#FromMyBackPack Video Series

I haven’t written anything in over a year, I’m more than just rusty, anyways…

#FromMyBackPack is something I thought about when I was in Doha International Airport. Which is a way to document a journey through an over the shoulder shot. Of course you need someone else to do that for you, but I travel solo. I’ve seen Griffin Hammond video once that he did it and here is how.

I did it differently, I just put the GoPro on top of a monopod, and that monopod in my side pocket of my backpack and I got this.

I thought it would be cool for photos, and I decided to document the interesting points of the trip using this style. At the same time record few videos with it and my DSLR, and maybe come up with something when I’m done with the trip.

That something became the #FromMyBackPack Series, 5 Episodes of each city I’ve been starting from Doha -> Berlin -> Paris -> Lisbon -> Brussels & Antwerp.

Here are the episodes, enjoy the show, and please leave me your feedback on YouTube

Episode 1 : Doha
Episode 2 : Berlin
Episode 3 : Paris
Episode 4 : Lisbon
Episode 5 : Brussels & Antwerp

Klout Mobile is here, and I LOVE it

kloutAnyone who works in Social Media marketing, or a social media geek knows Klout. It’s simply a magical tool that tells you how “influential” are you in social media. The rate is up to 100. And anything above 55 is good.

 

Oh, it’s showing off time…. according to Klout, I’m the 75th most influential person on twitter back in 2011

 

Back to Klout, so this tool has been on the web for a while now, not very insightful, it just tells you, you’re good at this and that, but doesn’t help you get better. Just a few tips here and there, but that’s it.

Now, Klout has gone mobile, and it’s very good.

You can select types of information you’re already influential in or trying to be, and Klout will suggest you a stream of different articles to read and share.

You can schedule posts on Klout directly. It might be glitchy for now, but this tool is promising.

Take a look at the app.

so far it’s only on iOS, and Android will follow soon.

 

Aspire Zone Foundation Earth Hour 2014 Campaign

This is one of my favorite campaigns I took part in.

In Aspire Zone Foundation, we cope very fast with new branding and trends, interactive back- and fore-grounds for twitter, or Logo/header intersections on Facebook.

We have done this with many campaigns, but this time, there is something cool about it.

It’s for earth hour, when the whole world goes black for an hour. We are adapting the “+” in “60+” in Earth Hour’s logo. We’re going black for 5 days instead of an hour.

Aspire Zone will go black on the day, March 29th, from 8:30om – 9:30pm

We have taken all our social media black for the day in a cool design of our iconic Torch Doha Hotel and Khalifa International Stadium

Here is the look and feel of our social media:

insta L&F

G+ L&F

facebook L&F

twitter - L&F

كفاية إنكار

من زمان و انا بقول و بتفشخر بماضي مصر و بقول بلد الفراعنة و حضارة ٧٠٠٠ سنة و ذكرت في القرآن و كل الكلام ده.  اعتقد ٩٩٪ من الشعب استخدم الجملتين دول

لكن السؤال هو هل الجملتين دول كانوا سبب لتطوير الحضارة دي ( وده الطبيعي يعني) ولا كانوا جملتين هروب من واقع اليم؟
هل مصر بلد حضارة؟ أكيد
هل مصر بلد حاضر؟ أكيد لأ
لكن هل مصر بلد مستقبل؟

يبقى كفاية فشخرة كدابة بماضي -مانستهلوش- لأننا لم نطوره إطلاقا، مش بس كده احنا حتى ما حفظناش عليه، من سرقة و حرق و تلوث و هدم و قرف. حتى ترميم ماضي الفراعنة البعثات الأجنبية هي اللي بتعمله – عيب قوي

كفاية انانية! دي بلد مش زريبة يا شعب…سيبك من كلام كل واحد لازم يشارك في تطوير البلد، خلينا نبص عليها من الناحية التانية
كل واحد فينا مشارك في المصيبة دي، من تأثير سلبي مباشر، او غير مباشر أو حتى عدم الإهتمام بالتأثير
هي ايه المصيبة؟ انا اقولك

مصر في يوم من الأيام كانت مصدر العلوم، و الفن و الإعلام و غيره من الفشخرة بتاعة الماضي.
على سبيل المثال، والدتي راحت قطر (ايوة البلد اللي البقر بيتريقوا عليها ليل نهار عشان صغيرة) سنة ٧٨ أو ٧٩ . و اياميها كان معظم لو مش كل “المعلمين” مصريين. و علموا اجيال و اجيال من الشعب القطري و غيره من الجنسيات.  أمي بتحكيلي عن الفرق بين كلمة مصري دلوقتي و زمان
مصري زمان يعني متعلم و شخص راقي و متطور عن باقي العرب، دلوقتي مصري عبارة عن شخص متفزلك،  حرامي معظم الأحيان و كلمنجي إلا من رحم ربي

