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Dr Shahram Shahidi
Dr Shahidi is an Australian trained and qualified Specialist Surgeon in Ear, Nose & Throat and Facial Cosmetic Surgery. Dr Shahidi specialises in closed structured rhinoplasty. In this approach there are no visible scars.
He has received the highest qualification awarded to Australian Surgeons – FRACS. Fellowship of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons, in recognition of his intense academic and advanced surgical training being fulfilled. He is also a member of the Australian Academy of Facial Plastic Surgery. His primary interest and area of expertise is Rhinoplasty Surgery. Dr Shahidi treats all aspects of nasal and sinus pathology and disease.
On completion of his medical and research degree from the University of Sydney he commenced his internship and basic surgical training at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital in Sydney. On completion of his second year of advanced general surgical training he started training in the Otorhinolaryngology/Head & Neck Surgery programme. After a further 4 years of intensive study he completed his Fellowship of the College of Surgeons. He completed the Fellowship of Australasian Academy of Facial Plastic Surgery in Sydney.
Dr Shahidi then completed two mini fellowships in facial plastic surgery in Oregon and Indianapolis in the USA; this was followed by attendance at the workshop in Rhinoplasty surgery in Chicago. He was then become the Clinical Fellow in Rhinology and Rhinoplasty surgery based at Charing Cross Hospital in London and also at Royal United Hospital in Bath. Both positions demanded an expert working knowledge of surgical techniques and their application to nasal, sinus anatomy and pathology.
Dr Shahidi has enjoyed mentorship and expertise alongside some of the world's leaders in Rhinoplasty and Facial Plastic Surgery, Drs Ted Cook, Tom Wang, Stephen Perkins, Hesham Saleh and Ian MacKay.
This international training and expertise has given Dr Shahidi a well rounded and broad-minded approach. His practice thrives on word-of-mouth referrals from both General Practitioners and patients who are delighted with their results.
For further information please visit Dr Shahidi's website...


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Claude Monet, "Luncheon on the Grass, Central Panel," 1865–1866
Oil on canvas
Musée d'Orsay, Paris
Getting news about the upcoming exhibition of Claude Monet paintings at the Legion of Honor Museum in San Francisco made me wish I could drop everything, jump in my car and drive north. Opening this weekend, Monet: The Early Years will be the first major US exhibition devoted to the initial phase of Monet's career. With approximately 60 works borrowed from museums and private collections worldwide, "this exhibition is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to experience Monet's mastery before Impressionism."
(L) Monet painting in his studio
Photo courtesy of Everett Collection/CP
(R) Claude Monet, "Impression, Sunrise," 1872
Oil on Canvas
Musée Marmottan Monet, Paris
Here's a small consolation for those of us who are not able to go to San Francisco to see the exhibition. There is a new art-history documentary, I, Claude Monet, which will be screened in Los Angeles this coming Monday, February 27 at 7pm and Tuesday, February 28 at 1pm at various Laemmle Theaters. Based on hundreds of his surviving letters, this documentary tells the story of an artist who, "behind his sun-dazzled canvases, suffered from feelings of depression, loneliness, even [thoughts of] suicide. However, as his art developed and his love of gardening led to the glories of his Giverny garden, his humor, insight, and love of life are revealed."
(L) "Eva Hesse" (2016)
Directed by Marcie Begleiter
(R) Eva Hesse, c. 1966
Photo by Gretchen Lambert
In the last couple of years, there have been a number of particularly eloquent art documentaries. One of them, Eva Hesse, proved to be a remarkably inspiring story about the life and art of a uniquely original person. In her short life, Eva Hesse (1936-1970), accomplished more than most artists could hope for thanks to her furious productivity. "The documentary is frank about Hesse's personal life without being prurient, and it conveys a vivid sense of the sexual politics of the New York art world in the 1960s."
Chris Burden, "Shoot," 1971
Another excellent documentary, this one about major American artist Chris Burden (1946-2015), is scheduled to be released this May, but I had the chance to see it last night. Titled BURDEN, the film starts with his early 1971 performance that –– literally and figuratively –– shot him to widespread recognition. With a few witnesses in the room, Burden arranged for a friend to shoot him in the arm. The bullet was supposed to just graze the skin but instead pierced his flesh, and the artist ended up in the hospital. The early years of Burden's career were full of similar mind-boggling performances. Once, he squeezed himself into a tiny, two-foot high locker and stayed there for several days. In 1974, he crucified himself half-naked to a Volkswagen Beetle, with two nails pierced through the palms of his hands. And once again, he survived.
(T) "Urban Light," sculpture by Chris Burden
Los Angeles County Museum of Art
Photo by Jimmy Baikovicius
(B) "Burden" (2016)
Directed by Richard Dewey &Timothy Marrinan 4
Burden was an Angeleno not only by the fact that he lived and worked in our City of Angels, but also in the way his art epitomized the very essence and spirit of this great city. When his seminal sculptural installation, "Urban Light," was installed in 2008 in front of LACMA, it became an overnight sensation –– both with critics and with the public. For years, the artist collected Los Angeles's antique streetlamps. As a result, 202 of them comprise his "Urban Light," which now serves as an unofficial emblem of our city. It seems people just cannot get enough of it. Day and night, dozens of people weave through the columns of this contemporary temple and do what happy people do these days –– obsessively shoot photos.
Chris Burden, "Beam Drop," 2009
Middleheim Museum, Antwerp, Belgium
Photo by Edward Goldman
The documentary shows how Burden, in the later part of his career, became increasingly private and somewhat reclusive. He stopped using his body as a raw material. However, his international fame and recognition didn't stop him from continuing to push boundaries. In his sculptural installation "Beam Drop" (2009), several dozen steel I-beams were dropped from a helicopter, stuck in the ground like a wild, menacing bouquet of rusty branches. What a great artist he was: always challenging, never trying to ingratiate himself to the public.

subset: commoncrawl


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Getty Images / Dr. Billy Ingram
Legendary musician Sheila E dropped by Majic 107.5 / 97.5 recently and spoke with Carol Blackmon.
The two chopped it up about why Sheila E didn't take part in the Prince tribute at the 2010 BET Awards, and Sheila E also remembered her very first time meeting Prince.
Check it out below!
RELATED: Prince To Release New Album In Euro Magazines & Newspapers
RELATED: VIDEO: Prince Performs "Purple Rain" For The Very First Time


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Nov 3, 2021
Once again it's on! TO:SS is back with that heat!
This week: The Green Bay Packers won a thriller in Arizona last week. How'd they do it and what does it mean moving forward?
The Milwaukee Bucks have had to endure choppy waters due to injury. Tristain checks in on them and encourages folks to chill.
The TO:SS Sweep has T-Squared running through the disappointments and surprises of the first half of the NFL season.
It's time to play some TO:SS!


