Tag Archives: Islam

It hasn’t dropped yet

That is an apparent setting and there is ‘no blame’ to anyone. But the simple setting is that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia hasn’t dropped the ball yet. They have set a few things in motion, but where it goes is anyones guess. I have had my settings on something massively similar since mid 2022. I wrote about it in my blog ‘Girdle your loins’ which I wrote on November 30th 2022 (at https://lawlordtobe.com/2022/11/30/girdle-your-loins/). I left the ‘issue’ with Andy Jesse (an Amazonian bigwig) because Amazon had the wave of the future and now as the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has acquired Electronic Arts, a new play comes into being. The only part missing is a streaming system and they might want to acquire Google’s Stadia and create games for the PS5 and optionally the Nintendo Switch (2) as well. If they include stream deck they are likely to maker millions of dollars and become a lot more competitive in the gaming sector. With the speculative understanding that Microsoft is then devaluated to fifth position and they become the new winner of the wooden spoon.

So what gives?
Well to see that, we need to go via the settings that I am seeing. The old setting was that the games from the 90s are remastered to todays gaming needs. There is an upside. If they acquired the IP of Electronic Arts, they might also have the jackpot, because EA released a massive amount of games in the late 80s and 90s. All these games are up for rerelease at present. This requires them to set up gaming studios in Saudi Arabia, but with this setting there is an ability to stream these beginners into high priced executives and it is all done in Saudi Arabia. There are the plain remasters, but when you think of a title like Defender of the Crown, a game that beckons Islamification and whilst the game premise changes somewhat, we now get similar location settings for Acre, Jerusalem, Antioch, Constantinople, Edessa, Damascus and Jaffa. There could be tactical upgrades as well and the setting that Saudis see as the battlements are increased in graphics and enhanced (like the movie Kingdom of Heaven, 2005) and that is merely one title. So whilst we see renewed versions of Command and Conquer, Syndicate, Dungeon master and a few others, these games in their near original state could beckon thousands of gamers (I believe it is millions, but being overeager is not a good thing here) and should Saudi Arabia take over the Google Stadia there is the setting that a streaming device is clearly in the hands of Saudi Arabia, optionally depriving American advertisers of coin, leaving it in the hands of Saudi Arabia. And there are plenty of gaming sides that could be renewed. It would allow a mash of Saudi music composers out the world, with enhanced graphics all over the place. Saudi Arabia now has the setting that could set them and my idea for that next generation console would bank them up to $6 billion annually and a lot more after phase two is completed. You see, what Amazon overlooked was the fact that there are 1.9 billion Muslims and a lot of them like gaming and they are spread over the Arabian peninsula, Egypt, Pakistan and Indonesia. There are also scores of hem all over the EU and America. These are all pockets of addressable gamers and that is what I saw as early as late 2021 and in 2022 I made my move where they could see these fractions become a force of  advertisable people (according to the Muslim rules of advertisement) 

So no mater what Saudi Arabia does, these games are a first step to get the waves of gamer coming into their fold. So whilst the gaming community had little impact on lets say Indonesia, it is a place with over a quarter of a billion people and I saw that a system could propel them into the light. Consider a setting where these businesses advertise in a simple book that is in every console and like the Yellow pages they could register for free and for a mere $1 per month they could get a little more space and a bold naming of their place. For $2 a month they could add a picture. Now consider this over the setting of Egypt (170M), Pakistan (260M), Indonesia (288M) and several other places at that point close to a billion people could register in the yellow pages of this console. Muslims advertising and creating awareness to other muslims. And it starts free and when the revenue comes in, they might enhance their presence and all this comes to the coffers of Saudi Arabia. I saw this 5 years ago and as Google dropped their Stadia I handed it to Amazon (they never reacted), so now Saudi Arabia gets the setting where a gaming company starts a mot more and whilst I feel certain the the revenue will be $15 billion plus after stage one and my estimates are conservative. I absconded from adding advertisement revenue, because that requires hard data and I don’t have any, I can merely speculate on this, but the console would bring in its revenue, but it all starts with games and now that Saudi Arabia acquired Electronic Arts, that setting is up for grabs and they could start creating games for the Sony PS5 and Nintendo Switch and these numbers are legion. After that the SteamDeck which will make them hungry to buy the Google Stadia and that is where the game changes a lot. Which added media, they could now get ready to overwhelm the Muslim world with an optional Saudi console. Perhaps  renaming it to the Kingdom Console might be an option? It is what is out there and it has been out there for over 5 years. So as these captains of industry dropped the ball there, there is no setting the might please Saudi Arabia more and as I see it, they need one other IP to be handed to them (which might be in the power of Google to do) but then the pegs are sucked and sorted and a larger option becomes available. 

What a nice continuation of this Sunday. Have a great day.

