Tag Archives: history

July 3, 2025 · 04:20

That new moment

Yes, we have all experienced it. New moments, they are often a little weird, almost never a bad sign and in my ‘current’ state a nice welcome. It was given to me by Arab News (at https://www.arabnews.com/node/2606650/saudi-arabia) and with the title ‘Mysterious pink glow lights up northwest Saudi skies’ we see a nice alteration after all these messages of collapsing economies with a touch of warfare on the left and right of the news columns. Still, a little doubt is also in my mind, for different reasons mind you.

I have been considering a few new loops in story telling and it had resulted in me seeing weirder dreams (seeing is a stretch as these dreams are followed up by almost immediately faded dreams and me yawning for an hour, like I went without sleep for a week). As such the pink glow was a nice liberation for my mind. 

The article gives me “This phenomenon could result from vapors of barium, strontium, and ionized oxygen released at high altitudes to study the upper layers of the atmosphere (the ionosphere).” The puzzlement lies within the setting of Barium, a soft, silvery-white metal, but it’s highly reactive and doesn’t exist freely in nature. Barium is found combined with other elements in various compounds. It is also used in medical imaging, specifically in barium swallow and barium enema procedures. The not freely in nature has me puzzled. I have had medical imaging before as such I was aware of its existence, but the fact that it doesn’t exist freely in nature sets the sphere that it was released over the air of Saudi Arabia has me puzzled. Then there is Strontium, with is found in earth’s crust (not high in the air) and is also produced artificially, including the radioactive isotope Strontium-90. Strontium is used in various applications, including fireworks, specialized glasses, and some medical treatments. As such the second version which gives us “This phenomenon could result from vapors of barium, strontium, and ionized oxygen released at high altitudes to study the upper layers of the atmosphere (the ionosphere).” I get that this might be a possibility, but why do this over the air of Saudi Arabia? The final version gives us “Abu Zahrah said that the spot also may have resulted from debris in the upper atmosphere, such as remnants of a rocket burn or satellite fragments, along with clouds of gases such as helium or hydrogen.” In this Majed Abu Zahrah, head of the Jeddah Astronomical Society, told SPA that a similar occurrence was recorded on May 13. This could be a true setting and the idea forms that there might be a case that starlink satellites might be colliding at this point (my very own speculative version) and that has the benefit of true as at present there are 7,600 mass-produced small satellites in low Earth orbit, as such someones calculations were a little off and these things could be banging each other (not in an intimate way) and these collisions could be why pink sparks are flying. As such there is the thought that Starlink cut corners and these satellites are hitting each other as they might be lacking the maneuverability to ‘avoid’ one another. As such we see the realistic setting that this will happen more often and in that process as more satellites create additional debris, more will collisions would be the result of all that. It is the setting of 1,2,4,8,16 collisions over time. As they are in low orbit it might be a lot more like 1,1,1,2,2,2,3,3,3,3,4,4,4,4 collisions who start imitating the American Tali band, going boom, boom, boom, but with a declining starlink operating setting. Perhaps Starlink has that under control as these satellites are easily and not expensively replaced. I con’t know, but that is a version that could be entertained. It merely gives me (in light of the barium and strontium) revelation by Abu Zahrah, what more were these starlink satellites able to do? If there is an imaging prospect, what are these 7600 satellites able to see? And they are all over the planet, as such there is a lack of oversight, perhaps by America, but the others people might not have the right discretionary setting tone able to avoid the gaze, like the son of the neighbour who liked the idea of your oldest daughter or wife seeing the inside of your bathroom and he is getting a completely new education in biology. OK, I reckon that these satellites cannot do that, but the neighbors adolescent son and his creative use of a webcam should not be dismissed this easily. And I get that I have absolutely no idea what is involved with these satellites (I am no astrophysicist) and as such there could be an innocent reason for barium and strontium in any satellite. The idea that 2 events (optionally more) is throwing satellite ‘debris’ in the air (a very speculative thought) does imply that this could result in casualties. You see, at the altitude as little as 340 km, a simple pallet size thing like a screw will hit anyone like a high powered rifle. The human skull is not equipped to deal with such an impact and it merely takes one casualty to create a new fear in people. As such the idea was shaping in my mind. But then I could be wrong and there is an innocent reason for these two elements to be on such an altitude. An FBI agent named Fox Mulder stated that he believes there could be an innocent reason. Something about his sister being abducted by little green man. I remain skeptical on his version of the truth. 

But the Arab News article got my creative vibes flowing and for that I gain a little giggle. Just like the idea was given to me on that additional floor in the King Fahad National Library that contains a few very books that will never touch the eyes of people, including the missing pages of the One Thousand and One Nights, which had a few pages removed as they were never supposed to be seen by anyone. I have no idea how many pages were removed and as such I don’t know what is missing, but creativity goes into the dark dimensions no one can ever foresee and as such we were speculatively withheld creativity. And the best stories and lore ate usually the work of a creative mind. And mine has its moments as well. So what is the real reason of the pink glow? I have no idea, but the mind tends to be forever wandering and mine is no different. 

So have a great day and consider the pink elephants some might see, I believe a person named Walt Disney explained that away in his own unique way.

Have a great day today.

