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Posts tagged with: Dentistry
Sep 15, 2007    |       9 comments

Teeth Maestro Interviewed by Pakistani Spectator

I was recently interview by Ghazala Khan at The Pakistani Spectator – here is the published version as found on their website – I thank her and the entire Pakistani Spectator team for all the kind words they have repeatedly mentioned about me.

Interview with Dr. Awab Alvi : Blogging Maestro

Awab AlviTeeth Maestro is one of the beaconhouses of Pakistani blogosphere. He is a dentist by profession, but geeker than any geek when it comes to information technology. He has been actively blogging since July 2004 first on blogspot, but now has got his own WWW home at Teeth Maestro. He has been instrumental in making the Pakistani blogging horizon dynamic. Along with the people’s teeth and blogging, he also manages some other cool ventures.
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Sep 8, 2007    |       29 comments

Draconian Cyber Crime Law in Pakistan

Pakistan Cyber Crime Bill 2007Yesterday a few concerned Pakistanis gathered together at The Second Floor to discuss the Cyber Crime Bill (Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act 2007). The event was hosted at T2F and sponsored by Alchemy Technologies allowing Barrister Zahid Jamil an opportunity to explain / interpret in simpler terms the impact of this bill on our daily lives once this bill has been promulgated into effect by the National Assembly.

To be honest when I was informed of the seminar I was interested to find out what the fuss was all about, the reading material provided was interesting but made little sense until Zahid explained the legal implications of such a bill if promulgated as is. After the two hours of understanding the problem I am worried enough to feel the need to push the government to revamp the bill and poses to be a very dangerous law for us all, forget the criminals with, it can easily affect innocent Pakistanis who use computers on a daily basis, very simple issues like the act of formatting your hard disk [Destruction of Data] can lead you to a seven years in jail &/or Rs. 1 Million in fines. The consequences appear to have far more serious implications then what Faisal Chohan faced in 2006
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Aug 20, 2007    |       19 comments

Free Push Email for your Mobile Phone

Consilient Push Email LogoEver since the introduction of those hideous & ghastly looking Blackberry devices namely the model 7230 which was the first unit introduced by Mobilink in Pakistan a few years back, I used to hear stories that the device alone contributed to a number of wreaked marriages simply because the work email came home destroying any family time with the persistent never ending excuse ‘honey I have to answer this last email….‘, and the emails never stopped coming leaving behind a Crackberry drone.

I have been a Blackberry Pearl user for over three months and I cannot imagine how life is easier with the push email technology. Prior to the Blackberry addiction I was bonafide net addict, had this urge to check my computer every 10-15 minutes for any new email, I assure there was no critical business that could not wait a few hours but it was a habit acquired over 20 years of Internet addiction. The arrival of the Blackberry Pearl has actually pulled me away from my laptop and allowed me to spend more time peacefully away from the computer, which for me is a major improvement.
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May 12, 2007    |       20 comments

Benazir On Sale for Rs 75 ONLY

While the city of Karachi is a witness to the standoff between MQM and the rest of the opposition which is gearing up for the arrival of the Chief Justice of Pakistan to Karachi. We take a short breather to enjoy looking at an interesting quarter page print advertisement which appeared in one of the inside pages of Karachi’s leading Dawn Newspaper just a few days back…..
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May 3, 2007    |       12 comments

Has Pakistan Lost Nuclear Material?

PNRA Lost Nuclear Material AdBBC has just reported that the Pakistan Nuclear Regulatory Authority has recently published an advertisement in the Urdu dailies across Pakistan informing people to alert officials if they find any “lost or stolen” radioactive material.

BBC goes on to report a clarification issued by the Information Services Director of Pakistan Nuclear Regulatory Authority that the adverts were merely a ‘public awareness campaign’ to make people aware of the dangers of radiation from material that might have been used in hospitals and industrial plants. They clarify that “This is according to a cradle to the grave concept where records are kept of any radioactive source entering into the country until its final disposal.”

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Apr 3, 2007    |       3 comments

Whither freedom?!

Guest Blog by Urooj Zia

The past few days have been bleak. Not because the issue of the suspended chief justice of Pakistan (CJP) hasn’t been resolved yet. Not because inflation continues to rise in the country, or that new taxes are being imposed, or that the I.I. Chundrigar road has been FUBAR-ed. No. The past few days have been bleak because of this.

