Awab Alvi (Teeth Maestro)

(Editor’s Note: This post is a special contribution from Dr. Awab Alvi – dentist, cyber activist, blogger, TedIndia Fellow, and good friend of ATP. Awab Alvi is also one of the organizers of TEDxKarachi and has worked tirelessly to organize the event. He has kindly written this post on our invitation. Livestreaming is expected to start at 3.30PM Pakistan time, June 4, 2010.)

TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design) is a non-profit organization that holds a series of events where some of the world’s leading thinkers are invited to share what they are most passionate about. What started in 1984 as a conference centered on technology, entertainment and design has evolved to include a host of other disciplines, the event has finally found its way to Karachi in the form of TEDxKarachi.

In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TED has created a program called TEDx where x = independently organized TED event. TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience.

On the 4th of June Karachi will host the first ever TEDxKarachi event at the Southend Club Auditorium, the TEDx stage will feature a select seven leading achievers for a strict 18 brief minutes to pitch their ideas to the audience.  The central theme of TEDxKarachi is “What Pakistan Needs Now…” and speakers are expected to rally around this notion hoping to inspire more creativity from Pakistan.

Owais Mughal

Sindh and Baluchistan coast are facing a Cyclone threat.

This is projected to be a big one. It has already qualified to have a name of its own. It is called ‘Phet‘. Phet is a Thai language words which means ‘diamond’. At the time of writing of these lines Phet is 900km South of Karachi and it has wind speeds of up to 120 knots at its center.

Computer Models show that it will first go north-west towards Oman and after making land fall there it is likely to turn right (east) towards Sindh-Balochistan coast and the Indian state of Gujrat. Atleast in some models the city of Karachi appears to be on direct path of Phet. It is estimated that in next 24 hous, Phet will become a Category-5 hurricane with speeds of upto 156 mph (253 kmph) – imagine this!

However the hope is that after making landfall in sparsely populated area of Oman, Phet will lose strength and when it makes landfall in either Pakistan or India, it will be a weaker storm.

Adil Najam and Owais Mughal

We are delighted and honored to learn that All Things Pakistan has been named the Best Current Affairs Blog in the first Annual Pakistan Blog Awards. Our thanks to all those who voted for us and to everyone who has supported this effort. We have been lucky to have been honored before in the lists that Shirazi sahib has been doing at Light Within (2009, 2008, 2007, 2006) and today we are humbled by this recognition just as we were on those.

So, dear readers, we thank the organizers of the Blog Awards, but even more than them we thank all of you today. For having shared with us in this journey of Pakistaniat.