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

This issue is not restricted to the Egyptian borders, but is in fact an international problem, that many developing countries suffer from. The practice of Female Circumcision or Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) is as old as time, and believe it or not, is still a common practice today. According to a statistic I read online, 6000 women are mutilated every day across the globe, with no sign of stopping any time soon.

It's beyond me how people can still think that this practice is in any way beneficial to a girl. It takes anyone to see the emotional and physical trauma that these 7 or 8 year old girls have to endure against their will. Is it that people simply choose to ignore the side-effects because in not doing it they would be going against their country's culture and traditions? Or are they truly clueless as to the damage they are doing to these poor girls?

It doesn't take a rocket scientist to know that FGM causes psychological damage, difficulty in menstruation, complications in pregnancy and childbirth, sexual dysfunction and inability to have or derive pleasure from sexual intercourse, and many more. Then why is it so common? I think the look of terror on that little girl's face in the picture is more than enough proof that it's not the right way to go.

The roots of FGM are numerous, yet the most common is people's misunderstanding of religion. Meaning, their belief that it's a religious doctrine when in fact, it isn't. The religious figures to which these ignorant people look up to seem to not know their religion well enough to tell its followers the truth, so it became something engraved in their culture rather than just being a religious requirement. And when culture is involved, people become very inflexible and unwilling to go against the flow or risk be damned by society - they're simply trying to fit in.

In short, FGM is a practice that should have been abolished ages ago, and considered a felony punishable by law. It's sad that people actually do this to their own daughters, when it's so destructive to them as individuals.