Tag Archives: Sweden

January 27, 2026 · 05:22

What The Actual Fuck

That was the first thought that I had when US Ambassador Pete Hoekstra opened his mouth again. Then again, his lifetime service ends in 1089 days, so Canada survive his term for another three years? So what brought this about? Well, CBC gives us (at https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/norad-canada-us-f35-9.7059800) ‘NORAD pact would change if Canada pulls back from F-35 order, warns U.S. ambassador’ where we see “and would fly them more often into Canadian airspace to address threats approaching the U.S.” what does that flagrantly inappropriate piece of (whatever he is) think he is by violating Canadian airspace without consent of the Canadian government? A case might be made on Changing NORAD, they are usually too busy tracking Santa Claus with their systems, making these systems active one day a year. But to give Canada the setting that we  are given that “Ambassador Hoekstra describes the current defence relationship as “awesome,” but says such interventions by the U.S. military over Canada would increase if Canada does not increase its purchase of F-35s beyond the 16 currently on order.” And the setting that America has any input in HOW MANY and which airplanes come the Seraglio of the United States (their new nickname) is beyond his seat and beyond his entitlement (as I personally see it). So when I see “U.S. President Donald Trump’s ambassador to Canada is warning of consequences to the continental defence pact if Canada does not move forward with the purchase of 88 F-35 fighter jets.” I feel entitled to loosely lose it. Canada is making his requirement known and it is THEIR opinion that the Saab JAS 39 Gripen can do the job as the choice for Canadian defence, that is up to the people who are empowered (in Canada) to do so, not for the White House, or are the losses that the White House enacted over themselves no longer paying for the electricity bill? You know that stuff that is coming from Canada and now comes with a 100% tariff?

In this light I would personally offer the setting that the 88 F-35’s are an option when it comes with a 63.4% discount, but then it would still be up for Minister Mélanie Joly and Minister David McGuinty to give that go ahead, but in no way is there any acceptance that this is up to American Ambassador Pete Hoekstra, or to even suggest that USA planes fly into Canada (without permission) and take optionally seen as hostile actions. And as NORAD is also in Alaska, there is enough time for the Canadian air force to take positive actions before there is an actual issue on United States soil. 

So even as the article in CBC ends with ““That’s crazy. We’re not a threat,” said Hoekstra.” I would like to add “Not we, you are the threat Ambassador Hoekstra” and you better realise that really soon before you run your mouth again in anti-Canadian outbursts, as the selling through threats of buying airlines to counter invasion tactics, it shows the ‘craft’ level of a lousy second hand car salesman and Canada made its choice when it selected the Saab to do the job at  25% of the cost and perhaps it was partially selected because your boss ran his mouth with those ‘51st state’ remarks. So at present there are concerns that the United States needs to sell at least 105 F-35 airplanes to counter the setting of “US Treasury bonds experienced a significant sell-off, with yields on 10-year notes reaching 4.3% and 30-year yields touching 4.9%. This surge in yields, the highest since September 2025, was driven by concerns over potential trade wars with Europe and geopolitical tensions. Foreign investors hold roughly 31% ($9.4 trillion) of US debt, and some European entities have signaled a re-evaluation of their holdings.” It comes with the unconfirmed information from a source that Goldman Sachs had sold over 800 billion in bonds. I only had one source and no validation of this, not with the SEC (who had over 4200 documents of actions by Goldman Sachs), but it might not be easy to find as 800 billion+ implies that the United States and its dollar are pretty much done for, not something you want to herald to the media. And I was ready to reject it, but in comes Ambassador Pete Hoekstra making demands that Canada takes a 100% of the 88 Lockheed Martin dinky toys (could be corgi toys), now that lose statement of sold bonds seems a little too ‘conveniently’ out there. But there is another setting, since when does any government bully its way to the purchase line with an overpriced drone that requires a pilot? So, are you feeling the animosity yet Ambassador Hoekstra? And I am a mere Australian, but that makes me a Commonwealthian and one that stands with its Canadian brothers (sisters too). You seemingly forgot that you are merely boasting towards Canadians, but as it stands you are offending Australians (aka Aussies), New Zealanders (aka Kiwi’s) and the United Kingdom (aka Britons) as well. As such you might want to pick up your book ‘101 ways for being clever in diplomacy’ up again, you might have looked into that in your first year in addressing negotiation, international relations, and conflict resolution. Optionally books given to you by UNITAR, but that is mere speculation by me. 

And perhaps you want to point pout where you can do such a thing as the 11 principles that govern NORAD include (as 6th principle) “No permanent change of station for forces under NORAD control can occur without national authority approval.” Or even principle 11 which gives us “The agreement includes provisions for review or renewal (originally set for 10 years).” When exactly is that renewal due? I might be foggy on this part. So exactly who is in charge of NORAD? We are given “The Commander and Deputy Commander will not be from the same country; appointments require approval from both nations.” So when did you discuss this matter with General Gregory Guillot of the United States Air Force? Or perhaps his deputy (which I personally doubt) which is General Iain S. Huddleston of the Royal Canadian Air Force. And perhaps you might want to refresh my mind on where it stands what flying materials each player brings to the NORAD table. As I stated, I might be foggy on that part and in this the media is no help at all.

