Traffic
Sticker for details
(cairolive.com, November 25, 2002) The front windshield of
Cairo's cars has become a battleground of sorts. Recent articles
in the papers have celebrated the emergence of a new registration
sticker introduced by the Traffic Authority to make it easier for
cops to tell whose license and registration has expired, and whose
is still valid.
The introduction of the sticker has brought with it an increased attention
to the other stickers people are routinely putting on the front
windshields. The most common by far are stickers supposedly
indicating the profession of the car owner, whether it be lawyer,
journalist, doctor, or policeman. These stickers are not
necessarily obtained from the person's place of employment, but can be
bought from street vendors for a mere 50 piasters.
A recent article in Al-Akhbar's crime section indicates that over
2000 cars were recently handed violations for having the stickers --
which are technically illegal but have been tolerated by traffic
police over the years. Called "badges", the paper was
surprised (as it joined police officers on their search and destroy
mission) to find a mere salesman with 5 badges on his
vehicle, indicating that he was an officer, a prosecutor, a judge, a
doctor, as well as a "VIP".
The main problem with the stickers however, is not the false
premises with which they are used, but the fact that having so many of them
eats away at the driver's field of vision, thus creating a potential driving hazard.
The paper says that cars have become an open book identifying the
owner's
personality -- his job and the club he supports, etc. That may
change now that LE50-200
fines are being imposed on vehicle owners, as well as -- and
this is somewhat harsh -- 30 days suspension of their license, with,
for second time offenders, a year long suspension possible.
For
links to these articles and much more from the world of Arabic media
go to www.zahma.com!
Martial woes
A mobile phone.. or divorce
(cairolive.com, November 25, 2002) A tiny article on the front page of
Monday's Al-Wafd reports that a court in Alexandria refused to grant a woman
a divorce just because her
husband had refused to get her a mobile phone. The wife had been claiming
that her husband, a very wealthy businessman, was treating her unfairly because
even though he could afford to buy her a
mobile phone, he refused to do so. For his part, the husband says
that his refusal to buy the mobile phone stems from the fact that that his wife is a very jealous
woman who would not leave him alone if he did so. Actually, he indicated that he
would prefer divorce over getting her the phone she wants.
