Senegal Airlines announces new services to Central Africa

Senegal Airlines announces new services to Central Africa

The new Senegalese airlines company, Senegal Airlines, on Tuesday announced the opening of new services to Cotonou (Benin), Libreville (Gabon) and Douala (Cameroon) from Dakar, with a technical stopover in Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire.

A communiqué issued by Senegal Airlines said the opening of new stopovers is made possible by the arrival of a third Airbus A320, which will go into operation early July.

According to the communiqué, the new flight schedule of the company is characterized by the reinforcement of the Dakar-Abidjan service, adding that the airline will propose 14 weekly non-stop flights between both capitals, with schedules adapted to the needs of the business clientele (daily departures from Dakar)

The opening of new direct services to depart Abidjan to Bamako and Cotonou: three times per week (Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday); to Libreville: two times per week (Wednesday, Sunday); to Douala: two times per week (Monday, Friday), it also announced.

Non-stop flights between Dakar and Ouagadougou: two times per week on Thursdays and Saturdays was also announced, in replacement of the flights operated hitherto via Bamako and non-stop flights between Dakar and Praia (Cape Verde): two times per week, on Fridays and Sundays.

Senegal Airlines will serve all these destinations with the assistance of its strategic partner, Emirates, for the transportation of the passengers to Dubai and beyond towards the Asian continent.

Mango-Avocado Tiki Salad

Mango-Avocado Tiki Salad

I've been a bit over quinoa for some time now. Don't get me wrong, it tastes good and is healthy as heck for you but I'm a little burned out on grain salads. But sometimes you just don't know what to bring to a party (and you're feeling lazy) so you fall back on something that's tried and true which is what I did on Sunday...sorta. I made a quinoa salad....but not my standard Mediterranean quinoa salad. Since Ross and Beth's BBQ's theme was "Tiki Shindig" I decided to go with a mango-quinoa salad recipe I had read about in Isa Chandra Moskowitz's vegan cookbook, "Veganomicon." I had most of the ingredients in my kitchen already so it was a snap; I did jazz it up a little by throwing in a chopped avocado (I like to live on the edge like that). The only item I had to journey to the store for was the mango...I'm not big fan of mangoes, so I was pretty glad when the produce guy at Raley's came forth and suggested the honey mangoes (there were 3 different kinds at the grocery store) and even picked me out a ripe one. The only thing I didn't count on with the recipe was how slippery mangoes are once you peel them, mine kept trying to run away when I trying to chop it up. In fact, the mango's escape attempts made me think of a cute picture I saw awhile back on my friend Kerry's Facebook page (see below). Now it makes sense.... Anyhow, the party was fun and Mr.S. let me drink all the tiki punch I wanted but he fought me over the bacon trail mix that some amazing person brought (oh yes, I said BACON trail mix....it was magical--kind of like a hippie and a pig had a love child. I most definitely plan on trying my hand at it, but that's a blog post for another day.)

Mango-Avocado Tiki Salad

Ingredients

1 mango, peeled and diced small

1 red pepper, seeded and diced as small as you can get it

1 avocado, peeled and diced

1 cup chopped scallions

1 cup chopped fresh cilantro

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

2 tablespoons grapeseed oil

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 cups cooked quinoa, cooled

1 1/2 cups black beans, drained and rinsed (a 15-ounce can)


Instructions

1. Combine the mango, red pepper, scallions, avocado and cilantro in a mixing bowl.

2. Add the red wine vinegar, grapeseed oil, and salt and stir to combine.

3. Add the quinoa and stir until everything is well incorporated.

4. Fold in the black beans.

5. Serve immediately or let it sit for a bit for the flavors to meld.

Wandering Out To Winters

Wandering Out To Winters

What a busy weekend! I went on a fancy date night with Mr. S. on Friday, swung by the gorgeous Berryessa Gap Vineyards on Saturday and attended a tiki-themed BBQ on Sunday. When I wasn't running around town, I was learning how to make tasty macarons and delicious homemade jam from friends. I want to tell you about these fun Memorial Day weekend adventures; although I feel guilty that I'm not caught up with my posts from the past month and a half. Doh! This Girl and Her Fork needs to hunker down this week and be a Girl and Her Laptop...seriously. While I get my scribblings  in order, I thought I'd share a few photos from Saturday's trip to check out Berryessa Gap's 6th Annual Springtime in the Vineyard. A friend of mine was kind enough to put up with my awful driving (I have no sense of direction whatsoever) and head out to Winters with me. We got a tiny bit lost, but thanks to her handy phone GPS we were able to find our way there eventually. It was a bit chilly so we enjoyed our wine (their Tempranillo is fab!), munched on some yummy carnitas and shrimp and wandered around the beautiful vineyard...then we skedaddled out of there before the grey skies moved in. On the way back we stopped at the T&Y Strawberry Patch in Woodland and purchased some juicy strawberries and blackberries to make jam with. Behind the stand was a colorful sweet pea garden and my friend was able to get some gorgeous photos before the rain started to fall (I snapped a quick pic of her when she wasn't looking).

Nigeria grounds US$51m presidential jet over safety issue

Nigeria grounds US$51m presidential jet over safety issue

Nigeria's aviation authorities have grounded a presidential jet which was recently acquired at a cost of US$51 million, following an Emergency Airworthiness Directive (EAD) from the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA).

 EASA has stopped the Falcon 7X plane, acquired from Dassault Aviation of France, from flying globally, over a recent safety development.

The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) subsequently grounded the plane, in compliance with the EAD on the Falcon 7X type of planes.

''It is pertinent to point out that this EAD affected all Falcon 7X worldwide and the owner of the affected aircraft type in Nigeria has already grounded the one in its fleet,'' NCAA said in a statement.

“There is therefore no cause for alarm as the authority is on top of it and is not relenting in its efforts to ensure that air travel is saver in Nigeria."

About 70 days after the new N7 billion presidential jet, Falcon 7X, touched down at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, from the manufacturer’s factory in France, Dassault Aviation, France, European authorities have banned the jet from flying in Europe and other parts of the world over safety issues.

The ban, an Emergency Airworthiness Directive, which was issued on Thursday by the European Aviation Safety Agency, the agency that regulates Dassault as well as the European aviation industry, took immediate effect, from May 27, 2011.

