The Walrus Talks: Reimagining Volunteerism - Featured Speakers

On Tuesday, April 15, 2025, I attended a Walrus Talk at the Toronto Reference Library, 789 Yonge St.,. Toronto, Ontario.

The talk was entitled Reimagining Volunteerism--Exploring the Power of Service to counter social isolation and civic polarization.

FEATURED SPEAKERS:

Sara Lyons, Chief Strategy and Advancement Officer, Volunteer Canada

Susan Pinker, Developmental Psychologist, Columnist, and Author of The Village Effect

Darrell Pinto, Director of Employment, Jumpstart Refugee Talent

Suman Roy, Founder and Executive Director, Feed Scarborough

Kasandra James, Director, Programs, Volunteer Toronto

Vinod Rajasekaran, CEO and Editor-in-Chief, Future of Good

Cyndi Gilbert, Board Member and Logistics, The Bike Brigade

HOSTED BY:

Jennifer Hollett, Executive Director, The Walrus WELCOME REMARKS BY

Kim Samuel, Founder, The BelongingForum

Personal Commentary: It was an excellent session. The attendees were informed of a variety of opportunities available in the field of volunteerism. 

Author Talk: On Freedom by Timothy Snyder

                                                      

On April 4, 2025, I attended an author session at the Toronto Reference Library, 789 Yonge St., Toronto, Ontario. It was moderated by Nahlah Ayed, host of the Ideas program of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.  It was a question-and-answer session. Ms. Ayed posed the questions to the author who answered them as per the following description of the topic: 

Freedom is the great American commitment, but Snyder argues that we have lost sight of what it means, leading us into crisis. Too many of us view freedom as the absence of state power: We think we’re free if we can do and say as we please, and protect ourselves from government overreach. But true freedom isn’t so much freedom from freedom to—the freedom to thrive, to take risks for futures we choose by working together. Freedom is the value that makes all other values possible.

On Freedom takes us on a thrilling intellectual journey. Drawing on the work of philosophers and political dissidents, conversations with contemporary thinkers, and his own experiences coming of age in a time of American exceptionalism, Snyder identifies the practices and attitudes—the habits of mind—that will allow us to design a government in which we and future generations can flourish. We come to appreciate the importance of traditions (championed by the right) but also the role of institutions (the purview of the left). Intimate yet ambitious, this book helps forge a new consensus rooted in a politics of abundance, generosity, and grace.

Personal Commentary: The author provided many insights into the whole concept of freedom--its meaning, use and practice with illustrative examples.  

Lecture: Confronting the Globalization of Indifference

On March 26, 2025, I attended a lecture presented by Professor Paolo Peverini of Luiss University in Rome and Consultant to the Vatican’s Dicastery of Communication. The lecture was entitled: “Confronting the Globalization of Indifference: A Semiotic Perspective on Pope Francis’ Vision.”

Drawing on semiotic research, Professor Peverini illustrated how Pope Francis used multiple modes of communication to promote intercultural and interreligious dialogue.

By examining speeches and actions—from the European Parliament to the apostolic journey to Canada—Professor Peverini explored the semiotics behind Pope Francis’ approach to unity, justice, and inclusion. He also examined his communication style, which challenges conventional norms and offers profound insights into contemporary global issues.

Source:https://stmikes.utoronto.ca/event/confronting-the-globalization-of-indifference-a-semiotic-perspective-on-pope-francis-vision-with-prof-paolo-peverini

Personal Commentary: This lecture was informative and brought insights into the communication style of Pope Francis. Professor Peverini presented examples of semiotics, the use of signs and symbols and their meaning, which are evident in Pope Francis' various talks and presentations.

Travels and Travails: Researching & Writing the Birder Murder Mystery Series by Steve Burrows - Fiction

On March 26, 2025, I attended a presentation by Steve Burrows at Deer Park Library, Toronto. Burrows is a renowned birder and an author of the Birder Mystery Series.

As indicated in the program description, Steve Burrows presents a light-hearted look at his path from birder and environmental journalist to author of the best-selling Birder Murder Mystery series.

