Tag Archives: politics

The Rock of stars

That is the setting we see and it matters. The BBC gives us (at https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cx2ek2d9y61o) ‘Carney says trade talks with Trump to resume ‘when it matters’’ with the underlying “Asked when he last spoke to Trump, Carney responded: “Who cares? It’s a detail. I’ll speak to him again when it matters.” The prime minister’s remarks come after trade talks were derailed last month when Trump took offence at an anti-tariff advertisement featuring Ronald Reagan, which was aired by the province of Ontario.” It is the “Who cares?” That mattered. It had the Canadians in stitches, but the underlying truth is also there. America is done for under this administration. We all have heard how ‘Canada’ does not mean anything to President Trump except as a 51st state. And the Canadians are pissed and that is merely the beginning. But as the American administration thought that they had an upcoming minion and under Prime Minister Mark Carney Canada is showing itself to be the one nightmare you do not want to mess with and It is costing America nearly everything they have to stop this doom-setting from unfolding. 

In other news we are given (by CBC at https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/ottawa-alberta-mou-energy-pipeline-9.6990768) ‘Ottawa, Alberta agree to broad outlines of energy deal, including support for pipeline’ where we see “Prime Minister Mark Carney and Alberta Premier Danielle Smith have agreed to the broad outlines of a memorandum of understanding that would give Alberta special exemptions from federal environmental laws and offer political support to a new oil pipeline to the B.C. coast, CBC News has learned. The deal is set to be formally announced at a joint Carney-Smith news conference in Calgary on Thursday.” In this setting there is no America and with this there is an additional setting that gives Vancouver additional revenue streams and none of it is going to America. And hours ago CBC gives us ‘Carney, Modi agree to launch negotiations on new Canada-India trade deal’ with the text “In a social media post published Sunday afternoon, Carney said a trade deal could double Canada-India trade to $70 billion.” This comes after the UAE deal made and that puts Canada as the front runner for a massive revenue gain in several ways and whilst the Canadian Conservative Party gives us (via CTV) “Conservative MPs slammed Prime Minister Mark Carney Monday over dismissive comments he made recently when asked about stalled trade talks with U.S. President Donald Trump. While taking questions from reporters in Johannesburg on Sunday, Carney was asked when he last spoke with Trump and replied, “Who cares?” “I look forward to speaking with the president soon, but I don’t have a burning issue to speak with the president about right now,” he said. “When America wants to come back and have conversations on the trade side, we will have those discussions.”” This comes even as the latest information is given that another impeachment trial is awaiting President Trump before Christmas. As such the ‘who Cares’ seems spot on, whatever deal can be made will not happen this year and in the meantime Prime Minister Carney has already two victories and whilst the Star (that one from Toronto) gives us (at https://www.thestar.com/business/opinion/while-an-erratic-trump-ignores-canada-carney-quietly-cements-international-investments-elbows-up-indeed/article_bdbeeb99-7691-4118-8c09-dff12fa0927e.html) ‘While an erratic Trump ignores Canada, Carney quietly cements international investments. Elbows up, indeed’ where we see “It’s been about 10 months since U.S. President Donald Trump declared economic war on Canada, and there has been no progress in ending the debacle. That failure is not Canada’s fault. Trump is playing another of his games with us, this time giving us the silent treatment.” In the meantime Canada and its Prime Minister got to work (elbows up they call it) and made deals with world leaders attending the G20, that is that trade show that President Trump ignored, or he misplaced his invitation. But he is not there, as such Canada is making deals. So whilst the haters and devoted ‘Conservative Party members’ call ‘Wasting money’ This PM is making deals that will push new boundaries in revenue for Canada, making it a profitable country for its citizens. So whilst the the Trump administration is currently keen to scrap the trilateral trade deal among the U.S., Canada and Mexico, Canada is making new deals with Mexico that makes America (kinda) irrelevant. Its all in a days work for the formerly known Marky Mark of the British bank. And as a former Governor of the British Bank he knows who is guarding the coffers of their respective nations and Canada is making headway to nearly all of them. Another loss for America.

And the Financial Post (at https://financialpost.com/news/carney-world-us-stresses-new-ties) gives us ‘Carney says world can move on without U.S., stresses new ties’ with the supporting text “Prime Minister Mark Carney said the world can make progress on a range of issues without the U.S., and that consensus reached at a Group of 20 leaders’ meeting in Johannesburg this weekend carries weight despite a boycott by United States President Donald Trump’s administration.” And as I personally see it, the G20 that could have ‘saved’ America in more than one way is now the stage where America is made irrelevant. OK, irrelevant is perhaps a bit strong, but the setting that these 18 world leaders are happy not having to dance with President Trump is almost the centre stage as the media gives this to us. As such we are given “After a Nov. 20 meeting in Abu Dhabi with United Arab Emirates President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, the Gulf country committed to investing $70 billion in Canada, Carney said, without providing specific details. That’s the biggest investment pledge Canada has ever received. “We’re signing new deals and finding new investors to fuel our plans for Canada’s economic ambition,” he said. “We’ll expand trade and catalyze investment in increased partnerships across a range of areas from AI to energy in the Indo-Pacific and Europe.”” As I see it, it is the better part of a $140 billion deal that America missed out on, and they could really afford losing this much (that part was sarcasm for those who fail to recognise it). As I personally see it, Mark Carney came at the right time and now Canada is the frontrunner as an investment partner. As investments I can see one other place. Oracle, as I see it Oracle has only 2 data centers and they will need a third one if I understand the settings from America correctly. Microsoft has to open its data-gates to Federal authority and when that really happens many will scream and seek other venues outside of the US and Oracle might be the better solution there too. So as I see it, there is plenty of investment to come and that would never have happened under Pierre Poilievre, so he can campaign all he wants, but the Canadian people are on to him and he doesn’t stand a chance against Mark Carney. So there is a larger setting where America is becoming irrelevant and mostly done by there own actions and Mark Carney saw the opportunity for Canadians and he is grabbing that with both hands. 

