Tag Archives: travel

August 6, 2025 · 14:17

The implied stage

This is not fact, but it is implied and I will explain the logic behind this. Less than 24 hours ago  Time and Travel World (TTW) gave us ‘Tunisia Joins Spain, Mexico, Brazil, Costa Rica, Greece, Saudi Arabia, and UAE in the Booming Tourism Sector with Record Tourist Arrivals and Earnings in First Half of 2025: New Report’ (at https://www.travelandtourworld.com/news/article/tunisia-joins-spain-mexico-brazil-costa-rica-greece-saudi-arabia-and-uae-in-the-booming-tourism-sector-with-record-tourist-arrivals-and-earnings-in-first-half-of-2025-new-report/) Here we see among more given facts “Spain has been one of the top performers in the global tourism recovery of 2025. The country welcomed nearly 25.6 million international tourists in the first four months of 2025, marking a 7.1% increase compared to 2024. Spain’s tourism numbers have surpassed pre-pandemic levels, highlighting the nation’s enduring appeal. Notably, April 2025 set a record with 8.6 million visitors, marking a 10% rise from the previous year. This surge was driven by a strong recovery in both leisure and business travel.” This doesn’t seem like a lot. But take the slightly more complete setting of

This gives us 80,000,000 tourists most of them only able to pay for one vacation a year and they are not going to America. As such (and taking notice that this does not include Canada) I feel certain that the damage to American tourism will surpass the $29 billion we are currently given. How much more, that is hard to say. So whilst we are now given smash articles (as I call them) to voice applause for all the efforts that Epic Universe gives us in Orlando (and I do agree what I see on YouTube does look amazing) the American tourism industry will face at least until 2027 to return to some kind of normal and that is optimistically speaking. I reckon that it will take 3 years after President Trump leaves office for this to get back to some kind of normal. And I get that Florida is now casting the heave rods to get national tourism up. Yet without international tourists it will become a nasty time of hardship for the places that rely on international tourists. 

Los Angeles, San Francisco, Las Vegas, Florida, New York will all feel the pinch that these millions of tourists used to bring with fat wallets and they are now going anywhere else. That is money no longer in the bank of America and likely these people are unlikely to revisit America at present. A lot needs to change for that.

The most conservative calculations I get to implies that the losses for America start at $80 billion and might get to $115 billion by the end of the year. I also think that the Winter vacations are less likely to be affected. The snowboard and ski population tend to rely on what they know and slopes can be dependable. As such people who were bound for Aspen will return to aspen (the largest part), people tend to ski what they know and it makes for a loyal crowd. Places like Aspen have in addition a social side and these two make for a dependable setting. And it is not that place. Likely places like Deer Mountain Village (South Dakota) have a similar stage. But this implies that America needs to regain most of their losses from the winter vacation people. At this point there is no predicting on how the winter locations will be hurt by what is called the “visa integrity fee” and now we get the visa bond which will hurt winter tourism as that is a young persons game and they are massively unlikely to dish out ‘US to charge some foreign travelers up to $23,000 in visa bonds’ (source: ABC News), as such there is no way to tell how it will affect winter tourism, yet I feel certain that Whistler (Canada, B.C.) and Blue Mountain (Canada, Ont.) will be able to accommodate these people, and beyond that there is Europe with their snowy hills (aka mountains). 

So, at present I feel that the damage is likely to be the conservative number I gave earlier and it might be higher, but there is no data on this. This is a setting that has never happened before and as America is getting confronted on the silly notion that you can keep any hotel filled to over 90%, that cluster of delusional thinkers are getting a massive boost of reality at present. Three days ago we were given Las Vegas is empty, given to us by a ‘tourist’ wearing a Vegas Golden Knights polo. Now we see: ““Las Vegas is empty”: Viral video sparks alarming questions about US tourism decline” this is a bit late, isn’t it? I predicted some of these elements almost a week earlier. I never discussed Las Vegas airport, but that should have been done by the local people and now we see “Viral video sparks alarming questions”? How delusional do you need to get to the ostrich effect (bury your head in the sand) to avoid clear settings? This is setting the larger stage (source: money control) “The viral moment comes on the heels of an official report by the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA), which noted a 6.5% drop in hotel occupancy and a fall in average room rates from $194 to $163. Even more alarming was a 41% year-over-year decline in traffic at Harry Reid Airport, according to the same report.” So, who had been sitting on these numbers? What doesn’t the American administrations want Americans want to know?