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Partials and Dentures: Which Ones Are the Best for You?
Missing teeth can affect your bite, speech, and smile aesthetics. When you have a gap in your teeth, chewing might be difficult. Also, you might be at risk of bone loss due to degradation. Therefore, you should seek treatments to restore your oral functionalities, smile, and prevent bone degradation.
There are several options you can consider to replace the missing teeth. However, before choosing a replacement option, you can consult your dentist. The dentist will then recommend treatment, depending on how many teeth are missing and your jaw condition. If you seek treatments for missing teeth, your dentist in Oshawa, ON, might recommend dentures or partials.
Complete Dentures
Do you have missing on one or both jaws and need a restoration? The dentist might recommend a complete denture. Complete or full dentures are a set of custom-made tooth restorations that are removable and replace missing teeth on the whole jaw.
If you are getting full dentures, your dentist might recommend removing the remaining teeth on the jaws. After removing the teeth, your dentist will recommend recovery before you get the complete dental prosthesis. Therefore, you might require more than one dental visit to get your dentures.
The dentures can be made of flesh-colored plastic or acrylic that rests on the gums. At the dental office, your dentist will take impressions of your gums to create the dental prosthesis. Therefore, the dentures fit snuggly on the gums and resemble your natural teeth.
If you have missed a few teeth on the jaw, the dentist might recommend partial dentures. However, before considering partials, your dentist examines the jaw and the other teeth. If the remaining teeth are strong enough and healthy, the dentist will consider partial.
Unlike dentures, you don't require tooth extraction when getting partial. Therefore, you can get the partials on the same day. The base of the partials can be made of acrylic and holds prosthetic teeth that resemble natural ones. When you have removable partial dentures, remove them when going to sleep and store them in a cleansing gel.
Which Restorations Should I Choose?
If you are confused between getting dentures and partials, you can consult the dentist. The dentist will examine and evaluate your condition then give a verdict depending on your situation.
If you have missing teeth on the whole jaw, the dentist might recommend dentures. The completed dental prosthesis can beneficial for people with chronic teeth problems since all the teeth are extracted. Also, you can benefit from a full dental prosthesis since they restore the shape of your face if it was sunken.
On the other hand, partials are best for replacing a few teeth on the jaw. When you choose partials, you might be a candidate for one-day dentures since you don't require additional treatments. The partials can also prevent the remaining teeth from shifting towards the gap and over-use of one side of your jaw when chewing.
To improve smile aesthetics, you can choose partials dentures for front teeth and enhance self-confidence.
How Long Does It Take to Get Dentures?
When you decide to get dentures, the timeline of getting them depends on the type and condition of the remaining teeth. Therefore, the time required for a complete set of dentures varies from person to person.
If you are getting complete ones, the dentist will remove the remaining natural teeth. Therefore, you will need time for the gum to heal. It might take two or three months to craft and get your full dental prosthesis.
Taking Care of Your Dentures
Just like your natural teeth, dentures need to be taken care of. However, since the teeth restorations are removable, they require specialized care. Below are some care tips for dentures:
- Remove and rinse your dentures after eating
- Handle the dental prosthesis with care since the acrylic or plastic base can get damaged
- Brush your teeth if you have partials and cleanse the denture properly using a small toothbrush
- Soak your dentures before going to bed
- Regular dental visits
Dentures near You
Are you seeking partials and dentures in Oshawa, ON? If so, you can consider visiting our dentist at Conlin Dentistry and replace your missing teeth. With years of experience offering dentures, you can anticipate desirable outcomes.


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ResumeTerry Karl was a rising star when she arrived at Harvard University in 1981 as an assistant professor. Her mentor was Jorge Domínguez, a senior Latin American scholar. Karl says she fought off his sexual harassment, and then reported him.
Harvard found Dominguez guilty of "serious misconduct," but he was allowed to stay. Karl eventually left for Stanford University. Then, she heard from other women.
Chronicle of Higher Education reporters Nell Gluckman (@nellgluckman) and Tom Bartlett (@tebartl) tell the story in a recent investigation, and join Here & Now's Robin Young to talk about Karl's case.
Domínguez will retire from his administrative roles and leave teaching at the end of the semester, the university confirmed Tuesday.
Interview Highlights
On Karl's allegations against Domínguez
Tom Bartlett: "I mean he did kiss her. He, according to Terry, groped her, he propositioned her. This took place over two years, and according to Terry was constant and relentless, and really made her time at Harvard just almost impossible to deal with."
On Domínguez holding a position of power at the university
Nell Gluckman: "He was the person [Karl] was paired with. He could have potentially reviewed her books, determined whether she got promoted, determined eventually whether she got tenured. So yeah, she did interpret that as threatening."
TB: "When Terry got there in 1981, he was a tenured professor of government. He was on the boards of many journals, and then continued to move up at Harvard into higher administrative places. And for Terry he was also, since he was a Latin Americanist and she was a Latin Americanist, he was sort of her natural mentor."
"For anyone, going to Harvard would be a dream job. But she's convinced that she can't stay. She really sees Domínguez as a threat, and she doesn't believe the university is going to protect her."
Tom Bartlett, on Terry Karl's decision to leave Harvard
On how Domínguez cast the allegations during their reporting
NG: "When we spoke to him, he wasn't able to comment on Karl's accusations. When we asked him about the later accusations that we learned about, he cast the whole thing as a misunderstanding. And from what we heard from other people who spoke to him at the time, that was similar to things that he said to them about the Karl case."
On Domínguez casting Karl's allegations as an affair gone sour
TB: "That's certainly what we heard from students that [Karl and Domínguez] shared in common. And that was one of Terry's concerns. She felt that the process at Harvard was not transparent, and while they found him guilty of serious misconduct, the details remained private, and so that allowed him to talk about this in whatever way he wished to talk about it, and she worried about her reputation moving forward."
On other women who've come forward
TB: "I mean some of their experiences mirrored what happened with Terry Karl. One thing to note is the women we've spoken to, they include fellow professors, graduate students, undergraduate students, staff members. And they talk about a range of experiences, from being suddenly kissed, from being touched in ways that are inappropriate, from constant unwanted attention, flirtatious emails. It's a range of behavior, and a lot of their stories also share a real similarity, where they first see Domínguez as a mentor and as someone who can be helpful to them, and then things turn uncomfortable."
On Karl's concerns about her academic career after making allegations against Domínguez
TB: "Terry goes on to have this really just amazing career at Stanford. But there's a moment there where she leaves Harvard where she's not sure her academic career is going to continue. There are whispers of scandal that are going to follow her. Leaving Harvard is ... for anyone, going to Harvard would be a dream job. But she's convinced that she can't stay. She really sees Domínguez as a threat, and she doesn't believe the university is going to protect her."
NG: "She still was in meetings with him. He was still on campus. So she still felt his presence."
"Harvard sort of thinks of itself as 'America's university,' and as this real brand name and this iconic place. And so what happens there sort of has meaning beyond just that institution."
Tom Bartlett
On Harvard's response to the allegations over the course of their reporting
TB: "They say that they dealt with this back in the '80s. They will certainly acknowledge that we've had a big culture change from 1983 to now, obviously, and that they dealt with this sort of as best they could in that era. At the time in private letters to Terry, they acknowledged that this was misconduct, that this was horrible, that they are very upset this has ever happened. And while Terry appreciated the acknowledgement, she felt that they weren't actually following through and protecting her, and actually doing something to stop this."
On the question of how many other women had similar experiences
TB: "I mean I think that's one of the larger takeaways from this story for us, is thinking about reporting procedures. There were women who for decades, in various ways, were speaking out. They were speaking at the higher-ups — they were talking to counselors, they were talking to advisers, they were talking to deans. And in many cases they felt that they weren't being heard and those complaints weren't going beyond that conversation."
On whether there's a sense these allegations represent more than just one professor or university
TB: "I think there are women who would say yes, it definitely does. And I think one of the reasons — and one of the reasons we wanted to focus on Terry Karl's case — is because it's Harvard, and other universities look to Harvard. Harvard sort of thinks of itself as 'America's university,' and as this real brand name and this iconic place. And so what happens there sort of has meaning beyond just that institution."
On those who have defended Domínguez
NG: "We've talked to people who thought he was a fantastic teacher and a fantastic mentor. And that's one of the sad things about this, because some of the women that we spoke to for this story also found him to be those things, but they felt like they were denied access to his classes, to research projects that he might have been a part of, because they felt they needed to avoid him."
This article was originally published on March 06, 2018.
This segment aired on March 6, 2018.


