Great Plains After generations of trying to bully America's heartland into producing, many farmers are giving up. But others are changing their ways, working with the land on its own terms. MAP Download a printable, high-resolution map of the Great Plains. FORUM What can be done to bring people and prosperity back to the rural precincts of the Great Plains? How can the rural population decline be reversed? Enter>> SIGHTS & SOUNDS Experience the changing landscape of the Great Plains and meet the people determined to roll with it. WALLPAPER Add a backdrop to your desktop with an image of a Great Plains ghost town. POSTCARDS Send a friend a goodnight e-greeting of windmills spinning under Great Plains moonlight. FINAL EDIT Rescued from the cutting room floor is this month's Final Edit, an image of buffalo once again foraging across the plain.

Cuba, Kansas Native son Jim Richardson has been creating an intimate portrait of this Great Plains town for 30 years—and counting. MULTIMEDIA Jim Richardson tells tales about a town with true grit.

Europe's Big Gamble As the European Union expands to 25 nations, its 74 million new citizens wonder how their lives will change. MAP Download a printable, high-resolution map of an expanding EU. FORUM How can new members of the EU retain their national identity? Enter>> ONLINE EXTRA Get an update on Turkey's bid to join the European Union, and how this month's expansion may affect its chances. FLASHBACK to 1947 when a portrait photographer's bucolic backdrop stands stark amidst the ruins of war-torn Warsaw, Poland.

Maya Royal Grave Fit for a king, one of the oldest known Maya burials is discovered unlooted in southwestern Guatemala. MAP Download a printable, high-resolution map of the ancient Maya site of Takalik Abaj.

Hanoi A returning journalist finds the city of poets energized by opportunity, respectful of its ghosts, and seductively charming. MAP Download a printable, high-resolution map of peaceful, poetic Hanoi. FORUM Throughout its history, Vietnam has put aside its animosity toward its enemies. What can other nations embroiled in conflict learn from its example? Enter>> ONLINE EXTRA Get travel tips on Hanoi, including the intricacies of crossing its traffic-packed streets.

Dance of Death Wolves (and bears) move in for the kill as a wounded moose makes his last stand in Alaska's Denali National Park. FORUM A pack of wolves tormented a wounded moose for several days before killing it, a scene witnessed by park rangers, photographers, and visitors passing along a nearby road. The rangers followed their policy of nonintervention, but some observers disagreed. What actions, if any, should the rangers have taken? Enter>> POLL Cast your vote on whether people should intervene when witnessing the darker side of animal behavior.

Being Bob Ballard The explorer went looking for deepwater shipwrecks. As usual, he found them—but not without deep trouble. MULTIMEDIA  Photographer David McLain gives you the scoop on the high-tech gizmos aboard the research ship Knorr.

ZipUSA: 41858 What do you get when you cross a banjo picker and a punk rocker? A Kentucky town that moves to its own beat. AUDIO Hear mountain melodies, from traditional Appalachian to contemporary punk, courtesy of Appalshop and Youth Bored. NOMINATE your own wonderful, weird, or wacky choices for this magazine series. Enter>>