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The 2011 AAA Photo Contest is a showcase of anthropology at its best. Of the 93 photos submitted, AAA members selected their favorites in each of the four categories: Practice, People, Place and Process. You can view the top 20 photos in Anthropology News. Here on the AAA blog, we will feature several of the photos in this blog series, Photo Friday.
Title: Changing Times
Photo Courtesy of Aleksandra Wierucka
Contest Category: Process
Caption: The Indian woman talks on her cellular phone on the steps of the Sri Vadapathira Kaliamman Temple in Singapore. Anthropologist stays anthropologist in everyday situations. The picture was taken during the break from international scientific conference in Singapore, during the walk in Little India, the Indian part of the city. Used to the practice of not disturbing sacred places, I took the picture through the opening in the fence as I was taken by the colors, the grace of the Indian woman, the highly traditional surroundings and the very modern technology in use. The picture shows how all of this can coexist and complete each other.
Look for details on the 2012 AAA Photo Contest in late April!
Missed last week's photo? Click here.


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A Presidential Declaration of Independence from Wall Street—Part 2
This is part thirty-five of a series of blogs based on excerpts adapted from the 2nd edition of Agenda for a New Economy: From Phantom Wealth to Real Wealth. I wrote Agenda to spur a national conversation on economic policy issues and options that are otherwise largely ignored. This blog series is intended to contribute to that conversation. —DK
This is Part 2. Click here to read Part 1.
Recognizing that the world can no longer afford war, the foreign policy of this administration will be crafted to build cooperation among people and nations in order to eliminate terrorism and its underlying causes, resolve conflicts through peaceful diplomacy, roll back military spending and demilitarize the economies of all nations, restore environmental health, and increase economic stability.
We will work to replace a global system of economic competition with a global system of economic cooperation based on the sharing of beneficial technology and the right of the people of each nation to own and control their own economic resources to meet their needs for food, energy, shelter, education, health care, and other basics. We will work to protect the rights and health of working people and the environment everywhere.
To that end, I will do all in my power to correct the legal travesty perpetrated against democracy by the Supreme Court decision in Citizens United. I will put my administration behind a Constitutional amendment to make clear that Constitutional protections apply only to real people, not to corporations. And I will appoint only judges who understand the difference between people and corporations.
The only reason for a government to grant a corporate charter is to serve a well-defined public purpose under strict rules of public accountability. Therefore, I am appointing a commission to recommend legislation to require that each corporation's public purpose is specified in its charter and is subject to periodic public review.
Through a public legal process, we will work with state governments to withdraw the charter from, and force the dissolution of, any corporation that consistently fails to obey the law and fulfill a legitimate public purpose.
There will be no no-strings government bailouts of failed banks or other corporations during my administration. Any corporation that is too big to fail is too big to exist. We will break up excessive concentrations of economic power and restore market discipline through vigorous antitrust enforcement and create economic incentives for oversized corporations to break themselves up into their component units.
Because absentee ownership invites irresponsibility, we will advance policies that favor responsible ownership by workers, customers, or small investors who live in the community in which a business is located.
With specific regard to Wall Street, there is no place in a life-serving twenty-first-century economy for financial speculation, predatory lending, or institutions that exist primarily to engage in these illegitimate practices.
We will act to render Wall Street's casino-like operations unprofitable. We will impose a speculation tax, require responsible capital ratios, tax capital gains at the same rate as ordinary income, and impose a significant penalty surcharge on short-term capital gains from speculative trading. We will make it illegal for people and corporations to sell or insure assets that they do not own or in which they do not have a direct material interest. We will prohibit financial institutions from trading for their own accounts in securities they sell to the public.
To meet the financial needs of the new twenty-first-century Main Street economy, we will reverse the process of mergers and acquisitions that created the current concentration of banking power in Wall Street institutions delinked from national and community interests and accountability. We will restore the previous system of federally regulated locally owned and managed community banks that fulfill the classic textbook banking function of financial intermediation between local people looking to secure a modest interest return on their savings and local people who need a loan to buy a home or finance a business. We will favor banks organized as nonprofit cooperatives, or owned by a nonprofit or a state or local government.
I have instructed the Secretary of the Treasury to take immediate action to assume control of the Federal Reserve and restructure it to function as an independent, but publicly transparent, federal agency accountable to the president and the Congress. The new federalized Federal Reserve will have a mandate to stabilize the money supply, contain housing and stock market bubbles, discourage speculation, and assure the availability of credit on fair and affordable terms to eligible Main Street borrowers.