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Disaster through media

That is how I see it, it is not that they are wrong because as I see it, it fits directly in the views of a terrorist state and that directly hits towards their target. So what am I talking about? It is the article that the Guardian launched about an hour ago (at https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/aug/07/iran-war-trump-midterm-ballot) where we see ‘Iran plots to deal Trump a blow in midterms by keeping him entangled in war’, so whilst we saw again and again that a deal was coming through soon, which I always doubted, we now see this and with “Tehran has set out a protracted negotiating timetable designed to keep Donald Trump embroiled in the Iran conflict until the midterm elections, in the hope of inflicting the same ruinous blow on his presidency as Jimmy Carter suffered over the 1979-81 US embassy hostage crisis. For many inside Iran, inflicting meaningful revenge on Trump is a legitimate and self-standing war aim, reflected in the mood of those attending the funeral of the supreme leader Ali Khamenei where demands for retribution were ubiquitous.” The move makes perfect sense and I think that this will be the case. But we also saw about hour ago (at https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/8/7/saudi-arabia-pakistan-and-turkiye-sign-defence-deal-amid-regional-turmoil) that Al Jazeera gave us ‘Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkiye sign defence deal amid regional turmoil’ as such Iran is in a bind because these three will attack Iran if any of them is attacked. This leaves me with two thoughts. The first one (of a humorous nature) is that this might be the first time in history where Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Turkey and Israel have the same enemy, as such walking the streets of Tehran might be massively dangerous now. The other thought is that this puts the UAE standing alone and there is every chance that Iran will temper its false rage on the UAE, which is not a good thing. I feel better that I basically gave my military IP away to the UAE as well. Perhaps they can use it to sink the Iranian navy (it was a prototype, so it is not usable instantly). But this setting is now evolving, because the Guardian is also leaving us with “But the focus on the midterms became more obvious this week when the deputy foreign minister, Kazem Gharibabadi, told the official IRNA news agency that after agreeing a route for commercial shipping through the strait of Hormuz, it would take two to four months to reach the second phase of negotiations on Iran’s nuclear programme. The original plan – to commence the nuclear phase of the talks within 30 days of signing June’s memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the US – had been jettisoned by the Trump administration, Gharibabadi said. To get to that second stage, he laid out an obstacle course including the lifting of sanctions, the end of the US blockade of Iranian ports, the unfreezing of Iranian assets and new commitments on non-belligerence in a process that could last well beyond the midterms.” It also came to me yesterday as I wrote “Which beckons the setting for the midterm, because the military has its own share of democrats and when even one comes across with the actual numbers of all the stockpiles then no longer have, it is the opinion of this small, useless, humble blogger that the Midterms are set to the ‘inaccuracies’ surrounding those statements. A political deal done and it started with the actions surrounding February 28th 2026 and it wasn’t even a leap year.” (see previous article) and I wrote that story 10 hours ago, so I got to the setting of the midterms before the Guardian did, being it for different reasons. And all this gives us that either the United States uses what missiles they have to give Iran a one way ticket to the stone age, as such President Trump has a massive problem and if social media is to be believed, the setting of President Trump comes with prison time after he loses the Midterms. I have no clue if that could even be achieved, but that setting might be a disturbing one. Not for me, he has been massively nasty to Canada, so he would be getting what he deserved.

But as I see it the dangers to the UAE remains and I expect that they have no intent being the target of Iran any longer. As such I agree with the Guardian who gives us “From this perspective, the outcome of this war will not be played out on the battlefield, but at the ballot box. The agency suggested the outcome could affect the course of American domestic and foreign policy for years to come.” And we can all agree with that, because no matter how you see it, the worst case scenario is that Democrats start being nice to Iran, something that is globally unacceptable, still I have no interest looking into the mucky waters called American politics. And that reflecting pool will have its own set of disasters bound by time. So when we look at the end of the Guardian Article, we see “The bigger question is what Iran itself wants to achieve. Agreeing to keep the dispute simmering until November is not an answer to that question – one that Iranians are better at debating than resolving. Pezeshkian, working in alliance with Mohammad Ghalibaf, the chief negotiator, repeatedly says he does not want endless war, and insists that almost all the supreme national security council concur. He still has faith in the MoU, saying it should be the cornerstone of Iran’s foreign policy. But the conservative newspaper Kayhan describes the memorandum as worthless since the US always breaks its commitments. “Accordingly, officials should know that the strait of Hormuz is not a bargaining chip and should not be opened as a passage for America,” it said.”“ The only part I see happening is that price of oil will remain high and as I see it, it will not decrease nowhere near the midterms. That is a setting that the ‘speeches’ of President Trump also needs to bring him and I feel decently safe that the teleprompter will fail and President Trump will state that this was all a conspiracy theory (my turn to make a funny, Prime Minister Carney).

But the stage is not resolved, because as I see it (using the Al Jazeera article) where we see “The conflict has imperilled Saudi Arabia’s oil exports and ambitious development plans, and raises big questions about the reliability of its longstanding US security umbrella. While Turkiye and Pakistan have avoided significant direct attacks, both are anxious to calm regional conflicts that threaten their security and economies. The deal, named the “Mecca Joint Defence Agreement”, follows nearly a year of negotiations. Sealing the agreement in Mecca, the holiest site in Islam, adds symbolic heft to a pact that builds on longstanding bilateral military ties.” As such we see the this deal took the better part of a year to set, which means that this started all before the strikes on Iran started and that is good for the nations, but in that same setting it implies that they have had enough of Iran and I wrote about in on the second of June with “which was based on a 2019 idea on stopping Iran. With blocked harbours Iran becomes the isolated party others needed it to be” (in my article ‘Defeated by the timeline’) since then I added a few military IP’s to my arsenal, because we all have to remains creative at times. But it kinda shows that the UAE needs to evolve its military tactics and not always in a diplomatic way. Because the 537 ballistic missiles and 26 cruise missiles are evidence to that setting and there is a decent chance that the UAE, Qatar, Bahrain and Kuwait were all attacked in the near future and as Iran is a cowardly terrorist state, these nations will face more attacks. The “Mecca Joint Defence Agreement” are likely to keep three nations decently safe, the others might not be that lucky and that requires attention as well. And as I see it, they should not face attacks for the next 12 weeks, because Iran will suddenly play the little crying girl when the Trump danger has been settled and I don’t think that being nice to Iran is going to be an option before 2028, but that is merely me thinking and I think that enough gulf states are on the same page I am currently on. Yet this is not all, Al Jazeera raised a decent part with “Al Jazeera’s Osama Bin Javaid, reporting from the Qatari capital, Doha, said the pact “essentially puts three of the largest Muslim populations together”, marking the beginning of a “different security architecture” in the region.” It might make a large difference, but personally I would have liked that the UAE was included in that deal and with that I possibly show my complete unawareness of Muslim politics, but that might be my weakness in all of this as I am not Muslim. So to all a great day and I am (alas) still 300 minutes away from breakfast.

