Winning ticket a mistake worth $128.6 million dollars

Zee's Notes: Amazing story of the Powerball Lottery winner in the US. Rob Anderson of Georgetown, Kentucky was buying stocking stuffers before Christmas and asked the store clerk for 3 Powerball tickets and by mistake she gave him one $3 quick pick ticket. He told the clerk that he wanted 3 singles to which the clerk offered to take back the one he had and for some reason he slipped his hand in his pocket and pulled 3 dollar bills and bought three more $1 tickets and kept the $3 one. A few days after Christmas he pulled his $3 ticket and checked the numbers and voila - he won the big $128.6 million jackpot - yes one hundred and twenty eight million USD - incredible !!!

Burj Khalifa opens with fireworks

Uganda - No love lost for a country that expelled her family

TOP OF THE WORLD: The hikers on top of Mt Elgon. Ms Jiwa is fifth from right in the second row. PHOTO ISAAC KASAMANI

Kampala

She was not even in her mother’s womb when her family – together with at least 60,000 other Indians – was ordered to leave Uganda within 90 days in 1972.

But for Jazzmin Jiwa, now a 30-year-old journalist based in Canada, the historical bond that her family has with Uganda could not be broken even by those circumstances.

Late last year, Ms Jiwa was one of 42 tourists from Europe, USA and Canada who travelled to Uganda for a 10-day mountain climbing expedition dubbed Hike4Life and facilitated by the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN).

Read complete article in The Daily Monitor

World rings in 2010 with a bang

Happy New Year !!!

Islam in the New World - Changing Demographics

Zee's Notes: Interesting video on the growth of Islam in Europe and North America - this one is going viral - over 11 million views on Youtube.

King of Curry - Vancouver

By Justin Beddall - North Shore Outlook

The food critic was perplexed. Why had she been dispatched to a hole-in-the-wall video store on Pemberton Avenue?
Once inside, she discovered that Bollywood films weren’t the spicy item for sale.
Welcome to Ace Video & Grocery, the original headquarters for the popular line of spice blends Ace Curries to Go, now available in more than 400 retailers across Western Canada.
Of course Virkram Bajaj’s curry empire began slowly, in the back of the video store, with just a coffee grinder, some spices and memories of his mom Balam’s mouth-watering Kheema Masala curry.

Read article here - North Shore Outlook

Karimabad - Hunza

Zee's Notes: Continuing on the journey of Shangri-La where people live in harmony and old age here is a pictorial of Karimabad, the capital of the Hunza Valley.

 See it on Flickr here

Karimabad (Urdu: كريم آباد) is the capital of Hunza in Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan. Karimabad is also known as Baltit. It is named after Prince Karim Aga Khan, the spiritual head of Shia Ismaili Nizari community. It is one of the most beautiful places in Pakistan and it swarms with tourists from all around the world during summers. It provides spectacular views of many beautiful mountains like Rakaposhi. The Guardian ranked it as the 4th Best Tourist Site in Pakistan.

Bollywood star brings boyish charm to Canada

Zee's Notes: The Olympic Torch trek to Vancouver is gaining momentum, with less than 60 days to O-Day, when 60,000 lucky fans will gather at BC Place Stadium for the Opening Ceremonies. In the meantime some serous celebrities are making the run in the torch's cross Canada run including our own Ismaili Council for Canada President Mohamed Manji.

The Globe and Mail 

 

TORONTO -- Moments before the arrival of Akshay Kumar - the most famous torchbearer whom many Canadians have never heard of - organizers were gazing at the eager crowd of thousands swelling Yonge Street and worrying if the Bollywood star had enough security.
"I don't think they comprehended this," said Andrew Clark, vice-president of market development for the Canadian Tourism Commission. "I think it's going to be a little chaotic."

Read complete article here

Bollywood on Ice

Zee's Notes: Incredible how Bollywood is now becoming mainstream in America. Meryl Davis and Charlie White are the defending US Ice Dancing Champions. Enjoy....

Bollywood in Times Square

On August 4th, 2009, dozens of Bollywood dancers suddenly began to dance in the middle of Times Square to support Bollywood Hero, a 3 part mini-series on IFC. Bollywood Hero stars Chris Kattan, Neha Dhupia, Pooja Kumar and the show's choreographer Longinus Fernandes (Slumdog Millionaire) were in attendance. The mini-series was shown August 6th, 7th and 8th at 10pm on IFC.

White House Dinner - What !...no bollywood ?