First these “students” camped out at a children’s library in Islamabad because their seminary, which, incidentally, was made on (illegally) encroached land, had been destroyed (partially). They demanded that the seminary be rebuilt. But did the government take action against them? No sir! Officials can manhandle the CJP and his wife, they can strip naked a young man during a peaceful protest to search for his missing father, they can baton-charge and injure a bunch of lawyers during a peaceful march, but no one lifts a finger against these armed, danda-weilding seminary “students”.

Please note that I’m using the word “peaceful” time-and-again. A “peaceful” protest or march is when the participants are UNARMED, and aren’t harming anyone or anything.

The seminary students, however, were NOT peaceful. They were ARMED, and therefore, a threat to safety and lives and property. But were they taken to task? Naa-uh!!! The erstwhile minister saheb sent over to “negotiate” with them yielded, and amidst much fanfare, laid the “first brick” himself — the seminary would be rebuilt.

On March 28, these “students” stormed a house in Islamabad, and took a widow captive, along with her daughter, daughter-in-law, and a six-month-old baby. Why? Because, according to the seminary-wallahs, the widow was running a prostitution den from her house.

On March 29, all captives were released after a public “confession” by the alleged brothel-owner.

The police claim that they will “take action” against the students after April 3rd. Yes — give them time to escape, and then say you couldn’t find them. Blah.

My point is:
1) Even if the house WAS a prostitution den, so WHAT?! Pakistan is NOT a welfare state. Everyone therefore has the right to earn a living as they see fit.
2) Moreover, since prostitution IS against the law, it was up to the police to take action — NOT these so-called students. WHAT gave the seminary-wallahs the right to barge into someone’s home?
3) Why were law-enforcement agencies silent? Why was the government silent?
4) Why was everyone else silent? Why is everyone still silent?

Not so much as a *peep* was heard, either from the president, or from “civil society” organizations. Have we really become so apathetic?

Oh, and here’s a REAL gem: “The government is avoiding any action against Laal Masjid and Jamia Hafsa in view of respect for women and mosques.” – President General Pervez Musharraf.

I am angry — nay!

I am OUTRAGED. I PROTEST

External links:

  • Islamic Revolution – Ready To Come?? (Islamabad Metroblogs).
  • Merey Mutabiq (Dr. Shahid Masood) — Part I.
  • Merey Mutabiq (Dr. Shahid Masood) — Part II.
  • Merey Mutabiq (Dr. Shahid Masood) — Part III.
  • Merey Mutabiq (Dr. Shahid Masood) — Part IV.
    • Mar 29, 2007    |       2 comments

    Ultimate Computer Station or High-tech Dental Chair

    pce-workstation_12.jpgBeing a dentist by profession it is generally a habit to be on the look out for dental issues being blogged around the world. This recent image of the Ultimate Computer Station caught my eye while browsing through Gizmodo which most definitely remains the center of all upcoming geek toys.

    PCE the creators of this computer station seem to have incorporated a dental chair look-alike functionality of a dental chair for the workstation. Customization seems to be off-the-charts to an extent it even has wheels to even spare you the heartache of going to the refrigerator for food on foot leaving your keyboard. The better deign a chair that will pull the weight as the computer couch potato is going to get bloated real quickly sitting and eating on this chair all day, to an extent one might even be able to take a nap on the job.
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    Mar 5, 2007    |       2 comments

    PTCL Fumbles the Censorship to Block Millions of Websites

    Over the past few days PTCL has been up to mischief yet again but this time rather then irritating the 0.001% of the population (the blogger class) they stepped on some giant kick-ass toes. They ended up blocking giants like Google.com, Download.com, Microsoft.com, Gmail.com, Yahoo.com, BBC, CNN, Systematic, Akamai, PC World, MTV, Best Buy, Logitech & ESPN. resulting in an estimated 20-30% loss of revenue in the brief span of five days,

    All because the whole system had collapsed and owing to the blocking flaws (created for the Blogspot ban and the Baluchistan issues) resulted in sporadic and random outage of the key websites. The News reports as follows.
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    Jan 22, 2007    |      1 comment

    Series-levelling victory by Pakistan at Port Elizabeth

    Guest Post: Dr. Haroon Qazi

    I would rate Pakistan as the most unpredictable team in the history of world cricket. Shoaib’s first innings spell and Inzamam’s 92 not out were out standing, and not to forget a superb spell by Asif in both innings. Although the team has match winning players, who can on their day take on the opposition individually, but they all lack consistency. In my opinion consistency and mental strength are the only two characteristics of our team separating them from the Aussies.