But I reckon you know all this because you opened your mouth and as such you would have reviewed the materials before speaking. It might be an incorrect view on the matter but don’t several diplomacy books tell the diplomat to any table prepared for what is to come? Sun Tzu (not a diplomat) tells us that victory is secured through meticulous preparation and strategic calculation before a battle begins. And as you entered that field speaking, I gathered that you would have been prepared for that and as such you would have familiarised yourself with the doctrine of NORAD. Was I right?

So you all have a great day and as I stood up for my Canadian brethren (sisters too) I feel great and I am now 150 minutes from breakfast, so I feel good. Especially as I feel the urgent urge for coffee at this time.

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January 20, 2026 · 22:57

Thoughts of a different streak

That is what is bothering me. You see I had a weird ‘daydream’ there could be all kinds of reasons to have this dream, but it struck me as weird at the time. You see I was offered a sweet position in the Starlink program in tech support and I was placed in Abu Dhabi, there were two other tech support locations. Toronto and Sydney these three centers give reasons for 24 hours support and I was added to the Abu Dhabi station (from Sydney). It was a nice dream of having a decently paid job, but that was not the part that was bugging me. In the dream The US Department of War had taken control of Starlink (I have no idea why) and its was supposed to be a short term one. But the issue kept nagging on me. Why would they even need it? And these aren’t facts. It was a dream I had, a day dream no less, no nothing factual.

My brain has seemingly connected the fact “Astronomy Disruption: This leakage disrupts radio telescope observations, specifically in the 10.7 to 12.7 GHz range, making it harder for astronomers to observe the universe” as well as “Starlink satellites are emitting unintended, low-level electromagnetic radiation that interferes with radio astronomy” but my brain (not to most obliging element in this universe) is connecting this to an old intrusion solution I devised. It was the Hop+1 solution I thought through when we saw the news on the Sony Intrusion and we now see “refers to the major 2014 cyberattack on Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE), where hackers (Guardians of Peace) stole massive amounts of sensitive data, leaked unreleased films, and disrupted operations, linked to North Korea due to the film The Interview. There were also significant breaches involving the PlayStation Network (PSN) in 2011 (77 million accounts) and 2014, and a 2023 incident affecting Sony employees via a MOVEit vulnerability. ” I was of the mindset (as North Korea was pointed at) that they lacked the knowledge to do this. I wrote this piece on September 30th 2017 in ‘The Good, the Bad, and North Korea’ (at https://lawlordtobe.com/2017/09/30/the-good-the-bad-and-north-korea/). The article has a few other points, but my mind started to think that this was most likely an inside job, but in other setting how could it be done and with the Defence department and the NSA in mind, I created HOP+1. I make some mention of it in there. The insides were a little too well working (in my mind) to publish it out there, no need to give hackers any more handles. But then mind might have been mulling over, that if there is leakage and disruption, it might be used in other ways too. It might not have the desired initial effect, but as I see it, these satellites will have been set to a reengineered setting of Cisco solutions. And that would make sense and as such HOP+1 would be back in business.

Is it that simple? I have no idea, but my brain is trying to tell me something that I cannot yet see (or I am blatantly ignoring myself) and in part there is a setting that HOP+1 relied on an inside intrusion (or break-in) at a location that in on the hop path, no bunnies required and the outcome is usually successful as I have seen the laziness of IT people all over the lands (Netherlands, UK, Germany, Sweden, USA and Australia) as such I feel that my HOP+1 would work, but in Starlink, these blighters cannot be reached with a normal staircase, so I have no idea, but I think my mind has worked out what could be done with a program approach in the setting from 10.7 to 12.7 GHz range, but I am fishing here (my brain won’t tell me what it has figured out. Perhaps it is making me go through the motions. 

Well that is it for now, perhaps there will be another sequence on this if I figure out what I had figured out. It is almost midnight (70 minutes from now) so have a great day I will turn the Sahara forests into a desert by snoring all the wood away.

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January 4, 2026 · 02:07

The other channel

That was in my mind when I was rewatching Teen Wolf today. What as a funny movie in 1985 became a stellar TV series with its much darker supernatural vibe was an amazing achievement and I was thinking that Europe has had its own successes in the timeframe of 70’s to 90’s. There was a lot of American series, but they have had some local successes and that is the price that Pinewood Toronto Studios or Canadian Broadcasting Centre (CBC Studios), there is the idea that Bardel Entertainment or Mercury Filmworks could translate some of this to Cartoons with a Canadian twist to it. 

There are legions of options, but in the trend of Canada becoming more and more independent of America, I have been twisting my brain on how to do that. I was considering giving them my first TV serious, but it was written to an Islamic public, so it might not apply to any Canadian studio unless the stream to either Saudi Arabia, the UAE or Indonesia. The setting bares thought, but that might be for later. At this point I am looking to what we can do now.

The Netherlands had Q&Q (70’s) about a young photography enthusiast and as he falls the photo takes a picture and when the develops the film the snapped picture is a blurry picture of a man seemingly dead. Optionally that could take place in Biidaasige Park (a speculation I am making) and that is before you look at TV series in Sweden, Germany, Denmark, France and a few other places. I reckon that the French series might get rewritten for Grandé Studios. I merely wonder if this was done already, or was there never a need for this? But as the appeal for America is waning and whilst they are eager to export, Canada needs an alternative and whilst Canada makes great TV, the idea to cater to itself has of course a few benefits and the appeal that they unite a lot more closer to the EU will have a few benefits too. And as the options are given a lot more considerations. The idea of Canadian TV emerging with additional materials that is devoid of American interference, but that might merely be my idea of true independence. 

