Toronto OASIS – Page 25 – Toronto Oasis, Secular Community

Guest Musician: Citizen Jane

Citizen Jane is a Toronto-based folk-pop duo that evocatively weaves powerful vocal harmonies with innovative string textures to create an emotionally charged soundscape.

The duo consists of married couple Reenie Perkovic (vocals, guitar, mandolin) and Lea Kirstein (viola, fiddle, cello, vocals), who met while studying classical music on the west coast of Canada. The ladies have since made a home in Toronto’s vibrant music scene.

Reenie grew up in the Toronto area, after her family escaped the civil war in her birthplace, Sarajevo, Bosnia. Reenie was a semi-finalist in the 2016 UK Songwriting Contest, and has released 3 solo albums. She has opened for Juno-nominated Alysha Brilla, and Annabelle Chvostek (Wailin’ Jennys).

Lea is an acclaimed violist and fiddler, who grew up in Victoria, BC, where she studied viola and music education at UVic. Classical musician by day and fiddler by night, Lea discovered new ways of melding the two styles into one. Her passion for these genres took her across Canada & the U.S. with the Folk Arts Quartet. She has recorded with Juno-nominated artists Oliver Schroer and Teresa Doyle.

Check out their website https://www.citizenjanemusic.com/

Speaker: Margrit Eichler

Margrit Eichler is Professor Emerita of the Department of Social Justice Education at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education at the University of Toronto.

Speaker: Erick Carreras

Erick Carreras has a background in clinical surgical research, nutrition and methylmercury assessments in the Amazon of Peru, and was recognized with the Outstanding Achievement Award from the Faculty of Health Science at McMaster University when he graduated with a Master’s of Science in Global Health (2017). During his MScGH, Erick took a term to study abroad in the Netherlands at Maastricht University to specialize in a branch of Sociology known as Science and Technology Studies (STS), where his scholarly work investigated the economics of capitalism as a contributing driving force to the establishment of psychiatry as we know it today. Since the completion of his studies, Erick Carreras has worked to promote Gender Equity and Social Inclusivity in the workplace of the private sector in Barranquilla, Colombia; completed free-lance English to French translation work for a non-profit that helps establish Syrian Refugees coming to Canada who identify as a part of the LGBTQ2+ community; and currently supports the field work and administration of social programs created by, and for, urban Indigenous of Turtle Island residing in Ontario. Using his website (erickcarreras.ca), some social media platforms, public presentations (such as this one), and his upcoming book, Erick hopes to raise the consciousness of the world, at scale, to make the impact he hopes to have on the world: contribute to empowering the collective so we may all iteratively co-create a holistically healthier world for all, by all.

Sun Aug 02 – [Online] Are We Pre-Programmed Machines or Free Agents?

Our program will run from 11 am to 12:30 pm but you can join in to the meeting starting at 10:45 am. Volunteers please join by 10:30 am.

This Sunday our featured presentation will be a YouTube video talk (about 18 minutes long) by Dr. Hannah Critchlow, author of the book: The Science of Fate: Why Your Future Is More Predictable Than You Think. Dr Hannah Critchlow is the Science Outreach Fellow at Magdalene College, University of Cambridge, and has been named a Top 100 UK Scientist by the Science Council for her work in science communication. She is listed as one of the University of Cambridge’s ‘inspirational and successful women in science’ and appears regularly on TV, radio and at festivals to discuss and explore the brain.

Tania Akon, one of the organizers of Toronto Oasis, will give us a quick intro and facilitate a discussion about the topic after we watch the video together.

Please RSVP on meetup:
https://www.meetup.com/Toronto-Oasis/events/ffpjvrybclbdb/

Looking forward to seeing familiar faces and perhaps some new ones!

Sun Jul 26 – [Online] A Brief History of Nations and Nationalism in Modern Europe (Part 2)

Our program will run from 11 am to 12:30 pm but you can join in to the meeting starting at 10:45 am. Volunteers please join by 10:30 am.

Nationalism has been all over the news recently, but what exactly is nationalism, where does it come from and why are so many people ready to defend it with their lives? The purpose of this talk is to introduce the history of an important movement that has affected our modern lives and will continue to affect our world for many years to come.

