60-MINUTE SPECIAL #10 | Cirque du Soleil | LA NOUBA, VAREKAI, QUIDAM

I totally share this note
Sylvia.

Newsletter
June 10, 2020

Hello!
A global exercise of the fundamental human right to free expression is too often being met with violence intended to silence that expression. We are also suffering through a worldwide pandemic, which is undermined by the spread of conspiracy theories and misinformation. In both cases, we see society being poisoned by false beliefs—whether it’s justifications for racism or conspiratorial opposition to science-based disease prevention. For things to change, courageous people need to stand up and speak. And they are.

Javed Akhtar is one such person of courage. A well-known figure in India for his work in screenwriting, poetry, and social activism, he has been an outspoken proponent of reason, secularism, tolerance, and equality for all. It is fitting that at a time when these values are needed more than ever, Javed Akhtar has been honored with the 2020 Richard Dawkins Award.
Readers of this newsletter will no doubt be familiar with, and likely an admirer of, astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson. Among the greatest communicators of science living today, this week he gives us a personal look at who he is outside the planetarium, as he opens up about his experience as an African American working to overcome the limitations he refused to accept.

There are positive developments regarding religious institutions’ efforts to undermine public health measures, and they come from what has become the unlikeliest of places: the U.S. Supreme Court. Meanwhile, we’ll see how within two very important institutions, the Democratic and Republican parties, Christian identification is receding at a remarkable rate.

We’ll also take a closer look at the rush to develop a vaccine for COVID-19 and learn why we cannot necessarily hang all of our hopes on it. Plus, Bill Nye the Science Guy will give his perspective on the pandemic, reminding us that prevention is not just about protecting ourselves but everyone around us. Illustrating the necessity of vaccinations as only he can, Nye says, “You are not allowed to dump your garbage on my porch.”
I hope that we will come through the challenges of this highly fraught moment buoyed by people such as Javed, Neil, and Bill, who say what needs to be said in a way that makes people listen.

Robyn E. Blumner,
CEO and President, Center for Inquiry
Executive Director, Richard Dawkins Foundation for Reason & Science