Category Archives: Finance

May 9, 2026 · 10:06

Label negativity

That is the setting and I almost fell into this. I have lived by the fact that all AI is fake AI and I still believe this, just like some believe that Donald Trump cannot say an intelligent word ever, that is just the beginning, but it is all about me now. I do believe that all AI is fake AI and as such, I almost ignored news from IBM given to us on May 5th. The article ‘IBM and Aramco Explore Collaboration to Accelerate AI and Innovation Across Saudi Arabia’ (at https://newsroom.ibm.com/2026-05-05-ibm-and-aramco-explore-collaboration-to-accelerate-ai-and-innovation-across-saudi-arabia) sounds like a joke. But when you consider that AI is DML (deeper machine learning) and LLM, some say that Machine Learning (ML) is enough, but why settle for half baked? And consider that IBM has been working with Aramco since 1947 as such they have data, decades of data, as such we might frown at the words by Sami Al Ajmi, Senior Vice President at Aramco “Technology and innovation are central to Aramco’s long-term strategy. This collaboration with IBM enables us to assess how industrial AI and other mutually-agreed domains can further enhance operational excellence and resilience, while reinforcing our leadership in Industrial AI—particularly in reliability, safety, and mission-critical environments.” But when you think of it, it is a NIP methodology with near 98% data efficiency and upholstery error checking and whatever you might think of NIP think, the setting with reliable data gets to be close to actual AI, because that data is likely a lot more efficient than any other company (except IBM and Oracle) might have. As such that version of NIP will accelerate a lot all over the Aramco field. It will not have data of things it never faced before, but this setting might not cover a whole area, merely spots. And don’t take my word for it. A software package made by Systat Software Inc. called Systat worked on that premise long before people started digging into ML and DML, they set that parameter and whilst it is now Grafiti LLC (after SPSS had a go at it and became IBM) it seems that this setting is a seemingly pure win for IBM. 

A setting that should also reexamine all others to consider that whilst AI is fake, the ground work that is DML/LLM is a good field to examine and whilst we might giggle at the people mentioning and holding onto AI, DML/LLM is an established behemoth of software solutions and as I see it, when a company has been involved with IBM from nearly its infancy, that data is likely almost 100% foolish user proof and has the error setting close to absolute zero. There are people who will disagree and consider that there are likely ID10T errors (a WAN/LAN expression that has grown over TCP/IP) I believe that the Aramco/IBM partnership is almost fused together and they have worked decades together towards IT infrastructure cohesion and as I see it, the government of Saudi Arabia is all about harnessing its golden goose laying black eggs is a fusion that both parties regard as essential, the KSA to protect the income of its nation and the welfare of its citizens and IBM to keep their customer happy and content. Happy is almost easy, content is not that easy and IBM managed both for decades. As such I think that this setting is one that will work and pay off. 

So whilst I see the statement: “By collaborating with Aramco, we are exploring how emerging technologies are addressing some of the world’s most complex industrial challenges, while reinforcing our shared commitment to continuous investment in innovation” as a little presentative, the truth is that they have been working together for decades and there is little doubt in my mind that whatever comes from this will get the small percentages of gain closer towards 100% and don’t mock this setting, because Aramco is likely to gain $4.1 billion for every 1% gained, as such this is about serious money. Not some kind Azure wizard you see in almost every grocery store making them a few dollars per year. How much they will gain? I have no idea, because the oil refinery is set to a lot more than one product, but in this setting a 3% clear in the beginning is to be expected and that is over $12 billion, a billion for every month. When did you ever get that much of an increase of revenue? I only know of one man who achieved that, making it a one in 8.3 billion chance (that individual is labeled Elon Musk, look him up).

So whilst some say that this is splitting the margins of profits, I say that either you put up that $230 million a week or shut up. A clear setting of simple math and IBM can do math like no one else does. Have a great day.

