Tag Archives: politics

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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Assistance for Carney

Yup, that is the setting and this is not because it is anti-American, it might seem that way, but Australia is a Commonwealth nation. As such I stand with Canada. That being said, I need to meet with Director Burgess (ASIO), Director McCallum (MI5) and optionally Director Rogers (CSIS) as my data gave me disturbing insight on what has to be done, but that is for another day. Today is about support for Prime Minister Carney and as we are given (at https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cd04yde70jmo) ‘Carney plans billions in new spending in response to US tariff shocks’ where we are given “Billed an “investment budget” by the government, the fiscal plan increases Canada’s deficit to C$78bn ($55.3bn; £42.47bn), the second largest in history. The spending is offset by plans to attract C$1tn of investment into Canada over the next five years, with the federal government arguing more restrained spending would eliminate “vital social programmes” and funding for Canada’s future.” There is a side which I see (and the Prime minister with all his economic degrees will most definitely see) is the setting that America is in a tailspin of disaster. It was already handed to us by Microsoft (they lack energy to fuel AI expansions) and the connected settings are that America is lacking in energy, water and a few other settings. But together it shows that other parties who thought that America was a solution for them, it now turns out that Canada is a much better solution. With a surplus in water and energy, these new starters might be better of in Canada and when in Canada all kinds of Commonwealth benefits come their way (which also benefits the UK, New Zealand and Australia) and that card is seemingly not played enough (or at least the media isn’t alerting us to that fact). And the setting that now is a good time should be clear to all. Because as I see it, the diminished tourism in America will hollow out a few states and their the lack of employmancy will likely lead to nasty situations and from there other settings will also be affected. The Washington Post handed me ‘From groceries to gas, Americans say they’re spending more under Trump’ combine that with the shutdown and the setting that MSNBC hands us “Corporate giants Amazon, UPS and Target each announced layoffs in recent weeks totaling more than 60,000 jobs cut this year” with an additional “In the absence of the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ monthly jobs report, the layoff announcements have raised questions about the strength of the labor market and if it’s the start of an AI-driven, white-collar recession” and that is before other firms are tallied on that rack. When you combine these settings, the outlook is grim and that is where Canada could offer a safer setting for firms looking to sail to safer waters. Only an hour ago The Indian Express treated us to ‘IBM to cut thousands of jobs as tech layoff spree continues’ as they are telling us that this Q4  will impact over 2,700 jobs. When you add it all together, America might seem fine with all that willing workforce, but the cost of living is becoming massive. I predicted it months ago, but as we are seeing it unfold, the truth is that this Trump administration went from a Big Beautiful Bill to a simple Baboonic Bad Break and that is seen all over the world as a negative and America did this to themselves and as such it is now the opportunity of Canada to offer a safe haven to all those corporations that had America in their sights and whilst the shutdown continues they need alternatives and Canada is one (Australia is the other) And when these corporations move into Canada, it comes with needed jobs, driving down the unemployment setting of 7.1% It is unlikely to get driven down to the 6% it was, but as America keeps on breaking its China (likely plates from IKEA) there would be a drive towards Canada and as America kept on breaking the moral of its allies, the switch to Canada is seemingly a near easy sell. The fact that Space is available, safe drinking water is abundant and there is a surplus of energy (I said that already) but that setting is important because Microsoft admitted a few days ago that it did not have the electricity to push forward their AI plans. Do you think that this is a singular instance? You see, yesterday the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas gave us ‘Batteries, solar help keep the lights on in Texas but more needed’ and similar stories are rising in parts of America and that should discourage investors and those wanting to offer growth in their corporations, but there is Canada and the settings they have are clear. So as I see it, a clear case is made to move to Canada and ask I see it, a Prime Minister with economic degrees that baffles a tonne of Academics beats whatever America has to offer. There is a case to be made for America, but it requires all kinds of resources they seemingly do not have (or better stated no longer have). 

So am I making a case for the Commonwealth nation of Canada? Yup, I am and at times this is a perfectly valid case to embrace. 