    Shoaib being a great strength with the new ball but lacks fitness and has a great attitude problem. Rumors of him slapping Bob Woolmer during the ICC championship and then a fight with the coach in the second test against South Africa makes him a controversial player.

    The other real concern would be Pakistan’s batting order. Inzi is one of the worlds leading run getter and a gem of a player. Should he be batting so low an order. In my opinion he should be batting at number five.

    The series has become very exciting now. And the final test would be worth a watch. If Pakistan manage to win the series, it would be a great high leading to the world cup.

    Jan 15, 2007    |       8 comments

    Silencing Saddam

    Its been barely two weeks since Saddam Hussein was sent to the gallows. There is not a soul on the earth who would have been sympathetic with this murderer but strangely after watching the ‘assassination’ haphazardly orchestrated by the American forces he may have potentially become a hero. I look beyond the jeering crowds, I look beyond the hooded masks and I look beyond the cheers which drown the room immediately after his hanging, he gracefully held his composure despite being confronted with a rough audience. Out of humanity, out of decency and respect for a dying man, regardless of how ruthless he maybe, the assassins could have ensured his peaceful departure.

    The scheduling of Saddams assassination can be the most controversial and damaging to the United States of America. Since it was ordered to be scheduled ON the day of the Hajj, probably one of the most religions days in the Islamic calender. The American forces it seems were unsympathetic to the Muslim feelings and specifically ordered the assassination on the very day millions were celebrating Eid while a large congregation was observing their once in a lifetime religious rituals at Makkah, where even the act of hurting an inconsequential animal such as an ant can potentially nullify the entire ritual for the person. For many Muslims it apparently appeared to be a deliberate effort to ensure that the hanging took place on the every same day as if to indicate to the Muslim world that, do all you might but we will continue to rub your nose into the ground. While a post 9-11 traumatized nation which continuously tries in vain to comprehend as to why Islamofascist have turned against them, there is little doubt when such matters of insensitivity can easily push a moderate Muslim to radicalisms. Had if the assassinations been of some other criminal belonging to another religion more care would have been taken to avoid the ‘accidental’ scheduling on a major event like Christmas Day or for the matter Thanksgiving day lest it leave a bad taste, probably even the cruelest of democracies prefer to avoid criminal proceedings on such landmark events to avoid an emotional backlash from the greater populace.
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    Dec 26, 2006    |       6 comments

    Bitwine – Professional Advice over Skype

    BitwineI have for sometime been interested in highlighting different ways with which the tremendous talent in Pakistan is able to tap into the global market and make a buck or two in the process, since we continue to face a number of hurdles which include visas to economic restrictions by the Government of Pakistan. The Internet era should in fact melt away the boundaries of intellectual trade but sadly users in Pakistan remain crippled with no access to a Paypal account as discussed previously. Surely, we then easily miss out on the wealth that eludes us due to bureaucratic red-tape.

    In the effort to locate possible streams of revenue for people, I happened to stumble upon a very interesting site called Bitwine. This is a place where one can go to get professional advice on any issue, could easily be compared to a system like Google Answers and Yahoo Answers, both of which I saw to be slow and cumbersome, where one has to sit down and type a question and then you sit in hope of quick and correct response.
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    Nov 8, 2006    |       7 comments

    Shoaib – Woolmer Rift Surfaces

    Shoaib AkhtarTo add another twist to the woes of the Pakistan Cricket Team. NDTV has just released an exclusive interview with a retired Indian Army officer attached to the Pakistani team during the Champions Trophy where he has revealed that Shoaib Akhtar had slapped coach Bob Woolmer on the team bus, in a tussle over which music should be played on the stereo.

