South Ossetia and Abkhazia: Notes from the Inside. On August 12, I received an e-mail from a humanitarian organization in Abkhazia describing events as they had unfolded on the ground in South Ossetia. I wrote directly to them. What is below is the e-mail response I received from Liana Kvarchelia.– 3 Quarks Daily

Philip Roth: The story of my lives. From Portnoy’s Complaint to American Pastoral, Philip Roth’s jostling alter egos have provided the literary world with some of the great masterpieces of the past half-century. Here, as he celebrates his 75th birthday, the novelist talks to Robert McCrum about losing friends, living alone and why the next book will be his last. — The Guardian

Quantum of Solace: your questions for Daniel Craig answered. You asked Daniel Craig the questions. And somehow gay necrophilia was part of the answer. — The Guardian

Combat the economic meltdown with your own mini-cow. Rising supermarket prices are persuading hundreds of families to turn their back gardens into mini-ranches stocked with miniature cattle. For between £200 and £2,000, people can buy a cow that stands no taller than a large German shepherd dog, gives 16 pints of milk a day that can be drunk unpasteurised, keeps the grass “mown” and will be a family pet for years before ending up in the freezer. — Times Online