A setting that bares thought, because there are plenty of Canadian that are clever (besides Ryan Reynolds who is utterly bonkers) but until they realise that we are on their side (mostly those in the Commonwealth) we need to give the idea and bring the ideas that could propel them further, especially without America, as it is more intent to thwart their bankruptcy be accusing Venezuela for Drugs offenses, whilst they merely want the oil Venezuela has. It might be my assumption, but no one in the American administration gives clear explanation and some of it comes across as utter BS (that what makes the grass grow in Texas). The setting requires the rest of the world to isolate America. It is not something I would suggest, but it comes down to that at present, especially when they are still going after Greenland and optionally Canada too. 

As such the setting I am having is how could I help? And my creativity went haywire. I designed a game (which I published earlier in my blog) and I am considering a few more options, but I halted at TV, because I never considered it before. And I have three scripts that could help (when they are completed) and I have something new on the route as well, merely one was done, but it was for an Islamic audience. So as an idea I grabbed to the old IP that is decades old. It might revitalize TV and give a few other options for IP registration and optional rewrite. That could lead to Canada exporting TV series as well. But that would be for another day.

So whilst we turn to another channel, we need to see that Canada might become that channel and that needs to be invoked with creativity out of all other directions, not just mine, but from Europe and the rest of the Commonwealth as well. We need to support our Canadian brother, at least that is my personal believe and when we create that setting, we all avoid a larger pressure from America and Hollywood. A simple bonus setting we are all entitled to. But feel free to disagree with me on this, I reckon Canadians won’t.

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December 22, 2025 · 17:44

Why is a stage a stage?

That is at times a decent question. Even for me, because as I write this, I do so subjectively, nearly every writer does. Writer about his point of view and I am no better (or worse for that matter). It is the merging of two points of view and these points of view are others points of view and they have their own reasoning. It is not about good or bad, points of view almost never are in a set stage. But they must be watched as they influence your own point of view and whilst some are eager to give them all a one sided setting, I learned that this is not something that tends to help. Especially if points of view are multidimensional. As such, I give two points of view and blend them to my own stage.

The first was given by Yahoo Finance (at https://finance.yahoo.com/news/how-oracle-became-a-poster-child-for-ai-bubble-fears-150039511.html) I don’t agree with that point of view but it was a decent setting of a stage. And stages are where we are.

The first setting gives us ‘How Oracle became a ‘poster child’ for AI bubble fears’ I don’t believe in that setting, but it matters for the whole story. “Oracle (ORCL) stock’s boom and bust in 2025 has become emblematic of the tech trade’s central conflict: Investors can’t decide whether AI is a generational opportunity or a looming risk.” But then we get “AI optimism continued to push Oracle shares higher following its quarterly earnings reports in June and September, with AI-driven deals set to push cloud segment revenue to $166 billion in 2030. The stock’s surge in September briefly made Ellison the world’s wealthiest person. But AI euphoria quickly gave way to doubt. Investors became increasingly concerned over the rising use of debt to fund tech firms’ AI spending, just as the payoff of that spending remains hotly debated. Those concerns are evidenced in the budding demand for Big Tech credit default swaps (CDS) — financial contracts that act as insurance by letting investors bet on the likelihood that a company will default on its debt.” And that setting is somewhat important, and for those who remember the 2008 crash, they fear the stage the the CDS and that is fine, I don’t think that this setting is great, but the stage of letting investors bet on the likelihood that a company will default on its debt is not really great, it is the stage where some will set or even orchestrate the need for some to fall and that is what makes the bubble burst and I gave that setting before (at https://lawlordtobe.com/2025/12/02/aftermath/) in the story ‘Aftermath’ where I highlighted parts of the equation. It is the second part that is the setting of the stage and it is about stages. You see, we all envision a stage whether it is the real stage sets part of the question and when we consider the stage we think matters, we might look at the size, the lighting or how we move on that stage. All matters for consideration but I digress. The second story was given to us by the Motley Fool (at https://www.fool.com/investing/2025/09/16/prediction-oracle-will-surpass-amazon-microsoft-an/) and there we get ‘Prediction: Oracle Will Surpass Amazon, Microsoft, and Google to Become the Top Cloud for Artificial Intelligence (AI) By 2031’ where we see “Oracle forecasts that revenue from its Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) segment could grow from around $10 billion in its last fiscal year (fiscal 2025), to $18 billion in its current fiscal year (fiscal 2026), $32 billion in fiscal 2027, $73 billion in fiscal 2028, $114 billion in fiscal 2029, and $144 billion in fiscal 2030 — corresponding with calendar year 2031.” As well as “Oracle’s push into cloud infrastructure is arguably its boldest bet in the company’s history. Oracle isn’t cutting corners, either; it is bringing on dozens of data centers online in just a few years. It has built 34 multi-cloud data centers and should have another 37 online in less than a year.” Now we have seen two not aligned stages, but the actual stage it a lot larger. You see, the others all ‘want to align’ with Oracle, but that merely means that they want the solutions that Oracle has or get the customers that have selected Oracle, but the others forget something that matters. Oracle has been the data innovator for over 45 years and no one can touch what they achieved, even in the early 90’s they were the only one who could set tables within tables and it took others close to a decade to even get close. Azure, AWS and others never got ahead of Oracle, they merely reengineered what Oracle already figured out and there is more to come. 

