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WikiClone wiki
django-lean / Home
- Welcome
- Discussion Group
- Features
- Experiments Types
- Experiment Reports
- Bot Exclusion
- Experiment Management
- Experiment Implementation
- Conversion Tracking
- Engagement Tracking
- Dependencies
- Installation
- Development
- Other Resources
django-lean aims to be a collection of tools for Lean Startups using the Django platform. Currently it provides a framework for implementing split-test experiments in JavaScript, Python, or Django template code along with administrative views for analyzing the results of those experiments.
In the spirit of lean, we have open-sourced this library as quickly as possible, meaning that it might not have all the bells and whistles one might hope for, in particular with regards to setup. Any competent Django/Python developers should have little trouble integrating
django-lean with their own projects, but if you would like to see support for your favorite installation mechanism, consider contributing a patch.
Discussion Group
For discussions related to the use or development of
django-lean please use our Google group.
django-lean allows you to perform split-test experiments on your users. In brief, this involves exposing 50% of your users to one implementation and 50% to another, then comparing the performance of these two groups with regards to certain metrics.
Experiments Types
django-lean supports two kinds of experiments currently:
- Anonymous Conversion experiments compare the achievement of goals you define (i.e. "register" or "add to cart") amongst two groups of anonymous users.
- Registered Engagement experiments compare a quantitative measure of engagement that you define (i.e., activity, revenue, time on site, ...) amongst two groups of registered users.
There's no real reason why one couldn't measure engagement of anonymous users or conversions of registered users (i.e. "basic to pro") but we didn't need this, so they're not implemented (again, patches welcome!).
Experiment Reports
django-lean provides daily reports of experiment results, including confidence levels.
- For conversion experiments, results and confidence are displayed per conversion goal type (and for 'any' goal). Confidence is calculated using the chi-square method.
- For engagement experiments, confidence is calculated using the Student's t-test method.
Experiment reports are prepared using the
update_experiment_reports management command. It's advisable to execute this command from a nightly cron-job.
Bot Exclusion
Experiment Management
Experiments may be defined, enabled, disabled, or promoted via the
django-admin interface. You may also define experiments in your source tree and have them automatically loaded into the database (see
Each experiment has a state, which affects whether visitors are enrolled in the experiment, and whether they see the control or test case of the experiment.
disabled: No visitors are enrolled in the experiment. All visitors see the control case of the experiment, even if they were previously enrolled in the test group.
enabled: All visitors who encounter the experiment are enrolled randomly in either the test or control group, and see the corresponding case.
promoted: No visitors are enrolled in the experiment. All visitors see the test case of the experiment, even if they were previously enrolled in the control group.
New experiments start in the
disabled state.
Experiment Implementation
django-lean makes it easy to implement experiments in Python, JavaScript, or Django templates. Here are some examples:
from experiments.models import Experiment
from experiments.utils import WebUser
def my_view_func(request, *args, **kwargs):
if Experiment.test("my_experiment_name", WebUser(request)):
view = edit_profile_test
view = edit_profile_control
return view(request, *args, **kwargs)
Django Templates
{% load experiments %}

If you like what you see,
{% experiment change_buy_to_italics control %}
buy now!
{% endexperiment %}
{% experiment change_buy_to_italics test %}
buy now!
{% endexperiment %}
(In your HTML template:)
{% load experiments %}
{% include "experiments/include/experiments.js" %}
{% include "experiments/include/experiment_enrollment.html" %}
{% clientsideexperiment <experiment_name> %}
(In your JavaScript:)
if (experiments.test("<experiment_name>")) {
// test case
} else {
// control case
Conversion Tracking
Conversion experiments track the rate of conversion for their test and control groups. It is up to you to define and record the achievement of one or more project specific conversion goals.
Defining Conversion Goals
Conversion goals are defined by placing rows in the
experiments_goaltypes table. This table is not currently exposed via
django-admin but probably should be (patches welcome!). Alternative ways to populate it include manually via SQL, manually via the Django shell, via your
initial_data fixture, or by defining a data migration in your database management tool (we use
Here is an example of defining a goal type using the Django shell:
erik-wrights-macbook-pro:akoha erikwright$ ./manage.py shell --plain
Python 2.6.2 (r262:71600, Jul 16 2009, 12:11:28)
[GCC 4.0.1 (Apple Inc. build 5490)] on darwin
Type "help", "copyright", "credits" or "license" for more information.
>>> from experiments.models import GoalType
>>> GoalType.objects.create(name="signup")
<GoalType: <GoalType: signup>>
Recording Conversions
Once you have defined a conversion goal type, you must record it when it is achieved place. This may be done either programatically, or using a tracking pixel.
Recording Conversions Programatically
from experiments.models import GoalRecord
from experiments.utils import WebUser
def my_signup_view_func(request, *args, **kwargs):
# ... process the signup request
GoalRecord.record("signup", WebUser(request))
# ...
Recording Conversions Using a Tracking Pixel
Sometimes a conversion happens somewhere that you don't control (for example, an e-commerce platform). In this case, you can record the conversion by placing a transparent 1x1 pixel on the page that users see after the conversion occurs (i.e., the 'Thank You' page after purchase).

Engagement Tracking
Engagement experiments track an arbitrary engagement value for each user in their test and control groups. It is up to you to define a function that calculates an appropriate engagement value for your users.
Here is an example engagement calculator:
class MyEngagementScoreCalculator(object):
def calculate_user_engagement_score(self, user, start_date, end_date):
Define engagement as 'dollars spent per day'
days_in_period = (end_date - start_date).days + 1
period_purchase_total = sum([p.subtotal for p in Purchase.objects.filter(
user=user, date__gte=start_date, date__lte=end_date)])
engagement_score = ((float)(period_purchase_total) /
return engagement_score
Your engagement calculator must be registered in
settings.py as follows:
LEAN_ENGAGEMENT_CALCULATOR = "mycompany.MyEngagementScoreCalculator"
django-lean has a number of dependencies:
Mox and Beautiful Soup are used exclusively by unit tests. JQuery is used only to execute a single, trivial AJAX request and could easily be removed from the dependency list if one were motivated (patch please!).
You may optionally use South in order to facilitate migrations of the
django-lean database schema, but it is not required:
django-lean has been developed with Django 1.0. Unit Tests run successfully with Django 1.1 but it has not been tried in production. If you successfully run it with another version, please update this documentation.
- Install
- Add
- Ensure that
django.core.context_processors.requestis in
- Run
manage.py syncdbto set up the
- Run
manage.py test experimentsto see if everything is set up correctly.
- For every page that will contain an experiment (or in the response after a server-side experiment):
- Ensure that JQuery is included.
- Ensure that
experiments/include/experiments.jsis somehow included (perhaps copy it where your static files go, include it as part of your existing generated JS files, map it from
urls.py, include it directly in a


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Health care costs keep climbing. In the last 30 years, the US consumer price index rose about 4 percent per year. During this time, the cost of physician services increased at an annual rate of 5 percent and the cost of hospital services a whopping 8 percent per annum. Americans now spend two and a half times more per capita on health care than the average of other wealthy nations. Projecting these rates into the future, economists predict that 62 percent of our gross domestic product will be devoted to health care in 2105 (up from 7 percent in 1970 and about 18 percent in 2011).
Virtually without exception, Democrats and Republicans agree that this spiral is unsustainable. According to William Baumol, however, the conventional wisdom is wrong. A professor of economics and the academic director of the Berkley Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation at New York University, Baumol argues in "The Cost Disease'' that it is inevitable that cost increases in labor-intensive industries will outpace inflation but that they will be offset by productivity gains in manufacturing and agriculture, which ensure "a cornucopia of desirable services and abundant products" in the future. The principal threat to health care, Baumol claims, is the illusion that we cannot afford it without making devastating cuts in other vitally important areas.
The "Cost Disease'' is provocative — it also leans heavily on assumptions and engages in a bit of bait-and-switch. Insisting that firms cannot endure without substantial investment in research and development, Baumol shrugs off the Great Recession with an assertion that there is "little reason to worry" that overall productivity growth will slow in the near future.
Conceding that health care costs are increasing far more rapidly in the United States than elsewhere, Baumol acknowledges as well that if they are not contained "with carefully considered adaptations" then other services vital to a good quality of life (including schools, libraries, performing arts, and police and fire protection) will have to be curtailed.
And so, when all is said and done, Baumol insists, along with just about everybody else, that there is no excuse for failing to act to cut health care costs in the United States. He rounds up the usual suspects (disease prevention through lifestyle changes, halting unnecessary or even marginally beneficial tests and treatments, and reform of medical liability and medical insurance systems) before concentrating on saving time and labor in the activities of health care personnel. If each patient had a bar-coded ID bracelet and nurses administered medications only after scanning it, Baumol indicates, errors could well be reduced by 50 percent, with a savings of about $93 billion (not including a reduction in malpractice insurance premiums).
Perhaps because it has a relatively modest impact on costs, Baumol does not address the still highly controversial Affordable Care Act of 2010, which among other provisions, bans preexisting condition exclusions, allows parents to cover their children up to the age of 26, makes insurance more portable for those who change jobs, extends eligibility under Medicaid, and (to prevent free-riding) requires all Americans to maintain minimum standards of coverage. Baumol does not calculate the financial impact (including reductions in administrative costs) of universal coverage or a single-payer system. Nor does he estimate the savings associated with regional purchasing cooperatives, which leverage the power of numbers to negotiate lower prices from insurance providers and pharmaceutical companies.
The debate on these options rages on, all too often via slogans and sound bites. Even if productivity continues to produce prosperity, it seems clear that Americans must make tough decisions and Baumol's book offers limited assistance.
Glenn C. Altschuler is the Thomas and Dorothy Litwin professor of American studies at Cornell University. He can be reached at email@example.com.