I am asking Congress to create a Federal Recovery and Reconstruction Bank. Henceforth, all new money created by the Federal Reserve will be directed to this newly created bank in the form of interest free nonrecourse bonds to finance green infrastructure projects as designated by Congress.
We will recommit ourselves to the founding ideals of this great nation, focus on our possibilities, and liberate ourselves from failed economic ideologies and institutions. Together we can create a stronger, better nation and world to secure a fulfilling life for every person and honor the premise of our Declaration of Independence that every individual is endowed with an unalienable right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
(I hereby extend to President Obama or any future American president permission to deliver all or any portion of this address as his own without need for attribution.)
[Next:: The Path to Real Prosperity]
David Korten: How the buccaneers and privateers of days past came to be the Wall Street profiteers of the present.
As we look for solutions to our current economic crisis, the relevant distinction is no longer between capitalism and communism, but rather between Wall Street and Main Street.
- How is it that our nation is awash in money, but too broke to provide jobs and services? David Korten introduces a landmark new report, "How to Liberate America from Wall Street Rule."

subset: commoncrawl


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Pre-requisites: You should be reasonably comfortable with Excel and know the basics of a programming language. Specificially: How to use variables and create object variables, what procedures are (called functions in other languages). You should also be familiar with the OOP terms: objects, properties and methods.
The most important tool at your disposal is the Macro Recorder in Excel, which will generate VBA code which you can then edit and improve upon. In Excel 2003 and earlier these options are available from the Tools menu, Macro menu item. It 2007+ it is best to display the Developer Tab in the Ribbon. In Excel 2007 choose the Office Button, Options and click 'Show Developer Tab..'. In 2010, right-click the Ribbon somewhere and choose Customize the Ribbon - there is a checkbox on the right to display the Developer tab.
Choose the option to Record Macro, give it a name, and then perform a few simple Excel actions: enter some text, do some formatting, create a formula, etc.. It doesn't matter too much as the code that is generated will have similarities to that described below. DON'T FORGET to stop the recording when you've finished! NOTE: In Excel 2007+, if you want to save the macros in a file, then you need to explicitly save the file as Macro Enabled, which has the file extension of .xlsm (or .xslb).
Open the Macros dialog (on the left of the Developer tab or via Tools, Macro, Macros in 2003 - or use Alt-F8) and press Edit to open the Visual Basic Editor.
You will discover code similar to the following:
Sub Macro1() 'random comment lines (denoted by an apostrophe in VB) ActiveCell.FormulaR1C1 = "Name" Range("B1").Select ActiveCell.FormulaR1C1 = "Andy" Range("A2").Select ActiveCell.FormulaR1C1 = "Date" Range("B2").Select ActiveCell.FormulaR1C1 = "4/27/2013" Range("B2").Select Selection.NumberFormat = "[$-F800]dddd, mmmm dd, yyyy" Columns("B:B").EntireColumn.AutoFit Range("A4").Select ActiveCell.FormulaR1C1 = "10" Range("A5").Select ActiveCell.FormulaR1C1 = "20" Range("A6").Select ActiveCell.FormulaR1C1 = "40" Range("A7").Select ActiveCell.FormulaR1C1 = "=SUM(R[-3]C:R[-1]C)" Range("A8").Select End Sub
As we will discover shortly, this code is very inefficient and we can greatly improve upon it. Nevertheless, the macro-recorder will remain a useful tool for discovering the names of methods and properties. It is also worth noting that if you record a macro in a slightly different way, perhaps using shortcut-keys or the shortcut-menu, then you may uncover slightly different code. Use this to your advantage.
Recorded code makes extensive use of ActiveCell, Select and Selection. (You will also encounter ActiveSheet, ActiveWorkbook and, for example, ActiveChart.) This is a very inefficient way to work and it is not necessary to activate or select anything in order to work with it.
If you highlight a few cells in Excel then the ActiveCell is the one that is white, Selection refers to the whole highlighted region. If you are working with a single cell then ActiveCell and Selection are the same.
