Plus the UK’s Secretary of State and RNA is in the spotlight
September 9, 2021 | Presented in Partnership with the Walton Family Foundation
SEPTEMBER 11TH VIDEO What Is a Life Worth?
Following the terror attacks on 9/11, attorney Kenneth Feinberg battled against cynicism, bureaucracy and politics
to deliver monetary relief to victims’ families. He led the teamthat authored the Victim Compensation Fund, a deal authorized by Congress that offered payments to families in exchange for their agreement to not sue the airlines. As the nation reflects on the 20th anniversary of the attacks, Feinberg is the subject of the Netflix movie "Worth." He sat down with the late Neal Conan, a long-time journalist for NPR, at the 2012 Aspen Ideas Festival to discuss how the law values human life. "I met personally with more than 900 families of victims," Feinberg tells Conan. "It is so emotional and so debilitating that you worry about losing your mind and certainly your objectivity." Watch
LANGUAGE PODCAST When the 'Woke Playbook' Kills Free Speech
It’s possible to be too woke, says author and linguist John McWhorter. In today's cancel culture, many believe making the world a better place means banishing some opinions from the public sphere. McWhorter, an associate professor of English at Columbia University, says this censorious mindset threatens the value of free speech. He speaks with Jane Coaston, host of The New York Times podcast "The Argument," about pop culture, the philosophy behind free speech, and how college campuses are often where the cancel culture frame of mind begins. Presented by the Society of Fellows. Listen
ETHICAL TECHNOLOGY EVENT The Future Is Decentralized Don’t miss Unfinished Live, a festival produced in partnership with Aspen Ideas, taking place in NYC and online. Technologists, journalists,
artists, changemakers, and more will convene September 23-24 for two days of dynamic mainstage talks, Clubhouse conversations, live podcasts, networking, and an immersive art installation featuring the work of Refik Anadol. Host Baratunde Thurston will be joined by an incredible lineup of speakers, including: Gavin Wood, co-founder of Ethereum; artist Ian Cheng; NPR’s TED Radio Hour host Manoush Zomorodi; Grammy award-winning producer !llmind; New America’s Anne-Marie Slaughter; Gary Liu, CEO of the South Morning China Post; journalist Anne Helen Petersen; Nabiha Syed, president of The Markup; Stanford’s Rob Reich; and many more. RSVP with promo code ASPENFREE.
ENVIRONMENT ARTICLE Water and Climate: The Opportunity Before Us From droughts to wildfires to record-breaking floods and storms around the world, climate change becomes crystal clear through the lens of water. In a recent position paper, the Walton Family Foundation presents a path forward
to addressing climate change impacts with actions and ideas to protect and preserve natural water resources. There are practical reasons to be both hopeful and take action right now to create more resiliency in supply chains, enact policies that incentivize positive behavior, mitigate risks faced by food producers and engage those most harmed by the water crisis, such as communities of color and tribal nations. Walton Family Foundation Executive Director Caryl Stern and philanthropist and chef José Andrés call out the urgent need to protect water resources through innovative practices. Read more about the challenges and opportunities presented by water and climate change.
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