So the haters can throw whatever they want on social media, but we all know better (even the Commonwealthian people outside of Canada) Carney is gold, he is the Rockstar of Canada, even Stevie Nicks and Celine Dion agree (my presumption) and as we see this, he is also becoming the Rock of Stars in the global political community, they all want their selfie with him.

Have a great day, I am closing in on the midweek, a mere 11 hours to go.

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When the bough breaks

It is an old expression, it means “when a situation has reached the point of no return” and at this point we have had a few of these moments. First there is the setting of the President traitor Trump (not my words but I can live with them) telling us all that the 28 points was a Russian document, with Russian syntaxis, one person even told the world (via YouTube) that it was a literal google translation. I cannot say that because I have never seen the document. A whole range of politicians going all the way up to John Bolton (the former National Security Advisor of the United States)  and writer of the book ‘The room where it happened’ they all say that the Ukraine should never accept this setting. Then we get another event where ‘apparently’ the Kremlin misplaced 10 trillion rubles and they are now selling whatever gold they have to keep afloat. This gave me the speculation that two too debt ridden nations are helping each other out. It almost sounds like the passport switch. I go to Canada, from Canada I go to the United Kingdom on a British passport, I do whatever I need to do and return to Canada with a Canadian passport, no one is the wiser and from there I return to Australia on my own passport. Confused? You would be, but that is what is required to get trillions in debt written off in two places. They are in too deep and as Prime Minister Carney is now making waves in the G20 too many countries are now realising that they do not need the instability of America, Canada becomes the place to be. But that is not all.

CBC apparently reported (through LinkedIn) the image below, but that is all I see and there is nothing more and not on the CBC site either, so I am not sure where it is coming from. 

So, there is every chance it is some troll and to whomever it was (I’ll call him Vladimir) I say:

Is that a strong enough consideration? And as I see it, the entire Commonwealth is supporting the Ukraine. These so called Russian trolls will be dealt with in the near future. So feel free to consider where you can find the trillions you misplaced and stay out of out way. Oh, and a youthful young lady by the name of Sanna Marin (former PM of Finland) had a simple solution to stop the war. “Get out of Ukraine” was her view and nearly everyone who matters agrees. 

And that war you started on  February 24th 2022 which you said was going to take 3-5 days is now 1370 days and the Russian economy is about to end with 1,165,260 less Russian men. So how will you restart the economy considering you have all these men missing, energy plants are burning down and you are about to face a new winter with apparently 10 trillion misplaced. 

But, on the upside you can have Donald Trump if you want him, apparently he is about to get impeached. According to Newsweek ‘Donald Trump Faces Articles of Impeachment Before Christmas’ all this whilst News dot Com dot Au gave us 4 days ago ‘Trump Media stock crashes to all-time lows, wiping out $5B in first family wealth during crypto slide’ so this is his sixth failure? I don’t keep track of those settings. But it comes with the setting that you take him, you keep him, no take backsies on this deal.

So am I going too far? I might be, but that is the danger when you get so much news with the setting you do not know what to trust that it might make your head spin and mine is spinning. In this there are two settings that I am unsure of. Did Russia misplace 10 trillion rubles? Trolls are on both sides of the fence, so this could be another deception. But the anger we all have with the 28 point document is too fresh in memory and Ukraine was never consulted on any of this. And the BBC (at https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c4g95x50kdyo) gave us ‘US insists it authored Ukraine peace plan after claims of Russian ‘wish list’’ a mere 6 hours ago. So why aren’t these documents released? So when we are given “US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has insisted that a proposed 28-point plan to end the Ukraine war, which has been widely viewed as favourable to Russia, was “authored by the US”.” In the old days (when I was young) you would show these documents with mention of who authored them and who was connected to the tutoring of these documents. Yet later we get “Rubio later distanced himself from those claims and said the plan came from the US, and was “based on input” from both Russia and Ukraine.” Really? Because Ukraine was seemingly not involved, so who were the people involved? Simple settings to logistics and they are largely missing. Then we get (through the BBC) “On Saturday, Republican Senator Mike Rounds said Rubio had told a group of lawmakers that the draft plan was not US policy. He told the Halifax Security Forum: “What [Rubio] told us was that this was not the American proposal.”” So we get one person telling us different stories? What on earth is going on in America? At present there is absolutely no way that anyone is considering having a vacation there and for other reasons? As it stands America is in an almost worse state than Russia apparently is in. 

So have a great day and whilst Vancouver is enjoying Sunday, I just entered Monday. Such is life.