So for those who want to find out where they want to stay in North America, look for the nation with the flag below

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Another party on the rise

That’s what I see as I took notice of the BBC article ‘City trader sues UBS for $400m after rate-rigging conviction quashed’ (at https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cz6ngvenxj6o). There is even a third setting on this horizon. We are given “A former trader who had his conviction quashed for “rigging” interest rates following a 10-year legal battle is suing his former employer UBS. Tom Hayes launched a legal claim for malicious prosecution against the Swiss banking giant, claiming he was the bank’s “hand-picked scapegoat” in one of the biggest scandals of the 2008 financial crisis. In July, Mr Hayes had his conviction overturned by the UK Supreme Court after it was ruled unfair. He had been jailed in 2015 for manipulating interest rates used for loans between banks.

Quashed as unfair? This calls into question a few issues. First there is the persecution. They either had the evidence, or they did not. Then the question becomes, how this evidence was obtained. I am not on the side of Tom Hayes, Im siding with the law, but all parties must do their due diligence. And on the other side The claim that he was a ‘hand picked scapegoat’ also requires proof (of some sort). Was he a convenient altar boy? Did he break any banking law? These are questions that come to mind. 

And the setting we are given is “The filing said Mr Hayes was taking legal action in a bid to “deter and punish UBS for its role in intentionally directing the destruction of an innocent man’s life for their own selfish reasons”. His lawyers claim the global banking giant misled US authorities with the aim of branding him the “evil mastermind” behind alleged Libor misconduct in an effort to protect its senior executives and minimise regulatory fines.

As I see it, to be branded ‘evil mastermind’ requires evidence of access and the simple facts that ‘others’ had his ears, did they? As it goes and as it tends to go, if he was a true ‘evil mastermind’ there is a lack of evidence, more a setting of assumed handed evidence through interviews. Was that the case? Then we get a much more sinister part. We are given “The complaint, filed in Connecticut, also claims UBS “gained control over the investigation into its own alleged misconduct” and conducted a “fundamentally flawed” investigation in order to pin the blame on Hayes. It added that UBS “offered Hayes up on a silver platter” to be prosecuted in both the US and the UK, and that those prosecutions were “engineered by UBS’s intentional false and misleading disclosures”.” The setting can be held as evidence. As I see it, The accusation of a “fundamentally flawed” investigation” could be investigated and seen as evidence on the whole. As well as “those prosecutions were “engineered by UBS’s intentional false and misleading disclosures”” at the time it might have been invisible, but now with time and the logs stamped as permanent it might be easier and after that amount of time, these people would have left their positions and now the UBS is on the hook. They will cry all points of mercy and that they didn’t know. But as I see it, we have in the first “senior executives and minimise regulatory fines”, that one raises the need for the fine to be upheld and even raised to at least $800 million and that is just for starters. The second setting is that the prosecution allowed a “gained control over the investigation into its own alleged misconduct” and that is, as I personally see it, on the heads of the prosecution. 

I think that Tom Hayes has a decent chance to walk away with a decent bundle of cash if he can proof even one of these accusations. The prosecution is decently tempted to withhold any assistance, but I see that as a wrongful act. They made the mess, they need to clean it up and as I see it, it is merely the first setting. You see, this comes out after 10 years. How long until someone at a bank gets to be clever and gets DML involved? That person merely needs to ask “How can I increase profit without breaking the law. What hurdles will I face?” That could get several non senior executives a pauplan that outstrips whatever they had their senior executives. A setting that some will see as amicable. So what happened in 2012 will not come to our shores twice a week. Is the prosecution ready for that? How many people will it convict allegedly innocent and after they spend their 5 year (or more) in Hotel Sing Sing, how much will these people claim at that point? It will be a while new party to come and everyone is invited to that setting.

Don’t believe me, wait for the second part of this musical because it will be awesome. The big banks self monitoring and they get to hand over billions for short sighted actions. It will be a grand new world to come. So have a great day and enjoy the payment of fines if you are due any.

