Little Things Big Things Grow (1991, 1993)
The ultimate compromise choice on this list. Both Kelly and Carmody should feature individually in any compilation of great Australian songs, but which ones? In the end, I've gone for this co-write, initially recorded by Kelly for his 1991 album Comedy, then by Carmody (featuring Kelly) in 1993 for Bloodlines, with a single released the same year. It's the story of the birth of the land rights movement in Australia, a campfire folk tune that a young Bob Dylan would have been proud of, and at least the equal of anything in either songwriter's canon. Despite its 11 verses, it's a story that tells itself; a masterclass in protest songwriting that wears its moral lightly.
9. FLAME TREES – Cold Chisel (1984)
Khe Sanh may be their signature tune, but this for me is the better one; a piece of heartland rock to rival anything by Bruce Springsteen: a small town, you and your mates, a boozy night of nostalgia, and a girl you can't forget. Don Walker peels off line after line of unforgettable imagery here, and that middle-eight – "Do you remember, nothing stopped us on the field in our day" – never fails to stop me in my tracks. All credit, though, to Jimmy Barnes, who brings those words to life with the best white soul vocal this side of John Fogerty. After that, Barnes' entire career has seemed like one long scream, as though he took the line "Ah! But who needs that sentimental bullshit anyway?" to heart. What a crying shame.
8. MIDNIGHT OIL – Power And The Passion (1982)
"People, wasting away, in paradise." With that arresting opening line, Midnight's Oil's acerbic broadside to the I'm alright, Jack complacency of suburban Australia – along with US Forces, both from the band's Armageddon-themed breakthrough 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 – firmly established their political bona fides, while catapulting them into the top 10 for the first time. To do it, they deconstructed their earlier surf-rock sound with the aid of producer Nick Launay, creating a new template that was complex, attacking and immensely powerful. Rob Hirst's solo ensured he topped "best drummer" rock magazine polls for a decade to come, and a final blast of brass pushes this most ambitious of songs over the edge.
7. CROWDED HOUSE – Don't Dream It's Over (1986)
Aside from being an enormous hit both locally and in the US (where it reached number two), I'm not sure that Don't Dream It's Over can lay claim to any wider significance. It's just a superlative pop song. Neil Finn's bright, chiming guitar riff sets the pace and tone, and there's the lovely Hammond organ break that many have compared to Procol Harum's A Whiter Shade Of Pale. But really, this is all about the chorus, purpose-built for couples around the world as they do their best to outlast the kitchen-sink trials of everyday life: "Hey now, hey now, don't dream it's over / Hey now, hey now, when the world comes in / They come, they come, to build a wall between us / You know that they won't win." Even non-smokers like me needed a lighter to fire up for that one.
6. THE SAINTS – (I'm) Stranded (1976)
The first independently produced rock single in Australia, the Saints' mighty debut not only beat fellow punk precursors Radio Birdman onto plastic, but also British counterparts the Damned and the Sex Pistols. In doing so, they inspired hundreds, if not thousands of others around the world, while kicking off a social revolution in their native Brisbane – which they quickly left. Dubbed "Single of This and Every Week" by British magazine Sounds after exported copies began arriving in Old Blighty, Stranded arrived like an emergency telegram from a lost land: such is its urgency, there's no time for a guitar solo. (The B-side, which actually was called No Time, did have a solo – of one whole note.)
5. THE SEEKERS – The Carnival Is Over (1965)
For a long time, I was no fan of the Seekers. Simpering folk tunes like Georgie Girl did nothing for me. Then, in early 2009, I attended RocKwiz's salute to the Myer Music Bowl in Melbourne, and Judith Durham closed the show with this old Russian folk tune (no surprise there; aside from Seekers gigs, the song has become synonymous with bringing the curtain down on major events in Australia). The purity of Durham's voice, her power and control, cut through the still night air. I think I was among the first on my feet for the inevitable but deserved ovation. It's been covered by everyone from Nick Cave to Boney M.
4. THE EASYBEATS – Sorry (1966)
In compiling this list, I've tried to strike a balance between genres, eras, cultural impact and unapologetic, if occasionally boneheaded personal favouritism. It's purely the latter that leads me to choose this song over Friday On My Mind. That's a masterpiece of pop sophistication, but this is raw R&B, as tough as anything cut by the early Rolling Stones, and thus I simply prefer it. Marking the dawn of Easyfever, it confirmed rock & roll was here to stay in Australia: George Young's choppy rhythm guitar prefigures his younger brothers' work in AC/DC, while Stevie Wright's exuberant vocals – particularly his "I-I-I-e-I-I-I-I" outro – are completely infectious.
3. THE WARUMPI BAND – My Island Home (1987)
It's funny that a song occasionally touted as an alternative national anthem is not about Australia at all, at least not per se. The Warumpi Band were formed in Papunya, in the deserts west of Alice Springs, and this achingly homesick song was written by the band's white guitarist, Neil Murray, for their proud Yolngu singer: "home" in this case is actually the late George Burrawanga's birthplace of Elcho Island, in north-east Arnhem Land. Burrawanga's high, spiritual voice is perfect for the tune's stately, hymn-like build; if your pulse doesn't quicken with the tempo at 2.51, best check you've still got one. Belatedly made famous by Christine Anu's hit version in 1995, but really, you can't beat the original.
