Hard to believe there was a moment after the fall of the Soviet Union when Radio Free Europe's existence came into question. Almost twenty years later, the broadcasts of RFE/RL (Radio Liberty) are in greater demand than ever in places like Georgia, Belarus, Ukraine, Afghanistan, and, of course, Iran. RFE/RL has also been receiving steady reports from on the ground such as this one from the pseudonymous "Ely's Diary." RFE/RL has been kind enough to host me next week in Prague so stay tuned for posts about just exactly what these folks are doing with our tax dollars. And yes, my investigative journalism will include honest comparisons between the Pilsner Urquell imports we get here and the Pilsner Urquell in the Czech Republic, the merits of Moravian wine, and maybe, just maybe, a serious analysis of Olomoucké tvaruzky--perhaps the stinkiest cheese on Planet Earth. But let's not get too carried away.