Simple question, yet are the answers as simple as it seems? When will Florida present the numbers and when will they sound the alarm? I simply crunched the numbers and I saw this a month ago (July 9th) in ‘Age of BS (Bill Sightseer)’ (at https://lawlordtobe.com/2025/07/09/age-of-bs-bill-sightseer/), as such where did you see this in American media? Only 14 hours ago, the American people were given ‘Orange County Tourist De­vel­opment Tax col­lec­tions surge 10.3% in June from a year ago’ and I need to give the larger setting. A Disney Tourist blogger gave us on May 25th “Epic Universe is almost empty. Dead. Devoid of guests. A ghost town.” Someone on YouTube gave a similar story but that is about it. Americans are allergic to bad news. I get that, none of us like this, but when the bills can no longer be paid as people al over Florida get the axe is news people need to know, but that might just be me. 

So the stage isn’t set, it is implied. A set stage has proper numbers and the media is giving half stories (as I personally see it) but the signs are clear. This doesn’t make it set stage, a mere implied stage and when the numbers come out in Q4 2025, a lot of people get a rude awakening and when they have invested in a bad and breakfast solution they might require a larger stage to survive the 3-8 quarters that follow. There is no way to be more precise than that.

Try to 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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July 23, 2025 · 10:56

Speculating about the day after tomorrow

That is the question that is overwhelming me. Most of us are aware that America is now a burning house. Plenty of people are running away. In 2025 the UAE is expected to get 8800 millionaires moving in (I expect most of them are Americans). 

That and the fact that some corporations are moving out of America, heading of to Canada is merely a second setting. You see that tourism and a hostile world based on tariffs is one, the setting that comes next is not the one I am clear on. I had to think deeply about what it coming next. And I think I have worked a few things out. Apple is already opening a much larger niche in Saudi Arabia, but then? This is what I saw:

STC had a revenue of $20,238,100,000 and they can do more. As we are also given that 92% of individuals aged 12 to 65 using cell phones. As such there is a larger thought that Apple is riding the waves of next week and I know that Huawei is there already, I do not know where Google is, but Saudi Arabia is setting the premise (via Neom) that millions will need servicing in the near future and for the Saudi Telecom Company there is an additional opening for more revenue. There is the call for the STC to bring in their own mobile phone. They can do it via another, or they can grow their own ‘budget’ phone. The setting makes sense. I guess that STC will go the way of Android, a presumption I give you that. But then Saudi Arabia has its own mobile, with Pakistan (247m) and Indonesia (280m) almost too eager to accept that setting and this will allow STC to grow its beachfronts in almost all directions and as these markets are filled, they will be able to offer a much stronger mobile to Europe. This will enable STC to grow into European carriers and markets. That is the growth that the next 5 years will bring. And as America is getting deeper and deeper into trouble. Those ‘advocating’ the American dream are now hiding for dear life and they are banking that another venue opens and that is the way in for Saudi Arabia. 

A larger setting that will be opening up and you can believe the spin that will be coming from the Trump administration, but the ‘donation’ to the Trump administration will enable Saudi Arabia get access to the American carriers too. The escalations that Saudi Arabia has been setting by increasing the stronger 5G was already in motion as per June 2021, so they were already moving in this way. So as America shot themself in the foot and broke their own glasses, the options are opening stronger and faster. I reckon that Apple opening markets in Saudi Arabia too a much larger degree is the last piece of grass that I needed to foretell the settings that are coming in the next iteration and America did this all to themselves. Saudi Arabia merely saw a tactical option to control a larger piece of the 5G settings and I reckon that they will be holding the upgrade of telecom centers in Pakistan and Indonesia as a juice bone whilst at the same time offering contracts including a STC 5G phone. Consider how many people took that setting with their local telecoms including Orange, KPN, Vodafone, Optus, Telstra and several others. STC is seeing the opening and Saudi Arabia is becoming a global player in telecom and 5G and all that comes with with newly build development centers in NEOM (I’m specifically considering Aquellum) a setting that allows Saudi Arabia to grow influence on a global scale. 

If only the American stakeholders had not been ‘filtering’ out news for years and that is the setting I saw evolving 4 years ago. If only the media had properly informed us from day one. So, as I see (read presume) certain evolutionary steps, others might have seen it if they were given access to the actual news. I had an advantage knowing a handful of languages beside English, so I had an advantage. 

