I agree with that. It was surprising to me how easy it seems to be in the US to get by as an undocumented worker, compared to in many places in Europe for example. It's also surprising how mandatory eVerify hasn't been rolled out in all states, despite being in existence for more than 20 years.
Minimal wages is relative. I imagine that most people do it because those wages let them support their families and build a house / start a business back home. The crossing takes about a year to pay back, and there are living costs, but many work double shift at different jobs, with one paycheque going for living costs in the US and the other for savings/family/setting themselves up for a better life back home. 5-6 years "echando ganas" and you can be set for life. It's a pretty rational thing to do, much like pensioners who retire "down south".
Usually it's not the company that pays. The company just says "turn up with an SSN" and then other people who already work there put the new employee in touch with someone who deals in them. I've heard it cost 200-250$ for one. But that way the company has plausible deniability, and its the worker who is the "identity thief". A lot of the stuff is done on word of mouth, by compatriots just looking to help each other out.
I'm curious about how well the stuff they bought works in Belarus. I remember reading a story a while ago how manufacturing was surprisingly high tech therebut can't find it now.
Yes, pet projects is research. For me at least it's a holiday, I get to set my hours, I can do what I want, read what I want, be where I want. That sounds like a holiday to me.
That's because they like doing research, not because if they don't do it they'll get fired. If they wanted they could just take that time off, they have tenure after all. No classes basically means no work outside of the work that you want to do.
It's great that the author found a good job and is happy, but being a tenured professor has its own advantages (at least in the US system)... 9 month years (three-four months holiday/year), essentially no boss, salary (maybe lower than equivalent in private sector, but is sufficient), paid sabbaticals, unpaid leaves, 2-days/week teaching and the rest of the time on pet projects, job security, ability to do contracting on the side. But to get that there is quite an upfront commitment and its uncertain. Probably if you did the same amount of effort in the private sector you could get some of those things, but I doubt all of them...
Speaking Norwegian will get you quite far in Sweden and Spanish will get you quite far in Portugal (and Brazil). Perhaps the map could be updated with colours faded by % mutual intelligibility. Also putting Catalan highlights the whole of Spain, not just the Catalan countries...
It doesn't mention that most land in England is owned by large landowners, including aristocracy and the state. There is no real record of who owns what either. https://map.whoownsengland.org ... We have never really had a real land reform.
In Spain at least there is a difference between estacionar (to stop with the engine running) and aparcar (to stop and leave). In Mexico the two things are more or less merged, and if you say estacionar or parquear depends on how much English influence there is on your idiolect... Or how close to the border you are o/~ y sus troconas del año, que afuera tenian parqueadas o/~
When you bought your house in that place you agreed to pay that tax. You could have bought it somewhere else (with fewer services or job opportunities). I'm not disagreeing that it sucks, but you could just move to rural Mexico and not have to deal with your county treasurer.
Disagree, I've gone around plenty of times with over 1000€, mostly to avoid paying cash machine fees, and to avoid dealing with banks in a lot of places, there is nothing strange about it at all.
I have this all the time in the US... I'm a landmark direction person, and giving directions I see the route in my head. I can't get used to street counting or compass point directions... I think a lot has to do with what the street layouts were like when you were growing up. In England there is pretty much no street counting because all the streets are higgledy-piggledy.