related_results_labels({"version":"1.0","encoding":"UTF-8","feed":{"xmlns":"http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom","xmlns$openSearch":"http://a9.com/-/spec/opensearchrss/1.0/","xmlns$georss":"http://www.georss.org/georss","id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8799344768425117304"},"updated":{"$t":"2009-12-22T21:25:44.356+08:00"},"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Beauty In Pageants"},"subtitle":{"type":"html","$t":""},"link":[{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#feed","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://beautyinpageants.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/8799344768425117304/posts/default/-/Nazanin+Afshin+Jam?alt\u003djson-in-script\u0026max-results\u003d5"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http://beautyinpageants.blogspot.com/search/label/Nazanin%20Afshin%20Jam"},{"rel":"hub","href":"http://pubsubhubbub.appspot.com/"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Karl Zada"},"uri":{"$t":"http://www.blogger.com/profile/05804812920516358106"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"}}],"generator":{"version":"7.00","uri":"http://www.blogger.com","$t":"Blogger"},"openSearch$totalResults":{"$t":"2"},"openSearch$startIndex":{"$t":"1"},"openSearch$itemsPerPage":{"$t":"5"},"entry":[{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8799344768425117304.post-6333724503654767360"},"published":{"$t":"2009-05-17T14:53:00.000+08:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2009-05-17T14:53:39.211+08:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Jessica Nicole Trisko"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"winners of Miss Canada 2009"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Miss World"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Miss Universe"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Nazanin Afshin Jam"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Ylenia Aurucci"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Miss Earth"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Miss Canada"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Mariana Valente"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Natalie Glebova"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Mariana Valente wins Miss Canada Universe 2009"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003cdiv style\u003d\"text-align: justify;\"\u003e\u003ca href\u003d\"http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_oAi6fitZwmI/Sg-yn7e1UpI/AAAAAAAAB2g/jYlNDjtU07s/s1600-h/Miss+Canada+Mariana+Valente.jpg\" imageanchor\u003d\"1\" style\u003d\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003e\u003cimg border\u003d\"0\" src\u003d\"http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_oAi6fitZwmI/Sg-yn7e1UpI/AAAAAAAAB2g/jYlNDjtU07s/s320/Miss+Canada+Mariana+Valente.jpg\" /\u003e\u003c/a\u003eCanada crowns Mariana Valente to be this country's representative to the Miss Universe 2009 pageant to be held in Nassau, Bahamas in August 23. The 23-year old beauty queen who is originally from Brazil and moved to Canada when she was 12 was crowned as Miss Canada Universe 2009 at John Bassett Theatre in Toronto, May 16.\u003c/div\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cdiv style\u003d\"text-align: justify;\"\u003eHave you noticed that lately Canada is not selecting pure Canadians to represent this country in international pageants? I just noticed that their recent beauty titleholders are of mix blood. Most of them are immigrants.\u003c/div\u003e\u003cspan id\u003d\"fullpost\"\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cdiv style\u003d\"text-align: justify;\"\u003eNatalie Glebova who won Miss Universe 2005 is from Russia and Miss Earth 2007, Jessica Trisko is of Filipino heritage. Miss World 2003 First Princess, Nazanin Afshin-Jam has Iranian parents.\u003c/div\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cdiv style\u003d\"text-align: justify;\"\u003eGoing back to Miss Canada Universe 2009, Valente is a student of languages at York University. She is 1.72 meters tall.\u003c/div\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cdiv style\u003d\"text-align: justify;\"\u003eThe first runner up is a contestant from Canada's Next Top Model. She is 26-year old Ylenia Aurucci. Ksenia Mezenina is second runner up. Neda Derakshan is third runner up while fourth runner up is Isabelle Grastin.\u003c/div\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cdiv style\u003d\"text-align: justify;\"\u003eEven the courts of Valente are not pure Canadians, I guess. Their names sound Russian. I know for a fact that Neda has Iranian blood because I posted a blog entry about her \u003ca href\u003d\"http://beautyinpageants.blogspot.com/2009/04/canadian-iranian-contestants-in-miss.html\"\u003ehere\u003c/a\u003e.\u003c/div\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cdiv style\u003d\"text-align: justify;\"\u003eThere are 56 women who competed in this year's pageant.\u003c/div\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cdiv style\u003d\"text-align: justify;\"\u003eFor the special awards, TingJia Lorogiano is People's Choice Award. Chanel Beckenlehner is Miss Elegance and Audience Favourite. Xiao Sun is Best in Runway while Cristina Heslenfeld is Best in Swimwear.\u003c/div\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cdiv style\u003d\"text-align: justify;\"\u003eHave you noticed it again? Even the winners of the minor awards are not pure Canadians. Well, this means Canada is a melting pot of all nationalities around the world.