The Crockpot: A Weekly Digest 07.28.11

George Saunders dissects the curse of the creative writer: the impulse to convert every involuntarily thrilling moment in one’s life into story fodder—and then complicate it with irony or tragedy.

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Fourteen urban art installations that you don't want to miss.

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Listen to Junot Diaz and Talib Kweli read work from the 2010 PEN Prison Writing Contest.

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In their family-themed July/August issue, Dwell offers 13 ideas for building natural playscapes.

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Ms. compares Republicans to pirates with their handling of the debt ceiling debate.

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“All mammals except camels and kangaroos eat their placentas, which made me think ancient humans probably did, too.” Meatpaper offers musings on eating human placenta, plus a recipe.

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Reason compiled a number of dispatches from the Food Truck Wars.

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The skinniest house in the world is so thin it’s not technical legal.

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New research from the journal Archives of Sexual Behavior shows that it is much easier to predict whether or not your husband/girlfriend/it’s complicated will sleep around than previously thought.

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When Texas Governor Rick Perry cancelled subscriptions to Utne Reader, Mother Jones, and The Progressive.

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What’s more refreshing than to sit back in your favorite chair, sip some coffee, and read a harsh polemic against the banking industry?

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Mongolia: Frozen wasteland or frontier of luxury?