BingoBoingo: billymg Noise has gone up here, but other than closing border to prevent refugee crisis from Argentina... Still mostly theatrical. Some operations against "aglomeraciones" and Carnaval canceled.
BingoBoingo: If anything cancelling Carnaval may be a net plus, because that shit needed a reset.
BingoBoingo: Low effort going through the motions presented as "culture" from a strictly soviet perspective
billymg: BingoBoingo: i forget if the government ever mandated masks, curfews, or business closures there. i seem to remember you saying that there were some "self-imposed" (by businesses or individuals) measures, but that the government never enforced anything
BingoBoingo: The dick around with how many people are allowed on buses, but mask rules and most other shit has been coming from the various councils of related businesses where mall owners and others act in unison.
BingoBoingo: The trend had been businesses closing their own shit then the chambers begging the government to approve "protocols" for their reopening despite their not having been ordered to close in the first place.
billymg: ah, somewhat sad to hear
BingoBoingo: As of last month, the government closed gyms for a couple weeks and received substantial aggro for doing that.
BingoBoingo: Local governments had been doing some weird rule shit
billymg: i don't know of any country other than sweden that managed to slip through with their pre-covid lifestyle mostly intact (and still not sure how they managed that)
BingoBoingo: Sweden fucked theirs up in June iirc
billymg: how so?
BingoBoingo: They adopted some bullshit to appease their fellow Europeans
BingoBoingo: Here "cases" have never been higher, but will to do anything about it... never lower. The popular sentiment here is "fuck it, let it happen"
billymg: i thought i saw news as late as the early fall that said they were still going about their business as if nothing had happened
BingoBoingo: billymg One of those things where angles get played in how it gets reported
billymg: complete even with cell phone videos taken by individuals showing people on trains / in supermarkets w/o masks, etc.
billymg: BingoBoingo: yeah, i thought there must be more to it, considering sweden plays nice with the EU in regards to taking in immigrants by the boatload. so it didn't make sense that they'd be the only country in the globe taking a sane approach to this
BingoBoingo: billymg There was some scandal involving some socialist officials returning home to Sweden from a ski trip covid positive that may have influenced Sweden's different response
BingoBoingo: But... so hard to actually confirm anything this year
billymg: here in costa rica masks are required in every store, except perhaps the smallest of local businesses (and even there depending entirely on the owner/staff)
BingoBoingo: And how are the stores doing generally. Trilema posts seem to show a lot of closures. Down here we've had... opening recently
billymg: driving restrictions have remained in place since the beginning, where one day a week you can't drive (depending on license plate number)
billymg: this was just increased to two days for the month of january (as it was for the first month or two of the madness as well)
billymg: two days / week*
BingoBoingo: Nothing like that here. Just some checkpoints in and out of Rivera department out of what seems to be local bias against the speakers of Portunol
billymg: BingoBoingo: compared to where mp lives i'm out in the boonies. the city of san jose is definitely much more strict with all their regulations, and i believe more dependent on the local/real economy (aside from the mega stores, which of course ain't going anywhere)
billymg: here it's all tourist money
billymg: and it seems like once they opened the borders in november (just in time for tourist season) everything more or less went back to "normal"
BingoBoingo: In December just about any imported goods in actual demand were hit with a rather pronounced supply squeeze due to the Aduanas getting constipated
BingoBoingo: The various state organs here are handicapped by their own internal rules
BingoBoingo: Going to be interested to see rurality next week
billymg: BingoBoingo: i did notice some supply shortages here as well, specifically appliances/fixtures. my contractor also remarked that it's not normally so hard to get things
BingoBoingo: http://mvdstandard.net/2020/12/expocannabis-falls-to-enemies-of-freedom/ << The expocannabis was a grave disappointment
billymg: this is of course in guanacaste, not san jose
billymg: BingoBoingo: yeah, i saw that
BingoBoingo: The sad thing is it appeared to actually have better attendance in other years because... more space. Crowds just as dense
billymg: a realtor contact tells me interest in the area from people in the US is surging right now
billymg: after a long dry spell during the border closure months earlier this year
BingoBoingo: The whole "social distance" thing here mostly crushed by culture asserting itself
billymg: "oh, so a lot of people are looking to get out now?" "yeah, and get their money out"
BingoBoingo: Similar story here
BingoBoingo: Except border closed
billymg: http://logs.nosuchlabs.com/log/agriculturalsupremacy/2021-01-06#1003120 << yeah, no one gives a shit about the distancing thing here
snsabot: Logged on 2021-01-06 11:40:56 BingoBoingo: The whole "social distance" thing here mostly crushed by culture asserting itself
BingoBoingo: That's been a great one to use on English speakers during live stream convos with strangers "Yes, this country is nicer than yours. No you can't get in because our president is a 46 year old nationalist who loves his country"
billymg: also they tried to make it a rule, at restaurants, to wear mask from entrance to table. no one followed, is only ever very rarely enforced (by some overzealous wagie)
BingoBoingo: Restaurant service here has improved substantially here
billymg: BingoBoingo: so borders are closed to anyone/everyone, not just argentinians?
