The Cosmopolitan Blog

In a post back in January, when there were still more than 2 candidates in each party for the US elections, i predicted that if either Hillary or Obama became the party nominee, then the Democrats would loose the general election and the next president would be a republican.

I still stand by this statement. See, I always asked the question “is the US more sexist or racist”. We think this question no longer applies, since 1/2 of america is voting for a black man and the other 1/2 for a woman and one would think the answer is that it’s pretty much equal. But that’s not true, it still very much applies: now that we know our opponent is McCain, who is more electable and likely to win against him, a woman or a black man? So again, I ask the question “is the US more sexist or more racist”?

I personally always thought America was more ready to elect a woman than a black man. After all, this is a country where there a still TWO schools that have some sort of racial segregation.

My personal viewpoint is that, by nature, the Democrats are more likely to accept a minority lead them. So they are more likely to accept a black man. But when it comes to the elections, we may also be looking at a whole bunch of republicans and undecided, who DON’T want to vote for McCain. Will they vote for Barack? I don’t think they will. And in that case, I feel that maybe Clinton should be McCain’s opponent, I think that a republican is more likely to vote for a woman than a black man.

This is absolutely 100% my opinion and understanding of this country from what i hear, what i observe, having lived there and having most of my friends and family still living there. Now, i want to hear what you think. Feel free to post a comment or two. Or answer the poll question on the right. Is the US more sexist or more racist?

There are some people you trust implicitely. And there are some people that make so much sense, it’s not even about trust, it just makes so much sense that you take their advice.

Seth Godin is one of those people. Maybe it’s because i’ve read all his books. Maybe it’s because i saw him speak, live, and couple weeks ago. Either way, when he gives advice, i listen.

His point, in his latest post, is that sometimes, just sometimes, when you want to stand out from the crowd, keep the human touch about it, and don’t make it too polished. He gave the example of the UPS safety truck, or the specials on a menu that stand out because their handwritten on a 3×5 card attached to the otherwise completely laminated, polished, error-less (sometimes), printed menu.

It’s a quick post to read, read it, it’s fun. I’ll take his advice and relate it to my blog post. I will try and keep them short and to the point, and instead of reading them over and over again, and adding stuff to them, i’ll just stop. Like right now. The end

This is my no1 favorite place. Period. The fact that this Iranian / Persian restaurant’s main clientèle are all Persian should tell you something: it’s not a tourist trap or a hyped up commercial venture. It’s a hole-in-the-wall place, but just walking in makes you so hungry, the smells coming from this family-run restaurant and kitchen are amazing… The menu has all the essentials. It’s hearty, large portions, perfection!! …and it’s so cheap, you have a complete meal for $10!! (and i’ve taken some home for lunch the next day, cuz i had too much on my plate).

it’s like going home to your mom’s for dinner (and i’m not even Persian!!)

The rice is so savorful, with the saffron and melted butter, i’ve not tasted anything like this before in any other Iranian restaurant. The dish you MUST try is the Crazy Chicken (seriously, that’s what it’s called). Ask for the boneless version. It’s grilled, but has saffron and lemon and it’s so moist it melts in your mouth. When they ask you if you want soup or salad to start (yes, it comes with every main course), say soup, regardless of if it’s summer. I’m not a big soup fan, but this is SO good. It’s very hearty and thicker than your average soup, but it has lentils and noodles, and a hint of vinegar and it’s so tasty, it’s really, like the best comfort food you could get.

I’m so lucky to have this place next door to me.

Edit – 16 July 08: Thanks to my loyal readers for pointing out the lack of an address… DUH!… Here it is:
820 Avenue Atwater – Montréal, QC – Tel: (514) 933-0933.

You’ll spend on average $10-$16 per person. There are soft drinks, but no alcohol, and you can’t BYOB. They take cash only, i believe. You can also order take out, and if you ask nicely, they’ll call a cab for you and deliver it to your place (you pay for the taxi, obviously).

This is very cool. I should have blogged about this ages ago. Basically, this website: Giveaway of the Day, every day, advertises a new software, and for exactly 24 hours, you can download it for free. No strings attached. No trial period. No adware or spyware. Honest to goodness free software. And yes, it’s a 100% legal. My best advise is subscribe to the RSS feed. That way, every day, you’re told what the software of the day is. If you’re interested, you go to the website and download it. If you’re not, you don’t do anything.

They encourage word of mouth, so here’s me doing my part. Because the more people come and download the free software, the more companies will be willing to do this for the free exposure, right? I mean the thinking is, if i like a publisher’s software, i might now know his name, and even though i got his first product free, i might return to him for my future needs. Waow, a situation were everyone’s happy, how great is this?

Check it out, seriously: http://www.giveawayoftheday.com/
This is the link to the RSS feed: http://www.giveawayoftheday.com/feed/

…If you’re wondering why i put it in “The ‘isms’ I believe in” category of the blog, it’s because, in this case, the ‘ism’ I believe in is free-ism

So, let’s assume, for a second, that Barak Obama becomes the democratic nominee for the US presidency. It’s pretty clear that’s he’s nearly there, so it’s a safe assumption. But now, the question is, who will be his running mate? The thing is, I believe this is a question he should address soon, because if he plays his cards right, his running mate could have a really great following that he would then benefit from.

So. His choices. Well, Hillary would be one. That would be the perfect ticket, right? The thing is, i strongly believe that their policies are actually very different (some even say Hillary is closer on her policy to McCain is certain ways), so i don’t see how they could see such a partnership, it would confuse the message, i mean, they would then have to decide, well, which policy on healthcare, which policy on environment do we pick?

Option 2: John Edwards. He just endorsed Obama, so it would be a safe assumption. He would bring the white male vote (and young female vote) to the ticket, that could be useful. Problem is, i think he’s pretty much said, he wouldn’t want to be on a ticket as VP again, he’s been there, done that. (Having said that, he also said he wasn’t ready to endorse anyone, 24 hours before he endorsed Obama).

So, yesterday, around our weekly family dinner table, this idea came up, and i think it’s a very viable one. What about Nancy Pelosi for vice-president? It’s like combining the above 2 options. She has policies that are close to those of Obama and John Edwards, AND she’s a white woman, so she could potentially appease all those Hillary supporters who will feel snubbed, and who are, apparently, considering voting for McCain if Hillary’s not an option. I think Nancy Pelosi, as the speaker of the house (3rd highest position after President and VP) brings experience, contacts, and more than that, her personality is a lot better fit, i believe. Hillary, i’ve always found, has a self-centeredness and selfishness about her, she is power hungry and can be ruthless. Nancy does give that impression, and if i can allow myself to be an idealist for a second, she makes me believe that she would have the health of the country in mind with everything she does.