Grasshopper's Avatar

Thanks for answering Worsham.
Maine? Interesting. Would have been Massachusetts then. They did go far away (almost Canada, like Marc suggested).

@idk_iam_swiss:

I love kitties!!

Dogs are cool but to me cats rule. I have always had kitties throughout my life so I love kitties as well!!

During the last session of our teaching workshop, participants were asked to state their personal goals for the immediate future.  One teacher vowed to update photo albums, another to lose weight.  The goal that got the most response, however, was given by a slightly out-of-shape kindergarten teacher.  “I resolve to exercise until I can complete a 20-minute workout in less than an hour.”

@Cmdr:

I fixed that just for you.  Not that you have noticed….ya know, that’s almost as bad as when my husband fails to notice I got a new haircut.

The babymomma would never notice when I shaved my face.  Even when she saw me with facial hair before I went into the shower, and none when immediately when I came out.  Always had to ask if I shaved.

Should be obvious.

I just finished reading the abridged memoirs of Winston Churchill, covering WWII of course. It was new for me to get the British perspective, and very informative.

Also, A Feast for Crows by George R.R. Martin.

For those about to read The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich- excellent book- I’ve read it twice. You won’t be disappointed.

221b - AFAIK partial-birth abortions are permitted in the US - at least within certain realms (not in Canada yet - even Mortgentaler - the king of the pro-choice movement - believes that abortion after 18-odd weeks is murder).

w.r.t. the articles you posted - its hard to figure out what exactly they are talking about.
We have had newbirths on the unit that were taken off of life-support a few times. It is a sad process, but it really only happens when it is understood that the child has already died. At the same time, we never actually “killed” any of these children.

Finally - w.r.t. euthanasia - this should be debated in a separate topic. I have a problem with “pain” being a reason to kill people. IMO we need to work on our palliative care methods. I wonder if the Dutch are just behind the 8-ball on this one . . . .

I think most of the backing came due to two facts:
(1) the USSR needed reforms, that was obvious.
Still, they probably wanted a long term leader that could be influenced => a younger one, after the two short reigns of Andropov and what-was-his-name… Probably, the influentials wanted some change, but surely not that much that it would threaten their power-base, one of the reasons for the coup that failed due to Jelzins help for Gorbachev.
(2) The general secretary and all the other positions he fills made him the most powerful man in the USSR. Probably, whoever put Gorbachev into place, underestimated him. Pretty much the same underestimation that Hitler faced when he was appointed Chancellor, but luckily Gorbachev used that to reform positively, and i consider the new freedom of information, the right to ask wether the party is right and that the crucial reform.

So, I don’t think that there was “real” backing, i believe Gorbachev was kind of a compromise candidate, kind of a makeshift. Of course, once he was into power, you ccouldn’t remove instantly, that would have meant that the party made a mistake (which was not “allowed” before Gorbachev). And he was clever enough to stay into power, and use his popularity at the beginning (which soon, after the economy started to collapse openly, was reduced to more or less nothing) to enforece the reforms.