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A Circle of Women
Written by Andrea Koverman, SC
Now that the holidays are over, a new year stretches out before us. In my faith tradition, the weeks prior to Christmas are a time set aside for preparing for what is to come. It's a time of waiting and reflecting on the current state of affairs, both externally and internally, and most importantly, on the love that still needs to be born into the world. The days are the shortest, and nights the longest during this time of year, and indeed, the world has seemed like a very dark and cold place as of late. The very publicized terrorist attack in Paris, and the less known but equally tragic attacks in Beirut, Nigeria, Baghdad… the rising wave of Islamaphobia, the refusal of desperate refugees from the shores of a country at least partially culpable for their circumstances, the assurances of our politicians that they have what it takes to stomach massive and indiscriminate bombing of thousands of innocent people in the name of "defending" the United States…the list of the elements of darkness seem inexhaustive. But in all of this darkness, there was one very powerful point of light that renewed my hope and reminded me that collectively, even scattered little bits of light can be transformative.
The occasion came as an unexpected invitation to host a group of women leaders from East Asian and Pacific countries at IJPC. The Greater Cincinnati World Affairs Council is the local coordinating office for the U.S. Department of State's premier exchange program, the International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP). The council builds global understanding and promotes international awareness through education, information and exchange of people and ideas. They work in cooperation with the government, companies, as well as cultural and educational bodies. The visitors were handpicked by our U.S. Embassy because the work that they are doing in Fiji, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Myanmar, Papua New guinea, Republic of Korea, Thailand, and Vietnam in this career field. Along with IJPC, the delegation also visited the American Red Cross, Matthew 25 Ministries, and UC's Center for Race, Gender, and Social Justice while in Cincinnati.
They reached out to IJPC because our mission of educating and advocating for peace, challenging unjust systems, and promoting the creation of a non-violent society matches some of the themes they traveled here to explore during their tour, including examining the roles of women in political transitions, post-conflict reconstruction, humanitarian emergencies, and peace-making efforts. They sought to engage activists in thoughtful discussions regarding current peace and security situations and challenges throughout the world and to explore the role of faith-based and secular organizations in responding to political, social, and economic challenges. The bios we received for this prestigious group of women were incredibly impressive, and I was honored, excited, and a little intimidated about our visit all at the same time.
There was great interest in understanding how we go about mobilizing our citizens, how we influence politicians, how we address injustices on both micro and macro levels. We were asked what we do to keep ourselves spiritually and emotionally balanced while spending so much time and energy involved in such heavy work. As we discussed safety strategies we quickly realized that some of these women risked targeted attacks for speaking out against political authorities and that the freedoms we take for granted in the US make the work we do far less dangerous than it is in their countries. We were challenged to take the role we play in foreign affairs very seriously. The women reminded us that many countries in the world still look to us for leadership and protection, but that we do not act impartially or consistently. In particular, we were cautioned that the crisis with ISIS will most surely escalate even further if it is not addressed judiciously. I was both embarrassed and frustrated that the popularity of Donald Trump and his racist rhetoric is causing the people and some of the governments of these countries deep anxiety and fear. One woman who wore a hijab talked about fearing for her safety as she arrived unescorted to a US airport. She said many people from her country are canceling plans to visit here because they feel unwelcome and afraid that they would not be safe. They are getting the message that Americans hate Muslims though I tried to assure them that Donald Trump does not speak for many of us (the majority of us, I hope). The concerns they expressed about the US echo our own concerns, but there was an urgency with which they spoke that seems lacking from our own citizens. Again, I was struck by the unfair position of privilege from which Americans operate. We can laugh at the absurdity of Donald Trump, but they must take it all very seriously. We may be worried about terrorism on our own soil remembering the horrible events of 9-11, but our daily life experience is one of general safety and security. It is a stark contrast to the violence and war that characterizes life in some of these countries.
It was a deeply moving experience to sit in this circle of women, sharing the painful challenges of each one's country, including our own. We were from vastly different cultures and faiths, but there was a common sense of respect and appreciation for one another. The exchange of ideas and strategies, the concern expressed and support offered as one woman after another articulated the injustices they were working to correct created an immediate and strong sense of sisterhood among us. I found myself feeling protective of these beautiful women and that feeling strengthens my resolve to continue to work for world peace. Though the issues discussed were difficult and complicated, I felt a surge of hope knowing that there are women (and men) all over the world, working in tandem for justice and peace. It renewed the faith I have that the work we are doing is not fruitless even during the darkest of times. With a grateful heart for this experience, I look to 2016, a year full of hope and promise!


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8 days / 7 nights - Cruise
Opatija to Split
Opatija - Pula & Brijuni - Mali Lošinj - Zadar - Kornati - Primošten - Vis - Biševo (Blue Cave) - Hvar - Bol (Brač Island) - Split
Check-in from 12.00h. Meet the crew and enjoy a welcome cocktail. The famous Opatija Riviera is often compared to the French Riviera, enjoy magnificent views to Pula. Upon arrival, time at leisure to explore the city that has existed for three thousand years. Settled in the prehistoric era and valued for its strategic location, Pula has been occupied, destroyed and rebuilt numerous times.
The Arena in Pula is the only remaining Roman amphitheatre to have four side towers entirely preserved. Return to the vessel for a tasty welcome dinner. Overnight in Pula.
While enjoying the breakfast on board, cruise towards the National Park Brijuni, which consists of 14 islands and islets, among which the biggest is Veliki Brijun. Except for its beautiful nature, the archipelago has numerous dinosaur footprints. Explore this oasis of magnificent harmony between man, animal and plant life. After lunch on board, the cruise continues towards the island of Lošinj, known as the "sunshine island" with an abundance of pines, wildflowers and herbs.
Lošinj is one of the most popular islands on the northern Adriatic because of its hidden coves and cool Mediterranean vibe. Upon arrival, visit the Museum of Apoxyomenos and enjoy a glass of sparkling wine. The museum is dedicated to the ancient bronze statue of an athlete found in the sea near the island. Time at leisure to explore this fragrant island: walk up to the Lošinj Aromatic Garden or to the smaller town of Veli Lošinj. Overnight in Mali Lošinj.
Morning cruise towards Zadar, for centuries the capital of Dalmatia and the oldest university town in Croatia. Join a guided tour of the city. Zadar is well known for its rich historical heritage of world importance, visible at every step: the Roman Forum from the 1st century, St Donat church from the 9th century - the most famous medieval basilica and the symbol of the city, mighty city walls with a bow and a representative City Gate from the 16th century, the Museum of ancient glass, over 30 churches in the old town, many palaces and villas, as well as the famous, contemporary Sea Organs and "Greeting to the Sun" light installation.
Overnight in the port of Zadar.
Early morning departure to the Kornati National Park, which consists of around 100 islands, islets and reefs. In addition to this, the continental part includes ¼ of the surface of the park, while the rest belongs to the marine ecosystem. Enjoy the ruins of the ancient Illyrian fortress, Roman villas, old Christian church of St Mary and medieval fortresses and settlements. Some of the reefs are sometimes up to 100 m deep in the sea.
Lunch on board as the cruise continues towards Primošten, a small, picturesque town situated between Šibenik and Trogir, in the central part of the Adriatic coast and surrounded by seven other islets, a wonderful sight and a beautiful place to explore. Captain's dinner with live entertainment on board tonight. Overnight in Primošten.
Early morning cruise toward the island of Vis, once one of the main Greek colonies in the 4th century BC. As a Yugoslavian army base for a long period, until 1991, Vis was closed and left untouched by the development of tourism for many years.
As a result, its culture and architecture are extremely well preserved. Take a walk, enjoy the views and taste some local delicacies at many excellent restaurants and taverns along the promenade. Overnight in Vis.
Before breakfast, cruise towards the small island Biševo for a visit to the famous Blue Cave, a splendorous and unique geomorphological natural wonder. A hypnotizing silverblue light illuminates the space inside the cave when the sunlight hits the surface of the ocean through a vault on its arched roof and reflects off the seabed (Entrance fee approx. 15 €, to be paid on the spot). The possibility of a cave visit will depend on weather conditions.
The cruise continues towards Hvar, an island covered in vibrant and fragrant lavender fields and olive groves. The historic island town is home to the 7th - century fortifications, a Venetian loggia, historic piazzas and the oldest municipal theatre in Europe. Learn more about it on a guided city tour, followed by a bus excursion throughout the island to Stari Grad, with a stop for lunch. Overnight in Hvar.
After breakfast, departure towards the island Brač, to visit the most famous Croatian beach, Zlatni Rat (Golden Horn) – a beautiful, horn-shaped sandy beach which constantly changes shape due to wind, current and waves. After lunch, as the cruise continues towards Split, enjoy the unbelievable views of the surrounding seas and the amazing Split's Riviera. Upon arrival, join the guided city tour. A dynamic port city with a medieval Old Town grown out of the 1,700-year-old Diocletian's Palace, Split bustles with modern life amid its ancient Roman setting.
Cafés, restaurants, and galleries cram the cobblestone alleyways, the waterfront and the Marjan peninsula, making Croatia's second-largest city one of the Mediterranean's most compelling. Return to the vessel, for dinner onboard. Overnight in Split.
Gather for one last breakfast, followed by goodbyes with the crew.
Check-out and transfer to the airport
− Transfer from the Split airport to the Split harbour and local transfers in Opatija (on the day of arrival and day of departure)
− National Park Kornati and National Park Brijuni entrance fees
− Museum of Apoxyomenos entrance fee
No additional fees on arrival except gratuities
Similar trips
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[email protected]Create your holiday in Croatia with the help of our team.


