Boris Yeltsin, Russia's first democratically elected president, died last weekend at the age of 76, well above the average russina male life expectancy.

He will be remembered as the first democrtatically elected russian president, a political, economic and social reformer, and for putting down the last atempt by soviet hardliners to retake control of russia in an anti-democratic coup.

The COD was reported as heart failure.

There are unconfirmed reports that, during the autopsy, Yeltsin's liver burst free of his abdomen, subdued the attending physicians, consumed every trace of alcohol in the hospital and is now on a rampage thru moscow, forcibly absorbing every trace of alcohol it can find, even draining the radiators of russian tanks sent to combat it.

Again, unconfirmed reports state the Yelstin's liver has now reached the size of a 4 story office building and continues to seek out and absorb every last molecule of alcohol it can find. The entire russian army has been unable to defeat the rampaging organ. As one russian military official was reportedly quoted as saying: "If that thing survived 76 years inside comrade yelstin, I don't think it can be killed."

The russian government is reportedly considering the use of a tactical nuclear weapon if all else fails to halt the seemingly unstoppable gland from consuming every trace of alcohol in russia, leading to the greatest disaster to ever befall the troubled nation.

Actually, what's amazing to me is that this man, the first democratically elected president of Russia ever, was 73 when he died. In our lifetime.

I don;t know exactly why, but it floors me.

Man I remember when he was in charge.  Talk about a person who defined an era and landmarked change.  Kind of a 'well I'll be damned' moment.

He may have been more-or-less democratically elected in June 1991, but contrary to the Russian Federation constitution he appointed himself Prime Minister for his first year; in December 1991 he ignored the results of the USSR referendum in which the people voted to keep the USSR, and with the Ukraine and Belarus Presidents, dissolved it, replacing it with the CIS. He then went onto a programme of selling off the entire country cheap, sending tens of millions into poverty while enriching two dozen men. His "achievement" here was to halve Russian GDP in a mere four years, a feat only matched by the German invasion in 1940-41. By 1993 the Russian Parliament had had enough, and tried to remove him; he responded by sending tanks against the Parliament, shelling it. In 1998, after borrowing US$40 billion from the IMF to enrich more of his buddies, he had Russia default on its debt, worsening the economic crisis. Despite the dissolution of the USSR, he managed to keep Russia involved in conflicts in the former Soviet Republics of Georgia, Tajikstan, etc. He tried but failed to turn the 1999 NATO war against Serbia into a wider European war.

He was tyrannical, corrupt, and incompetent. I'm sure his family will miss him - no-one else will.

Quote from: JimBobOzHe was tyrannical, corrupt, and incompetent. I'm sure his family will miss him - no-one else will.

What else is new? Still very interesting. End of an era and all that.
Something new is brewing for the world, but I wonder what?

Quote from: Thanatos02What else is new? Still very interesting. End of an era and all that.
Something new is brewing for the world, but I wonder what?

 Brewing?... for the world?

 Hopefully a better cup of coffee and more sanity and common sense in general.

- Ed C.

Quote from: KoltarBrewing?... for the world?

 Hopefully a better cup of coffee and more sanity and common sense in general.

- Ed C.

Ha!  You've got no chance.

- Cynicaldave

Quote from: KoltarBrewing?... for the world?

 Hopefully a better cup of coffee and more sanity and common sense in general.

- Ed C.

I hope its a really nice beer.

Quote from: joewolzI hope its a really nice beer.

I hope you don't have anything against the good coffee, though.

Honestly, deaths like this make me think. Many of the leaders whose ideology defined the last generation are retiring or dieing. While I think that it is, perhaps, futile to really imagine the upcoming generation of innovators and statesmen to be better ethically, I believe that there is a fundimental shift in the conciousness of the new era.
Some of the shifts, well, I do not like them. But I hated much of the ideology of yesteryear.

I have a new French Roast. Imma put it on...

Quote from: Dominus NoxThere are unconfirmed reports that, during the autopsy, Yeltsin's liver burst free of his abdomen, subdued the attending physicians, consumed every trace of alcohol in the hospital and is now on a rampage thru moscow, forcibly absorbing every trace of alcohol it can find, even draining the radiators of russian tanks sent to combat it.

Again, unconfirmed reports state the Yelstin's liver has now reached the size of a 4 story office building and continues to seek out and absorb every last molecule of alcohol it can find. The entire russian army has been unable to defeat the rampaging organ. As one russian military official was reportedly quoted as saying: "If that thing survived 76 years inside comrade yelstin, I don't think it can be killed."

The russian government is reportedly considering the use of a tactical nuclear weapon if all else fails to halt the seemingly unstoppable gland from consuming every trace of alcohol in russia, leading to the greatest disaster to ever befall the troubled nation.

If ever I would get to play Promethean, I'm soo going to use that.

It seems he isn't well remembered in Russia. The Russian state television had the following to say about him: "As Russia's first president, he did many things for the first time" (and I'm not kidding here!). Kind of anticlimactic...

Quote from: ThranduilIt seems he isn't well remembered in Russia. The Russian state television had the following to say about him: "As Russia's first president, he did many things for the first time" (and I'm not kidding here!). Kind of anticlimactic...

Talk about damning with faint praise...


TGA

I'm sure some will mourn the end of Yeltsin's brief time in power.  But, all in all, most are relieved that Russia has a properly Lawful Evil Overlord in charge this time around.  I mean, seriously, their leader was a ranking member of the KGB.  That's like electing a ninja to the Oval Office.

The world has lost not only a Russian politician, but also a dancer.