(1515) And so into the evening, heavy rain, low temps. (2013)

 

23. Last for the evening

From a Veterans’ a/c on X:

“Should Every British Soldier Who Serves Over 5 Years Be Guaranteed a Council House? Across the United Kingdom, thousands of servicemen and women dedicate years of their lives to defending the country, often sacrificing time with family, personal freedoms, and long-term financial stability in the process. Yet when many leave the armed forces, they face one of the most difficult challenges in modern Britain — finding secure and affordable housing.

The question being asked more frequently is simple: Should every British soldier who serves over five years be guaranteed a council house, no questions asked? Supporters of the idea argue that military personnel earn that right through service alone. Unlike many professions, soldiers can spend years moving from base to base, living in military accommodation, and being unable to establish permanent homes or get onto local housing lists.

By the time they leave the forces, many veterans are starting from scratch. For some, the transition to civilian life is smooth. For others, it can be deeply challenging. Veterans can struggle with employment, mental health, family breakdown, or adapting to civilian systems that often do not recognise the realities of military life. Housing insecurity only adds to those pressures.

Advocates believe guaranteeing council housing after five years of service would:

* Reward commitment and sacrifice. * Reduce homelessness among veterans. * Provide stability for military families. * Help former soldiers reintegrate into civilian life. * Demonstrate national gratitude in a meaningful way.

Many also argue that politicians regularly praise the armed forces publicly, yet practical support after service often falls short. Ceremonies, medals, and remembrance events are important, but stable housing can have a far greater long-term impact on a veteran’s life.

Critics, however, raise concerns about fairness and pressure on already stretched council housing systems. Millions of civilians also face long waiting lists, rising rents, and housing insecurity. Some argue that prioritising one group automatically means others wait longer.

Others suggest a compromise approach — such as giving veterans enhanced priority rather than automatic entitlement, or creating dedicated housing schemes specifically for ex-service personnel.

The debate ultimately comes down to a broader national question: How should a country repay those willing to risk their lives in its defence? For many people, ensuring that no veteran leaves service without a safe place to live feels less like a privilege and more like a duty. What do you think? Should military service guarantee housing security after years of commitment to the nation?

22. Novato CA

Glad to see an issue not specifically ours … makes it easier to concentrate somehow:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Novato,_California

The Novato city government is trying to take this fixed-income senior community's homes from them and sell the land to someone else, months before the seniors will finish paying off the 30-year loan for it.

We're helping them to put a stop to it and keep their homes. pic.twitter.com/OH30adam8B

— Spike Cohen (@RealSpikeCohen) May 12, 2026

Reader Hal: “This is my hometown and I am 100% not surprised. Novato was a cow town. Money moved in and the city lost themselves.”

Reader Marc James: “We always ask why do local govt’s mess with their own citizens???? And it’s usually cause they are bought and paid for grifters selected via election stealing protocols.”

Reader Nor-Cal Occupied Territory: “Marin county is the NIMBY capital of CA. They don’t want trailer people living there.”

Reader Spam Ranger: “Santa Clara County in California also steals homes from seniors. How they do it is to wait until there is a problem with the septic system. Then they red tag (condemn) the property to force the owner out.”

The connection with us and right across the west is not just party political but generational. I keep coming back to that news item I saw many decades ago, where a Gen X journo asked what they were going to do with all these Boomers paying their dues. These people would do the right thing on a promise by the govt at that time and pay all their working lives.

Just before the payback, they’re robbed on a pretext. Now I do see the Zoomer view that there are not many of them and the massed invaders don’t plan to pay any … so those Zoomers, minus jobs, are in for trouble. But so are those from a different time who religiously paid in.

Who’s at fault? Was it the govt in more productive times thinking the party would go on? Is it current govts looking at their own mess and saying … we just don’t have that sort of money. Not for the little people anyway.

21. Today’s rubbish in parlmt

The starmer theatre is one thing. Quite another is getting the king to announce digital ID. It’s just one thing after another after another, ad nauseam.

20. Moo corner

19. Two of the banned “far right”, lol

18. The pressures upon the ordinary person today

17. The demise of London

16. When combined, they’re more interesting

You saw Wed 7, now this:

 

… or tomorrow’s first short today:

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uncle_Vanya_(1963_film)

(1050) Approaching elevenses. (1105)

 

15. Secret filming of you through those glasses

14. King’s speech

13. When it suits them

12. Andrew B

11. Andy B and Pete

(0916)(0944)

 

10. Moo corner

9. Ah. Yes.

8. Yikes

7. Judge for yourself

I’m conscious that neither SKB nor our Steve can defend themselves here with this sshot, so I’m saying nothing but we must run it as mise à jour all the same.

