Must Reads : The Two-Way Some stories are just too weird, too funny or too sad to ignore. They may not be "serious news," but are so fascinating you must read them. NPR correspondents are on the watch for such tales. We pass along the best, from NPR and other news outlets.

The Two-Way

Must Reads

Friday October 29, 2010

Must Reads

The Sun, Ready For Its Closeup: Who You Callin' A Dwarf?

October 29, 2010 • An image of the sun taken by Buffalo, N.Y., photographer Alan Friedman has become an Internet sensation, thanks to the massive image's eye-popping amount of detail. Friedman tells Wired that his portrait is an homage to Halloween.

The wand is key. geekologie.com hide caption

toggle caption

geekologie.com

America

Gunfire Exchanged At Korean Border

October 29, 2010 • Korea border skirmish;Iran wants to talk; tsunami death toll; tropical storm Shary; School board member quits after anti-gay remarks; Halloween costume

Thursday October 28, 2010

Did Steampunk Forget The Meaning Of The Word Dickensian?

istockphoto

Must Reads

Did Steampunk Forget The Meaning Of The Word Dickensian?

October 28, 2010 • Steampunk literature, music, design, lifestyle all evoke a romantic ideal of a Victorian era that never was. One writer has had enough, saying the ahistorical nature of the movement ignores the true awfulness of the era for most.

International

Hungry Bears Look To Towns, Graveyards In Russia

October 28, 2010 • Residents of the Arctic Circle region of Komi are mounting patrols to protect people and livestock from brown bears. The hot summer killed the bears' normal food sources -- and the animals are encroaching on towns and graveyards.

Write a whole novel in 25 words or fewer. Grant Dougall hide caption

toggle caption

Grant Dougall

Must Reads

Whole Worlds In Less Than 25 Words

October 28, 2010 • A new book collects short, short fiction. Whole stories in 25 words or fewer. A complete story in the implied spaces outside the words.

America

Obama On The Daily Show

October 28, 2010 • President Obama appeared on the Daily Show last night. In a remarkably polite exchange, the President defended his first two years in office, saying he has accomplished many of the things he promised in 2008.

Wednesday October 27, 2010

International

Vending Machines Sell Live Crabs In Chinese Subway

October 27, 2010 • That's right. Crabs are caught, packed in plastic boxes, and kept alive in refrigerated vending machines, awaiting the pleasure of passing commuters.

Must Reads

L. Frank Baum Advocated Extermination Of Native Americans

October 27, 2010 • A decade before he wrote The Wonderful Wizard of Oz L. Frank Baum ran a newspaper in S.D. In two editorials he called for the complete annihilation of Native Americans.

Volunteers search for victims of the Mount Merapi eruption near Yogyakarta, Indonesia. Ulet Ifansasti/Getty hide caption

toggle caption

Ulet Ifansasti/Getty

International

Indonesia Faces Tsunami, Volcano Damage

October 27, 2010 • Indonesia dealing with tsunami and volcano victims

New Zealand To Change Law To Keep 'The Hobbit'

New Zealand Prime Minister John Key announcing the deal he struck to keep "The Hobbit" in his country. Hagen Hopkins/Getty Images AsiaPac hide caption

toggle caption

Hagen Hopkins/Getty Images AsiaPac