\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv class\u003d\"separator\" style\u003d\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003e\u003ca href\u003d\"http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_oAi6fitZwmI/Sg-yp8mCyLI/AAAAAAAAB2o/JP9LM2TDlBE/s1600-h/Miss+Canada+2009+winners.jpg\" imageanchor\u003d\"1\" style\u003d\"margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003e\u003cimg border\u003d\"0\" src\u003d\"http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_oAi6fitZwmI/Sg-yp8mCyLI/AAAAAAAAB2o/JP9LM2TDlBE/s400/Miss+Canada+2009+winners.jpg\" /\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003cdiv class\u003d\"blogger-post-footer\"\u003e\u003cimg width\u003d'1' height\u003d'1' src\u003d'https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8799344768425117304-6333724503654767360?l\u003dbeautyinpageants.blogspot.com' alt\u003d'' /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://beautyinpageants.blogspot.com/feeds/6333724503654767360/comments/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID\u003d8799344768425117304\u0026postID\u003d6333724503654767360","title":"6 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/8799344768425117304/posts/default/6333724503654767360"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/8799344768425117304/posts/default/6333724503654767360"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http://beautyinpageants.blogspot.com/2009/05/mariana-valente-wins-miss-canada.html","title":"Mariana Valente wins Miss Canada Universe 2009"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Karl Zada"},"uri":{"$t":"http://www.blogger.com/profile/05804812920516358106"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$extendedProperty":{"xmlns$gd":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005","name":"OpenSocialUserId","value":"12250543619878499463"}}],"thr$total":{"xmlns$thr":"http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0","$t":"6"},"georss$point":{"$t":"56.130366 -106.346771"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8799344768425117304.post-5348610925989720414"},"published":{"$t":"2009-05-14T09:00:00.001+08:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2009-05-14T14:27:14.239+08:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Mahmoud Ahmadinejad"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"human right"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"queen"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"beauty"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Rosana Davison"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Nazanin Afshin Jam"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Iran"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Miss World 2003"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Miss Canada World"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Honoring Miss Canada World 2003 Nazanin Afshin-Jam: an Angel of Iran"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003cdiv class\u003d\"separator\" style\u003d\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"\u003e\u003ca href\u003d\"http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_oAi6fitZwmI/SggKdMpzwiI/AAAAAAAABuk/IEYMYhvRpVU/s1600-h/Nazanin+Afshin-Jam.jpg\" imageanchor\u003d\"1\" style\u003d\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"\u003e\u003cimg border\u003d\"0\" src\u003d\"http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_oAi6fitZwmI/SggKdMpzwiI/AAAAAAAABuk/IEYMYhvRpVU/s400/Nazanin+Afshin-Jam.jpg\" /\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv style\u003d\"text-align: justify;\"\u003eNever mind the mythical angels of religion and poetry. Meet a living angel in flesh, Nazanin Afshin-Jam. Many of you may not know that we have a hero in our midst. Many of you may not know that this individual, singlehandedly, has done more for her compatriots, as well as for other people of our planet, than most of us together. This dazzling beauty, both inside and outside, has dedicated her life to the good of humanity.\u003c/div\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cdiv style\u003d\"text-align: justify;\"\u003eWe are honoring Nazanin Afshin-Jam for her tireless efforts to shed light into the shadowy corners of conflict, to expose and end the abuses that ruin the lives of so many children in Iran. Her work exemplifies the ideals of the human rights movement: “courage, an unswerving commitment to justice and a genuine concern for the rights of all victims.”\u003c/div\u003e\u003cspan id\u003d\"fullpost\"\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cdiv style\u003d\"text-align: justify;\"\u003eUnquestionably, this young talented Iranian born Canadian citizen has been a role model and has earned our respect, not only among most Iranians around the world, but in many other countries where she has visited and spoken about Human rights issues. She has the determination of unquestionable integrity, sensitivity to the needs of others and willingness to help wherever the help is needed. She is a courageous human rights activist, who is exposing horrific crimes about child executions in the Islamic Republic of Iran. She has also helped several key cases of Iranian refugees who were going to be deported back to Iran and likely face severe persecution.\u003c/div\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cdiv style\u003d\"text-align: justify;\"\u003eNazanin Afshin-Jam, this dazzling gem of Iran, has a huge mission in life. As good a human being as she is and almost unnervingly nice, she is relentlessly positive, a one-person cheering section of smiles. She has elevated what it means to be an Iranian and what it means to be a child of Cyrus the Great.\u003c/div\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cdiv style\u003d\"text-align: justify;\"\u003eNazanin is an international human rights activist, singer/songwriter, actor, model and former Miss World Canada. After being crowned \"Miss Canada.” Nazanin went on to become the First Runner-Up for \"Miss World 2003.