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That darn letter

That is the setting, especially for Saudi Arabia, it is the letter H as in Hamas, Hezbollah and in this case Houthi. We are given numerous updates. The BBC (at https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cj9d27v70j1o) give us ‘Iran-backed Houthis claim missile attack on Saudi Arabia’ which is as I see it a lie. It should have been ‘Houthi terrorists attack Saudi Arabia’ but that might be me. The BBC is so longing to soften whatever acts terrorist nations take in legitimate ruling nations. And this has been going on since 2015. At this point what we need to take notice of is “Growing concern over new threats to shipping in the Red Sea from Yemen’s Houthis helped push the price of crude oil back over $100 (£74.96) a barrel this week – the highest level since May.” Then we get (at https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-07-25/houthis-claim-missile-strike-on-saudi-arabia/106958410) ‘Houthis claim missile attacks on Saudi Arabia after announcing Red Sea blockade’ where we learn “Yemen’s Houthi rebels have claimed responsibility for missile attacks on the Saudi Arabia cities of Jazan and Yanbu, marking a widening of conflict in the Middle East.

The Iran-backed group’s military spokesperson Yahya Sare said in a statement that the group carried out operations targeting Saudi Aramco facilities in Jazan and Yanbu. Greek security sources said that air defence systems in Saudi Arabia had intercepted two ballistic missiles from Yemen on Saturday, which were targeting oil refineries in Yanbu.” As such I see the need for Saudi Arabia to make Houthi presence extinct. It is not a good think to make such a claim, but these terrorists have been acting against Saudi Arabia for over 10 years, whilst the west has done nearly nothing to stop Iranian weapons deliveries and several other issues to foil whatever acts Houthi terrorists were able to complete. In all this Arab News had (at https://www.arabnews.com/node/2652234/amp) this to say ‘Saudi-led Coalition Forces in Yemen strike Houthi sites as conflict flares’ with the additional setting of “Saudi-led coalition forces in Yemen carried out airstrikes Friday against Houthi military sites in the western port city of Hodeidah, in response to attacks on Saudi-linked shipping in the Red Sea, the coalition said. “We carried out a proportionate military response operation against legitimate military targets belonging to the terrorist Houthi militia in Hodeidah governorate,” coalition spokesman Maj. Gen. Turki Al-Maliki said on X, adding that the operation had ended.” As well as a statement from the Joint Forces Command of the Coalition giving us:

In all this there is a worry that Saudi Arabia is facing up to three fronts with Iran screaming in the background. There is no news regarding Hamas and Hezbollah, but the word is out there, especially as the accords that the United States pushed for Saudi Arabia to accept the Abraham accords, all whilst last year Hezbollah tried to get Saudi Arabia to unite with Hezbollah against Israel. To the best of my knowledge this did not happen, but the nuclear accords will push Hezbollah to take drastic steps. I have no evidence of this, but in light of what Iran has done in the past, there is a decent chance that Iran will push against Saudi Arabia using Hezbollah. Think if it what you will, make of this what you will. But I reckon that with the western press largely ignoring what General Turki Al-Maliki has achieved against these Houthi terrorists for over three years. I reported on what he had achieved as early as August 28th 2019 when I wrote ‘Corrosion or corruption in media?’ (at https://lawlordtobe.com/2019/08/28/corrosion-or-corruption-in-media/), as such there is a larger setting in play. It seems to be the case that someone is shielding Houthi forces from getting ‘exposed’ I can’t prove this but this is going on since before August 2019. So, as we see these attacks taking place, is there a reason why Houthi forces aren’t given the label terrorist by the BBC (and others) especially as they have been attacking and bombing civilian targets for years now, even using child soldiers in their acts. It is weird to see this in western media. I do see that there is a danger to use that term too readily, but as I see it, Houthi terrorists have gone way too far and they are merely ‘aiding’ Iran in their need to become the bully of the Middle East. I might overstate the importance of Iran, but as I see it, without Iran there is every chance to make Saudi Arabia and the UAE the power players they are destined to become. And it is my view on this that some other players do not want this to happen, but that might merely be my limited view on the subject. 

So as you go through this Sunday (Vancouver will join us in 15 minutes) there is every chance that some will tire of Iran and his three terrorist groups and I hope that Saudi Arabia gets the assistance they should have gotten at least 7 years ago. But that is another worry for optionally tomorrow. I don’t think that Saudi Arabia needs the assistance, but if the message becomes “We stand with you” a lot could be gained in the smooth execution of diplomatic settings and whether we like it or not, The muslim world (Saudi Arabia and the UAE) are part of our heritage and our destiny. I reckon that this setting was destroyed when the Catholic world gave us the treaty of Clermont (1095) when Pope Urban II gave us all the holy war as Christian knights to wage a holy war to reclaim Jerusalem. Which beckons the thought, when was Jerusalem ever part of the Catholic setting? As I see it (or read it) as per 1000–586 BCE: King David established Jewish control, and the united monarchy and subsequent Kingdom of Judah ruled until the Babylonian conquest, he was a Yahwist, the ancient Israelite religion centered on the worship of Yahweh (the God of Israel), then Babylonians, Persians, and Greeks (586–168 BCE) were ‘rulers’ of that land. It was followed by Hasmoneans and Romans (140 BCE–330 CE), so in all that time there was no Christian setting, as such we get Byzantines (330–638 CE) and Early Islamic Caliphates (638–1099 CE). This is what history tells us, so where were the christians? And at the near end of that, we get  that in 1095, Pope Urban II called for a holy war to reclaim Jerusalem. Around 10,000 knights and 100,000 foot soldiers and pilgrims took up the cross, promised absolution for all their sins.

The First Crusade was the opening chapter of a movement that would span nearly 200 years — a series of religious wars between Christians and Muslims fought over control of the Holy Land. It set the pattern for eight more major crusades to follow, reshaping relations between Europe and the Middle East for centuries. I think that some will need to reset their views and realise that the historic settings were influenced by a treaty in 1095 and it has brought war to the Middle East for almost 1000 years (minus 69 years) So when we consider that setting, we need to realise that destroying Houthi terrorists is in our best interest, because at some point they will refocus towards us and that will bring a few dark years to us all. It is the game that Iran has been working towards for a long time, but that is merely my view on the matter and after exterminating Israel that would be the next step ad it will hit us all.