Now Saudi Arabia gets a much bigger advantage and it is partially due to (as I personally see it) the evolution of the STC, which should give Al Arabiya and the MBC Group a much larger setting towards the half a billion people in 2 nations and that is before the influence in Egypt and Europe will be showing markers. That will be in the papers soon enough and whilst people will ‘doubt’ this and others will spin it as ridiculous, consider the impact that advertising to a population of 500,000,000 people will bring. When Pakistan and Indonesia will grow beyond certain markers (I know that there are markers, but I have no idea what numbers are set to these markers). Advertisers will seek new channels taking them out of the once they have (like YouTube, TikTok) and other advertising settings. The channels will not completely go away, but they will see dwindled revenue numbers. That is the second tier in this and this is another evolution branch for the STC (optionally the MBC group too). 

A setting that was almost chiseled in stone and I saw parts of this in 2021. There is a pride setting for Saudi Arabia, but to set the telecom of 5G to 700% of what America offers seems a little over the top. At that time I thought it was Huawei and China that were the driving parties, but with the settings I saw develop in the last few weeks I reckon that Saudi Arabia was ahead of the settings by a lot. I presume that the evolutions over the last month merely brought this all to the surface. 

So lets see what America does next. All have a great day and consider what damage will be done to America tomorrow, because that is still very much on the mind of many.

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July 22, 2025 · 17:06

More bad news?

Yesterday I got some news from FTN News that might spell bad news for America. America is at this moment drowning in tourism ‘debts’ (for a lack of a better word). At present the downfall is set to 29 billion dollar and there are several sources who give us that there is all likelihood that this will not be reversed until 2029. And that is merely the reversal of income (if America does an about face basically today) the loss of income will continue. America will bleed tourism revenue for years to come. And the bad news that is added is seen (at https://ftnnews.com/travel-news/aviation/inside-saudi-arabias-bold-plan-for-a-low-cost-airline-with-45-planes-by-2030/) giving us ‘Inside Saudi Arabia’s Bold Plan for a Low-Cost Airline with 45 Planes by 2030’ where we see “Saudi Arabia’s bold plan for a low-cost airline with 45 planes by 2030 is the Kingdom’s latest move to transform its aviation sector and boost tourism and connectivity” Now don’t think this is a silly notion, but at present in Europe, Canada, Asia, Australia and a few more countries people can only afford one vacation a year and the sewing of cheap holidays to a place where many like to see it, it means that most will contemplate Saudi Arabia against the unwelcoming grounds of America. Considering that the bulk of Muslims (who are about 1.8 Billion, close to 20%) they all will consider Saudi Arabia over America, especially if that comes with lower costs. As such this is almost a slam dunk win for Saudi Arabia. So when we see “The new carrier will be operated by a consortium led by UAE-based Air Arabia, in partnership with Saudi companies Kun Investment and Nesma Group. According to the Saudi General Authority of Civil Aviation, this alliance was awarded the contract to launch the airline after a competitive bidding process that also included Jazeera Airways and other regional players.” It sets a setting that the UAE/Saudi Arabia connection could spell a lot more bad news for certain parties. As stated, base operations might be in Dammam, yet they are aiming to carry at least 10 million passengers per year once fully operational. Its 81-route network—comprising 24 domestic and 57 international destinations will set the fall to others up to 10,000,000 passengers annually and that is merely the beginning. As I see it, the 10,000,000 will grace Dammam, Riyadh, Jeddah, Abu Dhabi and Dubai. Considering the simplest setting that many will now be able to afford a trip to Dubai with its 0% taxation and Apple growing there too I expect a boom of people trying to unite cheap vacation with cheap shopping and in that regards Abu Dhabi remains an option for these people. The could visit both with the High Speed train that takes you to the other UAE destination in a mere 35 minutes. So how interesting is that against any place in America? 

So is this a real threat against American revenue? I believe it is and after the bad setting that America pushed itself in, and the upcoming Vision 2030, I reckon that America might get a prolonged bad tourism time going through until 2032/2033, a few years after Disney and Harry Potter theme parks graced Yas Island totaling the amount of theme parks to 6 with the added Yas Island Mall and the F1 races there too. And Harry Potter to be expected to arrive late 2026 and as there is no date for the new Disney park, I expect that this will not happen before early 2027. But that sets a new danger for America getting relieve to its tourism downfall. 

