Tag Archives: Tourism

Trojena, the next chapter

I had a thought yesterday, what if you add something to Trojena? There is nothing wrong with what it is supposed to be at present, but as I see it, something is amiss. It is too business like, it is purely focussed on the Ski resort and that is fine. But there are times when the people (all of them) need a diversion (not all of the time) as such my mind went wondering the the bobsled attraction in the Dutch Efteling (shut down in 2019, 30+ years) You see, there is an olympic Bobsled course and that is fine, but I recon that at least 90% of the people had the thought I had and that was “What would that be like” and from there we go one step further. What if the views are a sight to behold and I reckon that Trojena would be that at the very least.

And there is, as I see it, plenty of places where that could be placed. The resort is massive and it wouldn’t need to be implemented on day one, but it would be nice.

The sight of Trojena should be seen in full flight, which took me to idea two. Take (if you will) a sledge for up to 6-8 people. It is a wooden sledge track with pine needles topping riding on wheels in gutters over a full length with several stations on several levels taking people around that track to different settings outside the tracks. It would allow the people to see the greatness of Trojena in a ride around the court, or from a high point to a lot point and back again the tracks tools have close to 60-80 sleighs going around the tracks showing Trojena in all its splendor, a ride for the whole family.

This last one was a last minute thought. But that setting of the Bobsled is setting in my brain, giving the people the feel of a ride from point A to point B, 4 men sleds and it would give the people to see and sit in a Saudi Sled in all its colors as they go down the track giving them a ride and after the ride the belt take the sleds back to their starting point. Who would not want that? And such an attraction would be a novel attraction to have and take pressures away from the ski slopes as people take another gander at what they get to see whilst skiing (or snowboarding) down the slopes. See it as a novel diversion after a meal, or before the meal and it will give them something more to do.

I am not saying that there isn’t enough to do, but there will be people and moments when they want a diversion and the bobsled ride will deliver, anyway that was my thought and I thought it should be here to inform the powers that are to be in that race for presentations of this place.

Have a great day, I am now 8 hours from the weekend.

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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 dams are cracking

Yes, that is the setting I saw coming, but there is always ‘space’ for interpretation and at present we see two stories that seem to illustrate this. The first one is given by the BBC (at https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cly17834524o0 where we see ‘Tech billionaires seem to be doom prepping. Should we all be worried?’ It is a question to have, but what does the article ‘bare’ out? It is not that basic or simple. First we are given “Mark Zuckerberg is said to have started work on Koolau Ranch, his sprawling 1,400-acre compound on the Hawaiian island of Kauai, as far back as 2014.” So, he had 11 years? Seems like overly ‘doom prepping to me’ (is this sarcasm or satire?) The additional setting is “The underground space spanning some 5,000 square feet is, he explained, “just like a little shelter, it’s like a basement”” which seems like the average floor of a mall to me. I think that when the ‘basement’ extends well beyond 1000 Sqft, we can ignore the ‘basement’ label and whatever it is, it is his to do. He might be buying up vats of wine or Cognac, whatever it is. It will be his setting. Then we are given “his decision to buy 11 properties in the Crescent Park neighbourhood of Palo Alto in California, apparently adding a 7,000 square feet underground space beneath.” So here again we get the ‘speculating’ media for the setting of a story. So he might have bought the 11 properties, but what happened to them? What evidence is there? He could have bought this for his nearest and dearest. There are many options. Then we get more ‘famous’ names and locations like New Zealand come up. Yet about halfway we get a clarion call (as the expression goes), we are given “Neil Lawrence is a professor of machine learning at Cambridge University. To him, this whole debate in itself is nonsense. “The notion of Artificial General Intelligence is as absurd as the notion of an ‘Artificial General Vehicle’,” he argues. “The right vehicle is dependent on the context. I used an Airbus A350 to fly to Kenya, I use a car to get to the university each day, I walk to the cafeteria… There’s no vehicle that could ever do all of this.” For him, talk about AGI is a distraction.” And as far as I can tell, I feel like Neil Lawrence does with an addendum, and ad the very end we are given ““LLMs also do not have meta-cognition, which means they don’t quite know what they know. Humans seem to have an introspective capacity, sometimes referred to as consciousness, that allows them to know what they know.” It is a fundamental part of human intelligence – and one that is yet to be replicated in a lab.” And it is part of what I have been saying all along. And we get the larger setting from a second source. It is SBS (at https://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/australians-living-in-america-anxiety/p88o60wos) that give us ‘Saving money and packing ‘go bags’: How Australians in the US are preparing for the worst’ where we see “But she says the attitude towards foreign nationals under the current administration has made life in the US feel “scary”. Kate says these fears were brought to the surface during her green card interview. “They grilled me in the interview and asked me questions not even related to our marriage but about my previous visa and time in the US,” she says.” As well as “Many Australians living in the US are reporting experiencing high levels of anxiety and feelings of instability due to the possibility of rapid political change under US President Donald Trump.

These are the settings that matter. In the first there is the BBC article that is making the ‘doom lecture’ but that is not the setting. When AI collapses like a near empty shell, people will all be tuning for their incomes and playing the blame game, but as we are given ‘Wall Street crashes after Trump announces 100% tariffs on China; $1.5 trillion wiped out’ consider what happens when all these AI ‘vendors’ fall flat, the damage will be more than 10 times worse, America loses 15 trillion. Can you even fathom that kind of loss? That will be the sounding implosion that leads to civil war when 90% of 340 million people lose whatever they had, retirements wiped out, other savings gone, they will get angry. President Trump will have to run for his life to air-force one as quick as his legs can carry him. Evading to Russia or anyone that will have him and his billions? Mostly gone, if not already abroad. Those who bought large mansions outside of the US are likely safe for two generations in France, Monaco, UAE, Bermuda, New Zealand, you name it, some will evade and this is the setting we see. I reckon that people in California will need high walls to keep others out, optionally armed defenses as well. 

