Category Archives: Finance

Choices to make

I get that, I cannot look at everything, so I need to choose. I saw something that caught Mme off guard and left me baffled, not because it looked amazing, but under the hood, the questionable actions of scientists making a remarkable short sighted setting, it was AI reporting on AI and the downsides that it gives us all and it is all smitten with an amazing story that had me baffled and if this mockumentary makes it to a real $K disc, it might be a dead set winner for Oscars and other bling bling of an entertaining nature. It is called Reconstructing the Divine, it comes from Black Eye Media AB and is directed by Jakob Soe-Pedersen and I quite honestly left me baffled. There is a story under that story. I wonder if you can see it too, so look it up on YouTube. 

This story is about something else. Crypto News (at https://cryptonews.com.au/news/senate-democrats-demand-probe-into-trump-family-crypto-ventures-uae-links-134100/) gives us ‘Senate Democrats Demand Probe Into Trump Family Crypto Venture’s UAE Links’ it was also given to us by The Australian, but that paper merely pushes us to a payment link, so I use the other one. And in short we see:

It gives us a few things, among them “Senate Democrats are pressing Republican leaders to hold hearings into reported financial links between the Trump family’s crypto venture, World Liberty Financial (WLFI), and an Abu Dhabi investment vehicle associated with Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan. The lawmakers argue that the matter raises questions about potential conflicts of interest and implications for US national security.” And “According to reports cited by lawmakers, an investment vehicle backed by Sheikh Tahnoon acquired a 49% stake in WLFI through a deal valued at US$500 million (AU$710 million). The agreement was reportedly signed by Eric Trump on 16 January 2025, four days before Donald Trump’s inauguration.

The question becomes, are illegalities a fact? We are given that that this all happened 4 days before inauguration and as his son (allegedly) might be involved, nothing sticks to the president, other settings are stated that are linked to Jared Kushner who is facing sweeping congressional investigations and public scrutiny primarily regarding severe conflicts of interest and potential ethics and legal violations stemming from his foreign business dealings, but these are mere accusations, still nothing is sticking to President Trump and whilst I might not like the man, I still believe in the law and the law predominantly is about ‘What you can prove in court’ and until that moment the person is innocent until proven guilty. I don’t go with these Democratic haters and anti-Trumpetists (its that an actual word?) What dos matter is that there is yet another investigation into the Trump family. Another setting is that we are also given “an Abu Dhabi investment vehicle associated with Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan. The lawmakers argue that the matter raises questions about potential conflicts of interest and implications for US national security.” Is this a mere lose accusation? I find the use of “investment vehicle”, which is loosely set to a non-liable stage, which implies that there is no evidence of wrong doing and the connection to the name “Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan” who is the national security advisor for the UAE and the brother of President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, this all sounds like sexy media and the wet dream of Geraldo (is he still alive?) But were any wrongdoings done from the UAE point of view? So whilst we get “Lawmakers said US$250 million (AU$355 million) was paid upfront, with approximately US$187 million (AU$265.5 million) going to Trump family-linked entities and more than US$31 million (AU$44 million) directed to entities connected to WLFI co-founder Steve Witkoff’s family. Witkoff’s son, Zach Witkoff, currently serves as the company’s chief executive.” It is here we see “Trump family-linked entities”, the question becomes who and did they break any laws? Then we get “directed to entities connected to WLFI co-founder Steve Witkoff’s” who are they and did they break any laws? Simple questions that this article and I am guessing the Australian does not answer either (which is a speculation by this blogger). So what does the article do except give us unsubstantiated rumors and a setting for enhancing distrust. Because if it quacks like a duck it is a duck, but a Wood Frog also quacks, so how about that setting? 

Will we get actual newspapers to give us the goods on what could have been illegal but what was perfectly legal? And in all this, were any laws broken in the UAE? All questions and no answers. I wonder how a non journalist (that would be me) has the larger active focus on what the journalists should be seeing and this is why journalists hunting digital dollars are basically a menace to society. This might not be totally accurate, but that is what I have been seeing and noticing these last few years. So you all have a great day and consider to look at what are the facts of a case, not what the press is implying.

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Just an idea

It was an idea I had last night. The setting of Paramount taking over WB (at least parts of it) opened an idea that could give the UAE, in particular Abu Dhabi a lot more tourism. You see, the Star Trek Universe has somewhere between 100 and 300 million fans and no one has seen a complete theme event on Star Trek? I am hesitant to call that place a ‘park’ but it comes close to it. A place where you can see and optionally walk on the bridges of the original Enterprise (TOS), the Galaxy class version (TNG), Voyager, and the Titan class (Picard) then there is the stage of the sets of the Defiant, parts of Deep Space 9 (Terok Nor) perhaps a section to show part of a Borg ship, millions if fans would love to see that and as I see it, the United States are done for, for at least a decade and likely there won’t be a United States after that, so Paramount needs to bet its hedges and look beyond that space. The UAE has a theme park riddled Abu Dhabi, so it makes sense to have it there. There is also the correlation (indicated but unproven) that those who love Star Trek also love Harry Potter, as such there is a pressure to consider them. I don’t think that they should be in the same location, because of the dangers of congestion at that point, also I am in doubt whether Yas Island would be the bet place, but Abu Dhabi is so much larger and has plenty of options. I think that this is a stage where Miral should have serious talks with Paramount on this setting. Perhaps a combination with a wax museum showing all the characters of Star Trek and its connected series. All things that are currently not existing. The Deep Space 9 setting with shops and a Quarcks (under new Ferengi management) could be considered. I wonder how many millions will sip at least a glass of of Canard and optionally take a bottle home as a keepsake. This setting might bring billions into the coffers of Miral. I wonder if anyone considered combining all the ships and show the bridges in one place. And display technology has evolved over the last few years alone, so seeing a part of the Borg ship with a large gap into space is now easily arranged with the display technology out there. A wax museum showing the casts of the two enterprises, Voyager, Deep Space 9 and optionally the Star Trek Movies too, could stir the hearts of millions of Star Trek Fans and as an addition to the already large theme park settings might be the one boost they get to do this (and soak up the sun and the UAE beaches) as I said, it is merely an idea, but as the UAE already has several settings and with Disney coming to Abu Dhabi as well, the UAE could become the preferred location for millions of additional tourists. That setting optionally enhanced with all the selfie moments, but perhaps even a place to have a film camp, a setting every Sci fi lover dreams of at some point. To make your own Sci-fi film, all ideas that feed the blender of creation. What remains can bear the scrutiny of many accountants at Miral (I a guessing that they have a fleet of them looking at all the venues and results). The setting that is out in the open, it always was, but the merger between WB and Paramount is driving this to the surface. The question becomes, does Miral think it is worth considering? 

