Marketing over shisha

A Message from Tahrir to #IdleNoMore

Yesterday I went down with a couple of friends; one of whom is Native American to the Canadian Embassy in Egypt to voice my displeasure with the treatment of the indigenous people of the First Nations by the Canadian Government and stand in solidarity with the #IdleNoMore movement on #J11

Having started our own uprising roughly 2 years ago and continuing to struggle for Bread, Freedom & Social Justice we have learned a lot (and continue to learn) from this once in a lifetime experience.

Having said that I will divide this post into 3 parts; the first some advice (hopefully valuable) to my First Nations / Native American brothers and sisters, the 2nd to the Canadian Government & the 3rd to the Canadian Media.

Native Americans:

• Firstly I need not be thanked for going down and supporting your cause, for as a member of an oppressed people it is my cause as well. I may not understand your language or your customs but I understand being oppressed and fighting for your rights and freedoms as human beings and that is more than enough to unite us
• The #Jan25 revolution has taught us that as oppressed people all over the world from Tunisia to Egypt to Syria to Yemen to Sudan to Greece, Spain and many others that our plight is connected. In Egypt if we were simply fighting against our own government we would be free by now, but alas we are part of a global community that is structured by Western Nations in a manner that serves to benefit a select few by oppressing everyone else. A victory in Spain, Yemen, Egypt or anywhere else helps all those involved by weakening the machine that serves those in true power
• You need a common theme to all your Protests / movements. Goals that you can unite the majority of your constituents with and can use to benchmark where you are as you continue to get consolations from the oppostion. For us it is “Bread, Freedom & Social Justice”
• Don’t settle for less than what you truly deserve
• The will try to divide you, they will succeed in getting you to scuffle with one another at times, your end yardstick should be the objectives you set. If you haven’t achieved them stay strong, stay united, root out those who are looking for minor reform as appose to true change and continue on your path
• Take pride in your history and culture
• Frame wins in the battle for Freedom as big, perhaps even bigger than they actually are. It is important to give everyone a reason to stay positive
• True change doesn’t take a week, 18 days or a month. it takes time, usually years, be prepared for a log haul
• Make heroes of all your martyrs that fall on the path to freedom. Always remember them. They didn’t die for minor reform, they died for change
• Clearly pin-point those of your own that are against change
• You will be called infidels, traitors to the great nation of Canada and unpatriotic. Don’t worry about it too much, its one of many narratives the media uses to attack true revolutionaries
• Use graffiti and other forms of art to push your cause
• Mass media will frame the story to the liking of those in power, even in a “democracy” like Canada. OWN Social Media. It is your most important media outlet
• Don’t give up, we are all with you in heart and spirit
• To all the Native American / First Nations youth; you are the heart and soul of this revolution. Be proud of who you are and where you came from. Most people live and die without changing the world or being part of something truly historic, this is your chance.

My Friend @PygmySioux @ the Canadian Embassy in Egypt

To the Canadian Government:

• What starts out as a small issue that can be easily handled if went about fairly and quickly can escalate into something that can take down your entire government very quickly. When we first went down on January 25th we weren’t calling for Hosni Mubarak to step down, 3 days later we did, 18 days later he was gone. As you may know he is currently in jail where he will spend the rest of his life thinking about what could have been

To Canadian Media Personalities:

• You can choose to either report the actual news or fabricated lies, which side of history will you be on?

#IdleNoMore will succeed and as an oppressed people we are with you every step of the way. May we march together hand in hand as free people soon. God Bless.

Why Everyone Should Give a Damn about Nile University

Ever since Mubarak’s ouster we as Egyptian’s have been divided on almost everything.

Some are “revolutionaries” others “felool”, some “islamists” and of course the dreadful “people of the couch”. We have also been divided based on religion, social class and if we like regular M&M’s or Peanut M&M’s.

That being said there are a couple of things all Egyptians (regardless of their M&M affiliation) can agree on including:

• Need for a better Education system
• Need to fix the traffic issue
• Need to fix the trash issue

Nile University represents the 1st (and only) R&D University in Egypt, they have been doing some fantastic work over the last couple of years and there seems to be an insistence to tear the university down to build…….. another R&D university

Bassem Youssef @ Nile University

The students have decided to take a stand, they have been staging a sit-in on their campus for 9 days (I could be off by a day) and a couple of said students have gone on hunger strike. Their parents and professors have also joined in the sit-in and they are all sleeping next to each other on the hard asphalt.

They need our support. Don’t complain about the education system in Egypt if you are not willing to take a stand when it counts. Go visit these unbelievable young men and women, lift their spirits, raise awareness and take a stand.