subset: commoncrawl


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Quarter Highlights
First Quarter
Arkansas 0
Alabama 14
Ark Ala
Rushing Yards 1 34
Passing Yards 32 80
Total Yards 33 114
Time/Poss. 5:48 9:12
Turnovers 1 0
AJ McCarron: Alabama's senior quarterback completed 6-of-7 passes for 52 yards on the Crimson Tide's opening drive, including a 4-yard touchdown to Jalston Fowler. Alabama was 2-for-2 on third-down conversions on the possession.
Kenyan Drake: The Alabama running back ran four straight times for 16 yards on the second scoring drive, including a 1-yard touchdown.
Brandon Allen: After making a nice 25-yard pass to Hunter Henry into Alabama territory, Allen was intercepted by Ha Ha Clinton-Dix at the Crimson Tide 13. It was Allen's fifth interception in four Southeastern Conference games.
Second Quarter
Arkansas 0 0
Alabama 14 14
Ark Ala
Rushing Yards 62 98
Passing Yards 42 58
Total Yards 104 156
Time/Poss. 11:08 4:52
Turnovers 0 0
T.J. Yeldon: After a long Arkansas punt, his 27-yard run moved the Crimson Tide near midfield, setting up the team's third touchdown.
Drake: He bounced off right tackle, avoided Tevin Mitchel in the backfield and raced 46 yards for a touchdown to extend Alabama's lead to 21-0.
Amari Cooper: He hauled in a 30-yard touchdown pass from McCarron just before halftime to give the Crimson Tide a 28-0 lead.
Third Quarter
Arkansas 0 0 0
Alabama 14 14 17
Ark Ala
Rushing Yards 48 68
Passing Yards 17 42
Total Yards 65 110
Time/Poss. 7:22 7:38
Turnovers 2 0
Keon Hatcher: His fumble on the second half kickoff was recovered by Alabama. The Crimson Tide scored there plays later on AJ McCarron's third touchdown pass of the game.
Yeldon: After dropping a would-be touchdown on first down, Yeldon scored on a 24-yard run on second down to extend the lead to 42-0.
Cade Foster: His 48-yard field goal extended Alabama's lead to 45-0.
Fourth Quarter
Arkansas 0 0 0 0 — 0
Alabama 14 14 17 7 — 52
Ark Ala
Rushing Yards 54 152
Passing Yards 0 0
Total Yards 54 152
Time/Poss. 6:50 8:10
Turnovers 0 0
Allen: Arkansas' quarterback was 0-for-6 passing in the fourth quarter. He has not thrown a touchdown pass since the third quarter of the Texas A&M game on Sept. 28.
Alex Collins: He had five carries for 39 yards on Arkansas' next-to-last drive, but the Razorbacks turned the ball over on downs when Allen threw a pair of incomplete passes.
Derrick Henry: Alabama's leading rusher was its fourth-string running back. Henry rushed for 85 yards on Alabama's final drive, including an 80-yard touchdown run to cap the scoring.


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Home >> Course Descriptions >> College of Arts and Sciences
The Age of Jackson to the Civil War, 1815-1865
Three semester hours.
An examination of the major themes in U. S. history from 1815-1865, including the Market Revolution, the expansion of Jacksonian Democracy, the rise of the Old South, antebellum reform movements, westward expansion, and the rising tensions leading to the Civil War. This course will also include a detailed study of the Civil War itself, with consideration for its military, political, social, economic, and cultural impact of the United States.
Home - General Information - Student Services -
Academic Undergraduate Regulations -
Undergraduate Degrees - Academic Graduate Regulations -
Graduate Degrees - Course Descriptions - Faculty -
Appendix A - Appendix B - Appendix C - Appendix D


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Ray Kroc, a milkshake mixer salesman, ventured to California in 1954 to visit McDonald's hamburger stand, where he heard they were running eight mixers at once. Kroc was impressed by how rapidly customers were served and, seeing an opportunity to sell many more milkshake machines, encouraged brothers Dick and Mac McDonald to open a chain of their restaurants. Kroc became their business partner and opened the first McDonald's in Des Plaines, Illinois in 1955. McDonald's and the Golden Arches have since become an internationally-recognized symbol of quick-service hamburgers, fries, chicken, breakfast items, salads and milkshakes.
McDonald's is ranked #9 on Entrepreneur's 2013 Franchise 500® listing.
Here are some of our most popular McDonald's articles:


text:
Home » Gardening
Copyright 2020 Remove and Replace - DIY Projects / Tips / Tricks / Ideas / Repair | Contact | About | Privacy Policy | RR on FB | RR on Twitter
This DIY "Do it Yourself" website was created by maintenance professionals and home renovating experts.
We produce weekly "How To" articles with detailed step by step instructions & illustrations about fixing, organizing, recycling, repairing, renovating, removing, replacing & more.
Information contained within RemoveandReplace.com is researched and backed by experienced DIY technicians.
We aim to always deliver relevant and engaging content where facts and information provided is checked and rechecked for accuracy.


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11525 Cantrell Rd
Little Rock, AR 72212
10am - 7pm
F-S: 10am - 6pm
Su: 11pm - 4pm
Shin splints is a general term for pain along the shin and lower leg. There are two (2) types of shin splints: (1) anterior and (2) posterior. The most common is posterior shin splints, which is technically known as Medial Tibial Stress Syndrome (MTSS). MTSS is an inflammation of the tibialis posterior muscle, which runs along the inside of the shin. The tibialis posterior controls pronation and is excessively stretched during overpronation. Anterior shin splints are an inflammation of the tibialis anterior muscle, which runs along the front of the shin and outside of it.
With each type of shin splint, a dull, diffuse pain is typically felt either during a run or after it. Many new runners will experience shin splints as they start to run, but this pain should go away after their body becomes accustomed to the stresses of running within a few days. If the pain either does not go away or becomes acute, then it is possible that shin splints may develop into a stress fracture. There are many ways to prevent shin splints from progressing into a stress fracture, and it is important to seek the advice of a medical professional sooner rather than later.


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Valentine's Day is just around the corner. So is spring. That means LOVE is in the air! That's especially true for two local dance companies. River North Dance Chicago and The Joffrey Ballet are celebrating the loving season with romantic moves – from the tango to the waltz. River North Dance Chicago performs "Al Sur Del Sur" today through Sunday at the Harris Theater in Chicago.The Joffrey Ballet kicks off its week and a half run of "The Merry Widow" Wednesday at the Auditorium Theatre. WBEZ dance critic Lucia Mauro got caught up in the sensual swirl:It just doesn't get more seductive than the tango. This intricate partnering dance that originated in the barrios of Buenos Aires truly embodies a vertical expression of a horizontal desire. Yet various tango spectacles that breeze through town tend to favor flashy moves, macho posturing and a chronological timeline of the dance's history. Not so for River North Dance Chicago, a local troupe that masterfully combines ballet, jazz, contemporary and social dace.For the company's annual Valentine's engagement at the Harris Theater, artistic director Frank Chaves commissioned a suite of tangos by Argentinean tango superstars Sabrina and Ruben Veliz. The six-part dance, titled Al Sur Del Sur, tells the story of five couples and their tender and tumultuous relationships. The choreographers use movement as a vehicle to express these conflicting emotions. So the piece, as a whole, has a more believable and authentic feel than mere displays of showy kicks and spins.At its core, the tango is shaped like a spiral that requires partners to navigate the push and pull of attraction. In one part of Al Sur Del Sur, an unbridled romantic duet blends the dance's characteristic slicing and dicing of the legs with more open lifts. This section segues into a tempestuous quartet. It brilliantly reveals sexual tension, jealousy and flirtatiousness through a sharp turn of the head, eyes locking in a freeze-frame flash of lust, aggressive dips, and a firm grabbing of a stiletto heel. There's even a loving duet for two women, who dance barefoot, and seem to be consoling each other. The piece culminates in a seemingly improvised milonga, or tango club setting, where all these characters come to escape from their daily problems.The Joffrey Ballet's staging of The Merry Widow takes the waltz as its movement motif. But it's no less steamy. This Chicago premiere is a full-length staging by British choreographer Ronald Hynd of the ballet version of Franz Lehar's classic operetta. Originally created in 1975 for the Australian Ballet, The Merry Widow uses a lush and uncluttered musical adaptation of the Lehar score by John Lanchbery and Alan Abbott. The music's melodic expressiveness and the dance's conversational elegance clearly tell this beloved story set in a fictitious French principality at the turn of the century. There's also a famous can-can dance sequence and lots of fancy hats, epaulets and tight waistcoats. Hanna, a poor-girl-turned-wealthy-heiress is unexpectedly reunited with the man who once rejected her: Count Danilo, now trying to save his country from bankruptcy. Complications naturally ensue. In addition, a scandalous subplot involves a clerk named Camille who is having an affair with a feisty young woman, Valencienne, who is married to an old baron. In one of the ballet's lustier scenes, Valencienne enters the busy Camille's office and teases him by snatching away the various pieces of paper he's reading. Unable to concentrate, Camille sweeps up his lover and drags her across his desk. The duet that follows vacillates between the coy and the uncontained as the woman trots like a horse while Camille kisses her hand, or resists his advances. In the end, the pair falls into each other's arms with abandon…only to be observed by a hidden spy.Both River North Dance Chicago and the Joffrey Ballet stoke the flames of passion through timeless stories and provocative movement. A perfect way to celebrate Valentine's Day.
© Joffrey Ballet. All rights reserved.


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Giselle Hicks Black Zig Zag Vase #1
One of a kind ceramic forms, built by hand using a coil and pinch technique.
Formal explorations in shape, volume, color and composition.
Mottled texture on the surface of each vessel are finger prints left from the pinched forming process which are then softened by the thick, opaque glaze applied to the surface.
18" tall, 7" wide.
Handmade by Giselle Hicks in Helena, Montana.