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Debt collectors recently won an important victory in the U.S. Supreme Court, which ruled that filing a stale claim in bankruptcy court does not run afoul of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (the "FDCPA"). Although the Opinion does not affect a debtor's potential claim for sanctions under frivolous filing rules, it does remove at least one potential avenue for recovery.
In Midland Funding, LLC v. Johnson, Midland filed a claim in the debtor's Chapter 13 bankruptcy case for unpaid credit card debt Midland had purchased from the original issuer. However, the credit card in question had not been used for over a decade, and the statute of limitations for overdue debt in Alabama is six years. The bankruptcy court therefore disallowed the claim, ruling that it was stale and unenforceable.
The debtor then sued Midland, arguing that it violated the FDCPA's bar against "false, deceptive, or misleading representations," or using "unfair or unconscionable means" to attempt to collect a debt. The proof of claim that Midland filed with the bankruptcy allegedly indicated on its face that the statute of limitations had run, which the debtor argued supports a claim under the FDCPA. Although the trial court had originally dismissed the action, the Eleventh Circuit agreed with the debtor and permitted the suit to proceed.
In overturning the Eleventh Circuit, the Supreme Court began its analysis with the plain language of the Bankruptcy Code. The Code allows for creditors to file proofs of claim, which is defined as any "right to payment." 11 U.S.C. § 101(5)(A). The Court then noted that while the Code allows bankruptcy courts to disallow stale claims, it does not remove them from the definition of "claim" altogether. Instead, the expiration of the statute of limitations may be raised as an affirmative defense and ruled on by the court accordingly.
The denial of an FDCPA claim for stale debt pursued in bankruptcy is welcome news for debt collectors who process and litigate thousands of low value claims. Several class actions have been filed in recent years in which debt collectors and their firms are accused of minimal review prior to filing an action or proof of claim. Some of these cases focus on "gotcha" claims, wherein minor errors are used by debtors to challenge the enforcement of the debt, and seek potentially significant statutory damages.
While Midland Funding eliminates at least one foundation for such claims, it is important to remember that jurisdictions vary on whether sanctions are proper for proofs of claim based on stale debt. Special attention should therefore be given in those jurisdictions which allow sanctions, despite the Supreme Court's favorable opinion on FDCPA claims in Midland Funding.


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The Paralympics is the major international multi-sport event that arranges a healthy competition between skilled sportspersons with intellectual disabilities. The 15th Paralympics held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in 2016 for 12 days and India had sent some of their brilliant Paralympians. Indian Paralympians performed better than Indian Olympians as they clinched 4 medals with two golds, a silver and Bronze during the mega event.
The efforts got as much accolades as the Indian athletes deserve. India bagged two gold medals in high jump and javelin throw respectively. Other two medals were 1 silver and 1 bronze, which India hogged successively in women's shot put and men's high-jump. Now, let's check out the top 5 Indian Paralympians at Rio 2016 Paralympics based on their performances-
5. Farman Basha: Indian Paralympians at Rio 2016
Indian power-lifter Farman Basha represented India at the Rio 2016 Paralympics and finished 4th at the final. He is an Asian Games silver medalist and considered one of the top-10 powerlifters as of February 2016.
He gave his level-best for this international competition but unfortunately, missed out on bronze at the men's 49 kg. However, his brilliant effort surely secured a place among the top-5 Paralympics contestants of Indians.
4. Varun Singh Bhati: Indian Paralympians at Rio 2016
Varun Singh Bhati won a bronze medal for India at the Rio 2016 Paralympics in para-athletics. He is a Para high-jumper and participated in T42 event at the track & field events at the Summer Paralympics.
He surpassed his previous record of high-jumping at Rio 2016 Paralympics with 1.86 meters distance at the final round to ensure the third place in that competition. He was voted Para-Athlete of the Year 2017 for this achievement at the event of Times of India Sports Awards.
3. Deepa Malik: Indian Paralympians at Rio 2016
Indian Athlete Deepa Malik is one more mentionable contender here, who won a silver medal for India at the Rio 2016 Paralympics. She participated in the shot put event (F53 event) of Para-athletics and became the first Indian female athlete to win a silver medal at Paralympics.
In India: Politics & Entertainment
She was honored with the prestige of Rotary Women of the Year Award for this brilliant performance at the Paralympics.
2. Devendra Jhajharia: Indian Paralympians at Rio 2016
Devendra Jhajharia is one more skilled Indian Paralympian, who made our country proud at the Rio 2016 Paralympics with his excellent performance. He is a javelin thrower, who participated at the F46 event in this category in this Paralympics and bagged a gold medal for India.
He made a world record at this event with the throw of 63.97 meters in the medal event. This achievement not only gave him the gold medal but also, the direct support from the GoSports Foundation of India for his contributions to this sport.
1. Mariyappan Thangavelu: Indian Paralympians at Rio 2016
Mariyappan Thangavelu is an Indian Paralympian high-jumper, who represented India at the Rio Paralympics 2016. He is one of those two glorious para-athletes who brought India a gold medal from the prestigious Paralympics.
In March 2016, he gave our country a moment of cheers and admiration with his gold medal in the men's high-jump T42 event. He made a record of the leap of 1.89 meters at the final round and ensured his name for the top-5 Indian paralympians.


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How to make Flaky, Delicious Puff Pastry | Recipe for Homemade Puff Pastry Dough
Puff pastry is one of the most delicious, fragrant piece of pastry around. Classic puff pastry begins with a basic dough called a détrempe that is rolled out and wrapped around a slab of butter. The dough is then repeatedly rolled, folded, and turned. This aims to distribute the butter evenly in sheets throughout the dough. When the pastry bakes, the moisture in the butter creates steam, causing the dough to puff and separate into many layers. Here's how you can get your own puff pastry at home 🙂
Yield: 2 pounds (1 kg)
390 g all-purpose flour
1-1/2 tsp (7 ml) salt
90 g unsalted butter, cold
210 ml water, cold
300 g unsalted butter, softened
Sift the flour and salt together in a large bowl. Cut the cold butter into small pieces and then cut the pieces into the flour until the mixture resembles coarse cornmeal.
Make a well in the center of the mixture and add all the water at once. Using a rubber spatula mix the flour into the water until all the flour is incorporated. Do not knead. The texture of the dough should be sticky.
The dough can also be made in a food processor. To do so, combine the flour, salt and pieces of cold butter in a food processor bowl fitted with the metal blade. Process until a coarse meal is formed. With the processor still turned on, slowly add the water. Turn the machine off as soon as the dough comes together to form a ball.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead the dough a few times by hand, and form it into a ball. Wrap tightly in plastic and chill overnight.
To roll in the butter, first prepare the softened butter by placing it between two sheets of plastic wrap. Use a rolling pin to roll the softened butter into a rectangle, approximately 5 inches by 8 inches (12.5 centimeters by 20 centimeters). Try to have the dough and butter of almost the equal consistency. If the dough is too stiff and cold, let it sit at room temperature to soften.
On a lightly floured board, roll the dough into a rectangle approximately 12 inches by 15 inches (30 centimeters by 37.5 centimeters). Use a dry pastry brush to brush away any flour from the dough's surface to prevent the formation of gray streaks and to allow the puff pastry from rising properly.
Peel one piece of plastic wrap from the butter. Position the butter in the center of the rectangle and remove the remaining plastic. Fold the four edges of the dough over the butter enclosing the butter completely. Stretch the dough if necessary; it is important that none of the butter be exposed.
With the folded side facing up, press the dough several times with a rolling pin. Use a rocking motion to create ridges in the dough. Repeat until all the ridges are doubled in size and keeping all entire dough in a rectangle shape.
Use a dry pastry brush to remove any loose flour from the dough's surface. Fold the dough in thirds. If one end is damaged or in worse condition, fold it in first; otherwise, start at the bottom. This completes the first turn.
Rotate the block of dough 90 degrees so that the folded edge is on your left and the dough faces you like a book. Roll out the dough again, repeating the bridging technique. Once again, the dough should be in a smooth, even rectangle.
Fold the dough in thirds again, completing the second turn. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and chill for at least 30 minutes. Repeat the rolling and folding technique for a total of five turns. Do not perform more than two turns without a resting and chilling period. Cover the dough completely and chill overnight before using.
Puff pastry sheets may be frozen. Fold finished rectangles in thirds and wrap tightly before freezing. Defrost in the refrigerator before using.