The new school year is almost upon us and in days these kids (some of whom are due to graduate in months) will be on the streets after years of hard work. Their research has been put on hold rotting away in the buildings with them not having access to go inside.

Its the first time since the 18 days in tahrir I’ve seen the exact same uplifting and inspirational spirit, the kids are pure electricity

I won’t get into details of the exact legal dispute that led to this (Check out Reem Maged’s Show below for more info) but this is an issue that should be unanimous regardless of affiliation.

Reem Maged on Nile University

Make a difference, support R&D in Egypt, visit the kids @ Nile University and offer support, the clock is ticking….

Campaign to Get Abu-Hamed Out of Egypt

حملة الخروج الآمن لأبو حامد

Down with military rule – #Jan25 continues.

Promoting Entrepreneurship in the Arab World – Vote for our Proposed #SXSW Panel!

I’m excited to announce we’ve put together what we feel will be an awesome panel to talk on Entrepreneurship in the Arab World at next year’s SXSW (South by Southwest)  ”Interactive” Event in Austin, Texas which I’d have the honor of moderating

SXSW 2013

The panel will include the following unbelievable Arab Entrepreneurs which each have a unique and interesting perspective to share :

• Fadi Ghandour (Founder / CEO of Aramex)
• Ahmed Alfi (Chairman of Sawari Ventures & Flat6 Labs)
• Habib Haddad (CEO of Wamda & Founder of Yamli + Yalla Startup)
• Muhammad Mansour (@TripleM / Entrepreneurship Ecosystem Builder @ N2V)

• The majority of  the decision to include a panel in the event is based on crowd voting
• Then the SXSW jury picks the panels it feels best fits the event

In order to vote you need to do the following:

1. To Sign up for an account press here 
2. Press here; panelpicker.sxsw.com/vote/9073 and “Like” our panel using the “Thumbs Up” button on the left
3. Note you are only allowed to vote for one panel so don’t vote for another panel afterwards or you’ll cancel the vote you gave us!

Getting voting! Thanks for the help and see you at SXSW

2nd Annual Marketing Over Shisha Ramadan Ad Awards

Apparently a lot of people liked the 1st Annual “Marketing Over Shisha” Ad Awards for some reason….

Accordingly based on popular demand we are back with the 2nd installment in video form! We spent roughly 11 LE to produce the show using the most advanced studios with the latest in audio and video technologies, Enjoy and have a great eid on a beach somewhere

Dardasha Over Shisha Episode 3 feat. (at)Fo2ElSoto7

A super fun chat with the first guest to smoke shisha on our show @Fo2ElSoto7 (aka Ibrahim Gamal El-Din) on Political Satire, Interner Activism and Ahmed Naguib.

Enjoy (Over Shisha as always)

Dardasha Over Shisha Episode 2 feat. (at)TripleM

A short discussion with @TripleM (aka Muhammed Mansour) Tech Entrepreneurship Expert and ecosystem builder @ N2V on Entrepreneurship in Egypt and the way forward

Enjoy (Over Shisha as always)

Introducing Dardasha Over Shisha

For a while now at planet360 we’ve been wanting to develop original Arabic video content yet haven’t gotten around to actually getting it done.

On another note It’s been eating at me for some time that people see the #Jan25 Revolution as having failed, perhaps we haven’t taken any steps politically but many other small gains have materialized and we need to acknowledge and be proud of them.

Accordingly the concept for our first series came to me (Over Shisha of course) of creating a weekly webisode whereby I have a 5 minute casual, informal discussion (Again Over Shisha) with a young Egyptian that is making a difference in their field

Having said that our first episode is an interview with prominent Socialist Activist Tarek Shalaby whereby we discuss the Revolution, Election and other important happenings in the current political landscape.

Enjoy (Over Shisha)

Egypts Free & Fraudulent Elections

Thank God I Boytcotted this mockery!

After the conclusion of the elections and the initial indications that Shafik would wind up in the re-run for a second, just a split second I second guessed my decision to boycott overwhelmed by the fact that Mubarak’s protege would sweep into office.

Then I went back and read the post I wrote on why I boycotted and saw all the reasons I gave still stood and thanked god I chose to boycott this mockery.