You see the two stages are in a larger third stage and as I see it, Oracle has focussed on the data that is needed for DML and LLM settings, but they must know that actual AI requires more and it starts with two elements Verification and Validation. There two parts are the achilles heel for anyone making the statements that this is AI (which it is not) and no matter how much you train data sets, when Validation and verification are absent the GIGO law comes into play. It was uttered in the 60’s and means Garbage In, Garbage Out. Without Validation and Verification all data becomes part of the GIGO law. Most do not realise this, or they simply do not care, but Oracle figured this out long ago (A speculative thought) and we need to consider the Oracle might be trailing on some new technology, but they are ahead in many ways, more so than either Azure or AWS. And the largest settings we see at this point if that some are ‘gambling’ that Oracle messes up, but I think that is not the case. Oracle is hanging on and that is what matters. The data centers that are coming and that are build need to make money, but that is not the stage of Oracle, they got the equipment in, they got the software in and now as these centers start making money, Oracle gets their share and as such they are the facilitators of wealth and that is until there is an actual AI and as I see it, Oracle will be the only one who will set the premise of that and that is why Oracle will surpass all others. Even Google and IBM will seek the shores of Oracle. 

A stage that might take a while, but in all this, any training data centre will owe Oracle money (and a lot of it), so Oracle can play the long game, because in that stage only Oracle will come out on top. That is how is see the stage, the size a lot larger, the lights will put Oracle in the limelight and all others will remember why Oracle is the only one who is master of data storage technology and that is why I believe that the second is part of the real future of Oracle and whomever connects to Oracle. But in all this Oracle is the most essential data solution technology out there and when I saw the ‘negative’ settings around on December 2nd, I knew that it was doom speak of some for whatever reason they had. I knew that Oracle had a different future ahead of them, a much brighter one.

Have a great day, today was cooler, so I feel decently rested, but in these warm days before Christmas I rather miss the white cold of Sweden (or Canada). 

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November 26, 2025 · 06:48

When one domino falls

That is always the case, isn’t it? For completely unrelated settings, one tends to dump over the other one. It isn’t fair, it doesn’t always make sense, but there you have it and whilst several players reported on it, I was pushed into motion by the Army Recognition story giving us “Canada is reexamining its plan to buy 88 F-35A fighters after Sweden used a royal state visit to promote a Gripen E or F production and R&D hub in Canada. The debate now pits industrial and political incentives against warnings from former RCAF leaders that a mixed fleet could dilute combat power and strain a tight defense budget.” It comes from the article ‘Canada Reconsiders Full U.S. F-35A Fleet As Swedish Gripen-E Fighter Offer Gains Ground’ which we see (at https://www.armyrecognition.com/news/aerospace-news/2025/canada-reconsiders-full-us-f-35a-fleet-as-swedish-gripen-e-fighter-offer-gains-ground) it isn’t merely about Swedish precision (Hasselblad is a great example), but the American administration is rearing its ugly head in a few nasty ways. There was the massive setting on the Ukraine peace plan, which according to some (unreliable sources) was delivered in Russian on a napkin, then there is the Epstein files, which first never existed, then it was a Dem Socratic hoax and now (source: the guardian) ‘US justice department renews request to unseal Epstein grand jury materials’, so the DoJ had to renew its request? This happens with “The justice department has renewed its request to unseal grand jury materials from the Jeffrey Epstein investigation that led to the disgraced financier’s federal indictment on sex-trafficking charges in 2019.” And with the actions of Ambassador Pete Hoekstra  actions in Canada. These matters all influence what is happening and with ‘Hoekstra hints F-35 deal could impact stalled U.S.-Canada trade talks’ (source: CBC) the Canadians have had enough and with the lingering ‘51st state’ comments from all over the place (mostly from America)  the entire setting of $20.2 billion is about to be thrown out of the window. And would you know it, the Gripen is cheaper, has a better Arctic track record (it tends to get really cold in Calgary and Winnipeg) and it is NON-AMERICAN and whilst PM Carney is making deals all over the globe and the 2 deals with the UAE and India setting the investment score for Canada at 125 billion. That is money not going to America, merely Canada and now they also lose out on 20 billion to their defense industry. Loss upon loss upon loss. How long can America pretend that it was no big deal? 

So while we read “Canada’s fighter replacement program, long anchored on an order for 88 F-35A Lightning II jets under the Future Fighter Capability Project, has entered a new and politically charged phase, as reported by Newsweek. During a state visit to Ottawa by King Carl XVI Gustaf, Swedish officials and Saab executives pressed a structured proposal to meet part of Canada’s requirement with Gripen E or F aircraft assembled in the country, tied to sizable job-creation and technology transfer promises. According to those familiar with the discussions, the idea of a dual fleet is now being floated just as former Royal Canadian Air Force officers publicly urge Prime Minister Mark Carney’s government not to trim the F-35 buy or introduce a second fighter type that would require separate training, infrastructure, and logistics.” This makes me wonder the ‘financial position’ of these FORMER officers. Wouldn’t ask that question? I am also wondering why they became former officers, but that is me because I do not know these people and I question everything. I reckon that Lockheed Martin might be worried when they lose 20 billion, making the deal with Saudi Arabia almost essential to make a living (an exaggeration for sure).