و كل واحد فينا شارك في نفس المصيبة دي. اشتغاله لسائح ولا نصباية بقى .. ولا بلطجة و لا فشخرة من بتوعنا، ده غير قلة الأدب في السواقة و الألفاظ و القائمة تطول و تطول من المميزات المصرية الفاخرة اللي اصبحنا معروفين بيها في الداخل و الخارج

كفاية ابوس ايديكم

احنا باقينا ملطشة و مسخرة العالم! و احنا شايفين ان الإهتمام الأجنبي ده عشان احنا مهمين و بيزود من قيتمنا!! بالعكس تماماً، ده زيادة الطينة بلة و قطران

عشان نتغير لازم نعترف اننا وصلنا للقاع، و بدأنا نحفر فيه لتحت كمان بلا توقف. انا مش بتكلم عن سياسة، ابو السياسة عاللي يمارسها. انا بتكلم عن مجتمع وصلت بيه درجة الإنحطاط ان التحرش بقى اسلوب احتفال بعيد ديني بعد شهر عن الإنقطاع عن الأكل و الشرب لله!!!!  و اللي ماشي بيبتسم على “شقاوة” الشباب
وصل بالشعب الإنحطاط انه لما يرمي الزبالة و تقوله غلط كده يقولك يا عم ما كله بيعمل كده و بيكابر

مصر (القاهرة بالذات) من البلاد اللي قليل اللي يحب يزورها تاني لو تعامل مع اهلها  -و متقوليش بعض و مش كله و كده، عارفين والنعمة- … احنا فعلا بنحفر في القاع، بس لسه شايفين نفسنا فوق السحاب
انكار الذات اصبح اكبر آفاتنا

 ايه الهدف من كل الكلام ده. الإعتراف ان مصر لم تعد دولة ذات حاضر و قيمة. ثروة البلاد شعوبها و نحن  شعب بلا ثروة و المواطن بلا قيمة، محليا أو دوليا. كفاية شماعة المؤامرة لأن  نظريات المؤامرة أول خطوة في طريق الإنكار; لا ينفذ ما يسمى ب”المخطط الخارجي” غير من بداخل البلد، مش امريكا ولا اسرائيل ولا زفت. العيب فينا احنا

ابدأ بنفسك – أمط الأذى عن وطنك

Cairo Kills

I was away for almost 8 months. Living in the calm and a bit dull Doha. The first few weeks were hard, I missed Egypt. I wanted to go back to the craziness and chaos of Cairo, that somehow made me feel alive, but I was stuck there for a long while.

Now I’m back.

Am I happy that I’m back? Of course, I met all the people I miss. Cairo is still the same messy place! but it got even more messy.

One thing people who lived in Cairo and travelled a lot can tell you, Cairo never changes; it’s been the same messy place since I came here the first time in 2005. The same messed up roads are still bad, the same vegetable seller is still blocking part of the street and causing a traffic jam, and the same shitty hole that mess up your car is still in it’s place. Nothing changes. Not to the better at least.

But how come I see it more messy? I guess because my prospective changed. It kinda happens every time I get out of here. The time I spent in Doha, made me calmer, I drive in a straight line, I don’t curse while driving (not as much), I just lived a very calm, stressless life… for a while. I ate better, I didn’t get food poison for 8 months! it’s a recored for someone like me.

I had few ideas and I hate the time to work on, yes, not so many inspirations in town, but the country tries to “buy” or “get” them from wherever they are to inspire the locals and the residences to be more creative, or more productive. Yes, that’s right, the government is doing that.

Now I’ve been here for a little over a month, I barely open the car window, it’s fucken noisy! and above that, the air very polluted that it has a color now! My tempter while driving is back! my curses are back! and I got food poison the week I got here! Friends and people who used to inspire me are losing hope! The youth for GOD’s sake! they are losing hope for a better Egypt. If you see them in early 2011, they were really inspired and highly motivated, but the idiots who has and are ruling the country are gifted with ruining youth!

So, if you don’t die in the street, by a miss-fire, or die because you are “activist” or in a car crash in these fucked up roads, or by pollution, or maybe cause you were trying to protect a woman who was getting harassed, like a brave kid who just did few days ago, or because you were watching a football game, or in a balloon, or in a train, or in a car hit by a train, or a bus also hit by a train, or from sadness, then there is a big chance you would die because of how depressed this city can make you!

