Happy New Year to everyone!!!

Yaroslavl is 1000 years old

My city is turning 1000 years old. I think it is a reason to celebrate.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sLOJjT5uyPA (in English)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cY3CfFiTvGY&feature=related (in Russian)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5S-2Uthwdkk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3o4f9aZkJ7M&feature=related

My family tree

Discovered www.ancestry.com. Entered 107 family members with more to follow. WOW!!! It is exciting

Meeting with Jorge Delgado-2

Just met with Jorge again. More progress made on the SPHP project.

RAMA Work in Siberia

Bravo, Yakov!!!

RAMA Mission to Kemerovo 1
RAMA Mission to Kemerovo 2
RAMA Mission to Kemerovo 3

Meeting with Jorge Delgado

Yesterday, we met with Jorge Delgado - the Director for International Relations, and his assistant - Tania Menesse at the Cleveland Foundation. Jorge is Cuban and knows Russia very well. He studied Construction at the Moscow State University in 1985-91. He than studied Economics at Harvard University in Boston, than lived and worked in Hamburg, Germany. He speaks 5 languages (Russian is one of them) and is very well versed in the issues related to current Russia. In fact, he watched the State of the Nation address by the Russian President Vladimir Medvedev in full (in Russian). I bet none of us did that.

Article on Cleveland.com We talked about RAMA work in the US and our projects in Russia. We were seeking support for the RAMA's Siberian Pediatric Heart Project. The meeting was very productive mostly because he is interested in RAMA as another force in development of Ohio economy. We plan to bring Ohio businessmen to Russia during our next medical mission. We also expect to host a delegation of Russian businessmen in Cleveland at some point in 2010.  

Next steps: 
1. Meeting with Mike Malone prior to the 2nd meeting with Delgado. Mr. Malone is an expert in business administration, PR and human resources management. He teaches these subjects at the Kent State University in Akron, OH. 
2. Meeting with Jorge Delgado for brainstorming of our proposal.
3. Meeting with Toby Cosgrove, MD at the CCF. Dr. Cosgrove is a cardiothoracic surgeon and the President at CEO of the Cleveland Clinic Foundation - one of the top 4 largest hospitals in the world, well-known for its modern approach to healthcare, extremely successful business model and international program.  
4. Meeting with Sen. George Voinovich (R-Ohio).


Ideas for the meeting with Dr. Toby Cosgrove: 
1. We need CCF to be the base for observership for Russian doctors.
2. We need CCF support for joint research projects.
3. Promoting CCF and an international brand in Russia with Russian patients coming to CCF for treatment. 
4. Construction of the "CCF-Siberia" medical center in Kemerovo, Russia.

Las Vegas Trip

I completely forgot. My in-laws had their 50th wedding anniversary and we gave them a trip to Vegas as a gift. We came with our son - Dima, and our daughter - Tatyana came from Washington, DC. We stayed in Bally's and spent 4 days roaming the Strip, watching Cirque de Soleil, eating at noodle shops and buffets and enjoying one of the most spectacular places in the world. It was awesome, although they did not want to have a repeat mock wedding. They did go to the Jubilee - what a shock for my father-in-law who never saw that many beautiful topless women at once.

Cirque de Soleil - we watched two performances - Ka and Love! Both are great.

The best noodle shop in town is at the Mandalay Bay Resort.

Meeting at the Sen. Sharrod Brown's office

Today, we met with John Ryan - the State Director for the Sen. Sharrod Brown of Ohio. He is responsible for the work of Senator's offices in Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati and Loraine. We talked about RAMA work in the US and our projects in Russia. We were seeking support for the RAMA's Siberian Pediatric Heart Project, as well as the Cleveland-Volgograd Neonatal Project, ran by Dr. John Moore from the Cleveland's Metro Hospital, and would like to enlist help from the Ohio business community. The meeting was very productive, since we got good advice and suggestions on how to proceed with fundraising and finding new business contacts, specifically - the names of Jorge Delgado from the Cleveland Foundation, Steve Mallard from the COSE - Council of Small Enterprises of Cleveland, and Valerie McCall -  the assistant to the Mayor of Cleveland Frank Jackson.


More to come... a lot more.

U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown - (D) Ohio

Braised Lamb Shanks

Today I made one of my favorite dishes. It was beyond delicious. The recipe is very simple.

Ingredients

• 6 lamb shanks
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 onions, chopped
• 3 large carrots, cut into 1/4 inch rounds
• 10 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 (750 milliliter) bottle red wine
• 1 (28 ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes with juice
• 1 (10.5 ounce) can condensed chicken broth
• 1 (10.5 ounce) can beef broth
• 5 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme

Directions

1. Sprinkle shanks with salt and pepper. Heat oil in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Working in batches, cook shanks until brown on all sides, about 8 minutes. Transfer shanks to plate.
2. Add onions, carrots and garlic to pot and saute until golden brown, about 10 minutes. Stir in wine, tomatoes, chicken broth and beef broth. Season with rosemary and thyme. Return shanks to pot, pressing down to submerge. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low. Cover, and simmer until meat is tender, about 2 hours. I also added one whole Halapeno pepper for a little heat.
3. Remove cover from pot. Simmer about 20 minutes longer. Transfer shanks to platter, place in a warm oven. Boil juices in pot until thickened, about 15 minutes. Spoon over shanks.