Foreigners are now seeing the scary reality they signed on for and they are getting ready a ‘go bag’ to evade to wherever they can as quickly they can. Is this doom speak?

That is a valid question. You see, the AI setting is merely one, President trump soured the waters on tourism which is down in many ways and no reflective view is given by anyone in media. That amount of bad news they find likely ‘irresponsible’ and the media has no business using that excuse as they have been one of the most irresponsible parties ever. Then foreign retail. Canada pulled all the alcoholic beverages from the shelves in Canada. How much is that costing? One source (Source: Global News) gives us that the decline is 85%, that amounts to how much? These three settings is almost a certainty of recession and there is a lot more declines in the papers but the media will not give you the proper numbers. Several sources all giving different partially overlapping numbers. As such the economic dams of America are cracking. And they will lose a massive amount of revenue and while some will give some of the numbers. Most of us aren’t given the full view. I have some of the views as I have been keeping an eye on some of the numbers. But even I do not have the full view. So whilst some give us “The sell-off erased more than USD 1.5 trillion in market value from US stocks. Meanwhile, the cryptocurrency market faced record liquidations of USD 19 billion. This is the largest single-day figure ever recorded.” The part no one talks about is where are the billionaires set at? We see the wins of Elon Musk and Larry Ellison, but where are the other billionaires? How are they doing? And that disjointed Microsoft view.

Why the Windows maker?
That is a fair question. You see, they were all ‘heralding’ how good they were doing, but the shimmer in the shadows is different. We are given “Microsoft is currently losing money on AI development, having spent an estimated $19 billion in one quarter on AI infrastructure, with no significant revenue from it yet. The company also experienced a reported loss of $300 million in Call of Duty sales due to the Game Pass subscription model” all whilst Activision and Bethesda was bought for over $100,000,000,000 and that has an interest setting. They might be ‘offloading’ staff (over 9,000 according to some numbers) and whilst they and Adecco (firing into the thousands) are all set to AI, there is a hidden snag. When this falls short they will face a setting that is a lot more dangerous. People will not consider them in the future. So when the non-existing AI is set to the need of engineers it goes flat and when there is no one around (an exaggeration) to program your LLM, consider where your firm will be. ZDNet gave us “Microsoft’s CEO loves to talk about ’empathy.’ But everything that is coming out of Redmond these days is perilously close to turning the company into the Borg.” Basically a non-existent setting of people that cannot live in a vacuum and that is an additional side I never saw coming. I was focussed on Microsoft turning into an empty shell and when the substance is gone, the shell collapses. That is what I saw in Microsoft Games and Microsoft Office. It started in 2012 when their service devisions were no longer up to scrap and when support goes, so does sales and when we consider the over 100 billion for two companies its, whilst they weren’t making enough to even afford the interest on that, the picture of failure starts to evolve into a nightmare setting and sacking 9,000 people will not safe it. They are telling us now that AI is the future, but at present it does not exist and what does exist requires engineers (remember Builder dot AI?) It is a fictive setting that is showing up all over America and the ‘import’ people are seeing the cracks evolve and they want out as fast as they can. Which is good news for Aramco and ADNOC as they now get the choice of the litter, but for America it is bad news. So there is no doom speak. It is the returning story of a country who think it is too big to go bankrupt. I heard that story before (SNS Bank for one) then a few more banks and they are all part of something else. And America? Parts of America could be added to Canada and Mexico would be relieved to get Texas (the latter part is speculation) and that is the dangerous reality that others are facing. The question is what does it take to throw this around and whilst Wall Street is in denial. Others, those who can afford it, will be making a new household out of American clutches (like the non-tax countries mentioned earlier) also Saudi Arabia becomes an option, but the is reserved for the chosen few (and American Muslims of course). 

So am I delusional or do I have a point? I reckon that one of the larger issues (still setting) is how America deals with Alex Jones. Because if he gets his ‘blockage’ Americans will go insane, they will not accept that this Conspiracy theorist is allowed his fortune after he went after dead children (saying they were actors, who were not dead according to sources). I wonder where that will go, because as I see it, it will be the tinder spark America will be set on fire. At that point all bets are off and I reckon that most ‘New-Americans’ will run to the nearest airport. This might merely be my speculation and optionally a wrong one. But that is how I see it.

Beyond that, the losses that America is having and when all the numbers come out, the second stage is reached and whomever thought they had a retirement, they will all try to collect on whatever possible. 

It is a hard setting and I hope I am wring, because this collapse will fall over Japan and Europe pretty much soon thereafter. Connected currencies will take a massive tumble.

Have a great day, if that is presently at all possible. 

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Under budget

That is at time the setting, but I kinda forget about that. It’s not that I am forgetting the setting, but it is that when I am pushed into a hotel, I usually have a high setting on security. There is nothing as annoying as getting to a hotel, quickly change into something easy so you can enjoy a quick bite to eat, to return to your room and learn that your room has been ransacked and your devices are gone. But in the UAE this is different. Everything is top notch there. The safety of you and yours is almost a given anywhere in the UAE. So I looked at the list of the hotels under 250 Dirham (which amounts to €58, or C$94, £50) and they all look good, but that amounts to a lot less than anything London, Toronto, Amsterdam, Brussels or Paris is likely to offer ever. Oh and there are more, but they are near Dubai, it is a short ride (half an hour by train, but that negates the exercise). 