Have a great day all.

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Reasons to see the Middle East

I was told in the Khaleej Times (at https://www.khaleejtimes.com/world/gulf/saudi-arabia-tourist-package-visa-service-pilot-phase) that Saudi Arabia is adding a few options. With ‘Saudi Arabia launches new tourist visa service package for 7 countries’ we are given “Saudi Arabia has launched a new tourist visa package which will allow visitors to obtain a visa as part of a extensive travel bundle, reducing the hassle of planning and booking an entire trip. The service allows tourists to book packages that combine various elements of their trip, including airfare, accommodation at licensed tourist housing, and electronic visa processing, with the option to add experiences, activities, and events.” As I personally see it, the vacation to Abu Dhabi and Dubai, optionally with addition to Qatar could now include an additional long weekend in Riyadh (or Dammam/Jeddah) with options towards the Kingdom Tower, Riyadh City Boulevard and the Grand Mosque, there are plenty of places and they now come as an optional addition. Whilst some go to other places through the worry that Riyadh might not have the options for a long time. We see that Riyadh has plenty to do as an addition. As such that tourist visa package could be the suitor for Saudi Arabia to get tourist traction and it could use that in the big picture of tourism. So as we also see “It is issued electronically within a maximum of 48 hours after the travel package purchase is completed, eliminating the need to visit a Saudi embassy or submit a standalone visa application. By including visa arrangement services within the package, service providers will be offering clients a smoother experience and design more integrated and attractive tourism packages, encouraging visitors to extend their trips.” Beside that we are given “The pilot phase of the program will be subject to specific operational requirements. These include the readiness of digital platforms and the provision of 24/7 technical support and visitor communication services. The ‘Tourist package visa’ service reflects a broader transformation in the sector, which is based on facilitating travel, strengthening partnerships with the private sector, offering more integrated tourism experiences, and opening wider horizons for the world to discover the Kingdom and its diverse destinations. The new service is part of a series of programs and services launched by the country in recent years to facilitate tourist access and enhance their experience, in line with the objectives of Vision 2030.” I reckon that this pilot will start this summer and when it shows the benefits to the tourist traction, it should be implemented in a much wider way. As I see it, Saudi Arabia could use the tourism boost and as tourists are avoiding the United States, these people need to go somewhere. In addition 1 in 5 people are Muslim making Saudi Arabia an optional point of interest and not all are likely to see Saudi Arabia as a vacation Destination, they will see Saudi Arabia as an optional additional location to other places and the most likely location was the UAE, so as I see it, this new visa might be the solution for Saudi Arabia, especially for people who need an additional or alternative location. The fact that this visa could be done in 48 hours after application implies that some of these people can apply whilst they are on vacation. Personally I only see upsides to this setting. Especially for the tourism in Saudi Arabia. Considering that Canada and the UK already have almost 6 million muslims, add to that the 26 million muslims in Europe, there could be a decent uptake of this solution in 2027. I don’t think it is only for Muslims, especially Riyadh. But I think that this category of tourists would have a first interest in seeing the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Coming to think of it (me being humorous) you could go to Dammam and see Iran on the other side of the Sea of Dammam (Iranians call it the Persian Gulf) and throw stones across the water to Iran. One can only hope that the Saudi population shares my sense of humour. Still as I see it, the addition to the visa package could be the start of a much larger intake of tourists for Saudi Arabia.

As I see it, the Arabian peninsula could be the hottest tourist ticket for 2027/2028, but what do I know. I am not a tourist operator. So you all have a great day, time for me to start making my pasta meal.

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Having faith

That is at times the setting, in this case the Hajj in Makkah is this year one of the largest ever. Arab News gives us ‘Hajj pilgrim numbers surpass 2025 arrivals despite Middle East war’ (at https://www.arabnews.com/node/2644824/saudi-arabia), and as Saudi Arabia still stands under attack by Iran, the religious setting goes on. I am one to state that Iran has no business to attack Saudi Arabia ever, and especially not in the Hajj season which is supposed to happen between May 25th 2026 and May 30th 2026. 

So as we are given “Over 1.5 million pilgrims have arrived in Saudi Arabia from outside the kingdom for Hajj, according to a Saudi official, exceeding the number of international visitors last year despite the war in the Middle East.” With the additional ““The total number of pilgrims arriving from abroad has reached 1,518,153,” Saleh Al-Murabba, the commander of Saudi Arabia’s Hajj Passport Forces, told a press conference late Friday.”So whatever the setting is, the faithful are giving us “For Fadel, there was never any doubt in his mind that he would attend this year’s Hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia despite the war and a US government travel advisory. “Even if the war were still ongoing, I would not have backed out,” the 49-year-old US national, who asked that only his first name be used, told AFP. “We are undoubtedly in the safest place in the world,” he added, referring to a passage from the Qur’an.” It warms my heart that the convictions of a person who if faithful believes himself to be safe,  no matter what religion he/she practices. 