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When consumed by anger

This happens to all of us, you, me, everybody with a soul and a decent setting towards ethical boundaries. So when I heard yesterday about the Ukrainian setting, I kinda lost it, but I refrained from acting until I had most of the evidence.

First there is ABC (at https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-11-22/volodymyr-zelesnkyy-says-us-peace-plan-difficult-choice-ukraine/106039966) giving us ‘Volodymyr Zelenskyy says Ukraine faces choice of losing dignity or US backing, Trump gives a week for decision’, so Russians bombing civilians he gives 10 days (a few times) and this setting gets a mere week. Summarized (by ABC) we see:

And we get in addition “after the US presented Kyiv with a peace plan that endorses key Russian demands. Speaking in the street outside his office, a location he uses only rarely for major addresses, the Ukrainian president said his country was trying to preserve its freedom while retaining the support of its most important ally.”

This is where I kinda lost it. This president Joker (his new nick name), this 6 times loser hands a helping hand to Russia?

I am now calling on the Swedish Nobel committee to deny him any awards (especially the peace price) for the rest of his life. A person of this setting should not be awarded anything (except a dunce cap) Furthermore I call on any Commonwealth nation and any EU nation to give support to the Ukraine as best as you possibly can. I released several IP parts that could end Russian nuclear reactors as well as sink their naval capacity. I also have an option to take away their airfare in a new and innovative way, but that is still in the works. Russia has over 1,000 airports and I figured on a drone setting that could end that nice setting to the bulk of them, what a lovely surprise it would be if these ‘supersets’ cannot take of, a slim setting, but there you have it. DARPA was so set on finding military solutions that they seemingly forgot about the other weaknesses the airforce tend to have.

More important is the message that I and many like me support President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and the Ukrainian people, on a lighter note, who would not support this Paddington bear (2014, 2017) when it comes to it. 

And the setting that Washington gave the Ukraine, that they agreed with Russia without Ukraine is a “Washington has presented Kyiv with a 28-point plan, which calls for Ukraine to cede territory, accept limits to its military and renounce ambitions to join NATO”, so how about limit Russian forces by making 1,000 airfields unusable? How about making naval options (including merchant navy) options obsolete and redundant? And how about NATO gets to Ukraine in the next 7 days? I reckon this is only possible with British, Dutch and German forces coming together on this. France will become the buffer army for European territory. 

Am I angry enough? Well, I still have the option to making the nuclear reactors meltdown on itself and that if functional could give the Russian people a new consideration of cold, February should be frisky in Russia, so there we have it, I might not be some kind of Sylvester Stallone, but I used to be a decent marksman and there is nothing wrong with my innovative creativity, so let’s have fun on this and after that all barrels will be pointed on America for siding with Russia. I am calling for a complete segregation of economic assistance of America. Good and services. Canada is doing its part, lets see what the rest can do. When no one hands them oil, their own oil will support them and that is costing them dearly. There is no need to export their oil and get cheap oil abroad. They can all fuel themselves in America. 

I am actually this angry. If you are not an American, have a great day.

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Big in Japan

It is not a song by Alphaville, they did that in 1983 I believe. But a few months ago (May 4th, at https://lawlordtobe.com/2025/05/04/the-nature-of-things/) I raised a setting that gave us “Japanese finance minister says selling U.S. bonds a “card on the table”’ with the yowza response “Japanese Finance Minister Katsunobu Kato said Friday that the country’s $1.13 trillion in Treasury holdings were a “card on the table” in trade talks, The Associated Press reported.” Talking about the tiger that feeds himself with your hand, and the added text becomes “Japan is one of the five largest U.S. trading partners, as well as a rock-solid ally in the region, so there was some surprise when the U.S. hit the country with a 24% reciprocal tariff in early April.”” I had Axios and a few other sources. And that was all there was to it, the news simmered down and the news was forgotten, except that is why I have my blog. I don’t tend to forget things. So when I got the news a few days ago I saw a YouTube video that Japan was dumps its US bonds. A fear that many have. And I started to seek that news from more reputable sources. Most had nothing, but (at https://medium.com/@nationalgoldgroup/japan-is-dumping-us-debt-and-americans-will-feel-it-31ec6a1f3870) But Medium gave us ‘Japan Is Dumping US Debt — And Americans Will Feel It’ but that is all there is. Now, I would be hesitant to give this out, especially as the Financial Times and the WSJ have nothing on this, even the Japanese Times (an English version) has nothing. So what gives? Are these doom speakers? Because that news would be grim for America. They give us “That’s basically what Japan has been doing with US Treasuries since the 1990s. They’d print Yen at 0% interest rates (basically free money), convert it to dollars, and buy up American debt in the form of US Treasuries. Then they’d sit back and collect the interest payments. This strategy pumped trillions of dollars into global markets over the years.

