Is Vladimir Putin Dead?

Vladimir PutinRussian President Vladimir Putin has not been seen in public since March 5th, and the Internet is abuzz with rumors that he is either seriously ill or dead.  So could it be possible that there is anything to these rumors?  At this point, Russian officials insist that Putin is just fine and that he isn’t even ill.  But a trip that Putin was supposed to make to meet with the presidents of Kazakhstan and Belarus was abruptly canceled.  A speech that Putin was supposed to make to his old friends at the Federal Security Service was also suspiciously canceled.  So what in the world is going on here?  Of course Putin could put an immediate end to all of these rumors by appearing in public, but he has chosen not to do that so far.  But why wouldn’t he?  Is more going on inside Russia than meets the eye? (Read More...)