Headlines from July 20, 2009

Bosnia and Kosovo are still dependent, unviable states; unlike in Iraq, Europe lacks an exit strategy.
The best known of all single combats was David versus Goliath. Tom Wolfe on the ultimate failure of the U.S.-Soviet space race.
Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins urge renewed efforts for a manned mission to Mars.
Let's be honest, science fiction writers are much like stock market forecasters. How the Apollo 11 landing killed science fiction.
Grounded in history, reviled by David Foster Wallace: the success and failure of Webster's Third New International (Unabridged) dictionary.
Stepwells are essentially inverted ziggurats excavated from the earth, producing an infrastructural monument to water collection, useful as climate changes.
Entrepreneurs retrofit Dumpsters into pools for secret urban beach parties in Brooklyn.
After a stroll down Seattle's First Avenue, how about a tour of Tacoma's historic signage?
Early Graham Greene murder mystery discovered at Austin's Harry Ransom Center; read the first chapter here.
We almost used this in The Life Aquatic, and sometimes when the wind is full I wish we did. Wes Anderson's perfect mix tape.
Completely unrelated: Joshua Allen's "Mix Tape for Dead Girl."
Audio: Jonathan Franzen reads Veronica Geng's "Love Trouble Is My Business" and Ian Frazier's "Coyote v. Acme."
Hence the bags under the eyes. Photos of New Haven commuters from 1961.
Cities such as Ann Arbor and Buffalo struggle to regulate backyard chicken-rearing.
Debunking the idea of the tipping point, which may have too few real-world applications to be considered credible social theory.
What to read if you're imprisoned (with actual reading suggestions from Iranian Ministry of Intelligence interrogators).
Charles Taylor, currently on trial at the Hague, suggests the U.S. allowed him to escape prison.
Dissecting the intricacies of America's white underclass.

Maintain your dignity, carry a blanket, and eat lots of nuts: tips for living on the streets.
The sandlots and creek beds, the alleys and woodlands have been abandoned in favor of a system of reservations. Chabon on the loss of suburban wilderness.
An author's journey to come to terms with the social implications of writing a musical, perhaps the most polarizing art form in American history.
Op: Chipped passports are insecure, ineffective, dangerous.
The ghost of Che impedes Latin America's political progress.
The fate of an economy is in the hands of politicians, nullifying the argument that depressions may be good for a society.
The Times asks if states should ban cellphone use by drivers, and builds a game to prove its point.