We don't need to activate a cell to put a value into it:
Range("A3").Value = 41 'or Range("A1").Offset(2, 0).Value = 41 'Offset(rowoffset, coloffset) Range("A1").Cells(3, 1) = 41 'Value is the default property, which is assumed Cells(3, 1) = 41 'assumes A1 as the starting point
The recorder uses a cryptic FormulaR1C1 version (I call it "row and column version") of a formula. The above could be replaced with:
Range("A7").Formula = "=SUM(A4:A6)"
When running macros, Excel continually refreshes the screen, causing noticeable flicker and seriously impacting performance. This is largely unnecessary and we can turn this aspect on and off. For most macros I tend to include this line very near the top of the code:
Application.ScreenUpdating = False
You should set this to True at the end of the code, although Excel will update the screen when the procedure finishes anyway. Other features (properties) that you can control are Application.Calculation and Application.DisplayAlerts. Be careful with DisplayAlerts though: if you close a file it won't prompt you to save it if this feature is set to False.
Setting Application.Calculation to xlCalculationManual can improve peformance but (as with .DisplayAlerts) make sure that you set it back to, for example, xlCalculationAutomatic at an appropriate point.
A Template
Here is a basic template that you might adopt, although I prefer not to tinker too much with Application.Calculation if my code involves a lot of work with formulas:
Sub Better() Dim wb As Workbook Dim ws As Worksheet Dim rng As Range dim calc As Integer Application.ScreenUpdating = False calc = Application.Calculation 'remember users choice Application.Calculation = xlCalculationManual Set wb = Workbooks.Open("C:\Path to\SomeFile.xlsx") 'the extension is not always necessary Set ws = wb.Worksheets("TheOneIWantToWorkWith") 'working with ranges - see below 'more code here.. wb.Save 'or .SaveAs "C:\Some Folder\The file.xlsx" wb.Close Set rng = Nothing 'in reverse order.. Set ws = Nothing Set wb = Nothing Application.Calculation = calc Application.ScreenUpdating = True End Sub
Working with Ranges
Defined Names (formerly Range Names) are extremely useful in both Excel and VBA. Very often we work with tables of data, having column headings. We can name these columns of data according to their headings. Click into your table and press Ctrl-A to select the table, which is referred to as the CurrentRegion in VBA. On the Formulas tab, choose Create from Selection to create defined names based on the column headings (the top row). In Excel 2003- this is the Insert menu, Name and Create. Note that spaces will be replaced with underscores and non-alphanumeric characters will be removed. (Sometimes an additional underscore will also be added to the name at the end or beginning.) You can check, and test, these names by clicking into a cell and pressing F5 (the GoTo dialog). The statement that creates these defined names programmatically is:
Range("A1").CurrentRegion.CreateNames True, False, False, False
The we can make good use of these defined names in our code:
Range("someHeading").Font.Bold = True 'although it is generally preferable to qualify the Range with a 'reference to the worksheet: ws.Range("someHeading").Font.Bold = True
Note: It is very important that users don't put odd values in any cell immediately adjacent to the table, otherwise selecting the CurrentRegion will include that (nonsense) column.
We can name individual cells, and other ranges, as well:
Range("A1").Name = "tada" Range("tada").Value = 54 Range("B1:C20").Name = "myData" Range("myData").Value = 43 'fill the whole range with a value
So, typical code could be:
Dim ws As Worksheet Dim rngData As Range Set ws = Worksheets("Sheet20") Set rngData = ws.Range("C4").CurrentRegion rngData.CreateNames True, False, False, False Range("someHeading").Font.Italic = True Range("someHeading").Cells(1, 1).Font.Color = vbRed 'the first cell in this area rngData.Select 'not really necessary Set rngData = Nothing Set ws = Nothing
It might be useful to know how many rows there are in a range:
Dim lRows As Long lRows = Range("someHeading").Rows.Count
If necessary we can use For..Each to efficiently loop through a range:
Dim rng As Range For Each rng In Range("someHeading") rng.Font.Color = vbGreen Next rng
Some other very useful methods, and properties, when working with ranges are:
UsedRange, Intersect, EntireColumn, EntireRow, Row(s), Column(s), Resize
I encourage you to explore these. (One way to do so is to press F2 in the VB Editor to display the Object Browser - it's in the View menu.) However, if some interest is expressed, I might produce a Part 2 for this tutorial, to demonstrate their use.
Good luck, and I hope that you've found this tutorial useful. Andy.