    “The boys were listening to Hindi songs when Bob Woolmer removed an iPod and put on an English song. Shoaib got up and again changed the music, putting on a Hindi song. Woolmer first kept quiet and then started making fun of the song. This was too much for Shoaib who suddenly got up and gave Woolmer a tight slap. Everyone was stunned and quickly intervened” – Colonel Anil Kaul

    Hours after the incident, the Pakistan team announced that Shoaib and Mohammed Asif were being sent back home after a failed dope test.
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    Oct 24, 2006    |       6 comments

    Muhammads (PBUH) Christian Covenant and Benedicts Indictment

    By: Dr Arif Alvi

    Article published in Dawn Tuesday 24th October 2006 & a digital newspaper version of the printed article can be found here, while the original full version with all relevant images is being reproduced below

    In his lecture on Faith, Reason and the University Memories and Reflections Pope Benedict the XVI, stirred the already seething Muslim populace throughout the world by his remarks delivered at the University of Regensburg in Germany where he had been a professor of theology. Since then there has been outrage in the Muslim world while there was support from Christian quarters. We see a significant polarization in the world today which is increasingly insensitive to religious feelings. While the Christian world feels a no holds barred and a frank if not rude discussion is necessary, the Muslims have an intolerant attitude to any insult of what they hold sacred. There must be a line however grey which demarcates what civilized discussion can be like, and the Muslims should also understand that the more they react the more provocation can come even from inconsequential sources.

    “Show me just what Mohammad brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached
    Byzantine Emperor Manuel II Palaiologus

    However the utterings of a reigning Pope are of great consequence. Benedict XVI quoted the Byzantine Emperor Manuel II Palaiologus in a 1391 dialogue with an unnamed educated Persian, where the Emperor said that “Show me just what Mohammad brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached. The Vatican has since tried to make amends and has stated that these lines should not be taken out of context, and that the Popes intention was not to hurt the feelings of the Muslims. On the other hand the Pope also insists that it is necessary to open a discussion on what Christianity interprets as forceful conversion in Islam and a tendency towards violence.
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    Aug 28, 2006    |       19 comments

    We Will Not be Silent

    I am not a terrorist t-shirt

    With the ongoing media bombardment by the US government they have slowly hypnotised all of its citizens to be suspicious of all middle eastern people who may even accidentally walk around the corner. A number of stories have continued to come through of people being harassed by everyone from airport authorities to even some casual citizens in normal daily life. Read the story of a US citizen Raed Jarrar who had travelled to Lebanon to help out in the relief efforts but on the way back he was stopped at JFK for wearing a T-shirt with Arabic lettering “We will not be silent” he was simply prevented from boarding his flight to California and was asked to take off his shirt the only condition with which he could be permitted to travel home. read his entire post.

    An effort to raise awareness has been started by a group of people selling shirts loudly proclaiming “I am not a Terrorist” again only in Arabic, all shirts have been marked at $1 above the actual price and proceeds will be going to ACLU. Edited later: I have been informed that ACLU could very well be the wrong organization to support since they are more politically oriented and have a tendency to simply protest against Republicans for the sake of opposition, thay may very well have very little concern for Muslims settled in the US

    Its not surprising but I have been noticing that people like me, living outside the US continue to get a very negative image of what is actually happening to Muslims settled there. The significant number of emails and reports circulating around show a very bleak and deteriorating situation, far worse than what I personally witnessed after 9/11. Is it just the media playing havoc with our minds or is it seriously getting worse, would love to get a perspective from Muslims based in North America.

    It all starts from this proactive gung ho stance adopted by the United States of America against the Muslim nations and its people, this position has probably pushed even a person like myself, who continues to remain very open-minded and peace advocating individual, to become very strongly opposed to Bush’s designs of ultimate world domination. I shudder to think what would happen to an individual who was already in a leftist frame of mind, he would have surely gone off the edge into no-mans land to become an extremist or more adequately a freedom fighter (only in his thoughts and opinions) but this very same freedom fighter is conveniently labelled because of him being a Muslim as an Al-Qaeda terrorist. That’s the irony which the American people fail to realize, you cant beat the crap out of a nation and expect them to play dead, they will revolt, they will revolt in thought and in every action its literally almost like a knee-jerk reflex, if you hit the knee hard enough you are bound to get a reaction.

    Simply don’t hit the knee, and you won’t get a reaction. Is that too hard to digest?

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