Wrong place at the wrong time

My Driving License and Registration were taken away yesterday afternoon, by no fault of my own, but because of an overweight, insecure, corrupt police officer. When you take a minute to think about it, corruption is a very interesting thing. It can be the life-jacket that saves some people from drowning as a result of the consequences of their actions, or the shark that nibbles at your body bit by bit until you can't struggle any longer, for other people. Fortunately for me, I happened to be the former!

Driving in the opposite direction is an offense according to the new Traffic Regulations in Egypt, punishable by 4 days in jail and withholding both the car and licenses of the felon indefinitely. In my case, I knew that I had the means to manipulate the system to my own advantage, and therefore found in only a slight discomfort, having to go to the police checkpoint.

It was, in fact, a pleasant experience. The corrupt officer, who boasted a pair of 600 pound Police sunglasses, with no more than an 800 pound monthly income, was a pleasant man who joked with me on the way to the station, and assured me that I had many options to chose from. We continued to exchange pleasantries in the station, where he nevertheless began to write his report, all the while telling me to call whatever connections I may have if I wished. Unfortunately the report had already been stamped and documented by the time my uncle, a Brigadier General in the police force, had arrived. I needed not to pay the preliminary fine of 50 pounds or go to the police station, which are the official proceedings for most people in that situation. However, I found no way out of the one-thousand pound fine which the report ensured that I must pay. Before leaving the police checkpoint, the young officer called me and whispered to my ear that, if I wished, I could fabricate an application for replacement of the licenses which had been "lost" and avoid paying the fine, with the help of my uncle of course.

On the other hand, those who are not as fortunate as myself to have an influential uncle and enough income to overlook such a fine, are not as lucky.

Among the people who were taken to the checkpoint was a taxi driver, who had neither a driving license nor a car license for the taxi he was driving. Unlike me, the taxi he drove was towed, with the hand-breaks lifted, to ensure maximum damage to the wheels due to friction. The young man was insulted, shouted and cursed at, and was literally begging the officer to have mercy upon his soul. I drove both the officer and the taxi driver to the checkpoint, all the while the taxi driver was begging and pleading with the officer to look as deep as he could into his soul to find even the tiniest ounce of mercy, which he wouldn't have found, had he taken the time to look. The young driver, knowing he would be detained indefinitely without being charged for anything opened the door of my car, and jumped out as we entered an intersection, fleeing as quickly as he could. The officer, who had the drivers ID-Card, assured me that within 2 days the man would be detained and locked up for indefinitely until he is charged with evading a police officer, and ultimately locked in jail for a longer time.

Yesterday I had the pleasure to witness both sides of the struggle, my own, and that of the unfortunately unlucky taxi driver. This experience, although an overall pleasant one, made me realize how important it is to have influence and to be a respectable member of the community, Only once those two requirements are achieved will you be able to use the corrupt system to your favor.

Strike of the garbage man

Ever since I've lived in Egypt, I've noticed the people's many bad habits, one of which is their method of dealing with garbage. It varies from place to place, however. For example, in Moharam Bek, a place somewhat at the bottom of the social ladder, it's nothing out of the ordinary to be standing under any given balcony, and find that someone had thrown a bag of fish guts, watermelon peelings, and chicken bones right on top of your head from the balcony! There is also the occasional spillage of buckets of dirty water, which was used for mopping dirty floors. Not to mention the all day long throwing of fingernail clippings, watermelon seeds, old cans, cartons and boxes at all hours of the day.

In the more civilized areas of Alexandria, like Roushdy, where I live. The behavior may differ, but the mentality is the same. Instead of throwing the garbage out of the balcony, they go all the way to dumpster at the entrance of the building and, from the gate, fling the bag with all their might towards the dumpster. It may fall into the dumpster, or around, or nowhere near, but in any case, the bag bursts on impact causing the garbage it contained to fly in any and every direction, leaving a mountain of filth all over the street. If you're lucky enough to have it land somewhere in one piece, then fear not, because in the late hours of the night, there is always a hungry homeless man who will open it to look for anything to eat!

