A Life Coach Examines Michael Jackson’s Legacy July 4, 2009
Posted by ismailimail in Art and Culture, Article, Ismaili Muslim Authors.Tags: Jalaledin Ebrahim
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By Jalaledin Ebrahim.
A Star has flashed across our collective inner sky. A genius has left an enduring legacy. He was bigger than life. He was a giant in the entertainment field. He wowed us with his music and his moves. So what is the relevance of Michael Jackson to our lives?
The first thing that comes to mind is the early childhood discovery of a huge talent for music. Jackson was clearly a gifted entertainer who wasted no time in perfecting his artistry. From the perspective of a life coach, it is a huge blessing in life to become aware of our calling. That Michael Jackson did this so early in life set him on a clear path. He was precocious in his art beyond his years. Many have remarked how he sang as if he had years of experience behind him. Of the seven intelligences in Howard Gardner’s theory of multiple intelligences, Michael had access to two unique intelligences: a musical intelligence which contains the capacity to produce and appreciate rhythm and forms of musical expression, and a bodily-kinesthetic intelligence which demonstrates an ability to control one’s body movements. One might even argue that Michael accessed a third intelligence: a linguistic intelligence which demonstrates a sensitivity to the sounds, rhythms and meaning of words But with this success came some serious problems: a loss of balance – loss of childhood, a stunted education and conflicts with his father, resulting in early parent-child relational issues. These can have a devastating affect on one’s psychology.
From a psychological perspective, Michael had to respond to his childhood trauma of physical and emotional abuse and also to the condition of body dysmorphic disorder. In addition, the loss of a normal childhood was irreparable even though Michael tried so hard to make up for this by entertaining underprivileged and disabled children and their families at his Neverland ranch.
Book Review of Prince Hussain Aga Khan’s ‘Animal Voyage’ July 4, 2009
Posted by ismailimail in Art and Culture, Books, Prince Hussein.Tags: Simerg
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…Prince Hussain Aga Khan, in his second photo book of the same name, Animal Voyage: Travels 1996 – 2007, has further refined the original photographic edit and improved the quality of the images on the printed page. Animal Voyage (editions de l’oeil, 128 pages) is a collection of travel photographs of various animals taken over a decade and from twenty-five countries. His first book of photographs dated from 1996 to 2004 can loosely be viewed as a first edition.In any case, the updated photo book is more than a selection of typical landmark images of travels but is a printed record with his particular eleven year documentary vision…
Animal Voyage is a wonderful book with vivid colour photographs which are edited and well sequencednot by a mere hobby travel photographer but a photographer with a sincere and noble goal of preserving nature around the world. Not an easy task to do….John W. MacDonald
Full review at Sideline: Book Review of Hussain Aga Khan’s “Animal Voyage”
See book details and order “Animal Voyage” by Hussain Aga Khan
Bilaal Rajan meets with Mr Nelson Mandela and Archbishop Desmond Tutu in South Africa July 4, 2009
Posted by ismailimail in Canada, Ismaili Muslims in the News, North America.1 comment so far
Bilaal Rajan recently returned from visiting South Africa, where he had the opportunity to meet with Mr Nelson Mandela and Archbishop Desmond Tutu.
Click here to read more about his trip to South Africa, his July 2009 book and film reviews, and more!
http://www.makingchangenow.com/newsletter0907.html
Calgary Stampede parade draws thousands downtown July 3, 2009
Posted by ismailimail in Calgary Stampede, Canada, Community Activities, North America.add a comment
Friday, July 3, 2009 | CBC News
About 300,000 people lined downtown Calgary’s curbs and office highrise windows to take in the annual Stampede parade Friday morning.
Led by TV celebrity contractor Mike Holmes on a white horse, more than 40 floats and marching bands joined the procession that started at Sixth Avenue and Third Street S.E. and travelled west, turning south down 10th Street S.W. and then east on Ninth Avenue S.W., ending on Fourth Street S.E.
The Ismaili Muslim community's float was one of dozens in the Stampede parade. (CBC)
The annual parade, which was first held in 1912, kicks off the 10-day Calgary Stampede, which celebrates the cowboy way of life.