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What happens when someone expands

That is the setting and Arab News gives us ‘How Greece and Saudi Arabia are redrawing the map of power’ (at https://arab.news/ytgve). This is not news for me, I saw this happens at least twice before and Greece is as good a place as any for the STC to expand as an second step beyond the few others and as they grow the European market becomes a reality. We are given “The relationship between Greece and Saudi Arabia, long anchored in commerce and maritime exchange, is rapidly evolving into a strategic alliance that spans energy, investment, technology and defense”, as well as “Digital infrastructure is emerging as the new trade route. The East to Med Data Corridor — a joint venture between Greece’s telecom operators and Saudi Arabia’s STC — will connect Gulf data hubs to European markets through undersea cables. Due for completion in 2026, it complements Saudi investments in cloud infrastructure and Greece’s ambition to serve as the EU’s digital bridge. When operational, it will transform geography into bandwidth, reviving the ancient logic of the Aegean and the Red Sea as conduits of exchange.” I initially (around 2020) thought that this would be done through Egypt and then Spain, and that it is now seemingly through Greece makes perfect sense and it won’t hurt the Greek economy one bit and mike make them renowned business partners all over Europe. And whilst we are given “Security cooperation has deepened alongside it. Since 2021, Greek air defense units have been stationed in Saudi Arabia to help protect critical energy facilities from aerial threats — an unprecedented deployment that underscores mutual trust. Athens now views Gulf stability as part of Europe’s own security; Riyadh sees Greece as a dependable partner with NATO experience and Mediterranean reach.” We need to see that the finance industry also benefits with “Greek finance is reinforcing this momentum. Eurobank, the National Bank of Greece and Piraeus Bank have expanded trade finance and advisory services for Greek and Saudi firms in energy, transport and technology. Their involvement adds institutional depth, translating political goodwill into bankable projects.” I have to admit that I am in the dark as to how that Greek finance horse is mounting up to be, but I reckon that if it fits the Saudi setting it must be decently good.

As we are handed the setting of “For Riyadh, partnership with an EU and NATO member provides credibility and access to Europe’s energy and technology debates. For Athens, alignment with Saudi Arabia amplifies its influence in a region where Europe’s energy and digital future are being decided. The Strategic Cooperation Council formalizes what business leaders had already recognized: the Greek-Saudi axis is not transactional but structural — a long-term bet on shared diversification and stability. The logic is clear. Greek forces helping defend Saudi energy infrastructure serve European as well as Saudi interests. The cables and inter-connectors binding the two nations reinforce both sovereignties. In an age of fractured supply chains, energy transition and digital rivalry, Athens and Riyadh are betting on connectivity as power.” And I do set this piece of writing to the views of Dr. John Sfakianakis, who is Chief Economist and Head of Economic Research at the Gulf Research Center as it was (as I see it) well written and for me that is shown with how easily and clearly it was written. Most economic pieces become a jumble of incomprehensible words after the first line starting with “Good morning”, this is clearly my problem as I lack an economic degree, but the expansion of Saudi Arabia and the Saudi Telecom Company (STC) was bound to grow as per 2018, it made perfect sense and it makes even more sense now, especially with the administration that America is showing to have. Europe will be happy to find a non-American partner to start with and Greece is accepted as an EU partner and a NATO partner, so I expect a lot more to happen, especially as Saudi Telecom under 5G is over 700% faster than what America has to offer, as such the benefit for EU telecom corporations is easily seen, the picture below shows that benefit (an image from 2020). And this will foster a lot of benefits in the Telecom and media settings under 5G as plenty of corporations will see, the fact that the Saudi setting is over 300% faster then what the UK or German speeds have is just icing on the cake for the European companies in the equation.

Saudi Arabia is expanding and Europe is about to see the benefits from this setting. It might not be an entirely accurate setting, but it is what I see and I reckon that this will benefit China to some degree as well as the future of expanded media is hindering the America spin systems. For China it implies a two for one deal as this expands the BRICS needs in several directions. I personally see Saudi Arabia as sitting on the fence as a stage that benefit Saudi Arabia more than anything, it stops American blunt media streaks from going after them and it allows Saudi Arabia to get a foot in the door with Europe. I might be wrong here, but that is how I saw that news last May. With Saudi Arabia sitting on the fence the American media channels are seemingly in a holding pattern, which is beneficial to this setting.

So have a great day and it is about time I fly towards the city this morning (it is achieved by taking the train and drinking a red bull for breakfast) I wonder if my wings are as impressive as the ones Tom Ellis had in Lucifer. Does that make me a fashion bitch? Still yesterday breakfast in Vancouver, so I am a day ahead from them for now.

