Toronto Oasis, Secular Community

Sun Jun 20 – [Online] How to Be an Antiracist

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 watch a YT video talk by Dr. Ibram X. Kendi. Tania Akon, a Toronto Oasis organizer, will be introducing the topic.

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

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

Sun Jun 13 – [Online] I Speak French — Sort Of

Our featured speaker will be Elka Enola. As an anglophone, born in Montreal long before French was declared the official language of Quebec, Elka’s experiences learning, using and teaching French took some peculiar turns, not the least of which, was discovering that only Quebec calls their language ‘French’.

Elka was born in Montreal in 1941 where her first language was Yiddish, her second English and her third was French. Her grandfather, who lived with them, only spoke Yiddish, so, until his death, only Yiddish was spoken at home. Then she and her brother would speak in English while her mother and aunt continued in Yiddish. How Elka reached the place of fluency in French is quite a convoluted story that she will share.

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

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

This meeting has been recorded:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1BApWH5x9vCYtU9oTumxmf356cBNKwa1l/view?usp=sharing

Sun Jun 06 – [Online] How Memory Plays Us

For our featured presentation this Sunday, we will be watching and then discussing a video of a TED talk by Elizabeth Loftus.

Elizabeth Loftus is an American cognitive psychologist and expert on human memory. She has conducted research on the malleability of human memory. Loftus is best known for her work on the misinformation effect and eyewitness memory, and the creation and nature of false memories, including recovered memories of childhood sexual abuse. As well as her work inside the laboratory, Loftus has been involved in applying her research to legal settings; she has consulted or provided expert witness testimony for hundreds of cases.

Dan Cooperstock will introduce the TED talk and moderate the discussion that will follow. Dan 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/cbgqgsyccjbjb/

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

Sun May 30 – [Online] Tales of Passion

For our featured presentation, we will watch a video of a TED talk by Isabel Allende. Tania Akon, a Toronto Oasis organizer, will introduce the video and lead the discussion after we watch the video together.

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

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

Sun May 23 – [Online] How Literacy Spreads and Books Get Disseminated

This Sunday, our featured presentation will be the second in a series of talks by Michael Dorman. In his first talk, back in January, Michael presented a brief cursory survey of the history of some major writing systems leading us up to the invention of the Gutenberg press. In this second talk, Michael will outline how literacy spreads and how books get disseminated (libraries, bookstores, mobile libraries, etc).

In the discussion that follows, Michael would like participants to talk about their bookstore and library experiences; whether they come from homes with or without books and other readers; or were they the only in the house to be a reader and how they think being a reader impacted their lives.

Michael received his B.A. in Anthropology from McMaster University in Hamilton and trained to teach English and French as second languages. He taught French to grades 7 & 8 for a couple of years. Michael has a passion for languages with French and Spanish being his second and third languages and he has studied Italian, German, Portuguese, and Latin. Michael is interested in language in general.

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

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

This meeting has been recorded:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/185709uxx8uD-_5elBMBpnV84czmlpv2z/view?usp=sharing

Sun May 16 – [Online] The Supreme Court of Canada – an Overview

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

Sun May 09 – [Online] In and Out of Breath: Lucas Murnaghan on Life and Death

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!

Sun May 02 – [Online] Never Too Early to Get Wise: Doing Philosophy with Children

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

Sun Apr 25 – [Online] Stoicism as a Philosophy for Ordinary Life

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!

Sun Apr 18 – [Online] How Universal is Universal Healthcare? (Part 2)

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