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May 7, 2026 · 17:59

Under Attack

That is at times the setting, especially when you look at the gulf states at present, but that is not what is the setting, the Commonwealth, specifically Canada is under attack. It is under attack from the United States and Russia. We might want to be in disbelief, but the CBC (at https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/russia-and-u-s-amplifying-alberta-separatist-narratives-to-stoke-division-distrust-report-9.7189604) and we are given ‘Russia and U.S. amplifying Alberta separatist narratives to stoke division, distrust: report’ where we see “Moscow’s influence scheme is covert, while Trump-aligned meddling is overt and public”, we here in the Commonwealth need to take notice of the plight that stalks and covertly attacks Canada. We are also given “Rather, researchers discovered the now defunct website and social media accounts likely came from a Russian covert influence network known as Storm-1516, known for making fictional websites that target audiences in various countries. And here, it targeted Canada and Alberta. Both Russian and pro-Trump U.S. actors are amplifying and spreading misinformation about Alberta separatism in the hope of fraying Canadian unity and sowing distrust in key institutions and authorities, warns a new report released Wednesday.” This report, written by Marcus Kolga, Jennie Phillips, Brian McQuinn, Bartel Van de Walle gives us the goods on this. Marcus Kolga is a journalist, human rights advocate, and leading expert of foreign disinformation and influence operations. We can go over the list, it makes sense to attach the PDF at the end of the story, so that you can read it for yourself. And as I see it, whatever President Trump cannot have, he disables and we see this with “US involvement in Alberta separatism is not covert — it is overt, escalating, and converging at multiple levels simultaneously. By overt, we are referring to official engagement, where senior US government figures have met directly with Alberta separatist leaders and made public statements validating their cause, while the US is led by a president who has repeatedly expressed interest in annexing Canada. By escalating, we refer to influencer amplification, where prominent MAGA-aligned media figures with combined audiences in the tens of millions have actively promoted Alberta separatism and normalized annexation narratives. By convergence, we mean that the line between US influencer activity and Russian-funded operations has, in at least one documented case, dissolved entirely. Three converging lines of evidence establish this case.” And I for one, believe that we need to up the disruption into the United States by taking away whatever commerce it had until recently. We (the Commonwealth nations) need to unite and stand together against these attacks on Canada. We could all stop buying alcohol from the United States, we could all put change out vacation destination to Europe, Middle East and Asia. As I see it, the loss of commerce and goods would push the United States right over the edge. It is not something I would like to do, but attacking our brothers in Canada (sisters too) makes it almost mandatory to stand by Canada and use these methods. As I see it in April 2026, U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick has taken a confrontational stance against Canada’s trade strategy, calling it poor and attacking Canadian officials like Mark Carney. These remarks, described as insulting, have increased tension regarding USMCA, tariffs, and potential impacts on tourism and trade relations. So how much more ludicrous will his position become when we all (United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand) side with Canada and we all reject United States alcohol? From there we can reject all good from the United States? How long until their settings implode upon itself? You see, the MAGA setting was flawed from the very start, because a world founded on commerce cannot rely on export, without import it stops right quick. And now as we see that the United States is messing with Canada, we need to do something and until the senate hangs its 41st United States Secretary of Commerce out to dry, we need to stand firm, because Canada did not start this, whatever we see with his attacks on PM Mark Carney and all the rhetoric he wants, but the Commonwealth is over 2.5 billion people and even as the four nations are the important side, we could all refuse goods from the United States, you see it is our freedom to refuse whatever we want. It seems like U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick has forgotten about that and the other nations that ‘revered’ American goods going back to the 80’s are now singing a different tune and a lot of them are a lot less positive about this administration and we have always been positive of the Commonwealth, as such people like U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick are on a sliding slope that leads straight to an abyss. And now we see the Canada is under attack and anyone that sides with those attacking Canada can emigrate to the United States and make a new life, sounds fair doesn’t it?

I get that Russia wants to attack Canada (even as I don’t like it), the Commonwealth was a natural enemy of Russia going all the way back to 1850, so we have been having issues longer than I remember. But for the United States to attack Canada by giving us “Steve Bannon, former Trump advisor and prominent supporter of Brexit, has also inserted himself into the Alberta separatist issue, telling his War Room audience that Albertans “are getting out of the Canadian union” and arguing the United States should recognize Alberta as an independent country and place it “on the pathway” to becoming the 51st state” I have had my views on the debatable reasons of the 51st state. I still believe that the United States is so broke (read: insolvent) that the United States does whatever it can to get revenue through any means to keep the lights on (my paraphrasing that setting) First Canada, then Greenland, then Venezuela and now Iran. I see the people stating that this is an Epstein setting, but I believe that it is merely the icing on the cake and as the United States has less and less, I fear for our Canadian brothers and sisters. As such this PDF is also an essential reminder that behind the 41 million Canadians are over 100 million Commonwealthians ready to support them (I know the Commonwealth is over 2.5 billion), but as I see it, direct action is possible from Australia, New Zealand, United Kingdom and optionally India too. So what happens when Howard Lutnick loses that population for commerce as well? Do you think he will cry like a little girl stating that Canadians are mean? We see “Democrats accused Lutnick of lying and evading their questions.” (Source: GlobalNews) we don’t need to lie or evade, we can just take our business elsewhere. We can order booze from Mexico (Tequila), Bermuda and Australia (Rum) and Gin from the United Kingdom, we have options and the United States better realise that we can do this to more than booze, cars from Japan and Europe, oil from Canada, Pharmaceuticals from India. That amounts to over a trillion in commerce lost. As I see it, the United States needs to reassess its actions and stop interfering in Canadian politics. Because as I see it, the United States pissed off Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom and they are (my personal view is) extremely willing to make the United States Administration sing a different tune. But that might merely be me. So all hail PM Mark Carney (whether you are Canadian or not) and enjoy today as much as you can.

Alberta-and-Foreign-Interference-Report-Final-052026-webDownload

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May 6, 2026 · 10:03

The stories created

We all love a good story, we almost all of us saw the “Chris Pratt Parks and Recs blooper” and nearly all of the male watchers had to howl, most women would giggle too but what is clearly a blooper could be seen in a different light, so as I saw some AU Investing dot com (at https://m.au.investing.com/news/economy-news/saudi-arabia-reports-335b-budget-deficit-in-first-quarter-93CH-4406376) setting where we are given ‘Saudi Arabia reports $33.5B budget deficit in first quarter’ all whilst they make sure there is no mention of Iran or the Strait of Hormuz. So what is that? Fear mongering amongst the investors? To be sure there was another matter given “Published Jan 01, 0001 10:00” which is a little over 1950 years before the internet was in existence. They ‘updated’ the story on “Updated May 05, 2026 23:56”, so I hope that this is enough to set the fear of investors at ease. The other stage is what does the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia have in their coffers? I reckon it is more than I have ever seen in my life and I reckon that is as truthful as we can consider, the second part is that as the price of oil goes up (by a lot) the reserves that Saudi Arabia has is almost staggering. So if they had 152 million barrels in reserve, that increase could amount to over $5.320B and if they have more (and the surplus is even rated higher) there is almost no deficit (on paper) it would be real if there is no sales, but there are sales, a little less then normal, but that is the stage of war and I gave Saudi Arabia (the UAE too) a way to fight this and Iran could state (openly) that all Gulf State vessels bound for China could move freely and that takes the pressure off too.