The setting that SeaWorld is an unique place merely sets the premise towards a lot of tourists selecting Abu Dhabi over America and that is merely the start of this matter. So as I see it, whomever invested in the new airline (apparently The NESMA Group and Kun Investment Holding) seem to be riding an great profit venture and as this goes on the investment might turn out to be a golden one and that is before the impact is seen that Neom Bay airport will face and that means tourists will flock towards Trojena and its ski slopes. Yup, the Kun Investment Holding is looking towards the bright side of profits.

So could I be wrong? 
It is a fair question, but the reality is that nearly all people need a vacation and when the price goes down people can do more and as such these 10,000,000 annual places are 10,000,000 that America loses, pretty directly and that is after the losses it is already facing at the moment, as such I feel pretty confident that this will make it, even as it is not the only one in Saudi Arabia. There is also Flyadeal, Flynas and Air Arabia. The fact that Saudi Arabia is ready to expand the tourist game implies that they have been upgrading with a focus and I think it will drive people towards Trojena and Sindalah, which is besides the options that Abu Dhabi and Dubai offer. So as I see it, America will be facing several more hard years and that is if they do an about face on tourism as per today, when they do not, by 2028 Ski tourism will go towards Saudi Arabia as well. A nasty package is coming to the American shores. They did this to themselves, as such I feel it is their own fault. But to see this amount of damage due to the stupidity of America first is pretty laughable in any book you read.

As such have a great day and if you need a point of investment, I reckon having a better look at the Kun Investment Holding might not be a bad idea. Don’t ask me for advice, this is all I see and I am not the expert in investing, but there are good times ahead for Kun Investment Holding.

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July 20, 2025 · 21:07

Change of venue

Today there were three articles that called my attention. The third os for another day. It was loaded with sarcasm and if not that it would be the irony of the matter and that is for another day (probably tomorrow) but the first two drew my attention. The second towards the first, but that starts with an article by Sophos giving us ‘Sophos announces UAE data center’ (at https://news.sophos.com/en-us/2025/07/18/sophos-announces-uae-data-center/) where we learn that Sophos is about to open a new data centre. We get to see “This expansion is about democratizing access to cutting-edge cybersecurity, powered by AI, automation, and the strength of our partner ecosystem.” The rest is a combination of marketing and sales ‘initiative’ taking this setting is not wrong, I tend to see it as less effective and as it is on the Sophos site, but I get why this was done. There is nothing negative on the ‘announcement’ that they made. 

Yet the second article optionally grips into this should the centre be set in Abu Dhabi. There is the option that Sophos could entertain consultancy solutions for the embassies in Abu Dhabi. 

The second article (at https://www.khaleejtimes.com/business/aviation/wizz-air-uae-employees-struggle-with-sudden-exit) is the Khaleej Times informing us of ‘‘Don’t want to leave UAE’: Wizz Air employees struggle with sudden exit, look for jobs’ the setting of Wizz Air where “pilots, cabin crew, managers, and other staff connected to Abu Dhabi operations, face uncertain future and seek clarity” consider that not all will be able to score a new job quick. There is the likelihood that most will be offered a new position by Emirates and/or Etihad Airways. It will give these people a way to continue their career. And the other? Well that is where article one comes into play. Sophos will need technicians, customer care, technical support and others and as such these people will have the option for all kinds of positions that they might easily be able to shift into and for Sophos it is a way to get localised people with motivation to do well. A setting that serves both sides in the process. But then I could be wrong and the idea goes nowhere. But there these two articles were and they might complement each other and that is a setting that should never be ignored. And if my suggestion solves two problems then it is 3-0 for me (I get an extra point for balancing the issues against one another) and that is how we create a positive balance. Unlike the profit seesaws that investors are trying balance towards personal profits. 

I think I get to feel pretty good about now. Tomorrow I get to throw in my own glasses as I exploit sarcasm and irony against one another. It is a too appealing way of life for me at this point.

Have a great day.

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July 18, 2025 · 18:35

The path of New Technology

That was the setting that I had in mind. You see, some time ago I saw the ‘idea’ that Elon Musk allegedly has. There is nothing wrong with the idea, but in this day and age, with all the settings going on, who is interested in going to New York? Been there, done that I say (in 1999), but the larger setting isn’t the place. There is nothing wrong with the place. Yet as I see it, like the HS2 (UK) the hyper-loop from London to New York seems to be a less then stellar idea. I know that allegedly Elon Musk is setting the stage so that he can get everything as much tested as possible before he is off to Mars (the planet, not the candy bar) and that is fine. Good luck to him.