I also made Mushroom Rice as a garnish.

Ingredients

• 1 cup uncooked long-grain rice
• 1 (10.5 ounce) can condensed French onion soup
• 1 (10.5 ounce) can beef broth
• 1 (4 ounce) can sliced mushrooms, drained
• 1/4 cup butter

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Combine rice, onion soup, beef broth, mushrooms and butter in an 8x8 inch casserole dish.
3. Bake in a preheated 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) oven for 60 minutes.

You will be a star of any dinner, if you cook it. You wife will love you forever...

Paul Gauguin Exhibition

Today we went to see the Paul Gauguin exhibition at the Cleveland Museum of Art. Very interesting and amusing. As all geniuses he was very controversial and  as such contributed greatly to the development of the art.

The exhibition did not show his most famous paintings of Tahitian nudes, but instead focused on his early work. Forces and influences that made him the Paul Gauguin.  

North Carolina Chapter of RAMA

Even more good news. Nadezhda Gavrilova, MD - nadzeika@gmail.com - (General Surgery - Chapel Hill, NC) is starting the North Carolina Chapter of RAMA. Please, welcome and help her as much as you can. She has a lot of questions. Dr. Gavrilova will be at the head of this group until the election of the President. If you live and work in North Carolina, please, join the group. Invite your friends and colleagues.

Visit - North Carolina Chapter of RAMA.

Washington Chapter of RAMA

I have some more good news. Larisa Raastad, MD - shvabra21@yahoo.com - (Family Practice - Olympia, WA) is starting the Washington Chapter of RAMA. Please, welcome and help her as much as you can. She has a lot of questions. Dr. Raastad will be at the head of this group until the election of the President. If you live and work in Washington, please, join the group. Invite your friends and colleagues. Present RAMA-WA members are planning a New Year celebration. Please, plan to attend.

Visit - Washington Chapter of RAMA

The Spa World in DC

We went to Washington, DC to see our daughter Tatyana and as a diversion went to the Spa World. It was an unbelievable experience. I will tell you about it tomorrow.

1. Sweating in the sauna
2. Korean delicacies
3. Clay ball hot room

New Year Celebration

For the last 6 years we spent every New Year's Eve at the house of Julia Frantsuzova and Volodya Burdjalov. And every time was different, different and great. Not only they welcome you with their hearts, but they also give their house away to a hoard of 60-70 people who come for fun. The fun comes from a staged performance that is new every year. The first was "The Oscars", the second - "Flying in Your Dreams", than came "The New Years' Saga" etc. etc.

Preparations usually start in September, and when the scenario, written by Joseph Kogan and Rena Dorman is ready, rehearsals start. We are not professional actors and nothing is easy, but with Dr. Burdjalov at the help the spectacle slowly takes its shape. This year is not an exception - we are doing "Noah's Arc" and we are looking forward to seeing the final product of our labors. It will be fun.

Arizona Chapter of RAMA

I have some great news. Victoria Sharp, MD (Internal Medicine, Phoenix, AZ) - vicki_sharp@hotmail.com - is starting the Arizona Chapter of RAMA. Please, welcome and help as much as you can. She has a lot of questions.

She will be at the head of this group until the election of the President.

If you live and work in Arizona, please, join the group. Invite your friends and colleagues.


Visit - Arizona Chapter of RAMA

Hair In A Can

New hair aid advertisement: 
watch - Hair In A Can


Copyright - Dmitry Vinogradsky 2009

Alexey Brunov in Cleveland

Alexey Brunov and Roman Katz


Today we had a special guest - Alexey Brunov form St. Petersburg came to Cleveland. I know him since 1981, when he came to perform to the KSP-Club of the Yaroslavl Medical Institute with Galina Bogdanovskaya, who now lives in Boston. The concert was organized, as usual, at the house of Vladimir Burdjalov and Julia Frantsuzova. It was spectacular.

Roman Katz singing Petersburg Blues 


Roman lives in Cleveland and we are lucky to have him here, because he is a great guy, a talented singer and guitarist and simply fun to be with. 

Red Snapper Dish

I keep trying to cook. People said it was delicious. I hope it was...

INGREDIENTS (Nutrition)

2 (4 ounce) fillets red snapper
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 lemon, juiced
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon honey
1/4 cup chopped green onions
1 teaspoon ground ginger

DIRECTIONS:

Rinse snapper under cold water, and pat dry. In a shallow bowl, mix together olive oil, lemon juice, rice vinegar, mustard, honey, green onions, and ginger.