 

Okay, this might be too dark! but who lives here, the country/government are somehow their worst enemy!

The country is full of creative people, who still believe they can make change, as long as they are away and in their bubble, till they are strong enough to face the punches they will get and survive them, then maybe they can achieve something!

Cairo Kills, not just your soul!

Doha after the rain

Here are some shots of Doha, Qatar after it rained for over 10 hours. Check the Doha Album on flickr.

Mirrored in the rain

Stop! or not.

Remembering the brutality of SCAF’s army

In the honor of a woman who may have been uncovered from cloths, yet she uncovered all masks on all the killers in the SCAF‘s army. She has been truly an inspiration for millions. To you, set el banat.

All photos of the Occupy Cabinet clashes can be found here.

It’s been almost a year, since I’ve seen and photographed how sick my country’s army can be, against peaceful protesters, just because it’s their orders. I hate that word “Orders”. Millions have been killed because of it.

It’s been a year, remembering another sad event. The army is killing the people, again.

The fight is in mohammed mahmoud street between the protesters and the police in its second day. The tear gas smell was strong, people are very upset of the police’s brutality, every one is looking at that street, while the army is preparing for its next move. It’s dirty move, sneaking up to the protesters from the side, they won’t see it coming, they won’t know what hit’em. Which is what exactly happened.

That sneaky attack caught the protesters by surprise, it attacked the back line, which had many people who most probably didn’t want to join the fight inside mohammed mahmoud. It caused a lot of panic, fear, which empowered them, even though the soldiers were fewer in numbers, and they only had sticks! But as I said, those people didn’t want blood at the first place. But they were dragged for yet another fight.

The Egyptian Army beating people in #Tahrir

Army Soldiers attacking protesters who were trapped in a bottle neck near Mohammed Mahmoud St.

Less than a month later. Protesters are still angry, beaten up, many of them got injured, lost their eyes, or their friends lost their lives. They want reforms, they need change, but they get another fight with the army instead.

Protesters were at a street in downtown cairo, between the cabinet’s building and the parliament building, while the candidates are actually running their campaigns. one night of the few weeks old sit-in, army had enough of them. So they kidnapped a teenages from the sit-in and sent him back after torturing him, injuring him severely.

It was getting intense, and the protesters were very angry, and suddenly the army starting throwing rocks at the protesters, who had nothing to use as cover, and nothing to throw back or a way to defend themselves. One sad moment, that protesters had memorial coffins for the martyrs who just died less than a month ago, and those coffins where used as protection.

2 protesters were taking cover from the rocks that were thrown on them by Army

Two protesters taking cover in memorial coffins from the rocks that were being thrown on them by army soldiers

The fights keeps going till the morning, Army inside the parliament building, throwing rocks and whatever they find inside the building at the protesters outside, from a 9 stores building.

Getting the use of many “civilians” on the ground as their troops, and they are doing what they can from above.

While there is a sign that says “Democracy is giving the Power to the people”. And the army is just proving that they don’t care, they will kill the people if they have to. They don’t mind pissing on them.

Army Soldier with a dirty gesture on top the Parliament building

Army Soldier didn’t hesitate to show his “private parts” to the crowd to insult them. This is the SCAF’s army.

One more time, the army sneaks in to the ground, this time with support from the parliament building, soldiers throwing rocks and chairs from the building at the prosters. One hit, and you are most probably gone. This time, the soldiers are angry, and they run after protesters. The anger is huge, as if they are fighting their worst enemy and they finally have a chance to kill them.

Army Raids Tahrir

Running to capture their worst enemy.

They ran after us, one of them tried to capture me, but I got saved by another protester. They were brutal, whoever they capture is instantly tortured, not even arrested, just beaten up, with anyone who’s around, it could take 5- 10 soldiers to take rounds on getting their energy and anger on you, with sticks, or kicks or punchs.

The officers were masked! for the first time, since we photographers exposed many police or army officers who took part of many violations. Instead of stopping them, they decided to cover their face. And make more crimes.

Army Officer points a gun at a fallen protester

Army Soldier terrorizing peaceful protester and aiming his gun at him before beating him! He didn’t eventually shoot him.

There was no tear gas, no smoke, it was very early in the morning, you can see clearly. They can see clearly. They have guns, and we have cameras. They shoot, and so do we.

They have gone rogue ! They are attacking anything that moves. A Taxi passing by the square, after the army’s crackdown was attacked by the soldiers. All of them – 30 soldiers or more – attacking one car, driven by one man, for no reason! Are they crazy?

