Category Archives: Media

May 21, 2026 · 00:00

I took offense

This happens, it happens to you and me and there is nothing wrong with that. In this case it was an article in the Middle East Eye (written by Andreas Krieg), Dr Andreas Krieg is a senior lecturer at the School of Security Studies at King’s College London, Royal College of Defence Studies and fellow at the Institute of Middle Eastern Studies. He has spent more than ten years living, studying and working across the MENA region. As such he knows a lot more about defense than I am likely to ever will. But still I took offense. It was (at https://www.middleeasteye.net/opinion/how-iran-war-broke-ambitions-little-sparta) were we see ‘How the Iran war broke the ambitions of ‘Little Sparta’’ and we are given “The UAE must abandon the illusion of strategic exceptionalism, and rebuild its autonomy through a collective Gulf security order” it is a decent setting, all whilst at present we see “Countries like the UAE and Qatar are moving away from pursuing purely independent, exceptionalist foreign policies, recognizing that isolated states are highly vulnerable in modern multi-front conflicts” this is seen as the “Small State” Dilemma. I am on the fence here as I am a little out of my frame of mind. Whilst we are given “The past three months have exposed the friction between Abu Dhabi’s ambitions and geopolitical realities. Iran’s attacks on Gulf infrastructure have confronted Abu Dhabi with the dissonance between its self-perception as a middle power, and its structural vulnerability as a small state.” It is one view to have and I cannot say whether it correct or not. As such we are given that “Presidential adviser Anwar Gargash recently lashed out at neighbours and partners, posting on X (formerly Twitter): “The friend has turned into a mediator instead of being a steadfast ally and supporter.”” Whist the added “His post captures the frustration in Abu Dhabi over the state’s inability to use its leverage to rally neighbours and partners around a more aggressive stance towards Iran. In an article last month, Emirati commentator Tareq al-Otaiba denounced Arab solidarity and multilateralism for its inability to collectively deter Iranian aggression. A month earlier, his older brother, the UAE’s ambassador to Washington, Yousef al-Otaiba, announced in an op-ed Abu Dhabi’s readiness to join an “international initiative” to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, with the UAE prepared to share the operational burden.” And these truths are that, they are truths, nothing more. You might say that this is all and you would be correct but when we see “Despite the UAE luring Russian money and oligarchs to its jurisdiction, Moscow did not come to Abu Dhabi’s defence. Beijing issued the familiar language of concern and stability. Washington reassured, but delivered very little in terms of deterrence.” It is here my offense started. Moscow is whatever Moscow wants to be and is in it for themselves, nothing new, then we get Beijing. I reckon that it is shy from any actions because it might cut itself in the fingers if they come out, but it is Washington and optionally Europe and the Commonwealth as well (these last two parties are my speculative addition) they all delivered very little as deterrence and that shows what friends the UAE has, it has none. Even though Washington was eager to claim the billions and throw it all aside for fake AI, no action are seen. As such I took offense and whilst I took actions the only way I know (as I have no military or diplomatic powers), I created optional IP and after I showed an idea for a canal, which is now surpassed by a pipeline and that might be the better option. Still, after the massive attacks from Iran, I handed my IP to the UAE, the first one was created in January 2019 in ‘The impact of insanity’ (at https://lawlordtobe.com/2019/01/20/the-impact-of-insanity/) where the IP would sink ships in the breakwater, closing harbours off for days, if not weeks or even months. The idea came from a Dutch bank robber who operated in the 70’s. As such I gave his idea new life. The one element I did not see was the time it would take for the ship to sink and if in case there was an inner hull I added a ring of C4, like a ribbon of prima cord (like off shore uses) and even if it would not open a hole, there would be several place where the inner hull would be punctured and the water would be coming in at a speed of several gallons per second. Then I went on creating IP to take out the rails of Iran, this would always be possible, but my way which I discussed in ‘With Ice please’ which I discussed (at https://lawlordtobe.com/2026/03/10/with-ice-please/) where I showed the idea to blow away the Rail Clips, holding the rails down. It can be done with little effort and the small explosives will do nothing to harm the rails, what happens is that the elements  holding down the rails will be removed with liquid nitrogen and a small explosion that would shatter these clips, do it in a corner, the train will not see anything wrong initially and as the rail gives way, the train will go bouncy bouncy down the hill and off the rails. It done correctly, several cargo trains will see this happening, reducing commerce for Iran and reducing the efficiency of their infrastructure. The elements that give offense was the fact that Andreas Krieg gave us that the UAE needs to be seen as a little Sparta. But as I see it, others that take offense of non-commitment and I for one created the IP that would enable the UAE to strike back. And I saw Iran as the danger that need not be around and I started to create options as early as 2019. I even had an idea to make their nuclear reactors useless, I did something, against apparently Moscow, Beijing, Washington and London that are all in it for themselves (as one would expect) but they had no problems selling fake AI settings for billions and I take offense to that, so I gave them optional solutions. And a I see it, it is a lot more than they are doing. I even crested the idea that one person could lead a massive drone attack, which came through the Iranian attack on Aramco, as such I gave the UAE (Saudi Arabia too) ‘Droning right along’ which I wrote on June 14th 2025, almost a year ago (at https://lawlordtobe.com/2025/06/14/droning-right-along/) I saw Iran as the danger it is and I created something for that, will it work? As I see it the China’s Chongqing drone show proves me right. My show will not be seen by a lot of people, but a dozen drones could be piloted by one person and the massive consequence for Iran is that they could lose refineries, airports and a few other places. And if you have half a dozen pilots, you could hit them all at once. Iran could say goodbye to whatever they hold on a near instant setting, it might take longer to make some instant noodles. As such whatever Andreas Krieg states, it merely creates offense as he says “All Iran needs to do to weaken the UAE strategically is to remind investors, insurers, shipping companies and expatriates that the Emirates is not an exception to the Gulf’s insecurity.” All I had to do is get even one of my IP to work correctly and it is goodbye Iran and I am willing to hand all this IP over to the UAE so that they can make it work. As such: “All I have to do, Is take away whatever Iran thinks they have. I cannot make the false claims President Trump does, because my ideas are not based on ‘beautiful big balls’ they are merely adaptations that were out there all along. They are all adaptations on ideas from WW2, with modern technology adaptations. Iran could lose it all and no billions are spent (Washington states that the Pentagon had an  estimated $29 billion directly), at best a billion is used to test the ideas and adapt the fabrication of these weapons, but the drones are already available, they merely need some programming adaption and then these drones are fitted with claymores, or a variation of them and that comes down to about $25K for the drones and the ‘packaging’ no billions were required. The package is dropped about 10 kilometer from the refinery and off they go. There are a few ways to go about it, but I am still considering that a MQ-9 Reaper could drop 2 packages with a abundant amount of cheap drones, as such tow refineries might be hit at the same time. As such, these investors might want to consider to bet against the UAE, there is every reason to consider that I could come up with a few more ideas to make Iran regret that they ever attacked the UAE, but as I see it and as I suspect that Andreas Krieg is seemingly aware of the strategy behind all the attacks on the gulf states, but I might be wrong in my assessment too, so there is that too. What I do know is that I have done more than any ‘proclaimer to be an UAE ally’ and I did it free of charge. So there!