The EASA’s grounding of the worldwide fleet of Dassault’s Falcon 7X executive jets came hours after one of the aircraft encountered an in-flight anomaly that could have caused the pilots to lose control.

The EASA directive, which was published on Thursday, said that the jet “experienced an uncontrolled pitch trim runaway during descent. The crew succeeded in recovering a stable situation and performed an uneventful landing.”

An analysis of the plane’s Digital Flight Data Recorder and Fault History Database confirmed the event, EASA said, but the cause of the pitch trim runaway couldn’t be explained.

“This condition, if it occurs again, could lead to the loss of control of the aeroplane,” the EASA notice said.

However, the Cologne, Germany-based safety agency said in its Emergency Airworthiness Directive that the decision to halt all flight operations of Dassault’s flagship jet came at the request of the Paris-based company.
The Falcon 7X is one of the three brand new planes ordered for the presidential fleet last year. The others are another Falcon 7X and a G550 aircraft. Only one of the planes has been delivered.

The flagship of the presidential fleet, tagged Nigerian Air Force One, is a Boeing Business Jet (BBJ).

The Africa Aviation ICT Forum Kicks Off in Johannesburg

The Africa Aviation ICT Forum Kicks Off in Johannesburg

A notable event will kick off in Johannesburg South Africa in a few hours’ time at the Protea Hotel Balalaika Sandton: The Africa Aviation ICT Forum that will bring together aviation ICT professionals from across the continent to discuss very interesting issues on aviation and information technology in Africa. If you work in an airline Information Services Department, this is definitely a conference for you! The conference is intended for CIOs and IT managers in the aviation industry.


The event will be hosted by the African Airlines Association, SITA and the Airports Council International (ACI) so expect the who’s who’s of African aviation at this meeting. This leading pan-industry event provides a unique opportunity to identify and understand the trends that will shape the airline business, focusing on the transformational role that technology can play.

Top level industry speakers will discuss such key issues as: Passenger management, Airline business transformation, Airport management and infrastructure Air traffic management and transportation security
IT managers will learn how new technologies and lifestyle changes make customer service requirements increasingly sophisticated, demanding the industry to constantly re-evaluate strategies and be prepared to evolve. Delegates will brainstorm:

·    Why airlines need to maximize revenue in a fast-changing and increasingly commoditized environment?
·    Is the Airport a real Hub of the Aviation?
·    Why industry and governments want to see greater systems efficiencies while maintaining the same high levels of passenger security or better?
·    How can intense market pressures characterised by increasing flights, passengers and baggage demand services be delivered quicker, more efficiently and at a lower cost?

Delegates and my blog readers will benefit from:
·    Being updated on the latest trends and expert analysis of the Aviation industry
·    Hearing from recognised and respected industry speakers
·    Networking opportunities with peers
·    Having 1 to 1 sessions with industry experts

While I will be far away from Sandton, I will be sipping coffee from my favorite Nairobi Café, I intend to aggregrate all the conversation from the speakers and regularly update our readers on the going ons down South. That’s the power of social media folks, you can attend meetings without attending. Follow our Tweets @FlyEU for regular updates. You can use the hashtag #AAvICTF on Twitter since the organizers did not mind to create a neither Twitter profile for the event nor a Twitter hashtag to track the conversation.

See you later!

Wayne Rooney-the new Star of Turkish Airlines!

Wayne Rooney-the new Star of Turkish Airlines!

Manchester United may have fallen in the European Cup Final to the mighty Barcelona, arguably the greatest club team in football history, but its sponsor Turkish Airlines remains firmly Europe’s top airline.

Passengers onboard Turkish Airlines will be shown an inflight safety video with a difference – featuring the Manchester United players – in another display of why its incredible service led to Turkish Airlines winning “Europe’s Leading Airline”.

 The video features Wayne Rooney, Darren Fletcher, Chris Smalling, Nani, Rafael and Fabio da Silva recreating scenes a little different from the standard safety video, in a bid to make safety and inflight comfort information more engaging for their passengers.

The team mates feature in comedic sketches that play on the descriptions given in the official voiceover of the correct safety procedures to be followed in the event of an emergency.

Turkish Airlines are hoping that this unique approach will encourage passengers to pay close attention to the video and highlight the importance of inflight safety.

The video will be screened in cabins on all Turkish Airlines flights from June 2011.
Wayne Rooney, who scored United’s only goal in the final, said: “It’s always good fun to work with your team mates away from the pitch and today’s filming has been great. Hopefully our involvement with the video will make people more safety aware when travelling with Turkish Airlines. ”

Turkish Airlines Senior Vice President-Media Relations, Dr. Ali Genc: “We’re very proud to once again be collaborating with Manchester United. The club is an incredibly strong brand and we hope that our customers benefit from the relationship that has been developed between Turkish Airlines and Manchester United. Manchester United is one team that we’re always happy to work with!”

To watch the video click here
Turkish Airlines provides passengers with connections to over 77 destinations covering North America and Europe.

The airline has played a pivotal role in Istanbul’s emergence as a business and cultural hub. This was reflected at the 2010 World Travel Awards when the national carrier was voted “Europe’s Leading Airline Business Class”, following a year in which it grew market share and continued to upgrade its fleet despite a backdrop of one of the harshest downturns in aviation history.

Last year Turkish Airlines added a new class on its flights, in addition to the economy and business offerings, and opening doors for new privileges in the sky.

Passengers are now able to experience comfort in “Comfort Class” at inexpensive rates. The new class is situated between the Economy Class and Business Class. Its purpose is to combine the convenience of Business Class with the reasonable purchasing rates of Economy Class.

Turkish Airlines introduced the “Comfort Class” on trunk routes to Beijing, Shanghai, Narita, Bangkok, Hong Kong, Sao Paulo and Toronto on its the new B777 aircraft.

And as the airline’s new B777s join the fleet the Comfort Class is being rolled out on the flights to New York, Chicago, Washington D.C. and Los Angeles as well.

Pineapples with Oranges and Lime Enzymes

Pineapples with Oranges and Lime Enzymes

Pineapple helps to speed up tissue repair. It also helps in indigestion.The combination of fruits in this enzyme helps to reduce pigmentation.