BingoBoingo: billymg Closed even to residents/citizens unless presenting some compelling paperwork
billymg: because i also saw it reported that the threshold for "residency via investment" was dropped substantially in 2020
billymg: in UY
BingoBoingo: It was
BingoBoingo: But residency by the normal process... much simpler than residency by investment
billymg: i see
billymg: any murmurings of when borders might open again?
BingoBoingo: Residency by investment here exists specifically to serve the market looking for that.
BingoBoingo: billymg January 10th was the date, but they are... looking at "wat do"
billymg: gotcha
BingoBoingo: Whole bunch of private planes landed in Punta del Este the weekend before the border closure, so... one of these things where allowances are made
BingoBoingo: Will be receiving a report on how Punta del Este is doing tomorrow night from someone doing an arbitrage thing there. Likely to skip it this vacation and stick to prime rurality.
billymg: BingoBoingo: sounds good, curious to hear back
billymg: a lot of nice places i saw there were in the greater Maldonado area
BingoBoingo: Maldonado area is stupid expensive Jan-Feb for no good reason, hence someone doing arbitrage.
BingoBoingo: Ever since living in the hostel and getting stories from people passing through, Rocha department has always been more interesting to me
billymg: BingoBoingo: gotcha
BingoBoingo: If you want to run a tourist trap, Maldonado. If you want to tourism yourself, Rocha.
snsabot: Logged on 2021-01-06 12:00:05 BingoBoingo: Maldonado area is stupid expensive Jan-Feb for no good reason, hence someone doing arbitrage.
snsabot: Logged on 2021-01-06 11:48:02 BingoBoingo: Residency by investment here exists specifically to serve the market looking for that.
billymg: http://logs.nosuchlabs.com/log/agriculturalsupremacy/2021-01-06#1003147 << ah, that's a very clear way of putting it. i certainly have very little interest in the former
snsabot: Logged on 2021-01-06 12:03:39 BingoBoingo: If you want to run a tourist trap, Maldonado. If you want to tourism yourself, Rocha.
BingoBoingo: billymg: Nah, they aren't serving that market
billymg: btw if anyone's interested, for entertainment purposes only
BingoBoingo: Need to investigate the maldonado area myself, but Maldonado city proper may actually be cool. Punta del Este is too much of a magnet for Porteños for me
BingoBoingo: billymg: lol, All of the Argentines of relative means that aren't making the decision to defect to Uruguay are unloading their shit.
billymg: BingoBoingo: i gathered right away that Punta del Este was the Maimi, but thought that something in a rural part of Maldonado might put enough distance in between
billymg: Miami* of the area**
BingoBoingo: billymg: Possible, but rural parts of Maldonado are... productive sort of rural or planned development hell.
BingoBoingo: Canelones Department might be a better area to look
billymg: BingoBoingo: good to know, ty for the insider info. maybe sometime later this year i'll be able to make a trip down there to check it out (i'd certainly like to)
BingoBoingo: billymg: I don't expect Montevideo proper is of much interest to you, but if you want the "this is what this city is tour experienced with your own feet", asciilifeform and jfw can testify on my ability to cover maximum city in even compressed schedules
asciilifeform: would, a++ tour, both times
BingoBoingo also comfortable now recommending against surrendering to the temptation to consider apartments in Palacio Salvo for the "charm", investigation revealed way to much ongoing expenses in common costs and "construction/maintenance fund" to justify anything in that building
billymg: BingoBoingo, asciilifeform: that sounds great indeed
BingoBoingo: One big cultural shift this year, Sundays less closed. People can't afford to stay shut down.