As I see it, I might have made Anwar Gargash proud that there was at least one party willing to assist the UAE, even if that one was a mere tourist at best. And I do understand that even if I took offense, Andreas Krieg did nothing wrong. He did his job, but the article that he wrote came over massively wrong with me and perhaps that was his intent all along (even though he possibly tried to get someone more important to take notice of what he wrote). So have a great day all, I will try to create a few more obstacles for Iran if possible.

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May 19, 2026 · 19:21

A new dawn

Quantum Insider gives us less than an hour ago ‘Aramco And Pasqal Launch Saudi Arabia’s First Quantum Computer And Middle East’s First Commercial QCaaS Platform’ (at https://thequantuminsider.com/2026/05/19/aramco-and-pasqal-launch-saudi-arabias-first-quantum-computer-and-middle-easts-first-commercial-qcaas-platform/) as such, Saudi Arabia is adding a notch to their services belt, non oil services belt. As such we are given “Aramco and Pasqal officially inaugurated Saudi Arabia’s first quantum computer and launched the Middle East’s first commercial Quantum Computing as a Service platform, expanding regional access to quantum computing infrastructure and applications.” As such the Arab population will be Abel to tap into a new “The 200-qubit neutral-atom quantum processing unit, located at Aramco’s data center in Dhahran, enables remote cloud-based access for enterprises, universities and research institutions to develop quantum-enhanced solutions for industrial challenges such as logistics, CO₂ storage optimization and supply chain management.” In that setting Ahmad O. Al Khowaiter, Aramco Executive Vice President of Technology & Innovation gives us “This quantum milestone belongs to our Saudi researchers, engineers and scientists. By investing in joint training and research, we are building world class quantum expertise right here in the Kingdom—an expertise that will power the next generation of energy solutions, accelerate lower carbon fuel development, and enhance reservoir and supply chain optimization. Let this achievement be the catalyst for an innovation driven economy, creating high impact, future ready jobs for our youth and advancing Saudi Vision 2030.” At present the consumer can access IBM Quantum, Amazon Braket (not Bracket?) And Azure Quantum as such you can still count the consumer quantum profiteers on one hand as Aramco Quantum is added to the global settings of quantum computing and as I see it, it is more than “Aramco is not just waiting for quantum computing, it is helping to shape it as a global leader. This inauguration is evidence that the most demanding industrial challenges in the world are now being tackled with Pasqal’s quantum processors, software and specific solutions. For Pasqal, deploying our system for use in Aramco’s business-critical operations, while also being available to the region’s enterprises and research community, is a part of our core mission: to enable practical and secure quantum computing at scale today.” These are words by Wasiq Bokhari, Pasqal CEO to live by. In this age and setting that anything Americas are rejected more and more, merely the fact that this is Saudi setting and not an American setting might be appreciated by a large cluster setting of 1.7 million corporations comprising largely out of the 2 billion Muslims and they are fiercely offended by some of the western settings and the one Islamic providers is now offering their services. The fact that this gap is now appearing seems to set Saudi Arabia and Aramco as a quantum provider might give Saudi Arabia a few more options down the road. As I see it, the timing couldn’t be better for them. The article ends with “Under the terms of the partnership, Aramco will progress a roadmap of use cases on a production-ready QPU as a foundational customer, accelerating development of quantum-hybrid solutions for its programs across energy, materials and industrial operations. Other external organizations, including research institutions, universities, and enterprises, can use Pasqal’s cloud platform to access one of the few quantum computers in the world. Aramco’s domestic venture capital arm, Wa’ed Ventures, initially invested in Pasqal in January 2023, reinforcing efforts to localize advanced quantum technologies and accelerate the development of the regional quantum ecosystem. Since then, Aramco and Pasqal have built a structured quantum program targeting high-value operational challenges across multiple work-streams, where quantum-hybrid approaches unlock capabilities beyond classical computing. These Aramco work-streams include port logistics optimization, CO₂ storage optimization, well placement, rig scheduling, building the Kingdom’s quantum workforce, and making quantum computing available throughout the region.”