As I said, it was just an idea and anything to take my eyes of the BS that is called USA-Iran negotiations. I like the headline from the Times the best at present ‘Trump, Iran and the Denial of Defeat’ it kinda sums up the entire fiasco, so whilst some are trying to spin this into some form of victory, the reality is that soon Iran will have to be dealt with, I have no idea who or how, but I do not believe that the United States will be the one doing it. They wasted (according to there own numbers) “The U.S.-Iran war cost the Pentagon an estimated $29 billion to $40 billion in direct operational expenses, but total economic and long-term costs could range between $600 billion and $1 trillion” I have not been sitting with an abacus, so I do not know, but consider the wasted money and the lack of results. It would have been something if all the refineries were hit as well as a few other tactical places, but that was not the case, so Iran can still buy hardware from whomever is willing to sell to them. As such I believe it to be important that the UAE gets whatever mens they can to increase their economic foothold on the Middle East, they have don’t quite well and they still have a few more options to that effect, but I merely gave the tourist idea, because it is something I would like to see and the idea that I get a two week vacation in Abu Dhabi where every day is filled with fun and adventure (yes, a visit to the Yas Mall could be both fun and adventure) would be an excellent idea. I believe that millions have that same feeling, because at present the United States is not that inviting, add to this the YouTube videos on their Epic Universe with several rides allegedly breaking down does not instill any thoughts that Orlando will be the place to go. With the economic foothold that is diminishing in Florida, we see one side saying it is good, but we also see “The U.S. travel sector is projected to lose between $12.5 billion and $29 billion in international visitor spending.”, with the added “Foreign arrivals have dropped by roughly 5%, with major month-over-month contractions from Asia (down 7.5%) and Europe (down 5.2%)” as well as “Canada, historically the largest source of inbound U.S. tourism, has driven a massive portion of this decline, with Canadian travel to the U.S. dropping by roughly 22%” the numbers do not add up, with this decline we still see “Florida boasts the fourth-largest economy in the United States, with a Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of roughly $1.76 trillion. If it were an independent nation, the state would rank as the 15th largest economy globally.” In addition to this, the negative YouTube videos keep on swarming around Epic Universe. I cannot say if they are real or if they are Epic Universe haters, that option remains a reality, but as I see it, the numbers do not add up and I reckon that the next president when they make their numbers openly known, we will see what an alleged curse President Trump has become to the United States. As such places like paramount needs to find new ventures to survive and it is my personal opinion that the UAE is such a space. And in light of what WB already has set up, the numbers might give satisfaction to the board members of Paramount. So, the question becomes is Miral ending that solution a good option to consider. 

Have a great day, it is 5:30  now and only 7 degrees, I am freezing. So there is another appeal to be smitten by the 39 degree non-freezing weather that Abu Dhabi could offer my poor old shivering bones.

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As one door closes

That was the setting I saw this morning as I took notice of ‘MGX could purchase APAC data center operator DayOne’ (at https://www.datacenterdynamics.com/en/news/mgx-could-purchase-apac-data-center-operator-dayone-report/) with the juicy (for some) subtitle “Comes ahead of DayOne’s $20 billion IPO” it opened another avenue for the UAE, you see as the United States has pissed of pretty much every country with their cloud act, the setting that I see is that if MGX embraces the GDPR and adheres to this in several means, Microsoft, Google and IBM will lose the traction they have all over the EU and the commonwealth. So whilst we take notice of “Reuters’ sources said that the MGX acquisition is not finalized and a DayOne IPO could still go ahead. DayOne currently runs a portfolio of more than 500MW of data center capacity in service and under construction, with another 500MW held for future development across Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Japan. The company also has sites in Thailand and Finland.” 

And in case if ChapsVision, it is nice it is getting the Palantir account in France (and optionally in other EU countries as well) but that comes with the addd need for stronger data centers and not in American hands. The Edge (at https://theedgemalaysia.com/node/807778) gives us ‘Abu Dhabi’s MGX weighs multi-billion deal for data centre operator DayOne — Reuters’, which gives us (at https://theedgemalaysia.com/node/807778) that “Abu Dhabi-backed artificial intelligence investor MGX has been exploring buying Singapore-based data centre operator DayOne, three sources said, in what would mark a major step in its global expansion into the technology. MGX has been working with an investment bank in preparation for the potential transaction, said two of the sources, who declined to be identified because the discussions are confidential.” Which implies to me that this is not yet a done deal, as such it is likely to happen, especially as countries are making moves to pull away from the United States and their Cloud Act, but that might not be enough, the secondary stage is that Microsoft as a data Endor is seemingly already on the way out in a few places, so that would be setting the stage that this could indeed happen. So whilst we see “A deal for DayOne could mark MGX’s first acquisition in Asia as the company pursues a lightning-fast international expansion. It was set up a little over two years ago with the US$385 billion sovereign wealth fund Mubadala and AI company G42 as its founding partners. MGX falls under the purview of Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the United Arab Emirates’ national security adviser and brother of the president.” The setting might be that Europe is ‘hesitant’ to replace the yoke of the United States with a Chinese replacement, but if there is a common ground between the UAE and Europe and a (for a lack of a better term) a Chinese wall is inserted in the European centers, a larger benefit to Emirati revenue could be right here. It all depends on how the UAE plays this ad what guarantees they could give the EU and the Commonwealth. As such there could be a new player in the town of Europe and under the much stricter rules of the GDPR, solution could be drawn. On a personal note, I reckon that China does not fear being left out of data as long as the United States loses a mouthful of revenue. Adobe, Amazon, Google, IBM, Microsoft could all lose a chunk of their revenue and that puts the United States on the defense to keep whatever they can hold onto, as I see it, at present it sucks to be the President of the United States. And after the folly that is called “the Iranian peace treaty” and President Trump implying that they could ask for Tolls in the strait of Hormuz, angering many nations, especially ones trying to get oil across the strait, (source: Al Jazeera) as such the world is looking for other solutions and several firms might regret ever giving the keys to the united States to President Trump. But as I see it, the UAE is on the job and when one door closes, another tends to open and this might be the moment for the EU and Commonwealth to talk to the UAE in finding a solution that they can live with, the question is, will the UAE play game with Europe and the Commonwealth? My guess is yes, especially is China at the stage realizes a massive drain on the revenue of the United States, it could be the death stroke against the coffers of America and from there is goes downhill fast in the former land of opportunity.