It is the simplest way for Iran to keep pressures on the United States and whilst they are looking towards that goal, they could release pressure to China and Japan, because a war on multiple fronts they are unlikely ever to win, but they could try and then the gulf states could remove the Iranian harbour and their railroads, also their refineries. I think it is not a setting they should pressure for, because I have a few more IP settings going the way of Saudi Arabia and the UAE. Iran boasted and lost because I took this personally and the eager mind that has nothing to lose is not the one you want to have turned against you.

A simple setting of storytelling, but what makes the story a mere presentation of what could be? It is not the AI analyses, because I am an outlier and outlier get removed and decreased to the mean for ‘error’ decrease but that is also the stage that Ubisoft tried in other ways. “If you try to appease everyone, you merely please no one” it is a life lesson that is applicable to games, life, war and IP and that is the error prone setting that players like Iran never seem to see. But they will learn almost always a few weeks too late, so whilst they start crying “we need a deal” you know that they are worried of what comes next, or even more likely something that happened less than 24 hours ago. It is the beckoning setting of change and whilst some do not ant change, I am eager to see the changes on the board of that setting, because that is where some could fill their pockets to the largest degree. At that point the issue is not what Iran does, but it becomes what the Gulf states are doing and what the United States and Israel are doing or just did, it is all part of that same equation and they are outliers, but the known outliers are an indication of what is and especially as others are ‘deflating these events to the mean’ it is an even more precise setting of what others will do and whilst we cannot trust the western media to the largest extent, this ‘devaluation’ should be seen as what ‘their friends’ want to get presented. So whatever story you accept (even mine), consider why these stories are handed to you because there is a story behind every story and even as that sounds confusing, seeing what is often called “walla” in media production, is the low-level, continuous chatter of a crowd, used to create realistic atmosphere in film, games, or to improve focus, but it could also be seen as the stage of staging misrepresentation of events. Just a thought to entertain.

Have a great day today.

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May 4, 2026 · 12:33

As oil burns

That is the lesson the Russians are learning. The BBC gives us (at https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/clyp41v1n1go) ‘Russian strikes kill 10 as Zelensky says Ukraine hits oil tankers and terminal’ where we see “Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said three Russian oil tankers, a cruise-missile carrier warship and a patrol boat were struck in separate attacks on two Russian ports. There are no details on damage to the ships, but Zelensky said the tankers were part of Russia’s “shadow fleet” used to evade Western sanctions imposed over Moscow’s full-scale invasion launched in 2022.” So whilst the Russians struck 10 people, 5 ‘commodity’ items were taken of the Russian board. Paraphrased that comes down to a taker for every 2 Ukrainian lives. I think it is not a proper way to say things, but in value it does ring true. And as Russia is losing more and more, the option to replenish through the selling of oil is also fading. Yes, I know it is not the most elegant way to state things, but it seems that the world needs a wake up call and as I foresee that soon this might be a solo fight between Russia and the United States, as the rest have isolated these two players. So the world sees two megalomaniacs praise and banter all over the field whilst they have to tough it out alone. It remains me of that old hit by Frankie Goes to Hollywood called Two Tribes (1984) and whilst some might remember that hit, some will see the light of the reality that it gives. And Russia? Their option is pretty simple and it was phrased by former Prime Minister of Finland Sanna Marin in one easy step and it was out there for over 3 years “In October 2022, she stated that the only way to end the conflict is for Russia to leave Ukraine. Her direct response, “The way out of the conflict is for Russia to leave Ukraine,”” seems simple, but the effect that the ego of megalomaniacs is that lead ing equals defeat, they cannot comprehend this concept. President Trump not in Iran and President Putin not in the Ukraine and as I see it, the rest of the world is ready to isolate both and they can banter to each other. 

So whilst some will ‘comment’ that Russia only lost 2 tanks, the reality is that they already lost 11,908 tanks, they might not have that many more open to the western front. They apparently only have about 2,500 tanks left and for any ground offensive that is not that much and we have no idea how many of those are the T34 ‘juggernauts’ (from 1939) and when you consider that these encounters are now set to UAV’s and the Ukraine did away with 269,813 of them bad boys and 2,224 of them in the last week alone, Russia has a problem as their supplier (Iran) is dealing with its own losses all over the field, so Russia is almost forced to rely on 1,334,030 dead soldiers, with 1,080 removed from the roll call of life in the last week alone. I reckon that over 900,000 might still be alive if someone in the Kremlin would have taken the words of Sanna Marin in their heart. The likely disadvantage of listening to someone’s ego. So when Russia wants to sell its oil, it needs to remember that 93,556 automotive and fuel tanks can no longer deliver anything, that being said, three oil tankers, for some unexplainable reason, cannot bring oil deliveries either. As I see it, the Russian options are getting fewer and fewer and soon they can only knock on the doors of the United States and whilst the Republican Party is in power, they might not get turned away. So there is every chance that Russia’s state oil firm Transneft will not report income for some time to come. So whilst we hear that the Ukraine has delivered Russia an estimated $7 billion in losses, with March alone seeing over $2.3 billion in revenue losses. These attacks have reduced oil transshipments by 300,000–500,000 barrels per day (bpd), forcing production cuts, reducing exports to their lowest level since 2024, and leaving half of Russia’s oil companies unprofitable. (Source: Al Jazeera) So as most doesn’t have the ability to suffer losses to this degree (I can honestly state that my wallet was never in a position to carry that much revenue) and that is the hidden setting that a lot of the media is not clearly stating. How much losses can any place (like Russia) endure? The media seems to paint with the same brush all matters so that the clarity is not seen, but when you sit and think if it the picture doesn’t make sense. Russia as well as Houthi terrorists rely on Iranian UAV’s and their space parts, but that was scuttled by the United States (as far as we know). Oil is shown its combustable properties by the Ukrainian forces and there is no clear setting for Iran which is getting an explanation by the forces of the United States and Israel. The stage is that both Russia and Iran seems to ‘fare’ in normal ways, but that setting could never be in such a setting. The image is wrong and there is every indication that I am missing parts of the image or revenue streams, but the media has lost reliability and I lack that knowledge to fill in the blanks and no one seems to be answering these questions. So whilst we see oil burning, no one is wondering what replaces that. 