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By Donal Bane of Blakmers
Pennsic Independent Battlefield Correspondent
Battle of the Thirty
Following opening ceremonies, HRM Felix of the Middle and Count Rhys of the East assembled two sides of 30 fighters in an attempt to recreate the conditions of the famous Battle of the Thirty from the Hundred Years War. The battle was conducted under period fighting conditions, meaning that kills would be registered to thrusts to vulnerable spots and being knocked to the ground. Also, fighters that sustained three head blows were considered "stunned" and could be escorted from the field for ransom.
HRM Felix's side, which represented the French, was able to decimate Count Rhys' force (the English) until Rhys himself was the last man to fall. Many ransoms were paid out by chivalry afterwards.
The battle was so well received that two gentles, Sir Philippe dePamiers of the Midrealm and Count Valharic of Atlantia, stepped forward to serve as next year's captains.
HRM Felix did not mince words when describing the battle.
"That was one of the best combats that I have ever been involved in," Felix said. "Her majesty of the Middle took more pleasure in watching that fight that when I won crown tourney."
Count Rhys was similarly impressed.
"I was honored to be a part of this," Rhys said. "For just a moment, we left the SCA and touched the Middle Ages."
Ealdormere 15-Fighter Unbelted Tournament
Eight teams of 15 unbelted fighters came forth for a rollicking round robin tournament that impressed many gentles. In the end, East 1 ended up winning, going 7-0 in the tournament. For the efforts, HRM Berus of Ealdormere presented Angus the Bruce with flowers to present to HRM Geneviere and Lady Shiro with a sword for HRM Kelson. Other record from the tournament included: East 2 – 5-2, Atlantia 5-2, Midrealm 4-3, Æthelmearc 4-3, Atendvelt 2-5, Ealdormere 1-6 and Trimaris 0-7
Concordia 10-Fighter Tournament
The 10-fighter tournament ended up being a five-fighter tournament fought between four teams. In the end a team names "Three Rights, One Wrong and Just Some Duke" won the tournament. The team consisted of Sir Vladimir Alecksandrov, Sir Rodrigo Falcone, Lord Kaloch Von Zweekl, Duke Paul of Bellatrix and Duke Ragnar Blackhammer.
Known World Novice Tournament
A total of 48 fighters with less than two years fighting experience from across the Known World participated in the Known World Novice Tournament. The fighters were separated into seven round-robin pools, with the top two fighters advancing to the semifinal round robins.
The semifinal round robins were won by Lord Donovan Cardal of the Midrealm and Lord William Thomas of Atlantia. Those two faced off in a best-of-three final, which was won by Lord Donovan with two straight wins.
Lost Boys Fort Battle
The Boys were back in town and they brought plenty of friends with them in their annual "fighting for fighting sake" brawl at the fort. As usual, constantly switching passages and different fighter levels kept the assembled rattan warriors in good spirits.
Monday's featured melee: The field battle – 11 a.m., three war points (one per fight)
For spectators and fighters alike, this is the proverbial big one. Witnessing the first charge of the field battle remains of the biggest thrills in the SCA. For that reason, spectators should try to get to the battlefield early as watching space will be at a premium.
What to look for: In the field battle, static lines lead to quick deaths. Victory usually goes to whichever side can keep its units together and keep them moving throughout the battle.


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NEW YORK (Reuters) - The Dow industrials lost more than 300 points in a sell-off on Wednesday that drove all major stock indexes down over 2 percent in the wake of the presidential election as investors' focus shifted to the looming "fiscal cliff" debate and Europe's economic troubles.
The Standard & Poor's 500 Index posted its biggest daily percentage drop since June, with all 10 S&P sectors solidly lower and about 80 percent of stocks on both the New York Stock Exchange and the Nasdaq ending in negative territory. Both the Dow and the S&P 500 closed at their lowest levels since early August.
Financial stocks and energy shares, two sectors that could face increased regulation after President Barack Obama's re-election, were the weakest on the day. The S&P financial index .GSPF lost 3.5 percent, while the S&P energy index .GSPE fell 3.1 percent. An S&P index of technology shares .GSPT slid 2.8 percent as the stock of Apple Inc (AAPL.O) entered bear market territory.
Obama's victory had been anticipated, though many polls indicated a close race between the president and Mitt Romney, his Republican challenger, going into election day.
The election was considered a major source of uncertainty for the market, but now the focus turns to the fiscal cliff, with investors worrying that if no deal is reached over some $600 billion in spending cuts and tax increases due to kick in early next year, it could derail the economic recovery.
The Republican Party retained control of the U.S. House of Representatives, while the Senate remained under Democratic control.
David Joy, chief market strategist at Ameriprise Financial in Boston, said this kind of divided government was disappointing "since that configuration has resulted in gridlock and there's no clear path towards unlocking that.
"It holds implications for how quickly we resolve the fiscal cliff issue, or whether it gets resolved at all," said Joy, who helps oversee $571 billion in assets.
The market's losses were broad, with pessimism exacerbated by overseas concerns after the European Commission said the region would barely grow next year, dashing hopes for improvement in the short term.
Still, some viewed the day's slide as a buying opportunity, saying it was unlikely that no deal would be reached on the fiscal cliff and arguing that Europe's troubles were already priced into markets.
"There's no question that Europe is lagging the rest of the developed and emerging world, but stocks will find a base soon, when investors start seeing through some of the smoke over the region and cliff," said Richard Weiss, who helps oversee about $120 billion in assets as a senior money manager at American Century Investments in Mountain View, California.
The Dow Jones industrial average .DJI slid 312.95 points, or 2.36 percent, to close at 12,932.73. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index .SPX fell 33.86 points, or 2.37 percent, to 1,394.53. The Nasdaq Composite Index .IXIC lost 74.64 points, or 2.48 percent, to close at 2,937.29.
The S&P 500 closed below the key 1,400 level for the first time since August 30, while the Dow ended under 13,000 for the first time since August 2.
About 7.81 billion shares traded on the New York Stock Exchange, the American Stock Exchange and Nasdaq, slightly below last year's daily average of 7.84 billion, though Wednesday's volume did surpass that of many recent sessions.
Contributing to the Nasdaq's decline, Apple shares fell 3.8 percent to $558, off 20.8 percent from an all-time intraday high of $705.07 set on September 21. That slump puts the stock of the world's most valuable publicly traded company in bear market territory.
Despite Wednesday's sell-off, all three major U.S. stock indexes were still up for the year. At Wednesday's close, the Dow was up 5.9 percent for 2012 so far, while the S&P 500 was up 10.9 percent and the Nasdaq was up 12.8 percent.
Wednesday's plunge was a reversal from Tuesday's rally when voting was under way. Defense and energy shares were among the market leaders that day, causing speculation that some investors were betting on a Romney win.
On Wednesday, an index of defense shares .DFX fell 2.9 percent, its biggest one-day drop in a year. Shares of United Technologies (UTX.N) dropped 2.9 percent to $77.68 while Lockheed Martin (LMT.N) sank 3.9 percent to $91.15.
Energy shares fell as investors bet that the industry may see increased regulation in Obama's second term, with less access to federal lands and water. Crude oil shed more than 4 percent while an index of coal companies .DJUSCL plunged 8.8 percent. Coal firms Peabody Energy (BTU.N) lost 9.6 percent to $26.24 and Arch Coal ACI.N sank 12.5 percent to $7.58.
Among financials, JPMorgan Chase & Co (JPM.N) fell 5.6 percent to $40.46 and Goldman Sachs (GS.N) dropped 6.6 percent to $117.98.
"The notion that you may have gotten a respite on the financial services side (with regulation) if Romney had been elected is obviously being unwound," said Mike Ryan, chief investment strategist at UBS Wealth Management Americas in New York.
Healthcare stocks were mixed as President Obama's re-election rules out the possibility of a wholesale repeal of his healthcare reform law, though questions remain as to what parts of the domestic policy will be implemented. The S&P health care index .GSPA shed 1.9 percent. In contrast, Tenet Healthcare (THC.N) was the S&P 500's biggest percentage gainer, up 9.6 percent at $27.34.
In 2008, stocks also rallied on election day, but then fell by the largest margin on record for a day following the vote, with each of the three major U.S. stock indexes posting losses ranging from 5 percent to 5.5 percent.
After the bell, both Qualcomm Inc (QCOM.O) and Whole Foods Market Inc WFM.O reported results. Qualcom's revenue beat expectations, sending shares up 8 percent to $62.75 in extended trading, while Whole Foods dropped 3.3 percent to $92.75 after the bell. In the regular session, Qualcomm slid 3.7 percent to close at $58.12, while Whole Foods dropped 2.1 percent to $95.93.
Additional reporting by Ashley Lau; Editing by Jan Paschal


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Don't want to forget your relaxing vacation anytime soon? Bring it with you where ever you go. Keychains will personalize your keys with your memories of your families good times. Keychains are made from olive wood* from orchard pruning from local California orchards.
*handcrafted in the USA using recycled olive and avocado tree prunings, we make quality wholesale souvenirs and gifts without depleting the environment.