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Tourism in the toilet

I have probably never seen any country throw his tourism industry in the toilet before like America has. Every country has its own methods and settings but 5 hours ago Canadian and the rest of the world got a rude awakening as to how this goes. CBC’s own Sophia Harris gives us in two broadcast the setting on how Canadians are for overthrown into the ‘dislike America’ setting. And the new rule is taking part this Friday. As of Friday every Canadian traveling to the US will have to supply their biometrics to America and it is given to us in “The United States is expanding its facial biometrics program with the goal of collecting images of non-U.S. citizens at entry and exit points at all airports, seaports and land borders”, as I see it, this will down Tourism a further 10%-15% and it is not in a nonchalant notion, “Just before getting on the plane, he says two uniformed officers approached him on the boarding ramp (Jetway), and one took his photo. “I was aghast. I felt ambushed,” said Shepell, a noted Canadian psychologist. He says the men never explained who they were or why he was photographed.” There is a found stretch coming from America (me quoting Hamlet). As we are given “CBP is expanding the program with the goal of collecting images of departing passengers at all international U.S. airports. The agency also plans to take photos of travelers when they enter and exit the country at all sea ports, and in vehicle lanes at land borders. CBP told CBC News it expects to have facial biometric technology fully in place at land borders sometime next year. Full implementation at sea ports and airports is expected within the next three to five years.” I reckon that this is data related and that is how America just lost a whole heap of tourists, because this makes (as speculated by some) Russia just a little more customer friendly. With the added “The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced a new rule on Friday that makes it mandatory for non-U.S. citizens, including Canadians, to take part in its facial biometrics program. The regulation is set to take effect on Dec. 26 — even though full implementation of the program could take years. According to the rule, photos taken of foreign travelers will remain on a DHS database for up to 75 years.” As I personally see it, having my records somewhere is not what I fear, what I fear is American opportunity selling it to every tech boss in the world and them having a go at my details. And I can’t wait to report on how the DHS accidentally got hacked and our details are now with most of the cyber criminals in America and beyond. It is merely a waiting process, this is a ticking time bomb that will go boom in the night mark my words, And this all is something we were given by the same reporter a week ago with 

Canadian snowbirds fingerprinted and photographed at U.S. border as part of new requirement’ on October 19th. As I see it, it shows that America had long standing interests in who is in their country “Several Canadian snowbirds reported they were fingerprinted and photographed at the U.S. border this month when registering for their winter stay, which U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) told CBC News is now standard procedure. 

Jacquie and Steve Ree of Ladysmith, B.C., arrived at the Peace Arch Border Crossing between Surrey, B.C., and Blaine, Wash., on Oct. 9.” The part that gets me is that they need these records on all the Canadian snowbirds as well. These people tend to have locations in America, they have their place and that was making them feel fine. I reckon that they might pick up and transfer to Australia or New Zealand in that same setting as they can get a better deal in these places and as I see it there are express ways to rely on this setting. No mater how we see it, America just scuttled their own tourism boat for the foreseeable future. We might not have liked who ran that place, but now we have seemingly valid concerns on how we are processed in America. I wonder how this is handled in the long run. A setting that DHS never considered is that America had in the past 72.39 million international tourists on an annual setting. There is a decent chance that this number goes down by a bit, but even if it decreases to 39 million, that implies that these 39 million biometric scans will occupy at least one data centre especially as it requires holding for 75 years. And these people will wonder what happens to these details now. 

Yup, I reckon that money spend on the Epic Universe was a little over enthusiastic at present, or at least its crown management issues are now decently solved by the Department of Homeland Security. So there is that.

Have a great day, and to the Snowbirds of Canada I say, come to Australia, we welcome you (New Zealand too) they have Auckland with temperatures of Auckland and Northland often reaching 28–30°C during their summer (December-February).

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The bubble to end all bubbles

That is what I saw mere minutes ago. It was yesterday’s piece at the Financial Review. An opinion piece by Gita Gopinath. Now normally I tend to ignore opinion pieces, but due to the fact that over time Financial Review has shown a good back on several matters and I picked up on the title ‘The crash that could torch $US35trn of wealth’ (at https://www.afr.com/wealth/investing/the-crash-that-could-torch-us35trn-of-wealth-20251016-p5n31w) gives pause for alarm. As America has its tourism issues, its economy issue and its technology issues a $35,000 billion write-off would be nothing less than a disaster in the making. I wrote about this a few times, but even I shudder to think of how large this bubble has become. The 2008 crash was half of that and the documentary Inside Job does a great way to explain this. Take this movie together with the movie Margin Call and you get a picture of what was done to the people of the world.