Army Soldiers attacking a taxi passing by

Attacking the Taxi

Taxi got attacked by Army Soldiers

The taxi running away from the mob

Protest like Egyptians

Protest like Egyptians, with arms wide open

The army is heading for chaos, and we are watching and completely amazed by what’s going on.

Time to resist, with all possible ways. People won’t give up now. Almost a year after the revolution, how in the world would they give up?

The people fought back, to stand their ground, they fought back with arms wide open. Welcoming Heaven, as they believe who dies now, is a martyr, and will follow the jan25 martyrs to heaven. No one holds back. It’s time to win this fight.

Bullets and blood

They mix quite well

The army thought it’s time to kill us. They started using live ammunition. Killing peaceful protesters. Killing a dream, a young man who had a hope and a dream for a better country, killing a young man who maybe could’ve been one of the country’s next geniuses. Maybe that young man with this amount of passion, could’ve solved the country’s economical problems. Why give them a chance? instead, kill them.

And that’s exactly what they did. Very late at night, right before dusk, you can hear gunshots. We were only tens of protesters, but many have been shot. Live ammo, shooting to kill, in the head, stomach and who was lucky, got shot in the leg.

That’s the army that is supposed to protect the country, killing their own people.

SCAF has brainwashed their soldiers, and now they think they are fighting “The Enemy” not knowing that the actual enemy has never been happier after seeing this.

They SCAF’s army has terrorized peaceful Egyptian, they injured dozens, killed over 40 people in a month, with the help of the police!

We will never forget, we will never forgive.

The blood of the martyr who got shot in the head

Blood of a fellow Egyptian. People tried to save him and got him to the hospital. but he didn’t make it

The Martyr | الشهيد

The Martyr

To the Guardian : What is this crisis about

guardian-logoThe british news paper has wrote a provocative editorial called “Egypt : Tug of War“.  A piece that tries to be unbiased that it’s missing the whole point of what’s going on for weeks now.

They start of saying what the whole crisis is “NOT” about, they mentioned it’s not about the decree, nor the constitution, but it’s about Morsy him self. Stating that the “Opposition” is trying to claim power. hmm, seriously? that same opposition that gave its blessing to Morsy in the second round of elections and most of them voted for him?

The “prestigious” Guardian talks about two side, opposition and power, as figures! which is an idiotic domain since the opposition doesn’t really matter or even has a significant role in this crisis. People took down the street and Tahrir square again, even before any of the “opposition” declare it’s stands. El Baradie met with Morsy few weeks before he announced his “absolute power” decree. I’m sure El Baradie mentioned his aim for the chair!

it’s outrageous how the Guardian analyze the situation, mentioning that “Muslim Brotherhood‘s Freedome and Justice party sanctioned a violent assault on a peaceful encampment of ‘opposition supporters’ outside the presidential palace,” then saying “Islamists were its principle victims.” So FJP assaulted but Islamists were the victims! How the use of two different words, to portray two different category of people! No they are not, FJP assaulted peaceful protesters (Not opposition supporters! You wont see El Baradie’s poster in the crowd for example), so how in the hell would an attacker become a victim? ridiculous!

The “professional” Guardian says five of the six people killed in Cairo were members of the Brotherhood. Even though all the reports on the ground shows that’s not true, yet they got their info from the Muslim Brotherhood it self, and neglected all the other media outlets. Very professional. So much of being unbiased.

“Morsi undoubtedly made grave mistakes” You could have never described it better. That’s exactly why El Baradie said (and you mentioned earlier in your Editorial) “Morsi had lost his legitimacy”. If you read the situation this way, then it makes sense, but how your editorial team, manipulated the timeline of events putting the reply before the mistakes, makes the “opposition” sound greedy as you try to portray it.

One more thing, the ‘opposition figures’ do not represent the ground movements, they may say some of what’s been chanted, but they do not have a significant influence on the ground, it’s the other way around. You should know better.

The “Crisis” was about the decree, only the decree, how the MB slipped the constitution, made a crisis inside a crisis and how the MB attacked and killed peaceful protesters, that was the third strike, and it’s time for them to go.

I won’t comment on the last sentence, cause I believe it was written by an idiot.