And more importantly, this arrangement made everything in America artificially cheap.” But as we see the next bit “suddenly, the cheat code stopped working. The math that made the carry trade profitable for 30 years just flipped upside down. Japanese pension funds looked at their spreadsheets and realized they were losing money on US Treasuries. So they started selling. Billions of dollars worth. Every single day. Imagine you’ve been lending money to a friend for years, making a nice return. Then one day, you realize you could make better returns just keeping the money in your own savings account. What would you do? You’d ask for your money back.” So, is this true? America could ask Mark Carney as he is an excellent economist, but there is a chance he is not taking their calls. What surprises me is that all the media is silent on it. But 2 days after my article, on May 6th we got “If Japan sold massive amounts of US debt, it would very likely spark a massive Treasury selloff. Treasury rates would in turn sharply increase, making it more expensive for Washington to borrow and freaking out investors along the way” (source: CNN) but at present, these YouTube and their allotment of ‘financial show’ jokers are seemingly doom speaking, because as I see it, this is all it is. The problem is that doom speakers tend to make others jittery and China has over $700 billon of those puppies. The Medium ‘knowledge’ comes from the National Gold Group and I am not setting any value on that, but the fact that the ‘set’ financial newspapers (Guardian, Wall Street Journal, Financial Times) have nothing on this, they do not even debunk that news. So I am looking at the playing field with a dim look (as I have an absent economic degree). And I am not joining any doomsayer on their doom binge. But YouTube has a few more sources and they are all dancing around the setting, like they ant to refer to news they had given, but they are not giving it. As I see it, if it isn’t in the newspaper (online or not) it doesn’t exist, but the news is a little unsettling, because if Japan goes, so does China soon thereafter and America has 2 trillion in US treasury bonds that no one wants. So, what do you think that does to the American economy? I reckon that China likes the idea, but it doesn’t want to start it and that is where Japan comes in. Is it real? I honestly do not know, but I do know that after the shenanigans America did to others, there is a hidden glimmer of fun to several people should this happen. So I have concerns on this, but I am adamant in saying that there is no verifiable setting that this is actually happening at present. And I feel strongly about giving this additional message.

I will report on happening, not create fictive settings that start something.

Have a great day, it’s fish day here now. I might go for some today. So, make sure you find a reputable source if you are going to be panic stricken because anything else might cost you a lot more than you think and in case of doubt, Ask the former Marky Mark of the British Bank (at +1-613-957-5555) he knows a lot more about this than I do.

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This is weird

I find myself standing up for Microsoft, I know its weird. They have screwed the pooch more than once, but the headline in the Guardian (at https://www.theguardian.com/society/2025/nov/19/microsoft-nhs-uk-contracts-public-sector-procurement) gives us ‘Microsoft has ‘ripped off the NHS’, says MP amid call for contracts with British firms’, now lets be clear. Microsoft has done many things, but ripping people off is beneath them. If a rippable offence is in play, someone put their autograph (aka John Hancock) on that dotted line. And where is the evidence? And we are pointed to Samantha Niblett, the Labour MP for South Derbyshire, who laughs with a pretty smile and that is all she seemingly does. The evidence given “a five-year deal with the NHS to provide productivity tools reportedly worth over £700m, while the wider government spent £1.9bn on Microsoft software licences in the 2024-25 financial year alone.” Is this evidence? What the hell are you up to Katharine Viner? As editor of the Guardian, this trash should not be in your newspaper, or on the website. At least hand this setting with proper evidence. So as we are also given and that Labour Nibbler gives us “I know for a fact how Microsoft have ripped off the NHS.” But at that point we get “did not provide further evidence, but when the committee chair, Chi Onwurah, voiced surprise at the claim” and to that I say. Miss Niblett, on December 31st 2016 I reported in the story ‘This last day’ (at https://lawlordtobe.com/2016/12/31/this-last-day/) which was 9 years ago, and you might have been too young to be in politics. But Labour (as well) spend £11.2 billion on a NHS IT project, which amounted to nothing and I reckon it might have been a really big amount of money for nothing. So, are we seeing a second setting to all this and you want to blame Microsoft? Can we see the contracts of understanding? Microsoft does a lot, but they wrap it in contracts which in this case the labour administration under Sir Keir Rodney Starmer is confronted with. 

Then we get “After describing the government’s multibillion-pound deals with Microsoft, Niblett said it “speaks to the … power of Microsoft to lock in public sector … customers and then sort of entice them with cheap deals, and then you’re locked into a contract and then you’re charged exponential amounts” So Microsoft does plenty wrong, but this pat they tend to get right and who signed for these contracts? Was it you? And these contracts also give a correct setting of the amounts. That is how business is done and it is done all over the world. 

And it is then that we get the hidden gem that some were trying to hide “MPs on the select committee said the UK needed to develop greater “sovereign” technology capacity, award more contracts to smaller, local providers, and be less reliant on deals that resulted in government departments becoming locked into services with US firms. Explaining more about her understanding of Microsoft’s deals with the government, Niblett said: “I have heard that Defra [the Department of Food and Rural Affairs] recently signed a contract renewal for Windows 10, which is now out of date. And that has now resulted in them having to pay more for security checks because they’re using a very, very old version of Windows.” There is more than one issue. In the first there is “I have heard” is not evidence, evidence is the contract that Defra signed. Who signed it, was it a valid contract? And then we get “recently signed a contract renewal for Windows 10”, how recent was it signed? Some women claim to they got recently pregnant, but that accident is now 4 years old and as it is given “Windows 10 is a Microsoft operating system that is now out of support as of October 14, 2025”, so does that contract entitle these users to upgrade to Windows 11? The one part that matters is seemingly “becoming locked into services with US firms” which is a valid UK setting, but that is depending on a time set strategy and getting into the strategy AFTER the contract is signed implies you are stuck with the contract, that might not be in the best interest of the Labour administration, but that is not the priority of Microsoft, their part is the contract and adhering to what was signed. So was there any transgression by Microsoft? It is a simple question and the setting of ‘ripped off’ implies they made a booboo and as such that evidence must be given in evidence. Is there any chance that one of more contracts have your autograph as you worked in the data and technology sector before being elected to parliament in 2024, so will we find contracts, possibly with your name on it? Will it show a transgression by Microsoft, or a sloppy mistake by the labour representative who signed it? Simple questions and simple settings that Katharine Viner should see coming a mile away?

