Hey there,

Obviously some terrible news last night about Ruth Bader Ginsburg. She was a pioneer and a hero and I hope we will fight and volunteer and vote and honor her memory. 

Today is Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish new year. A lot of people are surprised when they find out I'm half-Jewish because of the whole "Christopher" name thing, but it's true! A classic Jewish name: Christopher Duffy.

I started 5781 off by waking up early, driving to the Pacific, and jumping into the ocean. I'm welcoming a fresh start and a reminder of the potential for change. Traditionally, on Rosh Hashanah you eat apples and honey. Certainly, the past year has been many things, but sweet isn't one of them. So I'm taking a moment to savor a small bit of sweetness and I hope that you have a day and a year where we take time to appreciate the sweetness as we find it. We need it. 

Upcoming Events

LIVESTREAMS:
- Sunday, September 20th at 6 p.m. PT / 9 p.m. ET
STORY WORTHY HOUR OF POWER. I’ll be telling a story on this show. Get tickets here

- Wednesday, September 30th at 5 p.m. PT / 8 p.m. ET
HIDDEN EXPERT. I’m hosting this storytelling series for LabX and the National Academy of Sciences. Tickets are free and you can register here.

This week's list

GREAT:
I love Bianca Giaever's work. She sees the world in such a unique and creative way, whether it's the intimidating hugeness of saying "I love you" for the first time or the history of America's presidents. This week, she produced a beautiful short audio story for The Daily about the fires on the West Coast and what it means for our future. An Obituary for the Land 


FUNNY:
I don't need to tell you that Chris Rock is one of the greatest comedians of all time. You already know that. Everybody knows that! But he's also an incredible actor and director. And one of the side benefits of him starring in a new season of Fargo is that we get to read interviews with him. There's nobody better at a Q and A. I particularly loved his take on this moment in America. "Part of the reason we’re in the predicament we’re in is, the president’s a landlord. No one has less compassion for humans than a landlord. [Laughs.]" Chris Rock Tried to Warn Us


INTERESTING:
Laura Sullivan is an award-winning journalist at NPR and an on-air correspondent for FRONTLINE. She's got three Peabody awards (and a whole slew of other honors). She's reported on everything from blackouts in Puerto Rico to affordable housing to crime against Native American women. While she was still a student, she reported a story that freed two men from death row in Illinois and led to a moratorium on the death penalty in that state. The point being: she's an unbelievably talented investigative journalist. And her latest story is about how, for decades, big oil companies have been deliberately misleading the public about plastic recycling. You wouldn't think a story about trash could be jaw-dropping, but it really is. Is Plastic Recycling A Lie?


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Have a great weekend,
Chris