6. Tomorrow at Unherdables

The way it’s shaping, I really need to finish any blogging tomorrow before 0800. The only major post till evening will be at Orphans, on charity shops, Julia’s watching over Orphans.

Here, I’ll do the early things, but really must stop at 0800 … only mise à jour, new events, plus I’ll schedule the film for about 1000. That’s it till evening, folks. DAD I’ll signpost in the evening … you can always get over there to NOWP and read it.

One reason is the radiation now … if I go near any of the pads, I start coughing, throat, nose, ears … can’t afford that tomorrow.

 

In which the machine behind producing films to influence the common people is at odds with what the common people’s belief systems had been for eons … in fact, it had defined “the west”. Now the demons were picking away at the edges through popular entertainment.

It pretty much started in the 50s and took off in the early 70s with Peckinpah etc., as western society’s defences fell away and people drifted from their roots … quite biblical really. As well over half our readers here would not go with my take on all this, I’ll stop here.

The ultimate joke, imho, is that “nikto” is actually a straight Russian term “ni-kto”, direct translation “no one”, nobody. Ni means “not” and “kto” is Russian nominative for “who”, usually a question.

Klaatu is the name of the alien, “barada” then remains the enigma. Because if you run them together, those words, they could mean, “Klaatu, death “to” nobody.” But they could also mean, “Klaatu, “leave alive” nobody.”

Of course, it’s just a film, innit? Innocent like every film on planet earth. Yeah.

In producing this “short”, the early spelling error aside … the narrator/uploader just had to include “shocking”, just as every “short” uploader of the type seems to do:

1. Clickbait
2. Leave anything exciting till late
3. Sensationalise
4. Lie to watchers altogether
5. Use AI voice.

Now, whether YT has those in its guidelines I can’t say, but it sure starts to look that way. Having said that though, this narration above was not too bad overall.

There’s another short I had before deleting, on Nancy Mitford, and at the start, a line appeared onscreen, saying that no AI was used, the voice is human … but then on came a smug, jokey youngish voice, heavy with sarcasm. That was the joke on us … message being that AI is better.

(0533) Morning all. Light appeared slightly at 0459, by 0525 it was 80% light in the sunroom, but there was heavy nimbus out there and there has been earlier rain. How do I know? I had to check in response to DAD’s “Test” post at 1380:3 … that response by me is continued in Wed 1 below here. (0627)

 

5. Planning any boat or shed building soon?

4. Would you prefer the official food guidelines

… as put out by three letter agencies and big pharma, on packets, or would you prefer “The Food Babe”?

3. The steal

2. DAD at 1380:4

a) On the sidelines of the Africa Forward summit, Emmanuel Macron called on dual nationals to fully embrace their dual identity: “Being dual national means being 100% French and 100% from one’s country of origin.”

b) France. Bobigny (93): A magistrate tasked with combating narcotics admits to his own addiction to methamphetamine and chemsex; he obtained his supply within his own jurisdiction.

c) France. Agde (34): After being tasered and taken into custody for vandalism with a machete, a Roma man in his sixties died in his cell after hitting his head against the walls. Witnesses described him as a “hysterical individual, unable to control himself.”

d) France. Vegetables, bread, meat… Food vending machines have proliferated in rural communities… but are increasingly targeted by acts of vandalism and looting, which cost their owners dearly.

e) France. The left-wing politician wanted to get her money back. That could summarize the case that the 13th Criminal Chamber of Paris is to examine this Tuesday afternoon, with the slight difference that the left-wing politician in question – Sophia Chikirou – allegedly broke the law in the process. 

1. Response to DAD at 1380:3 continues

The interesting aspect of DAD’s “Test” comment is why … why had it not appeared? (By the way, rain has just started heavily falling now outside at 0543.)

It may have been something in DAD’s works over there … had not clicked send … or had clicked send but something had delayed it. Let’s say the latter … he has Macron to contend with, we have Starmer, there is trouble with Ada and Eva and five others related to TR Saturday … thus the cyber agencies were delaying posts to peruse them.

Might have been, perhaps not. Either way, DAD’s drop came through. And you’ll notice … only DAD’s. We know Steve has gone away for R&R.

But there’s another aspect … Monday’s drops saw this:

And there it stopped. The streak stopped. 158 days, goes back now to 1. Was going to put up a new post, then thought nah … let’s have NOWP as a DAD blog just now … why not? ☺️