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Eva Mendes took to Instagram on Aug. 18 to show fans her "everyday cleaning must-haves", but she ended up sharing something even more exciting: her phone screen background. As she wiped her phone screen with a microfiber cloth, which was at the top of her list, she flashed it at the camera and revealed that her husband, Ryan Gosling, is the wallpaper! The photo was black and white and showed Ryan's side profile. He also appeared to be holding something, but that detail was unidentifiable in the video.
Eva, 47, and Ryan, 41, who tied the knot in 2011, have never been shy about showing their love for one another, despite keeping their private life generally under wraps. Eva took to Instagram on June 15 to show support for her hubby, who is currently filming the new Barbie movies as Ken opposite Margot Robbie, who plays the famous Mattel doll. Alongside a photo of Ryan as Ken, she wrote, "So. F. Funny. / So. F. Good. / So F excited for you to see this." She added a "myken" hashtag as well.
Just over a month later, she posted a snippet of a press interview Ryan shot for his other new project, The Gray Man, which premiered on Netflix in July. During the interview, Ryan was asked to pick one thing he would eat for the rest of his life, and he certainly made Eva and her mother proud, because he answered Eva's mother's arroz con leche, a rice pudding. "It's like an angel is crying on your tongue," he grinned.
Eva and Gosling share two daughters, Esmeralda, 7, and Amada, 6, and in another press interview for The Gray Man, he admitted he took on the project with his family in mind. "I'm like a dad first, and part of the reason for doing the film was this opportunity for us to go to these interesting places and be there with my kids," he told Heat magazine (via Inquisitr). "You know it's funny, we went to France and we went everywhere — we went to the Louvre and all these things. And if I asked them now, 'What was your favorite part about France?' They will say, 'The fruit plate at the hotel,'" he added.
If Ryan had an Instagram, we're sure he would be posting about Eva just as much. How sweet it is to see love last!


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Riley Sheehy's walk-off single leads Iowa to 2-1 victory over Indiana in 10 innings
Iowa wins three of four games in the series
By Hawkeyesports.com
IOWA CITY, Iowa — The University of Iowa softball team defeated Indiana, 2-1, in 10 innings on Sunday afternoon at Bob Pearl Field. The Hawkeyes scored the game-winning run with a walk-off single from Riley Sheehy. The game was the seventh extra inning game for the Hawkeyes, they have won five of those seven.
Freshman Brylee Klosterman came up big for the Hawkeyes going 2-for-2 on the day and drawing a walk. She plated the game-tying run in the bottom of the seventh inning with a two-out RBI single.
"They are long games, but they are fun," said Klosterman. "The energy in the dugout is great. We seem to pick it up later in the game when we have to. It is a fun environment to be around when everyone is fighting hard to get that win for each other."
Sheehy played the role of hero hitting a walk-off single to end the contest and give Iowa (13-7) the series win over Indiana.
"It was an exciting game the whole way through," said Sheehy. "Everybody came up when they needed to in certain situations. I'm glad I was able to come through for my teammates, just like they had done in previous innings to keep the game rolling and get that win."
Senior pitcher Lauren Shaw improved to 3-0 on the season picking up the win for the Hawkeyes in four innings of relief. Senior Allison Doocy started the contest and struck out seven batters, while surrendering only one run.
Indiana (8-10) scored in the fifth inning after a two-out single and double. The Hawkeyes broke through with their first hit in the bottom of the seventh inning, a double down the left field line by Lindy Milkowski. Avery Guy, pinch running for Milkowski, would reach third on a single by Marissa Peek. With two down in the bottom of the seventh, Ashley Hamilton reached on a catchers interference call. Klosterman would single up the middle to score the tying run.
In the bottom of the 10th, with Diaz on second for the international tiebreaker, Klosterman would lay down a sacrifice bunt to move her over to third. With two outs, Sheehy singled and scored the game-winning RBI.
- This was the seventh extra-inning game for Iowa, who improved to 5-2 in those contests.
- The Hawkeyes have won 11 of their last 14.
- Iowa won its fourth series of the season (Penn State, Maryland, Purdue, and Indiana).
- The pitching staff had a combined 1.13 ERA in the four-game series, allowing only five runs over 31 innings.
"It is crazy every time we have an extra inning game. It is like their energy accelerates. They increase their focus and discipline when we get in extra innings. It is interesting to see how they get motivated more once we get to extra innings. It is fun to watch. It's fun to see them come in and want to be the one to come in for the big hit."
The Hawkeyes travel to Madison, Wisconsin, to take on Wisconsin Badgers in a four-game series on April 9-11.


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The 3A IHSAA State Championship game was one of domination as the Fort Wayne Concordia Lutheran Cadets beat Lawrenceburg handily.
This was Lawrenceburg's first foray into Lucas Oil Stadium, a RCA Dome appearance in 1985 where they claimed a runner-up spot was their last appearance this deep in the tournament.
Fort Wayne Concordia Lutheran was making their first appearance at the state football final level.


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- Home
- Funded Programs
- Treatment
- Recovery Houses
- Sheffield Place Treatment For Homeless Mothers
Sheffield Place Treatment For Homeless Mothers |
Founded in 1991, Sheffield Place is a treatment and supportive housing program that focuses exclusively on homeless and deeply traumatized single mothers with children. These mothers with multiple barriers to success, including addiction and mental health issues.
Sheffield Place delviers all services on-site, where these families live, thus making care accessible.
The mission of Sheffield Place is "to empower homeless mothers and their children to heal from their trauma and become self-sufficienct."
Sheffield Place provides treatment services and supportive housing to homeless mothers and their children. The mothers at Sheffield Place demonstrate the pervasive, negative effects of severe trauma. Like their mothers, the children bear deep emotional and often physical scars caused by exposure to pervasive alcohol and drug abuse; domestic violence; sexual, physical, emotional, verbal abuse; physical and emotional neglect; neighborhood violence; and the trauma of homelessness itself.
In 2021, 90% of the mothers had mental health issues; 88% had addiction issues; 84% experienced domestic violence; 25% grew up in foster care or were runaways; 23% had at least one felony conviction; and 60% had no diploma or GED.
Treatment services provided include individual therapy, therapy and educational groups, case management, employment assistance, substance abuse counseling-case management, recovery support, relapse prevention and housing.
The overall goal is healthy, self-sufficient families who contribute to the community.
Program outcomes for all of our families demonstrated by:
• Improved health to be clean and sober, therefore improving family functioning
• Acquiring permanent housing
• Increased income
Families may continue to receive services after they transition to permanent housing through Sheffield's Aftercare-Outpatient programming. For those families outcomes are remaining clean and sober; maintining housing; maintaining or increase their income.
A family may stay in Aftercare services as long as they wish at no cost to the family.
Click on the window icon (upper right corner) of the map below to expand. List of all program locations is included with expanded view of map. Locations are also listed on this page below the map.
816-483-9927 • sheffieldplace.org
2023 COMBAT Funding:
2023 Service Projection:
150 People
Areas Of Focus
Sheffield Place, 6604 E 12th St, Kansas City, MO 64126