Why have I chosen to talk about this subject?? I've chosen to do so because for the past two months, the garbage collecting company "ONYX" employees have been on strike due to low wages, and ever since, the garbage has been pilling in every corner. At least at first when people would throw their garbage, there was always someone to remove it from the middle of the street, but now, the garbage keeps on coming, while those who used to clean it up don't!

So now whenever I see a pile of garbage on my right while driving, I have to move to the far left to avoid it, and more often than not, there would be a car parked on the other side, so I would have to suffer the agonizing pain of having to squeeze between a car and a pile of crap, and sometimes even over the garbage itself. The stench has become intolerable, and the sight sickening, even in the most expensive areas of the city, the garbage has found its way there.

I'm sure that whatever the garbage collectors want is a small price to pay to have clean streets that smell like the trees in them, and the ability to actually see the side-walk and the borders of the metal dumpsters, which have been obscured by the mountains of garbage. I only dream of the day when I can walk in the street and not be attacked by a multitude of flies, which have made home of the ever-growing mountains of garbage which plague the city, and the country!

Ignorance is bliss

I know I've discussed this issue time and time again, but people never sieze to amaze me. As fond as I am of the concept of no-sex-before-marrige, I'll be the first to admit that it has some, if not many drawbacks.

Egyptian youth, myself included, are without a doubt one of the horniest people on the planet, think day and night of nothing but what lies within their crotch. Just the other day, I was discussing a certian issue with my friends. Now, since there is little or no sex education here, people tend to get carried away when talking about the first night of marriage, and how to preform the sexual act. It is a firm belief that you are religiously permitted, if not doctrined, to use your finger during sexual intercourse, since a female orgasm is much more difficult to achieve than that of a male, and you will be satisfied long before her.

Another misconception is the infamous female ejaculation. Many people fear that when their prospective wives achieve a climactic point, the shooting of some sort of female fluid from the vagine may hurt them. When I argued that a female ejaculation, unlike that of a male, does not preform any biological function, and therefore does not exist, I was mocked and ridiculed as the person who does not believe in the female ejaculation!

What I've just mentioned is a samle of the endless list of idiocy that I have to put up with, and be ridiculed for disagreeing with.

And I'd just like to say that Ignorance is most certainly NOT a bliss.

Double Standards

I was born and raised Muslim, and continue to live as one, and intend to stay that way. As a result, I've always taken offense to any derogatory comments or racism against Muslims. As much as I'm an advocate of equality for Muslims, I've also been open to all religions and freedom to practice anywhere in the world.

Recently, since 9/11 to be exact, Muslims have become the object of racism, intolerance, and unfair treatment throughout the world. I happen to know several girls my age who wore the head-scarf (hijab) and stopped wearing it after traveling to the US because they were persecuted and discriminated against, to the point that people in public places refused to serve them.

While this behavior is by all means, wrong, I cannot say that it's completely their fault, or that Muslims are any better.

When a tourist comes to Egypt, and brings his or her culture with them, they too are subject to ridicule and discrimination because of it. For example, a woman walking in the street with a mini-skirt on, a strapless top boasting her shoulders and even some cleavage, is hissed at, harassed verbally and sometimes even physically, by a spanking and whatnot, and on very rare occasions, raped, but only if she is alone in a dark street and happened to run into some drug addict or something of the sort.

So, how could we as Muslims expect to be treated any better when we take our religion to their countries. That certainly gave me something to think about.

However, there is an issue that contradicts this theory. In Egypt at least, people are not discriminated against, but simply treated badly, served, even if it's rudely done. But they are served nonetheless. However, people are free to practice religion as they please, without persecution.

However, even though people are free to practice religion and wear religious garments, that rule does not apply to Jews. After the 1973 war on Israel, Jews were no longer welcome in Egypt, and I assure you, if a Jew was seen wearing the head-dress that is common to the Jewish faith, he would not be welcome, or treated or served very well either.

So there is the dilemma for you? Who is right and who isn't? Is there a clear-cut villain in this story? or is it just shades of gray? And more importantly, how can it be fixed?

