A Kinder, Gentler Kind Of Reality TV; The Honorary Jedi Master; When Does The Decade Really End?

Plus, 100 years of friendship and fun for "the three Dots."

Stories And Podcasts You May Have Missed Alexey Pavlishak/Reuters People can’t agree on when the decade ends. As the world prepares to ring in 2020, many people are arguing over whether a new decade will also begin on Jan. 1 or whether it will actually begin on the first day of 2021. We’ve rounded up a few international stories that you probably missed his year. The topics range from the way mangroves fight climate change to a pop-up pub in China where young patrons learn about sexual consent. Legal experts thought this would be the year we unraveled the liability that drug companies face for the deadly opioid epidemic — and for their role in marketing high-risk prescription pain medications. Instead, the fight over who will pay to clean up the addiction crisis dissolved into confusion and infighting. Two years ago this past week, Republicans in Congress passed a sweeping tax cut that was supposed to be a gift-wrapped present to taxpayers and the economy. But in hindsight, it looks more like a costly lump of coal. Social media moments we loved in 2019. In a year of gloom and doom, disasters and disease, we sure needed a few sweet and funny moments that brightened up our days. Here’s a sampling of the best viral videos, tweets and TikToks from around the world. Newsletter continues after sponsor message The Best Visual Stories of 2019 Claire Harbage/NPR Meet a changing Mongolia. Rivers are dry. Pastureland is giving way to mines. And wintertime smog obscures the famed blue sky. How did the country get here? It’s a story of internal migration and economic transformation in an era of climate change.    Flash floods pose an existential threat to towns across the United States. When a flash flood ripped through Old Ellicott City in Maryland, residents thought it was a freak occurrence. Instead, it was a hint about the future. And adapting to that future has been painful.   Plastics: What’s recyclable, what becomes trash — and why. Knowing what to recycle is confusing. Here's a look at the process, from store to recycling facility.   In 1965, a white minister was murdered in Selma, Ala. For more than 50 years, witnesses buried the truth about what happened. NPR’s podcast White Lies exposed the lies that kept the crime from being solved. This Week's Listens Getty Images What’s one of the germiest places in the airport? Hint: It’s not the bathroom. (OK, OK, it’s the security trays.) Also, we have a few tips on how to stay healthy during your holiday travel. (Listening time, 7:13) Composer and lyricist Jerry Herman wrote cheerful, optimistic songs for Broadway musicals like "Hello, Dolly!", "Mame" and "La Cage Aux Folles." He died Thursday at the age of 88. His lyrics were simple. Critic Bob Mondello says Herman had one trick up his sleeve that always worked on audiences. (Listening time, 3:31) This year, anyone watching television was treated to a kinder, gentler version of a popular genre that has often celebrated gossip, cattiness and cruelty. Here’s why reality TV has a surprising new trend: kindness. (Listening time, 3:38) Through all of the turmoil in Europe this decade, one leader strove to keep it all together — German Chancellor Angela Merkel. She is not a passionate speaker, nor does she arouse the public with big ideas or big promises. But Merkel biographer Stefan Kornelius says her quiet, technocratic style has been a perfect fit for Germany. (Listening time, 4:43) The Weekly Good Courtesy of StoryCorps In 2015, Asma Jama was dining out with family at an Applebee's restaurant in Coon Rapids, Minn., when she was hit in the face with a glass beer mug by another customer. Jama, a Somali American, was wearing a hijab and speaking Swahili when a woman in the next booth demanded she speak English. After the trial, the attacker's sister, Dawn Sahr, spoke out against the attack and reached out to Jama online to see if she was OK. Jama and Sahr met for the first time at StoryCorps in Minneapolis. Imagine the odds of three girls named Dorothy, all born in 1919, growing up in the same hometown (Auburn, Maine), graduating from the same high school in 1937 and celebrating their 100th birthdays together in 2019. The longtime friends have outlived their classmates, their husbands, siblings and even some of their children, and they still get together a couple of times a year to reminisce. A 21-year-old student killed earlier this year when he helped stop a shooter at the University of North Carolina, Charlotte is now part of the Star Wars universe. Riley Howell was a big Star Wars fan and is now being honored by Lucasfilm as a Jedi master in the new book, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker — The Visual Dictionary. On Monday, Howell’s girlfriend posted on TikTok that the Jedi honor “was the best news we’ve gotten all year.” --By Jill Hudson Listen to your favorite NPR Member station live on your Alexa or Google Home device. Just tell your smart speaker to,  “Play NPR.” What do you think of today's email? We'd love to hear your thoughts, questions and feedback:  bestofnpr@npr.org Enjoying this newsletter? Forward to a friend! They can sign up here. Looking for more great content? Check out all of our newsletter offerings  — including Daily News, Politics, Health and more! You received this message because you're subscribed to Best of NPR emails. This email was sent by National Public Radio, Inc., 1111 North Capitol Street NE, Washington, DC 20002 Unsubscribe  |  Privacy Policy