This is more than 100% worse and it started with the delusional setting of salespeople taking the easy road and giving the rest of the world how amazing AI was going to be. The quote “I calculate that a market correction of the same magnitude as the dotcom crash could wipe out over $US20 trillion ($30 trillion) in wealth for American households, equivalent to roughly 70 per cent of American GDP in 2024. This is several times larger than the losses incurred during the crash of the early 2000s. The implications for consumption would be grave. Consumption growth is already weaker than it was preceding the dotcom crash. A shock of this magnitude could cut it by 3.5 percentage points, translating into a 2-percentage-point hit to overall GDP growth, even before accounting for declines in investment” should stop you in your tracks. With the additional “Foreign investors could face wealth losses exceeding $US15 trillion, or about 20 per cent of the rest of the world’s GDP. For comparison, the dotcom crash resulted in foreign losses of around $US2 trillion, roughly $US4 trillion in today’s money and less than 10 per cent of rest-of-world GDP at the time. This stark increase in spillovers underscores how vulnerable global demand is to shocks originating in America” was not unknown to me, but I did not figure on the damage exceeding 10 trillion, here I see I was off by 50% (which comes due to a lack of an economic degree on my side), but data I know, in and out. I saw some of this and I tried to warn people and especially the Emirati people (at https://lawlordtobe.com/2025/10/20/the-start-of-something-bad/) in ‘The start of something bad’ only two days ago. And the reason why it would be worse is seen in the next setting of the Financial Review. We are given “Historically, the rest of the world has found some cushion in the dollar’s tendency to rise during crises. This “flight to safety” has helped mitigate the impact of lost dollar-denominated wealth on foreign consumption. The greenback’s strength has long provided global insurance, often appreciating even when the crisis originates in America, as investors seek refuge in dollar assets. There are, though, reasons to believe that this dynamic may not hold in the next crisis. Despite well-founded expectations that American tariffs and expansionary fiscal policy would bolster the dollar, it has instead fallen against most major currencies.” I kinda saw that two days ago, but not to this degree (the Financial Review writes it better) When that bubble burst it will not allow for shelter and the people involved will be hit massively. As I see it Nvidia will survive by will see its value decreased by 90%. Oracle will get hit less but it will still take a beating. Microsoft will be up for sale in the bargain basement and after builder.ai, the bubble will stick to them like gum in hair and they will not be able to shake the event. Others (Google, IBM, Amazon) will be hit, but they will get through this. As I see it, the only high standard that is maintained will be Adobe. Their “AI” options are soundly set in Deeper Machine Learning. As I see it, they will tend to be the shelter of choice if at all possible. 