So as we are given “As more than a million pilgrims poured into the holy city ahead of the Hajj, the breadth and diversity of the global Islamic community was on vivid display, with many carrying paraphernalia such as bags and umbrellas showing their country of origin. “This is an opportunity that comes once in a life and I decided not to miss it,” said Ibrahim Diab, a 63-year-old German national, despite the “shaky situation in the Gulf.” But even amid the euphoric atmosphere in Makkah ahead of the Hajj, some pilgrims said fears about the war had troubled them ahead of the journey.” We see that it will take very little for the entire muslim world to focus their anger on Iran, Iran has no friends left and when the gulf states focus their anger on Iran, the people that come under attack might want to go to hell (or Jahannam), they might want to go there for a cool vacation until the dust settles. We get ‘More than 1.5 million pilgrims brave fierce Mecca heat ahead of Hajj’ from Al Jazeera (at https://www.aljazeera.com/video/newsfeed/2026/5/23/more-than-1-5-million-pilgrims-brave-fierce-mecca-heat-ahead-of-hajj) where we see “Pilgrims beat the heat by sheltering under umbrellas and drinking plenty of water as temperatures in Mecca near 47°C during the Hajj, which runs from 24 to 29 May. Saudi Arabia expanded shaded areas at the Holy Mosques fivefold since 2024, when extreme heat claimed the lives of more than 1,300.” I partially disagree with that. Yes, there were 1,300 lives were lost, but the bulk of that were people traveling without a Hajj permit, as such they were denied the facilities that the Hajj permit holders have and Saudi Arabia has no choice when they have to tend to over 1.5 million people as well as the fact that those without a Hajj permit were not allowed on busses and in shaded places for people to rest, as well as access to medical places on the journey. Still, for an organisation to get less than 0.1% of the casualties is almost unheard of. That is near perfection of a system that tends to over a million people in 5 days. It is a pity that no one focusses on that and the we take out the illegal Hajj participant, the serviceability of the Saudi System has a mere 0.02% casualty setting, I have never seen a system this refined and this close to perfect. 

But there is more to having faith and Muslims will see that as they take their 5 day journey. They are only required to do this once in a lifetime, but at times I wonder who have done more than once, and what is the highest attendance rate of a person? I could not find any numbers, but that was a mere curiosity of me. You see, the Hajj includes pilgrims walking a total of 40 to 60+ kilometers. Which is quite the trek even under nominal conditions. Yet, at 40+ degrees (Celsius) it is not a nominal setting, it is a brutal attack on the senses and as such the Saudi System with a mere 0.02% casualty is almost too unbelievable to consider. As such there is no doubt that those attending the Hajj is a faith level non muslims might find hard to comprehend.

Have a great day.

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A digital setting

That was always in the works, especially as those so called ‘influencers’ were trying to get traction at the expanse of both Saudi Arabia and the UAE on LinkedIn and YouTube (optionally also on TikTok, but I do not venture there). So as we see the Defense Post (at https://thedefensepost.com/2026/03/25/lig-nex1-palantir-defense-uae/) give us ‘LIG Nex1, Palantir Expand Defense Cooperation in UAE’ which comes with the hidden byline, the image shows a soldier with a Saudi patch, but that might have a different alignment issue. Where we see “The deal was signed at Palantir’s headquarters in Palo Alto, California, with senior executives present, but no details on programs, timelines, or contract value were disclosed. Under the initiative, South Korean firm LIG Nex1 will contribute its experience in integrated air defense and unmanned systems. US-based Palantir will provide data integration and analytics software designed to support defense operations and connect sensors, platforms, and command systems.” And it seems that there are optionally additional settings. The Dutch organisation Trollrensics might be well suited to expand its horizons to both Saudi Arabia and the UAE. That firm has had expertise in dealing with the data to ‘unveil’ Russian trolls and give defense abilities to the Ukrainian IT forces. As I see it, it also has seen its shares of Chinese trolls and when comparing Palantir to Trollrensics there is no question that Palantir wins. But taken the price of a seat, I reckon that Trollrensics would be great at prototyping the requirements to unveil these fake influencers. And rolling out Palantir to an organisation is kinda big. Getting a small team onto Trollrensics seems a little easier. As such both nations could be deploying both solutions in the field giving prototyping abilities in almost no time flat and when more is needed in comes Palantir with the the driven questions that have been parsed to some extent, without draining the AI pool of credits (as the saying goes) a simple setting that I was aware of at least. So as we are given that the Dubai mall is empty (according to an influencer on YouTube) we need to realise that this was in the middle of Ramadan. I reckon that most Muslims will avoid the temptations that the Dubai Mall gives the fasting Muslim community. It might be small, but the underlying setting is ‘abused’ by that influencer giving the watcher that the mall was empty for another reason. So as I give the world

The image of Gulf News that the crowds at the Dubai Mall (Dubai) are just fine, remember that you also get loads of information from people who have no idea what they are doing and they are merely in it to get the numbers and their YouTube Subscriber Milestone award, all whilst they have no idea what they are doing to the truth of the matter. 

So, you all have a great day and consider where you are in the larger setting of things.

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The way of the dodo

Yes, that is a path that I am walking at present. You see, I am (originally) a Catholic. As such I tend to miss the Islamic markers around me. And this year I was aware of Ramadan, even though I do not practice it. So the news given by Morocco World News (at https://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2026/02/279298/impossible-moon-saudi-arabia-faces-scrutiny-after-declaring-wednesday-as-1st-day-of-ramadan/) caught me unaware for two reasons. The first setting is that the accusation that Saudi Arabia made an Islamic booboo (as expressions go) is out of the realm of my conception of Islam. In this I am biased. I see Shia Islam (Iran) as evil and Sunni Islam (Saudi Arabia) as good. As such I see Islam of the UAE on the same footing as Saudi Arabia. If people want to convict me of these thoughts, that’s fair (as long as they are Muslim)

So the news given to me was ‘Impossible Moon: Saudi Arabia Faces Scrutiny After Declaring Wednesday as 1st Day of Ramadan’, I was own a different footing. I got that it was Ramadan as Google informed me it was, nothing complex about this. But then I tend to rely on Google on many matters, like the Horoscope, Chinese days and a few more like this and Ramadan fits in that setting for me. So a the News from Rabat is given to me In the form of “Another year, another controversy as experts and observers across the world are surprised and nearly shocked over Saudi Arabia’s decision to declare Wednesday as the first day of Ramadan 2026.