Ignorance is bliss

Time and time again, I am reminded of the infamous Egyptian ignorance. That which makes them say and do the most unbelievably idiotic things that wouldn't, in a million years, ever cross your mind had you been in their shoes.

Since the attitude towards education is the same as that towards food: (It won't matter tomorrow if I have nothing to eat today), the population simply does not give education the time of day, and don't know how enlightening it can be to know your A,B,Cs... as is the case of the woman this blog post will now discuss.

Just this morning I was in a taxi on my way to a friend's birthday, when suddenly a brand new Terios' rear end was shattered into shreds by a speeding taxi coming from behind. The fight which followed the incident is not the issue I intend to discuss, because I already know that people here will never change their ways, but what I'd like to comment on is what the woman riding in my taxi had to say about the matter.

She was a short woman of about 35 years. Her horribly conspicuous make-up indicated that she came from a lower class family, probably a simple civil servant, who had never seen larger than a 200 LE note in her life. All this woman had to say was:

"I don't know what that guy (driver of the Terios) is so pissed off about. He can fix that damage for like 100 pounds, and it wouldn't amount to one day out in a cafeteria!!"

Now in case you didn't notice the irony, I'll spell it out for you. There is no dent, no matter how small, that will cost less than 1000 pounds, and there's no decent middle or upper middle class citizen who would ever put himself in the position of having to pay more than 30 or 40 pounds in a cafeteria.

The point that I wish to make is simple: People are so jealous, and so incredibly bitter of being deprived the simplest luxuries, that they make out any person fortunate enough to have what they want into a blood sucking monster, who has more money than God, and who would shower the streets with 100 pound bills if he felt like doing so on a whim.

I concluded from today's experience that ignorance really is bliss, because if the bitter, envious people of this country knew the truth about he lives of those they envy so much, they would become even more bitter, and more loathing of the people they will always wish to be like.

Omar Khairat

Anyone who follows my blog would know that throughout my posts, I've adopted mainly a negative, criticizing tone whenever discussing an issue. This post is not similar to the rest, because for once, I found something good to say about Egypt.

Last night, I attended a concert for the Egyptian Maestro, Omar Khairat. I'm the first to admit that when I bought the ticket, I had no idea what this man did for a living, or what it was that I was about to attend. However, as the talented Maestro waved his hands back and forth instructing the orchestra, I began to grow fond the the music he produced.

Each piece more magnificent than the one before, each utilizing as many instruments at one time, to produce the purest, and most beautiful of music. My personal favorite was: "Take Care of Yourself", a soft, slow, very touching piece that is still ringing in my ears as I write about it.

Not only was I surprised by his musical genius, but also at the amazing crowd which came to listen to him. There could have been nearly 2000 people in that tiny open-air plaza at the Bibliotheca, and not for nothing, for Omar Khairat turned out to be a very talented person, whom all Egyptians should listen to.

Bobos: An all new cinematic low

I'm not one for movie reviews, and the subject of this blog is far from that, but last night I had the "honour" of wasting 15 EGP on Adel Imam's new sorry excuse for a movie: Bobos!

As always, the za'eem (Leader), Adel Imam, has made yet another pointless movie, which tells the story of a man who did nothing, and fell in love with a woman who dressed like a prostitute. One would think that a motion picture with names such as Hassan Hosny, Ezat Abu Ouf, Lotfy Labeeb, Adel Imam, and the infamous Yousra, would amout to something, yet your hopes of seeing a movie that made you stop and think about it's story are quickly crushed like a bug under your shoe.

Bobos, who is the son of an important government official, is the object of Imam's bribes to get loand from banks. One would think that the movie would continue in that sequence to discuss the ramifications of bribes on both ends of the social ladder, but NO! The 70-year-old Imam, who is probably impotent and living on his former glory, proceeds throughout the 1.5 hours to massage women's thighs, french kiss countless women, including a disgusting, stomach-turning all out tonguing with Yousra in the end of the movie.

