Local Journalists to offer insights in OASIS Fall classes

Local journalists are teaching Fall classes offered by OASIS,”a national education organization dedicated to enriching the lives of mature adults through challenging programs in the arts, humanities, technology and volunteer service” for those 50 years and older.

OASIS at the Junior League of Tucson building is located at 2099 E. River Rd. Phone 520-322-5627, website:www.oasisnet.org/tucson. All types of classes are offered for the September-December session, with classes beginning on September 10. Processing fee is $12 per registration form. Classes are also offered at 11 other community locations in town.

Here’s the schedule for the Fall featuring journalists in Tucson:

October 8, 1 to 3 p.m. $10, OASIS at Junior League
“Whatever Happened to the Rio Nuevo that Voters Thought They were Getting?” by Josh Brodesky (Reporter/Metro columnist) and Team Leader Joe Burchell of AZ Daily Star

October 9, 10:30 a.m. to 12 noon, $7, OASIS at Junior League
Pulse of the Media with Kristi Tedesco, KVOA Channel 4 anchor

October 24, 10 a.m. to 12 noon, $9, OASIS at Junior League
“Examine the Year 2012 with David Fitzsimmons”, political cartoonist at the AZ Daily Star

November 13, 10:30 a.m. to 12 noon, $7, OASIS at Junior League
Pulse of the Media with Jim Nintzel, political reporter at Tucson Weekly, and AZPM Channel 6’s host of Arizona Illustrated’s Political Roundtable (Friday evenings)

December 11, 10:30 a.m. to 12 noon, $7, OASIS at Junior League
Pulse of the Media with Forrest Carr, KGUN 9’s News Director

Pick up the Tucson OASIS catalog (at Pima County public libraries) to select from a wide variety of classes in tai chi, yoga, computer skills, art, cooking, dance, foreign languages (Spanish, German), etc. Tours around town (i.e Benedictine Monastery, Mansions of Main Avenue) or out of town (i.e. Canyon Lake, Musical Instrument Museum in Phoenix, Pecan Festival in Sahuarita) are also offered.

You can register online (click here), by mail, or in person.

A Living Memorial of 9/11

For eight years I have been attending the Tucson Multi-Faith Alliance’s commemoration services of 9/11/01. One of the positive outcomes of that day has been this annual service held at various churches/temples/synagogues on every 9/11 since.

Today’s service was held at high noon at the Temple Emanu-El at 225 N.Country Club Road. This service today brought speakers/performers from the Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, Muslim, Baha’i, and Sikh communities of Tucson. In the past there have been other representatives of Buddhist, Zoroastrian, Sufi, and Hindu religious communities as well.

Particularly moving today were the heartfelt stories of two Jewish former New Yorkers, Craig and Lori Sumberg, who lived in upper Manhattan on 9/11/01 and were there working/studying that day. They assisted with feeding rescue workers after that tragic event. Lori stated at the end of her remarks that we need to “fill the darkness with love, light, and hope” for the future.

Two “Sisters” one a lay minister from the Family Federation for World Peace and the other an Interfaith minister sang the Peace Walk Song one of them had written, expressing the image of “a flower blossoming daily in the hearts” of those who give and forgive. I thought that was particularly fitting for Tucson, especially as the song by Jayne Turconi starts with “I walk across the desert with a flower in my hand.”

Bringing all these representatives of different religions together in one service has been a positive outcome of 9/11, creating a new sense of community and working together in Tucson.

The Tucson Multi-Faith Alliance’s mission statement is “building mutual understanding and community across the boundary lines of religion, race, creed, orientation and ability.”
For more information contact Sat Bir Kaur Khalsa at 690-5715 or Loretta Tracy at 881-0183.

Their next multi-faith service is the annual Thanksgiving one, which my husband and I have attended for several years.

From the Peace Walk Song: “Peace, Shalom, Salaam Alaikum, Namaste…”

KGUN 9 has a link to this memorial service at http://www.kgun9.com, News, “Tucsonans of Faith Remember 9/11”.