Poignant moment. ‘Over the course of his career, Jackson built a movement to bring America's increasingly diverse population together’ www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/c3...

Listen up peeps before we lose a key bridge between ‘the two cultures’…

Spot on. The clue is in the name. ‘Artificial’ intelligence - a product of human ingenuity, not a substitute for life itself…

Great news. Though I guess that if freeholders have a pecuniary interest in the charges levied by management companies, ground rents will be neither here nor there…

Council tax is regressive by income, region, and housing wealth. What’s to like?

Yikes! Something’s got to give…

Well good luck on all this, though it will be interesting to see whether build to rent turns out to be an alternative to ‘over-speculative’ models of #housing production…

Ooh, track 23 on BBC R3 Breakfast show, Kings Singers with a new vibe (oh, ok, with Jeremy West) on Orlando Gibbons, in a heads-up from their new album www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...

A must-read for anyone curious about the mysterious world of brass bands and their contests (written, moreover, by a former member of the @girtoncollege.bsky.social brass dectet, aka the Girten 😎) www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v4...

The politics of #housing have to be seen to be believed, though it’s demonstrably risky when large corporate/ institutional investors start acquiring single-family homes for profit… www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

This total disarray is hardly surprising - council tax is a mess as it is without trying to use it as if it were some kind of rational, progressive property tax. Must do better! www.thetimes.com/article/6871...

Something for everyone @britishacademy.bsky.social Join us ‘at home’ and across the UK to catch the latest in a series of visionary talks dating back to 1908! www.thebritishacademy.ac.uk/events/lectu...

A sensible idea if we are thinking about social stability, working democracy, economic resilience and environmental sustainability…amongst other things (like ‘leave no one behind’)

Inspiring advocate for music and the performing arts; unmatched in energy, imagination and utter brilliance in the world of brass. One of those people who lit up the room simply by opening the door. Huge loss. www.thetimes.com/article/4656...

One of many reasons why ‘cold spots’ in the provision of humanities and social science subjects by U.K. universities is not so much a shame, as a massive risk… www.timeshighereducation.com/opinion/huma...

This is why the @britishacademy.bsky.social is so worried about regional ‘cold spots’ in the provision of key university courses - young people who can’t afford the costs or the commute miss out on life-changing opportunities in labour markets that need these skills… www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

The chaos that breaks out when you try to use an already bonkers charge to ‘tax’ (what might be) residential property. That’s before we get into the question of static caravans… www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

The answer is more surprising than I thought!

Some #housing news FYI (if you didnt already know) www.jchs.harvard.edu/blog/homebui...

Smashing New Year’s Day concert from Vienna; listen up for a stirring speech on the power of #music by the irrepressible Yannick Nézet-Séguin www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/epis...

A reminder that Flood Re is in the mix to help keep some insurance premiums (from some providers) in check… for now… www.floodre.co.uk

Right sentiment (tax the investment element of residential property), wrong - clunky, inefficient, irrational, unfair, partial, game-able - approach. Leaves most under-used housing assets untouched and does little to address the challenge of local authority funding. www.thetimes.com/article/c864...

Must do better… raising funds by reforming residentisl property tax would be a start. www.theguardian.com/society/2025...

Apparently, the world is getting richer. Here’s the catch: ‘The top one-in-a-million (about 5,600 adults, enough to fill a concert arena) collectively hold 3% of global wealth, more than the entire bottom half of the world’s adult population’… wid.world/document/wor...

On the subject of New Year’s resolutions, philanthropy is extremely tax efficient - what’s not to like? www.thetimes.com/article/7b30...

She was also the first woman to receive the Patron’s medal from the Royal Geographical Society in 1869 for ‘her proficiency in those branches of science which form the basis of physical geography’.

Chuffed to be invited to join Melvyn Bragg and Martin Rees on Christmas Eve’s Today Programme to reflect on the future…

Loved the launch of the East of England Early Career Researcher Network - on the brink of a brighter future! www.crassh.cam.ac.uk/blog/launch-...

It is sobering, finally, to catch a glimpse across all subjects - the risks of this way of going on are enormous…

This is to enable the study of Western medieval manuscripts. Don’t miss it if you’re interested. Deadline 7 Jan…

Exactly. Which is why the @britishacademy.bsky.social is so concerned about the spread of ‘cold spots’ in the provision of courses in the humanities and social sciences www.timeshighereducation.com/news/more-ha...

Take a look peeps. Eye watering trends: ‘a world in which a tiny minority commands unprecedented financial power while billions remain excluded from even basic economic stability.’ wid.world/document/wor...

Or, the deferral scheme could tap into a tiny proportion of the value of the property - easy to calculate, no interest rate risk, more logical overall? www.thetimes.com/article/233d...

There is still so much to gain from a comprehensive, joined up, review of higher education funding. www.thebritishacademy.ac.uk/news/british...

Also international student fees already work hard for the sector… we need a more sustainable way to square the higher education funding circle www.thebritishacademy.ac.uk/news/respons...

Hitting the nail on the head…

Less than 10 per cent of properties are in these bands, yet the whole Council Tax system is regressive to incomes, by region and by property value. Surely the time has come? www.thetimes.com/article/b43b...

Finally… www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

The rise and rise of ‘stackable’ ‘micro-credentials’; the decline and fall of… (am I worried or excited?)

Shocking news from my home town, caught by ongoing disparities in income and wealth, with housing generally, and council tax in particular, adding to the mix. Time to grasp the (tax reform) nettle?

Excellent result, with a couple of great new pieces by Lucy Pankhurst www.4barsrest.com/news/62974/r...

Fantastic day at the Glasshouse. Brass (and Youth Brass) in Concert. Sold out. First rate performers, early, mid and late career, challenging classics, impressive new works, the stuff of life itself theglasshouseicm.org/seasons/bras...

If it’s all eyes on property tax, surely the time has come for a thorough overhaul of Council tax, which is grossly unfair. Split out the service charge, fairly tax the value of residential property, the majority win or break even… www.economicsobservatory.com/what-future-...

The strong spot though is UK success in ‘curiosity’-driven (aka nimble, horizon-scanning, front foot, future-shaping) scholarship. All to play for!

Absolutely going to this! Cutting edge stuff on #housing problems and prospects from Ifigeneia Dimitrakou (University of Zurich) and @timwhite100.bsky.social (Queen Mary University of London, UK)

Fantastic programme!

I think the key is in the brackets… (a trend by no means limited to students…)

Good for publishing, good for housing, good for… hang on, perhaps #not-for-profit is good for (nearly) everyone?

Iconic moment at the start of a long period of middle/ lower income wage stagnation and a marked to to economic inequality… so, an ongoing struggle and a complex story.

Thousands of amateur brass enthusiasts have been limbering up for a flurry of local brass band association contests. It’s not about whether you win or lose… but, well, winning is ok! 😎