The Gulf country aligns with other nations in the region and beyond, who are facing scrutiny over their decision, with experts and astronomy centers stressing that the crescent moon, called the “hilal”, was impossible to sight last night.” This kinda caught me unaware. I am not a Muslim and as such I am in the dark of these matters. I for one (with my scientific mind) was thinking that as the world is almost a sphere that some will not see what some do see. So, what is visible from Mecca (or Riyadh) might be out of view for Rabat , Casablanca and a few more places. But that is thrown upside down as we are given “Critics say the declaration is against all available data contradicting declarations from Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and beyond, which started fasting for Ramadan today. Astronomers had warned prior that highly unfavorable celestial conditions would make it impossible to sight the moon yesterday, February 17. Astronomy calculations suggest the moon sat before or simultaneously with the sun in most Islamic countries. This would serve as an obstacle to leave an observable crescent above the horizon, with both the moon’s age and angular separation from the sun also far below globally accepted visibility thresholds.” I am merely posting what Morocco World News is giving me, because in the first I am not Muslim, I am also neither a astronomer and I wouldn’t be able to do these calculations without an additional 4 years of University level of mathematics and calculus. So I lose out three times. And when we get to the setting of “According to Evrim Agaci, a Turkish science and education organization, the moon was supposed to disappear a mere 42 seconds ahead of the sun’s descent last night” it seems a matter of less than a minute and that is the slimmest of all astronomical settings as I personally see it. And my lack of knowledge and insight into science (as given above) I heralded with “The same source detailed how the moon will set before the sun in many cities, including in Abu Dhabi, where the moon sets one minute before sunset. “In Riyadh, it will set 37 seconds earlier,” Gulf News reported. Several other countries like Jordan, Oman, and Egypt announced Thursday as the first day of Ramadan, acknowledging the impossibility of sighting the moon. Saudi Arabia’s controversy is not limited to this single incident, especially as the Gulf country has long been treated as a reference point by many Muslim countries that model their own calendar decisions on Saudi announcements.” And my comical setting of a town proclamatory walking through Yas Mall (in Abu Dhabi), ringing a bell proclaiming ‘Ramadan has started’ brings a small grin to my mind knowing that the sin goes down a mine later and everyone can enjoy their foods until sunrise. But that is me, always trying to see the bright spot on the moon (its right between Ptolemaeus and Mare Nectaris) And yet, this article gives us another setting, one that I had no knowledge of and no expectation of. It is seen in “Observational data consistently show Morocco is among the most accurate in determining the start of lunar months, as they base their Islamic calendar on actually sighting the crescent moon with the naked eye. This approach relies on different methods, including engaging clerics, astronomers, and armed forces units in a coordinated effort.” I did not expect that to be a strength of Morocco. As such we might say ‘Calculate it again, Sam’ with a small wink at Casablanca. So even as I go the way of the Dodo, I do see that we are all fallible and we all come to conclusions. I am not judging Saudi Arabia, the UAE or even Morocco. But a setting of this magnitude happens. We might think bad, good or anywhere between there and uncaring. But the fact that this happens brings a smile to my face. Because we are all fallible and someone wanting to enter Ramadan a day early should be heralded into doing the best for his or her faith. It is seemingly that simple, at least that Is what I think.

You all have a lovely day and abstain from offering any Elderly Muslim water between dawn (Suhoor) to sunset (Iftar), I would want to do this for humanitarian reasons, but apparently it is not an option to Muslims, knowing this makes my heart hurt a little more than I am comfortable with.

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What is true?

That is at time the question. You see there are settings where we see accusations and at times I wonder what is true. The setting given to us is given by Memri (at https://www.memri.org/reports/saudi-arabia-draws-closer-pro-muslim-brotherhood-axis-terror-–-and-wages-intensive-media) and we see:

Now, I have questions, because as much as I understand the given settings from Saudi Arabia and the Muslim Brotherhood. And some sources give me “As of 2015, it is considered a terrorist organization by the governments of Bahrain, Egypt, Russia, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.” As such I have doubt that this is the settings that Saudi Arabia is embracing. It makes much more sense (in light of what we see here) that the quote “Saudi Arabia has recently made a sharp turn in policy. While drawing closer to Qatar and Turkey – the patrons of the Muslim Brotherhood, an organization some of whose branches are designated as terrorist in the U.S. –  it is simultaneously waging an unprecedented media campaign against the United Arab Emirates (UAE), which is leading a determined global campaign against the Muslim Brotherhood axis of terrorism.” Is a misleading one. There is the definite chance that it is the intention of 

