an accumulation

Just because I’m not posting doesn’t mean I’m not accumulating potential things to post about. It does frequently mean I haven’t done enough reading or thinking to feel like I have anything significant to add to the conversation, but today I’ve decided to throw caution to the wind and just start typing.

First up, as promised, is an attempt to make Diego feel at home. The Mexican election. I am, of course, a little behind on this one, but since it looks like it won’t be fully resolved until September, I hope you’ll forgive me. The New York Times had an interesting article on Mexico’s Red-Blue split, which is not unlike those in other Western democracies. Northern Mexico, increasingly industrialized and engaged with the US, is more conservative, while the south, very rural and poor, is more liberal. While it does sound like Obrador has a huge commitment to and track record for helping the poor, it continues to sound to me like Calderón might be a better option for long-term economic growth in the country. The south, according to what I’ve read, is very anti-globalization — but southerners are migrating northward in search of the higher-paying jobs globalization has helped to create. Like any good mostly-liberal, I am aware that globalization can have devastating effects on traditional cultures, but at this point it seems naive to try to build an isolated economy. It seems more realistic — and ultimately more effective — to work on safely growing the economy within the larger world market.

Completely changing topics, I have two major loyalty shifts to announce.

I have decided that the time has come to publicly declare my love for Burger King. This is somewhat embarrassing given my previous commitment to McDonald’s, but my silly infatuation with that McDonald’s boy was sophomoric compared to my current feelings. This love extends to the whole Burger King franchise, and I can remain silent no longer. The food is better. They serve frozen Coke. They print funny things on their packaging. And not only am I a sucker for absurd marketing, but it makes me think that somewhere, someone has a job that consists of thinking up witty things to put on hamburger wrappers. It brings a smile to my day. Thank you, Burger King, for defining “baggler” for me, for having nearly perfect french fries, and for putting that little sauce holder in the chicken fries carton. And that cupholder-sized chicken fries carton you were testing in Virginia? Go nationwide with it. Please.

As I abandon the Big Mac, though, I find myself turning to other Macs. The MacBook, that is. I ordered one on Monday, as a birthday gift from my parents, who I was a little worried might disown me when I announced that I wanted a Mac. We have been a family of PC users since the early 80’s, years before the famous Superbowl ad, and we have scoffed together at those Mac fanatics and their ridiculously colored computers and their single-button mice. But, after years of knowing that Windows is no better, I have finally decided that I am ready for something new. I’m working hard to not become a Mac fanatic, at least not before the laptop actually arrives, but I’ve been reading the tutorials and stuff on the Apple site and getting increasingly excited. The estimated delivery date is still almost two weeks away. I’m hoping they give pessimistic estimates. I don’t know if I can make it that long.