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Daily life in Russia
In this section you can read letters from some young Russians which will tell you a lot about their daily life, particularly school and after school activities but also such things as where they live, what it was like during the pandemic, how they get about in Moscow, a favourite recipe, a recommendation for a cool place to hang out in Moscow, how 12 year old boys might celebrate their birthdays, and what the ancient Russians wrote on. And more!
Most of the letters are from young Muscovites but there are two from much further afield - the republics of Ingushetia and Tatarstan so we've included information about those places too.
The main topics in this section are all based on the letters we received. Click on the questions below to find some answers.
Letters from Moscow
My name is Anya. I am 13 years old. And I am from Moscow. I live in a block of flats in a flat on the 8th floor with my parents and grandparents. I live not far from the Big Moscow Circus. When I was younger I liked it and used to go there quite often.
I study at school. My school is not near my house and it takes me about 40 minutes to get there: I walk, take a bus, then go by metro, and walk again. My school is in the centre of Moscow. It is just within ten minutes' walk of the Kremlin and Red Square and there are a lot of museums around.
I go to school six days a week (from Monday till Saturday). And we have six lessons every day (from 9 a.m. until 2.40 p.m.). That's OK, but what I don't like is that there is too much homework I have to do every day after school (even on Sunday!). So I have too little time to rest and I hardly ever go to bed before midnight.
I have a hobby. I am interested in art. Four times a week after school I go to the Art School and stay there for about 3 hours. We have 7 different lessons on drawing, painting, sculpture, decorative art and history of art. And sometimes we draw outdoors in places like parks and zoos. I love it! We also go sometimes to art trips. For example, last October I went to Florence to study the art of Renaissance and to paint a little too.
At school we have long summer holidays (for all summer!) and 3 short holidays (only for a week) in every other season. I love traveling and try to travel a lot during my holidays. For the spring and autumn school holiday I usually go somewhere with my class and our class teacher. Russia is a big country, and we have already been to many interesting places in different parts of Russia. New Year holidays I always spend with my parents. We prefer to go out of the city somewhere we can ski and skate and have other winter fun with snow. In summer I sometimes go camping with the school tourist club.
And next summer I want to go on a real archaeological expedition to Velikiy Novgorod. We will be digging up a historical site. I hope I will find some real ancient item or a birch bark manuscript. I am really looking forward to it!
Anya, from Moscow
My name is Vera.
I live in Moscow, Russia. I am 15. I am home-studying now, so I have a lot of time for hobbies.
Last year I started playing drums, and this September my friends invited me to play with them on a school contest. I was really scared and nervous at the beginning, but they turned out to be super-nice and friendly so now I am very happy to play in a band. There are five of us - Kate and Julia play the guitar, Maria plays the bass and Igor plays the piano. I also play some other instruments and love music very much.
What I like the most in Moscow are markets that tourists don't know about. One of them is called "Locus Solus". It's not just a flea market, but a very friendly place where you can always find a person to talk to. Besides, various events like master-classes or board-game competitions often take places there.
My name is Liza, I am 13 years old. I live in Moscow, Russia. I have a twin brother Luka and a big brother Nikita. We live in a block of flats on the 18th floor. Our apartment is rather small, I have to share the bedroom with my brothers.
Instead, we have a huge park just under our windows. In summer we usually ride bikes and play ping-pong there, in winter we do cross-country skiing or skating, there is a skating rink in our park with music and lights. Another favorite family activity is collecting mushrooms. There are no mushrooms in our park, we collect them in the forest near our country house in summer.
I study in a biology class. I go to school six times a week, Sunday is a day off. I, usually, wake up at 7:30 am and go to school by tube. In summer, I also can take a scooter, because it's faster. First lesson starts at 9 o'clock. Each lesson lasts 45 minutes. We have a break for 20 minutes after each lesson. I, usually, have 6-7 lessons every day and finish school about 3-3:30 p.m., but two days a week I have 8 lessons and stay at school till 5:30 pm. In the biology class Biology and Chemistry are the main subjects. So I have 8 biology lessons and 6 chemistry lessons per week. Tomorrow, during the biology lesson we will be dissecting a small shark and studying its internal organs, and then we will be drawing them. This is a bit scary, but really exciting! I am looking forward to it. After that, my friend Xenia and I are going to paint the shelf for plants in our class. We have already painted the shelf pink, and now we are going to draw flowers on it. I think it will look fabulous.
Besides, we study Geography, English, Computer science, Algebra, Geometry, History, PE and Physics in school. I also have Russian lessons, where we study how to write correctly, and literature, where we study different authors and their writings. At school we mostly read Russian authors: Pushkin, Lermontov, Chekhov, Gogol, but we read English and American authors as well: Shakespeare, Dickens, O. Henry. Now in my class we discuss To Kill a Mockingbird by Nelle Harper Lee and my twin brother studies Lord of the Flies by William Gerald Golding. I prefer to read something more contemporary though, some fantasy or stories about teenagers and school life.
Sometimes instead of studying in school I go to Zvenigorod Biostation with my biology class for several days. It is not very far from Moscow and I like it there. We study ornithology, hydrobiology and botany (field biology) there. I love nature. ;)
Despite hard studying at school, I have some hobbies as well: I play the guitar, study in the Art school and love to bake. I can cook different dishes like cakes, spaghetti, pizza, salads and others.
I have sent you the recipe of the pancakes I make sometimes. Bliny (in Russian) are quite popular in Russia.
Bye, Liza
Hi there,
I'm a 12 year old Russian boy and I'm a pupil at No.1317 school.
The main language in our school is Russian. We study maths, geography, English, history, biology, civics, PE and literature.
We start our school day at 8.30am. We usually have six lessons each day. We have a 15 minute break after every lesson. We have to wear a blue school uniform. We also can't take away our food from the canteen.
We sometimes go on day trips with our teachers. The last trip was to the theatre. We always celebrate on every occasion by making a concert, it's really interesting.
By the way I also play tennis. I have my tennis lessons from 3 to 5 times a week after school. I often take part in competitions. I have visited a lot of cities such as Ryazan, Minsk, Perm and Kazan. The last competition was in Perm and I took second place and got the cup.
Have a good day,
My name is Misha and I am 12 years old. I live in Moscow, near the main university and I get to
school by metro every day. I am in 7th grade in school.
Beside school I study in some extra classes for things I like. For example, on Mondays and Thursdays I go to my theatrical studio.
There are about 15 students and every year or half a year we are getting ready to present a show. Two years ago we presented «The Government Inspector» by Gogol', a Russian writer, and this year we are doing Chekhov. Every «class» is 2 hours and we rehearse for the show, but it is also a very happy experience because there we are all friends.
On Wednesdays I learn in VMSh – the evening maths school. Even my parents had studied in this class when they were my age! It is also for 2 hours. In the beginning everyone gets a sheet with some math problems – and we just solve them! When you solve one, you have to call one of the «teachers» - usually they are university students - and describe to him your solution.
On Thursdays, before theatre I have the «What-Where-When»-game practice. It is an intellectual competition similar to Brain Ring. Our class has our own team in the whole school's competition!
On Fridays I have even two different classes: first – the linguistic club. We discuss one or two linguistic problems, similar to the ones in the Moscow Traditional Olympiad. In those, you are given a bunch of words or sentences translated to some weird language you don't know, but somehow you are able to recognise a rule in this language and translate some sentences yourself.
The second class is VPSh – the evening programming school. Those lessons could be different week by week: sometimes we learn how to build a particular program; sometimes we are working in a practice competition for starter programmers and sometimes our teacher just explains how something works.
I like all my classes and it's good that I'm able to visit all of them.
Soon there are the New Year holidays. Every year when school ends my family and I go to our dacha in the countryside, near a small town called Hot'kovo, in Abramtsevo. We meet there altogether – me, my parents and brother, my grandparents, my other grandmother, my uncle, aunt and three cousins. Usually, in winter it's very snowy there, so – me, my cousins plus my friend who also comes for holidays with his family – we all spend the time outside. We play just primitive snowballs, or build snow castles and snowmen.
On New Year's Eve we decorate the Christmas tree and then, after midnight, we have a big dinner with all my family. Then we take the presents from under the tree and give them to whomever they are addressed to. When the presents are finished, we go out to see the fireworks.
New Year is the most important celebration of the year because we start getting ready for it long before itself and people often celebrate it with all their family.
Letters from
and Tatarstan
Name, Title
Two of our letter writers come from the Russian Republics of Ingushetia and Tatarstan. The republics are countries within Russia (properly called the Russian Federation), not independent states.
On the southern border of European Russia, high in the north Caucasus mountains, Ingushetia has an external border with Georgia to the south and internally it borders two other Russian Republics, Chechnya and North Ossetia.
Its capital is Magas and the country has under half a million inhabitants.
Ingushetia has a rich and interesting history and very beautiful mountain scenery. It first became part of the Russian empire in 19C.
Did you know: the wheel might have been invented in Ingushetia about 5000 years ago!
I'm Leila and I'm 13. I live in the best republic, Ingushetia.
I live in the countryside and because of the Covid lockdown I'm not having much fun.
I've got a large family and spend most of my time outdoors because I have to help my mum in the vegetable garden.
Because of the lockdown we had lessons online. To be honest I'm really missing school, my teachers and classmates. As for schoolwork, I'll tell you in secret that it's easier to do it in school than at home. They explain things better and everything is completely different.
Now it's the holidays and one of the things I have to do is look after the chickens – feed them, give them water, watch that our neighbour's cats don't get them. When I have free time I normally play with my friends and things like that.
I haven't told you about my old granny – she's 80 – and I also need to help her.
I hope that the rest of the summer won't be so boring, that all the lockdown problems will go away and most of all that we get to go away on holiday. Maybe to the sea, or to the mountains. We have very beautiful mountains and wonderful wildlife. My mum has relations in a mountain village so I'd like to go there too.
Leila, age 13. Ingushetia
My morning begins at 7am. When I get up the rest of the family are usually already up and my mum is making breakfast, probably fried eggs.
After breakfast I set off for school, and in winter if it's cold outside I have to put on lots of warm clothes so that I don't freeze.
I'm at School No. 167, which is 10 minutes walk from my home. My friend Samira often walks with me – we are in the same class. Most days we have five 40 minute lessons and a long break when we have lunch in the canteen. I don't like the food there, particularly the meatballs, but sometimes they make something good. I often take a packed lunch – apple, chocolate, biscuits and juice.
When lessons are finished I have afterschool classes: music school, piano, choir, English, fashion club, dance, computer studies, art. I've almost no free time.
I get home around 6 or 7 in the evening and in the winter it's getting dark by then. I've still got my homework to do.
I like to message friends on social media and lie on the sofa with my phone. Later in the evening when my parents have put my little sister to bed we watch some TV together or play a board game.
Sabrina, age 11. Tatarstan
Tatarstan is also in European Russia, on the river Volga about 1000 miles from Moscow on the west and bordering the Ural mountains on the east. It has a population of 3.7m people.
An important trading area before the Mongols took it over in the 13C, Tatarstan has been ruled from Moscow since Ivan the Terrible captured Kazan, its capital, in the 16C. Converted to Islam in the 10C Tatarstan is still an important Islamic republic, and nearly 60% of the population today are Muslim.
Did you know: a delicious crunchy sweet called chakchak (fried scraps of dough soaked in honey) is very popular in Tatarstan.
Where do people live?
The great majority of Russians live in flats, mostly built in the 20C or more recently. Many flats have children's playgrounds at the back, like these.
Other types of Russian housing are "dachas" (holiday houses in the countryside, often with vegetable gardens, see below left); misnamed "cottages" (kottedzhi in Russian) which are expensive suburban houses for the wealthy like the estate in the centre photograph below; and a diminishing number of old wooden houses, mainly in provincial towns (the example on the far right below is in Syzran on the Volga near Saratov). They have beautiful carvings but are sadly often in poor condition.
See Hot'kovo in winter in this video:
On the left is the main building of Anya's school. Her classroom is in the old building (centre) and she also sent us a photograph of what that looked like 100 years ago.
Most schools have numbers not names – Nikita tells us he goes to School No. 1317 and Sabrina is at School No. 167.
Schools have eleven classes – pupils start in Class 1 at 6 or 7 years old and finish in class 11 at 17 or 18. Many children have had 3 or 4 years in kindergarten before they start school so will have learned the basics of reading and arithmetic there.
The school year starts on 1 September which is the Day of Knowledge (or the "First Bell") and treated like a festival. This video shows Class 1 pupils taking part in events at their new school with flowers for their teacher and a poetry recital.
The long summer holiday lasts from the beginning of June to the end of August.
Not all schools have a uniform but some do.
Most schools are coeducational.
What else would you like to know?
In larger cities like Moscow and St Petersburg the Metro (underground) is quickest for long distances. This is part of the Moscow Metro map: Anya goes to school on the red line, which goes over the river and right into the centre.
You would find it easy to spot a Metro station because they have a large M in front.
The stations are very grand and don't have advertisements on the walls. Here are some examples – can you find them on the map?
Other forms of transport include buses, trolleybuses, trams, minibus-taxis and taxis. Or scooter in summer? Cycling isn't so popular due to dangerous traffic and exhaust fumes as well as the cold weather in winter - but enthusiasts have started an annual Winter Bike Ride along the river beside the Kremlin walls. The picture at the top of this section shows what that route usually looks like.
These are greetings cards for some of the main holidays celebrated in Russia.
31 December
Feb / March
8 March
March / April
9 May
Misha and Ania sent us descriptions of NEW YEAR and MASLENITSA. What can you find out about the other holidays?
Misha: "On NEW YEAR'S EVE we decorate the Christmas tree and then, after midnight, we have a big dinner with all my family. Then we take the presents from under the tree and give them to whomever they are addressed to. When the presents are finished, we go out to see the fireworks. New Year is the most important celebration of the year because we start getting ready for it long before itself and people often celebrate it with all their family."
Ania: "MASLENITSA is another feast people celebrate in Russia. It takes place in late February or early March, just before the Great Lent. It lasts for a week and in every home people bake pancakes and sometimes go to see their relatives or friends to eat pancakes together. There are different recipes of pancakes ('bliny' and 'oladi' in Russian), but my favourite are thin ones made with milk and yeasts, my mum cooks them only during Maslenitsa. Our school usually organizes charity fairs that week, children can buy home-made pancakes and cookies, and other various home-made crafts which they brought from home. For younger children some games and game competitions are organized in the schoolyard. At the end they also watch how Maslenitsa (a big doll) is burnt in a bonfire. I've never thought about what the Maslenitsa doll symbolises. Probably it is a pagan symbol."
The Maslenitsa doll
Younger children play games at Maslenitsa
Liza has a good blini recipe!
Russians like to start their main meal of the day with soup, and a favourite soup in both Russia and nearby Ukraine is Borshch. It is often accompanied by "black" bread - actually dark brown rye bread which you can see in the header picture above.
Blini are also very popular in Russia, with a variety of fillings. At Maslenitsa they are the main dish, like pancakes on Shrove Tuesday in the UK.
And Russians also make a variety of winter salads with cooked vegetables - their favourite is often the "Olivier Salad".
Here are some recipes:
3 beetroots, 2 potatoes, 2 carrots
¼ cabbage, 1 onion
3 teaspoons tomato puree
4teaspoons butter
I litre stock (stock cubes in boiling water are fine)
Salt and pepper to taste
1 teaspoon sour cream and (if you can find it) a sprinkling of dill to garnish each bowl.
Wash the vegetables. Peel and chop the beetroot, carrot and potato, slice the cabbage and onion thinly.
Put all the prepared vegetables into a saucepan.
Add the tomato puree (or a thinly chopped tomato) and cover with hot water or stock.
Bring to the boil and simmer for about 30 minutes without covering the pan. Stir occasionally.
Add salt and pepper and cook for another 10 minutes or so.
Delicious served with sour cream and finely chopped herbs (eg dill).
Makes approx. 6 servings
Liza's recipe for blini (pancakes)
To make the dough you need:
1 cup (130 g) of flour
1 teaspoon of baking powder
2 eggs
½ teaspoon of salt
2 tablespoons of sugar
1 cup (250 ml) of milk
1 tablespoon of cooking oil
The recipe:
Combine and mix all the ingredients well in a large bowl.
Spoon the batter into the hot frying pan; cook on both sides until golden brown.
Serve the pancakes with honey, jam, caviar, sour cream or cheese
Olivier Salad (Russian Salad)
6 large potatoes
2 medium carrots
6 eggs
4 large pickled guerkins
250g cooked meat OR mushrooms
1 small can of peas (or use frozen peas)
mayonnaise and (optional) sour cream
salt and pepper to season; dill to flavour and decorate
Peel and boil the potatoes and carrots until cooked
Boil the eggs for 8 minutes
Peel and dice the potatoes and carrots into small cubes and chop the guerkins
Dice the meat or mushrooms
Mix everything together
Drain the peas and add them
Mix with mayonnaise (can be combined with sour cream)
Add salt and pepper to season. Scatter chopped dill on top
Store in the refrigerator until ready to eat