Have a great day and if you get the mug below, make sure that coffee is millennium proof, version proof and proofed for 61 degrees celsius liquids. You can test it by putting your finger in the coffee and if you go ‘ouch’ it is probably hot enough.

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On the edge of legality

There are two things on my mind. The first one will be addressed after this. The second one was in my mind before I knew it. It is the stuff of nightmares. A setting that could collapse the entire Microsoft. Not for real, it is a story, a script and a far fetched one at that, but the idea has merit. To unleash global fear and mistrust on the slap of a keyboard? What is there not to like. It would be epic to say the least and why Microsoft? Simple, it has the most dodo inspiring population (those dreaming of extinction) And as such I set the idea in motion, but after I finished the other works. I put it here so that I do not forget it and the keywords are optical fibre, blacklight and Diatomite Celite, the simple keywords that can topple a presumptuous great setting. But that is enough of that. You see, I missed the news about 3 days ago (had other things on my mind) but it flew past my eyes today and I caught it this afternoon. The guardian (at https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/nov/10/uae-says-it-will-not-join-gaza-stabilisation-force-without-clear-legal-framework) gives us ‘UAE refuses to join Gaza stabilisation force without clear legal framework’ it caught me surprised. The idea of a ‘stabilizing force’ without a clear legal framework seems adamant (wherever it is held). So when we are given “Plans for a UN-mandated international stabilisation force charged with disarming Hamas inside Gaza face growing opposition after the United Arab Emirates said it would not participate because it did not yet see a clear legal framework for the force.” So what are the Americans and the UN doing not setting a clear legal framework for this setting? With that setting we are also given “The UAE’s decision, announced by the senior envoy Dr Anwar Gargash at a conference in Abu Dhabi, reflects Arab doubts about the terms of a US-drafted resolution already distributed to diplomats at the UN in New York. The draft places an onus on a US-directed stabilisation force to be the principal means of imposing security in Gaza after Israel has left the territory.”  My first question becomes, what is the UN doing? For years they are so hoping for peace and now it seems they haven’t even considered setting a legal framework for those in that mess? As for the second issue the idea comes that Hamas needs at least a legal framework, if not you are fighting lawlessness with more lawlessness and to see that come America is not that difficult to observe, but to see that setting come from the UN is a bit ghastly. So as such I would agree with the statement by “Dr. Anwar Gargash said: “The UAE does not yet see a clear framework for the stability force and under such circumstances will not participate, but will support all political efforts towards peace – and remain at the forefront of humanitarian aid.”” And as we consider this, the setting of Gaza is becoming less and less stable. So as I read “Neither the UN nor the 15-strong security council are given a supervisory role over the stabilisation force, overseeing the implementation of the resolution, a point largely overlooked by the draft text. Nothing is specified about the funding of this stabilisation mission, which, according to the Americans, should be largely borne by Gulf states, with Saudi Arabia taking the lead.” I wonder, why the UN didn’t set up a legal framework, for agreement, or for alteration, but as I see it, none of that seems to have been done, or at least the Guardian fails to report on it, but that is no attack or opposition to the Guardian. It merely got me by surprise and made me wonder why we are paying millions upon millions to the UN when we see a (seemingly and alleged) flaw like this.

So why a I wondering about this? As I see the world claiming Israel for the slaughter Hamas instilled. I also see the UN failing at its duty to cater to any solution. And the failures seem to be adding up, but that is my (with absolute lack of expertise on matters of diplomacy and the function of the United Nations) view on the matter. So what gives? And in all this, I completely agree with the position that Dr. Anwar Gargash is taking. 

So have a great day and consider the legal framework you face at breakfast (everyone for himself/herself) and don’t take away the Labneh until you see the white in their eyes. But that is my flaky sense of humor. For now I have to consider the idea that there is a cable under the Indian ocean with my sense of innovative humor. Have fun everyone.