I reckon that the next stage becomes opening another site in France, giving more power to ChapsVision, not sure if it is needed, but all the traction helps. And a second data centre in Europe would give several benefits, especially if these two centers are connected and support each other in case of data congestion, because that is bound to happen, but if two centers are connected, there is a larger solution for that. There is still the power use issue, but that is for tomorrow, it all depends on how stretched the power settings in France are and secondary, if Google, IBM and Microsoft are on the way out, there will be room for more. I actually hope that Google and IBM find another solution, but as American firms the Cloud Act is hanging over their heads, so that is the way in for MGX and the United Arab Emirates. 

Have a great day.

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Journey with a twist

Several things happened in the last 24 hours. A LinkedIn post set it off. It was about that Palantir was finished, it was a done deal. That stirred a few memories. You see I was introduced to Palantir Government in the late 90s, before it became Palantir Gotham. There was Palantir Finance (I think that this is what now goes for as Palantir Metropolis), but I never saw that. It was a good program and it was powerful. It did not have the bells and whistles that Clementine (now IBM Miner) had, but it was an excellent program and I was looking for my next Customer Service role (I was in a bit of a bad space), so as I had heard of the Palantir events over the year, that post did not make sense to me. So I decided to take a look and find out for myself (I don’t trust anything on social media that I have not personally verified with at least one good source (like a decent newspaper). I found out a lot more than I bargained for. In the first Palantir Technologies Inc is valued at 307.98 billion, this makes sense later on. 

Then I saw ‘Palantir trades into the week as France move puts ai at risk in Europe’ (at https://ts2.tech/en/palantir-trades-into-the-week-as-france-move-puts-ai-at-risk-in-europe/), there we see “Palantir ended June 18 at $128.47, dropping 1.65% for the day but up roughly 0.4% from where it closed on June 12. France’s DGSI is moving to ChapsVision, selecting the company to take over from Palantir as its supplier over several years. Palantir said its current contract is still active.” The French Connection (sorry Popeye) is about to make sense. You see, the rumbling that this White House has embarked on is now showing its rather large nasty feathers. The world is shunning anything from the United States and France sees the setting that and is moving and banking on the French solution called ChapsVision, we are given “ChapsVision is a leading player in the field of artificial intelligence and data processing. With proven technologies that accelerate data acquisition, preparation and processing, ChapsVision supports businesses and government organizations in their digital transformation.” As I see it, it is a (largely) financial solution, and getting up to speed of where Palantir is will take a few years. But France is banking on its ‘local’ solution and with that the European market opens up to France and yes this is likely to be a drain on where Palantir wants to be. So in comes the second story.

This comes from Simply Wall Street (at https://simplywall.st/stocks/us/software/nasdaq-pltr/palantir-technologies/news/palantir-technologies-pltr-stock-could-be-20-overvalued-even) where we see ‘Palantir Technologies (PLTR) Stock Could Be 20% Overvalued Even If Growth Stays Strong’ and here the first red flag comes up, Simply Wall Street does not give a writer, just hide it under the rug (as the expression goes) but there is where the loon try to find stuff, so now we see the initial; value, Which was $308 billion, now we get the other part (which I left out) “Palantir reported a record annual revenue of $4.475 billion for fiscal year 2025. This marked a 56% year-over-year growth compared to their 2024 results, heavily driven by massive domestic adoption of their artificial intelligence platforms.” So when you see this, the 20% overvalued does not make sense. We see what might be coming in 2027/2028, but that is not now and the stages are set to what I personally believe is that someone wants to play a little game called ‘shorting the stock’, if there is enough babbles and bitcoin people, they will overlook what matters and just dump their Palantir stock. Now, be mindful, I am not an economist and I have no economic degrees, but I have three University degrees and a few more ‘accolades’ as I think they are called in data technology and data analyses. I believe that some are thinking that Palantir is a weakling waiting to be plucked and that is not happening on my watch as as I see it, LinkedIn is being used for that and political endings too much. These people are hiding behind “That is what I see and I have a right to speak” that’s fair, but we can expose you as well, so that is the other side of this and Palantir has some of the most powerful software in the world to do just that. I think that Palantir needs to look into the enemies they have. But that is up to them and I wasn’t done yet.

There was more, you see the Guardian gives another side (at https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2026/jun/13/palantir-loses-legal-challenge-to-force-swiss-magazine-to-publish-rejoinders) where we see ‘Palantir loses legal challenge to force Swiss magazine to publish responses’, I feel uneasy on this. I get that Palantir wants to learn “to force a Swiss independent magazine to publish its responses to articles about how the Swiss government rejected its services.” My doubt is that any government can reject services, but they tend to give reasons, isn’t that the case? So when a magazine collects responses, would that not be in the interest of the world to learn the how and why? I agree that this cannot have personalized data, but the entire mess comes across as weird. But the entire setting is what this White House is inflicting on the business end of the businesses of the United States. I saw it coming to some degree, but not to this degree (as I personally see it, the US Administration comes across as absolutely bug-nuts), if you doubt this, consider the simple setting of Measles in the United States, what it was in 2024 and what it is now and that is just for starters. The world is, as they say, fed up with the United States. Should you think I am wrong you could ask that bella bambina Meloni, you can find her at Via dell’Impresa 89, Rome, Italy. Believe me, she has a story for you, it will knock your socks off.

