Vladimir Putin Releases Judo DVD
Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin apparently has something to prove -- we suspect he's trying to compensate for something we won't identify. In celebration of his 56th birthday, the former KGB agent has released a DVD that stars himself, alongside Japanese and Russian specialists, demonstrating Judo techniques. 'Let's Learn Judo with Vladimir Putin' (seriously, that's the title) features Putin displaying a surprising level of strength and speed while taking down opponents with ease and executing difficult grappling techniques.
As if the slightly bizarre notion of a politician releasing a martial arts instructional video weren't enough, Putin also released a series of photos of himself bare-chested running through the woods, as well as white water rafting and horseback riding in fatigues.
This is the same man who last year released photos of himself shooting a tiger with a tranquilizer dart to save journalists, and who also took members of the press on a fishing trip where he slept under a thin blanket, rather than in a sleeping bag (despite temperatures that dipped below freezing during the night).
These sort of testosterone-fueled shenanigans make President Bush's photo ops (like brush-clearing adventures on the ranch) seem downright wussy by comparison. [From: Telegraph]