This post has been edited by andrewsw: 03 October 2013 - 10:27 AM


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Hill shares blame for travel snafus
Mad about standing in a long airport security line during this holiday weekend? Don't just blame TSA. You can also fume at Congress.
As much as lawmakers, privacy advocates and many air travelers like to vent about the Transportation Security Administration, decisions originating from Capitol Hill have also placed burdens on passengers. They include a cap that Congress imposed a decade ago on the number of screeners at airports — a number that lawmakers have refused to budge on even as more Americans take to the skies.
Story Continued Below
And when TSA tried to ease security lines by relaxing the rules on small knives, unexpected turbulence in Congress forced the agency to back down.
( Also on POLITICO: More air passengers bring guns)
Of course, the agency has also struggled with setbacks of its own making. It has faced continued criticism about the effectiveness of its program to spot suspicious passengers and it has had a hard time settling on a screening machine that can both detect a bomb and protect passenger privacy.
More travelers will get a firsthand look at airport security this summer, according to a recent forecast from the industry group Airlines for America. It expects a "modest" increase in numbers of people flying and a record number of passengers flying internationally.
Here's a look at the TSA's four biggest problems — and who's to blame for them – for travelers on this Fourth of July weekend:
Caps on screeners
Even as passenger demand increases, the TSA can't hire more airport screeners. That's because Congress capped the number of full-time workers screening luggage and passengers shortly after creating the agency in 2003.
( Also on POLITICO: TSA abandons plan to allow knives)
Efforts by union-friendly Democrats to scrap the 46,000-person limit have fallen flat. And some of the most ardent foes of the restrictions are no longer in Congress.
Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.), who died last month, had repeatedly argued that removing the "arbitrary" cap would bolster security and speed up security lines. Former Rep. Shelley Berkley (D-Nev.) complained that long TSA lines at McCarran International Airport were bad for tourism in Las Vegas, but she lost her Senate race last fall.
Republicans have been pushing to pare what they see as the TSA's "bloated" federal workforce and replace screeners with private-sector contractors. They've also urged the agency to rein in the growing number of part-time screeners, who are not subject to the cap.
This year, House Republicans once again passed a Homeland Security appropriations bill that renewed the cap on federal screeners. They've argued that keeping the cap in place puts pressure on TSA to improve its security technology and become more efficient.
( Also on POLITICO: Delays may return to airports)
"Having been involved in the formulation of TSA, it was never our intention for the number of screeners to more than triple the 16,500 private screeners in 2001," said past House Transportation Committee chairman and frequent TSA critic Rep. John Mica (R-Fla.). "We not only need a cap on screeners, we need a cap on TSA bureaucrats which now number nearly 15,000 for some 457 airports."
Knife fight
TSA's strict enforcement of rules against carrying blades on airplanes has tripped up many passengers, prompting some to joke that the agency's acronym stands for "Take Scissors Away."
But when Administrator John Pistole tried to relax the rules, lawmakers flexed their oversight muscles and forced the agency to reverse course.
Pistole's move — backed by internal research and analysis — was designed to free up TSA agents to search for more dangerous explosives and to expedite security lines. The new rules would have allowed blades less than 2½ inches long, along with golf clubs, souvenir bats and other sports equipment.
But airline workers and lawmakers from both parties complained that they were blindsided by the decision, and warned that it would put weapons in the hands of potential hijackers.
Lawmakers hauled Pistole before a Homeland Security subcommittee and threatened legislation that would block him from implementing the changes. Even after Pistole abandoned the change last month, the House passed an appropriations amendment to block the agency from easing the knife rules.


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Somerset Stone & Stove is a Maine supplier of natural and concrete stone products providing expert design and installation services.
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Every once in a while, an idea or invention truly revolutionizes how we live, work and play. Videocassette recorders, cell phones, fax machines and the Web had this type of impact on us over the past 10-15 years.
A few things are on the horizon that could have a similar impact on the electrical construction industry. While they have all been around for a while in some form or another and haven't yet blossomed into The Next Big Thing, they are coming, and are all worth tracking closely. Here are my votes for three trends that could shake the electrical industry:
Wireless systems revolutionize communications.
Wireless communication between cell phones, computers and industrial devices is becoming a reality, thanks to Bluetooth technology, which provides short-range wireless connectivity between devices. A recent Allied Business Intelligence report says that although Bluetooth is now most widely used in the cellular phone business, manufacturers of computer, consumer electronics and industrial equipment plan to embed Bluetooth receivers in their products. For electrical contractors, this may require learning how to install new wireless communication systems in homes, offices, factories and other applications.
