Join to watch TEDxCalgary’s Energy: Full Spectrum event live! It will be streaming content from the session from approximately 10 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., Mountain Standard Time.
For those not able to participate in person, the event is being webcast in full on May 11th.
On May 11, click here for TEDxCalgary | Live Webstream.
Related: Rahim Sajan, Curator TEDx Calgary
Fatima Bata to speak at TEDx Calgary
Hussein Charania to speak at TEDx Calgary
To highlight Rahim’s fundamental role in TEDxCalgary, we’ve borrowed from the TED lexicon and dubbed him our “Curator”, a term of great respect. From many conversations with interested people, it was Rahim who ultimately took the final step toward securing an event licence and who continues to lead our overall efforts as an event team. Rahim also leads our all-important programming committee.
Rahim is a community organizer, educator, adventurer and self confessed bookworm. He is a teacher in the local board, where he currently works with both teachers and students. Before this sweet gig he had other unbelievably cool jobs where he taught science, physical education, robotics, astronomy, and math. He has extensive experience working in a number of different environments and educational levels, including a 2 year stint as a teacher close to the NWT in an isolated First Nations Community, shortly after he graduated for a second time from the University of Calgary.
poet, certified “great kid”
Why you should listen to her:
Fatima Bata is a 12 year old grade 7 student and young poet. In 2009, she was a recipient of a “Great Kid Award” from Premier Ed Stelmach and Janis Tarchuk, Minister of Alberta Children and Youth Services for showing leadership, generosity, compassion and a strong will to make a positive difference in the community. Fatima has written a few poems before, and is anxious to share some of her viewpoints with her audience.
Read more:
via http://tedxcalgary.ca/events/energy-full-spectrum.
software developer, pluralism proponent
Why you should listen to him:
Hussein is a world traveler with a purpose: he is passionate in his quest to understand cultures, religions, art, architecture and musical traditions. He has travelled to some far-flung places steeped in ancient stories, including Afghanistan, Pakistan, India and all over East Africa. His passion and appreciation of pluralism, along with his rigorous understanding of religious and cultural diversity, blends in interesting ways with his deep understanding of software development.
Read more:
via http://tedxcalgary.ca/events/energy-full-spectrum.
Anar is the founder of Parallel Earth a social media start-up that brings a rich media presence to real-life events. Her career in technology took root in the Oil & Gas industry in Calgary, Canada after which she had several roles in academia with a technology focus until she moved to Silicon Valley. She is a member of the Organizing Committee of the C100; a member of the Advisory Committee for U.S. State Department TechWomen program and a member of the advisory board of Wired Differently, a citizen science initiative from MIT. Anar has a Bachelors in Computer Science and a Masters in Communications from the University of Calgary and recently completed the Program in Innovation and Entrepreneurship at the Graduate School of Business at Stanford University.
As the Global Ambassador for Technovation Challenge, Anar has raised awareness of the program and forged partnerships with aligned agencies and institutions worldwide. To date the partnerships have included: the Aga Khan Education Board Canada, U.S. State Department’s TechWomen initiative, member institutions of the UN Women program, Women in Technology Nigeria, with many more in the pipeline. Understanding the fit between technology literacy programs, high schools, and women’s organizations is key to bringing Technovation to every girl around the world.
British Columbia winner of the 20th annual Sanofi BioGENEius Challenge Canada Selin Jessa, of Coquitlam, BC, with Robert Quesnel, Vice President and General Counsel, Legal and Corporate Affairs, Sanofi Canada (left) and MP Andrew Saxton, MP for North Vancouver and Parliamentary Secretary to the President of the Treasury Board and for Western Economic Diversification Canada (right) at the Vancouver Convention Centre last night. Selin engineered a specific mutation in a protein of HIV-1 that may one day help HIV patients fight the infection without medication.
Almas Jiwani, President of UN Women National Committee Canada was presented with a Women’s Advancement Forum’s 2013 MDG Meritorious Award by Governor’s wife, Her Excellency Olufunso Amosun,in Johannesburg. The award is sponsored by DuPont and is presented for contribution to realization of Millennium Development Goals.
The Women Advancement Forum is held from April 28 – May 3, 2013 to connect women leaders and provide an environment for networking and capacity building. Participants have the opportunity to discuss the economic status of women, advancement in the position of women and steps that need to be undertaken to further promote women’s empowerment in business, politics and society.