The stage is not her, or what Palantir is facing, but as we see this evolve we see more and more American services being rejected by the EU and Commonwealth to a larger degree. And as I see it, some (like Microsoft) are already running like chickens without a coup in all the offices, because there bonuses are set to keeping the status quo, so the larger bulk of CEO’s are seeing a rather large bump in what they could expect to see diminish.

And for one, Simply Wall Street (yet again) now gives us ‘Palantir Stock And 2 Software Picks With Earnings Growth And Strong Balance Sheets’ (at https://simplywall.st/stocks/jp/semiconductors/tse-285a/kioxia-holdings-shares/news/palantir-stock-and-2-software-picks-with-earnings-growth-and) giving us a second different view. Where we see “Palantir generates about US$2.8b in revenue from Government customers and US$2.5b from Commercial customers, with most of its sales coming from the United States and the rest split between the United Kingdom and other international markets.” As I see it, that sounds more like it and it is about what I have seen and expected, and with the additional “Palantir Technologies has become a focal point for investors looking at real world AI adoption, as its platforms power everything from U.S. defense programs to fast growing U.S. commercial clients. Recent revenue growth of 133% shows how quickly customers are scaling usage. The company combines very high profitability, including a 43.7% net margin and 26.8% return on equity, with a debt free balance sheet and strong cash holdings, which stands out in the software sector. At the same time, the stock trades on rich valuation multiples, insiders have been selling shares and contracts such as the UK NHS data platform face political scrutiny. That mix of quality fundamentals, AI partnerships with groups like Google Cloud and concentrated government exposure creates a story that deserves closer inspection.” At what point does that give credence to the setting that it was 20% overvalued? Perhaps that might be true (I am an economic noob) as gamers would state, but the settings are off. I get that Palantir will face a much harder 2027 and optionally 2028, but ChapsVision isn’t in all the other places yet, this could happen and it will eat away from the pie that is now Palantir, and I for one do not think their excellence in Gotham is easily matched, but give it time and in 2029 it might be a different story, but that is looking too far ahead (I might not even be alive then) and with the way the United States is taking its international responsibilities there is a larger setting that this could happen and there is no way I can type this blog whilst ‘enjoying’ sunshine at 2354 rads. I have medical evidence of that (read: Google Scholar)

So you all have a great day and consider limiting your exposure to LinkedIn, it will become the next hotspot for influencers and BS artists alike. 

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And just like that

So, here I was (actually I was there, my mind pointing east) and an idea crossed my face, you see, I just watched a Managuan walk (that’s a walk in Monte Carlo) and the warm spring sun was oozing over the YouTube video into my face when an idea occurred to me and this article (optionally a mere story) is meant for Larry the Oogly Googly Googler Brin (are you reading this Larry?) Because this is the second idea where you could gain billions in revenue, as I see it, you already dropped one idea, so it might be an idea to take notice of this. 

The story can start in many ways, like ‘Once upon a Time passing a Ferrari’ or ‘as I walked past the donna splendida walking the streets of Monte Carlo’ buy I am going with the stage of Directed Advertising, a new concept by me little old LawLordToBe. So as I was watching a video (not the one in the image below).

You see a car, but you are not sure what kind of a car it is (in this image, the color is a bit of a giveaway), women want to click on the woman on wonder what fashion this is. But Google has the DML expertise to turn any moment on any video into an advertisement and the pop-up gives all kinds of options. That is billions in revenue, optionally it is also a knowledge setting because I know that the building behind it is the Monaco Casino, but no everyone does, and as such any video becomes the starting ground of what call Video Content Analysis (VCA), Video Analytics (VA), or Intelligent Video Analytics (IVA). And all this related to advertisement revenue. There is a need to cull the use of it, because the mainframes of Google will go GoGo at the setting of this, but out could be a setting that in the beginning only those with YouTube Premium will have and that might get a lot more people towards Google Premium.

So Larry, what do you think of this. I reckon that Microsoft with all the copilots and claimed AI settings cannot get near what you could offer, but that is life for them. So as my mind goes all over this again, there is the settings of shops and locations that are stage for this, and with every video that has GPS metadata inserted, It merely becomes easier in the long run. But consider all the videos you already have, it would be the breeding grounds for loads of advertisements (like shops) and that is merely the statical setting. When you get to the next iteration of this, you could scan the car wanted and insert the colours in the brand advertising, allowing for a new level of advertisement branding. Cars make the most sense, but it could be a (motor)cycle as well. Time never stops in this setting.

You simple never know what interesting settings you encounter and DML could make short work of the encounter and merely give you the ups and downs of what you referred to. Well that was it for today, perhaps tomorrow I will look at what the news is bringing, because this morning I got way too much Trump reality (Which is a delusional weirdness) to say the least. 

Have a great day.

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Just when you thought it was over