But the story from the Canadian side is whether the Gripen can uphold keeping the Canadian air-force competitive enough over Canadian sky. I tend to think yes, but then I am not a pilot and I never flown a jet, I merely watched Tom Cruise do so. My biggest flight setting was using the bar on a jet from Amsterdam of JFK international, so there, not entirely a noob. ;-P

And as Defence Industry Europe gives us ‘Canada considers shifting F-35 order toward Sweden’s Gripen as Ottawa reviews jet procurement’ (at https://defence-industry.eu/canada-considers-shifting-f-35-order-toward-swedens-gripen-as-ottawa-reviews-jet-procurement/) with “Canada has already selected the F-35A to renew its Royal Canadian Air Force fleet and has committed to buying 88 aircraft to replace its Boeing F/A-18 Hornets. Ottawa has allocated funds for 16 F-35s now being built in Fort Worth, Texas, but the remainder of the order appears uncertain amid worsening relations between Canada and the Trump administration”, so Lockheed Martin won’t lose all the dineros, but a large amount is seemingly move towards Sweden and as I see it, Sweden now needs to properly fund two Christmas baskets (nuts that time again). One for President Trump and one for Ambassador Pete Hoekstra for making this possible, expected Hamper shown below.

You see, this all seems clear cut, but I am wondering what this domino will throw over, because that is almost certain happening, especially with the American Ambassador throwing his accusations in the air. He might be claiming that Canadians are meddling in American politics, but they started the ‘51st state’ claims and the next Canadian step might be even less nice, Canada now have options especially when they are gaining so much ground in revenue, investments and manufacturing options (aka jobs). All these parts never involved America (other than making them no longer part of any equation), so what is next? I see options in possible ammunition replacements for the entire Defense industry. Jets and ships might make the news for the larger amounts, but the steady stream of revenue that ammunition brings could also fall to other places (like the UK), so what will that cost America?

Have a great day, I am now 83 minutes removed from the upcoming breakfast and there is a subtle hint hidden in that part too.

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November 25, 2025 · 12:56

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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October 26, 2025 · 10:26

The view over a distance

That is what I see, at a distance my old country (the Netherlands) is setting a new premise of pressure. In the BBC article (at https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cn40y9yxkgvo) we are given ‘Netherlands’ renewables drive putting pressure on its power grid’ and that is fine. For me (my intake) is that the setting is that when there is no renewable energy, they will have to resort to the old setting (like gas or oil) and there is ample reason for this. Yet we are given “In a Dutch government TV campaign called “Flip the Switch” an actress warns viewers about their electricity usage. “When we all use electricity at the same time, our power grid gets overloaded,” she says. “This can cause malfunctions. So, use as little electricity as possible between four and nine.”” A setting we comprehend, the other option is that we are ‘handed’ the setting of “Renewable energy prices in the Netherlands are not a separate category but are included in the overall electricity price, which currently averages around €0.33 per kWh” so we could end the setting that renewable energy above a certain usage is delivered at €0.99 per kWh, the rest can either adhere to the additional prices or accept that oil is the other party in the mix (at €0.33 per kWh), a simple solution for the Dutch to increase what they have going in renewable settings. And there is no blame on the Dutch admittedly we are given “it leads the way in Europe for the number of solar panels per person. In fact, more than one third of Dutch homes have solar panels fitted.

The country is also aiming for offshore wind farms to be its biggest source of energy by 2030.” And that is a time pressured setting and the Dutch political systems know this. There is no averting your eyes from the needs and the Dutch know this too well. The other nations face a similar setting, the Dutch were however a lot more hands on into finding these options and they have 18 million people in that nation, it is almost as much as the Australian population (27 million) but the area differences is that the Netherlands is only 0.54% of Australia, setting the premise that the Netherlands has the population pressure of Sydney on a national foundation, they needed a renewable energy policy in place. No one denies that. But the needs are not matching the availability. As such my solution at a premium (which might achieve the same setting) or accept that oil isn’t a thing of the past yet and perhaps in 2030 when there are the actual additional kWh available it will be possible and at that point the Dutch are still the first by a mile over all other European nations to be the first to get to a positive carbon setting, even above zero carbon (meaning that no carbon emissions are being produced from a product or service) and that is quite the achievement to have. Oh, and I reckon that these kids squandering energy as they mine for bitcoins will foot that bill as they are eager to get wealthy and those who do not, get to explain to their mummies and daddies why they need a RTX 5090 32gb AMD Ryzen 9 9900x3d to play Frogger (or Minecraft). I wonder how many excuses they will employ and in the meantime it will reduce the pressures as well, I just wonder how much as there is no real number on the number of bitcoin miners, but they do have a top100 in the Netherlands, so anything is possible.

The other part of the explanation is given to us by Kees-Jan Rameau, chief executive of Dutch energy producer and supplier Eneco. ““Nowadays we’re switching to renewables, and that means there’s a lot of power being injected into the grid in the outskirts of the network where there are only relatively small power lines.” And these small power lines are struggling to cope with all the electricity coming in from wind turbines and solar panels scattered around the country.” OK, that is a fair assessment, but those cases could be renewed or reviewed and separate cables could be set to whatever the renewable setting is to a clear hub (my lack of technical knowledge is optionally at fault here) and that could have been seen in advance to the renewable farms being designed (as I personally see it). 