So we get the list of Holiday Inn Dubai Al-Maktoum Airport, Tryp By Wyndham, Southern Sun, and the City Seasons Al Hamra Hotel. 4 hotels that offer a wealth of luxuries and amenities in one of the most attractive places in the world. As such Your trip doesn’t need to be expensive and these 4 will give you a reason to make the trip more than once a year, one must get their Apple extensions tax free, doesn’t one? I tend to focus on the free daily pass that the Warner Bros Hotel offers (more do that in Abu Dhabi), but it is right across from the Warner Bros Theme park and Water World is a less than 5 minute stroll as well. The others are either a happy stroll, or a free bus ride away (like the Yass Mall where your Ferrari fun starts). I just learned that charging your car on a Tesla station there is possible for less than 1.5 Dirham per kWh, making it one of the cheapest places to charge anywhere. I believe that some places offer it for free, well basically for guests, making it a place where you can fill up your tummy whilst your car charges. Seems like a steal at twice the price.

The more I learn of Abu Dhabi, the more I think it is the perfect place to retire your weary old bones (mine are old and weary, as such I think all retirees have that condition). And for the price? There are some newly built places available for a mere AED 760,000 (€177K, C$287K, or £153K), making also the cheapest in any of the aforementioned spaces. I am pretty sure it merely gets you a studio, but try getting that in London, Sydney or Paris, I dare you. 

I reckon there was a reason why thousands of millionaires are pooling in this place, I just didn’t think it was for this reason. And I merely looked at the Yas Island properties, there are dozens more all over Abu Dhabi. But the call of 5 theme parks, a mall and a Formula one track are pretty sensational to say the least. And when you get to retirement, you need to flex every dollar you have and there is no place better as I see it. As such (as prices go) that you can get a pass for access to these parks all year round starting at 1800 Dirham (€420, C$680, or £365) which gets you 20% discount in Yas mall, in plenty of places and taking into account that a single day ticket I usually 300 Dirham, these passes pay for themself in under a dozen visits. So what would you like to do the other 340 days? 

The more I see what Abu Dhabi has to offer, the more it appeals and you are a mere 35 minutes away from Dubai and what they have to offer. I am officially over the retirement plans that America, Europe and other places offer. 

And the more I see what Yas Mall offers, the more I like it. We all have issues we overlook, but as It stands with crime at an all time high in Europe and America and safety at an all time low. The UAE has the goods that any family would want. Because as I see it, it will get nasty out there and the appeal that the UAE gives might want you to go merely to feel complete again. 

Oh, and did you know that there are places like Indeed that are trying to find 7000 people for jobs there too? It is overwhelmingly appealing at present, especially as the current ‘safety’ places are shedding jobs by the thousands. 

As I see it, it pays to stay under budget for the obvious reasons of course, but when you are in Abu Dhabi you will be introduced to the not so obvious reasons as well. I think that this level of politeness was only seen in Canada, the UAE is something else and that shows in the manner of the people, the efficiency and the drive for excellence. Now where is my 401K?

Have a great day, its Saturday 05:30 now. Almost time for breakfast.

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The enemy of my enemy is my ally

That is the setting America is coming to know as the great downfall. The BBC gives us (at https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c0mlen3grx7o) ‘Reeling from Trump’s tariffs, India and China seek a business reboot’ We can say it is a storm in a cup of water or take this seriously. I made mention of it yesterday, but I gave it a mere passover. It is not the most exciting of settings, that is if you merely adjust it for triviality. This namely has two settings, the first (the one America hungers for) is “The US was India’s top export destination in 2024, with shipments worth $87.3bn.” The other was gives us that India exported (until near future) “India Exports to United States was US$79.44 Billion during 2024, according to the United Nations” As such China now sits in the seat where China could replace America for up to $60B (they won’t get 100% in the first three years) and China gets access to up to $50B on route from India to China. There is a lot to be made and that will give Walmart pause to consider where to get the cheap stuff they love to flog to their customers, and as I see it Walmart has no real replacements there, when China starts to throttle the revenue of Walmart, America can kiss goodbye to 90% of their employment population, merely 90% of 2.1 million employees. A setting on top of the defense losses, tourism losses and the other losses that America now faces. A rare event of handing a larger win to China. And that opens other doors too. Huawei will be given access to Indias markets and as Indias data centers will adjust to Huawei, America markets will have dried up to close to 15% of the global population and there the other losses come to bear. 

So as we are given “Experts say the levies threaten to leave lasting bruises on India’s vibrant export sector, and its ambitious growth targets. China’s President Xi Jinping, too, is trying to revive a sluggish economy at a time when sky-high US tariffs threaten to derail his plans. Against this backdrop, the leaders of the world’s two most populous countries may both be looking for a reset in their relationship, which has previously been marked by mistrust, in large part due to border disputes.” Even as India has ‘mistrusts’ as the BBC phrases it, The setting is a much larger stage than anyone realizes it, so you better believe that the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) will be playing exceedingly nice. Not just because of what they will gain, but because of what America will lose in addition to this. As I see it, the Indian intelligence settings will get an immediate infusion of Chinese hardware, as such the CIA will be close to blind in the next month or so, they are kept in place whilst they will scramble for additional resources and people to thwart what India and China are starting. Their (CIA) blame game will come to new operations and we get to watch from the safety of distance as America is shooting arrow after arrow, optionally missing whatever target they are aiming for.

So whilst we were given “India was never going to be the bulwark against China that the West (and the United States in particular) thought it was… Modi’s China visit marks a potential turning point.” They are forgetting two elements in that setting. It was never a bulwark, it is a population of revenue, options for the Chinese markets to enhance and the import of Indian goods will also bless the Chinese population. On the other hand, Chinese hardware will grace the Data Centers they now have and will get over the next two years, that is a significant drain to American revenue. In addition to this, India will get to consider Chinese defense contracts and that will bolster their revenue too. In addition there is a larger setting now for Saudi Arabia to get into the field with the Defense hardware they can sell and that is another blow for America. 