My name is Aly Ladha, and I’m currently a second year Integrated Sciences student. Coming to UBC and having the opportunity to work with SUS and all the incredible people in it is something I have cherished over the past 2 years. This is why I am very excited to be running to be YOUR VP Communications for the 2013-2014 academic year.
via Aly Ladha for VP Communications 2013-2014 – Home.
http://www.sus.ubc.ca/council/sus-elections/spring-election-2013-results/
In the second big downtown hotel transaction of 2013, KWMC is paying Ivanhoe Cambridge $140M for the Toronto Hilton. (It’s entitled to steal one towel.)
Samir Manji, a KWMC board member and CEO of Amica Mature Lifestyles, confirmed the deal and says no changes are in the works. “It will continue to be a Hilton,” says Samir, whose brother Salim heads KWMC. “Our family led a consortium,” he said, adding it’s a long-term investment entirely separate from Amica (dispelling any crazy ideas the 601-room Hilton would become a giant seniors home). “It’s a jewel of an asset at a centre-ice location.” RealNet’s Richard Vilner tells us the hotel was built in 1975 and sold in 2006 for $106M. Ivanhoe said it won’t comment. The 427-room Metropolitan sold last month for $39.7M.
via Private Entity Buys Toronto Hilton – Real Estate Bisnow (Toronto).
Rehana Nathoo joined The Rockefeller Foundation in 2013. As a member of the Foundation Initiatives team, Ms. Nathoo works on program initiatives that pertain broadly to economic development. This includes the coordination and facilitation of the Foundation’s engagement with the Impact Investing industry. Ms. Nathoo also supports the expansion and integration of the Foundation’s efforts on Social Impact Bond (SIBs), and participates in the development, management and execution of future strategy.
Prior to joining the Foundation, Ms. Nathoo served as an Assistant Director at the Global Clearinghouse for Development Finance, working to utilize project finance in strengthening domestic financial institutions in East Africa. She has also worked with the UN Capital Development Fund to assist developing countries in economic growth through the provision of grants and loans.
Rehana has a Bachelor of Arts with Honors degree in Political Science from Queen’s University and a Master’s degree in International Relations and Development, with a focus on International Economic Development and Foreign Policy Analysis, from the Whitehead School of Diplomacy and International Relations.
In his latest book, Sacred Ground: Pluralism, Prejudice, and the Promise of America, interfaith activist Eboo Patel asks us to share in his vision of a better America—a robustly pluralistic country in which our commonalities are more important than our differences. Patel posits that Americans from George Washington to Martin Luther King, Jr. have been “interfaith leaders,” and illustrates how the forces of pluralism have time and again defeated the forces of prejudice. Pluralism, Patel boldly argues, is at the heart of the American project. His prescient voice carries particular weight and wisdom for a city recently crowned America’s most diverse.
via Eboo Patel on Sacred Ground: Pluralism, Prejudice, and the Promise of America | Texas | Asia Society.
April is Cancer Awareness month.
Our younger daughter, Rukhsar Jaffer will be shaving her head completely bald on Saturday, June 1st, 2013 in support of fundraising for Cancer Patients. She will attending her Grade 12 Prom as a Bald Princess! ( Follow her on twitter: @BaldPrincess_RJ )
We all know someone close and dear to us who is either fighting this fatal illness or lost this battle fighting and is no longer with us today. May their soul rest in eternal peace.
Let us come together and do our part in any which way and make the Canadian Cancer Society’s vision, “Creating a world where no Canadian fears cancer” come true.
If you wish to support Rukhsar in this noble cause please visit the link below where you can make an online donation or join her team and assist with fundraising. Kindly, spread the word around for her fundraising efforts.
http://convio.cancer.ca/goto/RukhsarJaffer_ShaveTheLocks2013
Remember no amount is either too small or big and it all adds up at the end for a good cause. Donations of $10.00 or more are eligible for a Tax Receipt.
Thank you to those who have already supported her in the past and continue to support her. Your generosity and kindness is very much appreciated.
Narmin Nagji -Jaffer & Mehboob (Tissue) Jaffer
Yusuf Hirji, 16, has been spared hundreds of hours in a Sick Kids bed, thanks to back-carried gear that flushes chemo drugs from his body.
It started with a strange bump on the back of his leg, just above the knee, and within weeks, an active, soccer-loving teenager with dreams of playing in Europe was bedridden at Sick Kids hospital, receiving chemotherapy through an IV.
