Remembering RBG; Election Maps You Can Use; How The World Is Reinventing Rituals

Plus, the surprising business model behind Guinness World Records

by Jill Hudson and Suzette Lohmeyer Boston Globe/Boston Globe via Getty Images Over a 50-year friendship, NPR's Nina Totenberg and Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg saw each other through illness and loss, with laughter and many family dinners. The pair became close after Ginsburg moved to Washington to serve on the federal appeals court here and later, on the U.S. Supreme Court. Here is Totenberg's touching essay about RBG filled with examples of the icon's "extraordinary character, decency and commitment to friends, colleagues, law clerks — just about everyone whose lives she touched." Throughout her career, Ginsburg granted a number of interviews to NPR. Here are some of her recent, more memorable remarks. Share Your Story About Justice Ginsburg: We'd love to hear your recollections about how this trailblazer impacted your life. Send your comments and thoughts to bestofnpr@npr.org.  Stories From The Week You May Have Missed   Jared Soares for NPR Teachers across the U.S. are facing heartbreaking choices between the needs of their students and the needs of their own children. Since 1938, a U.S. labor law has carved out a loophole for some people with disabilities that allows them to be paid less than minimum wage. A new report says the exemption traps workers in "exploitative and discriminatory" job programs. The pandemic has fueled a major shift to freelancing that's severing ties between companies and employees. And there's evidence that many workers are turning to freelancing out of necessity, not by choice.  Newsletter continues after sponsor message Listen Up! Courtesy of Erin Haggerty Erin Haggerty and her brother were brought up by their parents to be proud of being both Black and American. "You raised us to be hyperaware of our blackness," she told her father, George, "but in that awareness, to really instill in us that we do belong here and that America is our country, anywhere we go belongs to me." Listen to the StoryCorps episode or read it. The Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashana, started Friday. The holiday is hallmarked by the sound of the shofar — a ram or antelope horn usually blown in synagogues — in an ancient summons to repentance. Israel is mandating smaller prayer gatherings during the pandemic, and the country needs many more shofar blowers than in years past. Listen here or read the details.  Mapping Out The 2020 Elections NPR President Trump was at a low point against former Vice President Joe Biden, but in the past month, the landscape has tightened some. Check out the NPR Electoral Map to see where things stand.    Going the mail-in voting route? NPR's voting map gives a broad overview of procedures for each state.  The Culture Club Saul Martinez/@EverydayGuatema Religious services. Birthday parties. Movie nights. Rituals give us comfort and help us mark major events in our life cycle. But the rituals we used to take for granted every day have been dramatically upended by the pandemic. Here's a look at how people are reinventing them in the age of COVID-19. Museums have been selling masterpiece masks as a way to bring in money during the ongoing pandemic. One of the hottest art masks: Edvard Munch's "The Scream," which pretty much sums up 2020. NPR's Susan Stamberg fills us in on the museum mask trend.  The folks behind the Guinness World Records used to make money by selling books. But when the Internet cut into their bookselling profits, the company had to create a whole new business model. Planet Money brings you the story of how Guinness (yeah, like the brewery) got into the business of record-breaking and selling publicity. Watch the video.  Simogo The video game "Sayonara Wild Hearts" presents a world where shiny synth-pop is the key to unbreaking your own heart. One unthinkable year later, its comforts are more welcome than ever. Fifty years ago, the rock group Black Sabbath released an album that defined the sound of what became heavy metal. Paranoid came together rapidly and delivered bleak but unforgettable songs about war, corruption and trauma. Rock out here or read the story.  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