Read at source: http://www.cbc.ca/canada/calgary/story/2009/07/03/calgary-stampede-parade.html
AKDN funded Bamiyan tourism training program underway July 3, 2009
Posted by ismailimail in Afghanistan, Aga Khan Development Network, Asia, Travel and Tourism.add a comment
HEIDI VOGT | The Associated Press
BAMIYAN, Afghanistan — There’s a new building in town, and it isn’t a military barracks or a hospital. It’s a Tourist Information Center.
Even as troops fight militants in the south, government officials and donors in Afghanistan’s central Bamiyan valley are training tour guides and teaching restaurateurs about customer service. It’s an attempt to draw tourism and return one small part of Afghanistan to normalcy.
The challenges are many — landmines, dangerous roads outside Bamiyan, and, not least, Afghanistan’s reputation as anything but a tourist haven. But the hope is to persuade history buffs and adventure seekers that Afghanistan can be safe, and locals are eager to give it a shot.
The tourism training program is funded through a Geneva-based Islamic organization, the Aga Khan Development Network, as part of a $1.2-million ecotourism program.All Afghan tourism initiatives are currently funded by international donors, according to Deputy Minister for Tourism Ghulam Nabi Farahi.
Read at source: http://www.amherstdaily.com/index.cfm?sid=266006&sc=510
Calgary Stampede Parade Gazette July 2, 2009
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Community spirit: Diversity links duo
For some two decades, Calgary’s Ismaili Muslim Community has been an award-winning part of the Calgary Stampede Parade. The group has not only been recognized multiple times as one of the event’s top entries, but it has taken its role in the Calgary community to 
heart by partnering with local non-profits to promote worthy causes.
And this year is no exception as it joins forces with the Calgary Women’s Emergency Shelter, which is celebrating its 35th anniversary. A lot of our core values deal in terms of resolving conflict through non-violent means, and empowering women is another key value we as a community take pride in and value,” says Ismaili Muslim Community volunteer Karam-Ali Talakshi. “It seemed like a natural fit.”
Over the past 20 years, the Ismaili Muslim Community has partnered with a number of organizations for the parade, including Meals on Wheels, Habitat for Humanity, the YMCA and Alberta Children’s Hospital. The theme for this year’s entry is “Strengthening Relationships, Building Community.”
Read at source: http://parade.calgarystampede.com/pdf/2009_Stampede_Parade_Gazette.pdf
Video clip of Documentary ‘East Meets Western’ July 2, 2009
Posted by ismailimail in Art and Culture, Calgary Stampede, Canada, Community Activities, North America.add a comment
OMNI Television aired the world television premiere of East Meets Western to English language audiences in Ontario, Alberta and BC on Sunday, June 28th.
From Calgary-based White Iron Pictures, East Meets Western tells a story of volunteerism, commitment and support between two seemingly disparate cultures. With the Calgary Stampede as its backdrop, East Meets Western links festivities within the Calgary Ismaili community with events of the Stampede, revealing remarkable similarities between the two.
Please click on the image to view a trailer of the documentary.
http://www.whiteiron.tv/bin/east_meets_western.mov
AKU’s Urban Health Program receives 1st place award for The MacJannet Prize for Global Citizenship July 2, 2009
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The Talloires Network and the MacJannet Foundation are pleased to announce the winners of the first annual MacJannet Prize for Global Citizenship. After receiving 67 nominations from 40 universities in 19 countries, the MacJannet Prize Selection Committee has chosen the following programs:
The first place winner, which will receive $5,000, is the Urban Health Program based in Aga Khan University in Pakistan. This innovative and long-standing program run by Aga Khan University’s Department of Community Health Sciences provides critical health and socio-economic support to the squatter settlements of Karachi.
Administrators at Aga Khan University founded the program in 1983, 
when public health efforts received little attention from other Pakistani universities. Since the establishment of the Department of Community Health Sciences, whose mandate was to help develop community-based knowledge and skills among its students, many other medical schools have used the Urban Health Program as a model for their own public health work.
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Learn more at the Urban Health Program website
Complete at source: http://www.macjannetprize.org/
Video of the prize winners can be seen here.