Other than the pointlessness of the movie, it's riddled with demeaning sexual innuendoes and connotation. I'll be the first to admit that I was laughing my head off all throughout the movie, but in the end what did I gain from the movie? what, if any, is the lesson I've learned from Adel Imam groping a thong?...

Therefore, I consider Bobos to be a new low in Adel Imam's cinematic career, as well as Egyptian Cinema, and I consider every penny they earn from this filthy, tabloid, TV movie a waste of the county's tax-payer's money.

Sexed-up...

Being an teenager, it's nothing out of the ordinary to be interested in sex and anything to do with it, but is it possible to become too sexed-up? Especially in a conservative eastern society where premarital sex is frowned-upon, therefore making the people all the more horny.

I've been friends with my best friend for nearly 5 years now, and I cannot recall a single occasion where we actually discussed something of substance or importance. Nearly all our conversations are about sexual positions, sexual encounters and anything to do with the act of intercourse. Not to mention the swearing and cursing which is all of course derived from any sort of sexual act.

Furthermore, whenever a girl is mentioned, even in passing, during a conversation, whatever it may be, the first thing that would come to anyone's mind is: "Is she pretty? Does she have a nice body?..." and so on, and so forth. I have no problem in talking trash and having a laugh every once in a while, but does it have to be every waking second of every day? Is it weird to be so sick of sex that you want to vomit? I think it has something to do with the fact that people are so sexually repressed that it becomes all they can ever think about, until they finally get married and have sex for the first time in their lives.

However, what annoys me the most is not the fact of the constant sex talks, but the fact that every time I try, or even hint at, a subject of substance and meaning, my attempts are quickly thwarted by some amusing remark about some girls behind, or a sex joke that makes us all burst into hollers of laughter and tears of joy. For example, just yesterday I mentioned the egyptian soccer team's scandal involving the call-girls in their hotel rooms the night before their big match (which they lost 3-0 to the US), only to have a friend cut me off mid-sentence to say: "What do you think a blow job would feel like?!"

So you tell me, where exactly is the problem here? Because I am at a loss of what to think...

The Summer vacation

Yesterday I attended the last of this year's finals, and am now free for the next three months. In the month and a half which the exams were held, I came across all that is new in the world of cheating. With the introduction of all the new technological advances, it has made it all the more easy to cheat. Even without cell-phones and Ipods, etc...people seem to come up with the most elaborate to cheap on exams.

The most common method I came across was that of the eraser, where the cheater would toss me his eraser saying: "here's the rubber you wanted!" so as to make it seem legitimate, all the while winking at me and motioning a flick of a pen with his hand. I of course must comply and proceed to write the MCQ, true or false, and complete answers on the rubber and pretend to use it, then toss it back saying: "Thank you!"

Likewise, another method is simply to gesture to the cheater using 1,2,3 or 4 fingers, indicating answers a through d. which is the most difficult because it involves constant eye contact and physical activity that can easily be detected by the proctor during the exam.

Yet another method, which I prefer over the other two, is to write the answers on the back of the door/s of bathroom stalls and motion inconspicuously to the cheater indicating that the answers are there.

Last but not least, and my personal favourite, is to send the answers of MCQ, true or false, and complete vis SMS to the cell-phones of the cheater during the exam, either by going to the bathroom in the middle, or leaving the exam ten minutes early to do so.

So there you have it! A month and a half of cheating experience at your service.

Note: I would hever be stupid enough to receive answers from anyone in any of those manner, because I trust only myself when it comes to exams. therefore I only give people answers!

Recently I've come to appreciate public transportation more than I ever had before. To get to my destination with a taxi or minibus, I need not worry about gas, car oil, traffic (unless I'm late), or rude drivers. I can take any mode of transportation from anywhere and for a fee, big or small, get to where I want without having my blood pressure skyrocket because of all the stress that comes with driving.

Despite the fights that I must endure with the drivers over any given fee, at the end of the day it's much easier to simply pay an extra pound and not have to deal with a rude driver or rush hour.

Not only is it faster to take the bus, but it's also cheaper to do so. The bus won't need to be filled up with gas, and the more expensive gas since the one you want is just not available. It's engine oil isn't your responsibility, and even if it does cause a problem, you can simply get off and take a different mode of transportation, rather than having to stand next to your own car and have the whole street stare and thank God that they're not you at that instant.