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Trumping it along

That is the setting as President Trump proclaimed publicly “We don’t need Canadian lumber” and then Canadian wood product (lumber and utensils too) got a tariff hike. So as American lumber is needed in construction it would not be starting at a 25% depletion of that market (12 billion board feet) is now going somewhere else, Canada has had enough of this bully tactic and that is going to cost America a lot more than ever considered. It is about to cost America well over an additional $23 billion (source: Capital Briefs) and that was merely the start of this. Now the Financial Times gives us ‘Canada to reroute lumber exports as Trump’s tariffs bite’ (at https://www.ft.com/content/e56e8bb0-6dc0-4447-a907-e95164cec8e5) where we see “Canadian producers are seeking to divert around 10 per cent of the lumber normally sent south of the border to new buyers in the UK, EU and Middle East after the US president in September added a 10 per cent tariff on lumber, on top of an existing 35 per cent duty. The aim to send some 1bn board feet to alternative markets — enough to build at least 75,000 average size American homes — underscores how Trump’s tariffs are starting to reshape some global supply chains, although tensions between the US and Canada over wood exports have simmered for more than half a century.” With the added ““The US simply needs to fact-check better before they end up with a large shortage of lumber that may cause further housing shortages,” said Rick Doman, chair of the Forestry Innovation Investment board of British Columbia, which produces over half of Canada’s lumber. Washington’s escalating trade measures towards Ottawa have led to shutdowns and job losses in Canada’s C$87bn ($63bn) forestry industry, one of the country’s largest employers.” We see that Canadians have had enough of the voice from Washington DC, with Canada shifting towards Europe and Asian Markets, as well as stocking up on renewable products the setting becomes a global setting where America can now no longer fuel its own softwood needs driving housing prices through the roof (except for Florida where the Canadian snowbirds are putting their  houses up for sale, leaving in excess of 175,000 houses empty and deserted). That is the setting America no faces and whilst America accuses Canada itself as a dumping ground, they better come up with the evidence and as we see “Zoltan van Heyningen, executive director of the US Lumber Coalition, a lobby group, said the American timber industry could replace 1bn board feet of Canadian imports “without batting an eyelid”” that person better prove to be true to his word, because as it stands Canada is withdrawing over 3 billion board feet of wood. And the NAHB gives us that  “With American sawmills operating at just 64 per cent of capacity it “will take years” for US domestic lumber production to expand to meet industry demands” and in that meantime it will be shredding nearly every environmental document it has, because as I see it, the nearest place it can go to is Washington State and I reckon it will cost a few more pennies to get all these trucks up and going. In the meantime we see that “the US relies on a further 12bn board feet of softwood lumber from Canada for use mostly in housebuilding. Even allowing for spare US sawmill capacity and average recent American exports of 1.3bn board feet a year, the US is currently 3.2bn board feet short of meeting current demand, according to analysis by Fastmarkets, a price reporting agency.” And the ‘graphs’ all show that America depends on almost 30% Canadian wood, when that all falls away its own wood export collapses to zero. And that gives America a new mess to deal with, because Canada is eager to make long term agreements with Europe and Asia, which means that the next administration inherits this mess in 2028 and there is no going back. And as I see it, the bill will be passed on to Weyerhaeuser, West Fraser and Sierra Pacific Industries who will have to increase their produce by almost 50%, to make up for the shortages it faces, so in what reality did you ever see that happen? 

It might sound like an amazing option for these three, but in the American setting it does mean that nearly every environmental agreement will have to be torn up to even make this work. In the meantime Canada is expertly drilling into a $280 billion market and is seemingly doubling that within the next decade, as Canada is now moving from a resource player to more highly valued products, its margins will increase nearly exponentially and is becoming the new innovator on the block and that will ease the pressures that America thought they would hand them, their plan for Canada becoming the 51st state is blowing up in the faces of Politicians in Washington DC and that is the short and sweet of it for Canada. The hardship handed by president Trump is becoming the opportunity for PM Mark Carney. And Canada is loving the outcome of this setting, because as such high value products are to be made in Canada, giving them the setting from $255.20 towards a more then doubled market that is to come and as China replaces America as the number one export country, there will be additional settings there too. An opportunity that Canada will handle with care while in the same time increasing its export to Europe. As I see it, America merely shot itself in the foot (yet again) and that setting is to be crowned as the number one achievement for the Administration carrying that royal crown. It tried to diminish the economic footprint of its northern partner, instead it opened a new revenue handle and increased its export standing with both the EU and China. And as I see it, at no significant initial loss to Canada and over the next few years it will show a significant surplus to boot. 

A setting the Commonwealth prices and a big round of applause is handed in the direction of Prime Minister Mark Carney who is now seen as the big winner (perhaps he will accept a Nobel peace price in 2026?)

Well, you all have a great day and special mention for Capitol Brief and the Financial Times for their support in this. It is 02:00 now. Time for me to introduce myself to the procedure of snoring.

