Category: News

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 and you can join in to the meeting starting at 10:45 am for our open social. Followed by an extended discussion for a half hour. Volunteers please join by 10:30 am.

We hear a lot about the Supreme Court of the United States on the news, but not so much about our own highest court. Our featured speaker, Catherine Francis, will present a brief history of the Court, the role of the Court, how judges are selected, the current panel, how cases make their way to the Court, and highlights of some important decisions rendered by the Court in recent years.

Catherine Francis holds Bachelor of Arts (1981) and Bachelor of Law (1985) degrees from the University of Toronto and was called to the Ontario Bar in 1987. Catherine is a long-time partner at Minden Gross LLP, a mid-sized downtown Toronto law firm, practicing principally in the areas of commercial and insolvency litigation. Catherine was raised in a secular household with a strong belief in equality rights and is keenly interested in legal issues affecting the interests of non-believers and the separation of Church and State. Her website is: https://www.mindengross.com/our-people/details/catherine-francis

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

This meeting has been recorded:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1VFb_E_YneAe5onpUv0Oofba_t6JfAqnS/view?usp=sharing

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 and you can join in to the meeting starting at 10:45 am for our open social. Followed by an extended discussion for a half hour. Volunteers please join by 10:30 am.

For our featured presentation, we will watch a video of a TEDx talk by Lucas Murnaghan, with an intro and outro by Helen Lenskyj.

Lucas Murnaghan’s talk is built around the balance of work and life, art and science and success and failure surrounding his surgical, photographic and entrepreneurial experience. He was an internationally recognized orthopedic surgeon with his own personal medical challenges along the way that opened his eyes to the need for balance in one’s life and in one’s career. He was born in Toronto and raised in Ottawa, Canada.

Helen Lenskyj is Professor Emerita, University of Toronto, where she taught sociology. Helen grew up in Australia and has lived in Toronto since 1966. She completed her Ph.D. at the University of Toronto in 1983, and was a professor from 1986 until retiring in 2007. As well as writing books, she enjoys swimming and kayaking. Her website is www.helenlenskyj.ca; TWITTER: https://twitter.com/helenje63185798

We will also be having live music this Sunday! Our featured musician will be Cassie Norton, the music director of Toronto Oasis. Cassie is a Toronto-based singer-songwriter, violinist and climate activist. She has recorded two full length albums as a solo artist, Little Strength (2009) and Quiet Wilderness (2010). Cassie and her band released their first EP: Lullaby for the End of Time in February 2019. When she isn’t busy making her own music, Cassie shares her love of music with others through teaching. She teaches a variety of private and ensemble classes at Regent Park School of Music, and through her private studio. Check out her website: https://www.cassienorton.com/

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

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

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 and you can join in to the meeting starting at 10:45 am for our open social. Followed by an extended discussion for a half hour. Volunteers please join by 10:30 am.

Even very small children delight in asking very big questions. Engaging them in philosophical conversation can benefit them cognitively and academically, but it can also help them to grow personally, and to bond with the grown-ups who engage them.

In her talk this Sunday, our featured speaker, Amy Leask, will explore the history of philosophy for children, the challenges and approaches involved in it, and the joy that it brings.

Amy Leask is an educator, public philosopher, writer, and interactive media producer. Over the past two decades, Amy has taught philosophy to thinkers of all ages, and has produced award-winning children’s books and apps on the subject. She is the founder of Red T Media, and co-founder of Enable Education. You can check out her websites:

AmyLeask.com
RedTKids.com
EnableEducation.com

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

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

This meeting has been recorded:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/14KHYqNrL2r6JiIZN31DBzgmvOyNUKYzn/view?usp=sharing

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 and you can join in to the meeting starting at 10:45 am for our open social. Followed by an extended discussion for a half hour. Volunteers please join by 10:30 am.

For our featured presentation this Sunday, we will be watching and then discussing a video of a TEDx talk by Massimo Pigliucci. The talk is about how to change your life for the better by practicing ancient Greco-Roman philosophy as a way of life.

Massimo Pigliucci has a PhD in Evolutionary Biology from the University of Connecticut and a PhD in Philosophy from the University of Tennessee. His research interests include the philosophy of biology, the science philosophy relationship, pseudoscience and the philosophy of Stoicism. He is the author of the best- selling book How to Be A Stoic: Using Ancient Philosophy to Live a Modern Life.