As I see it, it will become a brand new day in Quantum providers and I reckon that the other might have to downgrade their prices as one in three is now seemingly becoming one in four. The other three might have seen under ‘American pricing’ but Aramco is a different kettle of fish and as I see it, they are the only non American alternative out in the field and in this political climate there is the option for Aramco to attract a few other clients as well, who? I have no idea as there is to the best of my knowledge no data on a setting like this. It has never happened before and that is a nice setting for my old nogging (or so they say). It is another service that Aramco will be offering its clientele and it is one that is not easily found on the planet a whole new doorway to revenue is opening to Aramco and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Have a great day this Tuesday, Wednesday is still 5 hour away from me and New Zealand gets there in two hours.

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May 18, 2026 · 08:27

The new presiding solution

The mess we inherited is not one we asked for, whilst the dumbo’s of the World (all sitting in Washington DC) give us through the BBC (at https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cd0p4y9y48xo) ‘Trump warns ‘clock is ticking’ for Iran as peace progress stalls’ with the ‘threatening’ setting we are given through “They better get moving, FAST, or there won’t be anything left of them,” he wrote on his Truth Social platform. “TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE!” We are also given that Iran is attacking Saudi Arabia and the UAE again and the Middle East Monitor (at https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20260517-saudi-arabia-is-pulling-europe-toward-a-gulf-helsinki-deal-with-iran-because-washington-failed/) ‘Saudi Arabia is pulling Europe toward a “Gulf Helsinki” deal with Iran — because Washington failed’ where we see the words of Tamer Ajrami giving us “I said clearly that Gulf states “have nothing but to talk to Iran now”. That was not idealism or goodwill. It was hard security math: the old formula is eroding. Bases do not protect the way people assumed, and guarantees shrink the moment they face a real test. Today, this is no longer an argument. It is a reality driven by markets before politics.” In an article that gives us “According to Western reporting, Saudi Arabia is floating something close to a “Gulf Helsinki Act” arrangement with Iran—modeled on the Helsinki process of the mid-1970s during the Cold War. It would not be just a Saudi–Iran deal. It would extend to the Gulf and the European Union, aiming to lock in non-aggression, structured economic normalization, and monitoring and implementation mechanisms.” So, as I personally see it, whilst President Trump is acting like the pussy he likes to grab. He made that statement in September 2005 on some tour. So whilst America is kept holding the bag, the entire economic and political setting comes in the hands of Europe and it is based on a proposed regional non-aggression and security framework initiated by Saudi Arabia, drawing inspiration from the 1975 Cold War-era Helsinki Accords. So this example is half a century old and still what would some call the stuff of legends and others will refer to it as an example that the United States could have used to further their own needs. But instead they pissed off the Persian bully and facing an American bully they both did what they do best (read: shout incriminations and attack the people around them). I am happy that I gave my solution to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the UAE (to destroy their infrastructure without resorting to heavy bombings, but the effect would have been equally devastating. A presented a recap in ‘In Summary’ (at https://lawlordtobe.com/2026/03/23/in-summary/) giving the total view (to some extent) where Iran’s infrastructure goes ‘Bye bye’.

But in all this Tamer Ajrami gives us “A Gulf–EU–Iran non-aggression arrangement without the United States creates a dangerous gap: the Gulf and Europe commit to non-aggression, Iran commits too, but Washington and Israel still retain the ability to strike Iran. What does the agreement do then? Does it become a nice document that collapses at the first air raid?” There is a simple (or simpler) setting. You see, Iran merely needs to leave the Gulf States alone, if it still attacks Europe would be faced to escalate actions against Iran and perhaps that would also shut down any Russian escalations we se towards Europe, because if it sees the damaging outcome of even one European strike Russia hopes to be wearing brown pants, instead of red pants hiding blood and wounds. But I still like the approach that the UAE had, but Iran made sure that they are not willing to talk peace now that the Barakah nuclear power plant has faced the attack of drones. I reckon that both Saudi Arabia and the UAE have had it with Iran, there might no longer be an option to talk. I had the idea on December 14, 2021 when I wrote ‘Keeping my promise, part 1.’ It was a way to meltdown an Iranian nuclear react from the inside (At https://lawlordtobe.com/2021/12/14/keeping-my-promise-part-1/). It came to me as there are two certainties. One it was based on a Russian design and they want it to be implemented ‘exactly’ (for obvious reasons) and the fact that all engineers are struck with laziness, even when innovation might be called for. As such I created this untested solution, I am, after all not a nuclear physicist. Now that Iran attacked a nuclear power plant, I see no restriction to hand Saudi Arabia and the UAE access to this innovative strike in me and when a rector melts down it will be unavailable for work for decades to come. The design came with some warnings as three issues can only be resolved by a nuclear physicist, but its a freebee, so live with it. The setting of all this is that the world tires of Iran and there are over 2 billion people to wish they were somewhere else (not in this world). The time for talks and keeping nice is over. The Barakah attack clearly sets this out. But still  gives us another setting and we see this with “Gulf states and Europe “bypass Washington” in practice. That would mean refusing the use of their airspace and territorial waters for any military or intelligence activity against Iran. And maybe refusing to enforce sanctions that destabilize the region and recreate the Hormuz shock. This is not a small move. It would be a strategic shift.” And as I see it, that strategic shift might be essential as this president is leaving his post (in the very near future) a nation that is about to become insolvent and it will not be able to afford even a Changli Freeman to replace the jeep required to move a general from points A to B. They will not be able to enforce anything, not without the money required for such an action. As I see it, they merely have the annexation of Iran to look forward to (well their bank managers see that as an option). 