So, have a great day and consider the issues I brought to the surface at this moment.

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May 3, 2026 · 12:03

That turning point

We see all kinds of turning points. We see the mess some leave others and when they get ‘hindered’ by their own ego, the damage can be massively debilitating. So as the BBC (at https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cd9pn541jjlo) gives us ‘Germany says US troop withdrawal ‘foreseeable’ as Nato seeks clarification’ with “Germany’s defence minister has said the US decision to withdraw 5,000 troops from his country was “foreseeable”, as the Nato military alliance says it is seeking clarification from Washington.” I see a turning point. A turning point that takes away whatever credit they still had in Europe. Let me explain, the 5,000 troops are not there for a gimmick. Russia could see a (delusional) massive opportunity to make Europe theirs, but that fictive setting is now an option for China to become the ‘salvation’ for the fictive danger Russia presents. There is no longer a United States, as such China could come in and offer help. There will be cautious settings by Germany, but as the danger from Russia is ‘presented’ as real, they will accept and that s the sign for Huawei to offer its infrastructure to Germany. Its data centers, its optional DeepSeek and whatever else China can offer and Germany gives China the opportunity too show its technological prowess to The Netherlands, Denmark, Poland, Czech Republic, Belgium, Austria, Luxembourg and France. When Germany goes over, all other nations will see the direct benefit that Huawei and others bring and the United States lose these settings. It might ‘threaten’ with its tariff game, but they are soon to become a population of one. China will take this route for the tremendous benefits their industrials get and as they represent a population of 1.4 billion consumers, Europe will take the setting as the United States merely represents the options to be a consumer base of 25% of what China represents, there will be captains of industry who will chomp at the bit to get into that market. The allegedly viagra overdosing captains of industry in the United States will have to consider what to do next. I reckon that they will go after that President of the United States on a mere need for the loss of industry that this president is exposing the United States to, especially as they have a debt that surpasses their GDP now (source: Financial Times). And let me explain, the same person who stated in March 2026 that the U.S. had “decimated” the Iranian regime and achieved a “total and complete victory”, In early April 2026, this same president said the U.S. was “finishing the job” and that the military objectives would be completed in “maybe two weeks, maybe a couple of days longer”, which was followed by the U.S. would leave Iran “very soon,” but only when it was certain the regime could not build a nuclear weapon and threatened that if Iran did not comply with demands, “lots of bombs start going off”. It is now may and he is pulling troops out of Germany after President Donald Trump criticised German Chancellor Friedrich Merz for saying the US had been “humiliated” by Iranian negotiators in the ongoing war. It was not humiliating. Humiliating is me stating that the Secretary of war Pete Hegseth could’t win a war against a self opening tin of baby carrots even if he was armed with a tin opener. The rest are simple statements of facts. Deal with it and now as he is pulling troops out of Germany, China gets the inside track on a new setting, a direct triangle with China, the Gulf States and Europe all connected to each other, optionally connected through Huawei centers, A Chinese opportunity. And that is before the 2027 setting of the Vatican where the Pope gets his new and lasting nickname “Leonardo da Vici” when he decimates the Republican Party even more. A final lasting tombstone and it will be written by Tatiana Schlossberg when she publishes her book “Before 300” a lasting story about the United States and how it went wrong with the final chapters speaking about the downfall of the United States due to the mindless settings of President Donald J. Trump, he was not the actual cause but he removed whatever escape points Wall Street gave them. Some say it is mere ‘Science Fiction’, but I advice you to preorder that first edition hardcover when it comes in 2031, those hardcovers will be worth a lot down the track.

We can debate all the settings we want, but the settings China is about to get because of the ego of some is beyond belief. So enjoy this Sunday, although Vancouver and Toronto are slow, it is still Saturday there. Enjoy this day and see the opportunities that come knocking all over Europe. 

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May 2, 2026 · 14:41

The clambake that counts

That is what I believe to see when I look at the NDTV World article. The NDTV World is a global news channel launched by NDTV in October 2024, focused on providing international news from an Indian perspective. And it is giving us ‘Israel Sent UAE Laser Weapon Called ‘Iron Beam’ That Can Vapourise Iranian Drones’ (at https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/israel-sent-uae-laser-weapon-called-iron-beam-that-can-vapourise-iranian-drones-11436712) where we are given “Tel Aviv sent a version of its Iron Beam laser defence system to the UAE, which vaporises short-range rockets and drones. It was first used by Israel against Hezbollah projectiles from Lebanon” together with “Israel had not just sent its iconic Iron Dome air defence system to the United Arab Emirates when Iran was attacking the Gulf country. According to a report by the Financial Times, Israel also sent an advanced laser to the UAE for it to defend itself from Iranian missiles and drones. The deployment of the advanced laser would be one of the first examples of major defence co-operation between Israel and the UAE. The two countries did not have diplomatic relations until US President Donald Trump brokered the 2020 Abraham Accords.” I reckon it is a step in the right direction, a setting that ‘should’ come with the destruction of its weapon systems as well as its infrastructure. My (stated limited view) on this is that when Iran infrastructure goes down, all Iran has it a surplus of trucks now needed to give the infrastructure parts to places using trucks, especially as its trains fail to work from A to B, or they are forced to use part A via C,D,F towards B, you can see the haunting delays that give and should someone take care of the out the harbours, than the equation is simplified from the second part of the Alphabet to get to locations A and B. We are also given “A regional official told the publication that the laser system was a display of “the value of being Israel’s friend”. Israel also sent over an advanced surveillance system known as ‘Spectro’ to the UAE for it to defend itself against incoming drones from as far as 20 kilometers away, especially the Shahed’s.” It seems that the attacks from Iran will have the nasty side effect that the gulf states are now ready to accept Israel cautiously in the midst, another failure of the IRGC I reckon. Add to that the systems I ‘gifted’ to the UAE and Saudi Arabia and we see an evolving setting that that should become the end of Iran and whatever teeth it imagined it had. 