The price of photovoltaic cells finally makes solar energy cost-competitive with conventional forms of power production. Producing electricity from the sun's rays hasn't yet been commercially viable on a large scale because of the high cost of manufacturing solar cells. According to Allied Business Intelligence, Oyster Bay, N.Y., two technologies that could make solar power directly competitive with grid power are organic dye stabilized with titanium-dioxide and polymer photovoltaics. This research firm forecasts that worldwide production of photovoltaic power will increase from 300 MW this year to 800MW in 2005. As this market matures, electrical contractors can expect to see new business from wiring solar panels to existing power grids, as well as from homeowners who want to "live off the grid" and businesses that see photovoltaic power as a backup source of energy.
Online purchasing matures into a dependable option for contractors, but doesn't replace traditional purchasing methods. Manufacturers, distributors and Web firms have spent millions of dollars constructing Web sites to entice contractors to buy online. According to a recent New York Times article, W.W. Grainger, Inc., Lincolnshire, Ill., will invest $120 million this year in its various Web portals, and expects to take in $400 million from its Web ventures by year-end.
The growth hasn't come easy. Grainger had to reengineer its core www.grainger.com portal by adding additional features such as pop-up lists of a customer's commonly ordered supplies, and the company swapped its www.orderzone.com site and $21 million for a 40% equity stake in Works.com, Austin, Texas, which services the office equipment and maintenance supply needs of small businesses. To date, about 6% of Grainger's total sales come over the Web.
For all the millions spent on developing online portals, they probably don't account for 10% of all electrical products purchased, and some industry observers wonder if this number will ever hit 20%.
One reason for the slow acceptance of online portals is that suppliers often build them because they make their lives easier by slashing the paperwork and order processing costs of traditional purchasing methods - not because customers are demanding to buy online. It seems that most end users have an "if it isn't broke, don't fix it" attitude in regards to their purchasing habits.
Storefront shopping mechanisms bring customers to just a few clicks away from a purchase, and with credible online merchants, the transactions are secure. But buying from your most dependable distributors still offer the personal touch and local stock that will be tough to top for even the most savvy online merchants.


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IBM Redefining Enterprise Systems – Charles King Report
Today, large organizations are being buffeted by a host of changes, many of them unexpected or unfamiliar. Business information is virtually exploding in size, kind and locale, taxing the abilities of even the most progressive enterprises to keep up. Mobile technologies and business analytics that were once exclusively used by employees with specialized needs and skills are now common across the entire workforce. As a result of all this, IT is bending under the strain of developing and delivering necessary new services while at the same time maintaining core service quality.This report will consider these issues, as well as IBM's position in and efforts around developing next generation enterprise systems solutions, including its System z mainframes, POWER7+ processor-based Power Systems servers and System Storage offerings focused on those areas and use cases.


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ecember the 7th, 1862, will long be remembered especially by those of us who lived here and witnessed the battle of Prairie Grove. It was a beautiful, cold, frosty Sunday morning.... About 10 o'clock the cannonading began and about noon war began in earnest. When it seemed everyone would be killed.
--Mrs. Julia West Pyeatt
Julia West was fourteen years old when she viewed the carnage and destruction of the battle at Prairie Grove, Arkansas. Yet, the images of that day and those that followed were vividly etched in her memory forever. She was not the only young spectator at the battle, but she did have one of the best views of the conflict.
Looking south from her home on West Hill, Julia beheld the splendor and horror of battle when the men of the Union Army of the Frontier encountered the Confederate Army of the Trans-Mississippi. The southern troops waited atop the heavily-wooded Prairie Grove ridge stretching from the large yellow two-story Borden House on the east end to the small log Morton House on the west end of the ridge. The only rebels visible were those in the clearings around the homes and the Fayetteville-Cane Hill road which bisected the ridge. Footsore Yankees advanced across open corn, wheat, and hay fields in the valley to face the Southern foe.
While none of the original houses remain, the valley fields continue to produce hay and wheat. Descendants of the West family still live on their hill. On the east end of the ridge stands the second Borden House; built in 1868 to replace the one burned the day after the battle. Only memories remain as testament to a battle that changed many families' lives forever.