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When you kick down your side stand during a break in your ride, you want to be able to depend on it to keep your Husqvarna from falling. The AltRider Side Stand Foot for the Husqvarna TR650 Terra and Strada provides a larger footprint to support the weight of your bike on soft ground.
Made from hefty 1/8 inch stainless steel, this foot features a 3D tread that provides traction for your boots. It is the most ergonomic design on the market, allowing easy deployment of the side stand while still on the bike. The AltRider foot also clamps down on the actual foot of the side stand with Torx fasteners, which means it will remain tight even after months of use. No more rattling or stripped fasteners. Available in black.
Learn more about how we designed this product in our AltRider Garage blog post, The Long Road to the Side Stand Foot.
Install Instructions
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Friday, March 31, 2017
Whitefish Caviar Canapés with Sour Cream & Chives
With its rich, salty taste, and lovely crunchy texture, this naturally golden coloured caviar has very small, pale orange eggs with a mild, non-fishy flavour. Produced from the roe of the popular whitefish, native to the Great Lakes of North America, the pearls of this delicate caviar are great as a garnish, appetizer for late night soirées or intimate gourmet brunches spooned over poached or scrambled eggs. Light and delicious, this effortless and affordable appetizer adds an elegant touch to any cocktail party.
Golden Whitefish Caviar Canapés with Sour Cream & Chives
Serves 4
4 oz jar Whitefish caviar
8 oz sour cream or crème fraîche
12 Carr's Table Water Biscuits
1 tbsp chopped fresh chives, for garnish
Spoon a dollop of sour cream onto each biscuit and top with a generous teaspoon of caviar. Arrange the canapés on a decorative platter and garnish with chopped chives.
Thursday, March 30, 2017
Wild BC Snapper with Tomatoes, Olives & Swiss Chard
Red Snapper is a lovely robust fish and this simple preparation using BC Wild Snapper showcases its wonderful flavour and texture. A simple tomato sauce with olives and onion sauce and some steamd swiss chard are all that's needed to make this bright and flavourful dish. A specialty of the Tuscan port of Leghorn in Livorno, this recipe reflects the ingredients of the region: fresh seafood, olives and wine. Its rich and tangy flavour is ideal for serving with fish. In keeping with with the Italian roots of this recipe, I used Taggiasche Snocciolate olives, which are very small black pitted nicoise-style olives with a distinctive, earthy taste — the pride and joy of Liguria. The region produces only a small amount of these lovely little gems, and so they're a rarity even in Liguria. I was thrilled to have found some on our last trip to Italy.
Wild BC Red Snapper with Tomatoes & Taggiasche Olives is delicious served over a bed of steamed swiss chard and a pillow of Cauliflower mash. Low in carbs and high in nutrients, puréed or mashed cauliflower is a delicious substitute for mashed potatoes. I discovered this fabulous guilt-free recipe in the South Beach Diet Cookbook, which is my 'go-to' resource when trying to shed a few unwanted pounds. Wonderfully flavourful in it's own right, Cauliflower Mash is also great used as a silky smooth purée nestled under grilled scallops, sautéed Red Snapper or any kind of fresh seafood. Buono!
Wild BC Red Snapper with Tomatoes, Taggiasche Olives & Swiss Chard
Serves 2
2 tbsp olive oil
2 8-oz BC red snapper filets, skin removed
1⁄4 cup dry white wine
1 14-oz can diced tomatoes, or homemade Tomato Sauce
1⁄4 cup black Taggiasche pitted olives, whole
1⁄2 bunch parsley, chopped
Salt and pepper
Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Season with snapper with salt and pepper and add to the skillet. Cook until lightly golden, about 2 minutes, then turn the fish and cook other side another 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes, olives, wine and half the parsley and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, partially covered, until fish is just cooked through, about 10–15 minutes, spooning the sauce over fish as it cooks. Serve the snapper on a warm plate, over a layer of Cauliflower Mash, Steamed Swiss Chard with the sauce spooned overtop. Sprinkle with remaining parsley for garnish and enjoy.
Cauliflower Mash
Serves 2
2 cups cauliflower florets
1 oz butter or Olivina
1 oz whole milk or light cream
pinch of salt and freshly ground black or white pepper
Steam the cauliflower until soft. Purée in a food processor, adding the butter and milk to taste. Season with salt and pepper and serve hot.
Wednesday, March 29, 2017
Cocoa Brownies with Browned Butter & Walnuts
These are incredible little brownies. Moist, dense and fudgy in the middle. Chewy on the outside with a wafer thin candy-like crust. Bon Appétit featured these decadent wee wonders on their February 2011 cover. It piqued my interest even more with the huge text proclaiming "Best-Ever Brownies," heralding an entire feature section devoted to chocolate desserts penned by none other than Alice Medrich — an author, dessert chef and chocolatier who has been affectionately called 'The First Lady of Chocolate.'
Cocoa Brownies with Browned Butter & Walnuts
Makes 16
Recipe by Alice Medrich
Non-stick vegetable oil spray
10 tbsp unsalted butter (1 1/4 sticks), cut into 1-inch pieces
1 1/4 cups sugar
3/4 cups unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp salt
2 large eggs, chilled
1/3 cup plus 1 tbsp all purpose flour
1 cup walnuts pieces
Position rack in bottom third of oven and preheat to 325°F. Line the inside of an 8" x 8" square metal baking pan with aluminum foil, pressing foil firmly against the pan sides and leaving 2-inch overhang. Coat the foil with nonstick spray. In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Continue cooking until the butter stops foaming, about 5 minutes, stirring often. Remove from the heat, and immediately add sugar, cocoa, 2 teaspoons of water, vanilla and 1/4 generous teaspoon of salt. Stir to blend, then let cool 5 minutes. Add the eggs to the hot mixture one at a time, beating vigorously to blend after each addition. When mixture looks thick and shiny, add flour and stir until well blended. Mix in the chopped nuts, and transfer to the prepared pan, smoothing the top before baking.
Bake for about 30 minutes or more, or until a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out almost clean. If there is still a tiny bit of moist batter at the very bottom that's okay. Remove the brownies from the oven and allow to cool completely on a wire rack. Once cool, remove the brownies from the pan using the aluminum foil overhangs; then pull the aluminum foil away from the brownies and cut them into 16 square pieces. Serve immediately or store in an airtight container at room temperature, for up to three days.
Tuesday, March 28, 2017
Orzo With Parmigiano-Reggiano and Basil
Quick, easy and delicious, this recipe for Orzo With Parmigiano-Reggiano and Basil is a sensational side dish for any occasion. A one pot wonder, the orzo is simply sautéed in butter until lightly browned then simmered with chicken broth until all the liquid is absorbed, about 20 minutes. A handful of freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano and chopped fresh basil are stirred in at the end, and then seasoned with salt and fresh ground pepper to taste. Light, luscious and full of fabulous flavour, these five simple ingredients come together as the most mouthwatering and memorable dish.
Orzo With Parmigiano-Reggiano & Basil
Serves 6
3 tbsp butter
1 1/2 cups orzo
3 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
1 cup fresh basil, washed, dried and julienned
salt & pepper to taste
Melt butter in a sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add the orzo and sauté 2 minutes until lightly browned. Add the chicken broth and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat, cover and simmer until the orzo is tender and the liquid has been absorbed, about 20 minutes. Mix in the grated parmesan and sliced basil, and season with salt and pepper.
Monday, March 27, 2017
Broccoli, Mushroom & Dill Frittata with Cheddar
Among the most classic of brunch offerings, omelettes, quiches, and frittatas are also some of the most versatile. Healthy, light and delicious, this low-carb Broccoli, Mushroom & Dill Frittata with Cheddar Cheese is simple to prepare and delicious to make anytime of the year. Italy's version of the Spanish 'tortilla', the frittata is a thick, hearty open-faced omelette with an egg base, and contains more or less anything you like: herbs, vegetables, cheeses, meat, seafood or even pasta. The beautiful thing about frittatas is that there are endless flavour possibilities. Frittatas are cooked either over very low heat on a stove, or in an oven, until the underside is set and the frittata is beautifully puffed up. Unlike an omelette, a frittata is never folded to enclose its contents, but rather is divided into slices, or cut into slender finger food-sized wedges or little squares and served with drinks as an hors d'oeuvre or tapas — 'buen provecho!'
Broccoli, Mushroom & Dill Frittata with Cheddar
Serves 4
8 large eggs
1 cup grated cheddar, feta or gruyère
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 cups sliced white button or crimini mushrooms
1 head of broccoli, florets only, cut into small pieces
2 tbsp chopped fresh dill, plus more for garnish
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tsp herbes de Provence
salt & pepper
Whisk the eggs in a large bowl and season with salt and pepper. Stir in the grated cheese and chopped dill, and set aside. In a medium non-stick sauté pan, heat 2 tablespoons of oil over medium-high and cook the onions until translucent, about 5 minutes. Then add the broccoli florets and sliced mushrooms and season with salt, pepper and herbs de Provence. Sauté stirring frequently until the vegetables have softened, about 4-5 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 425°F. Pour the egg and cheese mixture over the vegetables and stir to combine. Reduce the heat to medium-low, sprinkle with a little more dill, then cover and cook for 15-20 minutes until the frittata has set around the edges and the middle is cooked through. If the top is still runny, place the sauté pan in the oven uncovered for 2-3 minutes, until the surface is set. Serve while hot with a glass of fresh squeezed orange juice with a splash of sparkling wine for a delicious start to a Sunday morning.
Friday, March 24, 2017
Sri Lankan-Style Monkfish Curry with Kari Leaves
Fish curries are among Sri Lanka's most popular dishes, which feature generous pieces of fresh fish or seafood swimming in bright, colourful, fragrantly-spiced broths, which tend to be thinner and more heavily spiced than many Indian versions. Rice is an ever-present antidote to these big flavours. A rich melting pot of cuisines. It seems every nationality that has visited and traded over the years has left its mark – the Dutch, Portuguese, English, Arabs, Malays, Moors and Indians, resulting in a cuisine that is more inclusive of non-native ingredients, brought by international trade moving through the island.
Along the coasts, one often finds fish, shrimp, or delicate local crab which absorbs brilliant Sri Lankan spices which include fenugreek, cardamom, cumin, fennel seed, cloves, coriander, kari leaves and local cinnamon, often called Ceylon cinnamon, after the island's former name. This sensational Sri Lankan-Style Monkfish Curry with spiced tomato and coconut sauce by Jamie Oliver, combines the vivid flavours of traditional a Sri Lankan fish curry using the tail meat of meaty firm textured monkfish, very similar in taste and texture to lobster, and stands up to the robust ingredients typical of this South Asian cuisine.
Sri Lankan-Style Monkfish Curry
Serves 4
Recipe courtesy of Jamie Oliver
1 lb monkfish, skinned and deboned
1 tsp ground turmeric
2 limes or lemons, zest and juice
7 oz brown or aged basmati rice
13 oz tin coconut milk
2 onions
2 cloves of garlic
2-inch piece of ginger
2 fresh green chillies
10 ripe medium tomatoes, on the vine
Vegetable oil, as required
1 small handful of fresh curry leaves
3 cardamom pods
2 tsp brown mustard seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp fenugreek seeds
1 tsp ground turmeric
1 knob of tamarind paste
Slice the monkfish into large chunks and pop in a non-reactive bowl, along with the turmeric, lime zest and juice and a large pinch of sea salt. Mix together to coat the fish, then leave in the fridge for at least 1 hour.
Peel and finely slice the onions and garlic, peel and finely chop the ginger, then slice the chillies. Roughly chop the tomatoes, keeping them separate. Heat a large casserole pan over a medium–high heat and add a splash of oil, the onion, ginger, garlic, chillies and curry leaves. Cook for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the onion is softened and coloured.
Smash the cardamom pods in a pestle and mortar, then stir them into the pan along with the mustard seeds, cumin, fenugreek and turmeric. Fry for 1 minute. Stir in the chopped tomatoes, tamarind paste or syrup, the coconut milk and 1/2 cup of water, then simmer for 15 minutes, or until the tomatoes begin to break down and the sauce reduces. The sauce can be covered and kept on low heat until ready to add the monkfish, adding additional water as necessary to keep the sauce loose.
Add the rice to a pan with water and a knob of butter or ghee, and cook according to the packet instructions. Meanwhile, finish the sauce.
Add the monkfish to the sauce and simmer until the fish is cooked through and opaque. Remove and discard the cardamom pods, then serve in a decorative bowl with the rice on the side.
Thursday, March 23, 2017
Creamy Wild Mushroom Soup with Sherry & Herbs
Flavour reigns supreme in this delicious combination of fresh cremini, shiitake, plump portobello and dried mushrooms cooked with dry sherry, beef stock all puréed with rich cream. But instead of puréeing all of the mushroom mixture, half of it is puréed with the half-and-half cream and then combined it with the remainder of the mushroom mixture, producing a rich, creamy and ethereal broth with thick meaty mushrooms in every bite.