One needs not worry about the holes, speed-bumps, and pedestrians who pollute the streets by their inconsiderate trotting across the busiest highways in the city during the height of rush hour.

All that being said, I do not intend to give up my car any time soon even though its being a fiat 127

(http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/ca/Fiat_127_2_v_sst.jpg )

is reason enough to dump it in the nearest dumpster. The only thing stopping me from taking my

dad's car is simply because my "car"s spare parts are as cheap as dirt, and I've been legally allowed

to drive for 3 weeks...

Epiphany...

I just got my driving lisence today (yes, I passed!) =D and I think that the few hours I spent there taught me some ver yvaluable lessons.

First and foremost, I've realized that the Egyptian public does not and will never actually grasp the concept of a simple, organized line. To get a simple form from the booth, I was squeezed between one man's testicles and another man's behind for almost ten minutes. The smell of sweat literally filled the air, and I had to cover my nose in order not to vomit on the man's head. People were shoving, kicking, swearing, cursing, shouting trying their best to get to the window first. It got so violent that two men beat each other to a pulp because one tried to take the other's turn! I of course took the opportunity and submitted my application while everyone was preoccupied with the fight.

If the people aren't enough, the actual employees are too lazy to even tell people to stand in a line, let alone actually do their job to get things moving! They simply sit on their ever widening asses sipping tea and dunking breadcrums into it at intervals, all the while talking about the latest in the world of underwear and bras with their fellow co-workers.

To top it all off was the perfect ending for the perfect day. As I entered the room where I was to be photographed, an ugly, grubby old man shouted at me, pointing at some official: "Move! Get out! Let the Pasha pass!" The Pasha and his two bitches, excuse the language, left the room quickly having cleared the path, only to bump into an old man also waiting his turn.
I, being annoyed by the entire experience, consolled the old man...

This experience taught me a lot of things, but the one most important piece of information I got from it all was simply this:
We're not called a third world country for nothing!

The ethics of the Rdad!

For someone who just learned to drive, every time s/he gets behind the wheel is a risk. Not knowing if one will get from point A to point B in one piece, it's only natural to feel insecure and drive like an old lady even in the busiest streets. But why do other drivers not recognize that? At one time or another, everyone on the road was new at it all, so why is it if a car is only 2 seconds late in moving once a traffic light opens that people honk their horns like there's no tomorrow?! Will waiting one extra second throw off their entire day? Then comes the hailstorm of swearing and insults that pour down onto you as if you're the cause of all the world's problems.

In my experience on the road, the people most patient and most willing to wait for you if your car stops and whatnot are women. Sometimes I feel sorry for them, having to go through such horrible treatment when they drive, and to be shouted at and insulted because they're just being cautious. So they know what it's like to be on the other end of: "If you can't drive then stay at home and clean the house, bitch!" and they're thus more willing to wait for you if you're having a hard time. Although, truth be told, sometimes a woman's driving can be incredibly annoying, but who am I to judge?

Also related to the issue are the actual traffic regulation, which seem to have become such an abstract concept for so many people nowadays. No one really bothers about the speed limit, directions, and general safety regulations to the point that they've made a new law that states: "Driving in the opposite direction of the natural flow of traffic in a one-way street is punishable by arrest" or something of the sort, that says you'll go to jail for going the wrong way. Is that reasonable?! Most of the streets around here have no signs anyway, so it's virtually impossible to go in the right direction - even if you wanted to!
I think there could have been a more reasonable solution for the problem (not sure exactly what it is, but it's there!)

So if I had the option, I'd stick to public transportation. However, the allure of being behind a wheel is pretty difficult to fight, and my driving exam is on Monday =D

Internet impotence

Once again, the Middle East and South-east Asia have come to a stand-still because of "technical difficulties" with the internet connections. Earlier this year, January of '08, marked the first of the two internet black-outs so far, where everything from top businesses to household PCs were left without any internet access for nearly two weeks. Once again, people's everyday affairs were abruptly interrupted because six underwater cables were apparently severed on Friday.