So whilst we are given (in the BBC article) “Trump’s message echoed his threat that a “whole civilisation” would die unless Iran agreed to a deal to end the war, shortly before the ceasefire was announced in early April. The president warned earlier this week that truce was on “massive life support” after rejecting Tehran’s demands, labelling them “totally unacceptable”.” It is my view that this will never happen, two bullies agreeing on a thing? I severely doubt it. As such the Gulf–EU–Iran non-aggression arrangement might be the only way out for Iran and at that point the United States and Israel has to halt its actions as well. They would face the larger consequences of both the Commonwealth and Europe if they don’t and I reckon that we will see a light show in Washington DC to keep people looking away from an ex-president running for his life, because that is the setting that comes with insolvency. Their will be no red carpet exit and with his (allegedly) 37% approval rating which seemingly comes through a 100% disapproval rating by Democrats and at least a 50% disapproval rating of Republicans no other option will be left to him and at that point it will take over a decade to mend the bridges President Trump burned between January 20, 2025 and May 1st 2026, that is the impact of what needs fixing and it will take decades to get it fixed, anyone thinking that this will be a done deal in one or two high placed meetings is delusional. 

As I see it, it comes with a new stage, but this is top of mind thinking, there is no data or clear evidence in this. This has never happened before, but a new stage might be forming. It will be a stage where the new power table is set to Commonwealth, Europe and Gulf States. I reckon that the gulf states invited to that table are Saudi Arabia and the UAE. But as I see it, it will be a non-option to both China and Russia, we might not care what Russia thinks in this matter, but China is a different stage. It might not like that new power block to be in place. But that is a though I am merely having. 

To all a great day and my breakfast is now 1800 seconds and 1000 steps away.

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May 17, 2026 · 10:05

In my mind

This is not some setting from “because I say so”, but it is a setting that I expect. To see what trinary systems (some call them ternary systems) can do ‘because of’ “Potentially higher speed and efficiency, allowing for less storage space per bit and more compact circuitry. Balanced ternary handles negative numbers natively.” The IT world is relying on the setting (because it knocks them of their throne) with “Difficult to design, higher power consumption in some implementations, and a lack of mature research compared to binary.” They are not wrong, but trinary is tomorrow and it is set to actual and factual true Artificial Intelligence. As such in my mind the system created 1,000,000 possible culprits, but the setting to identify this (with much in the middle of the data) we see a cube with a 100 layers of 100 by 100 people. Each person has over 100 elements and that is still a decent data setting. The binary solution gives us 4 reds (highly likely culprits), two dozen orange (people who are not to be dismissed as a suspect at present) and the rest is cleared, it took the binary solution 47 seconds. So in comes the trinary solution and it gives us two reds and 5 orange and it does so in 6 seconds. That is the setting that trinary beers binary gives us on 1,000,000 people. So when (lets for arguments sake say Oracle) gives the people the impact of that and the gain in computational power as well as offer higher information density and theoretical efficiency. The sales talk is done at that point and consider the amounts of data sources have, we can say that at that point Binary solutions are done for in a world where time matters and where efficiency is goal. You should not dismiss Fake AI that easily, because some people cannot afford trinary solutions before 2040-2050. But that setting if computational power is not to be dismissed. No matter what the binary tycoons claim. So in 6 seconds, the 19 non-dismissible people were disregarded on the foundation of the SAME data, because that was part of the exercise. And I reckon that shallow circuits will be a much stronger solution in a trinary setting that it ever could be in a binary setting. Don’t get me wrong, it will help heaps. 1 million people with over 100 elements is still 100,000,000 settings in a true/false environment. This is why I disregard (at present) as all AI, simply as fake AI. And for the people stating this is merely in my mind. You are right and fortunately I had an education from UTS and a degree in internet working. So we all have had that setting of data and non-repudiation. And don’t forget in a trinary setting non-repudiation is more than a simple equation. It will figure out that you and only you could have done something like that. This is why I valued Oracle (and optionally Snowflake) above all the others, by the time you are done with listening to the salespeople from Azure stating that this is the way to go, you are hooked and that is where you lose the fight. And when Oracle set up whatever they call there trinary database system, there will be a population of one in the forefront of real AI and those who were ‘enticed’ by the sales talk of others, because those salespeople don’t care about you, they care about their own product and they are set to do the best that their solution can do for you. Here language and legal settings matter, because they never outspokenly lie, they merely omit factors that they regard don’t concern you. Even Google Gemini give us “ternary remains limited by manufacturing complexity and lower reliability.” Every one who knows me knows that I am a huge Google fan, so where did Gemini gets that data? (simple: reddit) and it gives the source, but how was it verified and validated? And at present it is a true setting, but if you realise that this technology is still well over a decade away (at best) are they lying? You need to see the bigger picture, especially when these vendors trow phrases like “AI” around and when people are cluing up that it is all Fake AI, we will see carefully phrased denials like “they were all doing it, we just followed them” and that is where you see that these proclaimers are merely following one another. What a tangled web we weave. 

Still I reckon that Snowflake and Oracle will have transference systems in development, because I am not the ‘genius of one innovator’ others have similar setting in mind and they are preparing to give their customers the best that is possible with the current technology in place. 

So as we are looking at a day of rest (or like me slaughtering people in Skyrim), we need to consider the media frenzy that is evolving around us and be very careful what you accept as true. Even my statements should be examined. The one stating “My data is without flaw” is the liar in your inner circle. And be careful who you let into your inner circle because that is your decision and it will cost you the moment you allow the wrong person in your midst. 