And whilst the article ends with “A western official noted that the UAE became one of Iran’s primary targets in part due to its “enthusiastic” embrace of the Abraham Accords.” This could be the case, but it merely did they opposite and I wonder what the real reason could be for Iran to attack the UAE so viciously. We could speculate all we want, but I reckon my creativity is better served by creating optional weapons to aid the UAE (Saudi Arabia too) to counter whatever Iran throws at the UAE. It seems more productive to me. And as I completed my three sided attacks on the infrastructure of Iran, the one part missing seems to be the destruction of water and energy. I am partially against that, because water is life and that tends to be a one way ticket to the destruction of ones soul and at that point Iran validly start crying like a little girl. I wrote in the past a way to deal with its oil refineries, which could also be used for its energy settings, but I wonder whether bombing is the right call. I see a version that ‘eats’ away at the energy settings of Iran, but it is not immediate, still that damage would take month to fix (at the least), but here I am worried that it could escalate setting tool, because the ‘innovator’ the think its opponent is taking this lying down is delusional. So the Bushehr nuclear plant and aging hydroelectric facilities should be taken care of, I already wrote a solution to the Bushehr plant some time ago (somewhere in December 2021) but I have no knowledge of Hydroelectric facilities, so I don’t know what would be optimal and just bombing it to the stone age is not a good solution because that is a long term solution that is never a solution. I prefer a surgical trike that sets the ‘repairs’ of such a place towards months. That’s just how I am, taking it all away from an enemy frees up ‘resources’ to strike back, optional repairs commits whatever he has to resolving the issue, it seems a much better approach to dealing with an enemy like that and make no mistake, at present Iran is an enemy to the west and the gulf states at present and whilst it emits whatever friends it has, it will see that his ‘friends’ are anything but that making their own plights fail most of the time. 

So whilst I have no real setting towards the NDTV stage, I am willing to live by the setting that as long as the UAE embraces that solution, it will be fine by me. You all have a great day, almost time for me to contemplate what’s for dinner (in about 4 hours).

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May 1, 2026 · 16:42

The tourist enticer

That is what I saw yesterday (among other ideas). Although this morning I hoped to run into Mal Lanyon APM (police commissioner Sydney), he got into this job today, making my giggle moment even better. You see, I was going to walk up to him and inform him that I increased in rank today as the new Commodore (I turned 64 today) and see how that goes over. I am not anything but a dedicated glutton for chaos when the setting gives me the opportunity. 

But that is neither here nor there.

The setting is tourism in the Middle East and as I have given a few ideas to the UAE, it only stands to right I do something similar for Saudi Arabia. The first thing that came to mind was what was there’ and we can see that Hollywood Boulevard is there, but as I see it nearly 249 million Europeans (aged 15+) made at least one personal tourism trip in 2024, as well tens of millions of Canadians make travel their touristic setting and I am happy to see more than 90% that will no longer make the United States that destination. A lot will seek out Europe and Asia their destination, yet it would be nice to see a lot more going to the Middle East (Saudi Arabia and the UAE) as such I thought of reasons for them to seek the locations out. The UAE has its pigeons in a row and I added an idea or two there, but now it is time for Saudi Arabia to get a few ideas. They have several options, but I reckon not enough. You need to ‘entertain’ these flocks for over a week and here I see options. One of them is that the Netherlands has the holy land foundation, the idea is nice, but what if this village is more representing an educational view of Saudi Arabia from before it was founded? A place representing the looks of an Arabian village (circa 1700-1900) complete with the guides and ‘local’ population to give it form? It could serve as an educational setting for the local population as well. Combine this with a few of the 1001 tales, not the politically correct ‘adjusted’ version of Ali Baba and the 40 fighters for the Palestinian cause. So consider that the 1001 tales includes numerous stories depict jinn, ghouls, ape people, sorcerers, magicians, and legendary places, which are often intermingled with real people and geography, I reckon that you could have at least a dozen stories all over the place and there are more to include or even replace the ones that have been there for a few seasons making the attraction a long term want to see idea. I reckon that it should be in Riyadh, but that would be up to the Saudi government to decide upon. In addition, the Dutch also have the Archeon, a place with historic settings of three villages, a bronze age dwelling, a Roman dwelling (complete with a fighting rink), a bathhouse and a few other settings and a middle age village (from around 1400), these places are built using the materials that were available in those days and they had their own cuisine. The roman lamb was magnificent and the Abbeys Waffles with hot cherry sauce and whipped cream has to be tried to be believed. There are merely two settings and there is a lot more. Stockholm has the Vasa museum, and it has power because of the only almost fully intact 17th-century ship that has ever been salvaged, the 64-gun warship Vasa that sank on her maiden voyage in 1628. The idea cannot be replicated, but France has the Puy du Fou in the Vendée region being the most prominent, offering an immersive walkthrough attraction titled Le Mystère de La Pérouse. That idea can be translated to a walk though on a replication of a VOC ship (I wrote about this earlier) and these settings are for the Saudi population just as entertaining as it is for tourists. Add to that a eating place (you cannot call that a restaurant) in the image of the galley of a Man of War which should hold enough place and it could evolve into a place with more than this, optionally a modern submarine (complete with periscope) would be the tourist setting that Saudi Arabia adds to this collection. It was my thought to stay away from the ‘American’ entertaining ideas. Abu Dhabi already has these settings in place and they did this rather well. As such the idea is to create things that are NOT there. And these are the three ideas I see. So whilst we are now given ‘Most Americans Now Say U.S. Foreign Policy Ignores the Interests of Other Countries’ it is now the goal to isolate ‘that’ United States from the rest of the world and fortunately Europe and Asia have plenty of ideas to fuel the beacons of Saudi Arabia and its tourism attractions. It might be shallow but I came up with these settings in merely a few days and these setting s could be transferred to other places. It might not all be placed in Riyadh, for example the Puy du Fou could be added to the Sindalah resort, right next to its Marina. And other places could be considered as well as Saudi Arabia seeks to franchise a new setting that is created with branding and visibility, so that tourists and Saudi’s see the places they recognise from other places and they need not be identical. It was one of the attraction that gave places like Planet Hollywood its attraction on a global setting. 