Wild Mushroom Soup with Sherry & Thyme
Serves 6
4 tbsp butter
3 leeks, diced
1/2 yellow onion, diced
1 large garlic clove, minced
2 tbsp fresh thyme, leaves only
1 lb cremini mushrooms, cleaned and thinly sliced
1/4 lb shiitake mushrooms, cleaned and thinly sliced
1/4 lb portobello mushrooms, cleaned and thinly sliced
1 oz dried porcini mushrooms
1 tsp spicy paprika
4 cups beef stock
1 cup heavy cream, such as half and half
2 tbsp flour
3 tbsp dry sherry
1/2 cup minced parsley or chives
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
In a small saucepan combine the sherry, 1/2 cup of beef stock and the dried porcini. Bring to boil, remove from the heat and let stand for 30 minutes.
Dice the leeks and onion. Melt the butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add the leeks and onion and cook over low heat until soft, about 10 minutes. Sprinkle with the flour, stir and cook an additional 5 minutes. Add the garlic, thyme, and cook for 3 minutes. Add the sliced mushrooms, the porcini with the soaking liquid, and salt and pepper, and continue to cook over low heat, for 7 minutes. Sprinkle in the paprika, and stir. Add the remainder of the beef stock, lower the heat to a low simmer, and cook for 20 minutes. Remove from heat, and let cool slightly.
Purée half of the soup in batches, in a blender or food processor. Return the mixture to the pot and gently reheat, over low heat. Stir in the cream and re-season with salt and pepper as desired. Garnish with chopped parsley, chives and a garnish of cream.
Wednesday, March 22, 2017
Handmade Linguine with White Clam Sauce
Full of all the wonderful flavours from the sea, nothing beats a seductive bowl of Linguine alle Vongole. An essential part of Neapolitan cuisine, this fragrant dish can be prepared two ways: 'rosso', with tomatoes or 'bianco', without. This simple, elegant and tasty recipe pairs fresh clams and a simple sauce with a special secret ingredient — anchovies — which add a hidden depth of flavour to this wonderfully satisfying dish. A classic Italian pasta, this is one of my favourite dishes to make anytime of the year.
Linguine with White Clam Sauce
Serves 6
5 dozen Manila clams
4 tbsp olive oil
4 tbsp butter
6 garlic cloves, peeled and finely sliced
3 anchovies, minced
1/2 tsp hot pepper flakes
2 small cans of clams, saving the clam juice
1/2 cup white wine or vermouth
1/2 cup italian parsley, finely chopped; plus extra for garnish
1 tsp salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
1 pound handmade or quality store-bought linguine
Let the clams drain in cold water for at least one hour. In a large pan that will accommodate the cooked pasta, heat olive oil and butter on medium heat. Add the garlic, anchovies and red pepper flakes and cook until just golden, about 3 to 5 minutes. Add the clam juice, white wine, parsley, salt and pepper to taste. Simmer, partially covered, for 8-10 minutes.
Place the hard shell Manila clams in a large pot with 1-inch of water and cover. Set on med-high heat and steam for about 6-10 minutes, or until the clams open. Discard the stubborn ones that remain closed. Shuck half of the cooked clams and place in a small bowl with the 2 cans of canned clams. Set aside. Reserve the remaining clams in their shells in the pot and cover. Meanwhile, reheat the sauce if you have allowed it to cool, adding the shucked and canned clams to the sauce and heat gently.
Bring a large pot of water to boil, and add 1 tsp of salt. Cook the linguine until tender but still firm. Drain the linguine and toss it with the sauce, mixing well to combine. Serve the linguine in individual wide rim bowls, and garnish each with the cooked clam and a sprinkle of chopped parsley. Serve with some lovely crusty garlic bread and a nice chilled bottle of white wine.
Tuesday, March 21, 2017
Gingerbread Spiced Apple Upside-Down Cake
This delectably moist gingerbread-spiced caramelized apple upside-down cake is the perfect dessert for the chilly autumn and winter months. Dark, coppery and intensely flavoured, this delicious cake is made with dark molasses, honey, buttermilk and a trio of fragrant spices, and goes perfectly with a dollop of pillowy soft Calvados Whipped Cream or tangy creme fraiche. As tempting as it may be, don't use a springform pan with a removable bottom, as the syrup will leak out and that would be enormously messy.
Gingerbread Spiced Apple Upside-Down Cake
Serves 12
4 tbsp butter, plus extra for greasing pan
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
Pinch of salt
4 large Golden Delicious apples, peeled, cored and cut into 1/4-inch wedges
1/2 cup butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
1 large egg
1/3 cup dark molasses
1/3 cup honey
1 cup buttermilk
1 tsp vanilla
2 1/4 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp freshly ground nutmeg
Calvados whipped cream:
1/2 cup whipping cream, chilled
1 tsp maple syrup
1 tsp Calvados
Preheat the oven to 325°F. Grease a 10-inch cake pan. To make the topping, melt 4 tablespoons of butter in a small saucepan. Add the brown sugar and simmer over medium heat, stirring for 5 minutes, then swirl in the salt. Remove the saucepan from the heat and pour the mixture into the cake pan, spreading with a spatula to distribute evenly. Make circles of overlapping apple slices on top of the brown sugar. Chop any remaining slices and place them in the gaps.
For the batter, blend 1/2 cup butter and 1/2 cup sugar in a standing mixer set on medium-low, then increase the speed to high and cream until the batter becomes light and fluffy.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg, molasses, honey, buttermilk and vanilla. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon and nutmeg. Alternate adding the egg mixture and the flour mixture to the creamed butter-sugar mixture, then pour the batter into the cake pan.
Bake at least 45-50 minutes or until a tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Let cool on a wire rack for 10-15 minutes. Run a small knife around the edges of pan to loosen the cake, then place a serving platter over the cake and invert onto the platter.
Serve warm or at room temperature with very softly whipped Calvados Whipped Cream, made by whisking the cream with the syrup and Calvados in an electric mixer until cream holds soft peaks.
Monday, March 20, 2017
Asian Sesame Ginger Salmon with Sliced Scallions
Simple and delicious, this sensational recipe for Asian Sesame Ginger Salmon is sweet, fragrant, and full of fabulous flavour. Low-cal and carb-free, the salmon is marinated in an aromatic mixture of sesame oil, rice vinegar, brown sugar, soy sauce, ginger and garlic, then chilled for at least 30 minutes to allow the flavours to work their magic. While the salmon is marinating, a simple sauce of honey, sesame oil, soy sauce, minced ginger and sesame seeds can be whisked together and gently warmed on low heat, ready to be served over the cooked salmon with a final garnish of sesame seeds and chopped green onions.
Asian Sesame Ginger Salmon
Serves 4
4 organic salmon filets, about 2-pounds
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tbsp toasted sesame oil
2 tbsp rice vinegar
2 tbsp brown sugar
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tbsp freshly grated ginger
2 tbsp sesame seeds
4 green onions, finely sliced for garnish
Honey, Ginger & Sesame Sauce:
1/4 cup honey
1 tsp toasted sesame oil
1 tsp soy sauce
1/2 tsp freshly grated ginger
1/2 tsp sesame seeds
In a medium bowl, combine the olive oil, sesame oil, soy sauce, garlic, ginger, vinegar, brown sugar and whisk well until combined. Add the salmon, cover and refrigerate to marinate, for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare the sauce by combining each of the ingredients in a small bowl and whisk until smooth.
Preheat oven to 425°F and line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Place the salmon on the baking sheet and bake for 10-12 minutes, until the centre is just done. If you like your salmon more well done, simply bake as long as you wish. To serve, spoon some of the sauce over top of the salmon and garnish with a sprinkle of sesame seeds and flurry of sliced green onions.
Friday, March 17, 2017
Warm Olives with Rosemary, Lemon & Peperoncino
Plump, glossy and gorgeous, these fragrant Lemon & Rosemary Marinated Olives with Peperoncino are a tangy and tasty hors d'oeuvre with a glass of wine, a lump of cheese and a warm crusty foot of baguette. Sauté the olives with some garlic, hot red pepper, lemon zest, rosemary and some infused olive oil catapults this appetizer to another gastronomic level — one that is fast, easy and quite delicious.
Warm Lemon & Rosemary Mixed Olives
Makes 2 cups
3 tbsp olive oil
2 cups mixed olives with pits: nicoise, cerignola, kalamata, picholine
1 clove of garlic, minced
zest of one lemon
2 fresh rosemary sprigs
1 hot red pepper, seeded and sliced thinly
Garnishes: rosemary sprig, lemon rind strips
In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and sliced pepper and cook for 1 minute. Add the mixed olives and lemon zest and cook, stirring frequently, until warmed though and fragrant, about 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool 10-15 minutes. Garnish with some lemon curls and fresh rosemary sprigs. Serve warm with some crusty bread and your favourite cheeses.
Thursday, March 16, 2017
Barley, Wild Rice & Chickpea Salad with Cranberries
With its delicate nutty flavour and sturdy texture, wild rice makes a delicious basis for this healthy high-fibre Barley & Wild Rice Salad. The addition of sliced green onions, chickpeas and toasted pine nuts tossed together with a tangy vinaigrette makes this salad a nutritional powerhouse. Mixed-grain salads deliver a great combination of flavours and textures as well as folate and vitamin E for a strong and healthy heart — very important for those cardio workouts. Adding beans to grains also creates the key combination of protein and carbs that helps muscles repair and refuel themselves, which makes this Barley & Wild Rice Salad with chickpeas and dried cranberries a nutritional powerhouse with heart-healthy goodness that's also rich with great flavour.
Barley, Wild Rice & Chickpea Salad with Dried Cranberries
Serves 6
1 3/4 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup uncooked brown and wild rice mix
1/2 cup uncooked pearl barley
3/4 cup canned chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1/3 cup golden raisins
1/4 cup sliced green onions
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 1/2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
2 tbsp chopped fresh basil
2 tbsp pine nuts, toasted
1/4 cup dried cranberries
Place the chicken broth, rice and barley in a medium saucepan, and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 40 minutes or until liquid is absorbed. Remove from heat, and let stand, covered for 5 minutes. Spoon rice mixture into a medium bowl. Add the chickpeas, raisins, green onions and cranberries.
Combine the vinegar, olive oil, mustard, salt and pepper in a small bowl, and stir with a whisk. Pour over barley mixture and toss well. Cover and chill for two. Stir in the basil and pine nuts and serve at room temperature.
Wednesday, March 15, 2017
Stracciatella Soup with Spinach, Leeks & Orzo
Nearly every culture has a soup based on chicken and egg. Sometimes it's in the form of egg and flour dumplings such as the Russian-German Knephla Soup, or the Algerian Djari Byad which sees egg yolks and lemon juice being whisked into chicken soup at the last moment. This dish is an example of how the Italians can also take the simplest of ingredients and put them together in a way that looks, smells and tastes absolutely delicious. Stracciatella is a rustic Roman egg-drop soup that's traditionally served with a handful of cheese, but in this modern version, spinach, orzo, chicken and sautéed leeks have also been added for a rich and satisfying twist on the Italian classic.
The name Stracciatella translates as 'torn apart' or 'rags' in Italian, which aptly describes the eggs, which look like tiny torn rags as they cook in the broth. This easy recipe is prepared by simply adding sautéed leeks, shredded chicken, grated pecorino, salt, pepper, parsley, nutmeg, and orzo to boiling chicken broth. Beaten egg is then added in a slow stream to produce the stracciatelle, or little shreds of cooked egg, producing a rich and satisfying dish from the simplest of ingredients.
Stracciatella with Spinach, Leeks & Orzo
Serves 4-6
1 tbsp olive oil
2 bone-in chicken breasts with skin on
1 cup thinly sliced leeks, white and light green parts only
1 tbsp chopped Italian parsley, plus extra for garnish
1 cup cooked or frozen spinach, chopped
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
6 1/2 cups chicken stock
1/2 cup orzo
2 large eggs
1/4 cup grated pecorino or parmesan cheese, plus extra for garnish
Salt and pepper, to taste
Sprinkle chicken breasts with salt and ground pepper. In a large soup pot, heat the olive oil on medium-high. Add the chicken, skin side down, and sauté until browned, about five minutes. Turn the chicken over and brown the other side, about another three minutes. Remove the chicken from the pot and set aside on a plate. Do not drain the oil from the pot.
Add the chopped leeks, parsley, spinach and nutmeg, and stir to combine. Reduce heat to medium and cook until the leeks begin to soften, about three minutes. Pour in 6 cups of the chicken stock, reserving the last 1/2 cup for the eggs. Return the chicken to the pot, cover and let the soup simmer gently for 20 minutes.
While the soup is simmering, beat two eggs with the remaining 1/2 cup of chicken stock and 1/4 cup of parmesan until smooth. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper, and set aside.
After 20 minutes, add the orzo, cover and let cook about 7-8 minutes, until it's almost cooked through. Once the orzo is al dente, remove the chicken breasts from the soup, remove and discard the skin. Using two forks, pull the meat off the bone and shred into bite sized pieces. Return the chopped chicken to the soup and discard the bones.