We get all the excuses and not the simple setting that even as the Netherlands is already at 70% renewable, there was no way that they would be ready before 2035 and that is likely a decade ahead of several other EU nations, the only exception might be Sweden as it constructed Vattenfall some time ago, so they get to have a head start, and they only have 11 hungry mouths to supply and that is as it is 1 times larger, but the bulk of that nation is in the southern third of that country. So they are in a comfortable league to stay even with Dutch ingenuity as I personally see it. 

So whilst the BBC is correct in its article, I fail to see the applaud that the Dutch are due as they are one of the few EU nations that achieved what was needed to achieve (with Sweden in second place) I am missing that part in the article, no matter the laurels that are due Kees-Jan Rameau of Eneco. It is a side we should have been given in this all. So where do Germany, France and the United Kingdom stand in this, how far are they? Just simple questions that come to mind. 

Have a great Sunday (I am having mine with chocolate sprinkles) and enjoy the pre Monday bash you will enjoy, except Canada, they started the weekend a day early due to the Toronto Blue Jays giving the Dodgers (LA) a thrashing with their 11-4 victory. Lucky bastards, a long weekend where none was given.

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October 2, 2025 · 05:04

Military incompetence?

Consider the military, we all have them. Australia has theirs, Canada has theirs, apparently America has them and Russia have them. They all have their best of the best of the best of the best warrior style drafting. And some of them have a massive amount of tests, especially the top 3 in military and to get into their airfare you have to jump a massive amount of hoops. They are trained, dressed and drilled to a millimeter precision and they all have their own ways.

So when I saw (at https://www.highnorthnews.com/en/russias-violations-norwegian-and-allied-airspace-sign-desperation-says-professor) with the headline ‘Russia’s Violations of Norwegian and Allied Airspace: “Sign of Desperation,” Says Professor’ as such we have a new setting. We are given “Russia has violated Norway’s airspace in the North three times this year, as well as the airspace of several other NATO countries. This suggests that the war in Ukraine is going much worse than Moscow wants to admit, says Professor Tormod Heier at the Norwegian Defense University College.” And we all think that he might have a case. With the highlighting quote ““I interpret these violations as a sign of Russian frustration, desperation, and discouragement,” says Tormod Heier, Professor of military strategy and Operations at the Norwegian Defense University College, to High North News.  “After three and a half years of war in Ukraine, the Russians have only won 120,000 km2 of terrain. This nearly equals the total area of Finnmark, Troms, and Nordland [the three counties in Northern Norway, ed. note],” he points out and continues” He makes a fine point. The second/third largest army in the world and they are slapped around like a cheap crack whore by the 20th largest army (Ukraine). Russia is more than frustrated, it needs to be broken by NATO, or the usefulness of the Russian higher ranking officers is shown to be classified as useless (and their president with them) and that is a lot to be set on by the media. Even the Russian media can no longer tell the Russian people that the war is going their way. They’ve lost over 1.1 million troops and more are getting conscripted. They lost over 400 planes and now they are putting their most valuable stealth fighters into the mix, the SU-57 Felon. It is a war they are losing at present and it seems that the military needs to add NATO in the mix, so that they can gracefully exit the battlefield. They can claim that NATO was always the enemy they could not defeat, for that they need NATO to participate. And as we see others like Estonia report similar setting (at https://extra.ie/2025/09/19/news/russia-estonia-fighter-jets) where we see “NATO says it has responded after what it described as ‘Russian military jets’ violated Estonian airspace this afternoon (Friday). In a statement released this evening, the Estonian Government reported that the incident involved three Russian MiG-31 fighter aircraft, which flew over Vaindloo Island, off the coast of Finland, without permission.” As well as NPR who (at https://www.npr.org/2025/09/30/nx-s1-5557908/why-are-russian-aircraft-violating-nato-airspace) give us “NATO’s airspace is busy these days. And not in a good way. That’s especially true for member nations on the alliance’s eastern flank. It’s not supposed to be that way. In recent weeks, states like Poland, Estonia, Romania, and Denmark have seen drones or other aircraft violate their airspace. In some cases, these airborne craft clearly identify they’re Russian in origin. Multiple countries have called on NATO to consult about what to do next. So, what’s going on? What is Russia up to?” So, before we get the excuses we are likely to get, do you think that any government will let one of these young sprouts into any plane before they can properly read maps and navigate their Cessna’s over spaces that are not Russian? And these planes go for millions.

As such, I am with professor Tormod Heier on this. It is not an isolated case, and putting your fighter planes over someone else’s terrain tends to be seen as a sign of war. Russia needs more involvement from NATO as they at present are seen as the losing clowns of the global defense departments. You can blame losing a ground war on demoralized soldiers, even if you call for help from North Korea, but for them to let their ‘proud’ pilots taking the blame does not go over well and these generals are now desperate, and apparently too many have fallen out of windows. 

So as I see it, something has to change and I am all for Russia waving a white flag, but you know how Russian politicians are: better dead than dropping the red. And at present, this is how it looks, so it is better (for them) to get NATO involved. So they can cry that it was always NATO and they just weren’t ready. The Russian prostitutski’s will eat that like borsht with black bread. Besides that, there aren’t too many solutions out there for them at present. I reckon that the NATO card will be played more openly soon enough, because the NATO nations have figured out that play, as such the next step would be a larger incursion and an ‘accidental’ event of the “Oops” variety, but how large an event remains to be seen. I reckon that they will most likely target Tallinn for that, It is in view of Helsinki and too close to Stockholm, Oslo and Copenhagen for that to go unnoticed. And the NATO has been loading up their weapons for Russian bear in the last few months. Feel free to disagree and I am very willing to be seen as wrong, because this is not a happy moment for me, but that is seemingly how it sizes up to.