There are many types of enzymes. Enzymes are good for the overall health. Any types of fruit can be used to make enzymes. Make sure you use filtered water to wash the fruits and dry it first before making the enzymes. You can also use a clean towel to dry the fruits faster.

Ingredients:

1 ripe pineapple ( peeled and sliced)

2 oranges ( peeled and sliced)

6 ripe lime (cut into halves)

1 cup honey

1 cup brown sugar/ 100 g oligo sugar

Method:

1. Clean all the fruits and let them dry. When they are dry, slice thinly

2. In a clean dry glass bottle, arrange 1/3 of the fruits layer by layer. Put in pineapple first, then oranges and lastly the lime. Pour in 1/3 cup honey and 1/3 cup brown sugar. Repeat the process till all the fruits are used up.

3. Cover the glass bottle with a piece of cloth or plastic cling wrap. Put in a cold place.

4. Everyday shake the bottle so that all the fruit juice cover the fruits. Do this everyday for at least two weeks. You can keep it longer if prefer. The acohol aroma will be stronger.

5. When done, keep the enzyme in the refrigerator. To get a thick and juicy enzyme, strain the enzyme in a container. The remainder fruits should be put in a juice extractor to get all the juice. Add this together with the strained enzymes. In this way, you will get a thicker and juicer enzyme.

6. To drink the enzyme, take 2 tbsp enzyme to a cup of water. You can also drink the concentrated enzyme if you prefer.

Note: Oligo sugar can be used to replace brown sugar which can be found in organic shops. This sugar is not as sweet and it is good for diabetics.

Libyan Aviation Industry a major casualty of the UN No-Fly Zone Resolution and the long drawn civil war

Libyan Aviation Industry a major casualty of the UN No-Fly Zone Resolution and the long drawn civil war

As Libya continues to suffer from almost daily damaging air strikes from planes and missiles of NATO, as it claims to enforce a no fly-zone over the north African country under a UN Security Council resolution, air transport has emerged as one of the most serious casualties of the bombings.

The no-fly-zone over Libya, which includes civil aviation, is seriously threatening the country’s air transport sector which had just begun to recover from the embargo imposed from 1990 to 2003 by the United Nations to pressure Libya into handing over two men suspected of involvement in the Lockerbie bombing.


Libya had worked hard and tirelessly and at huge costs to catch up after falling behind following the air embargo which grounded its planes, making the sector suffer huge losses at the technical, material and human levels.

Afriqiyah Airlines was a symbol of Libya's pan African ambitions following the lifting of crippling sanctions against Libya

 Libya adopted a liberalization policy to open the country to the market in which the aviation sector occupied a predominant place with the setting up of several private and state-owned companies including Libyan Arab airlines, Afriqiyah Airways, Al-Buraq and several local private airlines.

This policy, for example, pushed Afriqiyah Airways, with an African vocation, to the rank of a world company, linking the African continent to the rest of the world.

Afriqiyah specialized in linking African and European capitals and, in this respect, flies to 72 destinations across the world via Tripoli.

Africans countries served by the airline are South Africa, Chad, Burkina Faso, Benin, DR Congo, Central African Republic, Cameroon, Egypt, Ghana, Sudan, Ivory Coast, Mali, Togo, Niger and Senegal.

In Europe and in the world, Afriqiyah serves France, Belgium, Germany, Italy, UK, Denmark, United Arab Emirates, China and Bangladesh.

Set up in the wake of the collapse of Air Afrique in 2002, Afriqiyah Airways, which chose 9-9-99 as logo to commemorate the date for the launch of the African Union (AU) in the Gulf of Sirte, Libya had the objective of a strategic vision to serve as an African integration tool at a competitive fare.

Within the framework of the modernization of its fleet, Afriqiyah Airways in late 2010 signed an agreement to purchase 23 planes of various types from Airbus, the European air plane manufacturer.

The European Union decided to freeze the assets of Afriqiyah following  the recent sanctions against the Libyan regime because it is a subsidiary of Libyan African Investment Portfolio.

But this does nothing but worsens the Libyan air transport sector which records delay at both the level of technological progress and vocational training and the huge material damage due to the loss of markets.

If fares for urban and inter-urban transport have increased by 5-10 times in Libyan cities, the imposition of a no-fly zone has led, inevitably, to an air embargo that has grounded planes.

Many citizens are complaining about the new situation imposed by the air embargo which limits their freedom of movement.

For Hadj Mohamed Al-Hadi, a Libyan businessman who is used to going abroad very often, "to go, for example, to Cairo, Egypt, it takes between eight and fifteen days, although it takes a maximum of three hours by plane".

Actually, he said, “to travel to Cairo presently, one must leave Tripoli for Tunis by car (a day of travel at least), be at the airline counters of Tunis Air or Egypt Air the following day while not being sure to find a seat for the next flight. For, the only possibility that presents itself is a booking in 15 days, at least, to be sure to have a seat”.

Ahmed Abdelmalek, a student in Egypt, laments the fact that one must "be physically present and pay cash for the ticket, not taking into consideration the hotel and cost of meals, taxi fares and other transport costs”.

On enduring all that ordeal, it is legitimate for Libyan citizens to wonder if the UN resolutions are motivated by the concern to protect civilian populations or to stifle Libyan civilian population.

That reality should hit the UN, the Security Council, NATO and the international community to be aware of the impact of the resolutions on civilian populations and to act to revise them.

This would be in a bid to avoid taking hostage civilians whom they want to protect by realizing rather belatedly, unfortunately, that the said resolutions have been made to implement political programmes.

Cashew Pistachio Cookies dipped in Chocolate

Cashew Pistachio Cookies dipped in Chocolate

मराठीमध्ये वाचण्यासाठी इथे क्लिक करा

I made this for taking with us to trip tomorrow for memorial day weekend. Perfect snacks for travel. Its inspired by the short bread Ajoy got from Costco couple of times.