2. THE TRIFFIDS – Wide Open Road (1986)
As lonely, desolate and beautiful a song as any ever written, Wide Open Road is also based on the simplest of cyclical chord progressions (G-C-G-Em-Am). The song soars on Jill Birt's sparse keyboards – note, again, the long, droning note that introduces the track, producing a vast, panoramic vista – with Alsy McDonald's unusual kick-drum rhythm keeping the whole thing from floating away. Atop it all is the late, great David McComb's commanding baritone: never forced, committed only to the story at hand, he matches naturalistic imagery with powerfully erotic longing. This is songwriting as a roadmap to the soul.
1. AC/DC – It's A Long Way To The Top (1975)
It was hard not to put Wide Open Road here, but for me, It's A Long Way To The Top is the one that still says it all. It exemplifies fundamental truths, not only about rock & roll, but AC/DC: the heart of the band is neither Angus Young nor Bon Scott (who liked to refer to himself as "the lightning flash in the middle"), but Malcolm Young. AC/DC are a rhythm machine: without Malcolm's distinctive chop, the band is nothing; without the riff, rock & roll ceases to exist. Bon Scott's high, wild vocal is joyous; his lyrics as economical as the music. This isn't about the rock & roll lifestyle: it's a metaphor for life itself, and it's as real as it ever was – bagpipes and all.
AND HERE'S 10 MORE THAT COULD'VE/SHOULD'VE MADE IT …
The Loved Ones – The Loved One (1965)
Not Drowning, Waving – Sing Sing (1987; 1991)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IJNT5BysUVU
You Am I – Purple Sneakers (1995)
The Master's Apprentices – Turn Up Your Radio (1970)
Lime Spiders – Slave Girl (1984)
Ed Kuepper – The Way I Made You Feel (1991)
X – I Don't Wanna Go Out (1980)
Died Pretty – DC (1991)
The Stems – At First Sight (1987)
The Passengers – It's Just That I Miss You (1979).
Written by Andrew Stafford 3 Comments Posted in music	Tagged with AC/DC, Alsy McDonald, Angus Young, Bob Dylan, Bon Scott, Boney M, Bruce Springsteen, Christine Anu, Cold Chisel, Crowded House, David McComb, Died Pretty, Don Walker, Ed Kuepper, George Burrawanga, George Young, Great Australian Songbook, Jill Birt, Jimmy Barnes, John Fogerty, Judith Durham, Kev Carmody, Lime Spiders, Malcolm Young, Master's Apprentices, Midnight Oil, Myer Music Bowl, Neil Finn, Neil Murray, Nick Cave, Nick Launay, Not Drowning Waving, Paul Kelly, Procol Harum, Radio Birdman, Rob Hirst, RocKwiz, Rolling Stones, Sex Pistols, Stevie Wright, the Damned, the Easybeats, the Loved Ones, the Passengers, the Saints, the Seekers, the Stems, The Triffids, Warumpi Band, X, You Am I
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text:
How Many Aircraft Carriers Does Russia Have? Technically, Zero
Russia's Only Aircraft Carrier Admiral Kuznetsov. Image Credit: Creative Commons.
The United States Navy has eleven aircraft carriers of the world's 47 active flattops that are operated by fourteen navies. Yet, it is important to remember that not all of those ships are in active service. Vessels can be officially commissioned and considered active in the navy rolls, yet, still be out of service as they undergo refits and repairs.
This is the case with the USS George Washington (CVN-73) and USS John C. Stennis (CVN-74), which are each currently undergoing their respective nuclear refueling and overhaul. This process typically takes four years as the ships are essentially taken apart and rebuilt.
Russia Has No Aircraft Carriers, Technically
It is thus a "trick question" when asking about the number of Russian aircraft carriers. If we're going to be completely "technical" on the matter, Admiral Flota Sovetskogo Soyuza Kuznetsov ("Admiral of the Fleet of the Soviet Union Kuznetsov") isn't actually an aircraft carrier. Instead it is a heavy aircraft cruiser in Russian classification.
The flagship of the Russian Navy, she was built by the Black Sea Shipyard and launched in 1985.
Originally named Riga, she was launched as the Leonid Brezhnev, embarked on sea trials as Tbilisi, but was finally named for Admiral Nikolay Gerasimovich Kuznetsov, a hero of the Soviet Union.
At the time of her commissioning, the Soviet Navy had intended her to be the lead ship of a class of at least two aircraft cruisers. However, her sister ship – Varyag – was incomplete when the Soviet Union broke up in 1991. The unfinished warship was subsequently sold by Ukraine to China and eventually completed/refurbished in Dalian and commissioned as the Type 001 Liaoning.
Trick Question, Explained
To get into a little more detail, this trick question has a second component.