Zee's Notes: While we thought yesterday the State Dinner would have Bollywood Royalty present it seems the 'A' list was mostly the business and political elite though there were some celebs which included wellness guru Deepak Chopra, filmmaker Manoj Night Shyamalan, Sanjay Gupta and Fareed Zakaria of CNN fame and actor Kal Penn (Modi). Hollywood was represented by director Stephen Spielberg, actor Blair Underwood and Dreamworks Jeffrey Katzenberg. So sadly apart from entertainer AR Rahman, who was one of the performers along with Jennifer Hudson, there was no Bollywood royalty as expected though you know that when US Pres Barrack Obama goes to New Delhi it will be a Bollywood party. And yes First Lady Michelle Obama did choose Naeem Khan's dress and now the designer's popularity should go through the roof.

Read article on who was there 

White House Photos


Time Magazine's Photo Gallery

What you needed to wear to crash the State Dinner...

In this Tuesday, Nov. 24, 2009 photo, Michaele and Tareq Salahi, right, arrive at a State Dinner hosted by President Barack Obama for Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh at the White House in Washington. The Secret Service is looking into its own security procedures after determining that the Virginia couple managed to slip into Tuesday night's state dinner at the White House even though they were not on the guest list, agency spokesman Ed Donovan said. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

Hollywood to meet Bollywood at State Dinner tonite at White House

Zee's Notes: The big question is will Michelle Obama surprise with a sari at the state dinner when Indian PM Manmohan Singh pays a visit to the White House. Seems designer Naeem Khan, who also counts Princess Yasmin Aga Khan as a client,  is dressing up many of the celebrity guests and now speculation is now on what the First Lady will wear for the party. As well, the menu will feature (see below) some Indian fare and A.R. Rahman and Jennifer Hudson will also perform. Look for all the Indian Asian heavyweights (see list below)  to be there including Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal , CNN's Sanjay Gupta, Abhishek and Aishwariya Bachchan, Deepak Chopra and billionaire Mukesh Ambani - many of the richest Indians in the US are heavy Obama supporters - I wonder if Bollywood superstar Madhuri Dixit now living in the states will make an appearance.

By: Nikki Schwab and Tara Palmeri

Washington Examiner
11/23/09 9:00 PM EST

Naeem Khan eager to find out if first lady will wear Indian-inspired submission
When first lady Michelle Obama keeps her closet on lockdown before major events, fashion greats and rookies feel anxiety and hope she will pick their design.
Even for the first state dinner Tuesday in tribute to fashion-forward India, the first lady has maintained her code of secrecy.
"With her you never know what she's going to wear, and I hope that she's wearing something from me," said Indian-American designer Naeem Khan, who was among the designers chosen to submit pieces for the first lady. Khan described the two dresses he submitted as very modern, but based on Indian fabrication.

Read article here 

Naeem Khan's designs

Tonights Table Setting



Whats on the Menu:

The State Dinner Menu

First
Potato and Eggplant Salad
White House Arugula with Onion Seed Vinaigrette
2008 Sauvignon Blanc, Modus Operandi, Napa
Red Lentil Soup with Fresh Cheese
2006 Riesling, Brooks "Ara," Wilamette Valley, Oregon
Entree
Roasted Potato Dumplings
with Tomato Chutney
Chick Peas and Okra or Green Curry Prawns
Caramelized Salsify
with smoked Collard Greens
and Coconut Aged Basmati
2007 Grenache, Beckmen Vineyards, Santa Ynez, CA
Dessert
Pumpkin Pie Tart
Pear Tatin
Whipped Cream and Caramel Sauce
Sparkling Chardonnay, Thibaut Janisson Brut, Monticello, Virginia
Petis Fours and Coffee
Cashew Brittle
Pecan Pralines
Passion Fruit and Vanilla Glaces
Chocolate-Dipped Fruit

Rising star designer Naeem Khan
Posted on Wednesday, November 01, 2006 (EST)
His father and grandfather designed clothes for the royalty in India, he designs them for celebrities in the US. Naeem Khan shares his views on style and couture, as well as his future plans with Sawf News Fashion Editor Ruchira Haldar.

Read Article Here  

Entertainment for the Dinner 

Tonight's entertainment also includes elements from India as well as from the United States.

Kurt Elling, an eight-time Grammy nominee ad American jazz vocalist and composer will perform. Chicago born, Jennifer Hudson, winner of the third season of American Idol will sing. In addition the guests' will hear from the National Symphony Orchestra, with Marvin Hamlisch as the Conductor, and the United States Marine Band.