Just as bad news travels fast, theories as to why it happened travel faster. Ranging from the typical: " ship anchor getting caught between them..." to the infamous: "A fish ate them by mistake!" Whatever the cause, almost everyone was affected by the french-owned managing company's impotence, and its even more desperate attempts to solve the problem.

As I sit on the edge of my seat now, hoping that this brief breath of connectivity does not fail me before I finish this post, I cannot help but think of how incompetent everything around me seems to be. Everything from everyday ettiquette with my fellow man all the way to large-scale malfunctions such as the one we face now - AGAIN!

What amazes me more is not the fact that this happened for the second time, but those who were affected by it. One would be tempted to think that banks, stock markets, and other large and fundemental businesses would be the ones to complain about this incident, however, one would be misaken in thinking so. For the most part, it was the casual PC user who was affected, and not the large enterprises. People ceased to function because they couldn't log onto their facebook accounts to say "Happy Birthday" to their friends or check their notifications to see who had sent them an invitation to the 'Are you gay or lesbian?' quiz! Life as we know it will have to be put on hold till December 31st when the cables are finally 100% functional once more.

I leave you now in hope that Egyptians youth can hold themselves together just a little while longer before they can finally discover their true sexual orientation, or bid farewell or happy birthday to people they will probably never see face-to-face in their lives.

May God forgive the goldfish that was greedy enough to eat six internet cables...

First of all, allow me to apologize for the long absence. My internet connection hasn't been at its best lately, and I'm in the middle of midterms.

As always, the events of my life or events of those around me have always been the inspiration behind most of my posts...this post is no different.

Let me ask you a question: What line must someone cross in order for his behaviour to be considered sexual harrassment? Is there an acceptable limit to physical contact or not? if so, what is it?

I ask this because I didn't actually witness the following situation happen and would like a second oppinion. In short, a professor walked past a female student (note that this particular professor is both incredibly horny and sexually deprived - a dangerous combination of course) and slapped her on the thigh saying: "hey there pretty lady!" or anything similar...it's difficult to translate :)

Naturally, the dumbfounded young student burst into tears and ran out of the classroom screaming. After we calmed her down, I asked why she didn't take any official action against him, and was surprised to hear this: "He's my professor and controls my grades! I can't do that!"
Of course, we are all used to the whole concept of 'the college professor is God', but aren't there limits even for an all powerful God? In any other country, would this even be an issue?

Another common instance is when a man can grope any random woman on a bus with the excuse of "she wanted it! Look at how she's dressed!" and have everyone actually agree with his point of view and congratulate him for his act!
Or for instance, when a man can grab a woman by the crotch and recieve a standing ovation from the people sitting at the nearby coffeeshop.

All of the previous examples clearly exemplify sexual harrassment, but my question is quite simple: Why is it so common and accepted and what is the limit at which you have to stop and say to yourself: "that was inappropriate."?

He who has never made a mistake, has never done anything new...

How many times have you encountered a person who thinks s/he's better than you are? Someone who mocks your efforts and sugarcoats it as brotherly advice? ...Especially when the critisizm happens to be in one particular subject.

The Muslim Brotherhood (a political party in Egypt, and more considered to be some peole's lifestyle - which is the aspect discussed in this post) represents that annoying individual that no one seems to like, but tolerates because there is no way to get rid of them. My argument concern those who folow an overly religious and sometimes downright exstreme lifestyle only - not the political party or anything to do with it.

Simply put, the bearded young men have a bird's eye view of all those who choose not to follow in their path. Every once in a while one may approach you and try to save you from eternal damnation which will be the result of your blasphemous behavior in life. When it is your misfortune to encounter such an individual, it's not uncommon to realize that the brotherly advice you're being given is actually critisizm of your satanic behavior and more of a condescending glance of pitty upon your lost soul. Whether the subject of your defiance is mingling with the opposite sex, use of lousy language, or simply making mistakes during the ritual prayers, you shall never escape the all-seeing eye of the 'Ikhwanjy'.