Pour the beaten egg mixture into the soup, whisking vigorously. Turn the heat to medium-high and simmer, whisking occasionally for five minutes. Don't be alarmed if the soup begins to look curdled, that's how it looks as the eggs cook. Season the soup with salt and pepper to taste.
To serve, ladle into warmed soup bowl and garnish with grated parmesan and chopped Italian parsley.
Tuesday, March 14, 2017
Lemon & Orange Poppyseed Bread with Syrup Glaze
Bursting with flavour, and infused with the sweet, slightly tart flavour of fragrant lemon and orange peel, melted butter and studded with poppy seeds, this delicious Lemon & Orange Poppyseed Bread is perfect for breakfast or with a hot cup of tea in the middle of the afternoon. The crowning glory is the sweet sugary lemon-orange glaze that's brushed over the cake while it's still warm, infusing the bread with a sweet and tangy citrus flavour that will keep it moist and delicious for days. So if you're needing a little taste of summer, this light and luscious Lemon & Orange Poppyseed Bread will definitely add some sunshine to the day.
Lemon & Orange Poppyseed Bread
Makes 1 loaf
3 Large Eggs
2 tsp pure Vanilla extract
1/4 cup whole milk
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, sifted
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 tbsp coarsely grated lemon zest
1 tbsp coarsely grated orage zest
3 tbsp poppy seeds
13 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
Lemon Orange Syrup:
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup fresh orange juice
2/3 cup granulated white sugar
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter and flour the bottom and sides of a loaf pan. Line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper and butter and flour the paper.
In a small bowl, whisk together the eggs, vanilla extract, and milk, then set aside. Using an electric mixer, beat the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, lemon zest, orange zest and poppy seeds until well combined. Add the softened butter and half the egg mixture and mix on low speed until moistened. Increase the speed to medium and beat for about one minute. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the remaining egg mixture and beat well.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for about 55-65 minutes, or until the bread is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. When the bread is done, remove from the pan and place on a wire rack to cool slightly.
To make the lemon orange syrup, place the sugar, and fresh squeezed lemon and orange juice to a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Cook until the sugar is dissolved, stirring constantly.
Pierce the warm loaf all over with a toothpick, then brush the top of the loaf with about half of the hot lemon syrup. Brush the remaining syrup onto the bottom and the sides of the loaf. Let the lemon loaf cool before wrapping and storing overnight, to allow the lemon syrup to penetrate the loaf.
Monday, March 13, 2017
Broccoli, Leek & Anchovy Linguine with Fresh Chives
The best recipes tend to be those that are deceptively simple, absolutely delicious and take very little time to prepare. Inevitably, they're also the dishes that we prepare over and over again. This easy and inexpensive Broccoli, Leek & Anchovy pasta sauce is one of those recipes. The key is to sauté the broccoli, leeks and anchovies in olive oil until they virtually dissolve into a luscious paste that coats the pasta for a delicious and soul satisfying simple dinner.
Broccoli, Leek & Anchovy Linguine with Chives
Serves 4
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp butter
1 leek, trimmed, washed and finely sliced
1 bunch fresh broccoli, broken into small florets
12 flat anchovy fillets, chopped very fine
1 lb dried pasta, such as linguine, spaghettini, orecchiette etc
1/2 cup freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese
1/4 cup cream, optional
salt and fresh cracked black pepper, to taste
4 tbsp fresh chives, finely chopped plus some whole for garnish
Add the oil and butter to a sauté pan over medium heat. When the oil begins to warm up, add the chopped leeks and cook until soft, about 6-8 minutes. Then place the broccoli florets and chopped anchovies into the pan and cook, stirring and mashing the mixture with the back of a wooden spoon, to dissolve them as much as possible into a paste. You may need to add a little more oil if the mixture becomes too dry. Add some fresh cracked black pepper, then taste for seasoning, adding a wee bit of salt if you like, keeping in mind that anchovies are already quite salty.
Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a rapid boil over high heat and cook the pasta until it is 'al dente' - firm yet tender. Drain the pasta in a colander placed into your kitchen sink, shaking off excess water then toss into the sauce and toss to coat. Add half of the grated cheese, and toss thoroughly once again. I added a little cream at the end for some extra richness and finished with a garnish of fresh chopped chives. The pasta should be served immediately with the reserved parmigiano-reggiano on the side, for guests to serve themselves.
Thursday, March 9, 2017
Massaman Beef Curry: A Thai Culinary Classic
Massaman Curry is a Thai dish of Muslim origin, which according to one theory, originated in central Thailand at the court of Ayutthaya in the 16th-century through a Persian envoy and trader. According to another theory, it originated in southern Thailand due to contacts with Arab traders. In light of the recipe's Muslim roots, this coconut-based curry is most commonly made with beef, but can also be made with lamb, duck, tofu, chicken, or even pork. The flavouring for the curry usually includes coconut milk, potatoes, and roasted peanuts or cashews, in addition to a range of other aromatic ingredients which include ginger, garlic, lime leaves, lemongrass, cilantro, chilies, onions, cumin seeds, cardamom, palm sugar, fish sauce, shrimp paste and tamarind sauce, however lime juice works just as well. I prefer to make my own paste and sauce rather than using a store-bought version, as it produces fresher more vibrant results.
Massaman Beef Curry
Serves 4-6
2 lb beef, cut into cubes
2 1/2 cups beef stock
1/3 cup diced onion
2 stalks lemongrass, smashed
3 kaffir lime leaves
2 baking potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch dice
1/2 cup fresh coriander leaves
Curry Sauce:
1 thumb-piece ginger, grated
4-5 cloves garlic, slivered
1/2 tsp chili flakes
1/4 cup chopped cashews
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp cumin seed
1/2 tsp white pepper
1 tsp turmeric
1/8 tsp ground cardamon
6 star anise
1 tbsp lime juice
1 tbsp brown sugar
3/4 tsp shrimp paste
2 tbsp fish sauce
1 14 oz can coconut milk
Place stock in a large pot over high heat and add the the beef, onion, lemongrass and lime leaves. Bring to a boil and reduce to low. Partially cover and simmer 60 to 80 minutes, stirring occasionally until meat is tender.
Add all the curry sauce ingredients plus the potatoes, stirring with each addition, holding back a few tablespoons of the coconut milk for serving, if desired. Return to a boil, then continue to simmer uncovered for 30 more minutes or until potatoes are tender, stirring occasionally.
Transfer the curry to a serving bowl or individual dinner bowls and garnish with fresh cilantro and some additional nuts if desired. Drizzle with reserved coconut milk and serve with Thai jasmine rice.
Wednesday, March 8, 2017
Potato and Leek Soup with Bacon & Dill
Of all the classic winter soups, Potato and Leek is one of the most rich and satisfying, the perfect antidote to the season's cold weather. Simple and delicious, this heartwarming soup is taken up a notch with two perfect partners — dill and bacon. A traditional Irish dish, rich and creamy Potato and Leek Soup is frugal, filling and full of flavour, and can also be made in little more than half an hour. Leeks and onions are simply sautéed in butter until soft, then added to diced potatoes and chicken stock and simmered for 30 mintes. The soup is then puréed with dill until silky smooth and seasoned with salt and white pepper. Hearty, warm and delicious, Potato and Leek Soup with Bacon & Dill is one of the ultimate winter warmers.
Potato and Leek Soup with Bacon & Dill
Serves 4-6
4 tbsp butter
3 cups thinly sliced leeks, white and pale green parts only
3 cups of yellow onions, finely chopped
3 russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
4 cups chicken stock
3 tbsp coarsely chopped fresh dill, plus more for garnish
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup cream
1/4 cup sour cream, for garnish
5 rashers of crumbled bacon, for garnish
Cook the bacon then drain on paper towel; crumble and set aside. In a large pot, warm the butter over medium heat. Add the leeks and cook, stirring frequently until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the potatoes and broth, increase heat to high and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce the heat to medium and simmer until the vegetables are very tender, about 25-30 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat and add the dill. Using an immersion blender, purée the soup until very smooth. Season to taste with sea salt and freshly ground white pepper. To serve, ladle the soup into warm bowls, swirl in a dollop of sour cream and garnish with some sprigs of fresh dill and crumbled bacon.
Tuesday, March 7, 2017
Kerala-Style King Prawn & Monkfish Curry
Rich, warm, fragrant and flavourful, this luscious Kerala-style curry made with plump juicy prawns and meaty monkfish, is cooked in a creamy coconut milk sauce and aromatic blend of Indian spices sautéed with onions, tomatoes and fresh kari leaves, for an elegant and delicious dish easy to prepare anytime of the year. Typical of the coconut-based curries found on the beautiful Kerala coast of Southern India, this King Prawn & Monkfish Curry is perfect served with a bowl of steamed basmati rice and ice cold Kingfisher beer.
Kerala-Style King Prawn & Monkfish Curry
Serves 2
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tbsp mustard seeds
1 tbsp fenugreek seeds
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp turmeric
15-20 kari leaves
1/2 large onion, peeled and finely chopped
1/2 tsp Sriracha hot chili sauce
2-inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped
4 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely chopped
1 ripe tomato, chopped into 1/8-inch dice
1/2 lb monkfish tail, cut into 1-inch pieces
8 raw king prawns, peeled and deveined, keeping tails on
1 cup coconut milk
1 bunch of fresh coriander, washed and leaves picked
1/2 lime, juiced
Basmati Rice:
1 cup basmati rice
2 cups water
1 tsp ghee
1 tbsp lemon zest
1 tbsp chopped cilantro, for garnish
Heat the oil in a heavy pan or wok over medium-high and add the mustard and fenugreek seeds, ground coriander, cumin, turmeric and curry leaves, and fry covered for 10-15 seconds. Add the finely chopped onions and sauté stirring frequently until they become soft, about 10-15 minutes. Then stir in the ginger, garlic and diced tomato and cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring constantly. Add the prawns and monkfish and cook until opaque and just cooked through, about 5 minutes. Finally, reduce the heat to low, add the coconut milk, chopped cilantro and squeeze of lime juice, cover and simmer gently for 15-20 minutes.
Meanwhile, put a pot of water on to boil for the basmati rice and cook according to the package instructions. Stir in the ghee and chopped cilantro once done and serve the rice garnished with lemon zest. Serve the curry in a warm serving bowl, garnish with chopped cilantro, along with the basmati rice.
Monday, March 6, 2017
Chicken Marsala with Mushroom Cream Sauce
Chicken Marsala is an Italian dish made from chicken, mushrooms and Marsala wine. The chicken is traditionally pounded into cutlets, coated in flour, briefly sautéed, and then removed from the pan, which is then used to make a Marsala reduction sauce. I prefer to use bone-in chicken breasts with the skin on, and roasted whole in the oven until they are crisp and golden brown. Brushing the breasts with oil and seasoning with black pepper, paprika and a liberal dose of kosher salt ensures a perfect crisp outer skin. Just before the breasts finish roasting, I begin the Marsala Mushroom Cream Sauce, by first sautéeing the mushrooms in a little butter and olive oil until they're soft and fragrant. Some marsala wine or dry sherry is then added and cooked for about 5 minutes until it reduces slightly. The cream and fresh thyme are stirred in at the end, and cooked over a reduced heat for another 6 to 8 minutes. Thick, creamy and absolutely swimming with mushrooms, the sauce is poured over the chicken breasts, that have been arranged in a warm platter, and garnished with a tangle of fresh thyme. Served with sautéed new potatoes and a spinach or vegetable gratin, this is an easy and delicious recipe that's guaranteed to impress.
Chicken Marsala with Mushroom Cream Sauce
Serves 4
4 chicken breasts, bone-in and skin-on
2 tbsp vegetable oil
2 tbsp kosher salt
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp paprika
Marsala Mushroom Cream Sauce:
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 lb sliced crimini mushrooms, thinly sliced
3/4 cup Marsala or Sherry
1/2 cup whipping cream
2 tbsp fresh thyme leaves, plus whole sprigs for garnish
salt and pepper
Preheat oven to 400°F. Coat the chicken breasts with vegetable oil and set on a foil lined baking pan. Season with fresh ground black pepper, paprika and a generous sprinkle of kosher salt — the more salt, the crisper the skin. Roast the chicken breasts for 35-45 minutes, depending on the size of the breasts, until they are crisp and golden brown. Turn off the oven, cover the chicken with aluminium foil and begin the Marsala Cream Sauce.
