IIn some ways it reminded me of Shanghai -- the way it builds things that won't be used for years in the future. I think Turkey spends an enormous amount on infrastructure and preserving its amazing architecture. At least where I was in Turkey last month (mostly the Asian side of Istanbul), the streets were so clean and well kept and the streets didn't even have potholes. There were so many big and modern manufacturing facilities -- from cars to tech stuff. They take great care of the elderly. The airport is now the biggest in the world, and it is so modern and passenger-oriented. There are even areas with chaise lounges to lie down on. The assortment of home-grown fresh fruit and vegetables available at markets which are everywhere is incredible. It's that Mediterranean eating --I don't think I saw a single obese person anywhere I went. I think people seriously underestimate Turkey. The same way Saudi Arabia is now trying to become the biggest name in tourism with its Noon project, Turkey will not stop until it becomes a major world player in global exports. But medical tourism is also huge in Turkey and growing all the time. Dental implants, cosmetic surgery, bariatric surgery, and on and on. The doctors get good reviews, most speak English and many attended schools in the U.S. and Europe. Where else can you get a tooth implant that costs $5,000. here for $500? Pretty soon everyone will carry a hand-held translator you speak into and it comes out in the other person's language, and then they reply and it comes out in English on your device. Apple says they are going heavy into translation soon.
Which reminds me. Why doesn't Kindle have a translator built in for its books? Would it be too expensive, is the tech not here, or is Amazon just lazy or unable to spot a huge income producer?
And Telemundo is going down the tubes. La Reina del Sur 3 just started a few weeks ago and there are no English captions except if you watch on antenna, and the Denver Telemundo station's transmitter is so weak (800 kw) I can't even get it from 23 miles away when I pick up 73 other stations. Streaming services don't show English subtitles either. There's a Telemundo English channel on You Tube but it only airs an edited 25 minute version of each episode days after it aired. Telemundo is owned by NBC. They should be able to afford some English subtitles on shows they are running on American channels. Unless it's deliberate because NBC will make more money when the series finishes airing in real-time and goes to Netflix where English only speakers will be able to watch with subtitles. They better fix this before Senor de los Cielos 8 begins in a few months, or I'll really ramp up my writing about subtitle woes.
In other news, it looks like Kanye West is sinking faster than the Titanic due to his antisemitic remarks on Twitter and elsewhere that he has refused to apologize for. He's now lost his accounts with Adidas, Gap, Footlocker, Balenciaga, Bottega Veneta, Vogue Magazine, TJ Maxx, JPMorgan Chase bank and the talent company that manages him. Forbes says he's no longer a billionaire, and West himself says he has lost $2 billion in one day. But he's still not apologizing. It's just money, right?
Last topic of the night: That Wall St Journal article about the three NY young professionals who died from a drug overdose after ordering a few hits of cocaine from a local drug delivery service -- turned out the coke was laced with fentanyl. Why doesn't anyone state the obvious? The dealers should include test strips with every sale. That way the customers can test before using and toss the stuff if it tests for fentanyl. These Wall St young professional buyers won't miss the few hundred dollars. Wouldn't they rather live? We all know prohibition and tougher penalties won't do anything but make us poorer. Just legalize already.
So now you all know why I've been silent the past few weeks. I seem to have picked up new interests that have nothing to do with politics or crime, so I never think anyone will be interested in reading about them.
This is an open thread, all topics welcome.