My mistake was the last of the three. I was approached by such an individual who seemed to derive pleasure from telling me how I've wroged. Try as I might, I couldn't shake him off despite all my attempts. Finally I said: "He who has never made a mistake, has never tried something new!" and politely excused myself, still feeling uneasy because of the demeaningly condescending glances he gave me even as I left the mosque.

What should come first? Friendship or your reputation?...A trick question that I was faced with today. Briefly as possible, this is what happened:

The reputation of one particular female member of our group of friends is under fire. Meaning that she was seen simply standing with members of the opposite sex, including myself. Her parents found out and made a huge deal out of the issue after the entire campus starting to talk about her blasphemous behavior.
The solution to this problem to savw what's left of her reputation is to sever all connections with her male aquantances.

My question is this: despite the obvious fact that the problem from its core is rediculous and should not even be an issue, what should be done. It is the unfortunate fact of life that girls are under this kind of pressure from society, however, should they put their reputations before their friendships with the people they are about to ignore? Of course, a person's reputation amoung his or her peers is of utmost importance, but is it so wrong for people to defy the norm and simply continue with their actions despite the horrible things that would be aid about them behind their backs or even to their very faces?

Personally, I think that her course of action is the easy way out. To simply comply with society's demands without a fight to preserve her reputation as a respectable girl. On the other hand, to defy society is to sign your own death dertificate - meaning that if she does so, she could kiss marriage and a normal life goodbye!

So what is to be done in this situation? Put yourself in her shoes and think of what your course of action would be.

It's a GLOBAL economic crisis!

Just the other day I took a taxi to the medical campus because I was running late. As is the habit of most drivers, this one struck a conversation with me out of thin air. Therefore I decided to write this post as a response to his nonsense because I know better than to start a debate with someone as uneducated and as small minded as an Egyptian taxi driver.

The first putrid breath he uttered was: "America's gonna be broke! niahahaha!" which I later learned was a reference to the economic crisis, the 'great bailout' and whatnot. Ahmed the taxi driver has a theory saying that the 700 million dollars (I decided not to correct the sum) of the bailout would do nothing to save the American economy and that the treasury would become depleted and America would cease to be a world power, etc...

What is the appropriate response to a theory as ridiculous as that? Seeing it best not to aggravate the situation, I simply agreed with the theory while my insides boiled with anger and disgust. Has hunger driven people to become THAT stupid? What is this person's excuse to actually believe beyond any reasonable doubt that the lunacy that is his economic theory is anywhere near reality? What he, as well as flocks of Egyptians, seem to have missed is that this is a GLOBAL economic crisis which has affected and will continue to effect all corners of the globe. This young unsuspecting taxi driver doesn't seem to comprehend that as the situation continues to deteriorate in the US, the already on-the-verge-of-crumbling Egyptian economy will be directly affected as a result.

Instead of arguing I simply nodded and agreed with how "what goes around comes around" and comforted myself with the fact that his idiocy would eventually get the better of him. And sure it did...

Yesterday, the world witnessed a 27% increase in prices. Everything from the wheat we plant to the coca cola cans have increased in price. That includes, as I was kind enough to point out to the taxi I took, gas prices! To my surprise, I was not at all upset that the fare from my house to the campus had almost doubled. All I wanted was to see the look on that driver's face when he went to fill his tank at the gas station. Apparently, America wasn't the only one affected by the crisis :)

Catching the wrong train.

This post was inspired by a comment I received for a previous post on my blog, because I thought this was an issue worth mentioning.

Globalization has come to hold so many meanings in today's society. For most it means modernization of a country's industrial projects, or even switching from an agricultural economy to an industrial one. In many cases it may mean the transfer of different technological advances from their place of origin to the rest of the world. However, for the third world, and Egypt in particular, globalization holds a whole new meaning for its people.