Admiral Kuznetsov is Moscow's sole carrier, but given the state of affairs in Russia, it is unlikely that there will be any future carriers. More importantly, it could be argued that Russia technically has no carriers as the flagship has been out of service for a refit in Murmansk since November 2018. It remains unclear when – or even if – she ever returns to service.
Problem Plagued Warship
Even before the carrier returned for her refit, some officials in the United States Navy had expressed concerns that the carrier was unfit for service. In 2011, the Navy was worried that she might sink while in service in the Mediterranean Sea as she struggled during her only fourth deployment from her northern base to reach Russia's naval facilities in Syria. That concern was reportedly so great that the United States Navy's Sixth Fleet was tasked with maintaining contact in case the carrier floundered.
Such fears were actually well-founded and justified, as just two years earlier, Admiral Kuznetsov suffered a fire at sea while deployed to the Mediterranean, resulting in the death of a sailor onboard. In addition, the flattop – which had notoriously and routinely belched black smoke into the air – spilled hundreds of tons of fuel into the sea while refueling.
That smoke was a regular problem and a serious environmental concern wherever she sailed.
Unlike western vessels that use gas turbines or nuclear power, the Russian flattop is fueled by mazut, which often results in a trail of heavy black smoke that can be seen from great distances. The smoke signal is hardly ideal as it practically announces the location of the carrier from miles away.
In addition, the Russian flagship has an endurance that is a mere 45 days. That issue is compounded by the fact that even before it began its war in Ukraine, Russia had few ports where the aircraft cruiser could operate year-round. During deployments, the carrier was often escorted with tugs in case she were to break down. In 2015, the aircraft cruiser even had to be towed back to port.
Worst of all, Admiral Kuznetsov relied on a bow ski ramp to launch fighters, even though Russian aircraft designs are ill-suited to the task.
The Never-Ending Refit for Russia
When Admiral Kuznetsov was in service, it could be argued she was barely a reliable warship However, she isn't in service and hasn't been for years.
Since November 2018, she's been undergoing a refit that has proven especially troublesome. Soon after arriving in port, the carrier was damaged when a 70-ton floating crane fell on the flight deck, tragically killing a worker and injuring four more. Just a year later, a fire broke out in the engine room during a welding accident, which resulted in two more deaths.
The facility's drydock, which is absolutely vital to the repairs, was damaged during a power outage. Corruption has also been an issue, so much so that the director general of the shipyard overseeing the repairs was arrested for embezzlement of funds.
The original plan was to see the ship returned to service in 2020 and remain operational until the end of the decade. At this point, she is unlikely to begin post-refit sea trials until at least the end of 2024… at the very earliest. It isn't even clear if Admiral Kuznetsov will be able to return to service in time to be officially retired.
As for the answer to the question, "How many aircraft carriers does Russia really have?" The answer is none, but of course complicated by history and naval designations that are not exactly common.
Admiral Kuznetsov. Image Credit: Creative Commons.
Admiral Kuznetsov at sea. Image Credit: Creative Commons.
Russia's Admiral Kuznetsov. Image Credit: Creative Commons.
Russian Navy Northern Fleet Press Office/TASS/Russian State Media
Admiral Kuznetsov Aircraft Carrier. Image Credit: Creative Commons.
Admiral Kuznetsov, Russia's last aircraft carrier. Image Credit: Creative Commons.
Russian aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov (Picture source: Военный Осведомитель)
A Senior Editor for 19FortyFive, Peter Suciu is a Michigan-based writer. He has contributed to more than four dozen magazines, newspapers, and websites with over 3,000 published pieces over a twenty-year career in journalism. He regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, and international affairs. Peter is also a Contributing Writer for Forbes and Clearance Jobs. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu.
In this article:Admiral Kuznetsov, Aircraft Carrier, Naval History, NotHome, Russia, Russian Navy
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MONTREAL (Ticker) - Jennifer Capriati was not at her sharpest, but she nevertheless advanced to the third round of the Rogers Cup on Tuesday. On a wet day at the $1.3 million hardcourt event, Capriati, the third seed from the United States, edged Alina Jidkova of Russia, 7-6 (7-3), 7-5. Capriati set up a third-round clash with No. 17 Mary Pierce of France, who routed Australian Nicole Pratt, 6-1, 6-1.
Also advancing to the third round was seventh seed Ai Sugiyama of Japan, who rallied to defeat Daniela Hantuchova of Slovakia, 1-6, 6-4, 6-4. In first-round action, No. 15 Chanda Rubin of the U.S. beat German Antonia Matic, 6-4, 6-3. She awaits countrywoman Mashona Washington in the next round after the qualifier beat Barbora Strycova of the Czech Republic, 7-6 (7-3), 6-4.
No. 14 Elena Bovina of Russia also reached the second round after dispatching Spaniard Virginia Ruano Pascual, 6-1, 6-3. Bovina next faces American qualifier Lilia Osterloh, who rallied to defeat compatriot Jill Craybas, 0-6, 6-3, 6-1.