Yet the setting of a hyper loop in NEOM makes a lot more sense. As I see it, three lines in NEOM seems to be the idea that could attract even more people and more advanced travel options.

Consider the first line connecting Sindalah, the Line and Aquellum (optionally more), the second line connecting Neon bay Airport, the line and Trojena. The third line would be over the length of the line itself allowing people to traverse west to east line in a little over 30 minutes. Optionally with a few stops. 

Basically allow the larger places in minutes. From Sindalah to Aquellum in less than an hour and that is just for starters. It would also allow the people in the line to go towards their destinations in mere minutes. There could be additional benefits too, consider that the people over the larger part in Neom could be off to the ski-resort in an hour, driving the desire to Trojena towards an all time high and the same could be said for Sindalah. 

This is not the easiest setting and perhaps that Elon Musk has the required equipment already as I reckon that these drills don’t grow on trees (I checked) the fabrication of these drills takes several months (if not longer) and we are in 2025, as such the creation of these lines might take more than  the 5 years required, so some haste is due. And with that setting Saudi Arabia will create a new worlds first. A hyper loop that connects these places would also push tourism to a larger degree, with additional connections that allow travel to Riyadh, Jeddah and Medina could grow tourism beyond anything they had expected and  considering that there are 1800 million Muslims, only 33 million living in Saudi Arabia could expand on expectations, desires and wonder and that would make it another first in the world. There are additional considerations as the hyper loop could transport the injured over a larger area, reducing the needs for a more equipped Hospital to the line and several smaller hospitals to other areas. That is, if the setting of a hyper loop would appeal to the Saudi government. 

There were some additional thought to combine lines one and two, but that is hat some would call the micro management (not meant for me) and the idea to live in the line, work in Aquellum and play in Trojena has massive appeal. I wonder how many Canadians might like the idea of skiing there. The setting seeing Neom would be great, if only I am still alive when these places were completed (five years with my butterfingers?) 

Still, the thought of hyper loop trains in Neom should spark any person who enjoys trips on the train. Ill try to get other IP thoughts sorted out tomorrow. Have a great day.

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July 17, 2025 · 22:43

A powerhouse South of Davos

Yup, it seems like a founding setting as July usually is in the setting of Davos in the desert and the setting is ‘embossed’ as we are given by Arab News as ‘Riyadh emerging as global super hub amid economic boom: Knight Frank’ (at https://www.arabnews.com/node/2608260/business-economy) this is a super setting for several players but not in a good way. 

We are given “Saudi Arabia’s capital is rapidly transforming into a leading global wealth hub, fueled by the Kingdom’s successful economic diversification under Vision 2030, a recent Knight Frank report said. The Riyadh edition of the “Emerging Wealth Hub” series noted that the Saudi capital is transitioning from an oil-dependent economy to a powerhouse for finance, culture, and lifestyle, attracting multinational corporations, investors, and expatriates.” You see, the setting is a little more complicated than that. This is shown through the paragraph that follows “A key driver has been the Regional Headquarters Program, which has already exceeded its 2030 target, with 600 global firms, including Bechtel, PwC, and Northern Trust, setting up regional bases in Riyadh. 

This influx has pushed Grade-A office vacancy rates down to just 2 percent, while prime office rents have skyrocketed by 23 percent in the past year and 84 percent since 2020.” 

When we see the dots, there is a danger that we link the dots in the wrong direction, so we can see that there are 4 dots with at least 2 options, and the more dots we have, the clearer the image becomes. But at present we see that Saudi Arabia and the UAE are rising stars in money matters and rising economy stars, also rising stars in tourism, employments and technology. In the other corner there are the parties of America, the EU and the Commonwealth to a lesser degree. The massive inclination is that America cannot remain the nice party towards both Saudi Arabia and the UAE, then there is the UAE connection to BRICS and as they both are rocking the tourism industry, a setting where they are making the dozens of billions that America is losing. A second setting is that they have the cash to make the technology work, all whilst America is allegedly having power issues, issues that this technology cannot survive, as such the upside is clear for the Arabic worlds a little less for the other players. Some players are vying for the same defence contracts as America, as such we are all facing some version of what some might see as a civil war in the ranks. And as I personally see it, America will be pulling more and more drastic settings and it is one of the reasons that the Trump administration ‘requires’ Powell needs to be shown the door. It is a mere speculation on my side, but there is a chance that America becomes more and more desperate as the tariff setting was backfiring and it seems to be the leading cause for American tourism going back towards the stone age. The thing that also rings in my head is the setting that the millionaires and billionaires that are now investing and seeing the lucrative stages that Saudi Arabia and the UAE are ‘promising’ are all founding mergers that are now not investing and seeking these options in America. As such these players and the tourism setting where people can only spend their money once, they are now vacating to other shores. These are not connected issues, but they do become accumulative issues towards the American shores. As I see it, the America first movements is slowly but surely becoming the undoing of America. 