And as The CIA gets replaced by the Ministry of State Security, they will get a much larger stage and when the Chinese counterparts shows that there is a lot more information they can get access to, the CIA options will dwindle down to next to nothing. As such this game was misplayed by America to a larger extent. You might think I am holding on to a 7-2 hand and I grant you it is the worst hand to have, but when the game comes to Canasta, it is out in the open what a bad hand is, because if I get either a 7 or a 2 and the pile graces one of the other cards, I could get a massive influx and China can sweeten the pot there. It is all just a video game (a reference to yesterday) and it only required people to think what was going on in a dome setting, because the other two domes could have represented the EU and the Commonwealth. Now India as a Commonwealth partner could get a more impressive seat and that was the ballgame. The Commonwealth needed an alternative as President Trump was no alternative at all, not with its 51st state bickering. Now America is dealing with additional fears, because Canada with its 8,891 km wall bordering America, oh wait, it isn’t there yet, it is on the other side and now with the dangers of a Chinese base just north of it, the Trump Administration will be playing duck and cover (ask Bethesda). And that is after they learned a hard lesson with Cuba, they get to swirl and pay for the protection they need, oh wait, they have no money left. Sucks to be America at this point. 

So whilst America is figuring out what dreadful hand they gave themselves. The larger setting is that with China the Commonwealth now has options, it is not nearly as dark as the America play presented it to be. I merely need to go back to the Huawei setting. We (most of us) thought they were the bad guys, we need to realise that the ones giving us the data was America and the greed driven population who were depending on American hardware nodded yes. Still I have never seen publicly voiced evidence of what Huawei was guilty of. Mere ‘could become’ and ‘we think’ not evidence of a credible nature and now China will get a first setting of handing America its walking papers to the larger stage that we are privy to.

Have a great day.

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Vindication of a sort

Yup that is the setting we face today. I feel a little vindicated. You see, when we look on the American Tourism seeing, we see the ‘fact’ that the damage would amount to 29 billion. It is a setting we faced for some time now. But I wrote on August 11th 2025 ‘The setting stage’ (at https://lawlordtobe.com/2025/08/11/the-setting-stage/) where I wrote “that the expected damage to American Tourism would be a lot worse than $29 billion. I speculatively expect it to be at least 80 billion” that was over two weeks ago. Now MSN gives us ‘Study Warns Trump Tariffs Could Deliver $64 Billion Hit to U.S. Tourism Businesses, I reckon that when they start considering the bankruptcies in Florida and California are added, they will get a lot closer to my 80 billion, they might even surpass my predictions as I used simple arithmetic to this equation. As such I feel a little vindicated. And there is something else, we are given ““When there’s trouble in the economy, the first thing people cut is their travel budget,” Jonathan de Araujo, owner of Florida’s Disney-focused travel agency Vacationeer, told the Washington Post — noting he fears more of that reaction if consumers see the wider negative effects of tariffs materialize. “They wait until it’s time to pay in full, and they say, ‘Actually I can’t afford this.’ That’s what I’m worried about.”” The one element they ‘overlooked’ is that Yas Island in Abu Dhabi (UAE) is almost ready to replace Florida as a destination. Next year Harry Porter will be introduced and two years after that Disney comes calling and with that, a full blown alternative for Florida comes into play. So, yes my numbers were ‘conservative’ in nature, I merely learned of Disney coming to the UAE after my calculations, so there.

So whilst we bicker about what hardship America faces, we need to consider that Florida will be feeling the pinch in several ways. They just invested over 7 billion dollars into the EPIC universe park and the cost to be there is up to $139 per adult. As such the UAE has better prices, several alternatives and several pleasure packets that end up being up to 60% cheaper. So yes, with a family of 4 (mum, dad and two brats) the cost savings start to add up, add to that the VISA costs of America and the savings are clearly made. Now add the fact that the UAE is a zero tax nation, as such there are a few apples that come to mind. Yes, Florida and California now have a problem and I reckon that a bandaid  of 80 billion dollars doesn’t cover the losses they face. And yes I did take the hardships of New York, Chicago and a few other places into account.

As a bonus to me, I just saw the predictions that Saudi Arabia has upcoming gaming (projected to be over $1.5 billion) and I predicted to Kingdom holdings a setting that will grant them an additional 6 billion annually. So I am feeling a little great, well I will be if I my IP is bought.

Oh, and the blasting of the UAE goes on, we now get a Florida publication giving us (at https://www.cubaenmiami.com/en/turistas-estadounidenses-deben-estar-atentos-los-emiratos-arabes-unidos-permiten-solo-90-dias-de-estancia-en-180-dias-de-viaje/) ‘US tourists should beware: The UAE allows only 90 days of stay in 180 days of travel.’ Which a little silly. You see, the UAE visa “60-day visa costs AED 300 plus VAT” (which is like $84). And since when have you ever had a vacation for more than 60 days? A 30 day VISA is even cheaper than that (like 30%). So why on earth does this article serve any purpose? If you can afford a 90 day vacation, you can apply for a decent residency. But that is merely my thought on this. I would love a permanent residency there, but it requires the Kingdom Holding to acquire my IP (that would make me happy too). So as such anything more than a 3 week vacation is not in my budget of expectations (at present). And if my IP is acquired I will seek permanent residency anyway. 5 theme parks and a giant mall? Yup, that is the life for me.