A.R. Rahman, an Indian composer, musician and singer who wrote the  "Slumdog Millionaire" Score will also perform.

Expected Guests:  

The President & First Lady Michelle Obama
Dr. Manmohan Singh, Prime Minister, India & Ms. Gursharan Kaur

The Honorable (Rep) Gary Ackerman, United States Representative
Mr. Sant Singh Chatwal (Guest)
His Excellency Montek Singh Ahluwalia, Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission of the Republic of India, Indian Delegation
Mr. Mukesh D Ambani
Mr. Tim Dutta (Spouse of Ms. Pia Awal)
The Honorable (Mr.) David Axelrod, White House Communications
Mrs. Susan Axelrod
Ms. Preeta Bansal, OMB - General Counsel
The Honorable (Ms.) Melody Barnes, Domestic Policy Council
Mr. Marland E. Buckner
The Honorable (Rep.) Howard Berman, United States Representative (D/California)
Mrs. Jane Berman, Spouse of United States Representative (D/California)
Mr. Om Prakash Bhatt
Mr. Hunter Biden
Mrs. Kathleen Biden
The Honorable (Vice President) Joseph R. Biden, Jr., Vice President of the United States
Dr. Jill Biden
Mr. Robert O Blake, Jr., Assistant Sec for South and Central Asian Affairs, State Department
Mrs. Sofia Blake
Mayor Michael Bloomberg, New York, NY
Ms. Diana Taylor
The Honorable (Mr.) John Brennan, Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and Deputy National Security Advisor for Counterterrorism, Homeland Security Council
Mrs. Katherine Brennan
The Honorable (Ms.) Lisa Brown, Office of Staff Secretary
Mr. Kevin Cullen
Mr. Donald Browne
Ms. Maria Junqera
The Honorable (Ms.) Carol Browner, Energy and Climate Change
The Honorable (Mr.) Tom Downey
Mr. William Burns, Under Secretary for Political Affairs, Department of State
Ms. Lisa Carty
General James E Cartwright, Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
Mrs. Sandee Cartwright
The Honorable (Senator) Bob Casey, United States Senator (D/Pennsylvania)
Mrs. Terese Casey, United States Senate Spouse (D/Pennsylvania)
Mr. Rajiv Chandrasekaran
Mrs. Julie Chandrasekaran
Mr. I.S. Chaturvedi, Personal Secretary to the Prime Minister of the Republic of India, Indian Delegation
Senator Satveer Chaudhry, State Senator
Colonel Ravi Chaudhry (Guest)
Ms. Rohini Chopra
Mr. Deepak Chopra
Mrs. Rita Chopra
The Honorable (Secretary) Steven Chu, Secretary of the Department of Energy
Mrs. Jean Chu
The Honorable (Secretary) Hillary R. Clinton, Secretary of State
The Honorable (Rep.) James E. Clyburn, United States Representative (D/South Carolina)
Mrs. Emily Clyburn
The Honorable (Senator) Kent Conrad, United States Senator (D/North Dakota)
Ms. Lucy Calutti, United States Senate Spouse (D/North Dakota)
Mr. David Cote
Ms. Katie Couric
Mr. Brooks L Perlin
Mr. Greg Craig, Assistant to the President and Counsel to the President
Mrs. Margaret D Craig
Mrs. Paula Crown
Mr. Jim Crown
The Honorable (Rep.) Elijah Cummings, United States Representative (D/Maryland)
Mrs. Maya Rockeymoore
Senator Swati Dandekar, State Senator
Mr. Arvind Dandekar
Mr. Rajesh De, Deputy Assistant Attorney General, U.S. Department of Justice
Nancy Ann DeParle, Office of Health Reform
Mr. Jason P DeParle
Ms. Bhairavi Desai
Javaid Tariq
Dr. Vishakha N. Desai
Robert Oxman
The Honorable (Senator) Chris Dodd, United States Senator (D/Connecticut)
Mrs. Jackie Clegg Dodd
Mr. John Doerr
The Honorable (Mr.) Thomas Donilon, Assistant to the President, Deputy National Security Advisor, NSC
Ms. Cathy Russell
The Honorable Anita Dunn, White House Communications Director
Mr. Bob Bauer
Mr. Ari Emanuel
Mrs. Sarah Emanuel
The Honorable (Mr.) Rahm Emanuel, Chief of Staff to the President
Ms. Amy Rule
The Honorable (Mr.) Jon Favreau, Assistant to the President and Director of Speechwriting
Ms. Sarah Feinberg, Office of the Chief of Staff
The Honorable (Mayor) Adrian Fenty, Mayor of the District of Columbia
Mrs. Michelle Fenty
Ms. Michelle Flournoy
Mr. Thomas Friedman
Mrs. Ann Friedman
The Honorable (Mr.) Mike Froman, Deputy Assistant to the President and Deputy National Security Advisor for International Economic Affairs, NSC
Dr. Ashok S Ganguly
The Honorable (Mr.) Patrick Gaspard, Office of Political Affairs
Mrs. Raina Washington
The Honorable Robert Gates
Ms. Charlene Gaynor
Mr. Richard Heiss
Mr. David Geffen
Mr. Jeremy Lingvall
The Honorable (Secretary) Timothy F. Geithner, Secretary of the Treasury
Ms. Carole Sonnenfeld
The Honorable (Mr.) Robert Gibbs, White House Press Secretary
Mr. Anish Goel, Acting Senior Director, South Asia Affairs, NSC
Mr. Senapathy Gopalakrishnan
Mr. Mark Gorenberg
Ms. Wendy Wanderman
Mr. John Gorman
Mrs. Tamra Gorman
Representative Jay Goyal, State Representative
Kiran Goyal
Representative Raj Goyle, State Representative
Mrs. Monica Arora
The Honorable (Governor) Jennifer Granholm, Governor of Michigan (D)
Mr. Daniel Mulhern, First Gentleman of Michigan
Mr. Earl G. Graves
Mrs. Barbara Graves
Ms. Geeta Rao Gupta
Mr. Arvind Gupta
Mr. Raj Gupta
Mr. Rajat Gupta
Mrs. Anita M Gupta
Dr. Sanjay Gupta
Mrs. Rebecca Olson Gupta
Mr. Lee Hamilton
Mrs. Nancy Hamilton