So as I see it, there is plenty to do and as Saudi Arabia gets a slice of these 249,000,000 tourists, the setting is to do this now, when the United States is creating global disgust. A good place to start I say. 

Have a great day, Vancouver joins us to today in 15 minutes.

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April 30, 2026 · 14:17

The syrup of some

Deutsche Welle gave me a view, it is a optional view and I am using optional because I know much too little about this. The story (at https://www.dw.com/en/why-uaes-opec-exit-is-a-blow-to-saudi-arabia/a-76975354) gives us ‘Why UAE’s OPEC exit is a blow to Saudi Arabia’ it feels different from other views stating that the break up of OPEC is a win for President Trump, which is another view to have. But here we see “The United Arab Emirates is leaving OPEC to pump more oil on its own terms. The break strips Saudi Arabia of a key partner and adds to growing uncertainty over the cartel’s future.” Yes, the UAE could pump more, but I don’t think it will lead to the uncertainty of the oil cartel (named Open and Opec+) You see, this large blip on all our radars will come with other settings. It will give the gulf states a claim for Iranian oil (repair costs) and that could be sold directly to China and Europe, they will exclude the United States as it is the cause of all this mess. At which point others will reject offers from Brent oil as it is American oil and there is no telling how deep the rejection goes and the weird part is that this might open up European talks with Iran as it reimburses damages to the gulf states (namely: UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain and Iraq) it is not the win Iran was looking for, but it is a win as they can make a case that the United States lost. Will it go that way? Time will tell.

It all reminded me towards an old feud (1985) where a colleague accused me from hoarding the ‘Rinse Appelstroop’ on my sandwich, all whilst the sandwich can only contain a mere part of the entire tub. So when we see “For years, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has clashed with Saudi Arabia, OPEC’s most powerful member, over these quotas. The UAE has invested heavily to expand its oil industry and grow its market share, but OPEC limits have repeatedly held it back.” And it reminded me of the feud my co worker gave me over the syrup, almost like oil. I have no idea on where it is all set in the oil industry, but the idea to give into America is nothing less than a joke. They claimed that they have all the oil they need, so why would they need some handhold over oil? The one commercial thing I do know is that as the offer of oil increases the price goes down, as such the Middle East needs to take care of how they deal with this, because oil even as a commodity has a lifespan, once you get to the bottom of the barrel, the amount of oil you can still produce come close to that number shaped like an ‘O’ (hint: it is zero). 

So whilst I get that they all have needs, the idea that there might be an imbalanced amount towards one country is dangerous, but I get it, the UAE must do what is best for the UAE, Saudi Arabia must do what what is best for Saudi Arabia. But underneath all that we see “The UAE currently produces roughly 3.2 to 3.6 million barrels per day (bpd) under quotas but holds spare capacity of nearly 4.8 million bpd, Reuters news agency reported. Plans call for a hike in output toward 5 million bpd by next year.” And no one is looking at the amounts that might still be available for drilling. So what happens when that finishes? Everyone claps to attention but there is no clear vision for the future. And all the ‘influencers’ giving us the YouTube version of what comes tomorrow better find a good news source, because no one has an answer toward the ‘what now’ equation when the oils run out. 

So whilst we are getting “OPEC has already been under strain from repeated quota breaches by members such as Iraq and Nigeria, and from Russia’s inconsistent compliance within OPEC+. The UAE’s departure adds to that sense of fragmentation. In his analysis for Capital Economics,  Oxley warned that, in the medium term, if other producers with spare capacity “see the UAE successfully gaining flexibility and market share” outside OPEC, “others may follow.”” I understand that point of view, but I don’t think I can agree. The bully tactics of the United States will also give strength to Saudi Arabia as they might want to get issues resolved through Algeria, Libya, Nigeria, Gabon and the Congo. There is definitely data that OPEC will be slightly weaker, but the oil that is gained in output will most likely go to China and the setting as of 9 April 2026, the UAE has intercepted and destroyed 537 ballistic missiles, 2,256 drone attacks and 26 cruise missiles fired from Iran, and that is mostly due to the acts of the United States. It is hard to hold them accountable as Iran attacked with the missiles, as such it is on Iran and as some state over 90% were allegedly aimed on civilian targets, as such the UAE demands reparations and so they should, but after that, should oil still be delivered to the instigator of these attacks? I don’t think it is that clear cut even as some state that Iran’s nuclear options were ludicrously limited (I don’t believe they were non-existent). So whilst the UAE could benefit from their withdrawal from OPEC, I see that the weak response from the gulf states towards the UAE is partially to blame for this. 