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June 27, 2025 · 18:59

Something learned

That happens, even to me. Sometimes I learn something new. Yesterday it was through a story in the Al Arabiya (at https://english.alarabiya.net/News/saudi-arabia/2025/06/26/on-islamic-new-year-saudi-arabia-unveils-new-goldembroidered-kiswa-for-kaaba) where we are given ‘On Islamic New Year, Saudi Arabia unveils new gold-embroidered Kiswa for Kaaba’ with the byline “Made from 670 kg of silk and 150 kg of gold and silver threads, the new cloth is installed in a centuries-old tradition as fragments of the old Kiswa are gifted to world leaders and preserved in archives” it gives us “Saudi Arabia unveiled the new Kiswa, the black and gold cloth that covers the Kaaba in Mecca, on the first day of the Islamic New Year in a sacred tradition that dates back to the Prophet Mohammed.” As such this is a tradition that goes back a long time. I reckon that the event has been in place for over 1390 years and this is the first I hear of this? I know I had my mind on other things during primary school, but I was not that asleep and even after that I do not remember being told this, as such I reckon that many in the west didn’t know this. So not only were we told lies in school that the crusaders were there to fight of the saracens as they invaded to lands of Christ, now I learn that we were withheld a lot more than that? And there is a rather large setting. Consider the byline telling us “fragments of the old Kiswa are gifted to world leaders”, as such did no world leader in the west ever get this? I would imagine that Queen Elisabeth II got one, optionally Queen Juliana and/or Queen Beatrix as well. But I never heard this. So who is this event silenced? Consider that the new kiswa “The new Kiswa is made of 670 kilograms of natural black silk and 150 kilograms of gold and silver-plated thread. It features 68 Quranic verses embroidered with 24-karat gold-plated silver, all hand-stitched by skilled artisans using traditional Islamic embroidery techniques.” And I reckon that this should be shown in every newspaper on the planet, no matter if we are Christian, Buddhist  or Hindu. This is an important world event and we aren’t told this. So, when was the last time that you were intentionally kept n the dark? I get that it might not make front page news in places like Munich, Rotterdam or London. But no mention at all? I reckon that if the internet has one job, it would be to inform the people. In addition we are given “It is produced annually at the King Abdulaziz Complex for the Manufacturing of the Kaaba’s Kiswa in Mecca, and its estimated cost is approximately $4.5 million (SAR 17 million).” I would state that the need for a YouTube video on this process is seemingly long overdue (that is if there is no taboo against filming the event. Not all religious tainted event welcome filmmakers. When in doubt, try to find film on the Vatican library (just saying).

And that part is now shown with “The Kiswa is replaced every year on the first day of Muharram – which falls on Thursday in the lunar calendar – in a carefully coordinated operation involving over a hundred specialized technicians. The installation is carried out using electric lifts and scaffolding to ensure that no part of the Kaaba is exposed at any time.” OK, I get that until the new year this is not shown, but after the new year. Could it be shown then? And we conclude this lesson with “To protect the Kiswa from damage during the Hajj pilgrimage, a white cotton covering known as the “Ihram of the Kaaba” is temporarily added to its lower portion. This barrier shields the cloth from being touched, torn, or stained as millions of pilgrims circumambulate the Kaaba during the peak days of worship.” OK, I get that, but all of this is new to me and I reckon new to a lot of non-Muslims. So why were kept in the dark? It might be a Muslim thing, but as I see the news in Al Arabiya, I doubt there was a religious reason to keep us in the dark and this has been going on for over a thousand years (plus more then 300 years in change). 

So, if my calculus is correct, every side gets cut into 14 pieces, which makes it one massive piece each. With the caption that the photograph has “The Kaaba’s Kiswa is replaced in an intricate ceremony.” I am merely given additional questions. None of this was known to me. I feel no guilt as I am not Muslim, but these elements give us a clear showing that the media is double guilty. To leave the people out of such an event is clearly the most near criminal event I have ever been a non-witness to. Even if people could not go to Mecca (non-Muslims are not allowed there). Is it so strange that no TV channel has muslims that could do this? The event is near boggling of unbridled proportions. 

As such I feel I learned two lessons. The first of the event of replacing the kiswa, the second of the discriminating media of avoiding this event and my logic is sound. Because if no media was allowed, Al Arabiya wouldn’t have covered this either.

Have a great day.

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May 26, 2025 · 06:03

To all the dopey’s in the land

It sounds weird, but there are times that I have to flex my disgust. It might not be nice but at times you cannot stay indifferent to ignorance. And as such I start this Monday with a blog with a little scent of negativity. So Yesterday I saw an image. It doesn’t matter who send it as I do herald free speech at times. The person did nothing wrong and perhaps they believe this to be true. But I know better, or at least the evidence (I am pretty much always driven by evidence) gives my view the larger credibility.

As you can see, it is seemingly a leftish opinionated view. Some people feel that way and that is their right. But I have looked into this and what do I get as my response to “Based on what evidence?” I get:

As such, well I have read books (plural) the works of Stephen King, Alistair McLean, Desmond Bagley, John Le Carre, William Gibson, JRR Tolkien, JK Rowling, James S. A. Corey and many many more. I would feel safe to say hundreds more. So I have read books. So the person who did this:

Yet more importantly, I also read the UN report on this issue which I discussed in ‘That was easy!’ Which I did on February 27th 2021 (at https://lawlordtobe.com/2021/02/27/that-was-easy/) I shot holes in that document by some UN essay writer and I specified them, but there was one part I left out in the open. There was also the fictional setting from a book called ‘Blood and oil’ written by two wannabe reporters (as far as I can remember) and my response was “All whilst the report that gives us “the Crown Prince’s support for using violent measures to silence dissidents abroad”, a stage that is not met with actual facts and factual evidence.”

