Want to make yourself an instant expert on the news behind the news? I recommend Slate's "Explainer" series. Recent items include:

How deep is CIA cover?
How are ticker symbols allotted?
Can Wham-O sue over Dickie Roberts?
Which depressions become hurricanes?

Seven hundred sixteen of these are waiting for you. Go learn.

(And, no, I am not on Slate's payroll. But I'd like to be.)