Finally Egypt bans female circumcision
Amnesty International estimates that over 2 million female circumcisions are being performed every year worldwide. Also known as female genital mutilation (FGC), the procedure involves the partial or total removal of the female genitalia, and today is mainly practiced in African countries. But Egypt, a nation where about 90% of their women have been circumcised, has announced that it is imposing a complete ban on this ancient practice after a 12-year-old girl died during the operation.Despite the psychological effects, the procedure can also have many medical consequences; immense pain, excessive bleeding, spread of diseases, urinary and reproductive tract infections as well as infertility. Mothers with FGC were also found to have an increased risk of losing the baby compared to women without FGC.But then, why to do it? For some cultures, the custom and tradition of becoming a woman involves this “rite of passage” from childhood to adulthood. Also because of a social conformity to the community, as well as a desire to control women’s sexuality since often this act robs women of sensitivity in their sexual organs and there is the popular belief that if FGM is not performed on a woman, she could become promiscuous when she becomes an adult. Hence, the partial or total removal of the clitoris.Egypt’s first lady, Susanne Mubarak, has spoken out strongly against female circumcision, saying that it is a flagrant example of continued physical and psychological violence against children, which must stop. But then, is a ban the realistic solution? Campaigns against FGM have failed understanding the cultures behind the practice, opting for the other extreme; not offering any alternative (such as education) or freedom of choice. As a woman, I cannot even get close to comprehend such act, but the line that divides human rights and respect for diversity is very thin.Is this mutilation unequivocally inhuman and absolutely degradable, or is a matter of our incapacity to understand different cultures and their ancient customs?
Filed Under Diversity, History & traditions, Human Rights, World Health
Do we need social networking?
I had a MySpace account for a month or so and checked it every day. Nobody ever contacted me. I had maybe two “friends” and one of those was “Tom”… whoever that guy is. Maybe it was feeling like a loser, or maybe it was realising what a horrible waste of time MySpace actually is, but I canceled my account and haven’t looked back. Today I was having a conversation about these sorts of “Social Networking” sites with a friend of mine. The conclusion was: email accounts work just the same, (unless you’re promoting your art) plus you don’t have to waste time and energy pandering to people you thought you got rid of long ago in your life. Maybe we aren’t supposed to keep in touch with every kid we went to school with or every person we’ve ever kissed. Maybe some people are figuring this out and maybe that’s why MySpace saw a drop in UK traffic throughout May. But that doesn’t account for Bebo’s and Facebook’s continuance in attracting new users. Facebook’s audience has grown by more than 500% in the last six months and its users spent 143 minutes on the site throughout May, while MySpace users spent only 96 minutes on the site.
Filed Under Media & Society
Cycling in the era of sustainability
I used to go on holiday by bike with my friends. For one week, normally. We’d load our iron horses with tents, tires, inflatable mattresses and bags containing a pair of pants, some tooth paste, a couple t-shirts and some other stuff. On the way, we bring food and drinks on board. After a couple days traveling this way, I’d usually get the clear perception that my bike is becoming my house: I’ve got everything on it and I feel comfortable while just sitting on the saddle. It’s a nice sensation. So nice that someone thought life quality on two-wheel houses needed to be improved. As a final project in his university career, British designer Paul Smith created Navitas, a very sustainable bike since it produces energy in three ways: Strength, Sun and Wind.
Filed Under Environment, Technology, Wondering
British Army tries to right their wrongs
Up until just recently, seven years ago, homosexuals were fired from the British armed forces upon discovery of their sexual orientation. Just now the Ministry of Defence has publicly apologized to all gay service personnel who were persecuted and discriminated against. “Of course we’re sorry for anyone who’s suffered personal trauma,” said Wing commander Phil Sagar.
Traumatising… I would imagine so. There were special investigation police who searched for and targeted anybody they suspected to be homosexual by raiding barracks, searching through lockers, reading letters, with a dog at their sides. Wing Cdr Sagar said about the raids, “Now, at the time I didn’t see anything wrong with that. I stood there as a serviceman doing my duty in accordance with the rules, regulations and culture of the time.” He says that when the rules did change, it happened swiftly. “It went from, ‘you’re fired’ to, ‘you’re a valued member of the team’.”
Of course you can’t rid of prejudice in everyone completely. Although gays and lesbians don’t have to fear losing their jobs, I’ve no doubt there are people who think very carefully about what they say when asked the question ‘What did you do at the weekend?’.”
Oddly enough, this Saturday is the annual Gay Pride march in central London, sailors will be wearing their uniforms but members of the army and RAF have been banned from wearing their uniforms at the event.
Why’s that?
Filed Under Diversity, Modern Life
Lady Gondolier seizing old Venice profession
Venice gondola is probably one of the most abused touristic icons ever. Still, being in Venice and seeing one of these banana boats sneaking into some narrow and romantic canal convinces most of the people to rent one, despite the moral and economical sacrifice. The wish to live a moment of real aesthetical pleasure, though, is not enough to justify the 10-year battle that Alexandra Hai has been fighting for being in a gondola with an oar in her hands.
Filed Under Diversity, History & traditions
No more bottled water
About two million plastic beverage bottles are used in the US every five minutes, and many of them simply contain water.
The sales of bottled water are estimated to be between US$50 and $100 billion annually. To buy one, it’s just easy, cheap and convenient, you might think. But do you know that to produce one single container that holds 1 liter it requires 5 liters of water in its manufacturing process? Do you know that 90% of bottles are not recycled, producing unnecessary garbage and consuming vast quantities of energy? That is often no healthier than tap water (in USA, 1 in 5 states do not regulate bottled water), but it can be 10,000 times more expensive? Have you ever think that is actually quite silly to buy it when you can get it almost for free in your home and at your own convenience just by refilling a practical container?
Fortunately for all, some powerful people are detecting the problem and taking action. In San Francisco, city workers will no longer have bottled water to drink under an order by Mayor Gavin Newsom, who says it costs too much, worsens pollution and is no better than tap water, estimating that the city could save US$500,000 a year under his directive.
Think about the whole process; the energy used to make the plastic (probably in China) and filling the bottle (probably somewhere else), the expensive marketing strategies, printing labels (killing many trees), transportation and distribution (producing greenhouse gases), sell it (making lots of profits), drink it and then, deal with the humongous waste (a petroleum-based plastic bottle takes about 1,000 years to decompose). Want some more facts? Let’s talk about health. Even if the water itself is pure, a plastic container may leak chemicals such as phthalates or Bisphenol A into the bottled water, both with carcinogenic effects and even linked to obesity by triggering fat-cell activity.
San Francisco’s authorities are thinking and acting. They are not just saving a lot of money, but they are also taking care of the planet, because we cannot complain about the heat caused by global warming while we drink bottled water.
It is truth; the case could be different for developing countries where the access to drinking water is not easy. But, how ethical is to consume bottled water in countries with organized infrastructure and safe tap water?
Filed Under Environment, Modern Life, Politics, Research, World Health
Swedish cars drink alcohol
In spite of what most of people think, an excess of alcohol can actually be a good thing, particularly when we’re talking about cars. Sounds weird? Well, go to Sweden and check it. There, in an effort to fight carbon dioxide emissions and go oil-free by 2020, the government thought up a clever way to obtain biogas through alcohol.
Filed Under Environment, Technology