Dan Cooperstock will introduce the TEDx talk and moderate the discussion that will follow.

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/zgtbgsyccgbhc/

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

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 and you can join in to the meeting starting at 10:45 am for our open social. Followed by an extended discussion for a half hour. Volunteers please join by 10:30 am.

In part 2, Paul Kaplan will discuss the Canadian healthcare system in depth, correct common myths about it, and share what he believes Canada can learn from other countries.

Paul Kaplan grew up in New York City where he attended New York University and earned a bachelor’s degree in mathematics, economics, and computer science. He continued his studies at Northwestern University, just outside of Chicago, where he earned a master’s degree and doctorate in economics. After graduating, he remained in the Chicago area, working as a financial economist for over 20 years. He then moved to London (UK) and worked there for two years. In 2012, he moved to Toronto where he has been living and working ever since.

Since coming to Toronto, Paul has been active in various secular groups, including the Humanist Association of Toronto and Toronto Oasis where he has presented on topics related to economics and investing. He also has been active in the various LGBTQ groups. Paul has keen interests in science and history.

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

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

This meeting has been recorded:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1j3qorhK_7fDCvpBJ2zi8UbtmrlobdW39/view?usp=sharing

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 and you can join in to the meeting starting at 10:45 am for our open social. Followed by an extended discussion for a half hour. Volunteers please join by 10:30 am.

Often much is made of the fact that the United States does not have universal health and Canada does. But how useful is this comparison? Every industrialized country in the world, except the United States, has some form of universal healthcare, giving Canadians a rich set of alternatives to learn from.

This Sunday, in part one of this presentation, our featured speaker, Paul Kaplan, will survey the various universal health care systems to provide the necessary background for placing the Canadian system in its global context.

In part 2 of this presentation, next Sunday, Paul will discuss the Canadian system in depth, correct common myths about it, and share what he believes Canada can learn from other countries.

Paul Kaplan grew up in New York City where he attended New York University and earned a bachelor’s degree in mathematics, economics, and computer science. He continued his studies at Northwestern University, just outside of Chicago, where he earned a master’s degree and doctorate in economics. After graduating, he remained in the Chicago area, working as a financial economist for over 20 years. He then moved to London (UK) and worked there for two years. In 2012, he moved to Toronto where he has been living and working ever since.

Since coming to Toronto, Paul has been active in various secular groups, including the Humanist Association of Toronto and Toronto Oasis where he has presented on topics related to economics and investing. He also has been active in the various LGBTQ groups. Paul has keen interests in science and history.

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

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

This meeting has been recorded:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/18oUymdce_93Apv2g05uM9yGZWh6fBGai/view?usp=sharing

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 and you can join in to the meeting starting at 10:45 am for our open social. Followed by an extended discussion for a half hour. Volunteers please join by 10:30 am.

We will be watching and then discussing a YouTube video clip: Anti-Asian Hate Crimes – And How You Can Help, with an introduction by Ryan Zhang, a Toronto Oasis participant and volunteer.

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

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

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 and you can join in to the meeting starting at 10:45 am for our open social. Followed by an extended discussion for a half hour. Volunteers please join by 10:30 am.

We have been inundated with preconceived ideas about the elderly, the middle-aged, and the young: in conversations, in the workplace, at school, in the media, within our families and in social circles.

When we are all grouped together based solely on age, it can feel marginalizing and diminishing. Sometimes it’s hard to feel seen as an individual when immediate assumptions are made based on which age group we fall into.

This Sunday we will watch a TED Talk (found on YouTube) by Ashton Applewhite where she examines ageism: the assumption that older people are alike and that aging impoverishes us. She is an activist and the author of “This Chair Rocks: a manifesto against ageism” and the blog: “Yo, is this ageist?”.

Ashton says “I don’t want to reject my age but the fixed meanings that people assign to it. I claim my age at the same time that I challenge its primacy and its value as a signifier.”

Kristen Gane, a Toronto Oasis participant, will introduce the video and lead the discussion afterwards.