I was just alerted by a newscast from the BBC, the story gives us ‘US-Iran talks postponed as Vance pulls out of Switzerland trip’, so after we hear that a deal is in the bag (I think this is the 40th claim) we see news that Israel bombs Hezbollah, with lloyds giving us ‘Iran imposes mandatory insurance on ships transiting Strait of Hormuz, with fees likely to follow’ I reckon there is no if or but for that, it is a setting that will follow, Iran is still playing its games. I am happy I gave my IP to Saudi Arabia and the UAE, I saw that there is never ever a way to trust Iran and I created the IP to scuttle their harbours and railway systems. I am (yet again) proven correct. So whilst we see that two hours ago ‘US-Iran talks postponed as Vance pulls out of Switzerland trip’ asI see that neither side is seemingly serious about talks and a stop to fighting, the stage was foreseen by me, because (me being slightly biased) Iran is only willing to talk whilst they are regrouping of awaiting rearmaments, which is why I set the IP for destroying harbours and railway systems. You can delay whatever you want, but when no ammo is getting through they either talk or they go down and I saw this before march. So whilst we are given “But Washington said plans for the talks had “not been finalised”. It added that the US looked forward to “beginning technical talks as soon as possible”. Switzerland’s foreign ministry later confirmed the talks at the Burgenstock mountaintop resort had been “postponed”, although it said preparations for talks were continuing. Swiss military and police officials had been patrolling the luxury hotel set high on a mountain overlooking Lake Lucerne, and a media centre had been set up for journalists.” But personally I don’t think this would have ever worked. The entire Hezbollah setting would have drowned this before it started and only 8 minutes ago we are given ‘Iran tells Hezbollah US talks impossible without comprehensive ceasefire in Lebanon’ and as I see it, Hezbollah never wanted any peace to begin with, optionally neither did Iran, as such the talks were a void setting before it began. And the stage of “no fee for 60 days” is as empty as it sounds, what fees were in place before all this? In this ADNOC has a solution in play and should be placed before years end, Aramco has another solution also in place, as such Qatar, Iraq, Bahrain and Oman are getting hung out to dry. So who considered bombing Iran? Why did they never hit the refineries? There are 9 or 10 refineries, why are they not all down? It is simple strategy. Consider that Sun Tzu wrote the Art of War roughly 2500 years ago. We learned there that “Sun Tzu argued that prolonged engagement exhausts both military and financial resources. In business, this translates to avoiding endless price wars, which erode profit margins and destroy capital faster than the competition” as such the refineries needed to be hit, only then would Iran talk, whilst they have options they will delay without remorse, add the Hezbollah setting and the gulf states get a much harder time.

We see the numbers (courtesy of ABC News) and whilst Iran has oil production, they can continue attacking the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Qatar (and others) removing their ability to pay for resources to attack and options for the west and the gulf states open up. Basically I am whistling Dixie, so why were the United States not ready all whilst they presumably bombed Iran for $26 billion, we can assume that these thousands of bombs were not aimed at the 9-10 refineries. Why?

So whilst we are given (source: Lloyds) “The move challenges a US-Iran agreement guaranteeing toll‑free passage”, with the additional “Iran demands vessels use its preferred northern route, with threats of penalties for non‑compliance”, and in what universe do others decide on what course a captain steers? They can only do so in set conditions but these do not seem to apply. A setting that was doomed from the start, so whilst we are given “Iran has asserted its control over the Strait of Hormuz, insisting that vessels comply with new terms and conditions to transit, including mandatory Iranian insurance for all vessels”, so whilst we see that there is a setting of failure in all this, from beginning to end and I wonder why this is. I am not more intelligent than even the mid level officers in the Pentagon, so what is going on? I am voicing read literature, I see the failures all over the field and I am not versed in military strategies like officers of any army and I can see this as clear as bottled still water. So what is going on? Is the United States now so desperate that if they go under, so everyone else gets to go down first? That is where I land and I wonder if I am mad, but the data we all see is pointing in this direction. And the United States has Vietnam as an example so what gives? And in all this the press should be asking all kinds of questions and they seemingly are not. So whilst my version could very well be incorrect, no one is offering any options that makes sense and I have been seeing this from march onwards. And I don’t believe that I am more trained than any colonel and higher in the Pentagon, my view seems to make sense. So you tell me, what am I not seeing, or what am I getting wrong? But that is merely my point on all this. So whilst we will get ‘some’ report on what is seemingly going on, the things I wrote about from March 1st onwards and lets not forget that President Trump claimed that a deal with Iran was close, and now we seem to get the idea that he gave the farm to Iran, who does that? Who neglects bombing the refineries all whilst 26 billion in bombing runs were made? One source gave us that the United States had struck 2,000 targets using more than 2,000 munitions, so not these refineries? How does that make sense? ABC gives us that Shahran oil depot and the Aqdasiyeh Oil Warehouse were hit, but no refineries? All whilst Iran has hit refineries in Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Qatar. So, who is wondering the same thing I am? What is going on? 

Have a great day and enjoy the upcoming weekend.

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There was more

You see, yesterday I came up with a new lore system and it kept my from the real setting of the game, because there was a lot more. The first part was that there was a reason why I felt affinity to Paradroid and Hacker. The idea was that there were two mainlines (I had not chosen yet) the first was that this was a recon setting for aliens, the second was that survivors of this world were working from a separate setting (I fancied that one a little more) and the only way is to interact by invading technology and drones with a nano virus but it needs to be a lot more structured than just invade a server or a combination of systems, But the idea is that these nano bots can only invade systems in combined efforts (like a server and a drone in unison) from there we get to see a larger setting and from one system we can combine systems to invade a CCTV setting, but CCTV settings are often shielded, so you need a path towards that setting. So I has not worked it all out, but there was an evolving setting connected to all this. So whilst we get that any CCTV system has connected systems, we need to combine a larger connected systems to connect to larger and bigger connections, so there needs to be somehow an evolving setting like Hacker, where we connect to a drone and CCTV systems, but how to do that and keep an interesting game? That is the question I was bending over, but not in the way Paradroid did it (it had its own charm) and I didn’t want to plagiarize that. From that setting I merely had the idea that several autonomous systems could be infected, but that is the extend the game had ‘traction’ and I didn’t want it to be too much of a stalking approach, other than the need to find out what had happened to the people of that place (like a viral attack, or simply a air-conditioning defect) So whilst I was focussing on elements of the game, I was designing the game in real time, because that is how my mind works and the setting is that different devices had its own versions of Lore, so they are all stories, often not connected and it gives the overwhelming feeling of data. That is bound to happen in all these settings, so how to focus that? I gave the lore setting a go and from there the lore was bound to all kinds of things and I had to create a decent amount to overwhelm the senses (and the game) with lore that might seem bound to have a connection. So there I was in what some would seem a steady stream of data, but what is relevant? You cannot have a ‘data game’ with no responses and all relevant data, that is not how it tends to work, but I was trying to figure out how to get to the good stuff and an overload of data tends to be the setting in many cases. So whilst we ‘infect’ drones and systems, we need connect elements and find a way to connect to a system, the best option is to infect a drone and see where the connection tends to go, so we get two locations already and the evolving nano system has limits in the beginning, so it needs several of both for the nano system to evolve into a stronger system, it needs to develop, just like a real nano system does. But autonomous nano tech is not ‘up for grabs’ and as such I had to evolve the ideas in my brain on how to evolve these settings. 

