Unlike racists I think the value of Christianity comes from its moral teachings: human equality, universality, free will. I suppose you might instead think Christianity is good because Jesus Christ & his disciples liked a bacon butty or because they were all white: seems a bit flimsy & frivolous?

Didn't battleships become effectively obsolete soon after WW2? Ie before Trump was even born? Oh, sorry, I was wrong, Wikipedia said their utility was doubted from the *1880s*, and they were effective for target practice from the 1940s en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battles...

Lots of vegetarians apparently also not very Christian; assuming they're not a problem for some obvious not-racist reason that eludes me The parallels with the Crusades, Inquisition, etc made me reflect on how it's an appropriate time to re-read Dostoevsky's Grand Inquisitor

Certainly has on Teesside where a rogue Mayor has escaped scrutiny on his various shady schemes by an under-resourced/compliant local media - leaving one dedicated freelancer - @leighsus.bsky.social - & Richard Brooks @privateeyenews.bsky.social & @jenwilliamsft.bsky.social to do the heavy lifting.

This is a factor in the UK too, where local journalism has been severly weakened. This means the centre/Westminster is even less aware of people's concerns, and weakens democratic accountability and policy responsiveness

The Council for Science & Technology which advises the PM is looking for a new member ‘with social & behavioural science expertise’. Great opportunity to bring a social science perspective to the heart of policymaking. Apply by 19 Jan apply-for-public-appointment.service.gov.uk/roles/9075

Enjoyed listening to David Gyasi speak about Africa Cup of Nations on the today programme

In our latest blog post, our CEO, @omaromalleykhan.bsky.social, assesses how far the sector has moved toward evidence-led practice. He highlights the achievements of 2025, addresses the ongoing challenges to equality, and sets out our ambitions for 2026: taso.org.uk/news-blog/em...

What would it cost to end extreme poverty? "We estimate that reducing the poverty rate to 1% ... would cost $170B nominal per year." "The results correspond to a cost of (approximately) ending extreme poverty of roughly 0.3% of global GDP."

Humanity doesnt need saving. We instead need to pick out & affirm more universally the best of ourselves, the way we listen to & care for others even as we seek to improve ourselves. There is more than a kernel of optimism; pro-humanity ideals & practices will always inpire ppl over the alternative

Why societies need diffuse and multiple nodes of power, why a narrow elite of individuals and individuals results in greater abuses and less accountability Better still to have more democratic or egalitarian institutions, practices, decision making

It's fascinating how quickly every effort to "disrupt" the university sector collapses. Maybe the university – one of the oldest spontaneous orders anywhere, an institution much older than the corporation and the nation-state – has something going for it that outsiders don't appreciate?

Joshua's smile reminding me also of Kendrick Lamar's to camera at the Super Bowl.

Join our Replicability Project: Health Behavior! We have 55 replication studies underway, our target is 65-70. We are only recruiting for secondary data replications--i.e., using existing data to test the original question. Here's a list of studies we think could be feasible. If interested...

People don't want to *debate* deportation or 'remigration' or whatever They want to *enact* those policies: they want to deport people on grounds of race, not just talk about it happening (they're already doing that of course)

The 1st policy report I wrote was on perpetrators of racist violence & harassment This was soon after the Lawrence Inquiry report, recommending Sibbitt's 1997 typology This indicates the need for wider social policy on tackling prejudice, and shd be applied to male violence against women & girls

Sobering if necessary guidance from the Charity Commission Too many have contributed to the current hostile environment, targeting those who seek to tackle injustice, or have refused to take the threat seriously, so it's good that the CCEW is stating this plainly but also offering practical advice

On the Today Programme I'm hearing TikTok claim that AI can pick out 85% of harmful content. Assuming there's a very large denominator, that doesn't seem great?

Today is #InternationalMigrantsDay, and a chance to celebrate the contribution of migrant nursing staff to the profession and to patient care. Without your dedication, our health and care system would cease to function. Explore our resources for international members ➡️ https://bit.ly/3XFjH3k

Kennedy center program next year includes Shostakovich no. 8 and Rite of Spring. I assume the over/under for how many board members will attend, or have ever attended an NSO performance, is between 0 and 1

An interesting & important challenge on the decision to rejoin Erasmus on social mobility grounds The cost is more than the total amount spent by all of UK higher education on widening participation, and the benefits don't appear to distributionally well targeted www.ersatzben.com/p/erasmus-an...

This looks great, and is a nice corrective to the silly stereotypes about our great city, where I've encountered plenty of wildness on foot or on bicycle. Including many a walk with family and friends in the Attenborough-opened Woodberry Wetlands

When illegal slave ships were intercepted by British, French, Portuguese and other antislavery patrols in the 1800s, African captives were not freed - they were sent into indentured servitude. More than 700,000 souls. It’s a huge story in the history of abolition.