Heat the butter and oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Once the butter has melted, add the mushrooms and sauté for 3 to 4 minutes, until the mushrooms are barely cooked through. Add the Marsala or Sherry and cook for 5 minutes allowing the wine to slightly reduce. Stir in the heavy cream and thyme leaves, reduce the heat to medium and cook the mushroom sauce for 6-8 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Remove the chicken breasts from the oven and arrange on a warm serving platter. Spoon the Marsala Mushroom Cream Sauce over top, and garnish with fresh sprigs of thyme.
Friday, March 3, 2017
Mahi Mahi with Spinach, Mash & Lemon Beurre Blanc
Mahi-Mahi is the Hawaiian name for this tropical, warm water fish, sometimes referred to as Dorado or Dolphinfish, not because they have any relation to 'Flipper', but because they're often found swimming among Dolphins. Mahi-Mahi, like Swordfish, ranges in colour from white to dark pinkish-brown and has a mild sweet flavour with firm white flesh: white to light beige fillets are mild flavoured, while light pink to pinkish-brown are more heavily flavoured. Mahi-Mahi is very versatile and adapts amazingly well to a range of flavours and cooking methods. It's delicious baked, broiled, grilled, pan-fried, deep-fried, pan-seared, poached or sautéed, like this fabulous Sautéed Mahi-Mahi with Spinach, Gorgonzola Chive Mash and Lemon Dill Beurre Blanc Sauce.
Sautéed Mahi Mahi with Spinach, Gorgonzola Mash and Lemon Dill Beurre Blanc
Serves 2
2 6 oz Mahi Mahi fillets, with skin on
1 tbsp olive oil
1 lemon, juice and zest
2 bunches fresh spinach, trimmed and washed
1 bunch chives, chopped for garnish
2 tbsp red and green baby lettuce, chopped for garnish
Salt and pepper, to taste
Lemon Dill Beurre Blanc Sauce:
1 cup dry white wine
1/3 cup shallot, finely diced
1/2 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
3 tbsp chopped fresh dill
2 tsp finely grated lemon zest
2 tsp fresh lemon juice, more to taste
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Gorgonzola & Chive Mashed Potatoes:
1 lb Yukon gold potatoes, washed
1 tbsp butter
1/2 cups whipping cream
2 tbsp Gorgonzola cheese, crumbled
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp white pepper
2 tbsp fresh chives, finely chopped
Cook the potatoes in a large pot of boiling water until tender, about 15 minutes. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, heat the butter, whipping cream, Gorgonzola, salt and white pepper over low to medium heat until warm, stirring frequently. When potatoes are cooked to fork tender, drain well and return them to the pot. Slowly add the warm cream mixture to the potatoes, mashing and blending well to your desired consistency, then stir in the chives. Taste and re-season with salt and pepper. Cover and keep warm until needed.
To make the sauce, cook the wine and shallot in a saucepan over high heat, stirring until the wine almost evaporates and looks glazy, 5 to 8 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and whisk in the butter a couple of cubes at a time until it's melted and the sauce becomes thick and creamy, briefly returning the pan to low heat if the butter is slow to melt. Off the heat, stir in the dill, lemon zest, lemon juice, 1/2 tsp salt, and several grinds of pepper. Cover and set aside on low heat to keep warm.
Meanwhile, heat another saucepan over a medium to high heat. Add the remaining tablespoon of butter and the spinach to the pan and sauté for 2 or 3 minutes, until the spinach begins to wilt. Season the spinach to taste with salt and pepper, cover and set side on low heat.
Heat a large nonstick sauté pan over a moderate to high heat until it is hot, then add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to the pan then add the fish, skin side down. Cook the fish for 4 minutes until the skin is crisp and golden. Turn the fish over and cook 3 to 4 minutes. Add a squeeze the lemon juice over the fish, and cook for another minute or two, basting the fish with the juices in the pan, or until the fish is just cooked through but still moist.
To serve, place a mound of spinach in the center of 2 warm dinner plates, top with a scoop of gorgonzola mashed potato, and finish with a Mahi-Mahi fillet on top. Drizzle the lemon beurre blanc around the plate and garnish with finely chopped red and green baby lettuce, some chopped chives and serve.
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United Technologies Corporation (UTC), a Connecticut-based conglomerate with broad experience, proven abilities and deep pockets, shares a strong belief in Clipper's vision. That vision is that several small generators and a distributed drive train will lead to lighter turbines and cheaper electricity than traditional single-generator machines.
Late last year Clipper surrendered 49.5% ownership to UTC through a competitive bidding process. In turn, UTC pledged a $0.25billion, offered Clipper a new CEO from within its own ranks, added five names to Clipper's 11-member board of directors and agreed to purchase no additional Clipper shares for two years. UTC - home to Sikorsky helicopters, Pratt & Whitney jet engines and Otis elevators, among others - posted $52.9 billion in revenues for 2009.
Together, the companies intend to expand the market for Clipper's only product - the 2.5MW Liberty turbine - and strive to bring 5MW and 10MW versions to onshore and offshore markets within five years.
Clipper has sold 500 Liberty turbines since 2007 despite faulty gearboxes, bad blades, red numbers and unsteady stock. The California-based company still struggles with a sour economy that has rendered would-be customers short of project funding. But by the end of 2010 Clipper expects to raise prices, sell another 180 turbines, break even on the balance sheet and push into the global marketplace. Clipper believes its problems are largely in the past.
Perhaps more importantly, UTC believes the same. "We're looking to help Clipper," says Ari Bousbib, UTC executive vice-president and president of commercial companies. "We are simply a large shareholder and we can bring more resources to help advance their vision of being a leader in the industry."
Although largely comfortable with letting Clipper be Clipper, UTC is keen to improve quality control on the manufacturer's output. "There are many developments and many ideas for new products," Bousbib says. "And for those, of course, we will seek to instill more discipline in the early stages of the development - at an earlier stage, perhaps, than might have been done in the past."
UTC examined the wind power sector for a decade, Bousbib says. And while not interested in developing projects, the company clearly recognises lucrative opportunities from an exploding worldwide appetite for ever-larger turbines. Wind is a $50 billion market today that has grown 25% a year for the past decade, says Bousbib. "Other than maybe elevators in China, I don't know many industries that have grown at 25% a year," he adds.
To that end, UTC intends to provide broad support as Clipper prepares to bring new wares to market. "We've got a tremendous amount of gearbox-related technology with UTC - especially with our aerospace companies," Bousbib says. "We've got a tremendous amount of blade-technology understanding within our Sikorsky helicopter business. On the technology level, we believe that there are capabilities that fit for wind power that we will be able to tap."
Foremost are UTC's formidable supply-chain resources, which Clipper is already beginning to explore. "We have developed a very advanced supplier base all over the world," Bousbib says. "So they'll be able to source components or sub-components, when appropriate, for their own needs from that UTC supplier base."
From the top
Financially challenged Clipper has 700-plus employees; UTC has a rock-solid financial footing and upwards of 200,000 workers in 71 countries. The symbiosis of the two companies will start at the top. Clipper's new CEO, Mauricio Quintana, took the reigns in March after only two-and-a-half years at UTC. Quintana turns 43 this month and has built a richly varied resume that, although lacking direct involvement with wind power, lists executive stints at many companies, including notorious energy corporation Enron. As a management consultant for Booz Allen Hamilton, Quintana worked for oil giant BP, US Internal Revenue Service and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (Nasa), where he spent three years on a project that re-engineered the International Space Station.
"I'm a geek at heart," Quintana says. "Celestial mechanics and aerodynamics - I know how it works." Quintana holds several patents and, for his university engineering thesis, designed and built a turbine that produced electricity from rivers and streams. He also gained significant experience running small companies and chuckles when reflecting on the frantic pace of his career. "When I was at Booz I put in 110 hours a week," he says. "And then, when I went to Enron, I worked 80-hour weeks. I thought it was a vacation."
Quintana was smitten with Clipper technology from the moment he first climbed a Liberty tower at the 125MW Cohocton project in New York. "Most people just see a blade on a stick," he says. "But there's a lot of thought behind the ergonomics - to the point that you would extend your arm and find a handle that you didn't have actual eyesight with, but could actually grab on to. What impacted on me was the ease at which the Clipper team was working through the turbine." The turbine's ingenuity is what struck him most about the project, he says, adding that the level of ingenuity must increase as turbines begin to break the 5MW and 10MW barriers. "As things get bigger," he says, "the level of complexity goes up exponentially."
Clipper is bringing those bigger turbines to market, but it has other plans, too. The company expects to expand sales into China, Europe and elsewhere - with foreign factories not out of the question. And, although expected to take decades, a 5GW South Dakota development in partnership with BP, dubbed Titan, has long been in the works. The project's 25MW pilot phase went online last year and a slew of super-size turbines at 5MW each could come in handy down the road.
Clipper manufactures all its nacelles in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and puts gearboxes together from subcontracted parts from foreign and domestic suppliers. "We won't make the gears themselves," Quintana says. "But the assembly represents a lot of know-how that we have already and allows us to have control of how the gearbox is built."
The company currently imports all its blades from Brazil's Tecsis, but a domestic Clipper blade factory is on the drawing board. "Blades are a very important component of what differentiates the turbine from an aerodynamic perspective," Quintana says. "At Clipper we take great pride in our aero abilities and now they've been expanded with the presence of UTC. You don't want to be completely in the hands of your suppliers, especially when supplies are constrained as the demand picks up."
Already this year Clipper has managed a pair of triumphs. In February it began building a factory in Newcastle, England to manufacture 72-metre offshore blades for the elephantine 10MW machine - a blade prototype is expected in 2012. And in March, Clipper's first non-US wind farm - which saw 27 Liberty turbines come online in southern Mexico - received the 2010 Deal of the Year award from the Export-Import Bank of the United States. The 68MW project, owned by a subsidiary of France's EDF Energies Nouvelle, is backed by the bank's $80.66 million direct loan. "That has opened the door to a lot of inquiries that we're following up," Quintana says.
Although the Clipper concept was born around 2000, the company truly sprang to life in 2002 after winning a US Department of Energy grant for designing a turbine that delivers 2.5MW but matches a typical 1.5MW machine in up-tower weight. By 2005, a test turbine was turning in Wyoming and the first eight commercial machines went into service in 2007 on the shores of Lake Erie, New York.
But just as US turbine demand was reaching its peak, trouble came calling. Clipper's first 150 gearboxes needed rework, as did more than 1,000 blades - expensive remediation that displeased the firm's shareholders. Yet the company clawed back some expenditure when field technicians developed a method for removing blades using ordinary industrial trucks - eliminating the need for expensive crane call-outs (Windpower Monthly, April 2010). Liberty's original design had already included an onboard jib crane for removing the four generators.
Then last year, just as remediation wound down, UTC bested three other firms to win the partnership bid. Would such an exacting partner have helped Clipper sidestep its blade and gearbox problems right from the beginning?
"Without a doubt," laughs company founder Jim Dehlsen. "Clipper was a bold entrepreneurial move. It was coming into a mature market in 2000, 2002, 2005 with new technology - not for the faint of heart. We could have done things differently and better. But, in all, given the resources that we had, I think it was a pretty nice accomplishment."
Now in his 70s, Dehlsen is pleased with the new partnership and had already given up the company's reins in 2008 to recently exited CEO Doug Pertz. "For an entrepreneurial person like myself, there is a challenge to that," Dehlsen says. "At the same time, it gets down to who you're working with, and the entrepreneurial days of Clipper are really fading into the background now. It's much more of a larger, structured corporate entity."
Dehlsen now divides his time between Clipper and his son's wave-energy start-up enterprise. So as Clipper enters a new phase, does the founder believe, as turbines continue to get larger, that using multiple generators and a distributed drive train actually produces incrementally cheaper electricity - the premise the Liberty turbine set out to prove?
"We believe it does," Dehlsen says. "However, what you'd have to work your way through is the inefficiencies of starting up a new company - the supply chain being formed, all the teething stuff that we had to go through, the inefficiencies and so on. But I believe once we hit mid-scale operation, we'll find that it's going to be a pretty competitive machine."


