University of Alberta to Honour Aga Khan

His Highness the Aga Khan is among 12 people to be honoured by the University of Alberta for their enduring contributions to society. The Aga Khan will receive an honorary doctor of laws degree on June 9 during convocation ceremonies.

Read PR here...

http://www.prweb.com/releases/2009/04/prweb2333074.htm

Meet Farah Nasser...Ismailis in the Media

Farah Nasser
OCCUPATION:

Reporter, "CityNews"

SHOW DESCRIPTION: "CityNews" is Toronto News. All Day, Every Day, the City is our Newsroom. Intensely-local and urban-oriented, we focus on the 'Day in the Life' realities of people's lives with a visual realism that speaks directly to those that call Toronto home. "CityNews" is seen daily at Noon, Five, Six and 11:00pm on Citytv. "CityNews" ... What Toronto is Talking About Today.

BACKGROUND:

Farah Nasser caught the journalism bug early in life. Beginning in elementary school, Farah would bring in daily newspaper clippings for 'show and tell,' updating her classmates on the latest events and happenings in the world. It wasn't until highschool that Farah got to really report for local cable television station, Rogers Television in Mississauga.

In university, Farah made the jump to radio; first as a producer, then as a reporter and anchor for 1010 CFRB in Toronto. Upon graduation, Farah took the job of television reporter at Toronto 1, before making the move to A-Channel Barrie/Toronto in 2004.
Farah joined the "CityNews" news team in August of 2006, as General Assignment Reporter, where she continues to cover the latest in what's happening in and around Toronto.

Farah's previous work experience includes a summer internship at CNN International in New Delhi, India. An experience of a lifetime, Farah got to meet with South Asian politicians, a Bollywood producer and even interviewed Mahatma Ghandi's great grandson during her internship.

EDUCATION:

Ryerson University, Radio and Television Arts.
University of Westminster (London, England), European Media Studies.

FAVES:

When she's not chasing the news, Farah enjoys spending time with family and friends, traveling, rollerblading and attempting to cook Indian food like her mom (she hasn't quite mastered that one yet!)

COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT:
Farah devotes a lot of time doing volunteer work. She is involved in the AgaKhan Foundation, a charity that provides sustainable solutions for the underprivileged in Asia and Africa. "I truly believe every Canadian should travel to a third world country at least once in their lifetime," says Farah. "After seeing children who most likely will never get an education, women being treated like second class citizens and seniors who don't have any form of healthcare at all, I just couldn't sit still."

Learning... By Heart - Ismaili Muslim volunteers

A great video of the work by Ismaili Volunteers in Edmonton to help resettle refugees from Afghanistan...

Meet Riaz Meghji...Ismailis in the Media

Check out some of his work..




Here is the bio on Riaz from Rogers TV...

About the Host


A born risk taker, Riaz Meghji was well on his way to a white picket MBA future when his love for entertaining took over. With perfect comedic timing and a natural talent in front of the camera, he took a chance and did a 180° turn. It paid off.

After a gig as a Roving Reporter in radio promotions for Z953FM, his talent and determination were noticed as he joined the powerhouse team at MTV Canada in Vancouver. With an undeniable desire to succeed, Riaz soon became Host/Producer for their flagship show “969”, earning a 2005 Leo Award Nomination for Best Host. Writing comedic editorial segments, along with honing his craft as a show host, MTV rewarded Riaz’s efforts with a majority of the A-List interviews that passed through Hollywood North.

Still wanting to learn more about television production in a live environment, he fought for the position of Weathercaster on a competing station, becoming one of the youngest on-air personalities to contribute to the CTV News team. By day, Riaz was up to his usual playful antics, engaging celebrities ranging from Miss Piggy to Matthew McConaughey, while still facilitating thought provoking discussion about the future of movies and music with the likes of Kevin Smith and Pink, respectively. By night, he was dictating low pressure systems in a suit and tie in the newsroom, taking in all he could about the industry.

Recruited by Toronto’s SUN TV in 2005, Riaz moved across the country to write for and eventually anchor entertainment for the show ‘Inside Jam’ and the live news program ‘Canoe Live’. In late 2006, he provided his hosting services to Bell ExpressVu’s ‘Festival Access’, having the illustrious task of covering the biggest Red Carpet and parties at the Toronto International Film Festival. Within a year, he had created opportunities allowing him to cover the MuchMusic Video Awards, Gemini Awards and once again, work his charm on stars such as Shania Twain and Pamela Anderson.

In between gigs, Riaz has still found time to travel, having lived in Puerto Rico and visited Australia, Eastern and Western Europe, Peru, Pakistan and the Middle East. With his belief that life experience is essential to being a good interviewer, these particular adventures have left a lasting impression on just how crucial a journalistic flow of information is and how important a good laugh can be.

With an impressive resume and now his own production company ‘RM Entertainment’, Riaz Meghji is a face and a talent impossible to forget. An ambitious and polished performer, Riaz’s diversity as a producer and host, shows he is as capable behind the camera as he is in front of it.

Riaz has a BBA from Simon Fraser University and was recently named ANOKHI Magazine’s TV Personality of the Year for 2006.

Aga Khan Foundation - 25 year anniversary - In the News...

Local Vancouver TV Station covers the Media launch of AKF's 2009 WPW...

FYI - the male host is Riaz Meghji...

I Dreamed a Dream - life is a gift...

Zee's Notes: Over the last few days this You Tube video has been downloaded more than 30 million times - I'm sure many of you have caught it or heard of it in the news. Susan Boyles is a 47 year old Scottish amateur singer who simply 'blew away' the judges, including Simon Cowell, on the UK version of American Idol - Britain's Got Talent, and the audience with her rendition of a song from 'Les Miserables'.

Susan Boyles story is that she always wanted to be a singer but something always held her back and not until her 91 year old mom died 2 years ago she made a promise to herself that she would do something about her life's dreams.

My comment on seeing this is that you never know what life brings in front of you - but I also believe that you have to absolutely believe life is full of opportunity and yours is just around the corner. Only thing is you never give up and push all boundaries to achieve that dream. In studying and reading about people living their dreams I have learnt that these individuals look at life with the utmost optimism and their glasses are always half 'full' and never half 'empty'. The most important ingredient being the complete belief that they deserve a life of happiness and success. So when you watch this keep in mind to think about your dream - the only question is are you pursuing your own dream every single moment of your life ?

Remember there is a hand placed on your shoulder by the most powerful force you can imagine guiding you to achieve everything you ever wanted in your life - how do I know - I heard it on December 13th, 2008 and you know what if you look deep down inside yourself you'll know that only you are blocking that dream...The only funny thing is that most times, as in Susan Boyles story, it's during adversity that people get a wake up call and they kick themselves off the couch and push themselves. So my wish for you is that you make the decision, if not made already, to pursue your dreams and that 'the force' (my words) guide you to fulfill your wildest desires...

Watch the magical 7 minutes of Susan Boyles life here...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9lp0IWv8QZY