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What happened to the original Bronson from Round The Twist?
/Three different actors played the lovable younger sibling Bronson in the iconic Australian TV show Round the Twist. Two of them continued in show business, but the first disappeared from the public eye ... until now.
Rodney McLennan wasn't easy to track down.
He has no website, Instagram, Twitter or LinkedIn and his Facebook page is not in his real name.
Apart from a couple of paragraphs from the 2001 Round the Twist website, only speculation existed about his fate.
But after a search Background Briefing would be proud of, we found him.
When I called into his house in Brisbane he described our conversation as "exceptionally bizarre" because he had always tried his best to keep a low profile. This was his first radio interview.
"Part of that would have been from the overall experience of being a child actor," he said.
"I decided I didn't want to be in the limelight."
McLennan remembers having genuine input into Bronson's personality when the character first came to life in 1989. That was a long time ago, but the experience has followed him his entire life.
"Everywhere I go for some reason or another people find out, usually from friends of friends," he said.
"Or I might start a new job in a different city and within three days the entire office knows about it.
"Just a couple of weeks ago I was working somewhere and I had staff who were born eight years after it was filmed who were all excited about the fact I had this story, and I was like: 'How is this relevant?'"
McLennan had several acting gigs before and after Round the Twist. Despite having a tutor on set during the TV jobs, he feels he got behind at school.
"I struggled with it and found it very emotionally challenging. I missed fundamentals of maths so I avoided maths and that just perpetuated into high school."
When McLennan became a teenager the roles just stopped coming.
"I was no longer a cute kid. I stopped meeting the preconceived notions of what they were looking for," he said.
His story is a common one, that many child actors have to deal with after initial success.
"That was my identity: being an actor and being something special," he said.
"Then when the work wasn't there anymore and I was back to being a normal kid, what do I do now? How do I feed that part of me that wants that attention?"
After leaving school early he ran off the rails. In attempt to swing things back, he joined the army as a rifleman.
It was a radical shift for a young man who grew up loving drama and the art of theatre.
"If you look at it from an emotional perspective, acting requires you to be very much in touch with your emotions while service in the military, particularly in combat related roles, was the complete opposite," he said.
After he returned from a tour of East Timor, things had changed.
"I couldn't get back in touch with that [emotional] side," he said.
"I had no interest in pursuing [acting] as a hobby or professionally.
"I don't regret it at all. I can't see it as an industry I want to work in. I wanted the stability of a regular type job."
After he returned he left the army and got a job as a triple zero call taker and police dispatcher. The sensitivities around these jobs reinforced his desire for privacy.
But with his friends and family to remind him of how unique and funny it is, he will never escape from Bronson.
His wife Corrine refuses to let him throw out fan mail he received from around the world.
"I'm glad I had the opportunity and experience," he said.
I played Rodney the classic Round the Twist theme song to see what memories it evoked, but he didn't need to hear it.
It is just so common — and besides, his kids watch the DVDs all the time.
Listen to the full episode of RN's brand new podcast The Real Thing now.


