ABSTRACT
One experience from a time of deep political change comes back to me repeatedly. A few years ago I was lecturing in the Baltic state of Estonia not long after the fall of the Soviet Union. Our generous hosts had arranged for me and for my family to stay in a rather large apartment, the former KGB headquarters, close to the center of town, across from a small store. After buying some groceries, we settled into our living room and saw, against one wall, a large wooden structure. It was several feet long and almost as tall. In the middle of this rather large unadorned edifice was a small glass screen, about the size of a large pizza. Oh, we thought, it must be a television. We switched it on, and sure enough, after warming up, the screen began playing images that were accompanied by Russian language.