This Sunday Mark Turi returns for part 2 (the conclusion) of his talk on: A Brief History of Nations and Nationalism in Modern Europe. Mark holds a BA from Brock University and studies the History of Nationalism and Revolution in Modern Europe

If you missed part 1 of Mark’s talk (on Sunday July 5th), we recorded the meeting. Please see the post at:
https://torontooasis.org/sun-jul-05-online-a-brief-history-of-nations-and-nationalism-in-modern-europe/

Please RSVP on meetup:
https://www.meetup.com/Toronto-Oasis/events/ffpjvrybckbjc/

Looking forward to seeing familiar faces and perhaps some new ones!

Sun Jul 19 – [Online] Desconstructing White Privilege

Please RSVP on meetup:
https://www.meetup.com/Toronto-Oasis/events/hgzwtrybckbzb/

Looking forward to seeing familiar faces and perhaps some new ones!

Sun Jul 12 – [Online] The Not-So-Intelligent “Design” of the Human Body and Mind

This will be an online Zoom meeting. Please RSVP on our Meetup for this event to get access to the Zoom link. See our online meeting instructions at: https://torontooasis.org/online-meeting-instructions

Our program will run from 11 am to 12:30 pm but you can join in to the meeting starting at 10:45 am. Volunteers please join by 10:30am.

This Sunday our featured presentation will be a YouTube video talk (about 31 minutes long) by Nathan H. Lents about his book “Human Errors”. Dan Cooperstock, who has read the book, will give us a quick intro and facilitate a discussion about the topic after we watch the video together. According to Dan, while the book does not explicitly state that it is a refutation of the “intelligent design” approach of Biblical creationists, it certainly achieves that! Different sections of the book explain the many problems with various aspects of our body, our diet, our DNA, our reproduction, diseases, and mental errors, and the evolutionary explanations for them.

Dan Cooperstock is the Toronto Oasis Treasurer, an atheist Quaker, and a software entrepreneur, writing and selling software for churches and charities.

Please RSVP on meetup:
https://www.meetup.com/Toronto-Oasis/events/hgzwtrybckbqb/

Looking forward to seeing familiar faces and perhaps some new ones!

Sun Jul 05 – [Online] A Brief History of Nations and Nationalism in Modern Europe (Part 1)

Our program will run from 11 am to 12:30 pm but you can join in to the meeting starting at 10:45 am. Volunteers please join by 10:30am.

Our featured speaker on this topic will be Mark Turi. Mark holds a BA from Brock University and studies the History of Nationalism and Revolution in Modern Europe.

Please RSVP on meetup:
https://www.meetup.com/Toronto-Oasis/events/271601062/

Looking forward to seeing familiar faces and perhaps some new ones!

For Part 2, click here:
https://torontooasis.org/sun-jul-26-online-a-brief-history-of-nations-and-nationalism-in-modern-europe-part-2/

Guest Musician: Pickle Juice Trio

The Pickle Juice Trio is an exploration of rhythms, structures and melodies derived from the blues, gospel and swing music of the mid twentieth century by three musicians who crossed paths in the improvised music scene in Toronto. All three are eclectic musicians who’s playing and influences cross many stylistic boundaries. Arnd Jurgensen has been a prominent contributor to TO’s improvised music scene but here channels influences ranging from Blind Blake to Blood Ulmer with his finger style guitar playing and baritone vocals. Percussionist Bob Vespaziani, also a staple on the improvised music scene, demonstrates his years of experience backing numerous blues and swing performers around town. Last but not least, violinist Cassie Norton with influences from folk, jazz and classical music adds an unusual and intriguing colour to this not so conventional blues trio. Cassie Norton is also the music director of Toronto Oasis.

Speaker: Arnd Jurgensen

Arnd Jurgensen grew up in Germany, received his BA at NYU and MA and PhD from the University of Toronto in Political Science. His research has focused on issues related to development, environment and democratic governance. He has taught in the faculties of Applied Sciences and Engineering, interdisciplinary studies and currently teaches courses on international relations and U.S. Foreign Policy at the University of Toronto. He is also active as an environmental activist and musician.