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Shooting birds

This is a setting that is up in the air (quite literally) the setting that America is shooting its own economic plan in the foot so to say. There is something wrong with the animosity that America is throwing into the direction of Canadians and as I see it, their new target are the snowbirds. The Guardian informed me last night that ‘Trump tariffs and strict US border rules threaten flight of Canada’s ‘snowbirds’’ (at https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/nov/09/canada-snowbirds-florida) where we see “Many have ditched plans to visit their southern neighbor and are looking to spend their valuable dollars elsewhere, largely put off by Donald Trump’s escalating economic war with Canada and strict new immigration rules that have created fear and confusion.” With the additional “Canada’s own tourism industry, meanwhile, is reporting record revenue. Buoyed by visitors who decided to stay home, the sector took in CA$59bn ($42bn) from May to August, a 6% increase on 2014. (American visitors to Canada dropped 1.7% during that same period.)” And whilst we see almost everywhere “International tourism to the US is forecast to decline by around $12.5 billion to $29 billion in 2025” we get from others sources that their income is increasing a lot more, as such I stay with my conservative losses to be predicted between $80-$130 billion, and now the snowbirds with their “More than half of Canadians with homes in the US – 54% – are considering selling in the next 12 months, with 62% of those citing the political situation as their main reason, according to research published in August.” This comes from Royal LePage, where we also get “According to a recent Royal LePage survey, conducted by Burson, more than half (54%) of Canadians who currently own residential property in the U.S. say they are planning to sell within the next year, among whom a majority (62%) credit the current political administration as the main reason. Meanwhile, 33 per cent of them say they are motivated by other factors, such as personal and financial reasons, and another five per cent say it is due to increasingly extreme weather conditions, like hurricanes, flooding and forest fires.” Which gets us an additional part, but that too will be hard on America, they are investing it domestically in Canada. So, as we consider “While some blame a weak Canadian dollar and rising travel costs for their decision not to travel, 40% also cite political tensions with the US. Trump has frequently assailed Canada and its political leaders, recently retaliating for an anti-tariff advertisement posted by the Ontario government by slapping an additional 10% tariff on imports from a country he has repeatedly taunted as the 51st state.” A lot might see this is trivial, but as a Commonwealthian I adhere to the foul stench that the “51st state” is making. In the meantime we see politicians not being sworn in because they are on the other side of the isle, the US shutdown is now the longest in history and for the second day the airlines are buckling as over 1000 flights have been cancelled with the additional “Nearly 6,000 flights were also delayed, down from over 7,000 delays on Friday, according to flight tracker FlightAware” (source: BBC) so as I see it America is bleeding revenue all over the nation and directly from their veins into the streets and all this is happening 2 weeks before Thanksgiving. Yes, my view of $80-$130 billion really was conservative as all the trimmings that Thanksgiving would bring is now about to grease the coils of loss, on the other hand Turkey is likely to be on sale soon with a nice 75% discount. But the hardest part was seen down that article as those readers were given “And things will likely get worse in the coming days as the FAA increases the percentage of cancelled flights.” Because those people n need an alternative destination. I will offer the thought that Dubai and Abu Dhabi have both really nice weather conditions this time of year, with a special mention of Abu Dhabi with all their theme parks as a Florida replacement. These losses are enlarged by the setting that the snowbirds bring, the quote “Analysts say any significant drop in snowbird visits could be catastrophic for states where they are among the biggest spenders during the winter months. The snowbird economy brings in an estimated $20.5bn annually in direct spending, property and sales taxes, and supports millions of jobs, especially in tourism, hospitality and retail”, so as I see it, the economy of Florida is about to take a handful of downers from the get go, and all this sets the the outlook of Thanksgiving in places like Florida with a grim undertone, because when all things settle it will take years to get over this and if the Snowbirds leave, the economy will take a massive his in Florida and likewise places for years to come. 

So when. We get to “Valorie Crooks of Simon Fraser University said the more obstacles that are placed in the path of snowbirds, the more likely they are to take themselves, and their money, elsewhere, such as Mexico, the second most popular destination for Canadian winter travelers.” The fun part is that this would enable places like Abu Dhabi too, when these people realise that there is a lot they would love, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan might want to consider advertising the splendor to Canada and Canadians. That would grease the lining of the Abu Dhabi economy by a fair bit and there is plenty of material on YouTube that Canadians can see for themselves. And the setting of a zero tax state is beneficial in a few more ways. 

Overall there are plenty of alternatives for people visiting America and as its government is shutdown, there are many more ways to look elsewhere for the needs of these people. And funny enough, Americans might not like it, but they elected their curse to office themselves. So how is this Big Beautiful America, has it been made great, or was that presented silver lining the start of many dark clouds? And as I saw my losses to $80-$130 billion, CBS reported that this shutdown is costing the Americans in the setting of “Estimates of the economic hit from the U.S. government shutdown put the losses at up to $16 billion every week the impasse continues” as such my model of loss was severely conservative as I never considered the impact of a US shutdown. As I see it, America made a huge error going on the Snowbird hunt, and it could have been prevented on several levels. Try to have a great day today.

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Is it a bird, it is Superman?

Nope, it is a plane and it is heading for Saudi Arabia as we read (at https://aviationa2z.com/index.php/2025/11/08/saudi-arabia-to-buy-48-f-35-worth-142-billion/) ‘Saudi Arabia to Buy 48 Most Expensive Fighter Jet in the World Worth $142 Billion’, as such the first hurdle of the Pentagon has allegedly been passed. We are given “Saudi Arabia’s request for F-35 Lightning II stealth fighters is reportedly progressing within the Pentagon, according to sources cited by Reuters. The move could make Riyadh (RUH) the first Arab nation to field a fifth-generation stealth jet, breaking Israel’s exclusive control of the platform in the region.” And let’s face it, they can afford these bad boys. And it would make any Russian equipped Iranian flight force obsolete. Some say the best air force is one you never have to fly. I disagree. I say  “I prefer the air force  you only have to fly once. That’s how the veterans did it, that’s how allies do it, and it’s worked out pretty well so far” (yes, I stole this quote from Iron Man, so sue me) it is like Australia being attacked by New Zealand in Sopwith Camels in the past, it never went anywhere. As such these 48 birds will await with baited breath for Iran to make a silly mistake and it will be the last mistake they will ever make. I reckon that these 48 can take on at least 98 of their Sukhoi Su-57 and Russia (at present) seemingly only made 29 of them, the rest is outstanding, as such Iran will no longer have options in the air as soon as the first set of these bad boys arrive. 