As I see it, America felt the ‘need’ to blast the UAE as their tourism hardships are getting out of proportions. They need every American to spend money in America. That is the only way they avoid total collapse of their tourist industry. As I see it, for every tourist visiting the UAE in the next three years, they will convince at least 2 tourists to go there too, as such all these people will not visit America any day soon. With the immense amount of tourist opportunities, They will capture the imagination of global tourists. Formula one, beaches, a waterpark, the Harry Potter fans and the Disney lovers. All over them will set their sights on Yas island and Abu Dhabi and that is before you consider the other attractions and museums Abu Dhabi has to offer, as well as zero tax shopping. Florida and California just got outclassed by a lot and it is all in one city, that being said it is a 30 minute train ride from Dubai and the biggest mall on the planet. I think enough has beed said. Still we should mention desert here are the prices on Yas Island. It comes down to under $5. 

So how much do you pay in Florida or California? The calculations are easy and the added benefit is that the UAE is almost come free, women comment that they have been able to walk in the UAE free of fear. That in itself is worth the ticket. So whilst the die is cast, I feel kinda great today. I have bee right all along on a few items and if that second item can get me my income I might be able to retire on Yas Island as well. What a luxury thought to have on this Saturday at 04:45 almost a whole day of feeling bliss this Saturday. Have a great day today. I know I will.

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Bewildered and confused

That was my setting at the moment. I am not in a rage, there is optional speaking nothing wrong done. But the list has a setting that makes me unease. I al referring to the BBC list of safe places given to me (at https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20250822-five-of-the-worlds-safest-countries-for-2025) In this list Lindsey Galloway gives us 10 players running for the safest place in the world. The ten contenders are:

I don’t disagree, I don’t agree. It could be a valid list. In first Place there is Iceland. Very likely true and that list has three places I have seen and I felt perfectly safe in all of them, so I do not disagree with the list. My bewilderment is that the United Arab Nations are not there, both Dubai and Abu Dhabi are seen by a lot of people the safest places on earth. As such I personally see this list as a way to deter people to go to the UAE in 2025 and 2026. There is a personal setting that the top 25 should have been shown to give a more direct setting, but to give a top 10 and mention merely 5 of them is a way to play this game. And as I see it the BBC is playing a game. They are doing this in September? The year is pretty much over, that is when you consider to be UAE and Saudi Arabia out of bounds, as I see it we can haggle about how save Saudi Arabia is (I actually do not know this) but both these places have an absolute divine climate between October and April. As such I wonder why this list was produced. And with Singapore giving us 

While Singapore’s conservative stance on LGBT+ protections limits some freedoms, with same-sex marriage still prohibited, social progress is visible through events like the growing Pink Dot pride festival. Many reported feeling safer at the rally this year than in past decades as younger Singaporeans push for more widespread acceptance.” I merely wonder why the UAE didn’t make the list. I am not saying this list is wrong, I merely wonder why this list is given and why it is given in this way?

If we have to be neutral in this setting then the other story linked in this list is:

Top 10 most liveable cities for 2025:

1. Copenhagen, Denmark
2. Vienna, Austria (tie)
2. Zurich, Switzerland (tie)
4. Melbourne, Australia
5. Geneva, Switzerland
6. Sydney, Australia
7. Osaka, Japan (tie)
7. Auckland, New Zealand (tie)
9. Adelaide, Australia
10. Vancouver, Canada

This list has a few debatable sides. The fact that Sydney scores better than Auckland, Adelaide or Vancouver is a rather large setting. Housing in Sydney is off the charts, whilst Vancouver and Auckland can give a much better setting, but that is me and I wonder here too why Abu Dhabi didn’t make the list. If affordability is depending on the price if housing (as it needs to be) Zurich could not be in a tied second place either. So why are these lists created and who is wondering what the BBC is up to. Is it catering to political powers and as such to the people who have money to make out of these publications?

It might sound like trivial small ‘bickering’ but in light of the massive opportunity that the UAE hands us all in tourism, this list does not make much sense. Don’t get me wrong. I do not oppose the list as it is made, I oppose the thoughts behind the lists (as I speculatively see it). If the list was a top 25 and merely a top 5 is discussed, I get that, but at present I wonder why this list was even created now (at the end of summer) and personally I have a hard time believing Slovenia made that top 10. Not when the UAE didn’t make that top 10, but that is a personal feeling. I have never been to Slovenia and as such I am not judging, merely wondering out loud.

Have a great day and a safe day.

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Lies of the present

That is what I saw hours ago, lies of the present. We all know that tourism in America is down. The strongest influencer in this is Canada and the impact is larger. There is Flight center with the $100M income wallet bash. But no, here is the Financial Times giving us this ‘presented truth’ 