About This Lesson
Getting Started: Inquiry Question
Setting the Stage: Historical Context
Locating the Site: Maps
Determining the Facts: Readings
Visual Evidence: Images
Putting It All Together: Activities
How the National Register
This lesson is based on Prairie Grove Battlefield State Park, one of the thousands of properties listed in the National Register of Historic Places.


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"I must return to the mountains—to Yosemite. I am told that the winter storms there will not be easily borne, but I am bewitched, enchanted, and tomorrow I must start for the great temple to listen to the winter songs and sermons preached and sung only there."
John Muir — Letter to Mrs. Ezra Carr (November 15, 1869)
Blend the breathtaking beauty and tranquility of Yosemite's winter landscape, the allure of the grand, historic Ahwahnee Hotel, and the talents of a handful of distinguished chefs sharing delectably innovative cuisine, and behold Chefs' Holidays at The Ahwahnee, a glorious winter tradition celebrating its 28th year. A few hundred dedicated foodies gathered to enjoy this exceptional celebration.
During the month of January, Chefs' Holidays packages offer eight three-day sessions that feature some of the country's finest chefs. The packages include accommodations at The Ahwahnee Hotel or the Lodge at Yosemite Falls, a "Meet the Chefs" reception with wine and hors d'oeuvres, culinary presentations and tastings, a behind-the-scenes kitchen tour and the Chefs' Holiday Dinner Gala in the Ahwahnee's Grand Dining Room. Between events there is ample time to explore the pristine, snow-blanketed valley on foot, on skis, on skates, snowshoes or in a heated motor coach. Any means of transport allow you to more fully appreciate the incredible beauty portrayed by Muir's words and Ansel Adams' photography.
|The Ahwahnee, Yosemite's Grand Hotel
I willingly threw out the old and rang in the new, packed my sense of adventure and hopped a plane for my first visit to Yosemite for the kick off of the Ahwahnee's 2013 Chefs' Holidays. "Three Friends Cooking" welcomed long-time friends and California chefs Douglas Keane (Cyrus, Healdsburg), Victor Scargle (Lucy, Yountville) and Peter Armellino (Plumed Horse, Saratoga). Food and travel journalist Janice Wald Henderson served as moderator.
At the Meet the Chefs' Reception, given the first evening, guests and chefs mingled by the massive fireplace at the south end of the Great Lounge, sipping wine and nibbling hors d'oeuvres. Later, they spilled into the crescent-shaped Solarium, where five floor-to-ceiling windows frame the winter landscape. The chefs ascended to the balcony to share stories about cooking philosophies, careers and friendships. After the reception, the evening was free for cocktails, dinner, and late-night lingering in the bar.
The next morning, Chef Douglas Keane gave the first culinary demonstration. In 2005, he and business partner Nick Peyton opened Cyrus. Keane's dream restaurant earned numerous accolades for its "contemporary luxury" cuisine, including two Michelin stars and the James Beard "Best Chef – Pacific" award in 2009
Unfortunately, due to a property dispute, Cyrus closed in the fall of 2012. Keane hinted at plans for his next venture, but didn't elaborate. For his first dish, Keane prepared a salad that showcased chunks of Maine lobster, tossed with bean sprouts quickly sautéed in sesame oil and blood orange segments, served over grated daikon and dressed with homemade ponzu. Tasting spoons were passed at the end of the demo, but we would have to wait for the gala to enjoy Keane's second dish, a succulent pan-roasted lobster tail bathed in butter, thyme and garlic and served with cauliflower cream and uni froth.
|Chef Douglas Keane and Moderator Janice Wald Henderson
The afternoon cooking session featured Chef Scargle, executive chef of Lucy Restaurant at the Bardessono Hotel and Spa in Yountville. His philosophy is ruled by the seasons, and he says "If it's not growing in the garden, it's the wrong time to be serving it." Scargle spends his mornings in Lucy's lush gardens looking for just-right ingredients to put on the day's menu. For the demonstration, he prepared and served tastes of a creamy soup made with sunchokes and garnished with finely diced apple, crème fraiche, chervil sprigs and shaved truffle. The second dish featured Broken Arrow Ranch antelope loin with "Forbidden" rice, red kale, turnips and huckleberry jus. Once again, spectators had to wait for the gala to taste this amazing and visually stunning dish.