Have a great day. So don’t think of this ‘article or story’ as valid, it is a collection of thoughts that are mine and even as I presume that it is all factual, it remains a story unless I can verify and validate the data I have and some of this was collected through fake AI, so I know there are parts that are not aligning. 

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May 16, 2026 · 10:51

The idea that it gave me

I saw a Vodafone advertisement today and it suddenly gave me an idea that (preferably) Google could use to create a novel setting. 

Now the prices on it doesn’t matter, but it is the idea of an MicroSD card with an embedded sim. The sim will be the encryption setting and optionally it could be used to read the sim settings to create an eSim. An Micro SDCard that encrypts whatever is put on it and only readable on THAT phone. There should be an option to decrypt it to another source, but it is up to the user to do that. An enhanced encryption setting from the moment it is inserted and as that Sim is not ‘connected’ the hacker will have its hands full trying to get to the goods. There is no doubt some will get through it, but as I see it Hackers are set in 4 levels. 

Government is the top level, they tend to ‘resolve’ whatever encryption is thrown at them, the are also on a ‘boy-scout’ level like NSA, GCHQ and so forth. And as I see it 99.99% of people are ‘safe’ from them. These players have no interest in you, if they do you are likely a very naughty individual. Then we get the cream of the crop in hackers. They exist for all kinds of reasons and they are highly paid, the question is, what do you have for them to take an interest? I set them in Orange, because this solution might mostly stop them, but equally they are the likely second to break through this encryption (or circumvent it), the others are the average and dodo hackers are they out of play and if they succeed getting through your encryption, you did something wrong. There is no real number of hackers, but if we set this to 250,000 hackers then the top two tears are basically set to a sculpted maximum of 2,500 and 2,450 have too much work and usually no interest in you. As such this solution might be an option for the next Google Pixel (11 or 12) encryption that also sets a larger stage of non-repudiation and as I see it, with all the fake AI out there, these settings require a much harder playing field and that might be through simmed SD Cards. 

And as an Android fan, I think Google should entertain that thought for their next Pixel, to be honest other Android players might consider this and as I see it Huawei might also take a gander to this, because this solution could benefit their Matebook as I see it. 

So, this might be a little tech of field and seen as useless to these captains of industry, but I had a thought and I put it to my blog and perhaps others will see this as an idea that merits consideration. 

All is fair in love and technical innovation and this was my brainwave today. I wonder what else I can think of this weekend. I can’t wait. Have a great day, almost time for lunch for me.

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May 15, 2026 · 10:49

Two simple points

I was made aware of two events, one less than 2 hours ago. Both by the CBC, the first one (at https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/u-s-duties-tariffs-canadian-mushrooms-9.7200052) gives us ‘U.S. to slap tariffs on Canadian mushrooms as growers warn of broader risks for agriculture’ with the byline “U.S. pointing to agricultural tax exemptions as justification for countervailing duties” there is a seemingly wrong stance on this. We are also given “A U.S. Commerce Department fact sheet released this week and shared with CBC by the Canadian Mushroom Growers’ Association says that following an investigation, the U.S. government will be hitting Canadian fresh mushrooms with tariffs of between 1.6 and five per cent. Countervailing duties are slapped on imports judged to be unfairly subsidized. Similar U.S. investigations have resulted in duties on Canadian softwood lumber for decades.” So whilst we see that this is unfair, the article does bring out a few parts that might show that American mushroom growers can see that they are unfairly handled. At this point there is a setting that the US government should intervene. It is also clear that this is not due to the growers, but by clever supermarket entrepreneurs who see tax exemptions to get cheaper goods and I get that they do this, but this trap, which was always a hidden trap, might be blowing up in the faces of all. We then get “CBC news asked Agriculture Minister Heath MacDonald’s office for a statement regarding the mushroom duties. A spokesperson pointed CBC News to Canada-U.S. Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc’s office for comment. LeBlanc’s office deferred to Global Affairs Canada, which has yet to offer a statement. The U.S. also launched a separate investigation which could result in further anti-dumping tariffs on mushrooms later this year.” In this case I would hand the reader: “is this anti-dumping or clever supermarket purchase policies?” There are different angles at looking at the dice that some are playing with. And this almost directly relates to the second article (at https://www.cbc.ca/news/investigates/sobeys-loblaw-maple-washing-9.7196767) where we see ‘Sobeys, Loblaw under fire for maple washing, as Sobeys ditches maple leaf symbol in stores’ which is accompanied by “Federal regulator has identified 127 cases of maple washing by retailers since the start of 2025”, the conspiracy theorists will blame American intervention, but I am seeing a place where those purchasing for supermarkets that they are on a sliding scale of disaster and they are choosing to level that sliding scale by a lot. So when we see “More than a year after the Buy Canadian movement took root, grocery giants Loblaw and Sobeys are facing increased scrutiny over “maple washing” the practice of promoting imported goods as homegrown.” And it is where we see “The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) slapped two Loblaw-owned stores in January with $10,000 fines each for maple washing, and one month later, two other Loblaw-owned stores got formal warnings for the same violation, CBC News has learned. Sobeys is also on the CFIA’s radar. The federal food regulator told CBC it has received multiple complaints about the grocer and maple washing and has wrapped up an investigation into advertising practices overseen by Sobeys head office.” I am thinking that it is time for a change. It is time for the Commonwealth when not producing their own goods, to buy Canadian /Commonwealth. 