So, when we see another source give us “The tourism industry in the United States is witnessing a notable downturn, with a 17% reduction in European visitors in March 2025 compared to the previous year. This decline is alarming, given the tourism sector’s contribution of approximately 2.5% to the U.S. GDP. The decrease isn’t limited to European visitors; the overall number of foreign tourists fell by 12%, marking a significant drop since the post-pandemic recovery period of 2021.” As such, we only see the little text the FT gives us with the headline ‘The US tourism slump that never happened’ and that is it. I didn’t read the article because I never paid and this is how the FT leaves us hanging. And in light of this ‘debatable’ presentation towards income, the Financial Times can be accused of nearly anything. The downside of throwing teasers to the public to gain fees. With the text “Leading travel industry players are expressing concern over declining interest in U.S. destinations among European travelers. Accor, a French hotel group with a significant presence in the United States, reported a 25% decrease in summer bookings from Europe. Similarly, Voyageurs du Monde noted a 20% drop in bookings since the onset of the current U.S. administration, reflecting a growing disinterest among European tourists.” As such, what slump never happened? So whilst we read “this shift signifies a broader sentiment of dissatisfaction with U.S. policies and highlights the need for a reassessment of strategies to attract European tourists. Industry leaders emphasize the importance of addressing international perceptions to rebuild confidence in the U.S. as a welcoming and diverse destination”, whilst other places (like Abu Dhabi) is showing themselves like a more willing host to tourists all over the world. What possessed the FT to give us this (unread by me) article? As I see it, you cannot play ‘upside’ boy using presented advertising without getting hurt. The Financial Times Is according to some “a renowned British daily newspaper and digital publication that provides in-depth coverage of business, economic, and financial news on a global scale” So what does that bring us “Despite fears of a sharp downturn amid foreign visitor boycotts, the sector has had a decent summer”? In a setting where we see places like NPR gives us ‘Far fewer Canadians are visiting the U.S. this year, new numbers show’ with the added text ““It’s tough, because we’ve developed this relationship with the cross-border economy,” Dame said. “And now here we are, the rug getting pulled out from underneath us.” New data confirms that far fewer Canadians are making trips south. Canadian residents made just 1.7 million return trips by motor vehicle back into their country from the U.S. in July, a nearly 37% drop from the same month in 2024, according to a report published this month by Statistics Canada.” So how exactly is this ‘the slump that never happened’? Then when we see ““It’s a decline that’s not stopping things from happening, but it is affecting the revenue that people are collecting,” she said. The U.S. saw 20.4 million visits from Canadians last year, making Canada the top source of international tourists to the United States, the U.S. Travel Association reported. The group said in February that those visits generated $20.5 billion in spending and supported 140,000 U.S. jobs.” I see that as a slump and it is happening all over the place (Florida is a ‘great’ example), my issue is that America can be delusional all it wants to be, but when the media is catering to certain aspects like catering to big corporations and big tech, they are hindering the truth from reaching us. A nice example is the Chinese mega corporation Evergrande, who crossed all three red lines, resulting in a liquidity crisis and its later insolvency. In summer of 2021, payments due on its debt, estimated in the hundreds of billions of dollars, resulted in the Evergrande liquidity crisis. So how many people were hit by that setting? How many people are investing now on bed and breakfast investments in America will be seeking a Chapter 11? (Apparently only the first 10 chapters are worth reading) We the people are depending on correct news and when we are given dubious articles by the people who used to inform us, what hopes do we have to evade any financial fallback? 

It is about the accountability of the media, ‘filtering’ information to give us the information that makes us jump as to what the ‘big dogs’ wants us to do. On June 19th 2012, I wrote ‘The accountability act – 2015’ (at https://lawlordtobe.com/2012/06/). It never came, and now 10 years later we need to start asking questions, where is the responsibility of the press? Where is the accountability of the media? And this is not just the Financial Times, it is the bulk of the media that is the question. Can we allow the media to play courtesan to big tech and big corporations for the need of digital dollars? Have we become that dim?

Questions that are not answered by anyone as the political players hide behind the ‘game that is played, as business as usual’ whilst they are all arranging the chessboard like a game of blindman chess, with only big business getting to see both chessboards and depriving us of the real deal. So how is that valid? Because when the setting is that we need to pay to see it all, and they deprive us of a fair view, is that not some form of discrimination? What happens when an audience of billions see that big corporations made themselves the royalty they were never supposed to be, that they replaced real royalty in places they could and as they lived through the settings of ‘live like presented’ and than change the presentation so that only ‘they’ could remain is not a way to live, not for the others. And this has been going on for decades, all presenting ‘partners’ having each others back. Often hiding behind ‘the people have a right to know’ but in the underline it is given in the way of ‘the people have a right to know what we want them to know’ and as such the filtering goes on and now that the economies of this world are in turmoil, the cracks start showing. You see World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers represented over 18,000 publications in 2011, and Wikipedia notes that in 2005 there were approximately 6,580 daily newspaper titles globally, with 1,450 in the U.S. alone. There is no real up to date number. But consider that there are 340 million people in America, there are 1450 newspapers, which means that there are 234.5K readers per newspaper (through pig latin analyses) but that is never true, as such they ALL want to get their advertisement money, that is the rule of newspapers, not the news, the advertisements. And as the media exploded in size, it stood to reason (their reason) that this income increased, it did not. So as more and more were deciding that chasing the digital dollar was the way to go, the intent and the credibility of the media decreased. As advertisement evolved and digital advertising was the next new thing, the media exploded into the field of exploiting digital advertising. And here the setting changed. As the media is now ‘depending’ on that setting, the news takes a turn for the bad of the land and can now be influenced by big business and as such we get the setting we see now all over the place. People like Murdoch live of this venture and it is their right, but the larger media, the media that is ‘depending’ on credibility, what about them? I am not saying that all media need to adhere to ‘old’ standards, but we now have an issue. When we are given ‘the slump that never happened’ all whilst we see others give us ‘US Tourism in Peril as Decline in Foreign Visitors, Soaring Visa Fees, and Stricter Travel Policies Drive Away International Travelers’, so did the slump never happen?

I’ll let you decide. Have a great day.

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Reasoning as is

That is at times the setting. We always THINK we know the reason, but do we really? I had my given settings on Abu Dhabi as early as 2025, August 2nd. I spelled it out in ‘As Hogwarts expands’ (at https://lawlordtobe.com/2025/08/02/as-hogwarts-expands/) and I stated “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.” That was the setting I expected to see. Now we see Forbes (at https://www.forbes.com/sites/carolinereid/2025/08/17/the-real-reason-for-building-disneyland-in-abu-dhabi/) giving us two weeks later “It is no secret that Abu Dhabi is building theme parks to diversify its economy. Its fortune was built on fossil fuels but as its reserves are beginning to run out it has brought global theme park giants to its shores to drive tourism revenue. That’s far from the only magic touch they have. Although Abu Dhabi and neighboring Dubai are seen as being playgrounds exclusively for the world’s wealthiest people, the vast majority of their residents are far from billionaires. There is good reason for this.

