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

Thursday September 30, 2010

America

Learning Lessons From A Cruel Comment: Florida Paper Says 'Every Life Matters'

September 30, 2010 • After the "St. Petersburg Times" reported on a hit-and-run that killed a restaurant dishwasher, a reader posted this: "A man who is working as a dishwasher ... at the age of 48 is surely better of dead." The newspaper decided to profile the victim.

Online Privacy, Suicide, And A New Cultural Norm

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Analysis

America

Online Privacy, Suicide, And A New Cultural Norm

September 30, 2010 • The tragic death of Tyler Clement, a gay college student who took his own life after his roommate broadcast him having sex with another man, raises the questions, how do technology and morality interact? And how do we define privacy in a new world?

Actor Tony Curtis in a 1965 file photo. Anonymous/Associated Press hide caption

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Anonymous/Associated Press

Must Reads

Actor Tony Curtis Is Dead

September 30, 2010 • Actor Tony Curtis dies

Wednesday September 29, 2010

America

Two Senators Put Hold On Land Sale For National Women's History Museum In D.C.

September 29, 2010 • Sens. Tom Coburn and Jim DeMint say that the group trying to build a museum for women's history in Washington, D.C., have not raised enough funds. According to the "USA Today," "abortion politics are also in play."

Tuesday September 28, 2010

Amtrak Unveils Its Vision For 2040: Travel From D.C. To New York City In 96 Minutes

An Amtrak Acela train sits in the 30th Street Station in Philadelphia. Don Murray/Getty Images hide caption

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Don Murray/Getty Images

America

Amtrak Unveils Its Vision For 2040: Travel From D.C. To New York City In 96 Minutes

September 28, 2010 • In Philadelphia today, Amtrak's president presented an optimistic view of what high-speed rail could look like in 2040.

Among New MacArthur 'Geniuses': Marine Biologist, Type Designer, TV Show Creator

Matthew Carter, a type designer MacArthur Fellow, at his home in Cambridge, Mass. Anysley Floyd/Getty Images/John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation hide caption

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Anysley Floyd/Getty Images/John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation

America

Among New MacArthur 'Geniuses': Marine Biologist, Type Designer, TV Show Creator

September 28, 2010 • This year's class of MacArthur Fellows, recipients of unrestricted $500,000 awards, include Matthew Carter, a type designer; Kelly Benoit-Bird, a marine biologist; and David Simon, the creator of "The Wire"

Among New MacArthur 'Geniuses': Marine Biologist, Type Designer, TV Show Creator

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Must Reads

Survey: Atheists, Agnostics Know More About Religion Than Religious

September 28, 2010 • A new survey shows that Atheists and Agnostics are more knowledgeable about religion than most practitioners. Close behind in the survey were Jews and Mormons.

Ex-Moscow Mayor Yuri Luzhkov during the Unesco's early childhood care conference in Moscow, Russia, on Monday, Sept. 27, 2010. Ivan Sekretarev/Associated Press hide caption

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Ivan Sekretarev/Associated Press

America

More Flooding In Wisconsin

September 28, 2010 • Wisconsin flooding; North Korean transistion; Russian president fires Moscow mayor; Placido Domingo moves on

Monday September 27, 2010

circa 1785: General Nathanael Greene (1742 - 1786) of the Continental Army. Hulton Archive/Hulton Archive hide caption

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Hulton Archive/Hulton Archive

America

Most Underrated American General

September 27, 2010 • In a contest for most underrated American General the winner is Nathanael Greene. He commanded southern forces during the Revolutionary War.

Friday September 24, 2010

America

Prof. William Ayers, Weather Underground Founder, Won't Get Emeritus Status

September 24, 2010 • The University of Illinois Board of Trustees voted to deny William Ayers, a founding member of the Weather Underground, an honorific.

Must Reads

Why Did Facebook CEO Decide To Donate $100 Million To Newark's Public Schools?

September 24, 2010 • After Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced his decision to donate $100 million to Newark Public Schools, many people wondered, "Why Newark?" Apparently, he had a personal reason.

Must Reads

'Sporting News' Magazine Compiles List Of The 20 Smartest Athletes In Pro Sports

September 24, 2010 • Craig Breslow, who plays for the Oakland A's, tops the list, which notes each athlete's GPA, SAT score, on-field accomplishments and off-field/intellectual interests, among other things.

Thursday September 23, 2010

Ahead Of Rescue, Trapped Miners Will Learn How To Deal With Fame, Hollywood

Florencio Avalos, one of the 33 trapped miners, is seen on a TV set near the collapsed San Jose Mine in Copiapo, Chile, last month. Natacha Pisarenko/AP hide caption

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Natacha Pisarenko/AP

Must Reads

Ahead Of Rescue, Trapped Miners Will Learn How To Deal With Fame, Hollywood

September 23, 2010 • A reporter for 'The Washington Post' says 33 trapped miners -- 32 Chileans and 1 Bolivian -- are going to receive media training.

Voluble, Shaven, Apologetic: Actor Joaquin Phoenix Returns To 'The Late Show'

From The Ashes: Acting, says Joaquin Phoenix, is like being a puppet. And even when he's not in front of the camera, he tells documentarian Casey Affleck, he's still (and always) playing a character named "Joaquin Phoenix." Magnolia Pictures hide caption

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Magnolia Pictures