posted
Okay - is it just me -- or does this seem like a long way down from his "peak" as the President of one of the largest nations in the world?
Mikhail Gorbachev is coming to Kansas to play chess at the little Bethany College in the small community of Lindsborg (their 125th anniversary celebration).
I mean -- I think this is great. I'm tempted to travel there (it isn't far from me) simply to see him, although I don't consider chess a 'spectator sport'.
But heck -- we can't even get our own President to visit our little state. I'm really surprised Gorbachev is doing this kind of tour now.....
posted
I think it's fabulous. Once you've been the leader of the bound world, there's no place to go but down. Traveling around the US playing games sounds wonderful.
Posts: 26077 | Registered: Mar 2000
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posted
A lot of big wig people travel. I'm surprised it is for chess in this case... I remember hearing from many visiting people, Margaret Thatcher being the one I still remember well.
Perhaps the elevated elite are mingling with us lowlies more often... Kinda like when Card posts on this forum.
Posts: 1209 | Registered: Dec 2003
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He's coming to my college (DePauw) to give a speech in a few weeks. But we tend to get really excellent speakers here - although Gorbachev is the most important one we've had in awhile.
Posts: 2409 | Registered: Sep 2003
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Blayne Bradley
unregistered
posted
I wanna see Gorbachev! There's so much I'ld want to talk to him about!
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posted
I got Gorbachev's autograph at an election rally for students in Moscow in 1996. I even talked to him.
Of course, all I said was "Spasibo, Mikhail Sergeevich!" when I got the autograph. But I did make eye contact.
By the way, he didn't do very well in the election, getting less votes than "none of the above."
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posted
Another older disposed of great leader, Winston Churchill, traveled the college circuit in the 50's and 60's. He visited a small college in Missouri, called Westminster, right plum smack in the middle of Missouri farm country. The schools biggest previous claim to fame was it was close to the Missouri State Fair.
During his small speech in the middle of nowhere he said some amazing things that set the tone of the cold war for 40 years.
It was there he coined the phrase "Iron Curtain".
So big leaders in small town America is not the same as big leaders falling down.
Posts: 11895 | Registered: Apr 2002
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posted
Yea, I looked it up earlier. I have a class at 3:30 on Thursdays. I could maybe ask the prof to let me skip, but we only have it once a week and the grade is entirely attendance based, so I'm not thinking it will work.
Posts: 4655 | Registered: Jan 2002
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quote:I mean -- I think this is great. I'm tempted to travel there (it isn't far from me) simply to see him, although I don't consider chess a 'spectator sport'.
Oh sure... Chess is a big deal in Russia too. Quite a few Grand Masters have come from there.
Posts: 4953 | Registered: Jan 2004
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