تحليل خطاب محمد مرسي الخميس ٦ ديسمبر

كان خطاب خالي من الواقعية و كان مماطل و يستفز اعصاب المعارضين و يجبر خاطر المؤيدين، خطاب موجه لمؤيدينه و فيه رسائل تحريض و ابتعد تماما عن الأسئلة المهمة في الشارع، زي مشكلة القضاء و مستشاريينه المستقاليين ، و هدف الإعلان الدستوري، و انه يعلن حسن نيته بإلغائه مثلا، زي ماطلب مؤيدينه ، قبل معارضينه… ولا الهوا

أول القصيدة كفر

يبدأ الرئيس في أي خطاب و في اي بلد بأهم ما يجري في الأحداث…. فبدأ محمد مرسي خطابه بنفسه ، و عن اصابة سيارات الرئاسة و إصابة سائق منهم و انه في المستشفى
و تغاطى تماما عن شهداء احداث الأمس، ٥ ديسمبر ، قتل ٦ و انباء تقول عن مزيد ، بسبب ان جماعته قررت فض إعتصام معارضيه. و لكن ذكر الشهداء و عزى اهاليهم في أخر الخطاب و ويدل على اهمية الموضوع عنده

المنشئات ذكرت في حديث مرسي اكثر من مرة. و جاب سيرة حرق المنشئات قبل الشهداء و كان المقصود بالمنشئات مقرات الحرية و العدالة، فهو يجبر خاطر مؤيديه “أولا” تاني

ذكر مرسي انه سيوقف العمل بالمادة ٦ لو المعارضة توافقت عليها. و ده يوضح مدى بعده عن الواقع، و عن ان المعارضة تريد اسقاط الإعلان الدستوري اصلا، مش مواد و كلام عقيم
مرسي ذكر انه قام بمحادثات مع الأحزاب السياسية و “الكنيسة” و ده في حد ذاته مضحك اصلا، و الكذب مش محتاج تحليل
مرسي ذكر “متهم” تم تبرأته و “ردح” على التلفزيون للمتهم و قال ان كان بيحصل عنده اجتماعات من ناس من النظام السابق.

دعى مرسي للإستفتاء مع اني كشخص عايش خارج مصر المفروض استفتي بعد بكرة و انا قرأت الدستور و سمعت و قرأت كتييير و لسه ماتلعطش كل عيوبه، تخيلوا باقي الناس اللي لسه مقرأتش !!؟  البلد لسه مش مستعدة للإستفتاء ، و دي طريقة لفرض نعم ( للأغلبية) و لأ سيقولها معارضي مرسي عامة و خلاص، حتى لو لم يقرأوا الدستور، في منتهى الهبل السياسي ان يحصل استفتاء في الاجواء دي

مرسي قال بالحرف “انا اخاطب من يعارضني و من جاء يدافع عن الشرعية” اسلوب تفرقة، و تحريض، على ان المعارضين بيهاجموا الشرعية
و ده بياخدنا بأن مرسي ذكر ان المعارضين منهم طرف تالتو تم القبض عليهم و تم التحقيق معاهم و خلاص مرسي عرف انهم الطرف التالت. و لكن المحاميين ذكروا ان المتهمين لسه لم يعرضوا على النيابة اصلا في وقت الخطاب، مع ان الخطاب مسجل اساسا. و دي يوضح مدى بعده عن النيابة و لكن بياخد اخباره من جامعته و ان دي يمكن حقيقات ميليشاته

قال حرفيا ” لن اسمح بالتعرض للمنشئات و السفارات .. و و و ” و لكن يسمح مؤيدينه بالتعرض للمحكمة الدستورية

تحدث عن مؤامرات داخلية و خارجية ” مصر مطمع للغزاه بسبب موقعا الجغرافي و مناخها الجميل” نفس الكلام من ١٠٠ سنة و لا يوجد دليل

تغزل بالقضاء شوية لكنه قال ان في متهم و تم برائته في تلميح بعدم نزاهة القضاء ، و هذا سبب كروتة مسودة الدستور في يومين عشان مايجيش القضاء يحل اللجنة التأسيسية

حرض مرسي رسميا الشعب على بعضه مثلما فعل المشير طنطاوي ، و طلب من الشعب التصدي للأفعال التي سماها بأنها عنف على المنشئات و مصالح البلد

حاول مرسي الإرتجال من الحين للأخر ، و كان بيسرح في الكلام و بيقول حاجات ملهاش اي معنى ، و كلام مماطل .. و كان نبرة صوته بتختلف من قرائته من الورقة و من ارتجاله، و كان الإتصال بينهم سكوت، و ده بيوضح ان الخطاب مكتوبله، و بما انه خطاب لمؤيدينهو فهو مكتوب من شخص برضو بعيد عن الواقع، و ده سيء في حقه

انهى خطابه ب “حمى الله مصر” و هو ينظر للورق