It is evidence that counts. Do I know that he is innocent? No, I do not, yet the law was unable to prove this to any degree and more important the media made all kinds of speculation whilst hiding behind ‘might’ and ‘could have’, similar to the UN report where we see terms like ‘high confidence’ by the CIA and ‘high confidence’ is not evidence. These are the people who claimed Iraq had Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) and they never gave us the factual evidence even though even though they had around 16,000 troops there. Evidence counts and we weren’t given any. It is as I personally see it ‘an American smear campaign’ and Huawei can tell you what that is like. They are still going through it. So what was the ‘evidence’ I omitted? Well we have all heard of those torture tapes but no-one (I say again no-one) gave us any factual and forensic evidence of this/these tape(s). There is not forensic report stating how long this torture lasted, forensic evidence that it was the voice of Jamal Khashoggi and such matters. Perhaps it exists and perhaps it does not. In the meantime the media threw all kinds of loosely connected stories and more than one by people who were ‘protected’ by anonymity.

That is the factual setting and the story I referred to has the actual document that the UN spread, so feel free to check that reference and the list of issues I found within an hour, isn’t it strange that the media never did that? It is the result of a smear campaign on behalf of a stakeholder vying for the needs of unnamed people. 

As such I debunked the setting of “On the left, the guy who ordered his 15-man death squad to kill and dismember American journalist Khashoggi in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.” In the first what order was there and who gave it? Then we get to “kill and dismember”, how is that proven. There was never a body and as for kill? Apparently he is living the sweet life on Bora bora with his mistress. A speculation that was never proven either. We merely know for a fact that he was at some point in the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul. That is all we know for sure. The rest is speculation and even the UN resorted to an essay writer, to set certain cogs in motion. Is my evidence any better? I can agree that some people state that this is not, but I am resorting and critically analyzing the data we are given and I used that UN document. At no point did I use any Saudi Documentation. So have a great day (it felt good to get this of my chest yet again).

135 minutes until breakfast.

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May 12, 2025 · 16:58

America’s shifting phase

This morning Arab News (at https://arab.news/9hjca) gave us ‘First Saudi-made THAAD system parts completed in Jeddah’ Saudi Arabia has been aiming for the need of internal national interests to have this done. We are given “Saudi Arabia has completed the first domestically manufactured components for the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system launcher in Jeddah, marking a significant step forward in the Kingdom’s ongoing efforts to localize its defense industry.” And as we are given “Tim Cahill, president of missiles and fire control at Lockheed Martin; Nawaf Al-Bawardi, assistant deputy of the General Authority for Military Industries; and Wasim Attieh, president of AIC.” We seemingly are all OK with this, this is not really news. Saudi Arabia was aiming for this all along. In this case the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system launcher (THAAD) was on show. But the story goes beyond that. I reckon that the FEINDEF 2025 (Spain) as from today was the second initial kick off, but there were other symptoms. There was the (DSA 2024) in Kuala Lumpur and the International Defence Exhibition and Conference (IDEX/NAVDEX) in Abu Dhabi, UAE. I personally believe that Saudi Arabia kept close eyes on the ready date of this system as it allows them to gain interest from Bangladesh, Egypt and Indonesia, they might not be ‘big league’ material, but Bangladesh and Egypt represent almost $5 billion each and Indonesia represents $11 billion. Now, they don’t spend it all in one go, but Saudi Arabia is said to get a speculated part of that and even with a mere 200 million (over all three) that becomes a massive boost for the Saudi Defence industry, even more so, it would be revenue that America and Russia loses. Gives the expression “when two dogs fight for a bone, the third runs away with it” a new side to that equation. So as Lockheed Martin is locking in their services and consultancy for close to another decade, Saudi Arabia’s first delivery system is gaining strength in the defence industry. Bangladesh being 35th, Egypt 19th and Indonesia 16th. They are giving strength to the Saudi Defence industry. So as I saw that market evolve in February 10th 2022 in my story ‘Oh darn, I am missing out’ (at https://lawlordtobe.com/2022/02/10/oh-darn-i-am-missing-out/) with those decrepit tea grannies, it took Saudi Arabia a mere 3 years to evolve their own market. They now have their own industry. So cry “stop arming Saudi Arabia” all you like, the only thing they’d hurt was the British defence industry. And as I see it, they are about to do a lot more than hurt ‘the British business’, they are gaining political power by giving the Arabian nations and Asian nations their own voice, not hindered by America, Russian or British political powers. Now they (meaning Saudi Arabia) become the global political power player.

As I see that, I am reminded of the old setting that my granny complained about the essential need of the young to rely their technology, so I switched off her life support. How’s that for fun?

The world is getting smaller and the reach of every nation is increasing and now we see clear settings (not through alleged sport washing) that Saudi Arabia is becoming the larger power in the global arena. In the 2025 edition of “The Military Balance” from the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) is currently on the 7th place, yet if this takes off Saudi Arabia will be in a position to become 5th, optionally 4th and their defence industry will be making a profit as the Arabian nation will see that Saudi Arabia is the ‘friend’ to hold in esteem, as that starts happening Pakistan might also change vendor it is at present a mere $10 billion, but as it is only 12% of India, it might see reason to switch if Saudi Arabia is willing to talk shop and that is another slice of pie that will not end in America’s or England’s budget. As I personally see it a start has been made for Saudi Arabia to become less dependent on their oil industry. Starting ‘small’ is a beginning, so as Saudi Arabia creates more options. I reckon that they would likely evolve their drone industry next, Saudi Arabia is becoming a much larger industry. Only 5 years ago we would have seen an industry with America, Russia, China and the United Kingdom as players. Now even at 5th place, Saudi Arabia becomes the new player in town and that sets a new premise for global economies. Russia and America never had to share that revenue pie and I guess they will have to content with less as per 2026 onwards. 