Oh, for the next story I will be loading up on Conspiracy Theory by a lot, so there is that to look forward to All that AI and not a predictive analytics mind in sight? I’m game. Have a great day today.

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August 2, 2025 · 21:20

As Hogwarts expands

That is the setting. We are given ‘Miral extends deadline for tender to build Abu Dhabi’s ‘Harry Potter’ land’ (at https://blooloop.com/theme-park/news/miral-construction-tender-harry-potter-land-abu-dhabi/) the quote is that “Miral has extended a bid submission deadline for a tender to build the new Harry Potter-themed land at Warner Bros. World Abu Dhabi on Yas Island. Per a report from Middle East media publishing company MEED, the deadline has been extended from 28 July to 4 August.” Implying that next week the Start of a  $545 million – $816m expansion is due to begin. And in addition we are given “Three new rides in Harry Potter land Miral announced the Middle East’s first Harry Potter-themed land in 2022. It will feature iconic locations from the Wizarding World, as well as three new rides, retail outlets, and F&B facilities. The 40,000 M2 addition to Warner Bros. World will join six existing zones in the park – Warner Bros. Plaza, Bedrock, Dynamite Gulch, Cartoon Junction, Gotham City and Metropolis.” As such The staff of Hogwarts will have to endure a rush of people howling “Yabadabadoo” whilst assaulting the death eaters. These death eaters are in a pincer setting as the other side will be shouting “Yibbity-Yabbity-Doo!”, those poor death eaters won’t know what hit them (nyuk, nyuk, nyuk)

And as I see it, the quote “Mohamed Khalifa Al Mubarak, chairman of Miral, said: “This is yet another testament to our commitment to continue to position Yas Island as a top global destination for entertainment and leisure, and a great addition to Abu Dhabi’s tourism offerings, contributing to the growth and economic diversification of the emirate.”” Is not entirely accurate. It is that international tourism will see Abu Dhabi as a much more appealing destination and with the ‘idiocy’ (as I personally see it) settings that America is setting with immigration, the costly ‘visa integrity fee’ and several other settings. So as I see it, Universal just dished out $7.7 billion USD (Hogwarts is merely a part of it) and the other park in Orlando will have a rather large problem. With the Hogwarts expansion, Yas Island becomes the most appealing choice for a whole flock of tourists, now definitely deciding that there will be a viable alternative for Orlando, and when Disney arrives in 2027/2028 also on Yas Island, Florida will see the largest downfall in economy they have ever had. When millions of tourists will select Abu Dhabi over Florida, the rest will become a mere escalation of something you could have seen coming miles away. But not to worry, I had the setting in view even as the media seems to be coming up short. In addition Abu Dhabi has the Formula 1® Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix 4-7 December 2025. I have no idea yet when the 2026 race is on, but for a lot of people combining the two would be preferable. Also there is a lot more around Yas Island. And the UAE has a much better visa setting where it is offered at a mere fraction of what America offers it. The setting was debatable (at best) when America was the only option, but that hasn’t been the case for almost 4 years. So now as America is bleeding money in almost every direction, the people in Europe, Canada, UK, India, Australia, New Zealand and China will consider Abu Dhabi and Yas Island as their destination in 2026, 2027 and 2028. So how many million of people will seek their preferred choice in EuroDisney (Paris), Efteling (Netherlands) and parks in Belgium, Sweden and several others. A setting that was there from the start. 

A setting that will also propel the UAE as a global tourist destination. They already were that, but the millions of Harry Potter fans had Florida, London and Tokyo in their sight, with Abu Dhabi added to the HP arsenal, I reckon that Florida (at present) is allegedly decently  much done for.

Have a great day and when in Abu Dhabi try the Emirati Chabab, it is a famous dish and decently yummy. 

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July 28, 2025 · 22:07

On the cheap

That is at times a worry, when things go on the cheap it tends to be the more expensive setting you are driven to select. But as I see it, it isn’t always bad. Abu Dhabi (capital of United Arab Emirates) have a few options here. So to show this lets take the ‘normal’ setting.

Warner Brothers Theme park $129
WaterWorld $123
Sea World $177
Ferrari Them park $144
Yas Mall Free

You would think that this will be the master of all bills, but you would be wrong. You see when you get into the Warner Brothers hotel you automatically get a ticket EVERY DAY to one of the theme parks for that day. There are more hotels on Yas Island that give that option. In case of the Warner Brothers hotel, its theme park is across the street (WaterWorld is its neighbour). Oh, and enjoy breakfast there is to be cherished. Don’t take my word for this, YouTube is filled with walkthrough videos of the Hotel and the Theme parks, see for yourself what you could be enjoying.

There is however more. Tourists have the option of buying a 4 Park Ticket for a mere $184 which allows you to visit any of the Yas Island theme parks within 6 days of activating your pass. You have to consider this setting as this implies hundreds of dollars saved per person and you get to select which park you will select. You could spend 4 days in the same park. To give you a comparison a Universal theme park ticket will set you back $600 and that is also per person. So that implies a saving of an easy $400, so what would you select? The added benefit is that the UAE is a zero tax country, so there is a decent reason to visit the Apple Store in Yas Mall and get yourself the apple extension you always wanted. 