This reminds me of a Latin expression “Post hoc ergo propter hoc” meaning “after this, therefore because of this” it is an expression that dates back to ancient Greece where it was ‘accepted’ as a truth, but correlation does not equal causation. Apparently the Romans figured this out and as such I gave the example with four points. But the setting where the non-connected events can show that it does have a negative side towards other shores and as such we see the setting towards America. One can believe or debunk the setting that in economy, the entrepreneurial mind can only spend money once, and in a separate turn ‘we the people’ can for the most merely afford one holiday a year and that was in previous years a 20 billion dollars solely from Canadians towards America. But that milk was soured by an administration with State 51 on their mind, a setting that Canadians no longer accept, it made them reject America as a destination. Moreover, other events were also detested by others (Europeans) and as such they are also going to other places, not all, but enough to America seeing this as a massive problem. Only 10 hours ago we were given that Canadian tourism to America is now down 33% in June. In an age where tourism is banking on a near 90% full setting, Canada alone is giving America a tourism body blow and that is before the European sources are considered. So in an age where the financial situation is dire to say the least, the loss of billion will be a hardship station for the near entire industry. So, whilst some are looking towards Davos in the desert, that setting might show the new stations we see as the Future Investment Initiative (FII), which will be held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, from October 29-31, 2025. Some will see a setting that shows for the first time just how desperate the sewing for America and Europe might be. I believe it the news will be bad (for the west), you see, over the last 5 years I have been trying to keep eyes on the Saudi Broadcast Authority (SBA) as I expected them to reach out towards Egypt and Europe, but the news has gone silent the last year. It is my believe that the world will hear news in these directions in October. It is highly speculative (on my side), but I believe that is what will happen this year. I personally believe that this is the ‘surprise’ Saudi Arabia and Huawei is getting ready for, but I have absolutely no evidence on this. So call it what you will but these elements together will show a new dot setting and we will hear it in Q4 this year. 

No matter what we will hear, it doesn’t frame well for the America First pamphlets and photo frames. But I will be the first adjusting my ‘wrongly’ seen connected dots. Because I honestly don’t know. It is more of a gut feeling towards the image that others seem to be showing us.

Have a great day.

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July 16, 2025 · 05:51

Two for two

That is the setting that I see overlapping. Now, if someone states that they have nothing to do with each other, I would disagree, but I see their point too. At times causality is as thin as the thread to a spiderweb. I just see that there is more then one thread connecting the two together. And those who disagree are allowed to do this. So it started with Kazinform International News Agency (a news agency in Kazakhstan) informing me of ‘Saudi Arabia retains top spot in MENA venture capital investment for first half of 2025’, in itself not terribly important to my scope of life, but it had mention of the MAGNiTT. I had not heard that term before and I get a lot of information, so I decided to check it out. It states “your go-to platform for verified Venture Capital & Private Equity data in Middle East, Africa, Southeast Asia, Türkiye and Pakistan” that I would have remembered, as such a new term came to me, from an unknown source. The part that got my intention was “Saudi Arabia maintained its first rank across MENA in terms of Venture Capital (VC) funding in the first half of 2025, witnessing a total VC deployment of $860 Million (SAR3.2 billion), surpassing the total VC funding of 2024 (full year)” as such, I am getting the impression that Saudi Arabia is stretching its financial influence in the world, when you see a near two for one deal spanning almost a billion, that ain’t hay (as the expression goes). 