A nice setting for Saudi Arabia who is likely to seek more revenue from Pakistan as it is outmatched to India at 2:1 in the best settings they can hope for and that allows for larger business benefits for Saudi Arabia. We tend to forget that war is business and their business is war. A little outdated setting, but we forget that it isn’t ugly to some, it is a payday. An essential need for any nation is to defend itself from enemies hostilities and that setting is over 2000 years old. It was given to us by Julius Caesar (that Italian dude). He did so in Commentarii de Bello Gallico at 50BC.

I reckon that the Saudi defence industry will be more than a simple blip by the time we get to 2027, still three years ahead of the schedule we saw 5 years ago. 

And as I personally see it, these tea grannies (CAAT) are still drinking tea, but the option for a biccie with that tea will soon be done for, because the revenue you hurt also impacts what you can have and they vied for less, so they will have less. I take my learning from someplace else. America decided to hurt Huawei as they were a threat, now we have HarmonyOS entering version 5.0, and Reuters gave us last November that ‘Huawei wants 100,000 apps on Harmony OS within a year’, and set that against Alphabet (Google) had announced plans to cut 12,000 jobs, or 6% of its global workforce In January 2023, Amazon laying off 14,000 people in name of efficiency? (Source: MSN) and in 2023 Microsoft laid off approximately 10 000 employees followed by an additional 4 000 roles being cut in 2024. So with these big three ‘decimated’, who will counter Huawei? As I see it no one and now Huawei will have another industry to set foot in. Because all these Saudi systems require automation (as well as other options) as such HarmonyOS will be seen almost everywhere and that is only the beginning. Those who push to limit others, merely limit themselves and we have plenty of evidence there.

As I see it the shifting space of America is seeing that they never wanted other to be in certain places. This sounded like an idea in the 80’s when America was a global power, but they no longer are. They are mere steps away from becoming a third world country. You cannot remain a 3.4% military spending of GDP whilst being seen as a 37% of global spending. A 997 Billion invoice where in the fiscal year 2024, the U.S. federal government collected $4.92 trillion, not whilst you have $36.21 trillion in federal debt (and they cannot pass a budget either), it just cannot be done. As such the America setting will implode all whist their tech is set to impossible markers. 

As we consider this and we consider that the Russian stage merely sounds better (whilst it isn’t) there is every possibility that be 2027/2028 Saudi Arabia could become 4th or 3rd as a defence industry by that time. The idea that Saudi Arabia surpasses or equals America in three years is making me giggle. How the mighty fall, so how’s that for looking great, President Trump? It started on your watch in 2020 and almost a decade later you become allegedly surpassed by Saudi Arabia by 2027, a nice footnote in your memories and I reckon you will blame everyone but yourself in that writing. I am curious what the World Defense Show 2026 in Riyadh International Convention and Exhibition Center will give us. I reckon that Saudi Arabia will have a few nice surprises in that show. I am willing to bet that Huawei will have a stand there to in showing us what the Internet of things driven by HarmonyOS will give the world.  I reckon you need to reserve tickets for the event  on February 8-12, 2026 now. As I see it the first day will be for the larger customers, so February 8th has been sold out to preferred customers. So, when will you optionally go? 

I won’t be invited, so let me know how the snacks were, they tend to be magnificent at these events. Now I’m hungry, time for some peppered crackers. Have a great day.

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May 5, 2025 · 06:55

The Dutch gene

Today was remembrance day in the Netherlands and in 8 hours it will be liberation day. These two days are high in the heart of the Dutch, being Dutch by birth, they are important days for me too. On May 4th, the Dutch ‘celebrate’ Remembrance of the Dead. It is in May 4th and it is crowded by visitors and people who lost a family member of friend, well that was for the longest of time. At present they merely remember the loss of progeny and past family members. This is how the Dutch remember the dead on the day before liberation day which will start in about 8 hours. 

Remembrance Day set the focus on It commemorates all civilians and members of the armed forces of the Kingdom of the Netherlands who have died in wars or peacekeeping missions since the beginning of the Second World War. After that we get Liberation Day throughout the Netherlands. A wide variety of entertainment and events taking place to commemorate the liberation of The Netherlands during World War II. As I moved to Australia almost 2 decades ago, these two days still touch me on these days. Usually I watch the movie ‘The Assault’ during these two days (one day or the other) and after it was released in 2006 also the movie Black Book. 

They give us a near perfectly real image (as I see it to be) of the days of World War 2 in the Netherlands. I reckon that the non-Dutch might not see it that way. Most of us are nearly always washed over by a more action driven nature of what WW2 was actually about. Most of these moves are American (or British) of origin and they set the stage of a weaponized setting, but these two movies show us a country under actual occupation. A setting that tends to be confusing for most. Don’t get me wrong, the Dutch enthusiastically hated the Germans, that hatred lasted the better part of 4 decades. We (or better stated I) do not hate Germans, it all happened before I was born, my father was a youngling and only saw his parents being hit by the results of WW2. My family (as far as I know) was never personally hit by any doom, or actually losses because if it. And as far as I feel there is no need to propagate hatred under those conditions. You can tell me that there is another way, but the propagation of hatred because of hatred seems petty and wrong. 