The author traces connections between the worlds of birding and mystery fiction. He recounts some of his adventures on research trips, looks at the critical reception the series has received from the birding and non-birding communities, and explores some of the surprising opportunities that have come his way as a consequence of writing the series.

Personal Commentary: This was a fascinating presentation. The author took the audience to a world that can be unfamiliar to most people and yet informative in ways that highlight the lives of many species of birds within the environment. 

The Whistler by John Grisham - Fiction

It is expected that judges be honest and wise. Their integrity is the foundation of the entire judicial system. Society trusts and expects them to establish fair trials, protect the rights of all people involved in a lawsuit, and punish those who do wrong. But what happens when a judge bends the law or takes a bribe?

 
Lacy Stoltz is an investigator for the Florida Board on Judicial Conduct. Her job is to respond to complaints of judicial misconduct. After nine years with the Board, she knows that most problems are caused by incompetence, not corruption.

 
But a corruption case eventually crosses her desk. A previously disbarred lawyer is back in business, and he claims to know of a Florida judge who has stolen more money than all other crooked judges combined. And not just crooked judges in Florida. All judges from all states and throughout the history of the United States of America. And now he wants to put a stop to it. His only client is a person who knows the truth and wants to blow the whistle and collect millions under Florida law. When the case is assigned to Lacy, she immediately suspects that this one could be dangerous.

 
Dangerous is one thing. Deadly is something else.

Source: https://www.indigo.ca/en-ca/the-whistler-a-novel/9781101967683.html

Personal Commentary: The Whistler is an informative novel that takes the reader into the world of the justice system in the United States of America. The author has used a compelling case that enables him to illustrate the existence of possible corruption within the judicial system in the United States of America.

U.S. Politics and Big Tech Power : Margaret O'Mara

The Munk School of Global Affairs hosted Margaret O'Mara in Toronto on March 18, 2025. Her presentation was entitled U.S. Politics and Big Tech Power. 

From a historical perspective, O'Mara examined the prominent role of U.S. tech leaders and companies in this second Trump era. She traced the evolution of the decades-long relationship between Silicon Valley and Washington, D.C., and the political and economic transformations this relationship has wrought.

How did the U.S. tech sector and its leaders become so extraordinarily wealthy, market-dominant, and politically consequential in the U.S. and worldwide? 

Professor O'Mara indicated that Silicon Valley was built on the back of the U.S. government yet has always maintained a paradoxical relationship--criticizing government intervention, except when it suits them.

The Internet was a Pentagon invention as early as the 1940s and 1950s. Two years ago, the Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) bailout was another reminder of the government’s role in keeping the ecosystem afloat. Steve Jobs lobbied Congress for two weeks to get Macs into schools. And today, tech leaders are writing $1M+ checks to presidential inauguration committees to secure influence. 

For an industry that often champions the idea of small government, Big Tech has a remarkably selective memory regarding its history. What will happen next as we navigate this next chapter of Big Tech’s political power? 

Source: https://munkschool.utoronto.ca/event/us-politics-and-big-tech-power-past-present-and-future

Personal Commentary: It was a fascinating revelation about the connections between the U.S. government and the creators of the high-tech industry in today's world.

Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler - Fiction

Parable of the Sower is set in a suburb of Los Angeles.  The author, Octavia Butler, translates the existing dangers and chaos to portray the lives of a family living in this neighbourhood. 

In the early 2020s,  global climate change and economic crises led to social chaos in California. The residents have to cope with dangers, from water shortage to crowds of displaced persons who will do anything to live from day to day. 

The author brings in fifteen-year-old Lauren Olamina who lives inside a gated community with her preacher father, family, and neighbors. They are sheltered from this chaos, but Lauren is a person of immense empathy with unbelievable sensitivity to other people's reactions to this crisis situation.

Lauren is determined to protect her loved ones from the imminent disasters her small community stubbornly ignores. But what begins as a fight for survival soon leads to something much more: the birth of a new faith . . . and a startling vision of human destiny.

Source: https://www.indigo.ca/en-ca/parable-of-the-sower/9781538759394.html

Personal Commentary: A touching story of a community of families living in a changing era. The author focuses on a teenage girl, Lauren who attempts to protect her family within the community who do not seem to deal with the crises facing them.