|Chef Victor Scargle
On Day Three, the very funny Chef Armellino presented the last of the culinary demos. His Saratoga restaurant, Plumed Horse, presents elegant, modern California cuisine emphasizing fresh, seasonal and sustainably produced ingredients. His signature dishes include Big Eye tuna tartare with caviar and quail egg, and black pepper and Parmesan soufflé, both featured on the Chef's Grand Tasting Menu. Armellino readily confessed that he is a truffles, caviar and Champagne man as he wowed the crowd with his preparation of handmade cavatelli pasta served with a sauce of wild mushrooms, mascarpone and white truffle butter. His second dish, which I cannot wait to prepare for my next cocktail party, was bite-sized cannoli filled with smoked sturgeon mousse. To mimic dessert cannoli, the ends were dipped alternately in caviar and chopped chives. He enlisted the aid of the Ahwahnee culinary team to whip up 200 of these morsels for us to taste. Pass the Champagne, please.
|Chef Peter Armellino
Between demonstrations, lunches, cocktails and dinners, I donned my snow boots, coat and hat, grabbed the camera and went off exploring. I was up and out of my warm bed much too early the first morning, hoping to be in the right place at the right time for that perfect sunrise photo. Darkness, freezing temperatures and the aroma of freshly brewed coffee lured me back to the hotel and a warm couch by the crackling fire. The next morning, I was determined to try again. I slept in a bit longer, downed a cup of steamy java and set out on the very icy, four mile round-trip to Mirror Lake. I was thankful to have avoided any bear or mountain lion encounters along the way, but returned slightly bruised and sore just in time for the behind-the-scenes kitchen tour.
"How glorious a greeting the sun gives the mountains! To behold this alone is worth the pains of any excursion a thousand times over. The highest peaks burned like islands in a sea of liquid shade. Then the lower peaks and spires caught the glow, and long lances of light, streaming through many a notch and pass, fell thick on the frozen meadows."
- John Muir, John of the Mountains (1938)
The impressive 6,500 square foot kitchen is the home away from home in which Executive Chef Percy Whatley, Chef de Cuisine Robert Anderson, Executive Pastry Chef Paul Padua and nearly 60 associates work together. On a daily basis, the staff prepares as many as 1500 meals. The bakers daily make 25 dozen cookies for afternoon tea, and well as 400 loaves of bread. In addition to the Ahwahnee's signature boysenberry pies and other desserts, the pastry shop creates 300-650 wedding cakes annually.
|Chef Victor Scargle straining his veal stock
On the third and final night, the majestic Grand Dining Room welcomed guests to an enchanting five-course, knock-your-winter-socks-off candlelit dinner prepared by both hotel and guest chefs. Wines from Napa, Sonoma and the Central Coast complemented each course. The massive stone pillars, peeled sugar pine columns and immense picture windows have earned the room praise as the most striking in any national park. The service also is impeccable.
|Grand Dining Room
The meal opened with Whatley's mosaic salad of beets, chevre, citrus and lardo (fatty Italian bacon) paired with Cakebread Cellars Sauvignon Blanc, 2011 Napa Valley. The second course featured Keane's heavenly pan-roasted lobster tail served on a swoosh of warm cauliflower cream, garnished with uni froth and paired with Treanna Viognier-Marsanne Blend, 2010 Central Coast. Next was Armellino's rich and succulent filet of California sturgeon topped with a thin layer of roasted mushrooms and paired with Alexander Valley Merlot, 2009 Sonoma County. For the fourth course, Scargle fanned medallions of antelope loin over a bed of nutty, deep purple Forbidden Rice. Complemented by red Russian kale and caramelized Tokyo turnips, and surrounded by a crimson pool of huckleberry jus, the game was paired with Bridlewoood Red Blend 175, 2011 Central Coast. Dessert was artistically presented by award-winning pastry chef Paul Padua, who sweetened the evening with an apricot mille-feuille adorned by tarragon cream, apricot curls and a white chocolate fan. We lingered after dessert to enjoy more wine, conversation with new friends and melodies from the Steinway grand piano. Several of us then retreated to the bar to join the chefs in one last toast to a most memorable winter escape.
|Chef Keane's Roasted Lobster Tail
|Chef Scargle's Antelope Loin
|Chef Pauda's Apricot Mille-Feuille
On the final morning, I begrudgingly packed my bags and checked out, but still had time to savor one more serving of the park's winter awesomeness during the two-hour Valley Floor Tour. The heated motor coach stopped at Yosemite Falls, Half Dome, El Capitan, Tunnel View and Bridalveil Falls. At each stop, we were able to exit the coach and snap a few photos.
|Valley Floor Tour
When I left Yosemite, having spent not nearly enough time for a first visit, I reminded myself the mountains will call again, and I will go.