First Friday: Opening of Hussain Aga Khan’s ‘Focused On Nature’ Exhibition July 2, 2009
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First Friday: Hussain Aga Khan, Focused On Nature
July 1, 2009
Join us this first Friday for the public opening of Hussain Aga Khan’s Focused On Nature.
From his global travels Hussain Aga Khan has been able to capture exotic creatures in their natural habitats from every corner of the world. Khan displays 52 digital prints, ranging in size from 11” x 15” to 38” x 42”. The resultant effect of the larger print sizes envelopes his viewer within the scene, where they are asked to contemplate the importance of our planet’s rich diversity.
Hussain Aga Khan asks us to view the work not through the lexicon of ‘the perfect print’ or in relationship to fine arts photography; instead, he brings to us vibrant, lively photographs of nature and animals, during a time of rapid environmental degeneration – a time when we need to see it most. Hussain hopes that we can share his understanding that every one of these animals and their homes are incredible and irreplaceable and need to be protected as such.
In connection with the exhibition, Hussain has initiated a children’s art educational summer camp with the After School Activities Partnership (ASAP) and the Caring People Alliance to help children learn about art and create their own. The program is a month long course where professional artists will be working with students ages 10-13. The campers will be taught to use digital cameras, and travel on field trips in Pennsylvania and New Jersey to animal sanctuaries and other points of interest related to environmental preservation. For more information about Hussain Aga Khan and these programs you can visit www.focusedonnature.org.
First Friday runs from 6-9 pm.
249 Arch (Corner of Third and Arch)
http://fuelcollection.wordpress.com/2009/07/01/first-friday-hussain-aga-khan-focused-on-nature/
AKU hosts 2nd National Road Safety Conference July 2, 2009
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2nd National Road Safety Conference on 7th
KARACHI: Indus Motor Company (IMC) and Shell Pakistan in partnership with The Aga Khan University Hospital, Sindh Education Foundation and the Road Traffic injury Research Center (Ministry of Health) are organizing the 2nd National Road Safety Conference (NSRC) on July 7, 2009 at the Aga Khan University Auditorium, Karachi.
Participants at the conference will comprise of government and regulatory body dignitaries and stakeholders from the corporate, education, health, road traffic systems and the engineering sectors.
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2009%5C07%5C02%5Cstory_2-7-2009_pg5_12
Reza Nejad Introduces Spatial Genealogy of the Ashura Ritual July 2, 2009
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From The Institute of Ismaili Studies
July 2009
Reza Masoudi Nejad gave a presentation on The Spatial Genealogy of the Ashura Ritual: an introduction on spatial evolution of Shi’i rituals at The Institute of Ismaili Studies on 2 June 2009. He has recently completed his PhD at The Bartlett, Faculty for the Built 
Environment at UCL.
Dr Nejad seeks a deeper understanding of the Ashura ritual and its spatial dimensions, by explaining the evolution of rituals throughout Shi‘i history as dependent on socio-political changes. In his paper, he shows how society and space interact with each other through rituals.
Read at: http://www.iis.ac.uk/view_article.asp?ContentID=110407
Ismaili Muslim Community of Edmonton serves free pancake breakfast at Alberta Legislature Grounds July 1, 2009
Posted by ismailimail in Canada, Ismaili Muslims in the News, North America.add a comment
EDMONTON — Hordes of people dressed in red and white waving — and wearing — flags filled Edmonton streets and parks today in celebration of Canada’s 142nd birthday.
Beginning at 7 a.m., thousands showed up to the Alberta legislature grounds where some special guests served up a free pancake breakfast, courtesy of the Ismaili Muslim Community of Edmonton.
Federal Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff took a break from serving pancakes and watermelon to talk about the meaning behind Canada Day. He pointed to the diversity of the breakfast crowd as an example of what Canadians should be proud of.
“Canadians of every walk of life are all together … it’s a great feeling,” he said.