So whilst I was considering all that, the lore system evolved in my brain and it had many connected benefits and it could benefit the future of larger gaming, because lore tends to be the larger setting for many RPG games and a game about hacking and data has an abundant of that, so while there is a need for the lore, the idea of lore writing itself making the game replay-able has benefits. So does the idea of creating a CCTV mesh of data for an entire city. But that is another mess to consider. What mattered is that I had to figure out how a nanotechnology system could evolve. There is the ‘breeding’ setting where systems provide the resources to breed (like connecting a resource to a router or a dead drone), from there we get more nanotechnology at our disposal but I was still working this out, so when we get more resources we get more nano tech to work with, yet here is also the limitation, although a dead drone could provide thousands of drones, they are stuck un a place, as such we need to connect one to the other and that is part of the puzzle I am working on and how to make this a decent part of any game is the puzzle 

I need to work on, an idea is nice, but how to work this out is the puzzle a designer needs to focus on, because not every idea makes a decent game and that path is riddles with the carcasses of optional great ideas and it still beats the news junk on how newspapers are trying to voice the setting that a ‘great idea for peace’ is not the setting that Trump got played by Iran and how Israel is set towards inaction against people that are trying to destroy Israel and they will not stop, so all that settings are a bit dreary and not worthy of my time, or at least that was how I felt about that yesterday, all whilst we are getting less than an hour ago ‘Trump’s Deal Sidesteps Key Reasons He Went to War With Iran’ (source: Wall Street journal), as such we will see more ‘news’ on the setting that the USA is too broke to be considered a player on the world stage. You see some claim “According to U.S. Treasury financial statements, total federal liabilities have grown to nearly $48 trillion against roughly $6 trillion in assets, leading some economists and commentators to label the government as technically insolvent.” (Source: Yahoo News) Or the fact that “The national debt exceeds $34 trillion, equating to a debt-to-GDP ratio of over 123%” (source: Forbes) and I have been saying this since ‘About America, chapter 11’ Which I published on August 26th 2014, almost twelve years ago (at https://lawlordtobe.com/2014/08/26/about-america-chapter-11/) as such you have all these economic professors who ‘object’ to that setting whilst the setting of the last year are showing me to be the correct party, even though I have no economic degree, I do know data., I have been dabbling in data for decades. As such the game came to my mind and as such the avoidance of the ridiculous war setting was invading my mind for weeks, because at present ‘Trump lashes out at “fools” who oppose Iran deal amid bipartisan criticism’ (source: CBS News) and ‘Senate Republicans raise alarm over Trump’s deal with Iran’ (source: the Hill) as I see it, soon there is no place for the media but to go and delve into the insolvency of the United States, perhaps this president could use the Epstein files to divert the eyes of the media? (evil grin forming on my face), not to mention the musical acting of ‘Republicans slam Trump for caving to Iran in ‘disaster’ of a deal’ (source: Rolling Stone Magazine) an if you consider that the bulk of the media never really liked President Trump, consider what they will publish now. And this is all before Iran sees its way to cry to the courts of international law in The Hague, so there is that still coming and all this could have been foreseen if someone served the power players coffee in the Pentagon, I think it is spelled ‘Covfefe’ (source: President Trump, first presidency) a setting that was clear from the beginning of March, but now that setting will hit the Republicans squarely in the face, as such it might become the most humorous midterms in November 2026 and I reckon that there aren’t too many Republican fans at present. So whilst those up for midterm elections are bound for the unemployment lines, we will see an abundance of mis-categorisations and as such this might be the turning point where the west is seeking a new player that could align with the Commonwealth and the EU and I personally am putting my money on a larger cooperative with Commonwealth, EU and the Arab states, the other option is that the Commonwealth and the EU will align with China. I think the second one is not readily accepted in the EU and parts of the Commonwealth. Still, the cooperative with the Commonwealth, EU and the Arab states could bring prosperity and optional good times for China and whilst the EU is pulling back from Microsoft and the United States hosting of over 4000 data centers. So when do you think well over 10% will be pushed into bad mortgage setting and written off to a rather large degree. All settings that will end an abundance of revenue and set the larger data settings off limits. I have no data to support this, but the crumbles of data are all over the place, the question becomes how connected are these slithers of data? I will let you decide, I have to put some effort in creating a new game, which is much more enjoyable than any political setting. 

So you all have a great day and someone keep an eye on Iran and their connections to Hezbollah and Hamas and when they will ‘miscommunicate’ their intent and it all starts all over again. 