The additional quote goes “The Kingdom’s leading position in the VC scene in the region comes as a result of many governmental initiatives launched to stimulate the VC and startups ecosystem within the Saudi Vision 2030 programs. We at SVC are committed to continuing to lead the development of the ecosystem by stimulating private investors to provide support for startups and SMEs to be capable of fast and high growth, leading to diversifying the national economy and achieving the goals of the Saudi Vision 2030, CEO and Board Member at Saudi Venture Capital (SVC) Dr. Nabeel Koshak commented.” As such there is a lot to be said for being thorough and Saudi Arabia isn’t tinkering on the corner. Now considering that I didn’t get that news from the Financial Times or Reuters, I had an issue with this. So, consider that it is missing from the Financial Times, a said to be thorough news agency for all matters linked to the channel of a “Ka-Ching” nature. 

This is setting the second phase of the issue being a (what some call) AI setting. You see, I was looking as American Tourism (a daily event) as I keep my eyes on this. Here we see “Tourism in the United States is experiencing a decline in international visitor spending, with a projected $12.5 billion drop in 2025. This downturn is attributed to a combination of factors, including perceived negative impacts from Trump administration policies related to trade and borders, a strong dollar, and weaker global economic growth. While domestic tourism remains strong, the US is seeing fewer international tourists compared to other countries, and some experts predict it may not return to pre-pandemic levels until 2030.” (Source: claimed AI) what connects this is Forbes giving us ‘U.S. tourism will lose up to $29 billion as visitors plummet amid Trump policies’ a mere week ago (at https://www.forbes.com.au/life/travel/u-s-tourism-will-lose-up-to-29-billion-as-visitors-plummet-amid-trump-policies/) a mere week ago. So is this (non) AI a mere 240% off? You see, one part is the “strong dollar” but sources give me “the United States Dollar has strengthened 0.62%, but it’s down by 5.38% over the last 12 months.” As such the second part came to me. Can these sources which I define as NIP (Near Intelligent Parsing) be given programmed issues that as not taken into consideration? And that thought gets strengthened through “While domestic tourism remains strong, the US is seeing fewer international tourists compared to other countries, and some experts predict it may not return to pre-pandemic levels until 2030”, the issue is that the term before directly clashes with the Forbes quote, which is “the U.S. is a notable loser this year as tens of millions of international visitors are choosing to travel elsewhere—costing the economy up to $29 billion—and risking millions of jobs” and there is data supporting the Forbes view. I am also considering that Forbes might have missed a setting or two. The amount of bed and breakfast places that will lose close to everything as tourists stay away. Florida who just expanded is seeing less tourists from both Canada and overseas tourists. The Trump administration has made America less interesting in 2025 and likely 2026 as well. That and as we now see that Saudi Arabia, Europe, Canada and the UAE are cashing in on that negativity is giving a much larger confidence in the losses that Forbes predict. 

So, how are they connected?
There is a larger setting to the folly of NIP (or what some call AI), you see NIP is based on DML and that only works on predicted data that has occurred and the setting America faces, other has never faced before and certainly not in this global economy where preparation is king. Last month, merely one travel agent is giving us ‘Flight Centre is facing a $100m hit as a result’, that is merely one travel agent and some sources give us that there are an expected 571,541 operating in 2025. So how many losses will America face? It is the groundling of questions, because that also gives us the amount of Venture Capitalists that are turning towards Saudi Arabia and the UAE (to name but two). This matters as it explains why Saudi Arabia it self is leading the charge. Wouldn’t you turn to your own borders to cash in on ventures happening before 2030? So as we saw “some experts predict it may not return to pre-pandemic levels until 2030” and this is happening around that same time. With the Trump administration giving folly at nearly every corner, I wouldn’t put my money there, I would feel a lot more secure putting it in Canada to say the least. 