Saudi Arabia for guide Qatar and Turkey away from the Muslim brotherhood as there is much to be gained for all three to see the Muslim brotherhood lose sources of their enablement. Now, I am not Muslim and I don’t see any merit in questioning these settings, but when I look at the critics on Memri, I am given “Critics argue that MEMRI often provides selective, out-of-context translations to portray the Arab and Muslim world negatively, functioning as a pro-Israel propaganda machine.” And as such we would never see any pro-israeli source misrepresent Saudi needs would it? (In case you missed this, the previous part was sarcasm) there are a few settings that don’t ring true (or non-authentic). You see, this was about the Muslim brotherhood as such why do we get “Al-Tuwaijri accused Abu Dhabi of assisting Israel in its war against Hamas in Gaza by spying against this organization, providing the location of its rocket launchers, and supplying equipment and ammunition to Israel via bases in Yemen, Eritrea, and Somalia. Finally, he claimed that Abu Dhabi is involved in combating the Muslims and Islamic organizations in the West, which apparently refers to the UAE’s campaign against the Muslim Brotherhood and similar extremist Islamic groups.” It is out of context and to that setting I say ‘Where is the evidence that this is happening?’ I for one do not believe this because the oldest ‘premise’ is that Israel only trusts what Israel can find themselves and they would never ‘rely’ in Arabic intelligence and even if that was the case, no journalist or think tank would ever have that kind of intelligence and from that setting the article sounds another degree of untrue. And whilst some might ‘trust’ the Muslim Brotherhood. To me it comes at a price no one would ever want to pay, not Saudi Arabia and not the UAE. This sounds like an Iranian ploy to drive people asunder and not in a nice way. And at present Iran cannot do anything because the Americans are breathing down there necks and with Hamas out of commission the dubious honor is given to the Muslim Brotherhood. As such there is optional debate on a lot of things, not in the least regarding Y. Yehoshua who in 2026 is said to be working on “As of January 2026, he has been reporting on the aftermath of the October 7, 2023, attacks, including investigations into failures, leadership changes within the IDF, and operations against Hamas leaders.” As I personally see it Hamas and the MB are as much a threat to Saudi Arabia as any enemy they currently have and as such things ring untrue. So when we look at H. Varulkar I get more questions than answers, mainly because I am not Muslim and I do not look at Muslim issues, as such there is a lot I do not know, but the news here does not sound correct. As I see it, at present the ‘job’ of Memri seems to be to create a larger rift between Saudi Arabia and the UAE. Is this true? What is true? I believe it to be the essential repair of the rift between Saudi Arabia and the UAE. And the time is essential for those who want to create a rift between Saudi Arabia and the UAE need to strike now, because as I see it Iran cannot make any moves in the near future and as such they got an Israeli journalist to do their dirty work (it is seemingly the case, whether this is correct is beyond me), but the entire setting comes across as untrue and hollow. And me for one wonders about the article, there is a certain lack off evidence. We merely get the alleged ‘stopgap’ “Bin Bakhit cited the Quranic verse which states that “Abraham was neither a Jew nor a Christian, but rather a Muslim monotheist” (Quran 3:67), and emphasized that these two narratives cannot be reconciled.” Perhaps this is an explanation, but if it was, it would be a lot more ‘fattened’ with reason as to why it was an explanation. But here my non-Muslim side comes rearing its head as the meaning by me is diminished to some extent. And for these ‘journalists’ to merely ‘assume’ that one direction is in play is another failing of the article. The fact that the interests of Saudi Arabia was to diminish the hold the Muslim Brotherhood has on Qatar and Turkey is not even contemplated in the article (perhaps it wasn’t needed) and then there is the third setting, Egypt has 120 million people and they regard the Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist organisation and recently we were given “In January 2026, the U.S. and Egypt recognized the group as a threat due to its alleged continued involvement in extremist ideologies, terror, and links to organizations like Hamas.” As such I see more reasons why there is a debatable setting to this article and it pushes Saudi Arabia in a setting of distrust by too many ‘allies’ Saudi Arabia has. As such the article comes across as untrue, but then I have been wrong before and I am not Muslim, as such I might not see the elements that matter, but that is my view and as the Western media is currently not to be trusted there are a few settings that allow certain people and organisations to play the cards they have to seed mistrust in too many eyes. 

So am I right? Am I wrong? I reckon it is anyones guess. Have a great day today.

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Your Faithful travel

That sounds like quite the statement, but it applies to this. We all have faith and some are more convinced then others and as I saw the news of registering for the Hajj 2026 (which is not until May 2026) I took a little gander. I found it essential as I wrote last year ‘About the setting of prayers’ (at https://lawlordtobe.com/2025/06/04/about-the-setting-of-prayers/) which I wrote on June 5th 2025. I covered (a little) “Last year, 1,301 pilgrims, most of them unregistered and lacking access to air-conditioned tents and buses, died as temperatures soared to 51.8 degrees Celsius (125.2 degrees Fahrenheit)” but the setting that some were unregistered didn’t sit well with me. So I wanted to know what was going on. As such I saw today a sight I never expected to see. I saw this mention in Al Arabiya and I took a small gander through the Nusuk Hajj screen and I was blown away, so I reveal a little to you all now. To be honest this is so much better then any travel agent ever gave me (my normal holidays as I am not Muslim) 

We are welcomed and you can register or just browse and I was not afraid to browse. As said this is so much better than any travel agent. You have got to be insane not to register here. And we start with 

I didn’t browse deeper, but the 10 steps as I see them show me much more than I have ever seen for any travel setting. And the Hajj pilgrims is taken trough these 10 steps The first 4 are shown and you can enter any setting at any times, having a clear required setting bestowed upon you. So as we start we get the option to create your account, uploading your document, fill the application and application verification. 

We then get select your preferred category, top up your wallet (I guess that family could top it up too from wherever they are), browse service providers and select your preferred package.

We then get the option to book your package and review your itinerary (I guess your could email that to yourself and family members. 

In a simple setting I see the most complete booking system ever viewed by me and there is reason for this. Over a million Hajj attendees from all over the world will come and this is be far the most complete setting I have ever seen. So I am amiss to see why anyone would want to go with some dodgy tour operator (I honestly do see that, and I’ll get to that) There are options to ask someone questions, there are frequently asked question and a whole range of other setting all in the right order as I see it, but the start ’10 steps closer to 1447 Hajj’ blew me away, this is a serious achievement and I get that was needed but I saw it with my own eyes. This is a serious achievement. In travel and it will help over a million get to the Hajj smoothly and I saw perhaps one thing that could be added:

I have this sling bag, which was from the video game ‘AC Shadows’, now imagine this bag in white with the green flag of Saudi Arabia and embroiled on this ‘Hajj 1447’ and perhaps a phrase from the Quran what might be the motto of the 1447 Hajj (if they have this), it has space for your Quran, a space for your mobile and space for perhaps a small bottle of water. Perhaps they have something like that, but I never saw this, so it came to me.

From what I can see Saudi Arabia is taking good care of the people coming to their Hajj or perhaps even Umrah. And let there be no doubt, those who attend unregistered did so for the clear reason to avoid registration and there should be nob doubt that this is done in a time where survival is unlikely to happen to those who are unregistered. 