Ingredients
3 Cup Maida
2 Cup Butter
1.25 Cup Sugar
1 Egg Yolk
2 Spoon Vanilla Essence
1/2 Cup Cashews
1/2 Cup Pistachios
1 Cup Semi-sweet Choco Chips
1/4 Cup White Choco Chips
5 Spoon Shortening

Method

• In a bowl cream butter and sugar together till fluffy.
• Add in egg yolk and vanilla essence and cream again
• Grind the cashews to fine powder and add it to the above mixture
• Sift in maida and mix together till nice stiff dough is formed.
• Form the lemon sized balls and store them in fridge for around 1 hour
• Preheat oven to 375F/190C
• Chop the pistachios
• Press each dough ball using palms to thick discs. Sprinkle the pistachios on half portion of each cookie disc and press lightly to secure the pistachios in the cookie
• Line the baking sheet with parchment paper and grease it. Transfer the discs on to the baking pan keeping an inch of distance between each of them
• Bake at 375F/190C for 12 minutes
• Let the cookies cool for 5-10 minutes.
• In a bowl mix in semi sweet chocochips and 4 spoon of shortening and microwave for 1 minutes stirring once after 30 minutes. Mix till nice glossy.
• Line the baking sheet with fresh parchment paper. Dip each cookie's part which isn't covered by pistachios in the chocolate and set it on parchment paper.
• Mix white choco chips and remaining 1 spoon of shortening for 30 seconds and stir in till smooth and glossy. Fill it in a piping bag and make zig zag lines over the semi sweet chocolate on the cookie. Let the chocolate set for an hour.

Notes
If you dont have microwave you can heat chocolate and shortening in a bowl set over the boiling water. Stir till the mixture is smooth and dont let the chocolate burn. Microwave is really easy method and one doesnt need to worry much except to check it every 30 seconds so I prefer to temper the chocolate in microwave.

Sweet, Sweet Strawberry-Rhubarb Pie

Sweet, Sweet Strawberry-Rhubarb Pie

It's spring, so why have we Sacramentans been repeatedly saddled with May gray? Where's the sunshine, I ask you?

After a pleasant but wet (the patio roof was leaking) lunch at Tuli's yesterday with the amazing Michelle, I came home to a chilly cottage. Ugh! Instead of cranking up the heater (afterall, I was just running the AC only a week before) I decided to warm things up by getting all June Cleaver and baking a strawberry-rhubarb pie. Donning a girly apron and blasting the Juno soundtrack made the pie-making all the more fun. And it did the trick! The cottage warmed up and the kitchen smelled all sweet and pink like Barbie's Dream House.

This yummy recipe was lifted from a vintage cookbook: Sunset's Kitchen Cabinet Recipes, Vol. 3 (1944).

(click to enlarge)

Lychee Icecream

Lychee Icecream

मराठीमध्ये वाचण्यासाठी इथे क्लिक करा

Here almost all stores sell the canned lychees but never the fresh ones. Last month I decided to give it a try especially for ice-cream. It turns out that if you use the syrup you get pretty good flavor from one can


Ingredients
1 Can of Seedless Lychee
1/2 Cup Sugar
1/2 Cup Milk
3.5 Cup Cream
1 Lemon

Method

• Take out lychees from the syrup and put the syrup in the mixie.
• Add in sugar and milk and blend it till the sugar is disolved.
• Mix in cream and lemon juice and whisk a bit.
• Add it in ice-cream maker and let it set.
• Fine chop the lychees and mix that in the ice-cream around 3-4 minutes before the setting is complete.

Notes
If using fresh lychees just use around 30 lychees. Puree around 15 of them with 2 cups of water and use that instead of lychee syrup and finely chop remaining lychees. You might need to use probably 2/3 cup of sugar.
The lemon helps in bringing out the taste from the lychee.

Tandoori Gobi

Tandoori Gobi

मराठीमध्ये वाचण्यासाठी इथे क्लिक करा

Today before meeting everyone were discussing about the barbeque and since then i couldn't stop thinking of making tandoori something. With gobi in the fridge i decided to go for it. The dinner was yummy just because of it.


Ingredients
1 Cauliflower
1 Cup Curd
1.5 Spoon Chilli Powder
1 Spoon Corriander Powder
1/4 Spoon Turmeric Powder
1/4 Spoon Jeera Powder
1/2 Spoon Garam Masala
1/4 Spoon Tandoori Masala
1 Spoon Chaat Masala
2 Green Chillies
2 Spoon Ginger
10 Garlic Cloves
Oil
Salt to taste

Method

• Cut the cauliflower into medium sized florets and add it in water. Add salt and microwave for 7 minutes. Separate out from water and keep aside.
• In a mixer add in ginger, garlic, ginger and 2 spoon of curd. Make fine paste.
• In a bowl add the above made paste, remaining curd, chilli powder, jeera powder, corriander powder, turmeric powder, garam masala, tandoori masala and salt to taste. Mix well.
• Add in the cauliflower florets in it and mix well. Keep in fridge for atleast 2 hours
• Heat the pan and add in oil. Spread out cauliflower florets and cook on medium heat till one side is completely done. Flip and cook the other side. Cook from all sides possible and then take out.
• Garnish with chaat masala and serve with mint chutney, onions and lemon

Notes
I had cooked cauliflower for 5 minutes but i think 7 minutes would be perfect to make it nice and soft.
You can grill the cauliflower on barbeque, if doing use skewer to pierce through 3-4 cauliflowers.

