The Russian political opposition's treasured fantasy is the Vladimir Putin abuse of power scandal. There would be a trial, during which a teary-eyed Putin would confess to economic crimes committed. Afterwards, he'd be led off to Siberia in handcuffs. Yet, after nine years as president and two as prime minister...

At the Vancouver Olympics, Evgeni Plushenko was not given the gold. Plushenko, whose feelings were hurt, told his wife, Yana Rudkovskaya, that he thought the figure skating world was "stopped."

Ms. Rudkovskaya--a famous business woman, popular television producer and winner of the Diamond Hairpin Prize for the country's best...

It's clear by now that Barack Obama is a president whose public persona provokes wide-ranging and contradictory feelings among Americans. That much was made clear by the encomium and blame-slinging aired across America in honor of the President's first 100 days in office. For Americans, the most important criterion for...