First Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev polled at 80 percent in a recent survey, compared with 1 percent for the only opposition candidate then in the running, former Prime Minister Mikhail Kasyanov.

As a presidential candidate, what values and ideas does First Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev stand for? According to the latest VTsIOM survey, with only five weeks remaining until the March 8 presidential election, 65 percent of the people still have no idea. And considering that Medvedev's victory was a foregone conclusion from the moment President Vladimir Putin chose him as his successor, I think the word vybory, which means ""elections"" and, in the singular, ""choice,"" has little relevance to what will take place on March 8. Instead, the word golosovaniye, which means ""voting,"" is a better word to describe the presidential election.

Once a proud Siberian city on the Irtysh, Omsk bears the scars of the country's Revolutionary struggle.

Golden Baltic sprats drowning in golden oil in a golden tin can added festivity to parties during Soviet times, especially on New Year's, when they were a dinner table must-have. Sprats are a specific type of small herring-like fish, canned in a signature way: The fish is smoked over alder wood cuttings and then covered with oil. The smoking method is traditional for Baltic countries, especially Latvia. Eventually, sprats became so popular in the Soviet Union that any type of fish canned in oil were called shproty. Sprats over buttered black bread garnished with a sprig of parsley was a classic canape that diversified ham-and-cheese sandwiches.

Pyatnitskaya Ulitsa is already home to many bars and restaurants, so Paparazzi certainly has its work cut out for it trying to make a name for itself. It's a classic bar, located in basement, with brick, cellar-like vaulted ceilings, which make for a cozy setting. The paparazzi theme is created with celebrity-gossip magazine covers in the stairwell, black-and-white photos around the walls, and reels of film hanging from the air-conditioning vents. The mannequin with a camera slung around his neck is a slightly creepy addition.