Tree House

Tree House

www.treehousesacramento.blogspot.com

"Food is our common ground, a universal experience." ~James Beard

Growing up, my dad was in the USAF and was gone on TDY (temporary duty) a lot. Whether he was in the Phillipines, Korea, or even Arkansas he always brought me back a souvenir. I received everything from a mini bouzouki from Greece to an Oklahoma Sooners sweatshirt during his time traveling, but one of my favorite gifts he brought back had nothing to do with the destination. Upon return from one of his trips, he brought me back the first book in a girl detective series called, "Trixie Belden." The series was founded in 1948 and centers around the title character, Trixie Belden, and the secret club she belongs to called the Bob-Whites of the Glen. In true Scooby Doo-esque fashion, the Bob-Whites stumble upon various mysteries and solve them effortlessly just in time for dinner. Anyhow, I think it was this series that fostered my love of "secrets." Now that I'm an adult, I revel in planning surprise parties and vacations and I surround myself in the company of secret bakers, underground butchers and now...clandestine dinner clubs. True, the secrecy and hush-hush of it all is fun but ultimately it comes down to good food and the one I attended this Sunday, simply known as Tree House, delivered. Invitations are issued via email and the location of the dinner is disclosed the night before. Diners make a "donation" to cover the cost of the ingredients, labor and service...in this case a 7-course dinner of local fare complete with wine pairings. The renegade chef turned out to be a friendly young fellow clad in a black chef's jacket and cargo shorts, a local boy who's worked his way up in some of the area's top restaurants. Despite his boyish looks and impish smile, Kevin O'Connor definitely knows his way around the kitchen and made no qualms about showing off his culinary chops. There was no silly themes or gimmicks, the night was all about showcasing the food. Every course that came out from behind the swinging kitchen door was impeccable-- both aesthetically and in flavor. The chef, himself, came out and provided brief descriptions of the locally-sourced dishes and the accompanying wines, preceding each course and never once did anything feel rushed. In fact, the dinner from start to finish ran about six leisurely hours...allowing me plenty of time to get to know the other dinner guests at the communal table. I think all eight guests would agree that the dinner was unpretentious and we all ate exceptionally well. After the last course, both guests and staff intermingled on the porch and closed out the night with some scotch. A few of us guests even joined the chef in the kitchen and got a "behind-the-scenes" glimpse while the chef shared a few funny stories of the night's mishaps. It was a nice evening of connecting over food...if you have the opportunity, I would highly recommend attending a Tree House event. It's a welcome addition to the burgeoning food scene in Sacramento.

The amuse bouche was a play on Eggs Benedict. Toasted bread crumbs and crispy prosciutto joined by a fried quail egg with a bit of hollondaise.

A crisp salad of snow peas, snap peas, english peas, and micro sorrel served with a pickled ramp aioli and a spring onion top oil on the plate.

Sturgeon tartare consisting of smoked Passmore Ranch sturgeon, radish, herbs and some sour cream and onion bubbles.

Beef heart carpaccio, olive oil, Himalayan salt, seared beech and king oyster mushrooms, fried chicken liver, and a parsley/celery leaf salad.

Pig trotter/bacon lardon terrine accompanied by white beans in a bbq gastrique, sous-vide maple nantes carrot, and pork fat.

A triple creme d'Affinois cheese from France, paired with coriander poached cherries and German walnut bread

Revolution Wines...the Malbec in particular was delicious. Craig Haarmeyer, one of the winemakers, even stopped by to give us an impromptu talk about the various wines we were partaking in.

Dessert was macerated strawberries and blackberries with oat and walnut crumbles and Douglas Fir cream.

Mignardise was fresh chocolate chip cookies, a glass of colostrum and some Temple coffee.



Thai Fish Baked in Banana Leaves

Thai Fish Baked in Banana Leaves

“Fish in the hands of a skilled cook can become an inexhaustible source of gustatory pleasures.”

~Jean-Antheleme Brillat-Savarin

I'm always looking for food recipes where I can get Mr. S.'s kidlets interested in food, so imagine my delight when both kidlets expressed an interest in what I was cooking last Wednesday. What drew their interest to my fumbling in the kitchen? Banana leaves. They were enamored with the idea of cooking with them. Although banana leaves can be found at pretty much any Asian market in South Sac, for two kidlets growing up in the suburbs and eating mainly mainstream American food; the idea of cooking with banana leaves seems exotic. So once I had the sauce whipped up, I enlisted their help in wrapping up the fish in the leaves. Now if you've never cooked with banana leaves before, they're great for steaming or grilling fish. The leaves keep the fish moist and tender. Now while cooking, the leaves impart a green tea-like fragrance...it wafted about making the kitchen smell wonderful!


Thai Fish Baked in Banana Leaves ( from About.com )
Yield: Serves 2-3

Ingredients:

• 2-3 fillets fish (I used fresh pink snapper from Oto's)

• 1 pkg. banana leaves (if frozen, thaw for at least 1/2 hour)

Marinade/Sauce:

• 1 shallot

• 2 cloves garlic

• 1 thumb-size piece ginger, sliced

• 2 tsp. ground coriander

• handful of basil leaves

• 2 Tbsp. fish sauce

• 1/2 can good-quality coconut milk

• 2 kaffir lime leaves, snipped into slivers with scissors, or 1 tsp. lime zest

• 1 fresh red chili, sliced & seeds removed

• 1 tsp. chili powder

• juice of 1/2 lime


Instructions:

1. Place all marinade/sauce ingredients in a food processor and process well.

2. Place fish fillets in a large bowl and add 1/2 the marinade. Reserve the rest for later.

3. Slather the marinade over both sides of the fish, then let it sit in the refrigerator 10 to 15 minutes.

4. When fish is done marinading, spread a banana leaf approximately 1 foot square on a working surface (you will have to cut the leaf). Place one fillet in the center of the leaf.

5. Fold both sides of the leaf over the fish, then fold both ends to create a square "packet". Turn it seam-side down to keep sides from opening (or secure with a skewer, like I did). Do the same for the other fillets.

6. Place packets in a glass casserole dish or pie plate (to catch the drippings in case packets leak) and bake for 15 min. at 350 degrees, or longer depending on the thickness of the fillets.

7. After 15 minutes, open one of the packets. Insert a fork into the center of the fillet (the thickest part) and gently pull back. If inside flesh is opaque and no longer transparent, the fish is cooked. If not, return to oven for another 5-10 minutes.

8. Over low heat, warm up the reserved sauce/marinade.

9. To serve the fish, scoop several spoonfuls of rice onto the side of the fish. Spoon some of the sauce over the fish, then add a sprinkling of basil and/or garnish with diced red/yellow/green bell peppers.

Mali to expand Bamako-Senou International Airport runway

Mali to expand Bamako-Senou International Airport runway

The runway at the Bamako-Senou International Airport will be lengthened by 500 metres, according to an agreement signed by the CEO of the Millennium Challenge Account (MCA-Mali), Ms. Nene Traoré, and the representative of the Razel-SOGEA-SATOM company, Jacques Tijoli.

The project is part of the modernization and expansion of the airport, which includes, the reinforcement and expansion of aircraft movement areas.The project cost is estimated at 21 billion CFA francs, financed by the US government through the Millennium Challenge Corporation.