Still there is need to remember those we lost there, in an age that seems it is handy to forget about them, I believe it is important to remember those who fought against the occupation by the Germans, so that we can see how important those days were. Especially now, especially as Russia is moving against the Ukraine and in this we see how courageous the Ukrainians are. The 20th Largest army in the world is holding the second largest army in the world at bay. So what are the reliable numbers? Will we find ourselves forced into the next war. As such it was important for me to see these two movies. They do not inform me as much as console my feelings and doubts. You see, with everything that is happening in the world for the people like Putin and Trump, we need to be sure of our feelings. A moral compass if you prefer. A set point of what was, not the media shown exploitation of digital dollars of what they would like it to be. At present the bulk of the media just want to see money (digital or not) and we need to resist flame grown emotions. 

As the Netherlands is about to enter Liberation day, we might overlook such events, but we need to make sure we do not, because the consequences will be dire for all concerned.

So try not to overthink this and have a great day.

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April 16, 2025 · 05:43

Mislabelled fear

That is what I saw when I took notice of the news in the Guardian called ‘US’s $2.36tn tourism business fears ‘Trump slump’ over tariff turmoil’ (at https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/apr/15/trump-tariffs-tourism-business) we might look at “Warnings emerge even as effect of economic and political turbulence on the foreign visitors to the US is hard to define” I disagree, you see, slices from UK (69 million), Australia (26 million), New Zealand (5 million) are now avoiding America mainly because of the Canada (51st state) issue. We took offense and even as I yearn to see the Epic Universe, I have decided that if I do get to pick a vacation, I will choose Warner Brothers Abu Dhabi over Orlando. I know that Warner Brothers will still see my money, but in this case 70% will go to Miral, a United Arab Emirates operator. In that same trend many will seek out Euro Disney, Parks in Tokyo and a few other places. And this is not for a mere year, this is for the duration of the Trump administration. Some insults are just a little too much to bear. Oh, and the Canadians with their 40 million people are also avoiding America. I didn’t think that it amounted to 5%-10% of $2.36tn but that could be because America insulted a little more than just the Commonwealth setting. Perhaps others see the weak American setting, perhaps the stage of the Ukraine is equally as upsetting as the Commonwealth setting. America has been kicking the wrong legs, just as interest payments of a 36 trillion dollar debt is due, America loses a lot more income. As such there is nothing that is hard to define, it is the cost of doing business and that part is becoming increasingly hard. 

So this fear is mislabeled, the proper labelling is seen as the price of insulting people, the price of neglecting people and as we see Europe taking additional steps like the fear of espionage on their people by Americans, we need to see that this will take years to undo, especially as Orlando just launched the biggest park in human history, 110 acres (45 ha) in the park itself and the overall size is 750 acres (300 ha), which comes at a cost of $7.7 billion to build, which is stated to be one of the largest and most expensive theme parks in history. Now consider what it takes to get this going, the hotels, the retail stores staff and such costing a bundle in its own right. So as we see the $2.36tn and the 10% lessened revenue and a slice is on that part. Epic Universe will do ok, because it will have millions of Americans wanting to see this place, and the use of influencers was well played, they all showed a place that nearly everyone wants to see. As such the lessened revenue will be felt all over America. Because those wanting to see Epic Universe will take their share from the other places. And that is merely one place. A mere fortnight ago we were told “Several nations issued travel warnings about potential safety risks in America, including Japan, Australia and Canada” others will take notice and that is the larger setting for America for now. So what will Comcast Corp. do? Put it all in a bad bank mortgage and loan and write it off? That would be the economic player will do, as such America will lose a hell of a lot of taxation these several years. Another part of the equation shown in a simple setting. What will happen? That is not for me to tell. But that is the setting that the Guardian is seemingly overlooking. 

So as we are given “Warnings that international tourism to the US could be hit by Donald Trump’s effort to re-engineer economic and political relations with the rest of the world are slowly emerging.” With an added “The Las Vegas Visitors and Convention Authority said last week it was projecting a 5% decline in room tax revenue for its upcoming budget – a decline that may reflect Trump’s trade disputes with Canada and Mexico. Those countries account for 2.6 million visitors to sin city, or half of international travel trade.” As such these two countries account for half the international trade? It seems that America created its own downfall, as I personally see it. And as we see the trend evolve, we need to understand that next year that trend will continue and as Europe, the Commonwealth and others will seek other paths to joy like Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Paris (EuroDisney), London,  Beijing, Tokyo and other places, the losses for America will add and add. 

They wanted to overwhelm the tourist industry and due to political pressures, they merely shown the other places that they might be more desirable. As such, the problem wasn’t hard to define, the Americans merely needed to look into themselves and the problem will exasperate. Consider these places and how they rely on international students to get cheap labour, as the BBC reported last week “Marco Rubio says US revoked at least 300 foreign students’ visas”, and that will have a trickle effect on those still seeking international student visas, they are more likely to seek education from other, non-US places. And the top 50 of universities has plenty of offers on the table for its pending international students. This might seem little, but plenty of business rely on the next batch of international students. So as you are sitting in a theme park hoping for a quick coffee, think again, they might be down a number of staff members because this is a short term impact, the term of summer and that is about to hit all the places that rely on the new batch of international students and with them gone their hiring approach needs to change fast. 