But there is a second side and that is not on the organizers or on the government of Saudi Arabia. It was given to me by the Jakarta Globe (at https://jakartaglobe.id/news/indonesian-muslims-face-40year-hajj-wait-nu-chairman-tells-saudi-forum) where we see ‘Indonesian Muslims Face 40-Year Hajj Wait, NU Chairman Tells Saudi Forum’ and I get that, the solution I created a few years was for pilgrims and doesn’t include Mecca, as a non-Muslim I thought it was not my place to offer this and as a non-Muslim, I don’t really get that part. As a christian I saw Lourdes, but not as a faithful pilgrim, and I never got that part either. I understand the of the faithful, but I was never one of them. So I left Mecca in the open and perhaps that could solve this, I saw the equations that 900 million people will never see Macca, most of them cannot afford that trip and they are given that the act of seeing Mecca in one’s lifetime is a central tenet fulfilled by performing the Hajj, the annual pilgrimage. It is one of the Five Pillars of Islam and is a mandatory religious duty for all adult Muslims who are physically and financially able to undertake the journey at least once in their lives. It is the ‘and financially able’ even in those days they understood that not everyone could afford such a trip. Even as it seems now more and more affordable, over 20% of the world population is now Muslim, a setting never considered 1447 years ago, I don’t think they ever considered that the worlds population would grow to 8 billion people.

But there is a worry for Saudi Arabia as Indonesian muslims have up to 40 years to wait. I don’t think there is ever an easy solution for this, at least not that I can see. And when we consider that the act of Hajj needs to be performed from 8th to 12th of Dhul Hijjah, which gives us starting with the Day of Tarwiyah (8th) in Mina, the Day of Arafah (9th) for standing at Arafat, Eid al-Adha (10th) with animal sacrifice (Qurbani), and concluding with further rites in Mina and circling the Ka’bah until the 12th or 13th, marking a period of intense spiritual devotion, prayer, and unity, concluding the Hajj rituals and celebrating Eid. This is the opening that is available for Muslims, as such some will miss out. 

So have a great day today and rejoice, some people will consider a proper digital experience to give rise to your Hajj 1447. At least the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah are doing their best on making the even smooth, all covering and as I personally see it, the best travel platform ever offered to anyone. 

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The lighting of a stage

That is what I am wondering about. You see, first we hear that Netflix is acquiring Warner Brothers and a few connected things too. A day later we hear “US president Donald Trump says the Netflix deal ‘could be a problem’” Next thing we hear that the son in law (Jared Kushner) is spearheading this hostile takeover. Of course all the conspiracy boys are in town blowing this up to an amazing extent. I think that there might be a setting where the boundaries of ethical borders could possibly have been trespassed on, but as I don’t know the clear picture, I will refrain from voicing them. There is of course the setting we can ‘debate’ on.

As the Business Insider has a more oiled version of what has happened. The story (at https://www.businessinsider.com/paramount-wbd-saudi-arabia-qatar-abu-dhabi-elllison-hostile-billions-2025-12) which comes with the headline ‘Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Abu Dhabi want to put billions into Paramount/WBD. Why?’ It is after all a fair question and I am a little thrown by the setting that this is Qatar AND Saudi Arabia AND the UAE are working together on this. I can figure out the why, but about that later. You see, Business Insider has an additional gem to throw our way. It is “Those three nations won’t have any say over a combined Paramount-WBD, the Ellisons say. So what will they get?” And we are given “The governments of Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Abu Dhabi want to invest billions of dollars into a would-be mega media conglomerate made up of Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery.” And there is a part missing, the gaming IP’s that is floating around there. But the end of the article gives us “If Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Abu Dhabi are looking to put anything close to $24 billion into an enormously powerful media conglomerate — one with huge reach in both the US and ambitions for the rest of the world — will they be satisfied with purely financial returns? Or do they expect something else for their money?” I get that part, you see I had been working on IP doing that very same thing. There are 1.9 billion Muslims in the world and there is only so much the current studios can cater for and with this they have a firm hand towards places like Bangladesh, Pakistan and Indonesia which together with Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the UAE sets the handle to over 50% of the entire Muslim population. And as there is clear evidence to see real growth in both Saudi Arabia and the UAE for tourism and as that growth continues more is needed and with Paramount and Warner Bros. They have just that. I was fishing another angle, but that too was driven towards these 1.9 billion customers. Too bad Amazon never accepted this issue and the Saudi government (Sydney Consulate) did not accept it either, as such I was out of luck and Google had dropped their Stadia. So I was out of luck in that too. Still I considered other avenues as well. I got one Script done and offered it to Dubai Media, but they weren’t accepting any scripts at present (or my script was really bad, which is equally an option) 

But I saw these stages all over the Middle East happening and in that setting there is a growing chance. America with its valve setting is not a real option. Every script can only when the 15 middleman get a share of all that and I will much rather give it away to Canada and never get a penny. But the script was meant for a Muslim audience, so not much use in Canada. The other three optionally, but they are still being written. A have written megabytes of script, but it hasn’t been ironed out yet. I am relatively new to Final Draft. 

So am I correct? I believe so, Saudi Arabia and the UAE (I have no idea about Qatar) will need professionals that are decently up to speed and buying Paramount and Warner Bros. will do that. So, when all these professionals are directed towards new grounds with Saudi/Emirati directors and cast they can get a lot more done fast and I reckon they already have a set amount of scripts and screenings ready to get started the moment 2026 knocks on the front door. 

And with the media up and running the Saudi and Emirati media for all their venues is pretty much a given. Not just that, but the African nations are predominantly Muslim, so they can also capture the hearts of them too. Now add Egypt and Turkey and this media engine gets real global potential. Yes, the entire venue makes sense to me, but for me it was clear as I initially investigated that setting for my own IP, so I looked at the equation and I saw clarity, the fact that the price got upped makes perfect sense to me and in that setting Netflix merely loses. The west better start realising that on this planet Muslims are 1:4, 25% and that is a clear destination for the media centers of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar, so whilst we are so involved with individuality, they merely approached every Muslim asking “Would you like this” and all muslims will very likely make an affirmative sound. We all look at the stage and wonder what was going on and others look at what lighting it needs and they cater to that hand, Now I need to wonder if my script is really bad or do I talk to another media channel. Well, that is my worry and it is for today as it is 01:00 now. Have a great day.

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