To be so confined was agonizing for Yusuf Hirji, who was diagnosed with osteosarcoma — bone cancer — last July. But now, thanks to an idea proposed by his oncology nurse, Yusuf is the test case in a portable treatment pilot project that is allowing him to spend much of his time at home with his beloved dog, Scooter, and his family, rather than in his hospital bed.
He’s the first osteosarcoma patient in Canada to try it, according to the Hospital for Sick Children.
via Novel backpack system helps teen with bone cancer avoid hospital stays | Toronto Star.
Earlier related: Yusuf Hirji: Pickering teen shares cancer story
Ontario’s medal and recognition programs celebrate the people who make our province a better place to live. The Ontario Volunteer Service Award recognizes individual volunteers for continuous years of commitment and dedicated service to an organization.
2013 Volunteer Service Awards - April 26th 2013
Amin Alidina, Shia Imami Ismailia Council for Ontario – 20 Years
Yasmine Chagla, Shia Imami Ismaili Council for Ontario – 30 Years
Riyaz Lalji, Shia Imami Ismaili Council for Ontario – 10 Years
Serena Manji, Shia Imami Ismailia Council for Ontario – 10 Years
Taslim Moosa, Shia Imami Ismailia Council for Ontario – 5 Years
Noorain Noorani, Shia Imami Ismaili Council for Ontario – 5 Years
Shams Popat, Shia Imami Ismaili Council for Ontario – 20 Years
G. G Ramji, Shia Imami Ismaili Council for Ontario – 30 Years
Arezou Sakhizada, Shia Imami Ismaili Council for Ontario – 5 Years
Shakeel Rajani, Shia Imami Ismailia Council for Ontario – 5 Years
Shiraz Kassam, Shia Imami Ismailia Council for Ontario – 25 Years
Roshan Kassam, Shia Imami Ismailia Council for Ontario – 25 Years
http://www.citizenship.gov.on.ca/english/citizenship/honours/vsa.shtml
http://www.citizenship.gov.on.ca/docs/vsa/london_2.pdf
The annual Middle East History and Theory Conference is organized by the MEHAT Workshop in collaboration with the Center for Middle Eastern Studies at the University of Chicago. It serves as interdisciplinary forum for academic exchange on topics across a wide range of periods and disciplines in the field of Middle East Studies.
Between Doctrine and Practice: Shiʿi and Sunni Political Formations in 10th-12th Century Iraq and Iran – Shiraz Hajiani (University of Chicago): Ismailis at Isfahan – A Tale in Three Texts
Shiraz Hajiani – Mr. Hajiani is a PhD candidate at University of Chicago Department of Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations. He specializes in Shi`ism and the history of Iran. He has a Masters in Theological Studies from Harvard Divinity School and an MA from the University of Chicago.
Early Islamic Thought – Shatha Almutawa (University of Chicago): The Afterlife in the Thought of the Ikhwan al-Safa
Shatha Almutawa is a PhD student in History of Judaism at the University of Chicago Divinity School. She is studying the interactions between Muslim and Jewish philosophy in the medieval period. Institute of Ismaili Studies awarded its Dissertation Writing Scholarship to Shatha Almutawa in 2012.
Negotiating Shi’i Doctrine – Khalil Andani (Harvard University): The Qur’an – Word of God or Word of Muhammad: Prophetic Revelation in the thought of Abdulkarim Soroush and Nāṣir-i Khusraw
Khalil Andani is a young professional from Toronto and currently a Master of Theological Studies (MTS) candidate at Harvard University. He is a Chartered Accountant (CA/CPA) and holds Bachelor of Math (BMath) and Master of Accounting (MAcc) degrees from the University of Waterloo. Khalil is also a contemporary Isma‘ili Muslim thinker whose areas of focus include theology, philosophy, metaphysics, hermeneutics (ta’wil), and the perennial philosophy (sophia perennis). He writes and delivers presentations on Isma‘ili philosophy and praxis to help revitalize the Shi‘i Muslim intellectual tradition.
Conference schedule: http://cas.uchicago.edu/workshops/mehat/conference/schedule
Facebook Invite: https://www.facebook.com/events/325344217593502/
Career counseling is a critical component of preparing high school students for university studies. Schools in developing countries do not have the resources to employ career counselors. Pakistan is an example of a resource-constrained developing country that has limited career counseling resources available to high school students.