BingoBoingo: The government's lack of making special concessions to feed people seems to have had a very positive effect on the culture and I hope it sticks
billymg: BingoBoingo: that sounds pretty damn good these days
billymg: BingoBoingo: one of the encouraging things i see with the culture here is willingness to take to the streets when the government wants to raise taxes. earlier this year a *tripling* in annual property tax was floated as part of an IMF loan deal. the government quickly backpedaled after protests and road closures (if i have my facts straight)
BingoBoingo: Governments here definitely seem to fear at least some subgroups of "the people"
billymg: but at the same time, willingness to take to the streets when welfare cuts are proposed...
BingoBoingo: That section has been constantly denied this year during their taking to the streets to great results in opinion polling. Uruguay's left was gravely wounded despite winning municipal elections in Montevideo
BingoBoingo: With the Colorado Party (old left) effectively dead and the FA (new left) gravely wounded last year... Next President in four years could also be from the Partido Nacional (Los Blancos)
asciilifeform: BingoBoingo: while on subj of uruguayistan -- didja pick up new passport at last ? iirc needed 3y ?
BingoBoingo: asciilifeform 5 years unless marrying and not doing that
asciilifeform: aaa
asciilifeform could've sworn the number were 3..
shinohai: BingoBoingo: No racket in Uruguay for marrying to get legal like in USSA ?
BingoBoingo: There was a risk of that, but... Peru girl was cut loose after the pressure testing began.
billymg: BingoBoingo: cr has something where you just have to knock a girl up and you (both, if she's not tica already) get insta-residency (permanent), which here is the first step towards passport
BingoBoingo: shinohai: Not one anyone needs to participate in.
billymg: afaik no marriage requirement
BingoBoingo: Marriage and babies come with too many costs to be reasonable paths to residency for anyone who isn't a woman ready to use the femstate apparatus to drop their pretext and secure their papers on a priority track
BingoBoingo: I assume that's how it works everywhere
shinohai: Mandatory birth control was hard requirement for residency in castle titsbare, at least as it exists in us
asciilifeform: http://logs.nosuchlabs.com/log/agriculturalsupremacy/2021-01-06#1003154 << i see californistan-level prices. is my browser broken, or in fact grew a decimal point since last time this came up ?
snsabot: Logged on 2021-01-06 12:05:18 billymg: btw if anyone's interested, for entertainment purposes only
asciilifeform: just about errything habitable -- 1e7 usd or above
asciilifeform: err, 1e6
BingoBoingo: asciilifeform: That's a specialist operation targeting a certain sort of chump. Better source, https://www.mercadolibre.com.uy/inmuebles
asciilifeform: ok loox less like californistan there, and more like washingtonistan. i.e. free-standing structures run from 2e5 or so $ and up
asciilifeform: BingoBoingo: bought any yet ?
BingoBoingo: asciilifeform: I see no reason to until after the summer season. Hoping the lack of tourism from abroad right sizes prices, but may wait another year. No reason for urgency
BingoBoingo: https://listado.mercadolibre.com.uy/inmuebles/casas/venta/rocha/la-pedrera/#origin=search&as_word=true << For comparison
BingoBoingo: https://listado.mercadolibre.com.uy/inmuebles/casas/venta/rocha/ << Other point of comparison zoomed out a bit
asciilifeform: e.g. argentina seems to be proof that real estate only ever grows decimal points, not loses, even when tanks in the street. strange, but seems to be so
asciilifeform: dunno what's req'd for shedding decimal points. ww3?
BingoBoingo: Well, dollar dropping. If they stay same price in dollars they drop as well
asciilifeform: BingoBoingo: in usa, dollar drop is detectable to naked eye largely as new decimal points in price of house.
BingoBoingo: And WWIII not looking all that far off after Turkey's demonstration of small drone cavalry tactics in the Azeri-Amermenian conflict
billymg: asciilifeform: yeah, Sotheby's 100% a "luxury living" "brand", why i included the "for entertainment purposes only" description
asciilifeform: churkistan == world ?! ( 'чурка' ~= hog/log. traditional insult for inhabitants of 'hot-blooded near east' )
asciilifeform: billymg: aah
BingoBoingo: asciilifeform Well, usually after one of these completely new things gets demonstrated in a regional conflict... other people get tempted to try
BingoBoingo: Not unimaginable that under dementia president or incredibly unpopular successor that USSA gets suckered into making a kamikaze move on its way out by "best ally"
asciilifeform: BingoBoingo: well, was announced that new budget includes 100e9 $ for installing nominally working new rockets in place of 1970s antiques.