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!

“There are 6 billion of us, we all come from unique places with unique ways of looking at the world, we don’t always agree, but for a few shining weeks we set it all aside, we come together to stand and cheer and celebrate as one. We forget all the things that make us different and remember all the things that make us the same.”
~ Visa Commercial, Morgan Freeman’s voice

So China is hosting the Summer Olympics and this is hugely controversial. Why? Because they have violated human rights, because of the torture of the Tibetan people, because of their history of repressiveness, because of their continued disregard for environmental issues? But the choice was made, and China was awarded the hosting contract anyway. Shouldn’t the discussion have stopped there?

But the controversy grew hotter. So, just because the host country is a so-called despicable member of this planet, then the world’s best athletes should not be allowed to accomplish their dream and take part in the biggest sporting event in the world? People are against the event, because they believe that focusing on China, means focusing on its wrongs and takes away from the spirit of the Olympics. But doesn’t considering boycotting the event send out exactly the same message?

Then later, we spent time focusing on which countries’ leaders would or would not show up, and we criticized them if they did (Harper, Canada) and we criticized them if they didn’t (Bush, USA).

So now, here we are, and Beijing just put on a spectacular opening ceremony, the magnitude of which can’t be described by any superlative i know, and it seems like most athletes showed up (even though there are a few sad stories like the Sudanese athlete who’s visa was revoked days before the start of the Olympics), and yet somehow, people just can’t seem to let it go.

So i’d like to offer some perspective.
A. We protest that China shouldn’t host the Olympics, but then neither should the US, since both countries are guilty of stripping civilians’ liberties (think Patriot Act and Guantanamo), polluting the world, and invading countries uninvited (think Iraq, Vietnam…)

B. We protest because Communist China keeps their population in poverty, but do they, really? I mean think about where China was 100 years ago! They have progressed by leaps and bounds. This is a country of over 1 billion souls for goodness’ sake, and moving a country like that into the modern era WILL have it challenges. They have a huge way to go, agreed. But think about it. This is the first generation that has 100% access to the outside world, from financial means to travel to information sharing on the Internet. This is the generation that will demand China progress into the 21st century, they will know what their rights are, they will see what the rest of the world is doing and demand that as their baseline, and then change and progress will come from the bottom up.

C. We protest because China is trying, with these Olympics, to dazzle us and make us forget their crimes and their history. Um, but isn’t that the point of hosting the Olympics? You’re given a noble challenge and a chance to show your country off in a new light and highlight what it’s capable of. You give a huge boost to your economy and tourism, improve infrastructure, create jobs, and put a spotlight on yourself, for the good and the bad, forcing yourself to play on the world stage. Ok, so the investments probably mainly benefited Beijing, while we heard reports of water being routed away from farms towards the cities. But this only happened in China? You don’t think that the leaders of every host country has made decisions that weren’t for the benefit of the general population?

Bottom line: the Olympics were created as a way to bypass politics, to bring together the best athletes in the world, to give the common person a dream and a goal to reach to become to best in their field, irrespective of beliefs, religion, wars and their government’s opinions. So be critical of China, sure. But be equally critical of every other country, and realize that boycotting the event or banning a country from attending will never bother the country’s leaders but will most definitely shatter the dreams of courageous souls who have put it all on the line for their dream.

Hey, you knew a rant on this blog was a long time coming… i haven’t posted anything of substance for a month now, and now i rambled on a bit. So sue me!

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?