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Kofi Annan of Ghana is the seventh Secretary-General of the United Nations. The first Secretary-General to be elected from the ranks of United Nations staff, he began his first term on 1 January 1997. On 29 June 2001, acting on a recommendation by the Security Council, the General Assembly appointed him to a second term of office, beginning on 1 January 2002 and ending on 31 December 2006. FRONT PAGE SiteSearch About us Directories World Environment Day 2005 Funding cities Urbanisation - threats and benefits Urban development in Asia Urban Africa New Urbanism India's pavement dwellers under threat Guatemala 2020 America's wildlife under threat US built environment in 2030 Sustainable communities Les Halles, Paris Demolition of English homes World education Global City 2005 Slow Cities South Korean Intelligent Cities Quality of life in Canadian cities The world's costliest cities The world's most liveable cities The world's largest cities Urban slums Moscow seeks investors Problems facing Eastern European Cities City Mayors reports news from towns and cities around the world. Worldwide | Elections | North America | Latin America | Europe | Asia | Africa | Events | Mayors from The Americas, Europe. Asia, Australia and Africa are competing for the annual World Mayor Award. More City Mayors ranks the world's largest as well as richest cities and urban areas. It also ranks the cities in individual countries, and provides a list of the capital cities of some 200 sovereign countries. More City Mayors reports political events, analyses the issues and depicts the main players. More City Mayors describes and explains the structures and workings of local government in Europe, The Americas, Asia, Australia and Africa. More City Mayors profiles city leaders from around the world and questions them about their achievements, policies and aims. More City Mayors deals with economic and investment issues affecting towns and cities. More City Mayors reports on how business developments impact on cities and examines cooperation between cities and the private sector. More City Mayors describes and explains financial issues affecting local government. More City Mayors lists and features urban events, conferences and conventions aimed at urban decision makers and those with an interst in cities worldwide. More City Mayors reports urban environmental developments and examines the challenges faced by cities worldwide. More City Mayors reports on and discusses urban development issues in developed and developing countries. More City Mayors reports on developments in urban society and behaviour and reviews relevant research. More City Mayors deals with urban transport issues in developed and developing countries and features the world's greatest metro systems. More City Mayors examines education issues and policies affecting children and adults in urban areas. More City Mayors investigates health issues affecting urban areas with an emphasis on health in cities in developing countries. More City Mayors examines the importance of urban tourism to city economies. More City Mayors examines the contributions history and culture make to urban society and environment. More City Mayors describes the history, architecture and politics of the greatest city halls in the world. More City Mayors invites readers to write short stories about people in cities around the world. More City Mayors questions those who govern the world's cities and talks to men and women who contribute to urban society and environment. More City Mayors profiles national and international organisations representing cities as well as those dealing with urban issues. More City Mayors reports on major national and international sporting events and their impact on cities. More City Mayors lists cities and city organisations, profiles individual mayors and provides information on hundreds of urban events. More |
Kofi Annan appeals to world's cities