Ismailis in the News - USF Mourns loss of Graduate

TAMPA, Fla. (May 19, 2009) The University of South Florida is mourning the loss of recent graduate Aly Zain Lakdawala, 21. The United States Embassy in Costa Rica confirmed that his body was found one nautical mile offshore near where he was swimming with other USF students in the Pacific Ocean near Matapalo. Lakdawala graduated from USF on May 1 with dual majors in International Studies and Philosophy, and was well known at USF for his involvement in community service. Since May 8, 14 USF students have been working with the organization "International Volunteer HQ" in rural Costa Rica. The trip was part of a community service trip of USF's alternative spring break program. Lakdawala went missing when a heavy current caught some of the group swimming during a lunch break midday Saturday May 16. Costa Rican coast guard, police, lifeguards and Red Cross have been searching for him. USF staff and the director of the Office of Leadership and Civic Engagement were with the group during the entire trip. Maria Crummett, Dean of International Affairs, and other staff flew to Costa Rica to assist his father in rescue efforts. Media inquiries, please contact Lara Wade, News Director, lwade@admin.usf.edu, office phone 813-974-9060, cell phone 813-833-1498.

Ismailis in the News - India's Salim and Sulaiman Merchant nominated for Emmy

Salim and Sulaiman are Hindi music directors and singers in India. The duo consists of two brothers, Salim Merchant and Sulaiman Merchant. Salim and Sulaiman have been composing music for over a decade having scored for movies such as Chak De India, Bhoot, Mujhse Shaadi Karogi, Matrubhoomi and Fashion. The duo has also composed for several Indi-pop performers including Viva, Asmaan, Shweta Shetty, Jasmine and Style Bhai among others, composed and produced several TV commercials and collaborated with a artistes such as Ustad Zakir Hussain and Ustad Sultan Khan. They got their first break when Karan Johar asked them to compose the music for his movie, Kaal. After that, they have gone to do movies with well-known producers and directors like Yash Chopra, Subhash Ghai and Ram Gopal Varma. Before composing music, they were composing the background scores for movies. They are famous for their background scores in horror flicks.

http://www.salimsulaiman.com/


Salim-Sulaiman nominated for Emmy
Times of India - ‎May 21, 2009‎
Here's news of another case of Indian music going global. Our very own hit-making duo of Salim and Sulaiman Merchant has been nominated for a prestigious ...
Salim-Sulaiman bag Emmy Awards nomination
Oneindia - ‎May 19, 2009‎
After AR Rahman did the nation proud by bagging two Oscars for his Slumdog Millionaire score, it's now the turn of ace music composer duo Salim-Sulaiman to ...
Salim Sulaiman go global now!
India-Forums.com - ‎May 22, 2009‎
2009 seems to be the for the Indian music industry. After AR Rahman winning various awards all around the globe, it's time ... 2009 seems to be the for the ...
Salim-Sulaiman Nominated for Daytime Emmy!
Bollywood Spice - ‎May 19, 2009‎
By Stacey Yount - BollySpice.com Salim-Sulaiman are known in Bollywood for their outstanding musical scores and soundtracks and now they are garnering ...