A combines sticker with the flags of Canada, UK, Australia, new Zealand, India, Jamaica (full be honest, I am including Jamaica to complete a set of six). When this purchasing setting is invoked there will be several changes. When we prefer our (near) local produce over American produce, there will be a change in several ways and as I see it, the supermarkets can either adapt or go under. Canada did not start this war, but with the help of the Commonwealth it can finish it. And for those having stock in Sobeys and Loblaw can either sell whatever stock they have or lose a massive amount of money. When the bulk of the Canadians walk away from these two brands, these brands will feel the hurt of no sales really quickly. Some will debate that America started all this and as such they should pay and I am not deaf to that premise, but these two providers set the change in motion and that should not be rewarded either. 

As such we have options and I reckon that if the UK, Australia and New Zealand follow Canada in taking American alcohol off the shelves the impact will be seen to a much larger extent. And it benefits the Commonwealth too, Gin from UK, Whiskey from UK and Canada, Rum from Australia, and there are a few combinations that will give the Commonwealth the investment in their own products. I reckon that it will take less than a year for over a 100 brands to fall into receivership. Good idea from this US administration to cry ‘America First’ so when that implode on their plates we can move on towards cars and a few other items. There is great satisfaction in this, but there is another setting. The stage where we see that there is justice in anti-dumping tariffs and the United States has a valid point in protecting its home made produce and these two articles do not bear this out. But that might be my view on the matter. What does matter is that these two articles show that Canada is sailing a narrow margin boat across heavy waves and there will be enough casualties on both sides of the border to consider that there needs to be another way. Because that is seemingly overlooked and perhaps these two points are not as simple as they seem because there are several issues in play.

Have a great day.

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May 14, 2026 · 00:24

Creativity strikes again

In my previous blog I Kida promised a little present for the Abu Dhabi Media Network and I tend to be a person of my word. It started on Monday, I was thinking back to the movie of Little Lord Fauntleroy, based on a book by Frances Hodgson Burnett. I remember the 1980 version with Ricky Schroder and Sir Alec Guinness. Young Cedrics father was disowned because he married out of the aristocracy, the father had died years ago, but due to death in the family, his two older brothers mainly, Cedric is now the only heir to the title Earl of Dorincourt and he is sought out by Mr. Havisham, Dorincourt’s solicitor and a new life awaits him. But not to get to deep into the story. The setting could be converted to an islamic setting to some extent. If a person is not fully family, but in case of an accident the setting might change. I reckon that a ‘feel good’ movie of that kind might be welcome to the Islamic audience. As I am still a fan of Scott Ridley, I was thinking that the ‘new’ role replacing Sir Alec Guinness should be played by the Syrian actor Ghassan Massoud who made an excellent Saladin. Alexander Siddig (who played Imad) might make an excellent solicitor to Ghassan Massoud (basically he would become the new Mr. Havisham) Some adjustments might be made, because too much alike and it becomes plagiarism. The family might have fallen victim to an American (or Israeli) bombing (and with the current settings in Iran, such an accident might come across as very convincing. I reckon that the Abu Dhabi Media Network will have their own version of Cedric. I reckon that if the UAE is increasing its stamp on the western world a collection of feel good movies might have a much larger appeal than just Bangladesh, Pakistan and Indonesia. And to focus on the setting of an average person to be thrust into the world of palaces, sheikhs and wealth might turn a few heads too.

Little Lord Fauntleroy was also done in 1921 and 1936, but I never saw those. I initially saw the movie in the cinema and whilst that movie has the big setting in the Christmas dinner, this version might be around Eid al-Fitr or Eid al-Adha, which one I leave to the scriptwriters in Abu Dhabi. You can’t expect me to do it all and also, I am not Muslim, so I might get a few things wrong. But the setting of expansion for the Abu Dhabi Media Network is to go through the old masterworks and which works could be redone with Islamic paints and brushes. I am decently certain that Rudyard Kiplings Jungle book is out of the question, mostly because Rudyard based Mowgli on Arvind Krishna who is now working for IBM (small giggle from my side). I also reckon that Peter Pan is a miss for obvious reasons. But the idea to give Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes a rewrite is not out of the question. So consider that we are considering:

“the adventures of a man who, driven mad by reading too many American comic books and watching TV, as such he becomes a Djinn slayer and travel the cities as a aspiring demon slayer with help from a friend who is bound to keep him out of trouble. He calls himself Sbiristun the Djinn slayer and keeps on meeting a woman who he wants to impress, but she is an actual Djinn and sees Sbiristun as a fun escape from her immortality. So whilst she sends him on tours involving capers on reality and illusion interacting with madness and sanity and his friend does not see what see what he sees and this is where the madness starts.” 

Well, that is all I have for now, perhaps the Abu Dhabi Media Network sees options in both settings. If they do, they are welcome to it. As such another blow to the mundane life by creativity, have a great day everyone. I see that Vancouver is still on yesterday and it is not even breakfast time there yet.

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May 13, 2026 · 15:11

A yellow cap

That is the setting and whether you call it a yellow cap or a golden dome is up to you, but beware, a simple top of mind gives this a weird setting. CBC gives us (at https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/golden-dome-trump-cbo-cost-estimate-9.7196982) ‘Budget office estimates Trump’s proposed Golden Dome will have trillion-dollar price tag over 20-year period’ and I thought that this was another bleak idea (right along the Trump Gold Card, which apparently is a huge failure with one sell, which was allegedly given as a present) and that was it for me, but then the CBC gives me the one line that opens the debate. 

