Seconding Kagi, it’s worth every penny.
sparky
joined 2 years ago
MODERATOR OF
It’s a currency swap. Basically, we give them dollars and they give us pesos. Eventually, they could theoretically be swapped back.
Holding dollars is good for them because it shows foreign investors’ confidence in their economy, and allows them to shore up the peso if necessary by using dollars to prop it up through central bank buybacks.
Holding pesos is a high risk for us because the inflation rate has historically been extremely high. $1 US was like 300 pesos five years ago, and it’s more like 1500 today. So if we swap them back down the road, we will probably lose money, since we swapped dollars at $1 = 1500 pesos, but may swap back later at $1 = 2000+ pesos.
In a way it’s like we gave them an interest free loan. Or actually: more like we gave them a loan with a negative interest rate. Because we likely lose money the longer they hold it.
Why would we do this? Because Milei says lots of nice things about the orange man on TV.
Yes, on the one hand, this is a chilling precedent that can only lead to long term despair and national ruination. But on the other hand, line go up next quarter. I think we all know which one Tim Apple will choose.
Because Milei is also an embattled right wing nut job who frequently says nice things about orange man on TV.
How much time have you got?
The roll of paper is an interesting idea but where would one actually buy those? Are they a standard thing?
It’s unclear if MS is even winning considering they’re trying to hike the price 50%, and considering that Xbox sales are flat.
I’m here on the D8 Visa, which allows for self-employment, remote work and the like - just not taking a local job. I’m a freelance software developer so this was the correct type of visa, as I suspect it would be for a lot of Lemmings.
You can apply by mail within the US, you ultimately send your passport and a bunch of documents like your birth certificate to the Portuguese embassy in DC. In the end, you’ll get a visa in your passport that lets you enter Portugal for six months. Then once you’re here, you’ll ultimately go to the immigration agency and exchange it for a credit card sized residence title, kind of like a green card.
It’s a wonderful place, so go for it! Advice: everything takes forever when dealing with their government, so don’t expect a fast process. Expect it to take 12 to 18 months to get your visa in hand. Start early!
Surprising: the high degree of safety and its effect on the local psyche. Because violent crime is virtually nonexistent, they aren’t ”calibrated" for danger and are prone to tell you that some place is really sketchy, but when you go there it’s fine, just maybe needs a fresh coat of paint.
Worst part: bureaucracy and government wait times. Need anything done? Go here and talk to this guy. Wait, that was wrong, it’s an online form. Wait, the online form doesn’t work. Call this number. Wait, no, go here and talk to this other guy. Then wait 6 months.
Most people do speak English to some extent, but I have made a great effort to learn Portuguese and am now fluent. You won’t need to speak it to survive or run errands, but it makes a huge difference in terms of making friends and having a social life.
My favorite change is the slower pace of life. There is no rat race here. People work to live rather than live to work, and there’s always time for a glass of wine on a lazy afternoon.
This dish: https://leitesculinaria.com/7642/recipes-portuguese-eggs-salt-cod-potatoes-bacalhau-bras.html
Also worked in SV from 2011-2023. The shift is absolutely crazy. For basically my whole career there, you could waltz your way into an interview and offer anywhere you felt like - complete employee’s market. It’s hard to wrap your head around there being no jobs anymore. LLMs are cancer.