The First US-Branded Hotel In Cuba Is Now Open

[uhnope]

31. sorry but I have to correct you on that one there.

Life in Eastern Europe has improved exponentially for a huge percentage of the local citizens since the collapse of the Soviet dictatorship. From food to medicine to infrastructure to standard of living, not to mention basic freedoms to speak, worship, travel, choose their political leaders and congregate. Yes there are a lot of tourists but it's not a "playground for the rich" situation, there are tourists from all over and not just rich ones. The life and opportunities for the average 20 year old in Prague or Bratislava or even Bucharest are almost incomparably better now than in 1989. The Baltics have flourished, relatively, Of course, the further away you get from Western Europe, or towards the influence of Russia--especially the countries that once made up the USSR--this is less so. Moldova, for example, is in a pretty sad state. Ukraine is really suffering for being on the border of Russia, of course, but at least they have the freedom to travel and worship and read whatever they want.