I tried too get a job there once, I am not in oil (not even olive oil) but I do have a knack for IT and in alway am fluent in Dutch, a skill that I hoped would get me a job with ADNOC. Yet as America was setting the larger premise of a failed government in play, Abu Dhabi was giving me additional settings and if you pay close attention to Yas Island, it could be the lifeline of a larger setting that could given you a heralding ovation when you live there. As the UAE is massively crime free, more reasons to go there. In addition (to what I saw) its that Forbes also gives us “It explains why a staggering 88.5% of the 11.4 million residents of the UAE are expats according to Global Media Insight. The number of expats from the United States is reflected in the vast array of its stores and restaurants which have made their way to the UAE. They include everything from chains like Applebee’s, Dickey’s Barbecue Pit and IHOP to fine dining outlets such as California’s Urth Caffé and Sarabeth’s which began life as a small bakery-kitchen on New York City’s Amsterdam Avenue in 1981.” It is nice to see this, but I have to wonder why they never saw it when I saw the clear signs. And there is not the simple settings of “Although Abu Dhabi and neighboring Dubai are seen as being playgrounds exclusively for the world’s wealthiest people, the vast majority of their residents are far from billionaires.” I agree that is a clear setting, however lines like ‘Abu Dhabi’s real estate market records broad-based growth in first quarter’, ‘Abu Dhabi real estate is on fire in 2025 with deals soaring past Dhs51 billion in just six months’ and ‘Abu Dhabi and Dubai Ranked Top Emerging Global Data Center Markets in 2025 Report’ as well as the setting that 10,000 millionaires are replacing their ‘home’ towns with a proper setting in the UAE.

The is also happening in the last month alone. In support of it all we get ‘How Yas island is shaping Abu Dhabi’s real estate landscape’, as such, Forbes is telling the truth, but it letting certain parts take a backdrop to the larger picture. Abu Dhabi is the new place to be and America needs to realign the stupidity they are handling now. As I see it, their future is depending on it. 

But that is not the only parts. At this point Forbes gives us a side I never really looked at. They give us “It explains why data from the California-based Economic Research Institute shows that the average annual salary in the UAE comes to $48,993 (AED179,949) compared to $66,991 in the U.S., proving that you don’t have to be a billionaire to live there. The UAE has a wide catchment area to draw on as one-third of the world’s population is located within a four-hour flight of the country. It is also part of the largest global airline hub in the world, with 120 million passengers traveling through Abu Dhabi and Dubai each year. In order to welcome them as workers and tourists, the UAE has some of the friendliest visa regulations of any country.” Which is great for two reasons. Everyone likes a good show and an affordable show and the UAE is providing that. In addition, it shows how stupid the American VISA setting is now. As such, try to imagine millions of tourists giving up on America for the next 3 years and pointing their caps at the UAE. Millions of people who think that the hollow setting of America can be let go for at least three years. You wanna bet that this is scaring the theme parks in Orlando (and other cities) to death? 

That is the setting we see evoke the Forbes Article (in case you were willing to denounce what I gave you all). Yet Forbes gives you more. We are also given “The impact of this was laid bare in a separate report by the Khaleej Times in May which revealed that 23.7% of applications for visas to Europe’s Schengen area filed by UAE residents were rejected last year. That’s not because of the UAE, but the diversity of its residents as visa applications are based on nationality. The 11.5% of the population that holds UAE nationality benefits from having the world’s best passport, according to the Arnot Capital Global Passport Power rankings, with visa-free travel to 133 countries. The dark clouds aren’t just hanging over Europe. Recent data from the National Travel and Tourism Office revealed that the number of overseas visitors to the U.S. in July fell 4.9% on the previous year, only reaching around 86.6% of the pre-pandemic level despite it being one of the busiest seasons of the year. It is the latest development in a months-long trend which also saw international arrivals fall 6.6% in June.” As it can be seen, there is every chance that the operator on Yas Island will get a hell of a lot tourists more than it might have considered. All it needs it a great campaign and at present Warner Brothers could be chockablock full from this October until April 2026. Because people in Europe want to escape winter and as I see it, there is only Abu Dhabi as America is dealing with its political administration. As such the Canadians escaping Florida this Winter, these Snowbirds have just been advised of a much larger appealing destination this winter (and the next three years).

As this all comes to pass, America will merely see an incursion of debts, come and harassment, things the tourist does not need. 

As such I say YAY Yas Island, and ADNOC management seeking Dutch translators, please consider me as well.

The reasoning as is, is set to the joy of a vacation, As such the UAE is opening its borders to Abu Dhabi ad Dubai is a mere 30 minute train ride away. Have a terrific day today.

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The BBC woke up

That is the setting I was given this morning. After I have been saying for a few weeks now that the pieces aren’t fitting in regards to a few things. The BBC now gives us (12 hours ago) ‘The US economy is a puzzle but the pieces aren’t fitting together’ (at https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cwypgx90243o) where we are being told “They say his tariffs and crackdown on immigrants risk a return of 1970s-esque “stagflation”, when a sudden oil shock prompted stagnant growth and spiraling prices, except this time the crisis would be self-inflicted. The White House has just as steadfastly dismissed those concerns, attacking the experts – and, in the case of the US Bureau of Labor Statistics commissioner, firing her”, as well as “A few days later, Moody’s Analytics economist Mark Zandi declared on social media that the economy was “on the precipice of a recession”