Additional winter traditions at The Ahwahnee Hotel include Vintners' Holidays in November and December, Christmas Bracebridge Dinners the last two weeks in December, and New Years' Eve Celebration packages. Travel to Yosemite from San Diego is either a 7-8 hour drive or a direct flight on Alaska Airlines to Fresno ($120 R/T) and then a 2-hour drive via rental car or Amtrak/bus service.
I cannot wait to prepare and share a few of the recipes from the guest chefs, but I'll to start with the Ahwahnee's signature Sierra Nevada Pale Ale & Fiscalini Farms Cheddar Cheese Soup. After a crisp and brisk walk to Mirror Lake, this soup will warm your body, soothe sore muscles and provide a temporary distraction from your bruised butt. Pair it with a mug of beer or glass of wine, and you will be relaxed and ready for the afternoon cooking demonstration, followed by a nap before dinner.
Begin by preparing the Chive Oil and Sourdough Croutons. Here's Emeril's simple preparation for Chive Oil. I didn't bother with the overnight refrigeration.
|Chive Oil
PLEASE, do not skip preparation of these homemade sourdough croutons! In fact, I encourage you to crisp up some additional bacon for garnish and use a tablespoon or so of bacon fat when you saute the croutons ;-)
|Ahwahnee Sourdough Croutons
Onions, garlic, bacon, beer, heavy cream, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, horseradish, and cheddar cheese ...what's not to like?
|Get ready for the heavenly aroma of sauteed bacon, garlic and onions
Sierra Nevada Pale Ale & Fiscalini Farms Cheddar Cheese Soup
Recipe courtesy of Chef Percy, The Ahwahnee Hotel
Serves 8
½ cup onion, fined diced
1 tablespoon garlic, minced
6 slices of bacon, diced
1 tablespoon butter
½ cup all-purpose flour
6 cups vegetable broth (I used chicken broth)
1-12 oz. bottle Sierra Nevada Pale Ale beer
2 cups heavy cream
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 teaspoons prepared horseradish
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 Bay leaves
Salt, to taste
Pepper, to taste
½ lb. grated cheddar cheese
Sourdough Croutons, for serving (recipe follows)
Chive Oil, for garnish
Extra bacon bits, for garnish (optional)
Heat a 6 qt. stockpot over medium heat and add the diced bacon. Cook until bacon is 2/3's done. Add the butter, onions and garlic and continue cooking an additional 3 minutes or until the onions are translucent.
When ready, mix in the flour to make your roux, cook for additional 3 minutes.
Using a whisk, slowly add the stock and heavy cream until it has all been incorporated.
Bring contents of stockpot to a boil; add the Worcestershire sauce, mustard, horseradish and bay leaves.
Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes. Add the ale and cheddar cheese, whisk soup until smooth and all the cheese has melted and has been thoroughly incorporated.
Remove the bay leaves, adjust the seasoning, and keep hot until you are ready to serve.
Garnish with Ahwahnee Sourdough Croutons and Chive Oil, and extra bacon bits if desired
|Comfort in a bowl
1 sourdough baguette
1 tablespoon clarified butter (I used bacon fat)
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 garlic cloves, crushed
1/4 cup chopped parsley
1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan Reggiano cheese
Salt, to taste
Pepper to tase
Remove crust from the bread; cut bread into small cubes, 1/2-inch by 1/2-inch, which should yield approximately four cups of bread cubes. Warm clarified butter and olive oil together over moderate heat in a large sauté pan; add garlic and sauté lightly to perfume olive oil-butter blend; remove garlic. Add bread cubes to sauté pan with olive oil-butter blend, then add the parsley, cheese, salt and pepper. Coat all bread cubes evenly. Arrange seasoned bread cubes on a sheet tray, and bake at 350 degrees F until golden brown, approximately 12 minutes.
* Disclosure – The Ahwahnee Hotel provided a media package for my visit. I was not obligated to write any articles about my stay and have in no way been compensated. The opinions expressed regarding my experience are my own.
A condensed version of this article was published by Wine & Dine San Diego on January 29, 2013