I made the argument that NO elections run by SCAF would be fair elections and regardless of what some people think to me this election is so obviously rigged its not even a point of discussion, note the following:

• Not that I ever want to defend Amr Moussa but in free and fair elections Moussa would NOT be 5th. He is a brand name, is likeable to masses of Egyptians and spent a boat load of money on his campaign. No WAAAAY Shafik almost doubles his vote tally fair and square
• Don’t give me the marketing crap stating that Shafik and Morsi were more clear on where they stand, Really? You mean to tell me people voted based on research? Roughly 29% of Egyptians cant READ and WRITE. It was well documented a large portion of Egyptians went to stand in line while they were still undecided on who to vote for in the first place. Amr Moussa got JOBBED
• Shafik winning in Sharkeya which is traditionally an MB strong-hold seems ridiculous to me
• Who the HELL is Shafik in the first place?! Pre-Revolution I would suggest that no one knew who the heck this guy was in the first place and regardless of a certain block not being enamored with the revolution and voting for him even though the revolution ultimately serves their benefit (less fortunate people) and others voting for him because they want things to return “back to normal” (Rich people) he doesn’t have this type of widespread support in comparison with others
• Activists found Sabahy Ballots in Sugar Cane Fields in the Egyptian Province of Qena
• Amr Moussa and Sabbahi claim that over 900,000 Officers received registration cards to vote in the elections
• Dead people are allegedly rising from their graves and voting for Shafik
• A voter in one polling station found his name listed over 50 times!!!
• Have you seen this image instructing officers to vote in the elections?

"Important Announcement" at a Police Station

• In frickin NY a journalist got his ass handed to him by a thug from the embassy after spotting irregularities

You know what I can’t prove anything and have no documents but I have half a brain and know that where there is smoke there is fire.

What baffles me is the insistence of people to continue playing this game even after SCAF has put us in a corner with Morsi vs Shafik?

It doesn’t matter if you vote because they will change your vote if they want to or simply throw it in the Nile. No one is ruling Egypt without the endorsement of SCAF period.

People who are participating in the elections come up to me and ask “What’s your plan now?”. Well my plan was to boycott from the start, decrease legitimacy of elections and play the game under our terms. Your plan was to participate in the elections, how’s that working out for you now?

I don’t want to end this post on an “Us” vs “Them” note as its the last thing we need so lets just agree to stop trying to play the game by SCAF’s rules and waiting for crumbs.

Why I Boycotted the Egyptian Presidential Elections

A lot of people have been surprised with my decision to boycott the current historic presidential elections that we are currently undertaking in Egypt, Some of the arguments I have heard have included:

• “Don’t be passive go vote and at least block your least favorite candidate”
• “Your Boytcott is pointless if 10 Million people aren’t boycotting with you”
• “People died for us to have these elections”
• “You want SCAF to leave, they will NEVER just leave we need to take tiny crumb by tiny crumb”

Those are just some of the counter arguments I remember hearing.

Unlike the majority of my posts that take me a bit of time to write and are well thought out I will speak randomly and from the heart on why I boycotted:

• Why do we have to take crumb by crumb from SCAF?
• Why are we suddenly realists? Toppling Hosni Mubarak and sending him and his cronies to jail was so far fetched pre #Jan25 I would suggest we could have never even dreamed of accomplishing it!
• Why do we have to accept everything SCAF gives us as fact? Why?
• When they present us with elections that are 100% flawed why do we have to agree to them and file it under “Democracy”?
• When I have no clue what the powers of the president will be what am I voting for?
• When a former Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Mubarak’s are running how can I be asked to vote and “accept the outcome”?
• When SCAF is running the elections why should I trust them now? What have they EVER done to earn my trust?
• When there are “small irregularities” in almost every single “lagna” how can the elections be free and fair?
• When the person counting the votes is the same person that killed my brothers and sisters how can i vote in elections run by them?
• When the only thing that stopped Omar Sulaiman from being in the elections is a stupid technicality as appose to the fact that he was Mubarak’s frickin RIGHT HAND MAN!
• When the mechanism to be eligible to run for president is such a farce that a singer with no education whatsoever technically qualified to be in the race while someone like Bothaina Kamel couldn’t qualify!
• When SCAF has purposefully sandwiched the Mubarak verdict in between elections to lessen the protest to what will surely be ridiculous ruling why should i vote?
• No one died for Shafik and Amr Moussa to run for president!!! This is NOT democracy

Everyone is entitled to their own opinion but I feel all we are doing is bailing out SCAF and emboldening them and giving them more power and I will not be part of this mockery

I don’t have all the answers as to what we should do and I don’t need to.

All i know is that this is unacceptable and I will not comply.

I will argue that writing this post and having hundreds or thousands of people reading it and opening up this discussion is far more powerful than baking my ass off in SCAF’s line while hearing people argue over which is the better candidate Shafiq or Amr Moussa!