I was commissioned by the Middle East Youth Initiative, a Brookings Institution research project, to capture images of youth inclusion in Egyptian society. Very interesting topic for me and I must say it was a challenge. But the results are finally published!

Middle East Youth Initiative - http://www.ShababInclusion.org/

You can see the panorama photos in the flash-animated header in the homepage and there is a mention of me here too.

There is a little restaurant in Mohandeseen that I absolutely love! They serve tasty food in mountainous quantities, free wireless internet, comfortable seating but most of all, hardly anybody goes there. Yeah, I know it sounds selfish but it IS very hard to find a good place to go to in Cairo that is not crowded. I won’t say where exactly it is but the name is Ricky’s.

Here’s an interactive 360 panorama of Omar AbdelWahab and I while we were working and enjoying some evening tea.

It’s official. Barcelona FC will play Egypt’s Al Ahly in a friendly match on 24th April 2007. The anticipated friendly is organized as part of Al Ahly’s centenary celebrations.

In 2006, Al Ahly deserved 3rd place in FIFA Club World Cup hosted in Japan, which topped the club’s long history of achievements. I was out in the street last December to celebrate the Al Ahly’s arrival from Japan and took a panoramic 360-degree photo of Egypt’s Red Devils.

A tree with nature-made inscription of ‘Allah’, ‘Muhammed’ and ‘Taha’ has become popular with Cairenes who claim that it is “another miracle of Islam”. Cars have been parking on the congested Cairo-Ismailia desert road to take pictures with their phone cameras or touch the inscription.

I heard about it from local media so I decided to go myself and take a VR panorama of this interesting site. My personal opinion on it is yes, it looks genuine. But I believe also that nature creates shapes and lines that are read the way people want to read it. I have also seen a popular tree in Malta which had natural carvings on it which resembled Jesus on the crucifix.

Enough talking from me. Take a look and listen (audio included) for yourself at the 360-degree photo of the Cairo miracle tree.

Look closer at the x sign. ‘Trains of Be Ware’ is not a train stop in the magical land of Be Ware. It’s just an unintentional mistake I spotted on my way to Ain El Sokhna a few days ago.  It should have been ‘Beware of Trains’.

Egyptians are infamous for putting up street signs in English that would only stop an English teacher. Take a better look at the 360-degree VR photo taken at Ain El Sokhna.

Local NGOs organized the 1st Street Children Day last friday (23rd February) which I attended, had a lot of laughs from the short plays and enjoyed the music. And of course there were also a lot of activities for children.

If you missed it, see it with audio here.

This will be the 2nd time for me to attend it as a VR photographer. It was a lot of fun last time I was there and I’m expecting more excitement and more good music.

If you see me (MADEENA360 logo on my back) at SOS vol. 3, come and say hi

I was told recently that the world is going to choose a new set of wonders of the world. It does make sense since most of the 7 wonders known to us don’t exist anymore. The only standing wonder is the Giza Pyramids.

So now you know. Type your way to http://www.new7wonders.com/. Register an account and choose your favourite 7 from 21 new wonders candidates.

Hans Nyberg’s Panoramas.dk has featured my VR photo of a demonstration against harassment of women in the streets of Cairo. I’ve always believed in the huge potential of VR photography in the field of photojournalism (or as I call it, VR photojournalism). Especially if the photos puts a light on social issues that do not get local media attention.

I appreciate the recognition and will continue using VR photography to show things that matter.