\" She was runner-up to Miss Ireland, Rosanna Davison. She is also co-founder of the “Stop Child Executions” organization whose aim it is to try and put a permanent end to executions of minors in Iran and abroad who are currently on death row. She has produced short documentaries, connected lawyers working pro-bono to children on death row who do not have access to proper attorneys. She is constantly informing the UN, individual governments and NGOs including Amnesty International on urgent cases of children facing execution.\u003c/div\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cdiv style\u003d\"text-align: justify;\"\u003e“Prosperity and progress can only flourish when our human rights are a priority, where democracy and freedom of choice take precedence,” says Nazanin\u003c/div\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cdiv style\u003d\"text-align: justify;\"\u003eNazanin learned at an early age of the threat people face when their human rights are ignored and abused. This Persian star was born in Tehran in 1979 at the height of the so called Islamic revolution and a year later her family was forced to flee after her non-political father was arrested and tortured at the hands of the fundamentalists. Growing up in Canada after escaping an uncertain future in Iran, Nazanin knew not to take her freedom and good fortune for granted. Her conscience would not allow her to forget those who live in fear every day, in any country where people’s basic human rights are violated.\u003c/div\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cdiv style\u003d\"text-align: justify;\"\u003eNazanin is also a pilot and is licensed to fly both powered aircraft and gliders and is a Squadron Commander Royal Canadian Air Cadets, holding the rank of Warrant Officer 1st class. She is fluent in three languages: Persian, English, French and also conversational Spanish.\u003c/div\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cdiv style\u003d\"text-align: justify;\"\u003eHowever, her true passion is human rights. Nazanin was instrumental in saving another Nazanin (Nazanin Fatehi) in Iran. Nazanin Fatehi was sentenced to hang for defending herself and her 15-year-old niece by stabbing one of three men who tried to rape her and her niece in Karaj in March 2005.\u003c/div\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cdiv style\u003d\"text-align: justify;\"\u003eIn the lawless jungle of the Islamic Republic, they rushed to condemn her to death rather than the rapists. She initiated a yearlong campaign to save the life of a 17-year-old girl in Iran who faced execution by hanging for having stabbed one of three men who attempted to rape her. The Save Nazanin petition collected 350, 000 signatures worldwide.\u003c/div\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cdiv style\u003d\"text-align: justify;\"\u003eShe went on tours around the globe, speaking in Stockholm, Brussels, Gothenburg and Frankfurt regarding Fatehi. She organized the creation of a documentary to raise awareness on Fatehi’s plight and created a website www.helpnazanin.com informing the public with news and of how to help. She helped raise the required $43,000 bail to release Nazanin Fatehi from prison\u003c/div\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cdiv style\u003d\"text-align: justify;\"\u003eShe spoke around the world, brought much needed attention in the United Nations and finally her arduous task bears fruit. After more than two years in jail, Nazanin Fatehi was eventually released on bail on January 31, 2007. That was a joyous moment for her and an astonishing victory for all people. Nazanin Afshin-Jam’s efforts led her to create the “stop child executions” organization.\u003c/div\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cdiv style\u003d\"text-align: justify;\"\u003e“Some people give up in pursuing their goal when they have almost reached the end while others, on the contrary, vigorously go after the victory by hook or by crook. I will never forget that moment when she was released from prison,” says Nazanin.\u003c/div\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cdiv style\u003d\"text-align: justify;\"\u003eNazanin continues to address human rights abuses worldwide, in China, Burma, Darfur and other countries with tyrannical regimes and particular in relation to women and children in Iran and the Middle East. She has given speeches at the UN, EU, UK, Canadian Parliament, numerous universities and conferences with media features on  CNN, BBC, CBC, FOX,  Al Jazeera TV, Persian Voice of America and print stories in Glamour, Seventeen, Chatelaine, Flare, Vanity Fair magazine and newspapers worldwide.\u003c/div\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cdiv style\u003d\"text-align: justify;\"\u003eShe has received the Global Citizenship Award from the President of the University of British Columbia and the Alumni Association. She also received a \"Hero Award for Human Rights\" on Friday August 25, 2007 at the United Nations Headquarters in New York on the case of Nazanin Fatehi. She appeared as a guest speaker at an Amnesty International conference in Berlin a couple of years ago regarding the executions of minors in Iran. She was the guest of Honor and speaker for OnCor ‘s 10-day charity fund-raising event benefiting the Dangriga HIV/Aids Society (Belize).\u003c/div\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cdiv style\u003d\"text-align: justify;\"\u003eNazanin’s battle against child executions continues with the goal of halting the practice in Iran and in the handful of other countries where it still continues. Regarding “child execution” organization, she can use any help from any one who is concerned about the execution of children and minors. Thus far, she has managed to save many human lives.