The conversation had some additional things (at https://theconversation.com/the-uae-is-leaving-the-opec-oil-cartel-what-could-that-mean-for-oil-prices-281734) here we see ‘The UAE is leaving the OPEC oil cartel. What could that mean for oil prices?’, we see here “the UAE is one of the world’s top ten oil producers. The country also has the capacity to increase its output by about one million barrels per day”, which amounts to 6 million barrels a week (one day of rest) and that gives us at least and additional half a billion dollars a week, something the UAE can likely use, especially if it goes towards a solution avoiding the Strait of Hormuz which I wrote about in ‘Sinking a dilemma’ (at https://lawlordtobe.com/2026/02/01/sinking-a-dilemma/) I have no idea if that is the path the UAE will sail, but that makes sense, the Strait and the issues with Iran are massively out of play and it also helps with the other gulf states as they (for a fee) use that solution and that is all before the massive attention the harbours of Abu Dhabi and Dubai will enjoy with all these loaded skippers who can now avoid Iranian waters. I only see upsides here, but that channel will require a serious amount cash, there is no doubt about that and it is not merely now, whenever Iran throws a tantrum, the strait becomes the bottleneck for all gulf states. Better to remove that problem completely.

So whilst we are given “OPEC’s influence on the oil price depends on coordinated changes in production. By agreeing to collectively limit, or to expand, the supply of oil in the market, OPEC can manipulate the price to meet its objectives. The UAE alone is the world’s eighth-largest oil producer, and accounts for about 4% of the world’s oil production.” As such I might imagine that the UAE has an issue with the imposed limits and that is before we consider if Das Island is under limits as well. As such it makes sense that the UAE ight want to leave OPEC, but let it be clear, Iran forced this on the rest of OPEC and as such their desperation will also amount to the wrath that these members have as their grip on maximized profits wane. 

Merely a small view on the setting and I get that not everyone agrees, not everyone is charmed by Appelstroop (a Dutch product). Have a great day.

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April 29, 2026 · 11:05

The bad news

That is what was going through my mind the day before yesterday and yesterday I saw something by Al Jazeera who illustrates it to you in a more profound way. They ‘quoted’ “Iran says US no longer in position to ’dictate’ policy to other nations”

I don’t give in to the setting to Iran on anything because they are regarded as utterly evil by me, but as I see it, this one they got right. You see, the United States is as far as I see it the United States is insolvent. All other parties are so ready to debate the fine ‘tactics’ of what is insolvent. But the setting is now that the United States is a liability of 47.1 trillion dollars (according to some), their debt has now surpassed to 38 trillion and if the first set of numbers is correct, the interest is will in 2026 surpass $1,500,000,000,000 and that is a whole range of zero’s. To understand how I got to be this clever (the Dutch singer Herman Brood disagrees because he told me that I would never be clever). I wrote the story (at https://lawlordtobe.com/2014/08/26/about-america-chapter-11/) ‘About America, chapter 11’, I wrote it on August 26th 2014. You think that this was too early, but at that point the debt had surpassed 18 trillion then and there was no exit strategy, there still isn’t one, but the debt has more than doubled and the IRS allegedly collected approximately $5.23 trillion, that implies that a third is spend on interest and in that setting President Trump wants to spend a trillion more in defense spending? You have got to be kidding. And whilst we are on the Trump discussion. He pissed of whatever ally he had and they will all let him drown with all his debt. So, he is playing nice with the Middle East and the members of the Gulf States that have cash. I also stated that the AI court cases will increase and I was right “As of April 2026, AI-related court cases are rapidly increasing, focusing on two main areas: AI misuse in legal filings (hallucinated case law) and intellectual property disputes over AI training data.” And I have seen first hand that we have only seen the tip of the iceberg considering “intellectual property disputes over AI training data” and these disgruntled parties are international and those not having some agreement in place will get their payday and their golden checks all whilst they come out of the coffers of the United States, leaving the United States more destitute than ever before. 

So in this case Iran might be correct, the days that the United States is “in position to ’dictate’ policy to other nations” are over. They might do so, for a few weeks, but when the larger bills come calling, we will see a different America and at that point I fear for the well being of my Canadian brothers (sisters too), because whatever Canada has, the United States will need and they will blame on the world their own inability to keep their spending habits in order. As I see it, the only path for the Commonwealth is a path that partners with China and Europe to create one big block (not the cheesy kind) but this is what I expect to happen, because as I see it, the intercepted Iranian tankers are heading wherever the US Navy wants to take them and according to some this is called ‘Western Piracy’, I am unsure what to call it, but it does give more weight to the insolvency issues I am seeing. And whilst some see this as the beginning of a Ponzi scheme of handling things (I am on that boat too), how long do you think that this will continue before all allies that the United States once had will see this as unacceptable and the new allies will almost immediately shy away and whilst the Media has a shrinking reliability, it merely fuels that Middle Eastern media in gaining a more prominent traction with the west. 

So feel free to disagree with what I write, but also take time to investigated the news as it is and compare it to what you know. As such I ended the article in 2014 with “I reckon soon enough we will get more and more long winded talks, but in the end no one is saying anything because those who will be making the speeches are at the heart of what went wrong and no one wants to hold on to that guilt when those left without their house ask them the question ‘where are my savings?’.”

As such I wonder where are some of the saving left, because a Ponzi scheme approach will more easily use the funds of any bank and replace it with an IOU. 