To investigate how students in Pakistan make career decisions, we surveyed 450 university students across Pakistan. Only 14% of university students at the four leading universities reported having adequate information when deciding their career paths. Furthermore, we surveyed 614 high school students from three schools serving very different socioeconomic segments of the society. More than 80% of high school students surveyed were interested in pursuing a very narrow set of career paths limited to engineering, business, or medicine. This again is a consequence of under-informed decisions and a “herd” mentality, rather than a creative and exploratory approach.
The goal of Mashvarah is to democratize career advice: every student that needs advice will have access to a career advisor. The web-based platform envisions bringing together a comprehensive set of advisors, including university students, university faculty, working professionals, and professional career advisors. We believe this will lead to more informed career choices, ultimately creating a more vibrant and intellectually diverse workforce.
Vote for MIT Ideas Global Challenge. Voting deadline is Monday midnight (EST).
Sohail Feroz Ali, Co-Founder, is from Pakistan and brings extensive first-hand knowledge of the education system in Pakistan. Since November 2012, Sohail has been surveying schools and universities in Pakistan to assess and analyze the unmet career counseling needs of high school students. Sohail will work full-time for Mashvarah in Pakistan and will serve as Mashavrah’s primary liaison with university collaborators, target schools and advisors. Sohail holds MS and MS-CEP degrees in Chemical Engineering from MIT and a BS in Chemical Engineering from Georgia Tech.
Where a lot of IT executives think of their careers as a game of checkers, planning one move at a time, Asiff Hirji has thought about his career as a game of chess, planning several moves in advance. He was an engineer by training, and realized he needed a more formal business education, so he got an MBA. He was a CIO multiple times over, most prominently at T.D. Ameritrade, but each time, he took on responsibilities beyond that role, eventually becoming president and COO of T.D. Ameritrade.
via Asiff Hirji’s Journey from CIO to President of T.D. Ameritrade – The Beyond CIO Series – Forbes.
Every author, whether traditionally published or self published, needs feedback on their book before publishing. Before your ratings & reviews are permanently posted on Amazon, find out how your book will rank in Amazon’s algorithms. Use crowdsourcing to edit your book and price your book.
Karim Manji is a Founder of Inkspand.com
https://www.inkspand.com/about
http://ca.linkedin.com/pub/karim-manji/64/780/ba
The unforgettable students of Enelerai Primary School: The Awali Adventure – Day Seven
The smile of a young girl named Judy is one I will never forget. My short conversation with her leaves an indelible impression on my heart and in my mind, and – as I discover weeks later – it becomes one of my most lasting memories of a trip to East Africa with Calgary’s Awali group.
Awali was formed by a group of Calgary philanthropists seven years ago. They’ve raised $5 million (largely from Albertans) to help fund professional development programs for teachers in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania. They also provide wonderful opportunities for donor families to see their dollars at work via trips, such as the one I’m part of. Today, it’s day seven of our journey and we’re visiting projects created by one of Awali’s partners, Free the Children.
Living like 007 – Sleek and classy, with a twist of lime. BY SCOTT MCKEEN, EDMONTON JOURNAL
Man, this is a great house.
Not just because of the 120-inch projection TV in the theatre room, with its two rows of black-leather recliners.
Not just because of the exercise room — with its own bathroom and shower — across from the master bedroom. Not even because of the master bedroom’s ensuite, with palatial, two-door steam shower and stately soaker tub.
No, it’s because there’s just something so Bond-esque about the urbane orderliness to the place — that is, if 007 were married, with children and passionate about lime green.
Meet Aleem Virani and his wife Famida, along with their too-cute-by-half daughters, six-year-old Ayanna and Rayna, three. Turns out Mrs. Bond, er, Virani was highly influential in the uber-modern interior design in the family’s 4,000-square-foot, custom home. The main floor is like a crisp black-and-white photo with painted-in accents. Vibrant lime-green art pieces, couch pillows, stovetop kettle and kitchen drip tray add pop to the background of glossy blacks and whites, dark browns and — for modesty sake, let’s say 47 — shades of grey.
Aleem was born in East Africa. His family emigrated to Vancouver and then moved to Edmonton during his childhood. He is a chartered accountant and owner of K.V. Capital, a lender to developers and homebuilders.
Famida, Toronto born and Edmonton raised, is a speech language pathologist. The couple met in university, married 10 years ago and are part of Edmonton’s small, but active and benevolent Ismaili Muslim community.
Click here for the article and the photographs: http://www.edmontonjournal.com/homes/Living+like/7991398/story.html