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

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

This meeting has been recorded: (Our guest musician was recorded.)
GMT20210328-153238_Recording_1920x1080.mp4

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 and you can join in to the meeting starting at 10:45 am for our open social. Followed by an extended discussion for a half hour. Volunteers please join by 10:30 am.

In Western culture including Western feminism, women of colour, women in post-colonial societies and indigenous women are often presented as abstract yet homogeneous (e.g. African women, Arab women, indigenous women, etc.), or as victims. They are regarded as the “other” women. They are rarely considered as real, material subjects, who are geographically, historically and culturally grounded. In this presentation, our featured speaker, Wei Djao, will examine the three descriptors of the other women – Silk, Steel, Sage – in order to foster a different way of understanding women outside of the dominant Western culture.

Wei Djao, a writer and educator, received her Ph.D. in Sociology from the University of Toronto. She taught sociology and Asian/Global Studies in Canada, the United States and Hong Kong. In addition to articles published in scholarly journals, she is the author of the following books: A Blossom Like No Other: Li Qingzhao (2010); Being Chinese: Voices from the Diaspora (2003); Inequality and Social Policy: the Sociology of Welfare (1982); and (co-authored) Choices and Chances: Sociology of Everyday Life (1986). Her forthcoming book is entitled A Humanist Path: Ancient Chinese Wisdom for Curious Walkers.

Wei was the interviewer, narrator, writer or researcher in the production of television documentaries about Asian Americans and Chinese Canadians: American Nurse (an award-winning program about the experiences of New York-born Chinese American veteran of the Vietnam War Lily Lee Adams); Another Day in America; Lily Goes Home; and Chinese Café in Rural Saskatchewan.

Wei enjoys doing botanical illustrations in watercolour.

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

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

This meeting has been recorded:
Unedited Part 1: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1__HhCOpg1TtTM1JpbFAXuV_JE4yoIXXW/view?usp=sharing
Unedited Part 2:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1YECa-Qlbo6kY_oaQrCYd2lPdvkELrV68/view?usp=sharing

We are working on an edited recording to be provided in the next few days.

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 and you can join in to the meeting starting at 10:45 am for our open social. Followed by an extended discussion for a half hour. Volunteers please join by 10:30 am.

Why are ideologies poisoning public discourse? Why is extremism on the rise? How did we get here, and what can we do about it?

It turns out some influential assumptions are suppressing our culture’s “immune response” to dangerous ideas. These assumptions prevent us from normalizing critical thinking, and leave us vulnerable to mind-parasites.

Fortunately, there’s a cure. In this talk, our featured speaker, philosopher Andy Norman, will isolate an idea with a long history of inoculating people against the worst forms of ideological contagion, and argue that we can fashion it into a mind vaccine.

Andy directs the Humanism Initiative at Carnegie Mellon University. He’s done research on the evolutionary origins of human reasoning and the norms that make dialogue fruitful. He works to clarify the foundations of responsible thinking about what matters, and likes to engage audiences on topics related to science and human values.

Andy is also the author of the upcoming new book Mental Immunity, coming out this May. You can check it out using the following links:

https://andynorman.org/mental-immunity & http://www.harperwave.com/book/9780063002982/Mental-Immunity-Andy-Norman/

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

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

Chat Log

From Tania Akon to Everyone: 11:01 AM -Links to core values & code of conduct: Core Values: https://torontooasis.org/about-us/ Code of Conduct: https://torontooasis.org/code-of-conduct/ -Email address for Toronto Oasis – to let us know if & how you want to contribute to our programming: 416oasis@gmail.com From Tania Akon to Everyone: 11:28 AM -Link to music video on YouTube “Have The New Jab” – “Hallelujah” adapted by the Marsh Family Jan 10, 2021 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZnbOKH9Oe9s\ From Tania Akon to Everyone: 11:34 AM Links to Andy Norman’s upcoming new book, Mental Immunity, coming out this May: https://andynorman.org/mental-immunity & http://www.harperwave.com/book/9780063002982/Mental-Immunity-Andy-Norman/ From Tania Akon to Everyone: 12:28 PM -For upcoming events check out our Meetup: https://www.meetup.com/Toronto-Oasis/ Toronto Oasis Website: https://torontooasis.org/ -Email address for providing feedback & suggestions 416oasis@gmail.com