University students are often lonely. While evidence that 18-24 year olds are particularly lonely is longstanding if contrary to some public understanding, this survey suggests loneliness in higher education has worsened www.theguardian.com/education/20...

Five more phrases of exasperation… 5. You’re making artichoke grow on my head (Moroccan Arabic) 4. You’re putting a pea up my nose (Finnish) 3. You’re knocking me a tea kettle (Yiddish) 2. You’re running on my bean (French) 1. You’re making smoke belch from the seven orifices of my head (Mandarin)

Data isn't just about numbers An important paper that shows ethnic disparities in sentencing vary - but we don't know *where*. Which means we don't know *why* they vary nor how we could improve outcomes Every data point is a person; the better our data the more we know abt real living human beings

Erasmus scheme to return for UK students, BBC understands

The reason we don't often hold adults responsible for views they held as a child is because they learn from and grow out of it Being human is abt moral reflection & growth However, this requires an acknowledgement that previous views were wrong & explanation why that rejection informs views now

Wake up dead man is so so terrible

Grace Jones at Sydney Opera House in February that's a gig

Good to see this discussion. Many university students will be part of blended families too, requiring support from but also (due to so many working and living at home) contributing to family/household costs too. Interested to learn more if anyone willing to share with the link below

One reason many object to public goods: such goods are nonexcludable. The objectors think it is in fact *good* to exclude people from having (equal) access to the good. In extremis, they deny their are *any* public goods (rejecting even national security being extended to all citizens & residents)

Migration going down also means the number of graduates decreasing Migrants from Africa are nearly twice as likely to hold a degree as British-born workers, w/migrants from all regions of the world at least 1.5x more likely to be graduates than UK-born Appreciate some think this is a good thing

Recalling when I objected to the framing 'is rising diversity a threat to the West' and I was sneered at for hysterically over-reacting about what such a 'debate' normalised I'm not so arrogant/clueless to think if only I'd debated with evidence and reason the racist poison wd have been staunched

My second email address (mid90s) was ok1@ .... Fair to say I was an early user and they hadn't anticipated needing more characters

Kindness and empathy aren’t weaknesses, they are strengths. 300,000 years of human evolution hinge on our caring about and protecting one another. Hold onto it. Never let them make you forget it.

People suggesting Black people should 'go back to the Caribbean' [sic] well I guess they do share one thing with their ancestors in justifying the forced transport of Black people across the Atlantic

95% of people never agree on anything looks like we've found something to bring us all together across differences

Stand By Me was one of the first films I saw in the cinema, perhaps a bit too young tho the same age as the characters, and along with ET and Return of the Jedi the one that made me most enjoy going to the movies Princess Bride was the first comedy I watched & laughed out loud with my child

Men are so mad at feminazis that they have no choice but to all become mascunazis theyve got no agency because the feminazis (maybe also the gays) Sounds very rational & willing to take personal responsibility very affirmative of a potent and plausible male ideal (I too am very online apologies)

Genuine question: what hypothetical beliefs or views could be attributable to Trump that could possibly be described as more deranged than things he's actually said and done, for the past 40-50 years, never mind the last decade or yesterday?

A father and son committing an antisemitic mass shooting together is one of the more horrific things that have entered my consciousness this year.

Curious to know what others think of this write up and headline Obviously I've got a view, influenced by me knowing the name of only one of the two 'colossi' given equal billing in the headline

We are deeply distressed by the horrific events unfolding in Sydney. Our thoughts are with all those affected and the Australian Jewish community. May the memories of those killed be a blessing, and we wish a quick and full recovery to all those injured. (1/3)

Ppl who told me privately -There's nothing wrong w/hiring people bc they're the same race -Covid NHS doctor & nurse deaths are due to worse genes amg Black & Asian ppl -Black men are more likely to be gay bc they were raised by single mums Are reactionary publicly now too, consistent at last/least

Please don’t get demoralised by the weirdos in my replies, whether you’re Jewish or not I firmly believe there are far more good people in this world than bad, even on days like today 💙

Optimism is currently unfashionable. The newly published Community Life Survey asks, "do you agree or disagree that this local area is a place where people from different backgrounds get on well together?" I wondered if we might see a sharp decline this year; it has gone down 1%, to 80% agreement.

Dick Van Dyke is 100 years old tomorrow. I hope he's making the most of his finally night of Lego building.

We @trustforlondon.bsky.social are looking for two co-optees trustforlondon.org.uk/about/vacanc... -Property Co-optee For our Investment Committee; especially someone with experience in commercial property -Charity Finance Co-optee For our Finance & Resources Committee