We then read “On Friday, the US government reported that spending at retailers and restaurants rose 0.5% from June to July – and that spending in June had been stronger than previously estimated. “Consumers are down but not out,” wrote Michael Pearce, deputy chief US economist at Oxford Economics, which is predicting a modest recovery in spending in the months ahead, as tax cuts and a stock market recovery boost confidence.” And as I see it, there is someone adhering to specialized requests, on the go at the setting of someone. The article then states the setting that is ‘perceived’ as “forecasters expect price increases to widen in the months ahead, as firms sell down pre-tariff stock and raise prices, now that they have more confidence about what the tariff policies might be. That’s why there was so much focus on the producer price index, which measures wholesale prices commanded by US producers before they hit consumers, offering a clue to what’s coming. It accelerated at the fastest pace in more than three years in July.” I saw this in a few ways. Consider the tourism industry. We see clear fall down issues. And would luck have it, the other are responding in a very similar way. Forbes gives us ‘New $250 Visa Integrity Fee Will Cost US $11 Billion, Say Tourism Officials’ the story goes repeated by MSN, and others. At the same time we see TTW (Travel and Tour world) release over a dozen articles in the last day on other places doing other things, like giving us ‘Vermont Unifies New Hampshire, Maine, New York, Wisconsin in Boosting Tourism Industry Attracting US and Canada Tourists During This Fall’ All whilst the larger picture is that “Canadian tourism to the US has declined due to tariffs and anti-Canadian rhetoric, with a 38% drop in road trips and 24% drop in air travel in May.” And the same numbers seems to apply for June, July and likely august too. So the picture is distorted and someone with larger fingers is juicing the numbers in different stages and states. All whilst TTW used to give us a limited number of views, someone is thrashing the typewriters there giving us a large amounts of ‘debatable’ data sources. Someone does not want us to see the setting that things are a lot worse for America than the media is willing to make us realize and that it merely part of it all. 

All whilst NPR radio gives us ‘Trump is tightening the screws on corporate America — and CEOs are staying mum’ which comes (at https://www.npr.org/2025/08/14/nx-s1-5501591/trump-corporate-america-capitalism) with “Corporate America doesn’t want to fight with President Trump in public. But as a result, it’s ceding him an unprecedented amount of control over the shape — and future — of U.S. business. In the past week, the president has turned up the heat on big companies and their CEOs to an extent that is unprecedented even by Trump’s norms-shattering standards. He has publicly attacked companies and their executives throughout his political career — but now he’s demanding firings of executives who aren’t even household names, such as a corporate economist at Goldman Sachs.” Bad news is not allowed in America, not even a little. As I see it, the puzzle pieces don’t fit because the willing minority doesn’t want to give yo the goods, they want to get the jobs they aren’t qualified for or they don’t want to lose their jobs and that is because there are three more years of Trump and Elon Musk is likely the only one to be able to survive this setting, and because he is likely to be sitting on another trillion dollars of value. So why haven’t we heard from Jerome Powell? And CNN gave us (three days ago) ‘Trump is considering suing Jerome Powell, White House says’ (at https://edition.cnn.com/2025/08/12/economy/trump-lawsuit-fed-chair-powell) with the setting of ““Fortunately, the economy is so good that we’ve blown through Powell and the complacent Board. I am, though, considering allowing a major lawsuit against Powell to proceed because of the horrible, and grossly incompetent, job he has done in managing the construction of the Fed Buildings,” Trump wrote on his social media platform”, as well as “Firing Powell would be a legally complicated endeavor, given that Senate-confirmed members of the Fed’s board can only be fired “for cause.” However, Trump seems keen on homing in on the Fed’s multibillion-dollar building renovation as a possible reason that would merit a “for cause” firing. The president claimed the renovation should have been a “$50 Million Dollar fix up. Not good!”” A setting that could erupt in a messy situation. I ‘personally’ don’t like the guy, but as far as I can see, he’s done a really good job with the pawns and issues he could have played. He has been enormously good for America and that needs to be said. Whoever would replace him would not likely be able to do better and that would be another iron in the fire giving President Trump a heartache all over the financial setting. As I see it, Canada is lucky to get the Former British Bank governor as Prime minister of Canada. That man can slice and dice whatever America throws the way of Canada. At present Canada created new channels of income with Mexico and Europe whilst depriving America of these settings. There never will be be a 51st state for America. 

Oh, and how is America’s economy good? China has been able to stranglehold (America’s way of putting it) on rare earths minerals. So how much of these rare earths come from China? The Pentagon gave us “The Department of Defense has made a substantial commitment to domestic rare earth production by acquiring $400 million in MP Materials preferred stock. This investment converts to common shares, giving the Pentagon a 15% ownership stake and positioning it as the company’s largest shareholder, surpassing previous major stakeholders including BlackRock Fund Advisors.” So where are these materials precisely coming from? 

Small questions that have a larger impact on business. At Present China has opened new Channels to the UAE and (speculatively) Egypt as well. Egypt is looking forward to getting its fingers on the Chinese J-35A Stealth Fighter. I’ve been told that it is a cheaper version of the J20 mighty dragon that is at present not seen outside of China.

But these parts are all a setting of a larger debate, a debate that gives us that America is losing defense contracts all over the globe, and China is ready to give it a go. How accurate these ‘facts’ and numbers are are currently not on the minds of western media. Still defense is merely one angle that is sowing the trend of recession. As others are ‘silenced’ on the settings and it merely on the front of AI, we see debatable settings. Which in light of energy flaws is a super hilarious setting. These systems need electricity (and a lot of it), so how that plays out is anyones guess. 

So it is nice of the BBC to wake up, but a lot more is required to give us the goods. So Auf Wiener Schnitzel everyone and have a great day, its 16:39 and as such I have mucho food on the brain at present. It is still Friday in Vancouver, so they have some time to wait until they can have this German delicacy themselves.

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