\u003c/div\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cdiv style\u003d\"text-align: justify;\"\u003eOn September 11, 2008, Nazanin sent out a press release stating, “The President of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad will have to get past the Ahmadinejad Wall of Shame, a visual display and demonstration across the United Nations Headquarters- before entering the opening of the “General Assembly.”\u003c/div\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e“While the UN legitimizes Ahmadinejad as the President of the Islamic Republic by having the door open to him at the General Assembly, the Iranian people feel betrayed by the false representation. In the face of the West's obsession with Iran's nuclear development, the voices of the Iranian people have been stifled and human rights abuses have been overshadowed. This Wall of Shame demonstration is hoping to give a voice to the voiceless and address the concerns of the vast majority of Iranian people who believe in a united, secular, democratic Iran based on the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and no military intervention on Iran,” said Nazanin.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cdiv style\u003d\"text-align: justify;\"\u003eNazanin is a person of conscience and integrity. Her tireless passion for saving human lives is a guide to all of us who aspire to better the world around us by our commitment to truth. Her professionalism and manners combined with her enormous humanity and cheerful eyes, on the camera and off the camera, are impeccable. She is the true daughter of Persia and represents all decent Iranian women.\u003c/div\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cdiv style\u003d\"text-align: justify;\"\u003e“Life is precious. Life has ebbs and flows. Some days the sun is shining, the birds are chirping and you feel like you are on top of the world. Other days, you feel like you are being dragged into a black hole and don’t know if you will ever find your way out of the vortex. Thankfully, my faith is strong and I know we are never given more than we can handle,” says Nazanin.\u003c/div\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cdiv style\u003d\"text-align: justify;\"\u003eAs Nazanin is contemplating the new life upon which she has entered, she thinks of the past and how those dark roads she traveled have given her the strength needed to do more. She is on a mission to break all the boundaries. Our Human Rights Activist is very passionate, extremely optimistic, honest, and believes in what she says and does.  “The past is the past. I’m only interested in looking into a brighter future,” she says.\u003c/div\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cdiv style\u003d\"text-align: justify;\"\u003e“I believe in the pursuit of peace, love, and a spiritual understanding of divinity which, in the end, will allow us to truly feel happy and live in harmony.  Once you have experienced true happiness, it is only natural to want to share that feeling with others so that they may feel the same. Our only responsibility on this earth is to extend all the love in our hearts to those around us. We are all human. Every single human and animal life is precious and has meaning and we must do everything in our capacity to preserve it.”\u003c/div\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cdiv style\u003d\"text-align: justify;\"\u003eMany people have been inspired by Nazanin’s determination.  Her work sends a powerful message that governments and armed groups should end their barbaric abuses and respect the rights of all human beings and especially the children.\u003c/div\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cdiv style\u003d\"text-align: justify;\"\u003e“The Islamic Republic in Iran has long been no respecter of human rights, judging from their track records. For example, look at what is happening to members of the Baha’i faith in Iran. Just a few weeks ago the Islamic government publicly announced that if Baha’is are caught gathering together for the purpose of sharing their faith, they will be arrested. They have publicly called for the eradication of Baha’is in Iran. What do we call that? Isn’t that genocide?” she says.\u003c/div\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cdiv style\u003d\"text-align: justify;\"\u003eNazanin leaves us with a beautiful quote: “The physical beauty of youth will someday fade. But, the beauty of the spirit within, when nurtured, can grow forever.”\u003c/div\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003cdiv class\u003d\"blogger-post-footer\"\u003e\u003cimg width\u003d'1' height\u003d'1' src\u003d'https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8799344768425117304-5348610925989720414?l\u003dbeautyinpageants.blogspot.com' alt\u003d'' /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://beautyinpageants.blogspot.com/feeds/5348610925989720414/comments/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID\u003d8799344768425117304\u0026postID\u003d5348610925989720414","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/8799344768425117304/posts/default/5348610925989720414"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/8799344768425117304/posts/default/5348610925989720414"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http://beautyinpageants.blogspot.com/2009/05/honoring-miss-canada-world-2003-nazanin.html","title":"Honoring Miss Canada World 2003 Nazanin Afshin-Jam: an Angel of Iran"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Karl Zada"},"uri":{"$t":"http://www.blogger.com/profile/05804812920516358106"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$extendedProperty":{"xmlns$gd":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005","name":"OpenSocialUserId","value":"12250543619878499463"}}],"thr$total":{"xmlns$thr":"http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0","$t":"0"},"georss$point":{"$t":"56.130366 -106.346771"}}]}});