It was “Somewhat inspired by Israeli defences”, so you think that changing the name from Iron to Golden does the trick? Consider the implications. It works for Israel as it is roughly the size of New Jersey. Consider Texas, that state with Netflix issues (see yesterdays blog) is 10 times the size of New Jersey. It could be attacked from the south by Mexico border, the SouthEast amphibious/Cuba, West/North via Cruise missiles and then we get that Israel is mostly like minded, in the United States the threat of Asymmetric/Internal Threats is decently real. And this is merely one state. As I see it, Texas, Florida, California, Washington State, South Carolina, North Carolina and Virginia sets a new chapter all together. My (massively inaccurate) setting throws the amount between $3 trillion and $5 trillion and that is when the massive write offs happen, an economy that cannot afford anywhere near that amount. As such that $1 trillion over 20 years will need critical investigations. The setting is simple. Consider that the Israel can fit into the United States 465 times (approximately) and now consider that the Iron Dome is set to United States parameters and not made out of gold (pewter is more like it), that equation doesn’t even get close to do its work when we see the impact on what the Iron Dome would need to do in the United States. I think I am merciful when I think it s a mere 3-5 trillion that bill might be significantly larger. So when we see “The U.S. Golden Dome is envisioned to include ground and space-based capabilities able to detect, intercept and stop missiles at all major stages of a potential attack. Congress has already approved roughly $24 billion US for the missile defence initiative through Republicans’ massive tax and spending measure signed into law last summer.” As such the ability to detect might require an upgrade (an idea that the movie a house of dynamite (2025) gave me). And that is merely attacks from missiles. The setting that the United States faces through asymmetric sets these detection methods on lose wheels. That all requires manpower, construction and a few more kinks can show up. The cyber settings will become almost humongous and for the most they cannot predict what is next, some can’t see what is a threat now, but that is a different story. As I see it, Israel has had decades to create the iron dome settings and they did it will, but to apply this to a nation the size of the United States is rather ludicrous, on a side note, Canada would equally be unable to deploy a system like that, the cost alone would cripple the Canadian economy, only so that “The Boss” can sleep safely at night? Good luck with that idea. 

As such I have no idea what gave the Pentagon (or related people) the idea that this is a workable idea? I get that the united States might want to upgrade its defenses, but to throw it at a gimmick that has no foundation on reality is as I personally see it beyond silly. 

So whilst the article ends with “Sen. Jeff Merkley, a Democrat from Oregon, who requested the estimate from the CBO, said in response to the report that the missile defence project is “nothing more than a massive giveaway to defence contractors paid for entirely by working Americans.” Last May, the president said the Golden Dome would cost $175 billion US. The CBO last year estimated that just the space-based components of the Golden Dome could cost as much as $542 billion US over the next 20 years.” I seem to be on the side of Senator Jeff Merkley because it is as I see it more than a massive giveaway to defence contractors. It requires a lot more and it would requires military technicians and a massive monitoring issue on all these missiles and observation posts, Then you get exclude zones for these places and even as some will be the same, it might require a lot more and that is where the shoes become too uncomfortable to wear. As I see it, it requires a total overhaul of a system that was decent to begin with, which will make it prone to overhaul issues and the cyber nightmare that follows to overhaul it all is merely the beginning. There are a few more issues where I have no knowledge, as such I will not know all the issues but when I look at this from the ground at a distance, there is no way that $1 trillion will cover that and as such someone needs to take a critical look at this and I wonder what pentagon involvement was handed to the CBO in this. Just a thought to entertain. Well that is that from me, I will continue tonight on a better fairy tale, one that will grant Abu Dhabi TV the option to give muslim channels a desire to connect to Abu Dhabi TV channels. I can make fairy tales too, I merely hand them to the audiences to gasp at, no fear needed. Merely good feelings. Have a great day.

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May 12, 2026 · 00:23

They have what?

Yes, that is the news we get mere hours ago ‘Aramco and stc to deploy supercomputer in Saudi Arabia’, these puppies do not grow on trees and there aren’t many of them. It’s almost the same as a country is added to the nuclear arsenal. A supercomputer is a big deal and in this case it will increase the computing abilities for over 700%, that is a lot and Aramco is seemingly sharing that ability with the stc (Saudi Telecom Company) and it isn’t entirely unexpected as we were told that this would happen in the end of March. Where we saw “solutions by stc had signed a SAR 1.4 billion (~ US$ 372 million) agreement with Saudi Aramco to provide advanced high-performance computing (HPC) infrastructure to support operations in the energy exploration and production sector.” And here we see that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is taking data exploration in the energy sector very seriously and it would enable growth of this sector could enable this US$ 372 million investment in a return of billions annually. As the expression goes it will have an interesting return on investment and I reckon that this also goes for the Saudi Telecom sector and this could assist the Kingdom in all manners from large to small. It is the benefit of having your own supercomputer and it is apparently not the first one, they already have 7, as such in the ‘rankings’ of these bad boys the Kingdom would increase to a 12th position on the global ranking list. They won’t outdo the United States who allegedly has 171 of these data devourers, but that is still a standing that will help Saudi Arabia to crunch a whole range of numbers and I reckon that it is one of the very few in the energy sector, as such they will likely have a massive advantage, because as they have had a stable partnership with IBM, they will soon have the means to crush decades of data in mere minutes. It also beckons the thought of what benefits it could bring to the stc, as data mining in the telecom groups is pretty novel. Yes, we get that telecom groups (globally) use supercomputers to see how their investment holds, but there aren’t many to have direct access to one. The top500 list doesn’t specify what or how they are used, but with Saudi Arabia soon in 12th position, they likely have a few options they dod not have before and to get the output of data crunches in no more than minutes is the beginning of a few settings that have strategic benefits and as I see it, their exploration of a muslim customer base in the surrounding African nations will reap benefits for stc as well. To get the output of ‘What can we do now’ not set in weeks, or even days but in mere hours (creating the dashboard is likely to most intense part here) is not to be overlooked. I reckon that overseeing the refinery benefits now for Aramco will be the first expected setting, because that is where a mere 4 billion per percentage increase is seen and that system (aka doohickey) will enable this with all the data it has access to in mere minutes. So, the upcoming OPEC Monthly Reports should no later then December 14th this year be showing us all a nice upgrade of the abilities of Aramco. An advantage like that will stir the emotions of places like Wall Street nicely and whilst some will trivialize what this will contain, the setting of decades of IBM data and the computer power that is added leave me with no worry of what Aramco could be achieving in 2026. 

