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In the final installment of his series on the disputed Himalayan region of Tibet, NPR's Rob Gifford reflects on how differently Tibet is viewed by those in China and those in the West. Chinese often see the area as a superstitious, backward land in need of economic development. Many Westerners see it as a spiritual Shangri-La that should be left alone. Tibetans are caught in the middle of these competing views.

Before Joe Namath, Joe Montana and Jim Kelly, there was Johnny U. -- number 19. More than 30 years after he threw his last off-the-ear spiral in the NFL, Johnny Unitas is still regarded by many as the quintessential field general and one of football's all-time greatest -- and gutsiest -- performers. He died Wednesday at 69 of an apparent heart attack.

Hundreds of identical letters have been sent to newspapers from U.S. soldiers in Iraq, extolling the successes of American forces there. The U.S. military says the letters are part of a spontaneous grassroots campaign, but many soldiers say they didn't write the missives that bear their names. NPR's Adam Hochberg reports.

Terrorism on U.S. soil and its aftermath have many Americans asking themselves: "What does the rest of the world think about us?" Numerous opinion polls show that the image of America as a victim of terrorism is being overtaken by a more skeptical view. In the start of a week-long series, "America Seen Through European Eyes," NPR's Sylvia Poggioli gauges the U.S. image in Germany.

The new anthology Mexico, A Traveler's Literary Companion takes us deep inside the imagination of a country through its fiction. Many of the stories are translated to English for the first time. Editor and translator C.M. Mayo tells John Ydstie about the book.

Many African-American leaders have lost touch with a hallmark of the civil rights movement — the tradition of self-empowerment, Juan Williams says. Instead, he says, they've embraced "victimhood."

Warming temperatures mean that many glaciers are shrinking. A ski company using the Gemstock glacier above Andermatt, Switzerland, has answered this trend by wrapping a critical ski ramp near the top of the glacier in synthetic material. The company hopes that the blanket will slow the glacier's melting over the summer.

The Supreme Court hears arguments in two cases testing when the government may display the text of the 10 Commandments on public property. Civil liberties groups are challenging such displays in Texas and Kentucky, claiming that they amount to an endorsement of one religion. Advocates argue the displays address one of many influences on U.S. law.

Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi announces he will start withdrawing the country's 3,000 troops from Iraq starting in September. Many read the move as a sign that his loyalty to the Bush administration is starting to erode his domestic political strength. Italy's announcement follows the decision of three other countries to pull troops out.

Shiite militias take partial control of the southern Iraqi cities of Kut, Najaf and Karbala. Intense fighting continues in Fallujah, where local hospitals say as many as 280 Iraqis have died since the U.S. assault on the Sunni stronghold began Monday. Gunmen kidnap three Japanese and eight South Korean civilians. Hear NPR's Anne Garrels.