So you all have a decent day, if possible a great day and I call on all Commonwealthians to consider the plight of the Canadians, because no matter how good they are doing, due to PM Mark Carney, they will soon have over 300,000,000 angry Americans looking for a way out and a better way than the hollow shell they are (allegedly) in at present.

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April 28, 2026 · 19:53

Battle lines

As per yesterday several things occupy my brain, even a new technology (which I will discuss at a later stage) today is about OpenAI and Microsoft. I was ‘alerted’ to this yesterday through through Seeking alpha. I think I heard it before that, but I ignored it. Seeking Alpha (at https://seekingalpha.com/news/4579947-microsoft-falls-as-openai-partnership-evolves-says-it-will-no-longer-pay-revenue-share) gives us ‘Microsoft in focus as OpenAI partnership evolves, says it will no longer pay revenue share’ and we are given “Microsoft (MSFT) shares rose fractionally on Monday as the tech giant and OpenAI (OPENAI) said their partnership has continued to evolve, and OpenAI’s license will become non-exclusive. “Today, we are announcing an amended agreement to simplify our partnership and the way we work together, grounded in flexibility, certainty and a focus on delivering the benefits of AI broadly,” Microsoft wrote in a statement on its website. “The greater predictability in the amended agreement strengthens our joint ability to build and operate AI platforms at scale while providing both companies the flexibility to pursue new opportunities.”” In my mind I hear “Someone has figured out that this setting is based on shallow settings, the reality is dawning on them”, so whilst we are given “As part of the altered agreement, Microsoft will remain OpenAI’s primary cloud partner, and OpenAI products will ship on Azure first. However, there is now a tweak that says if Microsoft “cannot and chooses not to support the necessary capabilities,” OpenAI can go elsewhere. Julian Lin, Investing Group Leader for Best Of Breed Growth Stocks, said the deal is actually a “net positive” for Microsoft, despite the share price reaction.” I personally believe that OpenAI might present a hardcore liability for Microsoft and they are seeking to insulate from that fallout. And it might be merely my feelings in this and that is fine, but when you see the Anthropic setting, the DeepSeek setting there are several other elements that are roaring is near ugly heard and that has to go somewhere, something has got to break and it seems the ‘staged’ setting of evolutionary contract agree ments, might be part of all that. In retrospect I have no idea how OpenAI and Musk will battle their settings (and I partially do not care either). But the elements are there and whilst we are all about OpenAI, this concept selling setting rubs me the wrong way. So whilst we ‘might’ see ‘OpenAI Misses Key Revenue, User Targets in High-Stakes Sprint Toward IPO’, all whilst some say “do you guys even use ChatGPT/OpenAI anymore? I find myself preferring Claude/Gemini to be honest”, I take a different turn, I don’t use any of them. Basically because they are all fake AI. Real AI is about a decade away, if not 2 decades. I might die before real AI is released, so I kinda do not care.

ComputerWorld, only today (a mere few hours ago) gave us (at https://www.computerworld.com/article/4163971/microsoft-openai-change-contract-terms-again.html) ‘Microsoft, OpenAI change contract terms–again’ starts with “When the two firms announced a revised agreement on Monday, it reinforced the need for enterprise IT executives to work with as many major AI players as possible, given the constantly changing landscape.” I do not disagree, but remember that Microsoft went all out about 5 years ago and whilst we saw all kinds of ‘total wreck approaches’ the ‘partnership’ went on and now that we see “the need for enterprise IT executives to work with as many major AI players as possible”, we might accept that, but we see no DeepSeek, do we? So whilst we see that Microsoft increased its stake and solidified its position as a major investor less than 6 months ago, these plans are now changing. So does Microsoft see something, or do they fear something? And then ComputerWorld gives us “One key component within earlier versions of the Microsoft-OpenAI deal was the change in the relationship if OpenAI ever achieved artificial general intelligence (AGI), a term that eludes a concrete definition but generally refers to AI that equals or exceeds human capabilities.” I find it funny because of all these definitions across the fake AI field. Do they really not see that it is about to fall apart? (Story to follow likely tomorrow). And when this war of the fakers is seen (OpenAI, Google, Anthropic) there is every chance that OpenAI ends up in last position (see another ‘winner’ chosen by Microsoft), but this war setting is almost real, but until there is a real revenue stream coming in, there is unlikely to be a real winner. So whilst ComputerWorld focusses on the market changes with “Analysts and consultants generally agreed that this altered agreement will reinforce, and should extend, the current enterprise IT trend of hedging bets by striking arrangements with a variety of AI providers, including the major hyperscalers. Beyond future-proofing enterprises’ AI efforts, some of those agreements are for practical issues, such as the need to work with global AI firms specializing in different languages that the enterprise needs.” And you already know where this goes next. So, when was the last time you saw this kinda bla bla settings in the last 45 years? I tend to go back to the early 90’s where they all tried to sign businesses up to concept selling, all whilst there was no revenue stream detectable. We see it now here. I get that analysts are not the most revenue sturdy people, but consultants need their revenue streams. It is their bread and butter. And what was that “for practical issues” about? You see ComputerWorld writes a good story and revenue is mentioned four times, three is shown next “In addition, the company’s role as a major investor in OpenAI is driving a different revenue relationship, it said: “Microsoft will no longer pay a revenue share to OpenAI. Revenue share payments from OpenAI to Microsoft continue through 2030, independent of OpenAI’s technology progress, at the same percentage but subject to a total cap. ”” interesting how salespeople are not that fuzzed about revenue. It is their income and bonus setting. So what was this really about?

Wouldn’t we like to know this? Just a few settings for todays stride in the coming week. And now I need to contemplate what I next write about the bad news, or the new technology. My conundrum  for the last 4 hours of the day.

Have a great one today.

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