Maybe it's the time of year for memories? This week's Feedback shares more of your memories and stories sparked by our broadcasts and website, including spies, aging, hopes for the future and a flash from the past.
 
The State We're In's Thanksgiving special on the end of the Cold War and the spies we never knew is still sparking responses, and some interesting memories. 
 
Ken Marshall sent us this story:
 
“You brought back memories on your spying segment. Way back, when the Aeroflot IL18s used to do the "milk run" to Cuba, Moscow - Prestwick - Gander - Cuba, I was photographing one of these aircraft at Prestwick.
 
There was one low level air crew member who saw me, and changed in a nanosecond. He dropped everything, ran back up the aircraft steps, just next to the door from the "ready bag" grabbed a camera (a rather expensive camera) and started to photograph ME. I then could identify the KGB operator.
 
Life now is not quite so interesting. Thanks again for that segment.”
 
Thank you for sharing that memory with us, it is so wonderful to hear those individual memories that add such flavour and spice to our lives. Sometimes it's a connection to the past that brings out those warm moments of nostalgia… and surprise.
 
Raj wrote:
 
“I was pleasantly surprised to hear Radio Netherlands Worldwide broadcast to Asia in English. Nice to hear you guys, I am writing to you after four decades! I used to love listening to you as a teenager. I accidentally tuned in on a Spanish-made Philips antique table radio I was restoring. Nostalgic!!”
 
What a lovely happenstance.
 
The next writer takes us back to The State We're In, not for a memory, but to share some additional information with our readers and listeners to the programme on The right to a dignified old age.

Jenelle Whittaker sent in the following message:
 
“I live in Beijing and was touched by the stories aired on your program 'The State We're In' with the theme: Right to a Dignified Old Age that I listened to online. I currently work at Community Alliance, a nonprofit organization in China, which advocates for elderly citizens rights and protection.
 
China now contains more than one-fifth of the world's population, with an estimated 147.8 million citizens aged sixty or older. Elderly citizens lack access to services, health care and support. As a result of the one-child policy, a large ageing population is relying on a small work force, which is only going to get worse. Industrialization and internal migration also add to the problem.”
 
Thanks for those sobering statistics Jenelle, it is important to know and to hope for an improvement in such a terrible situation.
 
The next writer does not speak of a terrible situation at all, but still a hope for the future. She is both Dutch and English speaking and lives with an English speaking spouse, Anneke Jessup wrote in to offer to be one of the first to sign up for an English language version of the Werldkrant.
 
Just a small problem with that, as Web Editor Theo Tamis points out:
 
“Thank you for your message. I wish we had an English-language version of De Wereldkrant. It's a project we may embark on during the course of next year.”
 
Anneke responded:
 
“We look forward to the English version in the not too distant future! My husband will be most grateful. Meanwhile I am happy to read my WereldKrant in Dutch, while translating the highlights in the news for my spouse.”
 
The next writer had a bit of a problem tuning in, Willem Romviel wrote: “Please help me figure out why I can't get the radio to work, when I click on RNW player, it says page cannot be found.”
 
For those of you experiencing problems with this link, I have been reliably informed, it was simply a temporary blip and should be working smoothly once again.
 
And finally, to return to the topic of memories, sometimes it can seem like it was only yesterday. Danijel wrote:
 
“Can you send me a link where can I see/download the The Whispering Wheel, which you recently had on your webpages?”
 
Once again, Web Editor Theo Tamis proves he is an encyclopedia of knowledge in terms of RNW web pages, and responds:
 
“Thanks for taking the time to write to us. The web article on the Whispering Wheel is from 2003 and kept here in our archive.
 
The audio link on the page still works: http://cgi.omroep.nl/cgi-bin/streams?/rnw/science/031215wheel.rm but it's a streaming RM file. I suggest we transfer the page to our new site and let you know when we're done.”
 
Yes, Danijel is one of many listeners that has been having problems searching our achives. One hope for the future, for all of us, is that we can finally integrate the old site and the new – perhaps in the New Year?
 
Photo: IL-18 aircraft by Danny McL at Flickr