Read at source: http://www.edmontonjournal.com/Life/Edmonton+crowds+ring+Canada+legislature/1749899/story.html
Prince Hussain Aga Khan’s Exhibition, ‘Focused on Nature’ opens July 3 July 1, 2009
Posted by ismailimail in Art and Culture, North America, Prince Hussein, United States.1 comment so far
Focused on Nature
Photographs by Hussain Aga Khan
“In my photographs, I let the animals and trees speak for
themselves and hope other people see what I see.”
Hussain Aga Khan
An avid photographer and environmentalist since he was twelve years old, Hussain Aga Khan is working to share his concern and passion for the environment. His images of nature portray the urgent need for more research and actionable initiatives on global issues of biodiversity, deforestation, global warming, pollution and eco-tourism.
Focused on Nature
Friday, July 3rd to August 8th, 2009
at
The F.U.E.L Collection
249 Arch Street Philadelphia PA 19106
Special thanks to:
Robert Morrison, Antonin Potoski, Patrick Codomier, Nazir Sunderji
The University of the Arts
The Fels Community Center
After School Activities Partnership – ASAP
Proceeds from the sale of photographs will benefit the “Prince Sadruddin Aga Khan Fund for the Environment”
http://www.focusedonnature.org/home.html
View collection of photographs at the Gallery
From Chris and Margo’s blog: If I lived here, I’d be proud to have the Aga Khan’s photo on my wall too July 1, 2009
Posted by ismailimail in Aga Khan Foundation, Aga Khan IV, Asia, Blogosphere, Tajikistan.add a comment
Excerpts from candmwanderings blogspot:
In town, we met a very talented young Vancouverite, Aliaa, who was staying in a village near Ishkashim for a year, with a family that and all but adopted her, as she gathered material for her Ph.D. in anthropology. She was Ismaili, and she filled us in on bits of local culture and recent history which helped us interpret what we had seen over the past weeks.
The day after meeting Aliaa, and just as a ride to Dushanbe had been expediently arranged for us, we had the honour of meeting 86 year-old Dr. Ali Mohammad Rajput, a retired professor of mathematics from Birmingham (UK) who spends four months of the year in Khorog. Not only is he the venerable patriarch of the Pamir Lodge, but he played a key role in the recent history of Gorno Badahkshan Autonomous Oblast as we had just learned it from Aliaa. He was one of the three key people who came to GBAO to assess the situation in the early 1990s after the civil war..
He reported to the Aga Khan (with whom he had connections having started his academic career on an AK scholarship from Pakistan) and a decade of food aid and much more began. Aga Khan projects can now be seen everywhere in GBAO, and there is an AK Foundation office in Khorog. There are cynical stories of other aid programmes that have been mismanaged, with vast sums spent and no improvement in the lives of locals, but the Aga Khan Foundation has made and continues to make a huge difference here.
If I lived here, I ‘d be proud to have his photo on my wall, too.
Read at source: http://candmwanderings.blogspot.com/2009/06/khorog.html
Ismaili Muslim Youth volunteer to clean up graffiti in Burnaby July 1, 2009
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Muslim youth help fight graffiti
Jennifer Moreau, Burnaby Now | Wednesday, July 01, 2009
As part of an annual day of volunteering, 40 Ismaili youth will clean up local graffiti.
This Sunday, a band of local youth will be putting paint brushes to walls along a graffiti-ridden neighbourhood in Burnaby.
It’s part of an initiative called CIVIC, which stands for Challenging Ismaili Volunteers In Communities.
Here in Burnaby, the city’s anti-graffiti coordinator is getting a helping hand from 40 volunteers from the Ismaili Muslim community. They will help paint over graffiti in an effort to reclaim the community and discourage taggers.
-snip-
This year’s CIVIC day is July 5. Roughly 180 youth around the Lower Mainland will be volunteering, planting trees, cleaning up parks and working in soup kitchens.
Shelin Adam volunteers to help coordinate the projects. She says the principle of volunteering has long been a pillar within the Ismaili community.
“The community is very big on the ethic of service and giving back to the community,” she says.
