As he turned 62 Tuesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin is more popular in Russia than ever before — or at least Russia's notoriously unreliable pollsters say so. That means love and devotion for the country's sole remaining decision-maker must take the most bizarre forms ever.
Tuesday's gifts and dedications to the president included:
• A legislative proposal to celebrate Oct. 7 as "Polite People's Day." "Polite People" is a Russian term for the unmarked soldiers who annexed Crimea in March and were later revealed as crack Russian airborne troops. The Kremlin has acknowledged but not endorsed the proposal.