Aga Khan Gift to Burnaby Mayor

This photo is of a decorative clock which was a gift from His Highness, The Aga Khan to Mayor Derek Corrigan to commemorate the Golden Jubilee celebration and the Aga Khan's visit to City Hall on November 25th, 2008. The clock will be on display in the glass display cabinets located in the outer hallway of the Mayor's Office.

His Highness the Aga Khan in Berlin

Photo credit: AKDN/Hinrik Schmoock

Berlin, Germany, 15 May 2009 - His Highness the Aga Khan arrived in Berlin yesterday for a two-day official visit to hold talks with Chancellor Angela Merkel, Vice-Chancellor and Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier, and Development Minister Heidemarie Wieczorek-Zeul.

http://www.akdn.org/press_release.asp?ID=752

Focus Summer 2009 Hike4Life

Bishkek

WHAT: FOCUS Summer 2009 Hike4Life in Kyrgyzstan
WHEN: July 30 – August 9, 2009
WHY SHOULD YOU PARTICIPATE? This is an incredible opportunity to challenge yourself, to meet people from other parts of the world, and to build lifelong friendships, while raising vital funds for Focus Humanitarian Assistance. Your participation will assist FOCUS in enabling disaster resilient communities.
REGISTRATION DEADLINE: May 31, 2009 or when all places are filled, whichever is earlier.
APPLICATION AND EVENT INFO: Available at http://www.focuschallenge.org/.
QUESTIONS: Can be referred to info@focuschallenge.org.



Tentative Itinerary: July 30 - August 9, 2009 (with approximate hike durations and distances)

Ismailis - Shah Hasan Ali Mausoleum

Hasanabad, Mazgaon, Mumbai - India

By Al-Waez Alijah Hasan Husayn Nazar Ali

Mowlana Shah Hasan Ali spent the last years of his life in the peaceful enjoyment of his large income and hereditary honours at Poona , Bombay and Bangalore . He devoted the last 30 years of his life to the up liftment of the Ismaili community in India . One of his great passions in life was horses. He had in his stables some of the best breeds of Arabian horses. His fondness for horses made him one of the prominent supporters of the turf. There are many cups won by him on the racecourses which are still preserved in the family. The Duke of Edinburgh and King Edward VII, who was Prince of Wales at that time, visited Mowlana Shah Hasan Ali at his residence during their visit to India . It was an honour which, with the exception of the leading ruling princes, was accorded to no other nobleman; this was an acknowledgement of Imam’s princely birth and of the great and loyal services he had rendered to the British government.

Mowlana Shah Hasan Ali died in April 1881 A.D., leaving three sons -Aga Ali Shah, who succeeded him to the Imamat, Aga Jangir Shah and Aga Akbar Shah. Before Mowlana Shah Hasan Ali’s death there was reconciliation between him and the ruling family in Persia . The last resting place of this great Persian nobleman, warrior, statesman, sportsman and Spiritual Leader, is at Mazagon in Bombay . This place is called "Hasanabad" after the Imam, where Ismailis have erected a mausoleum. Millions of Ismailis and Non Ismailis has visited this mausoleum from all over the world.

World Partnership Walk - Over $45m raised

Canadians join 25th World Partnership Walk to fight global poverty 11 a.m. on Sunday, May 31st, 2009
(Sunday, June 7th, in Ottawa
Sunday, June 14th, in Calgary)
WorldPartnershipWalk.com

Zee' Notes: This month the news spotlight has been on the World Partnership Walk to be held in various Canadian and US cities. Who would have ever thought the growth of this initiative from $50,000 in its inaugural year 25 years ago to last year's $5.5 million raised to help fight global poverty - and off course the impact much more due to matching contributions from various Government organizations. So if you have done your part in signing up to walk and got sponsors from your circle of life have a lot of fun and for those who haven't done so it's never too late and remember you are helping someone who, thru AKDN, may help jumpstart their family to a better life - you don't need any motivation then that....

Here some coverage for the Walk:

Vancouver Sun

Seaway News

Fighting poverty with cookies
Cornelia Naylor, Surrey NowPublished: Tuesday, May 19, 2009