So as America is setting the additional $250 visa cost, as such Abu Dhabi becomes the premiere location for people wanting the theme park experience. The news (up to recent) was that America is getting a $29,000,000,000 pain invoice from lost international tourists and as I was looking at the presented data from several sources pretty much anywhere, I reckon that by late September, the presented damage will be worse, much worse. 

So, why am I focussing on Abu Dhabi? Well, the theme parks are advertised by people who were there as top notch and when you consider the setting that the Diamond pass is annually AED 3,295 ($900) for a whole year with additional discounts all over Yas Island. A full year of access for $900? It is worth retiring there and cool down and soak twice a week in WaterWorld. Nearly all theme parks are indoors in air-conditioned settings and as I see it, next year we get the Harry Potter expansion and the year after that Disney will grace that setting too. In addition (at present) you also get a Unlimited Quick Pass Access, also there is the 25% discount on Dining (at places that support this and also the 25% Discount on Shopping and several other benefits. That implies that the price of the pass will be earned back in just over a week, as such you have 50 weeks of true profit. So what retirement setting offers that? The universal annual pass is seemingly set to $1,095 before taxes. As such Abu Dhabi is seemingly giving you a blast for your bucks. 

As I see it, Universal has blacked out dates, Abu Dhabi gives you 365 days of fun. Seems like the optimal saving.

So what is behind this? I am not paid by Miral Experiences (the operator on Yas Island), there is nothing in it for me. But this shows you the utter stupidity of the Trump administration adding a new $250 ‘visa integrity fee’ and when you consider that in 2023, Florida’s theme parks welcomed close to 77 million visitors, merely one state, so when you consider that a massive part of International tourists now have an alternative and a much bigger resentment of America, that are merely two of a bigger set of anti-America setting. Together with decreased rights of privacy at the border. To be clear, I am not anti America, I am merely anti-stupid and at present America is no longer worth it. This is beside America trying to push the 51st State into the face of Mark Carney (Prime Minister of Canada) and his 40,100,000 Canadian brothers and sisters. As such America is getting massive doses of hardship. So when Florida and California loses millions of tourists, what do you think will happen. I see the adjusted ‘videos’ that it will not get back to normal until 2026. Well, that time has gone. As I see it, as there are alternatives America will see this hardship in 2026, 2027 and 2028. There might be some revival in 2028, yet I doubt it, as America sees hardship beyond 2026, crime numbers will accelerate and the quality of life in America is unlikely to see any bright spots before 2029. And that is if America stops being stupid tomorrow morning before 03:00. After that the setting becomes near disastrous and that is merely the summer, at this point their winter seasons are not looking too great either. Winter is a different chicken, most ski and boarding fanatics have their slopes and that’s fine, but at present as places lose control over staff, infrastructures almost everywhere will be near collapse and without infrastructure the tourists will become absent. As a source gave me “Tourists, particularly from Australia and Canada, are increasingly rebooking or cancelling trips away from America due to concerns about border security, perceived political tensions, and a general sentiment of unease, leading to a significant drop in visitors to the US and a surge in interest for alternative destinations like Europe and Bermuda.” As such the setting for America looks grim, very grim. 

In an age and a stage of seeing the cheap route thee is a massive setting of people who will be resetting their vacation to the UAE and Abu Dhabi with Dubai a mere 35 minutes away per train. And when you consider that a 30-day tourist visa fee: AED 200 ($54). A 60-day tourist visa fee: AED 300 ($81), seems a lot less than the ‘added’ $250. So how was their ‘visa integrity fee’ a good idea? If my initial understanding is correct and America is utterly broke, then America stops being the place to go until far beyond 2030, but in the meantime the UAE and Saudi Arabia become places to go to. And that is not all, there is every chance that Europeans will return to places like Acorn Adventure (UK), as I see it, there are several places in Europe who will see a returning tourist option. 

For me there is this dish which I enjoyed in Ghent in the 11th century (before embarking on the Crusades) and that was possible as the Medieval times are set in the Archeon. They also have a Roman age (complete with gladiator arena and bathing house) and a prehistoric area. 

And the Netherlands has more. The Efteling, a theme park that won the biggest theme park award at least twice, making it the biggest contender for Disney parks. And it has its own charm. All places that will feel increased attention as America is slowly strangling its influx of tourists to death.

As such America is due a massive downturn, they forgot that they are not all powerful and other nations have alternatives to what they offer and as they are now raising prices by at least $250 the stage changes. Sweden, Netherlands, Belgium, France, London (UK), Abu Dhabi, Saudi Arabia are all in the running of welcoming the tourists who are now over the American BS (that stuff that makes grass grow in Texas). As I see it, $29 billion was a understated and that will go on for at least 3 years. With border controls impeding out privacy, the setting for business tourists will go down more and more as well. But not to fret, Canada has a welcoming position for these business vendors as well,  a visitor visa (single or multiple entry) costs CAD 100 ($72) per person, also a lot less than $250 and that setting will continue for some time. 

It is a shame for some, but if America prices itself out of the running, the impact is on themselves. Have a great day and feel free to dream yourself into the past with pastries, I am still dreaming of Dutch poffertjes. And I have an art work by Anton Pieck to assist me in this matter. 

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