Heat a non-stick skillet over medium heat. Dip snapper fillets in marinade to coat both sides, and place in skillet. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes on each side. Pour remaining marinade into skillet. Reduce heat, and simmer for 2 to 3 minutes, or until fish flakes easily with a fork.

Golden Wedding Anniversary

Today we celebrated my in-laws' Golden Wedding Anniversary. I personally think it is an act of bravery and wisdom to spend 50 years with the same person. It also takes a lot of endurance, love and understanding.


We went to one of the Cleveland's premier restaurants - Brasa Grill: The Brasilian Steakhouse, aka Churrascaria where all meats are served Rodizio style - on a scewer. It was awesome. They serve every kind of meat available - chicken, turkey, pork and various prime cuts of beef and lamb, and yes, it was succulent and delicious.


Congratulations to Angelina and Alexander Osipov. We love you. Keep going!!!

Russian Attorney in Cleveland

My wife Irina opened her private law firm in 2008. She now has a new web site - http://www.iv-law.com. She deals with personal injuries, immigration, child custody, criminal defense, bankruptcy as well as wills, trusts and probate issues. Please, do not keep your problems to yourself.

Siberian Pediatric Heart Project

This Project is ran by Dr. Yakov Elgudin, MD, PhD, FACS - a cardiothoracic surgeon from the University Hospitals in Cleveland, Ohio together with the Russian American Medical Association.
The project is supported by the International Children's Heart Foundation and Russian Gift of Life Foundation. 

We are planning our 3rd medical mission to the city of  Kemerovo, Russia in January of 2010. A team of cardiac surgeons, cardiologists, anesthesiologists, OR and ICU nurses is planning to spend 2 weeks performing 15-20 surgeries on patients with congenital heart disease, conducting hands-on teaching and didactic sessions on the subject of Pediatric Cardiac Surgery. There are two more missions planned for 2010 and three more for 2011.

Contact information: ramadoctors@gmail.com

Rosh Hashannah and Beef Short Ribs

Shana Tova to all our Jewish friends!!!

We were invited to a celebration dinner tonight and as a contribution to the table I cooked beef short ribs. The recipe is simple:

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 pound beef short ribs
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 onion, sliced
• 1 clove garlic
• 1 (12 fluid ounce) can or bottle stout beer
• 1 cup beef stock

DIRECTIONS:

1. Season the short ribs with salt and pepper, then dredge in flour until coated. Shake off the excess flour.
   
2. Heat the olive oil and butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the ribs until browned on each side, about 5 minutes per side. Remove from the skillet and set aside. Add the onion and garlic to the skillet; cook and stir until onion is tender, about 5 minutes. Return the ribs to the skillet and pour in the beer. Stir, scraping the bottom of the pan, until all of the browned bits have mixed in with the liquid. Pour in the beef stock, cover and simmer over low heat until very tender, about 2 hours.
3. You can also use Dutch oven instead of skillet: place it in the oven at 350 for 2 hours.
4. You can use several additional ingredients, like potatoes, carrots, tomatoes, squash, celery, mushrooms etc. in various amounts to achieve desired flavor.
   
5. If your ribs are very fatty, (which most tend to be) you can let the sauce cool and skim the fat off of the top before serving.

Satisfaction guaranteed!

Beethoven As I Knew Him

We went to see the "Beethoven As I Knew Him" by Hershey Felder at the Cleveland Playhouse Theater today. It was amazing. The guy is Canadian and is best known for his trilogy of one-man plays "The Composer Sonata" - "George Gershwin Alone", "Monsieur Chopin" and the "Beethoven..."

If you are in or near Cleveland - take time and go see it - you will not regret your decision.

Blue-ray

I got a Samsung Blue-ray device as a birthday present yesterday... and guess what. It is really cool. It connects to the wireless internet network at home and you can get Pandora Internet Radio as well as the YouTube for free. You can also get Netflix and Blockbuster for a small fee and instantly stream videos to your TV. The video and sound quality are amazing.

I also got a Blue-ray DVD set of the movie Planet Earth by BBC, and it is so beautiful - it is mind blowing.

Fantastic jazz pianist

Last Friday we discovered another Cleveland's jewel - Cleveland Bop Stop. We listened to Barbara Dennerlien - a fantastic jazz pianist from Germany. The place is classy, eclectic and warm. Entrance price is low, the bar is full and we had a wonderful time. Barbara plays Hammond-type organ and she uses both - her hands and feet. It was a great spectacle to watch...

My son playing piano

Dima plays piano and flute. Just recently, he had played a concert for our friends. Enjoy...

My flowers

Every day when I get home I go to my garden. The flowers are gorgeous and they really help to relax. These dahlias are called "Dinnerplate" and they are almost that big in size. I have a lot more flowers and hundreds of pictures but I do not want to overload the blog.

Weird appendix

Today, I removed the weirdest appendix of my carrier.

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First steps

I tried this some time ago, but it did not take off, so this is my second attempt. I hope it works. I am not sure what direction this will take. I will try to tell about what I do, my family, travel etc. I may enter some phylosophical thoughts here, so do not be too critical...