Word: speech
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: during 1980-1989
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
Eventually the speech of this renowned oracle, this spirit medium for dead plants, became just so much background noise--like the pounding of the surf, or the whine of a chainsaw. The only bits of excitement were the occasional long periods of silence, each one of which caused me to look up from my notes, half-expecting it to be followed by a dull thud and a cry for oxygen or a taxidermist...
...poor production practices with timid silence. The Pavlovian technique paid off. The second time he complained about slipshod work habits, he received an instant ovation. Jested Gorbachev: "Now I see I have twice won your applause by reminding you of the need for change." At the end of his speech, he glanced at his watch after a minute of applause. The cheers ceased abruptly...
Nothing seemed immune to criticism during Gorbachev's speech. He declared, "The party will continue to get rid of all those who discredit the name of Communist." Gorbachev boasted that his self-proclaimed war against alcoholism is getting results. "Drunkenness has been elbowed out of factories, and there is less of it in public places," he said. Later, at an unusual news conference, Politburo Member Geidar Aliyev said that half of the state's retail trade revenue, worth about $446 billion a year, had come from alcohol. He claimed that reduced liquor sales had slashed that income by $66 billion...
...momentous goings-on inside the Moscow hall, reaction among ordinary Soviets to the congress, which will end this week, was subdued. A giant television screen on Moscow's Kalinin Prospect carried Gorbachev's speech live, but most pedestrians passed it by without a glance. Said a 49- year-old schoolteacher: "I've seen a lot of congresses. One more won't turn the world upside down." That cynicism, though, seems to be as outdated in Moscow as vodka-swigging parties. Said one elderly Muscovite: "It's good to have a nice young man like Gorbachev in charge." Indeed, the Soviet...
Mexican President Miguel de la Madrid Hurtado declared in a speech Feb. 21 that his government can tighten its belt no further and that it is time for some "sacrifices" from international bankers. The President proposed that Mexico's payments be reduced to what it can afford, but he offered few specifics. Some Mexican officials have hinted that the country wants a stretched-out repayment schedule and a reduction in the average interest rate on its loans from 10% to 6%, which would reduce its annual debt-service load by $4 billion a year...