The introduction of satellite television, courtesy of France, in Egypt in 1998 marked the beginning of a new era for Egyptian society. Music channels exploded into the public eye; celebrity fashion, gossip, and propaganda became the very center of people's lives. All that was new in the world of nothing was on the minds and tongues of the entire population...
If you walk in the streets of Cairo or Alexandria today, you will be amazed how low a waistline can go. With boy's crotches at their knees and girls skirts lifted as high as their necks, the influence of western Civilization becomes crystal clear. Nowadays, a celebrity's single whim can in a few days become the latest fad - like our very own Tamer Hosny and his barnyard chest hair, or Mekki and his mushroom-cloud haircut.
As far as I'm concerned, there has not been a single worthwhile achievement in the third world as a result of their so-called globalization. People today know more about Britney Spears' anti-psychotic medication than they do about the global economic crisis.

So as I continue to be forced to look at people's boxers and panties wherever I go in the street, and listen to the never ending fads, I bid farewell to any glimmer of hope of modernization, if there really ever was one to speak of. As a fitting end to this post, I'd like to say that I leave my computer now under a cloud of shame to go watch "Match the celeb to their cellulite!" since the TV has nothing of value to offer me!

With the month of Ramadan over, things seem to be coming back to what they were 30 days ago. The spiritual cloud which had hovered so obviously above our heads for this long month has suddenly vanished. Mosques have been deserted, as well as good manners and decency. The utopia which this Islamic World becomes in this short time every year has quickly dwindles into what it is so accustomed to being.

I was beginning to miss the sound of swearing in the early morning traffic, the stench of cigarettes burning away the fresh morning air, and last but not least, the sight of my fellow man gluttonously engulfing insane amounts of food in an unhealthy amount of time. There is one thing I will NOT miss, however. The infuriating nucance of having some comlete stranger come up to me and tell me to listen to verses of the Qu'ran rather than music, or to wear jockies instead of boxers, or to simply give away religious advice which I would personally rather do without.

Once again, women have removed their veils and wide dresses and exchanged them for miniskirts and push-up-bras. Personally, I don't see how this makes a person religious, but it's not for me to judge how people act - even though I think they should stick to one type of clothing instead of swtiching around in that hypocritical fashion.

When I look back, I find that I haven't made use of the Holy Month as well as I would have liked, while others did, and other pretended to do so. However, all in all, I don't think I'll be losing any sleep over the matter. In short, all is well and back to its old self again...

Hiding in plain sight!

When the word 'crime' is brought up, a dark abandoned alley in the dead of night comes to mind, where a person is walking and looking over their shoulder for any danger than might be lurking in the dark behind the garbage bins only to be leaped upon with no warning and have all worldly possessions taken or in many cases, your very life.

What I have to say to this is: not any more! We now live in a world where someone can be attacked in the middle of the afternoon on the busiest streets in town. Of course, this isn't news to most city dwellers - it happens all the time. However, and this is the point that I'm trying to make, people just don't care any more. People lose no sleep whatsoever when they stand in the middle of the street and watch as a violent at-knife-point mugging is unfolding before their very eyes. As immoral and unethical as this practice is, I find myself doing the same when I'm put in those situations.
Therefore, we are faced with a moral dilemma. If someone is being mugged in front of us (which in many cases turns into accidental murder as the result of a struggle) should we do anything to stop it and risk being injured or even killed ourselves for the sake of a complete stranger whom you don't know would do the same for you if the tables were turned, or should we simply watch in silence under a cloud of shame?

I was faced with this question just a few days ago when I saw across the street a beggar who held a young boy (also a beggar, judging by his appearance) at knife point demanding the few pounds that he had just managed to beg out of a woman in her Lexus. There was not a doubt in my mind as I stood there and watched this happen that I was doing anything wrong. I wasn't about to risk my life for a child who would eventually die of s horrible disease from living inside a garbage dump. Which brings me to next quesrtion: is it immoral to put the lives of the higher classes before those of the less fortunate? Is a beggars life any less precious than that of an aristocrat? I know the theoretical answer to these questions, however the reality of the matter is very different, as you might have all guessed.

Finally, it is in great sadness that I admit to you that even though this happens in plain sight of everyone who interacts with the living, there is no solution in sight because people are by nature selfish and would put their own well-being before that of their fellow man.