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By ALISON MUTLER Associated Press

BUCHAREST, Romania (AP) - Romania has changed dramatically in the 25 years since the people rose up against dictator Nicolae Ceausescu, executed him and began the slow transformation to a market economy and democracy.

Here are five ways that daily life has changed:

REGISTERED TYPEWRITERS TO SMART PHONES

Under communism, typewriters could not be bought in the shops, because the regime was fearful of people distributing anti-government manifestos. Those who had typewriters had to register them with the police every year and explain why they needed them.

Today even young children have smart phones and tablets and people enjoy high-speed Internet. One thing that has gone backward? Modern keyboards do not have diacritics and many don't bother to install the software to use the cedillas and accents that Romanian uses, a source of lament for language purists.

CARS BANNED IN WINTER....NOW PARKED ALL OVER THE SIDEWALK

Ceausescu rationed everything from bread to meat and gasoline. The few people who had cars could only get 20 liters (5.3 gallons) a month, often with waits at the pump of up to 48 hours. Private car use was banned altogether in the winter in the 1980s as Ceausescu squeezed people even further to pay off the country's foreign debt.

Today in Bucharest, where more than a tenth of the Romanian population lives, it can take two hours to cross the city when traffic is bad and cars clog the sidewalks, forcing pedestrians to walk in the road. Affluent families often have several cars, with SUVS being a favorite even though Bucharest has no hills or rough terrain. Some SUVS cost as much as an apartment.

TWO HOURS OF TV A DAY

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Communism to capitalism: Romania sees huge changes - Quincy Herald-Whig | Illinois & Missouri News, Sports

Hundreds of Cuban-Americans took to the streets of Miami on Saturday to protest against US President Barack Obamas plans to restore relations with Havana.

Washington has said the historic end of over fifty years of hostilities between the two countries would not bring quick changes but ultimately would lead to greater freedom in Cuba.

I think that what is happening is nothing but this administration surrendering to prevent democracy reaching Cuba. Its making concessions for a dictatorship that is not willing to make changes, explained protester Ninoska Perez Castelln.

Meanwhile in Havana, Cuban president Raul Castro welcomed Washingtons move to normalise relations, which allows both countries to discuss matters on equal terms. However, he also warned that the US must respect communist rule in Cuba.

No one should think that in order to improve relations with the United States, Cuba should renounce the ideas for which it has fought for over a century, said Raul Castro.

The Cuban president also confirmed the country would attend the Summit of the Americas in Panama next April, where for the first time in more than fifty years a Cuban president will sit at the same round table as a president of the US.

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Castro's communism pledge as Cuban-Americans protest in Miami

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TIME Ideas politics Rand Paul: Cuba Isolationists Just Dont Get It T.J. KirkpatrickGetty Images; Rogelio V. Solis.AP

Paul is the junior U.S. Senator for Kentucky.

I grew up in a family that despised, not only communism, but collectivism, socialism and any ism that deprived the individual of his or her natural rights.

As a kid, I listened to the stories of an old Ukrainian fisherman who talked of fighting the Bolsheviks. More times than I can remember, Ive heard horror stories of those who fled Castros Cuba. I ran for office to fight for the individual and against statism of any kind anywhere and yet I think a policy of isolationism toward Cuba is misplaced and hasnt worked.

I support engagement, diplomacy, and trade with Cuba, China, Vietnam, and many countries with less than stellar human rights records, because I believe that once enslaved people taste freedom and see the products of capitalism they will become hungry for freedom themselves.

President George W. Bush wrote that trade creates the habits of freedom, and trade provides the seeds of freedom that begin to create the expectations of democracy. Once trade begins it is hard to hide the amazing products of capitalism. The Soviets used to produce documentaries depicting poverty in America but it backfired when Russian viewers noticed that even in the poorest of circumstances you could still see televisions flickering in the windows. Once trade is enhanced with Cuba, it will be impossible to hide the bounty that freedom provides.

The supporters of the embargo against Cuba speak with heated passion but fall strangely silent when asked how trade with Cuba is so different than trade with Russia or China or Vietnam.

It is an inconsistent and incoherent position to support trade with other communist countries, but not communist Cuba.

Even the supporters of the embargo agree that it has not worked. A policy of isolationism with Cuba and engagement with China and Vietnam does not make any sense. Communism cant survive the captivating allure of capitalism. Lets overwhelm the Castro regime with iPhones, iPads, American cars, and American ingenuity.

My familys opposition to communism was so fierce that when Nixon said the U.S. would trade with Red China our response was heated and passionately opposed. But over time my family and many conservatives came to believe that trade was better than war and more effective. While Chinas human rights record leaves much to be desired, our engagement and trade has without question helped to open Chinese society.

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Rand Paul: Cuba Isolationists Just Dont Get It

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