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Its not the news

That is a setting we often wonder about and I did when I saw ABC giving us ‘Australia downgrades travel warnings for Middle East but region remains volatile’ it gives us that “Australia has downgraded its Middle East travel advice for key Gulf hubs, easing warnings from “Do Not Travel” to “Reconsider your need to travel”.” It is true and it holds water (as the expression goes), but the absence of Iranian pushy and bully needs, together with the absolute setting of why the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Qatar were targeted in the first place is seemingly absent from this discussion. As I stated, it was not up to the news, but they are so “driven” to give us the whole shawarma (enchilada applies to Mexican travels) I wonder why this is absent. So I get that it impartial news to some effect, but the stage where no one seems to hold Iran applicable, all whilst they are seemingly driven to unfreeze billions in Iranian funds. I am merely of the setting that the UAE is due tens on billions in travel damages and a few millions in actual damage done to the UAE. So there is the stage where I also want to know what the trigger is for the “Do Not Travel” setting, as I do not know what the reason is that this was ‘still’ in place as the stage for flights to and from Abu Dhabi gradually resumed in early March after precautionary airspace closures. Etihad Airways launched a limited commercial schedule on March 6, and UAE airspace officially reopened for normal air navigation in May. And we are now in mid June, so what gives that delay? So whilst we get the need for “Reconsider your need to travel”, it also sets my schedule t this need as I haven’t had a vacation since 2005, so my need is optionally high and Abu Dhabi is still on my bucket list (as is Toronto), but that is another story. So whilst we are given “Foreign Minister Penny Wong and Assistant Foreign Affairs Minister Matt Thistlethwaite said in a joint statement, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) had assessed the conditions in the specified countries and determined it appropriate to drop the level.” So, whilst I get that we are given “Australians are being told to closely monitor warnings, avoid crowds and prepare for emergency scenarios including military escalation. “If warned of an imminent attack, move to an enclosed hardened shelter,” Smartraveller advice states.” I can’t stop wondering whether this is done to siphon off some travel to the UAE towards the United States (a place much less appealing at present) So, I get that the average civil servant tends to be a pussy, the delays that are seemingly in place, do not make much sense. Unless there is a delay factor in place where others are seemingly really helped by the delays towards other destinations. So, I do get that people think of me as a ‘doom speaker’ or a ‘conspiracy individual’ but consider the setting we have seen on the last three months and consider what Iran has been pushing for, including bombing places that have nothing to do with the American-Iran Clambake (with special appearance of Israel). At what point was the UAE ever part of this and when is the media exposing that part of the essential finger pointing at Iran? So whilst we get that Google Gemini is now saying that “Abu Dhabi was officially back on the radar for Australian travelers on June 17, 2026. On this date, the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) officially downgraded its travel advice to the United Arab Emirates (UAE)—including Abu Dhabi and Dubai—from a Level 4 “Do Not Travel” to a Level 3 “Reconsider your need to travel”” where my point of view is that this should have happened at least a month ago, as such we need to see what is in play at this setting and what are we not told? 

Yes, I do sound like a conspiracy theorist in all this, but consider what has taken place (like some president claiming 38 times that a truce is about to be signed) the fact that the global media is seemingly in the dark from the attacks on the UAE where we have been notified that from 9 April 2026, the UAE has intercepted and destroyed 537 ballistic missiles, 2,256 drone attacks and 26 cruise missiles fired from Iran and the only ‘setting’ that we are given that part of a plan Khamenei designed before his death, ordering that in the case of war with the United States and Israel, Iran will cause regional chaos across the Middle East, with the purpose of pushing their Gulf neighbors to pressure for a halt to the attacks, and as such there needs to be a clear warning towards Iran that this has to stop, I even gave the UAE and Saudi Arabia designed IP to scuttle whatever Iranian options there were to destroy its infrastructures, because that is what concerned citizens do to the enemies of what these citizens see as friends, we don’t bully or threaten, we just come to their aid with whatever we can and I gave them IP that would stop Iran, but that is neither here nor there. You see, it is about the media and the media has been playing a dangerous ‘hands off’ setting and now we see that the politicians were playing along, because as I personally see it, Foreign Minister Penny Wong and Assistant Foreign Affairs Minister Matt Thistlethwaite could have given that speech at least 2 to 3 weeks ago, so what was the delay? Was this the most they could delay that for? You might think I am a loon (actually, I am bat crazy), but consider the timelines. What attacks did Abu Dhabi airport endure? We know that at least three confirmed drone and missile attacks over the last decade. They were February 28th, 2026, January 17th, 2022 (by Iran backed Houthi terrorists) and July 26th, 2018 (also by Iran backed Houthi terrorists) so when you know of this, what was the lowering of travel advice not done sooner? I reckon that May 2026, when Etihad completely resumed its flight schedule would have been a good point lower the travel advisory, which was 5 weeks ago, but I get that (optional) pussies are bound to delay these settings. So we can say that the ABC news is a little overdue, but not due to their efforts. I think that several governments have to make amends to the UAE, but that might be merely me seeing this setting. 

So, you all have a great day and I (optionally affected by a little too much oxycodone) will do some dreaming of the Warner Brothers theme part whilst also floating on the Al Raha River a 300-meter peaceful lazy river located at Yas WaterWorld in Abu Dhabi. We dream what we can especially when we are in a winter setting in Sydney at 17 degrees, dreaming of 32 degrees sunny weather that is in Abu Dhabi. We do what we can.