I never understood the reluctance to sell these planes to their own ally, but in the end it seems that Saudi Arabia is getting them. And when we see “The potential sale aligns with former U.S. President Donald Trump’s defense agenda, as his administration approved a $142 billion arms package for the Kingdom in May 2025. Although the F-35 was initially excluded, the latest discussions suggest it has now advanced to the Defense Secretary level, signaling renewed momentum.” This event started in 2017 and it appears that Prince Khalid bin Salman Al Saud (who was elected to this position in 2022) did not wander in the situation, as it seems he went in and got the job done. This is no attack on its predecessor as the American administration had been dragging its feet since day one (a presumption that I am making) but now the good news is flying all over the Arabian peninsula and as I see it a defeat by horse no show through Iran. 

In opposition I see “Tel Aviv has repeatedly emphasized its right to maintain military superiority under U.S. law, which restricts Washington from supplying equivalent systems to neighboring states”, I am in opposition here as Iran is the danger and Israel knows this. Saudi Arabia had been adamant on protecting its own borders and this will do this. And as I see it, the Israeli response is (seemingly) ludicrous. With “Israeli officials and defense analysts have voiced concern that F-35 deliveries to Saudi Arabia could erode this advantage. They warn that potential technology transfers to Russia, China, or Iran—however speculative—could compromise sensitive systems.” It is a decent preemptive fear to have, but as Iran is no friend of Saudi Arabia and handing any technology to Russia would only make it stronger seems to be a weird fear to have. I get that Israel has these fears but as Saudi Arabia needs its own borders secure, I reckon that this is too far fetched a fear to have. It’s like I would have a fear being attacked by Piranha’s, all whist the closest lake is miles away. 

So I reckon that there will be salutes and felicitations going all over Riyadh at present.

Have a great day and don’t have too many dreams on Australia being attacked by Sopwith Camels, they don’t have the range to make it from Wellington to Sydney.

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A new PSP

Yup, we are about to go there, but first a thing that stumps me. They just approved the pay package of Elon Musk, 1 trillion dollars, or a million times a million dollars. That amounts to he is making what I will do in 50,000 years and he does it in one. So he made the lifetime equivalent of 600 people. I merely cannot grasp this amount. I can get against that. Honestly I do not get it. There is no oppressive setting, no envy, no jealousy (well, a little, and that is fair) and we see the setting. But do you? A board had to vote, even with this he is making them all money. And that is what matters in today’s industry. So think about that. Even beyond their settings of making THEM money, he is still doing that after getting a trillion dollars. We are that in the dark on what is coming after us all. But that is not what matters to me now. As I said, there is a new PSP on the horizon. It is not from Sony, it is from me. The Political Speculation Party. You see the world is changing and this morning I got the news from the BBC (at https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/ce3xw3dw0zxo) ‘Nancy Pelosi announces retirement after decades in US Congress’ and we are given “Nancy Pelosi has announced her retirement from Congress, ending a decades-long career that saw the California Democrat become one of the most powerful figures in US politics.

In a video message on Thursday, Pelosi said she will not be seeking re-election to Congress at the end of her term in January 2027.” And then it hit me, with President Trump now hitting a low 37%, it means that even most of the Republicans want someone else and they will elect whomever get them out of this mess and it is fair to say that Nancy Pelosi is a real heavy weight and after President Trump messed up America, they will accept anyone that could make things better and as I see it Pelosi is the best the Democrats have. Nothing less will do and as I personally see it, The next president making it the 48th President is likely to become President Nancy Pelosi of California. 

Yes, it is a mere speculation as the there is plenty to go around, but the BBC article easily ‘very’ outspoken about things like “It marks the end of a storied political career: Pelosi, 85, became the first woman to serve as Speaker of the House and led her party in the lower chamber of Congress from 2003 until 2023.” This felt ‘off’ and when you think of it, Congresswoman Pelosi would make an excellent candidate. A setting that too many are ignoring and that would also hand the Democrats the first female American president in history and Nancy Pelosi is respected on both sides of the isle, especially from the times she was the 52nd Speaker of the United States House of Representatives. She made a good deal of friends during that time and as I see it, she would make a great president, especially after the one they have now. Well anyone would make a better president after the present one. But as he is loving his own spin, America is in a tailspin to the bottom of the deepest ocean and that has plenty of Republicans rattled, then there is the lack of funding America is dealing with, as such, as I personally see it, President Pelosi is their way out of a tailspin and there is the question if it will be soon enough. There is a lot more damage the current administration can do to before 2028. But that is what I see and there is little doubt that the next president will be a Democratic one, but will it become President Pelosi? 

Your guess is as good as mine, but that is why I call it the Speculation party, because I am not much of a political wielder, but I can see through the thick of BS and this is what I see. Do you see it differently? Feel free to enlighten the world. Have a great day today. 

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