The only part I disagree with is “Although this does not mark the end of the dollar’s dominance, it does reflect growing unease among foreign investors about the currency’s trajectory. Increasingly, they are hedging against dollar risk – a sign of waning confidence.” As I see it, the dollar comes to an end with this bubble. I do not know what people will rush to, but the dollar is no longer the place to be. As I see it there will be a flock going towards the Yuan, the Dirham and the Bitcoin, but personally I have no idea if the Bitcoin survives. You see, a $35,000 write-off will come from some currency and those hiding in Bitcoin will lose a lot, no telling how much, but it will be close to astronomical. The Financial Review gives us “Perceptions of the strength and independence of American institutions, particularly the Federal Reserve, play a crucial role in maintaining investor confidence.” That independence is close to obsolete. This administration took care of that with all the tariffs, all the tourist settings and the economy is also shaky. It might not be but someone took the trouble of not reporting the ‘goodness’ of their setting. The labour statistics are nowhere to be found and that is shaking investor confidence. All that whilst Paramount is shaking thousands of people of their employment tree, this year alone Microsoft shed 15,000 jobs, IBM is said to have fired 21,000 jobs, making Google’s 100 job losses trivial in comparison. In this setting and with the missing labor statistics the investor confidence would be in the basement and even if the Federal reserve doused that paper in the scent of Luis Vuitton it would not matter much. At present Saudi Arabia and the UAE are the best places for these investors and America knows this. They have oil to fall back on and as I see it, no matter how the AI bubble bursts, they can retrench this into service roles and data acquisition roles. That is what Europe fears, American held data used to safely drip the economy to health using IP values from everywhere. And this is not the first time I wrote about this in ‘That one flaky promise’ (at https://lawlordtobe.com/2022/01/29/that-one-flaky-promise/) where I saw the dangers of America ‘annexing’ whatever it had and that was BEFORE AI and the bubble it created. I swear that danger almost 4 years ago. That setting will implode the rest of what America thought they would have. As I see it, a strong setting of IP and storage of it could help both Saudi Arabia and the UAE (a likely preferred choice) to evade to (those who can afford it) because when this bubble goes it will wipe out whatever most of us hold for dear and those who had their patents in the US. This is mere (intense) speculation, but do you think that this American administration will not do this? It had no trouble with tariffs and the setting of THEIR ‘big beautiful America’ at the expense of everything. They even tried to make Canada and Greenland part of America. I don’t think so and as I see it, when that bubble goes America is pretty much done for. All because Americans believe that Cash is King. So their salespeople live by the dollar and will waste it at a moments notice for their personal needs. Should you doubt that please watch Inside Job and see what they did there. I reckon that Iceland is now getting back on its feet al will enjoy the view on the impact crater that Wall Street leaves behind. 

I need to end this with a word of caution. This was base on an opinion piece, so as that is wrong, so is my view. But I based it on the data I had available and the prediction that I saw in 2022, so there was no AI bubble at that time. So is my view more accurate now? That cannot be said and it is based on what desperate people do and as I see it America is about to become really desperate. So enjoy your coffee today, which I will do also and I will assist a young woman named Aloy help her defeat some machines. They were not Microsoft products, so they should work. Now lets make them a lot less functional and that Deathbringer looks like a right monster.

Have a great day and try not to get too depressed by the not so good news I am partially bringing.

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The eye on the other things

That is me (to some extent) I was in hospital for the last 30 hours getting rid of skin  and er on my eye lid, the most ridiculous place to get it I say and as such I wasn’t able to keep an eye on things (whatever will I think of next). The clear setting it gives is that I was able to mesmerize on a few of the old IP things I had designed and consider a few ‘alterations’ of this. From Sushi shaped power packs plus to Real Estate enhancements, they all passed the queue. So as I am listening to Bear McCreary’s soundtracks of Battlestar Galactica (the stomping grounds of Edward James Olmos) I am reading Al Jazeera’s piece ‘Trump expects expansion of Abraham accords soon, hopes S Arabia will join’ (at https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/10/17/trump-expects-expansion-of-abraham-accords-soon-hopes-s-arabia-will-join) and a thought was slamming my mind. There are two issues. The first is the byline “Widespread regional anger over Israel’s war on Gaza, and beyond, will likely prove a major obstacle to any further signatories to the accords.” The name Hamas is mentioned once, once after all the atrocities they did to the Palestinians ad no word from all these pro Palestinian losers all over the world. It seems that Hamas scored too large a victory and something needs to be done. As I said several times in the past. Palestine is only possible AFTER Hamas is eradicated. And I am not at all certain that Iran isn’t still addressing THEIR needs to Hamas. 

The second thought that came to mind was that there is nothing on ‘What is important to Saudi Arabia’ as it stands there is no real certainty that Qatar (Al Jazeera) isn’t addressing its own needs and shuffling it to their audience giving it a non-Iranian paint job.