Completion is expected in September 2012.

2 die in Nigeria plane crash

2 die in Nigeria plane crash

A beech aircraft with registration number N364UZ on Tuesday crashed at Barkalahu, a village in Igabi Local Government Area of Kaduna State, killing the two crew members.

 The pilot said to be a British pilot and a Nigerian Engineer with the maintenance company died when the plane crashed into a farm and busted into flame after a delayed arrival of rescue operation.

It was gathered that the plane crashed at about 12 noon and exploded about 12.30pm, while rescue team which include fire fighters, the Police, Airforce and other security agents arrived the place about 12.52pm.

The aircraft belonging to Shoreline International, a local oil servicing firm was said to be on a test flight after undergoing routine maintenance at DANA Nigeria Limited, an aircraft maintenance company.

The plane which must have developed fault midair almost crashed into one of the buildings within the premises of the National Open University of Nigeria after hovering in the air for a while.

Director General of the National Emergency Management Agency, Alhaji Mohammed Sani Sidi who was at the scene of the crash describe the accident as very sad and unfortunate.

JETLINK DROPS HARGEISA – PROMPTS SOMALILAND REACTION

JETLINK DROPS HARGEISA – PROMPTS SOMALILAND REACTION

Jetlink, one of Kenya’s privately owned airlines, has reportedly halted operations between Nairobi and Hargeisa, the capital of the self-proclaimed region of Somaliland, in the face of low passenger numbers and for added ‘operational reasons’. Last year East African Safari Air Express also withdrew from the same route, eventually halting all traffic, before being taken over by Fly 540 Aviation.

 The withdrawal of Jetlink is now leaving Fly 540 as the only scheduled airline to serve the route, which has according to a source in Nairobi caused an angry reaction by the government of Somaliland.

The ministry overseeing air transport in Somaliland has served the Kenyan airline with notice now that their traffic rights had been cancelled as a result of stopping flights causing an additional spat between the parties over allegations from Hargeisa that suggested ‘lies had been peddled’ – something which could not be independently verified however other than confirming that Jetlink was definitely off that route.
Source

Fly 540 Aviation Offers Juba fare via Nairobi

Fly 540 Aviation Offers Juba fare via Nairobi

At a cost of US Dollars 398, terms and conditions apply, for a return flight has Fly 540 now gone into direct competition with Air Uganda for passengers to South Sudan’s capital Juba. Initial feedback has it that a number of passengers are ready to fly the slightly longer distance via Nairobi, as it permits them to catch two flies in a stroke, combining a business or private visit in Nairobi with their final destination of Juba.

Fly 540 is using their CRJ aircraft on both sectors while Air Uganda, which flies nonstop from Entebbe, uses both their CRJ and as demand increases their remaining MD87.

Special fares on the route are now expected to counter this latest competitive twist in the East African skies, where in particular Kenya Airways has made headway in carving out greater market shares on the Kenya domestic but also the regional market.

The current tourist low season has not yet seen any significant reduction in capacity for instance between Nairobi and Mombasa / Malindi leaving aviation observers wondering when a major realignment of capacity and prices will be sprung on the market.
Source

Café Lumiere

Café Lumiere

"All happiness depends on a leisurely breakfast." ~ John Gunther

5701 Broadway, Suite B, Sacramento, CA 95820. (916) 456-2679.

Warm, flaky and with a buttery outer layer that just melts in your mouth? Sounds good, right? Well, you if love a well-made croissant as much as I do, I suggest that you mosey yourself down to the family-owned Café Lumiere. Just down the street from the DMV and DOJ in an inconspicuous but well-kept strip mall you'll be able to satiate that croissant jones.

Café Lumiere, owned by Geoffrey Matsuyama and Peter Kuo, opened up quietly in Tahoe Park just over a year ago but has steadily gained popularity with the local neighborhood residents and area workers. The cafe's design is simple and the service friendly. I found the mango and banana colored walls to be warm and welcoming and enjoyed reading past-issues of Dwell and Atomic Ranch while waiting for my order.

The breakfasts at Café Lumiere are what draws the crowds. I decided to pop in last week and try one of their much-talked about breakfast sandwiches. I love that they aim to please the customer and allow you to choose your bread, meat, cheese and how you want your eggs cooked. I went with some sliced ham, scrambled eggs and provolone cheese served on one of their handmade croissants. It was served open faced, freshly made and was quite delicious. Simple but perfectly-executed.

Café Lumiere also does lunch (a juicy Angus burger, fresh salads and sandwiches) and offers various tasty pastries (I was drooling while checking out their display case). My only disappointment with the joint is that they serve Java City coffee (ugh!), which I'm not a fan of. I'd love to see them carry one of the other local roasters like Temple, Old Soul or perhaps Chocolate Fish. With a good cup of joe, I'd definitely be there more often. By the way, I know everyone's pinching pennies these days because of the economy but Café Lumiere's prices are reasonable, they do take plastic and even better-- they offer a 10% discount to state, federal and UCD employees.

Nigerian airlines lose $48 million to aviation fuel scarcity

Nigerian airlines lose $48 million to aviation fuel scarcity

Nigerian airlines have lost $48 million($1=150 naira) to the scarcity of aviation fuel, known as Jet-A1, in the past two weeks, the local Business day newspaper reported Monday .

It said the scarcity, which has pushed up the price of the fuel from 98 naira to 160 naira per litre, has forced many domestic airlines to cut scheduled flights or cancelled them altogether.

Worst hit by the scarcity is Arik Air, the country's largest airline which has reduced its daily flights from 120 to 80, as well as the second largest, Aero, which has cut flights from 80 daily to between 40 and 45.

The third largest, Air Nigeria, as well as IRS Airlines have also scaled down their operations.

Because of the high cost of Jet-A1 in Nigeria, both local and international airlines now prefer to refuel their aircraft in neighbouring countries like Ghana, Togo and elsewhere.

The Director-General of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Harold Demuren, said while marketers had raised the price of their product over time, the carriers had only marginally increased air fares.

“The price of aviation fuel in Nigeria is ridiculously too high. We need to knock this down. We are working on it and I believe we will be able to do this. We can’t continue this way,'' the paper quoted him as saying.

The marketers have attributed the cost of the product to high cost of import.

