>You may find this article interesting:
>
>http://www.worldthreats.com/russia_former_ussr/From%20Russia%20With%20Terror.htm
>
>I'm not saying any of it is accurate, but it is interesting.

I don't really know what to say about this. Pacepa is a very controversial character. Some informations in that article are plain wrong or misguiding. The guy changed the facts to make him look better.

In any case, he was chief of Securitate (political police). The closest matches are Gestapo in WWII's Germany, STASI in German Democrat Republic, NKVD/KGB in USSR. His place is in jail, serving a life sentence, for the murders he ordered here. However, he lives in US and no one seem to bother him. I'm not commenting anything.

>
>Tracy
>
>How 'wrong' and outdated is the below perspective? Was it wrong to begin with or has it changed a lot since then and things are much better now in those areas?
>
>http://www.peacecorpswriters.org/pages/2002/0207/207letroma.html

The letter is pretty exact. It describes a rural area. At this moment Romania is a country of contrasts. In Bucharest you can see opulence and wealth, you can see Mabachs and Lamborghini running in streets. Go 20 miles out of Bucharest and you are in back in 1950. Go further and you can find places where people lives in XIX century.

Almost everything is as the letter described. I would not agree about the F word. Well.. you know, there are movies on TV. We are not THAT stupid to think the F word means Howdy, neighbor :)

Hopefully, this will improve in near future. Technology and knowledge disperses from Bucharest and major cities as waves on water. The main problem is the mentality. This generation is an institutionalized one. Every 40+ romanian raised and formed himself as a person under heavy communism mentality. Only few managed to change. There is no will for doing businesses for yourself. Most romanians I know prefer to be employees on a state-controled company and get their lousy salaries once/twice a month. By 'lousy' I really mean it. Medium income in Romania is about 150 USD. An average computer worth 800 USD. Go figure.

Thank you again.