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The art of the wheel

That is what I saw when I saw the Politico article ‘Trump promised no Iranian nukes. His deal may never do that.’ (at https://www.politico.com/news/2026/06/15/trump-iran-nukes-deal-hormuz-00962569) where we are given “Everything else Trump hoped to accomplish when he launched the war over three months ago remains a work in progress. And while the White House says it can hammer out specifics over the next 60 days, it took the Obama administration nearly two years to strike a deal that traded reduced sanctions and other economic incentives for Iran’s commitment to significant curbs on its nuclear work. On Monday, the White House offered little indication how it could meet Trump’s demand to get a better deal than the Obama administration in such a minuscule time frame.” With the additional “Iran has not destroyed its enriched nuclear material, dismantled any nuclear sites, or accepted an inspection regime — which has yet to be designed. And on Monday, senior U.S. officials said there was no guarantee Iran would. Their assertions that Tehran will never get a nuclear bomb are contingent on Iran abiding by mostly generic commitments it made in exchange for promises from Washington for access to frozen funds, sanctions relief and other economic assistance.” As I see it, America goes to war with Israel as its sidekick. They achieve nothing in 3 months, Iran gets its finds unfrozen and there are no guarantees on nuclear materials. How is this anything but a colossal lose-lose situation for the Trump administration? The quote that follows is ““The more that the Iranians are willing to work with us on their nuclear program, on verifying that they’re not building a nuclear weapon, on not funding radicalism and terrorism in the region, the more that they’re going to be welcomed into the world economy through a combination of sanctions relief and other economic measures,” said a second senior U.S. official, who, like others, was granted anonymity to discuss the talks.” With the additional “Iran, for its part, has said Tehran will maintain control of the vital Strait of Hormuz, hasn’t committed to any curbs on its nuclear program and will be able to access billions in frozen assets. The White House says Iranian state media depictions of the deal are overstated and designed to sell the accord to its public.” I might be hacking things up, this is unintentional. The writings here by Felicia Schwartz are good and I added the link in the beginning, so you can read it for yourself. The thoughts that came to me is that this might be the biggest fuck up in the Political field I have ever seen ad I have been around for a while. Considering that the United States wasted 26 billion on costings and bombings whilst admitting towards the media that this is not a war, how long do you think that Iran will wait until they go crying at the International courts in The Hague for reparations? So they get there funds unfrozen, the United States will face prosecution, which might get Iran another 200 billion and there is no agreement on Nuclear materials. So tell me how did the United States win anything? So whilst the Military intelligence has seemingly nothing more than “is believed to be stored deep within underground tunnel complexes near Isfahan and other fortified sites” I think a United States Marine Colonel said it best with “This was a clusterfuck from start to finish” But I digress. You see “While a formal declaration was never made, the United States was involved in direct hostilities with Iran that began on February 28, 2026 2026 Iran war – Wikipedia. The Trump administration initiated major combat operations and engaged in strikes alongside Israel Britannica, maintaining that congressional approval was not required under the War Powers Act due to the defensive nature of the actions” I wonder who his lawyer was, because bombing ‘to the stone age’ is not a defensive nature of actions. Iran never attacked the United States (as far as I know) there is the added option that Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the UAE will also file for damages. Not are where that would go, but it would likely come out of the Iranian freed and gained funds. I could be wrong, but that I how I would play it. And all this gets another setting as we hear that on June 15th (source: BBC) “Trump says deal to end war with Iran already signed and details to be released ‘pretty soon’” so a war was never declared and is now optionally ending? How is this anything less than a complete waste of resources, manpower and spend ammunition? 

So as we see the stages evolve into a setting where political people claim the limelight that they did a good job, the rest of the world is seeing another side and it will be rougher when Iran does take this to the international courts. They shouldn’t have any rights, but the law is not that aligned. So, we are now seeing “Iran is actively pursuing several high-profile legal claims in 2026, centering on a tentative Memorandum of Understanding with the United States, territorial claims, and international arbitration.” (Source: Al Jazeera) This all comes across like a bad joke and it is only getting worse. 

And whilst this is taking place, a new 60 day diplomatic framework and memorandum of understanding were recently agreed upon to halt fighting and begin negotiations. However, key issues, including Iran’s nuclear program and broader regional security remain highly contentious and unresolved. (Source: Amnesty International) Whilst I can’t vouch for the intel that the media has spread, the focus form a few sides (and several media outlets) give us a tentative nasty setting. And even as I focussed on the United States, but the side of Israel should not be dismissed. They have been under proxy attack from Iran for decades and whilst I am trying to keep this all as simple as possible, it might not be possible and it is exactly what Iran wants, to make everything as convoluted as possible. I reckon that they will want to play the victim card here. So the setting is weird, Politico is trying to keep it simple (merely exposing one side) but this stage is about to get a lot more confusing for all and the 38 times president Trump claimed that a deal was close is now playing into the hands of Iran, or so I believe is what will happen. And I could be wrong, but when it comes to Iran I merely expect the worst thing that could happen and multiply that by 2 (an optimistic setting I know).

That is what we see and we aren’t seeing the whole picture, or so I believe it is. So, have a great day and consider what you could be doing today, Vancouver is snoring and Toronto is getting ready for breakfast. I’m hours past dinner now. 

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Merchandise

That is the stage and the setting. You see I have been replaying the God of War games, because in the near future God of War Laufey will be released and I needed to get back into the lore of the game, which is nothing short of miraculous. So, as I was playing the game. I was considering merchandise. And I have seen several things in the God of War range, but never these ones and considering that God of War has over 76 million copies sold and therefor the fans run into the tens of millions. People have made wagers on a lot less. So lets take two examples.

The first one are these chests that Kratos smashes his fist through and Atreus uses his bow to smash (bad use of a bow) they have goodies and that is it, but what if there are three options. The first is a small one and fits on a desk with storage for office goods (paperclips/memo pads) you know the usual suspects on a desk. Optionally open holding pens and pencils. Then there is the medium version which could hold your treasured PS games, optionally 4k/Blu-ray too. Open the box and your favorite games are there for the selecting, for perhaps you have a urge to keep your Star Wars movies in a separate space, all options that make a room look cool, then there is the large version and that one is debatable. A small chest, an actual chest. We don’t think of them, like this anymore, but in the 60s/70s we had hope chests. A hope chest is a wooden chest or trunk that would store special items for a bride to use when she got married. Although, over time, the tradition has changed. My father altered a fruit chest (painted it too) to keep all my toys in (he called them my personal rubbish bin) So we get a supercool looking toy chest, or for whatever reason you want to use it for, the setting is that a chest like that might find a rather large interest and as the game carries love and favour of the gaming community, so will the merchandise. 

The second one are the coffins that are ‘freed’ (read: looted) by Kratos and company. These would be just in the small version and would hold pens, so your office or private office gets the cool stamp all due to the efforts of Studio Santa Monica, I reckon that they will act on this as it is their IP, so nothing for me (alas). But a good idea should not be stopped merely because it is not mine to wield. The idea is still sound, so I wonder why I have never seen these items in places like EB Games, JB Hifi or whatever localised stores you have. I reckon that there is coin in this idea and with millions of fans and the upcoming Laufey plus the setting that we are getting closer to Christmas and Thanksgiving, Santa Monica Studios wanna run like Santa to get in on this action. The simple reason that it is an almost guaranteed success and they already did the ground works for their games. I have no idea how this will play in Laufey, so there might be more, but that is up to Santa Monica Studios to cash in on. 

Merely putting the idea out there. Have a great day, almost Tuesday and my tooth is hammering in pain, so it is close to my highly needed overdose of Paracetamol, Codeine and Oxycodone so I can get some sleep. Life is not always feeling like roses, sometimes the thorns sting.

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