Read at source: http://www2.canada.com/burnabynow/news/story.html?id=19d18e32-f626-4d2a-8e8a-19aa1530e058
The Delegation’s custom Jari screens – Global supplier search results in pieces to be proud of June 30, 2009
Posted by ismailimail in Canada, Delegation of the Ismaili Imamat, North America.add a comment
Excerpts:
This project, the Delegation of the Ismaili Imamat, is the world’s first building representing the Aga Khan Development Network (which supports social, economic and cultural projects in developing countries). 
Specifically CAF was called upon to create 180 highly intricate panels – that when joined form the aluminum screen that today encloses the 55-foot-high atrium, located just beneath the dome at the Delegation of the Ismaili Imamat. These cast aluminum screens partially obscure the glass walls with their Arabesque-type pattern, a double layer of repeating hexagons. This screen of patterned cast aluminum evokes the screens of carved marble and wood that filter light in historic Islamic architecture.
Read at source: http://news.thomasnet.com/companystory/562583
AKRSP working with Space Research Org to bring English to rural areas June 30, 2009
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ISRO to teach tribals spoken English through VSAT technology
Express News Service | Tuesday , Jun 30, 2009
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has joined hands with the Aga Khan Rural Support Programme (AKRSP) to implement spoken English programme for the tribals in the rural areas of Narmada, Surendranagar, Bharuch, Surat and Junagadh through VSAT connectivity.
Through its Space Application Centre, which has been doing research on VSAT technology, ISRO wants to uplift the life and livelihood of the people in the rural areas through services such as Tele-education and Tele-healthcare. Spoken English will be part of these courses, and AKRSP will be the implementing agencies for five centres.
Read at source: http://www.indianexpress.com/news/ISRO-to-teach-tribals-spoken-English-through-VSAT-technology/482838
Professor Zamir Punja wins award for Outstanding Research June 30, 2009
Posted by ismailimail in Canada, Ismaili Muslims in the News, North America.add a comment
SFU News Online
June 11, 2009
Several faculty members have been recognized recently for outstanding contributions in their fields.
-snip-
Biologist Zamir Punja has won the 2009 Canadian Phytopathological Society Award for Outstanding Research for his work in plant pathology and his innovative approaches to disease management on vegetable and horticultural crops.
Punja, an international leader in the development of genetically-modified plants, has one of the most productive and diverse research programs in Canada addressing both basic and applied aspects of plant diseases caused by a range of pathogens, particularly soil-borne fungi.
His outreach has extended beyond the scientific community to the public forum in which he has spoken nationally and internationally about his work. In 2003, Punja’s staunch support as a champion of genetically modified plants earned him SFU’s Nora and Ted Sterling Prize in support of controversy.
Read at source: http://www.sfu.ca/sfunews/news/story_06110908.shtml
Photographs of His Highness the Aga Khan from the Award Ceremony at the University of Alberta, June 9, 2009 June 29, 2009
Posted by ismailimail in Aga Khan IV, Awards, Canada, North America, Pictures, UofA Doctor of Laws.add a comment
Additional photographs of His Highness the Aga Khan from the Award Ceremony at the University of Alberta on June 9, 2009 where he received an honorary Doctor of Laws degree.
Please click on the picture to view the photo album.
Photographs, courtesy of University of Alberta
UCA’s School of Professional and Continuing Education Teaches Critical Skills for Central Asia Economies June 29, 2009
Posted by ismailimail in Asia, Tajikistan, University of Central Asia.add a comment
29/06/2009
In June, students at the University of Central Asia’s (UCA) School of Professional and Continuing Education (SPCE), Central Asia’s first provider of formal, university-based, non-degree educational programmes, received certificates and awards for a number of disciplines, including accounting, mountain guiding and the teaching of English. The ceremonies in Dushanbe and Khorog also marked several milestones. SPCE’s first graduation in the Tajik capital, Dushanbe, was held. The third graduation ceremony at the Khorog campus was also held, with 138 learners receiving awards and certificates – 27 of them from Afghanistan.
Established in 2006, SPCE is UCA’s first operational academic programme. Its mission is to foster economic development in mountainous regions of Central Asia. It offers courses that improve employment and income generating opportunities for youth and adults and professional development opportunities for mid-career professionals
Read at: http://www.akdn.org/blog.asp?id=771