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This is the cover of Jessica Simpson's new country album. I could say something, but I'll leave it to my favorite blogger: Michael K of Dlisted.
Doesn't the title need a question mark? Wait, I get it. Jessica's dumb face is the question mark.
LOVE IT! Here's the rest of what Michael K wrote. It's hilarious, but it's a tad off-color for this blog.
This is a perfect example of the kind of stuff that irks me. What does the record company gain from leaving off the question mark? What does Jessica Simpson gain? Does leaving the question mark off really make the cover better?
I don't think that it does. If there are any graphic designers or marketing professionals out there (hell, I'm a marketing professional!) who disagree, please let me know. I'd love to hear what you have to say.


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There are a variety of rummy games offered by Ace2Three to match your playing style. You can choose among 2 or 6 player tables, joker or no joker variations and tables that offer different entry amounts. Online Rummy Games offered by Ace2Three are as follows:
- Points Rummy is the fastest form of Rummy card game where each game lasts for one deal only. After each game, the winner gets the chips from the other players depending on the count and entry value.
- Pool Games: A very popular format of rummy also known as syndicate, where the least scoring player in the games wins. "101 pool", "201 pool" and "Best of Three" are the most preferred online rummy games at Ace2Three.
- Multi Table Tournaments: Multi Table Tournament is a format that invites large numbers of rummy card game players to compete against each other.
Also Ace2Three offers free rummy tournaments that give opportunity to win cash to everyone. Ace2Three is proud to have hosted the largest Online Rummy Tournament attracting 42500 participants. The success made Ace2Three, India´s top rummy game.
More at Ace2Three
"Sign-up now and get Rs. 1800 + Rs. 200 " is one of the most popular welcome bonuses offered on Ace2Three. Along with bonuses to "Refer a Friend" and special cash addition rummy bonuses every month, there are daily Regular & Premium Freeroll Rummy Tournaments where players win real cash every day by playing rummy.
Additionally players at Ace2three also get rewarded with AcePoints, a unique player rewards program where players can earn AcePoints for playing rummy card game. Create a free rummy account now to avail our bonuses and play rummy online at Ace2Three, world´s best rummy game.
Ace2Three is committed to ensure highest standards of security for all transactions made preventing in-game fraud and collusion, which makes it world´s No: 1 online rummy website.
Indian Rummy has been declared to be a game of skill or mere skill by the courts of law.Games of skill or mere skill are excluded from the applicability of laws prohibiting betting and gambling. Hence, playing rummy online is also legal in India.