Nigeria, which is Africa's top oil producer, imports most of the refined petroleum needed for domestic consumption as local refineries operate far below installed capacity.

Emirates to launch A380 service to Munich from Jan 2012

Emirates to launch A380 service to Munich from Jan 2012

Just received the breaking news via Twitter. Emirates is on the grand match towards global conquest. The airline will launch the A380 service on Dubai – Munich EK049/050 service, replacing current Boeing 777-300 flight from Jan 12. Earlier in the month, the airline launched the A380 on Rome and Johannesburg routes.

 

Events: Africa Aviation ICT Forum

Events: Africa Aviation ICT Forum

Region: Africa

Location: Johannesburg

Start: 31 May 2011

End: 2 June 2011

 ACI Africa, AFRAA and SITA will host the 4th annual Africa Aviation ICT Forum, at the Protea Hotel Balalaika Sandton in Johannesburg.

This leading pan-industry event provides a unique opportunity to identify and understand the trends that will shape your business, focusing on the transformational role that technology can play.
Top level industry speakers will discuss such key issues as:

• Passenger management
• Airline business transformation
• Airport management and infrastructure
• Air traffic management and transportation security

Register Here

South African Airways will target Asia's leisure, meetings and conventions market

South African Airways will target Asia's leisure, meetings and conventions market

South African Airways will target Asia's leisure and meetings and conventions market to offset a downturn in passenger volumes caused by the winding down of mainland-backed construction projects in Africa. The move coincides with the planned launch later this year of direct flights between Beijing and  Johannesburg that will augment the carrier's existing daily service  between Hong Kong and Johannesburg.

 Jeff Naylor, the carrier's regional general manager for North Asia, said the number of mainland workers travelling to Africa had "dropped back a bit" from the peak at the end of 2009. But there was still "a significant amount" which justified the launch of the three-times-a-week Beijing- Johannesburg service.

 No start date for the launch of the Beijing flights had been finalised, but South African Airways will use the Airbus A340-600, which can carry up to 317 passengers and is the same aircraft type used to serve Hong Kong. "A lot of the southern Africa traffic is from southern China rather than Hong Kong," Naylor said.




 China's huge investments in Africa, particularly in Angola, since the end of 2008 led to an influx of mainland workers and staff to build roads, industrial plants and associated  infrastructure. About 90-95 per cent of passengers on the Hong Kong- Johannesburg route were foreign workers, with about 25 per cent of the passengers using the carrier's regional and international network to fly  beyond South Africa, Naylor said.

He said that while Chinese investments and development projects now covered most of Africa, there was a recognition the high volume of mainland worker traffic would not last forever.
As a result the airline was trying to develop the leisure and `MICE' markets - or meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions markets, Naylor said.

New itineraries offering travel packages to places such as Namibia and the Victoria Falls as well as  increases in the number of countries served were now being introduced, and the airline would start flying to Madagascar from South Africa at the end of this year.

Overall, the carrier, which has  53 aircraft, flew 6.4 million passengers last year, with better-than-expected passenger numbers from Japan as a result of the World Cup which South Africa hosted last year. 

Kenya Airways Documentary for May :The Pride of Africa takes you to Ghana

Kenya Airways Documentary for May :The Pride of Africa takes you to Ghana

One of the reasons I love Kenya Airways is the sense of innovation that runs in the airline. Kenya Airways was the first African airline to successfully deploy the use of social media in reaching out to its clients in a more personal way and communicating important information to travellers via channels like Twitter, Facebook and Youtube. It was also the first airline in Sub Saharan Africa to receive IATA's IOSA((IATA Operational Safety Audit) ) registration; the first African airline to incorporate IATA's carbon offset program amongst other firsts.

 Yours truly worked for the airline in 2009 with  a great team of techies and is proud to see the fruits of the efforts in the form a superb social media presence! How many African airlines will produce documentaries/magazines and stream it on Youtube hence giving passengers and fans such an inside look into the various airline operations and destinations? Only KQ of course. I am happy to share this month's edition of KQ's documentary Msafiri(The Traveler) which takes you to Ghana. Enjoy!

A great day for aviation in Angola: The first B777-300ER for TAAG Angola Airlines

A great day for aviation in Angola: The first B777-300ER for TAAG Angola Airlines

Aircraft manufacturer, Boeing, will deliver a new 777-300ER airplane to
Angola Airlines (TAAG) on 14 June, the Angolan News Agency (ANGOP) learnt here Thursday.

ANGOP said the deal was disclosed to it by a source close to Boeing which indicated that the manufacturing company is completing delivery arrangements in Everett, Washington DC.

According to the source, the preparations included painting and testing of the equipment and systems.The airplane is the first of its model being purchased by TAAG, which will also purchase a second aircraft a month later.

Meanwhile, TAAG is making arrangements to purchase another two Boeing 777-300 aircraft.Currently, TAAG has three Boeing 777-200ER airplanes in its fleet for the Lisbon, Beijing, Dubai, Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo and Johannesburg routes, while four Boeing 737-700 cover domestic and regional destinations.

IATA Report on Africa: Safety in Africa,a United Approach

IATA Report on Africa: Safety in Africa,a United Approach

Safety in Africa is a concern. Coordinating the various programs in place could be the key to improving the continent’s safety record

Air travel is essential to the African economies but, to exploit aviation’s full potential, it must be safe for everybody. Many African carriers have exemplary safety records and those that have completed the IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA) have safety records 46% better than non-IOSA members. Nevertheless, the region as a whole has been at the bottom of the safety statistics for too long. 
Figures did improve in 2010. Africa had an accident rate of 7.41 Western-built jet hull losses per million sectors flown, an improvement of 25% compared with 2009. But this was still more than 12 times the world average. Such statistics are doubtless hurting the African carriers and, by extension, the African economy at large. Passenger numbers fall after an accident, particularly in the high-yield international sector, insurance premiums soar higher, and codeshare agreements grow in complexity and fall in number.