All these elements can be foreseen, but are these places taking notice? America is going through huge changes at present and that place is not ready to face the serious impact of the political pressures they tried to set to other nations. These nations are now retaliating in other ways and Canada seeking other location, other drinks and other choices was a mere first step. With Europe joining their homegrown defense spending, America will lose more and more. All this I put in my blog over the last 3-5 years. Even without President Trump the signs were clear, now they are merely escalating revenue losses and that is impacting America in a few ways. Tourism is merely the latter step, but this is the more visible one. It trickles down to nearly every level of the population, still, that might prove fruitful for people who had been unable to find a job. Still the report of a loss of $118B – $236B is not nothing, add to that lessened defense spending and the people not coming now, will hit tourism the clearest, but this loss will go into nearly very level of the American industry and that impacts small businesses a lot more than foreseen. 

This is merely my view on the matter, but I have been writing on these dangers for some time. Have a great day.

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April 14, 2025 · 07:33

And now for a momentous occasion

Yes, it was a momentous occasion yesterday. For the people of my generation (that would be the generation that is old and decrepit), Yesterday it was the 50th anniversary of Monty Python. I got told this by the BBC (at https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20250407-how-monty-python-and-the-holy-grail-became-a-comedy-legend). I completely forgot that it had been so long. I was there, in front of my TV when the birth of Monty Python was shown to us on a 4:3 screen and I saw it on a black and white TV. Terry Jones, Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Eric Idle and Michael Palin with additions from Terry Gilliam showed us a totally new concept in Television. They called it comedy and it was magnificent. 

OK, I have to make a slight adjustment. It was 50 years since their masterpiece Monty Python and the holy grail came out. The TV series are older. Still, we forget the larger picture. The movie made them globally funny, the TV was (in those days) often limited to Europe (mainly UK, Netherlands, Belgium) but the movie made them a global household name. These younger pups think that comedy comes from some guy named Steve Carell, what do they know? Apparently a marketeer from Dutch Barn disagrees, but I have no idea what that is about. And now that idea might never have worked, there is word that the youthful young Jim Halpert played by John Krasinsky was taken to a quiet place by his wife, so that’s that. And what do those people know? Monty Python was here first and it was magnificent. I remember those days. I was one year too young for the movie (14 years and older) but I became a knight who said ‘ni’ as well. I saw it a year later and it was magnificent. Of course I already knew Monty Python from TV and as such The TV characters were known to me but yesterday’s article brought it all back to the surface. Read it, it is a really good article. For one, I never knew that funding was a bit of a problem and the legendary band Led Zeppelin brought the bread to the table. We get from Michael Palin: “I say to people, ‘Led Zeppelin gave us £50,000 – and look where they are now.’” Apparently Pink Floyd also aided in the support of the movie. And it was money well spend. I still have the movie on DVD (I had the VHS tape as well) and it was the beginning of a great comedy movie franchise. And the setting of “the film’s budget was less than £300,000 ($393,000). This wasn’t much for a sweeping fantasy set in medieval Britain, so the team had to be inventive.” The realisation that that little money got a movie made that is still a character a timeless humor is to be revered. A movie that is hopefully still bringing in the pounds, shillings and dimes and it would have been doing that for 50 years. Today the average comedy like Evan Almighty is almost forgotten after 20 years, I enjoyed that movie and several other from him, he is a good actor, but the setting of 50 years is something completely different. It matters, and it brought a nice dish to the table. In the end the actor who played the Rabbit of Caerbannog was later served as Rabbit au vin and he was completely forgotten 2 days later, except for the eater, who caught indigestion for at least a week. Things happen.

Still, this milestone brings feelings to the surface, happy feelings and it was brought about by 7 youthful young individuals that went on shaping the stage of comedy. Later Terry Gilliam would blow my socks away with Time Bandits, Brazil, and later “12 monkeys” with Bruce Willis. 

Happy are feelings of those who bring is joy and the Monty Python team brought us a lot, including the thought that every sperm is sacred, so ladies don’t forget. 

Have a great day and if you haven’t seen Monty Python and the holy grail, try to see it this week, it will be the best thing you will have done all week.

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April 11, 2025 · 06:42

Nuance in Black and White

That is what we get, nuance, is it black or white? That is the definition of nuance for some and in this particular case Newsweek. Don’t bother with the 16 or 256 gray scales there are, because that is where their digital money is. But I took offense and that comes with a price. I am talking about the article we see (at https://www.newsweek.com/hajj-visas-saudi-arabia-travel-2056781) with the headline ‘Saudi Arabia Bans Travel Visas for 14 Countries’. It is here we see “Saudi Arabia has banned certain types of visas for travelers from 14 countries, weeks before the annual Muslim pilgrimage known as Hajj”, so far, so good is my view on this. The added “The country is clamping down on visa numbers by temporarily halting travel documents for visitors from a string of countries, with the suspension due to remain in place until after Hajj has concluded in mid-June. Officials made the move to address overcrowding and safety concerns, according to reports.” As such I see it a something that happens and I am OK with this. The issue is seen a little further down where we see “While last summer, Hajj coincided with a vicious heatwave, and more than 1,000 pilgrims died as a result of searing temperatures of up to 125 degrees F.” The issue is that the bulk of all these departed souls came from tour operators who sold them visas on ILLEGAL reasoning. As such they had no Hajj permit and as such there were no provisions, no busses and no shelters for these people. That is the nuance that I see as ‘intentionally skipped’ by Newsweek. I wonder how it feels to be the one intentionally misinforming the people. The nations who are temporary banned from visas are Algeria, Bangladesh, Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Iraq, Jordan, Morocco, Nigeria, Pakistan, Sudan, Tunisia, and Yemen. I presumably gather that when we look at the thousand or so victims of tour operators bungling the jobs are showing the numbers that make up these victims. Oh, and I have not ever seen any of the news outlets looking into the tour operators who ‘mis sold’ the travel arrangements for the people who went on their one way trip to Makkah. We do get that in another way “The Times of India reported that people are known to enter Saudi Arabia on visitor or Umrah visas and then overstay in order to perform Hajj without registering officially. This allows them to bypass a quota system, which allocates a set number of Hajj places to each country to help control pilgrim numbers. It is hoped that a crackdown on all types of visas until after Hajj will prevent the problem.” And Newsweek sets the second problem of misinforming their audience What I stated on issues like no provisions, no busses and no shelters for these people is skipped. The Saudi Arabian settings has settings for their pilgrims. There are shelters to temporary hide from the blazing sun, busses to take them to places (which set to be 20 miles apart) and there are water provisions all for those with the Hajj pass. These were all skipped by some and as this is set up for the 2 million pilgrims. As I personally see it, these tour operators became murderers for even entertaining that setting and those who by self interest avoided the Hajj settings did this to themselves, but I fail to see that these were all self serving. The only self serving option I saw was a tour operator making a quick additional buck or two. And Newsweek did nothing to point that out either. There were no investigations by the western media and that is offensive, especially as over a thousand people lost their lives. 

