Back in 1976 I visited the Soviet Union with a small delegation of Yugoslav urban planners. Ten days is not much, but we got an impression. Our tour ended with a brief visit to Tallinn, the capital of Estonia. It was a Saturday afternoon when we arrived. The black limousine put at our disposal moved swiftly through deserted streets. As we were approaching the harbor and our hotel, which turned out to be quite nice and comfortable, we saw an increasing number of drunks holding onto lamp posts, lying on the pavement, slumbering in doorways, or meandering between trees. Not a single person we saw that afternoon seemed sober. “What this system does to people!” I thought. “What a horrible waste of human potential!” When we reached the hotel, some twenty stories high, the guide told us that it was designed and built by Finns. This was in some way related to the high unemployment rate in Finland. She added that all the drunks we had seen along the way were Finns, as well. They come on weekends because liquor is cheaper in the Soviet Union. They get plastered as soon as they board ship, drink for two days straight, and are eventually shipped back to Finland on Sundays. “Poor devils!” I thought without prejudice.