So as the eye is on what is important to Saudi Arabia we are given “one week into the all-encompassing and fragile Gaza ceasefire between Israel and Hamas” which has the one mention of Hamas, but the setting of ““I hope to see Saudi Arabia go in, and I hope to see others go in. I think when Saudi Arabia goes in, everybody goes in,” Trump said in an interview broadcast Friday on Fox Business Network.” Is a setting that is ‘innocently’ undersold, but the stronger sense remains. When did President Trump, or the players in the EU address what was important to Saudi Arabia? So when we get the larger setting of “The “Abraham Accords” secured agreements between Israel and the UAE, Bahrain, Morocco and Sudan” we optionally only see the UAE as the larger player and I tend to agree that any balance in the Arabic Middle East will require the UAE and Saudi Arabia see eye to eye on matters as such the article doesn’t lies, but it largely misrepresents what is required and whatever Accords that are named after the Israelite people is a nice touch of presentation, but it is like the flim flam artist wants you to think and not to think too much about. Yes, there is a larger setting for Israel, but it is what Saudi Arabia needs now, and we get that Israel wants you to think that this is what all of the Arabic peninsula wants, but what does Saudi Arabia want? I actually do not know and I reckon a lot of you do not, but no one is asking that question of the ruling lines of Saudi Arabia and I reckon that their words are misrepresented at nearly every turn with “Is this what you meant?” Whilst diminishing the words spoken. As a reference I will give you the massive quote spoken by UAE foreign minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed in 2017 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-dV4m43xZmY) That is the setting we are swimming against with the Pro-Palestinian losers all over Europe, USA, Canada and Australia (and other regions) and me for one wants to see where are the interests of Saudi Arabia. What do they say? 

I actually do not know what it is and we aren’t given that setting by anyone (as I personally see it). So whilst we are pro-Trump, anti-Trump or even Trump card looking, where is the stage where we see what is important to Saudi Arabia?

So as we are given “Hezbollah’s Secretary-General Naim Qassem appealed to Saudi Arabia in recent weeks to mend relations with the Lebanese armed group, aligned with Iran, and build a common front against Israel.” No one is speaking about the atrocities of Hamas in the last week, why not? So whilst there is too much anti-Israel sentiment, there is also a lack of seeing what Saudi Arabia requires of the region. And that is (as I personally see it) an absolute requirement where the UAE and Saudi Arabia take the podium and speak their minds to all willing to listen because that is still a central piece, the willingness and need to listen what the others say, not the bullies and limelight seeking politicians of whatever nation gets the limelight, the high order of Saudi and Emirati people speaking of what is required, not filtered by pro Iranian sentiment and I personally feel that is the beginning of others seeing the stupidity they embraced by thinking that Hamas or Iran had any peace requirement. They only talked about self, the merely labelled it wrong.

So have a great day and whilst I contemplate on the optional medical setting that might have gone wrong (eye feels bad), I need to set my timeline to a healing line, not the timeline of now and immediate, because we are seeing that this goes nowhere for those concerned.

So have a great day with some coffee and may I suggest a Chicken Shawarma at 8 Dammam Branch Rd, Al Yarmuk, Riyadh? It was recommended through Google. 

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Washing sports?

It is not the setting we start with, or ever if it comes to me. Almost a decade ago there was no setting where Saudi Arabia would be connected with football. Not that I care (I am not a football fan), but I did grow up in the Netherlands where the bulk of the population (around 99%) is madly passionate about football. And in the 70’s there was nothing but the national football setting (KNVB) and as we grew older (a pesky side effect of time) we saw that there was a football setting that was international. And until 2010 nearly no one had heard of Saudi Football. So when I saw last night Arab News giving me ‘Saudi Arabia book place at 2026 World Cup finals after hard-fought draw with Iraq’ the setting changed. Yes I had heard tot the KSA was into football and FIFA appointed the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to host the 2034 world cup event. I like the idea because sports gets people together and that is never a bad thing. In addition, the more play football the more tings we all get to have in common with one another (yes, it is a naive view) but it is the one I sport (to give it a name). So when I saw that Saudi Arabia made it to the finals of 2026 I was pleased to say the least. And with the starting paragraph of “Saudi Arabia secured a place at the 2026 World Cup on Tuesday with a goalless draw against Iraq in Jeddah in the fourth round of the Asian qualifiers. The hard-fought point was enough to give the Green Falcons top spot in Group B and guarantee their seventh appearance at the finals”, we see the truth of those calling events sport washing. Saudi Arabia has fought and earned its place at the World Cup, even if some do not agree, they made it and whilst there is a definite setting of ‘they’ll never make it’ the truth of the matter is that 20 years ago we would not have considered Saud Arabia to get anywhere near the World Cup and see where that thought has gotten us. They are now here and they are massively set to be here for a long time. No sport washing was required.