We are given in the end “Muslims with the appropriate visas will be preparing for their trip, while others may have to delay their plans until next year. Meanwhile, the kingdom’s officials will be gearing up for the annual influx of Hajj visitors.” And I like this, but the simple setting of ‘appropriate visas’ is massive and needs to be shown in these places. I reckon that Saudi Arabia needs to make a small movie, optionally on YouTube and TikTok showing the dangers of the wrong visa and optionally letting these people know that these tour operators need to be reported. I wouldn’t hurt to put the fires to the ankles of these tour operators, who I personally see as the number one culprit. 

Have a great and safe day. 

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March 30, 2025 · 06:45

The need for a credit card

That is what we all think at times. There are two stages that stop us for getting one, or to get the credit limit upgraded. The first is work. It is hard to tap into that ‘virtual’ resource when you are out of work. The second stage is that if you have a job and it pays, the future of the company you work for makes upgrading limits a genuine problem. Even if the bank approves it, you yourself at times wonder if you should make that jump. Rightfully so as you soon realise that you are merely working to pay the interest bills.

So where is this going?
Well America is in that situation right now. It failed to ‘bolster’ its size by claiming Canada and it is now in a bullying stage then there is Greenland, which is funny because no one wanted Greenland for the longest of times and now it get ‘courted’ by America. Of course the courtship (like any courtship) is usually based on lies and on presentations in a different direction. Like most men, the first notion of a courtship is to push his dick onto her vagina no matter the cost to her. This reminds me of a joke Jack Whitehall stated: “We all look at the village idiot in some way, here in the UK we put him on the street, In America you love village idiots. They end up in the White House” and that is basically the setting they face. His bully tactics are coming up short and for the most part the skeptics are watching what is coming next. I considered the options and as I have been keeping an eye on the American economy, I see the play they essentially need to play. You see, America has run out of Credit Card Space and they need to upgrade their credit card. So first they talk trash on Canada and try to make it their 51st State. But now that it is failing they need alternatives. 

But the cause is worse than the need, they now face massive changes as Canada, part of the Commonwealth is seeking alternatives with Commonwealth nations. Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom seem to be on board to support each other and that is what America never counted on. Then there is the EU and some of these nations (two at present) are dumping their F35 aspirations and they are looking elsewhere for their planes. It might not be large customers, but it is a beginning and that gives rise to alternatives.

Getting back on point.
We see news by several channels, ABC for one gives us “Mr Trump iterated that the island was important for US national security. The US president has not clarified how or when he aims to annex it, but he has not ruled out using military or economic power.” As I personally see it, the real reason is “Greenland has rich untapped mineral resources and oil and gas, but development has been slow” that same setting exists for Canada and the US desperately needs to upgrade its Credit Card and that is one way to set it to a reality. As I see it, as a Courtesan truly worthy of the name village idiot he sets the trash talk to stellar to make these two ladies drop their briefs and that isn’t happening. Moreover (I for one) and plenty of others feel very protective of Canada. Greenland less so, but that is a Danish/EU setting. The method employed is just too icky. And now as American debts are surpassing thirty six trillion dollars with no handle on spending, the credit card needs to be upgraded before America has to default on things. As such Canada needs protection from the Commonwealth nations or it gets dragged into that hole named America. And that debt is shown as $36,000,000,000,000 and two elements will hammer America. The first is that the debt is now higher that its GDP, this might not seem like it is a big thing, but these are trillions and there is no stop spending in effect. Also the larger issue is interest. You see, then we look at that we see that Australia has a 3.28% debt setting. I cannot say exactly what America’s is but it should be over 2%, this means that 720 billion dollars interest will be due every year (a little over simplified) and seeing that the American tax office collected $4.9 trillion in FY 2024, we see that 14.693% of the taxation is lost on interest payments and it is getting worse. So a nation that is spending in all the wrong places gets to live of 85% of its budget and last year (2024) it was dealing with a deficit of $1.8 trillion (or 1800 billion dollars). So what happens when you have to do this on 85% of your budget?

This is why America needs to upgrade its credit card and it is falling short. Especially as nations rally against the baboonic trash-talking bully tactics of the president of the United States. As well as national interest, particularly Canada and Denmark.

There is but one larger solution in play. When America defaults before it resorts to military options, the game is over for America. It would become a third world nation over night. If not than we have a non-preferred option and that is to run into the arms of People’s Republic of China. There is the chance that the world will react to a larger degree all American items, which is bad news for Apple and Microsoft, but that is the stage that is evolving.

