Why The Economist is indispensable

Just got this week's issue today. Haven't read anything yet (instead I've been learning about the Dutch health care system, which has been interesting; they also delivered our washer and dryer, and I made an appointment to go see the immigration service folks to apply for a residency permit for the wife--at some point I need to start thinking about the Cold War again), but the cover alone is worth the price: "Speaking Truth to Power" over Alexandr Solzhenitsyn's picture. Other than that--and in case anyone thinks I'm just in bureaucratic hell--let me report on the Saturday ride with Olaf. It was just the two of us, he half-wheeled me the entire, beautiful way to Oudewater (Breukelen, Portengen, Haarzuilens, Harmelen, Montfoort, Polsbroekerdam) where we had coffee and apple pie right downtown this pretty old city. The coffeeshop's terrace was over a small canal, with (very) old houses all around, only a few other visitors, and preciously few cars. I felt a little better on the way home (Woerden, Kanis, Wilnis, Vinkeveen, Baambrugge, Loenersloot, Vreeland), and yesterday did my first ride in Holland that wasn't a coffee ride.