Have a great day, it Tuesday now for me now, so enjoy whatever day you are in (only New Zealand is ahead of me in time). 

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May 11, 2026 · 02:51

By the numbers

There is an old ‘saying’, it comes from the late 70’s and it goes a little like this:

There are three ways to lose your company:
Through women, which is the prettiest method.
Through gambling, which is the fastest method.
Through Statistics, which is the most certain method.

In the 50 years that followed we learned that the first option might be the prettiest, but you still end up with a working company. The second one is still an issue, but the third one is still under consideration, Especially with the presumed setting of AI (or as I call is NIP or Fake AI.

This all came to me when I was bombarded with charts and there are numerous ways that we are handed these charts, but it also gave me a consideration. You see, no matter how deep you believe the data to be true, it remains a consideration that any data is flawed and through that setting not entirely trustworthy. 

You see, this is the country with the most migrants, but what I am missing is where they came from. I saw another article in the BBC, which gave us ‘La dolce vita: Is Italy the new tax haven for the global rich?’ (at https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20260421-is-italy-the-new-tax-haven-for-the-global-rich)here we see “In France you also have to pay a property tax (taxe foncière or land tax). “We don’t have that here for the prima casa (first home),” says Robert, although he notes “there is a high charge for refuse collection”. The best thing as far as he is concerned is that there is no inheritance tax on property you own in Italy up to €1 million ($1.1 million) and it’s only 4% beyond that threshold. In France the tax-free limit is much lower – €100,000 ($110,000) – and beyond that it’s a sliding scale up to a top rate of 45%.” The story is about the ‘global rich’? All this might be true, but I believe that there is a larger migration into Europe. The setting that Americans are leaving, a setting we got in the Wall Street Journal on February 25th 2026, where we saw “The U.S. experienced net negative migration in 2025, with an estimated loss of 150,000 people, a trend not seen since the Great Depression.” And if you are ‘really wealthy’, you skip Italy and go straight to Monaco, which is a zero tax nation. So that first chart is nice, but where they came from is more interesting, especially in the era 2026-2028. 

We then get the second chart, which shows us where the youth is scientifically. Here we get the first issue. There is consideration that these numbers are flawed n some cases. As some give us: “There are approximately 1.2 billion young people aged 15 to 24 globally”, and I know enough of the failing of data, to give you the fact that there are no data sets giving us 1.2 billion records. As such plenty of nations have worked with mean values and that is the first failing on that chart. Second it is nice to see the USA in 17th position, but they have a population of 349 million and not all can afford to go to University, then we get foreign students in MIT, UCLA,
Princeton, Harvard and Yale. So how are they counted and what is disregarded? Several questions on a chart because the data is missing (and footnotes too). So whilst these numbers might be indicative that those scoring over 500 are in a ‘safe’ place, but that is if we accept this number. And the explanation of those scores, with added footnotes on what is regarded as ‘valid’ is up for grabs. 

And then we get the main event, the one that baffled me for a moment, because is gave my thoughts optional validity, but then I need to be wary of a few settings, because without data, a chart is merely a weighted result and without N (total responses) there are reliability issues. 

We now see the top countries by natural resource value. It gives me my validity as the United States is show to have $45T in value and that is the setting that makes them optionally almost insolvent. Their debt is growing faster and faster and as it is now said to be $38.9 trillion, which amounts to exceeding 100% of their Gross Domestic Product (GDP), but as we see it, they have almost spend the total of their natural resources. I have an issue with that, because the rare metals are not in that list all whilst Wyoming, Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, and Arizona have it, as such that number is off (by a lot) and other nations have more (or less) natural numbers as the chart sets out, all whilst these numbers are not given either as such it is a nice chart, but incomplete and as such redundant. If I was to hazard a guess, this was a chart to show how ‘good’ Russia is doing, but as I never saw data on it all as such I have my issues with it. All charts look pretty cool, but cool doesn’t pay the baker (or the butcher for that matter). As such we need to wonder what the chart was doing, not what they tell you, but what they aren’t telling you.

That was just my setting on this and there is a lot more to consider so whilst the first chart gave us “The U.S. hosts 17% of the world’s migrants”, my initial question was “Based on what data?” And as people m ight give us the setting that the AI gave them the numbers and we know that AI doesn’t yet exist. We are given the thought that it is merely DML and that is done by a programmer and that programmer might miss a few beats to be optimistic (many more beat are likely to have been missed) and all this on flawed data? 

So what was the designer of that chart trying to persuade you to consider what was ‘their’ issue? Because when someone makes a chart, they want you to look into a specific area, or not look in an area that also mattered. Have a great day, another Monday parked on front of my door, Vancouver still has the bulk of Sunday to get through. Ah well.

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