So congratulations to the Green Falcons (aka Al-Suqour Al-Khodhur) and show the other football nations what is possible in 2026.

And as that news passes us by, Canada also had news. CBC (at https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/kelowna-aiport-9.6938860) where we see ‘Screens and PA system at 2 B.C. airports hacked with pro-Hamas, anti-Trump messages: officials’ with the sub text “Kelowna International Airport and Victoria International Airport confirmed the incidents in emailed statements. Transport Canada said it was aware of those hacks, along with another incident at Windsor International Airport.” Is anyone still doubting my view on the essential need to eradicate Hamas? The setting might not be entirely accurate as we get that it comes with anti-trump messages but these do not need to be mutually exclusive. The larger setting that some go for the ‘it is only Kelowna’ might need to reassess their settings because the airport was hacked into and that needs a massive rectification. There is no ‘freedom of speech’, this is a direct pro-terrorist setting and certain people (like Daniel Rogers, CSIS) to hunt down and prosecute (a 9mm prosecution) of mentioned terrorist.  There is only so much we can stomach and this setting is not about anything else than making Canada a terrorist target and there comes a time when we all need to stand up and say “You went too far here”, OK, I grant you that the same thing can be said about my resolution. Yet I remain in the mindset that too many people think that these pro-Hamas people just go away, they do not and they are ready to resolve anything that a speculative Iran makes happen. I personally still see Iran as the fingers wielding the Hamas puppet and when they get out of their territory into Commonwealth borders. The time to be nice ends. This is not speech, this is overlapping terrorism and whatever person responsible needs to be dealt with, rather harshly I say. 

So why the two messages?
I personally ally think that Hamas and their sympathizers will come to any sport event to be ‘heard’ through terrorism and whatever happened now will most likely happen in 2026 at the FIFA world cup at that point hosted by North America, Mexico and Canada and there is no way that players like Hamas will not try to exploit this and with the pro-Hamas in play all over Europe and the Commonwealth a clear path needs to be created to deal with the aforementioned terrorists.

America and Mexico can clean their own backyard, but Canada needs to do something and I think it is imperative that the Commonwealth steps in, not because they cannot, but because we have to stand by the Canadian intelligence players. Personally I think that Vancouver will be the larger target as it is close to Seattle, but that does not mean that Toronto is in the clear and the CSIS will need all hands to keep a tab on these two places and likely they will, but that means that these terrorists who hit Kelowna International Airport and Victoria International Airport might have been setting a dry run and to do this at this stage might make sense to some, but it also means that they have ways into the systems and that might spell trouble next year. This is the setting that some call the “smelling a red herring”, which is not my cuppa tea, but people (like Daniel Rogers) will likely know what to do and perhaps these settings are already made. Lets not forget that the CSIS has 48 hours and they tend to get really active in less then 30 minutes, so whatever I think has already been done by those inside that circle.

So whilst some are ‘nervous’, I know that the people at CSIS, ASIS and MI6 would have had things under control and they were setting whatever was needed already yesterday (and as expected the media has nothing) which is fine and expected. Still there is a setting that is within me and not within certain others. There is a fine line between ‘freedom of speech’ and ‘endangering others’ that is no longer a setting of debate, when you do the first you get to speak, in the second setting the 9mm prosecution comes your way. It is that simple and I get it that some will not herald this thought with lots of smiles, but I think that the last 740 days of Hamas are illustrative enough. If you have doubts call Mossad (at +972-2-6775671) we have seen 740 days of evidence and it is up to Canada to stop them now, but I do agree we all (the Commonwealth) need to step up to this task. And I personally feel certain that a soft touch is no longer needed. They have had enough warnings and even now they haven’t handed over the hostages. We are not ‘impressed’ with “Hamas and other Palestinian factions may not be able to locate all the remains within the given timeframe”, if you think that Hamas did not have a setting on ALL their hostages, you are largely delusional. It is just another cog of the game they are playing and now it is up to the Commonwealth to show them what we do with terrorists, because next year the entire world will be watching and it will be (speculatively through third players parties) that it is the time for Hamas to shine and I say it will be somewhere else, not now, nor ever in our Commonwealth. 

Have a great day, it is Time for lunch for me (that meal between breakfast and dinner).

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