Raising the bar

There is no single solution to the African safety issue because there is no single problem. “The poor safety record results from a combination of factors,” explains Guenther Matschnigg, IATA Senior Vice President, Safety Operations and Infrastructure. “It is about the safety culture, a lack of resources, the need for skilled personnel, poor infrastructure, and inadequate safety oversight.
“Some carriers do have modern aircraft and there are experienced pilots,” he continues. “But this is not the whole story. To buy a good aircraft you just need a friendly bank manager. To run a safe, reliable operation is something else again, and requires all of the factors mentioned above to be beyond reproach.”
A closer look at the data provides clues about potential safety improvements. For example, runway excursions are particularly high in Africa. Two initiatives should prove particularly useful. In 2009, in conjunction with Flight Safety Foundation, IATA released a Runway Excursion Risk Reduction toolkit. More than 8,000 copies have been delivered to airlines worldwide and the information was backed up by 12 global workshops in 2010. As a result, IATA members have reduced their runway excursion accidents by 43% since 2008. A revised version of the toolkit, produced in conjunction with the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) will be released in May at a Global Runway Safety Symposium hosted by IATA and ICAO.
In 2009, IATA also launched the Implementation Program for Safe Operations in Africa (IPSOA). This is an IATA-funded Flight Data Analysis (FDA) scheme for IATA member airlines in Africa. IPSOA provides carriers with a data-driven safety management system essential for ICAO compliance. As of August 2010, all of IATA’s African members had FDA programs in place.
A recent review of IPSOA carriers indicated a nearly 40% reduction in events. Unstable approaches—where the aircraft is flying too high or too fast—are a precursor to runway excursions. Thanks to the FDA program, an airline’s safety team can focus on the precise details of an event, allowing the airline to change its training programs and operations to eliminate the problems. Identifying specific answers can go a long way to improving overall safety, with more than 100 different flight safety events tracked in the FDA program.
Workshops to review IPSOA and FDA performance are ongoing. It has already been noted that the airports with the least number of unstable approaches were those that had implemented Continuous Descent Approaches, or similar precision techniques, as recommended by IATA through its environmental campaign. These improvements marry safety with efficiency. The next steps involve working with the airports and air navigation service providers to tackle all contributing factors to unstable approaches.
“We are also looking more carefully at safety management systems,” says Matschnigg. “SMS has now been added to IOSA, which has been a condition of IATA membership for a while. But more can be done to help carriers in the SMS implementation phase and ensure that they fully understand the capabilities of the system.”
All of this follows on from the improvements resulting from IOSA. “Clearly, such comprehensive safety programs form part of the solution,” Matschnigg notes. “Governments must make use of IOSA to boost the region’s performance.”

United approach

Despite these efforts Matschnigg believes there is still more work to do. The main focus, he insists, has to be coordination and reaching out to those airlines not currently covered by IOSA.
The United States Department of Transport has had a Safe Skies for Africa program in place for a number of years. IATA itself has done a lot of work as has ICAO and the European Union. And there is a plethora of organizations in Africa working on a country, regional, or pan-continental basis. “The programs are usually good but it obviously presents a very complex picture to an African carrier,” says Matschnigg. “Whose guidance should they follow? Where do the programs overlap?”
Africa needs one action plan and a strong commitment from all parties, including African carriers. They must get involved and buy in to the one action plan concept. African governments and service providers must also be proactive in forming a single coherent safety strategy and following it through on an agreed timescale.
Cobus Toerien, Manager Flight Safety for South African Airways, agrees there needs to be greater transparency. “Safety issues involve all the carriers operating in the same airspace,” he notes. “IATA has helped enormously but we must continue to emphasize a safety reporting culture.”
One action plan doesn’t mean one size fits all. Rather, Matschnigg suggests there could be a modular approach, allowing the strategy to be tailored to individual needs. The fact that the overall scheme is coordinated will ensure any work dovetails perfectly within the carrier itself and in a broader context.
“IATA is serious about safety in the region,” concludes Giovanni Bisignani, IATA Director General and CEO. “We are also constantly improving IOSA, raising the bar for safety. We have many programs to assist our members in meeting all IOSA standards, including a new set of Safety Management Systems (SMS) requirements. Flying must be safe everywhere—including Africa.”

Skills shortage

Africa is facing a shortfall in pilots and skilled staff as traffic increases. Africa produces plenty of highly skilled pilots and aircraft engineers but market forces have pushed many trained personnel towards other regions, such as the Gulf States, where better rewards and perhaps greater career opportunities, such as the potential to fly bigger aircraft, are on offer.
Although this has to be acknowledged as a problem, it is by no means insurmountable. Making African aviation attractive would certainly stem the flow. “And that starts by making it even safer,” says Guenther Matschnigg. “The region would then be seen for its many advantages, not only its faults. Africa is a fascinating part of the world and aviation is crucial to its development. Presented in the right way it could attract the best people in the industry.

Arik Air:Pilots sanctioned for flying plane with one engine in Nigeria

Arik Air:Pilots sanctioned for flying plane with one engine in Nigeria

The regulatory Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has suspended the licences of the two pilots of Nigerian airline Arik Air, who flew the airline's Boeing 737-700 aircraft with one engine over a one-hour trip after the plane suffered a bird strike Sunday.

The unidentified pilots flew the plane, with 69 passengers, from the South-eastern city of Owerri to the nation's commercial capital, Lagos, with one engine after the other one had been disabled by the bird strike shortly after take-off, the private Punch newspaper reported Friday.

“I can tell you authoritatively that NCAA has suspended the licences of the flight crew that flew that plane from Owerri to Lagos on Sunday. Their licences will remain suspended until investigation is concluded,'' the paper quoted an NCAA official as saying.

'Wealthy Nigerians acquire US$225m private jets in one year'

'Wealthy Nigerians acquire US$225m private jets in one year'

Wealthy Nigerians acquired at least six private jets worth a total of US$225 million between March 2010 and March 2011, bringing the total number of such jets in the country to around 70, according to a local newspaper investigation published Monday.

The latest acquisition of the luxury jets were said to have been made by billionaire industrialist Aliko Dangote, telecommunications mogul Mike Adenuga and renowned Pastor David Oyedepo.

According to the paper, Dangote bought a Canadian-made Bombardier for US$45 million, just like Adenuga, while Oyedepo acquired a Gulfstream V for US$30 million.

The owners of the three other aircraft were not identified.

The paper quoted industry experts as saying it costs about US$550,000 annually to maintain a private jet.