The Cosmopolitan Blog

I’m starting to draw a mighty big list of cons, when it comes to technology. Surprising, considering it’s the field i work in… or not… i hear those who work in chocolate factories never want to eat another piece of chocolate ever again, so….

For something that’s supposed to make us more productive, have u ever counted how much time you spend fiddling with, fine-tuning that technology for it to ACTUALLY do what you want it to do? Settings new systems up, figuring out how to make them better, fixing something that doesn’t work, installing product updates, rebooting, watching progress bars… UGH. I’d love someone to actually study this and tell us if we’re actually more productive or if we’re just more… well… busy…

We complain that the computer is making jobs obsolete, but what about all those jobs created to make sure that technology actually works?

Today, as i continue my european experiment, i realize one thing… technology takes your attention away from life. When you’re watching tv, it’s time you’re NOT spending outside taking a walk, when you’re surfing the Read the rest of this entry »

So here I am. England. London. I grew up here. And i’m back, staying at my mom’s, taking care of her as she recovers from a knee operation. Translation: i have NOTHING to do for a week. And i’m not a tourist here. And i don’t particularly love this city (long story)… so what does one do? Return to my blog, for 1. But i had an idea for an experiment, you know me, ever the sociologist.

Let us compare european and north american cultures for a week. I grew up in the former and couldn’t deal with the laissez-faire attitude, I longed for the hyper-productive, go-go-go attitude of the latter, so i moved there. A decade later, and i look back at the other side of the pond and wonder if these europeans hadn’t actually figured something out. 5 weeks vacation is the norm. Good food. Historical patrimony and traditions. Sidewalk cafés…. hmm….

So this is my goal this week. Compare. Not to draw conclusions, after all, seeing the sizable population living in each, i’m thinking there’s no clear winner or looser. But to understand. Stay tuned…

I love canada. it’s that simple. i’ve lived in 3 other countries in my life: UK, switzerland and the US. and you know what, Canada is awesome. everything about canada is inclusive, not exclusive. canadians are proud to welcome their new immigrants. canadians are proud of their country and are not always complaining about it (well, apart from its weather). canadians care about their environement as much as their care about their families. In the UK and in the US, these things are not the case. switzerland, on the other hand, compares to canada.

I listen to the news and look at what’s happenning in the US, and everything is so negative, the economy, the borders… listening to lou dobbs (why i do this to myself, is a whole other question), watching Pelosi’s daughter’s documentary today where a bunch of rednecks (they called themselves that, i didn’t) complained about how the world was changing so fast and they still wished black people weren’t heard from and women couldn’t vote… i can’t help but think… u know what? canada’s really figured something out.

i applied for immigration in 2003. the process took 8 months. in feb 04 i arrived at the montreal airport as a canadian resident. Then and there, the officer gave me documentation and flyers on where i could attend free classes on learning / integrating in canada, this included telling us how we could get our driving licenses, our health cards, our social insurance numbers… even the driving license process was fast and efficient, i just exchanged my massachussets license for my QC one. Later as a french citizen, i was sent the address of a joint french-quebec organization that helps french nationals find jobs in QC (yes, for free). Then, i applied for citizenship 3.5 years later, and was canadian before my 5th year living here. The process was fast, the ceremony was emotional and something i will remember forever. i got a certificate, a card, and a warm fuzzy feeling inside. and yesterday, i got an unexpected diploma.

seriously, how often can you say that a bureaucratic process was seamless from beginning to end? let’s take a moment and be grateful for well oiled, well run, efficient democracies with smart, caring and welcoming citizens. Congratulations Canada, you rock!

As some of you may know, i became canadian in january. and yesterday, out of nowhere, i got this package in the mail, i opened it, and it looked like a diploma case, you know those letter size leather padded folders that open upwards with the diploma inside? so this diploma case is green, and it’s from the House of Commons. So i open it and see this diploma, with all the provincial flags, the government stamp, and it’s signed from my MP, Marc Garneau (yes, the ex-astronaute). The text is all about welcoming me to canada and congratulating me on bahalf of my fellow citizens.

ok, so maybe this is just a marketing ploy, and he’s trying to get me to vote for him. but u know what? it just made me smile all day. because i didn’t expect this, and it just made me feel good.

So let’s take a moment to be grateful for the small things in life that make us happy.

I’m trying to keep to short posts, but stay tuned for my commentary on the entire canadian immigration / citizenship process.

I have lived in Canada for nearly five years now, and in that time, I’ve seen THREE general elections. This is great, because it shows that the will of the people is alive and well (as opposed to other countries where too many elections is a symbol of instability). Why? Because the structure of the Canadian Government is simple, and it works. If, for some reason, it starts looking like it doesn’t work, then the people can question it, and another election is called.

Since i’ve been writing about American politics for so long, i figured, for those who read my blog, that i would force upon you a quick lesson on Canadian politics.

• 2 main parties: Conservatives and Liberals
• The leader of the winning party becomes Prime Minister (head of the Canadian government)
• There is no President, the official head of the country is the Queen of England, but She has no official power
• Anyone who wants to form a party can do so (for example, in Montreal there is the New Rhinoceros Party, a federal joke party that promised “not to keep any of its promises if elected”)

As a voter, you are part of an electoral region in your province (province = state for US readers), each region is small, never more than 10,000 people). You vote for any party available in your regions, and therefore for that party’s representative. The winner of each region (the one with the most votes) gets a seat in the House of Commons.

It’s that simple. You vote. The winning representative of your small area gets to go the Parliament and represent you. It’s as close to a “government of the people for the people” as one gets.

Since there are 308 regions in Canada, if a single party wins over 165 of them, they have a majority. If they win with less seats, they have a minority government, which means that the party with the second highest number of votes has a huge say in government, which, generally is seen as a good thing for Canadians: the leading party can’t enforce strong party bills and compromise is required. This is what happened today.

In 2006, Harper, the leader of the Conservatives, became the head of a minority government. A month ago, the liberals (the 2nd largest party) claimed “a loss of confidence” in the government (a way to keep the leading party on it’s toes) and called for general election. Today, Canadians voted well: they ensured that the minority government remained. 1 disappointment though: lowest turnout at the polling stations in Canadian History, only 59%, anything under 60% is considered poor turnout. Still, congrats Canada, you make it seem simple, and it should be.