Kazinform gave me the setting that is playing now. Through these links there is a thought that the internet and its habitants are being spanned to through what some call AI (which it is not) by engineering markers that are ‘managed’ through some forces as to what constitutes NIP at best. Deeper Machine Learning (DML) even with LLM (Larger Language Machine) in place can only work with what is, what it has ad the world has never been given these markers of folly before. As such DML is kinda useless. They can pretend the core remains the same, but everything that this core fuels is off (by a lot) and that is setting the fake premise that it can never keep. And the end of the Kazinform story is pretty much the best, it gives us “As reported previously, Saudi Arabia ranked first globally in growth of international tourism receipts in Q1 of 2025 compared to Q1 of 2019, according to the World Tourism Barometer published by UN Tourism in May.” That makes sense as the people are turning away from America in tourism and Saudi Arabia has worked hard to buff up on being the next tourism spot to be. People tend to forget that 20% of the world is Muslim and they are done with the world treating them as a second best option. Taking into account that Saudi Arabia is growing in the tourism direction as well as all the NEOM projects completing one by one. So when winter sport season comes near, do you really want to go to America at the present setting, or will it become Mt. Whistler (BC, Canada) or Trojena (Saudi Arabia)? The choices are tough, I get it, but with the waiting lines at Mt. Whistler I wouldn’t be surprised if Trojena will have its first year with numerous Canadians there. As some say, Aspen is so passé. And that is merely one reason why Saudi Arabia will grown into a new tourism behemoth. All that before we get to actually see Aquellum, which could be a global first, a community where the architecture is inward set. I cannot give credence to any of that, but if Saudi Arabia pulls it off, it will become the next world wonder and it will show Saudi Arabia to be the next powerhouse in the world with the bulk of the Muslims world wanting to live and grow there. 20% of the population of the planet seeking growth is not to be underestimated and that is before other realise that the bulk of eager Americans want a piece of that life too. All elements in what the next decade is shaping up to be and that is the setting that neither AI (or NIP for that matter) saw coming, because the current settings are all given to us be engineers (remember builder.ai). It doesn’t adjust for something never done before and that is where the hard parts come around the corner, there is no AI (at present).

So feel free to see me as incorrect, that is fine. But also adjust your views to views currently not given and there is an overlap of matters. What is and is filtered away for reasons ‘unknown’ and what is not given to us because some cannot see the impact. It is a two for two setting.

Have a great day, I entered the middle of the week, it is still yesterday lunchtime in Vancouver.

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July 14, 2025 · 10:29

Say where?

Yup, where is the issue and it is very specific. According to Latin America reports (at https://latinamericareports.com/germany-rejects-uruguays-latest-passports/11771/) the ‘new’ passports from Uruguay will be rejected by Germany. The story gives us that both France and Germany are rejecting the new passports, but according to Uruguay the concerns are a lot stronger with Germany. The issue is that “is a result of the fact Uruguayan passports issued after this date do not indicate their holders’ birthplace. Passports issued after this date also have the field of “Nationality” replaced by “Nationality/Citizenship,” assigning the code “URY” to both natural and legal citizens of the country. However, it is the lack of “birthplace” field which has sparked concern amongst the German and French governments.” My issue is ‘only those two’? I reckon that such a setting should spark a lot more issues and we can assume that this (in part) is that “San Javier was founded by Russian immigrants in the early 1900s. For locals, Russia is still their Mother Land.” I reckon that this is the opening that organisations like the FSB are hoping for. As such when will Europe and optionally America will get a stronger inbound setting of Uruguayans and a speculative well over 60% might have a Russian heritage. It seems that a lot more nations should be complaining about this. As I personally see it, but is not a simple setting and to do such a ‘large’ change should have an almost global outcry. There is a debatable argument coming from the 825,273 penguins on McDonald Island (Australia) but that might merely be speculative semantics, as it is less then 5.21% of the Australian population. 

The larger issue is why the bulk of the western media is (optionally) losing this story as trivial. The reason for my thoughts is the case study (published in Vancouver, Canada) setting the framework

“In 2021, a 52-year-old executive from San Diego sought to escape financial ruin and a collapsing reputation after his company went bankrupt amid a hostile media storm. Instead of disappearing illegally, he partnered with Amicus, filed for residency in Uruguay under its investor visa program, and legally changed his name through the court system after naturalization. Within 18 months, he held a new passport, a new name, and a tax ID number—entirely above board. He now lives quietly in Punta del Este and consults remotely for European tech firms.”

A legally transference of personality and with the new passport he can go back into wherever that person wasn’t welcome, the place of birth no longer attached to this allows that person to reappear where that person wants. When we see this how often will this set a new premise of white collar crime who ‘faded’ into the limelight of Uruguay and in a year that person could get a new penthouse place a mere boat rode over the Rio de la plata to Argentina and living it up in Buenos Aires. And that is the simple drop of people wanting to vanish. It is the Lone wolf setting that should worry America (Europe too) and the fact that it doesn’t break media waters seems a little unusual. 

Make if this what you want, but consider the loops you have to jump through to get a passport and now consider the setting where it suddenly becomes really easy. 

Then there is the thought on why they made this change. There is no clear explanation for this, but to change a passport after it took years, if not decades to get accepted. Why change this?

That is the simple thought I am having. 

Have a great day.

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