I have the stage (personally fueled) that America collapsing is not the worst thing, but all those enjoying retirement plans that they saved up for their whole life, they can rejoin the workforce until they die. I reckon the ultra rich will lose a chunk of their value and they will evade to Bermuda, Monaco or the UAE to life out their lives. The rest will learn that the vote of 2024 was the worst day in their life but that is what we face. The rest of the nations have no reason to celebrate. When the dollar goes, so do the Yen and the Euro. As I see it, President Xi was ready for this by playing the waiting game. He will gain the economic options of 27 EU nations and up to 56 Commonwealth states. On the upside, Canada might get an infusion of cash as they build several airbases on their southern border (a presumption of me). The irony is funny, to pretend to serve national interests, president Trump caused the creation of Chinese airbases on their northern borders.

As Wall Street fixes on what is likely to happen, they need to set the shores of financial options and as I personally see it, those shores remain under attack for the better part of a decade and the is bad news for Wall Street as the economy doesn’t have that much time anymore. Im actually not sure how America survives 2026 at present. 

Well, have a nice day and consider where you are and where you are likely to be soon enough.

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February 26, 2025 · 05:35

The who now?

I do not know all the inn’s and out’s of sports, I freely admit that. I live in Australia and like Canada we enjoy an over interested sport community (read: a sport mindset population). 

So when I saw news item named ‘Saudi Arabia to host Islamic Games again’, I went ‘The who now?’ And this isn’t a new thing. As I read “Two decades after hosting the inaugural edition in Mecca, the nation is once again at the heart of regional sport. In November, Riyadh will welcome the world’s top athletes for the sixth edition of the Islamic Solidarity Games, event aiming to strengthen brotherhood among Muslim-majority nations.” So this isn’t a new thing. It has been going on for two decades. And we are about to face the 6th edition of these games. So how come I was utterly unaware of the existence of these games? I don’t need to be muslim to enjoy games I cannot participate in (for the most, with one or two exceptions I am not able to participate on any level in sports). So I was taken aback. 

Let’s recap for the sports ignorant people who might never have heard of these events as well and I am looking at the media with utter disdain at present for not illuminating these games. The first were held in Mecca. The Islamic Solidarity Games and these games involve elite athletes of the OIC competing in a variety of sports, as such we get to see the creme de la creme in sports compete. The first were as said in Mecca (2005), the 2010 in Tehran were cancelled, in 2013 it was Indonesia to host these games, which were done in Palembang, then it was up to Baku to host them in 2017, in 2021 Turkey hosted them in Konya and now, in August 2025 they will be held in Riyadh. So what exposure did these games get? I would have loved to have seen them in Indonesia. That place doesn’t get to much exposure other then touristy occasions. 

So what sports are shown?
Well, at present 28 sports have been shown and the bulk of these sports were shown as:

Athletics (since 2005), Basketball (since 2005), Diving (since 2005), Equestrian (2005–2013), Football (since 2005), Gymnastics (since 2017), Judo (since 2017), Karate (since 2005), Swimming (since 2005), Water polo (since 2005), Weightlifting (since 2005), Wrestling (since 2017)

These are the sports we are ‘familiar’ with in a Olympic setting. Right Nike? (I am talking to the goddess, not the brand next to me now). A little less known are the sports below, or at least I don’t remember seeing them in an Olympic setting. Nike is shaking her head in disbelieve and rolling her eyes. They are: 

Bodybuilding (2025), Handball (since 2005), Table tennis (since 2005), Taekwondo (since 2005), Tennis (since 2005), Volleyball (since 2005), Wushu (since 2013)

The list is important as they are ‘enjoyed’ watching by the bulk of the world, as such I cannot believe that I had never heard of these games. 

Media bashing
You might think that I am making light of the situation and perhaps that is true, but can anyone explain how any person remains devoid of this knowledge when we have countries like Canada, Australia, United Kingdom, New Zealand and America where sports seems to be on the mind of men optionally a lot more than sex? The old story (according to women) is that men look for their golf balls more than a g-spot? (no idea what they mean with that). 

It might sound weird, but there is a decent Islamic population in at least 4 of them, so why don’t these Islamic Solidarity Sports Federation and Islamic Solidarity Games enjoy a lot more exposure? As second issue I would raise that there is another hurdle optionally failed. The fact that in these 20 years Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates wasn’t a host. There might be many valid reasons, but with all the exposure that Abu Dhabi enjoys, these games could be flooded in the limelight as I personally see it. So will they host these games in 2030?

At present I am learning a whole new chapter in sports. And the next chapter will shock you. When I enter “Islamic Solidarity Games Riyadh” in Google Search I do not get ONE news agency on page one. Worse still, one mention from the BBC on page 4 which was given in 2010. The western world is sunning these games to THAT degree. The western world was eager to paint Saudi Arabia black at every occasion they could find regarding the 2034 FIFA World Cup. So where are they now?

I think the western media needs to take a hard look at themselves when it comes to sport reporting. We have seen a lot of media engaged in ‘Whitewashing sports’ when it comes to Saudi Arabia, so who will take the front space when it comes to showing the thousands of athletes and the struggles they face with these games? There is something to scold western papers on the fact that they are seemingly shunning thousands of athletes. 

The more I see exposed by the biassed western media, the more l appreciate having a cat.

Have a great day, I am 165 minutes away from breakfast (we all have our little day to day priorities). 

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