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Josh Spero

@joshspero.ft.com
12K followers 941 following 4.7K posts

Wealth editor, Financial Times. I like swimming, classical music and cryptic crosswords. Working on a memoir about my earlier life at a magazine for the very rich. he/him 🏳️‍🌈 josh.spero@ft.com

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Reposted by Josh Spero
Alf Dubs @alfdubs.bsky.social · 30m
I'm so very sad to hear of the death of Esther Ranzen who played an important role in reuniting me with Nicky Winton - the man who saved my life. It's so desperately sad that she couldn't choose assisted dying as was her wish.
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Frances Ryan @francesryan.bsky.social · 1h
I volunteered for Childline for a decade at uni and I know firsthand a snapshot of how many lives Esther Rantzen changed. Her later years were known for assisted dying but her legacy will be giving vulnerable children someone to listen to and care. www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio...
theguardian.com
Esther Rantzen, TV presenter and Childline founder, dies aged 86
Rantzen announced lung cancer diagnosis in 2023 and became a vocal assisted dying campaigner
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Josh Spero @joshspero.ft.com · 33m
“I told my most recent date that I was working on a novella. “Because you’re Mexican?” he asked. I asked what he meant. “Isn’t a novella a Mexican novel?””
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Charlie Warzel @cwarzel.bsky.social · 3h
There is a moment at the very very end of Abdul El-Sayed's podcast with Ezra Klein (book recommendation section) where he talks about the idea of "speaking truth to pain" and this will be staying with me for an extremely long time. www.nytimes.com/2026/09/25/o...
But there’s also something about truth to pain. We talk a lot about truth to power, but I think it’s actually a lot harder to speak truth to pain. I say that as someone who went to medical school, realizing that in a lot of our politics right now, we’ve got to get a lot better at speaking truth to pain if we’re going to get through some of these challenges that we have.

What does “truth to pain” mean?

It’s one thing to look power in the eye and say: You’re wrong about this. But there’s a way in which pain is very difficult to reason with. Because when somebody is in their pain, they’re in their trauma. They see that pain, and they may not see what’s causing it.

I remember just very explicitly being in a trauma ward with a gunshot wound patient and watching this big guy with his hand on his gunshot wound. All the folks are trying to pull his hand off his pain, that point of his gunshot wound, this clear vulnerability.

And this emergency room doctor had the presence of mind to be like: Everyone, stop. And she looks him in the eyes, and she’s like: I get that really hurts, and I’m so sorry that you’re here. You don’t want to be here. We don’t want you to be here. But if you don’t let us fix this, you could die. So I’m going to take your hand, and I’m going to move it off, OK? Because I need to get there so that you can live.

She was speaking truth to pain. He understands he’s at the hospital, he needs care, but he also doesn’t want anybody to touch the wound. Which is a natural thing. And I think it is a really great metaphor for how we think about a lot of these challenges we talked about today.
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Josh Spero @joshspero.ft.com · 45m
Interesting reflection on the relationship between madness and philosophy thereader.mitpress.mit.edu/is-madness-p...
thereader.mitpress.mit.edu
Is Madness Philosophy in Practice?
Great thinkers have long kept psychosis at a safe distance. But those asking the biggest questions may find it uncomfortably close.
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Discontinued Foods! @discontinuedfoods.bsky.social · 1h
2026-2026
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Financial Times @financialtimes.com · 10h
Andy Burnham has said he will look at the option of Britain going 'all the way' and rejoining the EU as part of a major review of European policy, after declaring in his Labour conference speech that Brexit has 'done more harm than good' ft.trib.al/Obw4GIA
Andy Burnham stands on stage gesturing during his speech at the Labour Party conference, with 'HOPE AGAIN' displayed behind him.
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Emma Jacobs @emmavj.bsky.social · 12h
Save us from the meno-preneurs and their useless shit www.theguardian.com/society/2026...
theguardian.com
Menopause supplements costing more than £400 a year ‘no better than cheap multivitamin’
Many products aimed at women over 45 lack meaningful quantities of key nutrients, consumer watchdog Which? found
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Politics.co.uk @politics.co.uk · 13h
🚨 Andy Burnham says rejoining the EU is an option: ‘We could go all the way’ “There’s no point me denying it. I’ve said I would like to see Britain rejoin in my lifetime. But it’s not necessarily the case that that is now”, the PM told the BBC Story 👇 www.politics.co.uk/2026/09/andy...
politics.co.uk
Andy Burnham says rejoining the EU is an option: ‘We could go all the way’ - Politics.co.uk
Andy Burnham has said rejoining the European Union is among the options on the table for Britain’s future relationship with Europe, confirming he would like to see the UK rejoin in his lifetime. Asked...
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Financial Times @financialtimes.com · 13h
UK economy grows faster than first estimated in second quarter ft.trib.al/22KaW6R
ft.trib.al
UK economy grows faster than first estimated in second quarter
Modest upward revision comes ahead of Budget next month
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Gavin Jackson @gavinjackson.bsky.social · 13h
Or maybe the only growth theory you need is “it’s basically exogenous and nothing that happens in SW1 matters”
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Andy Bruce (Reuters) @bruceandy.bsky.social · 13h
🥳 UK economy grew more than thought in the second quarter. • GDP +0.5% qq versus a previous estimate of +0.4% (same with GDP per head) • Strong business investment growth (see 👇) • Current account balance (exc. precious metals) smallest in 5 years at 1% of GDP thanks to services exports
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Josh Spero @joshspero.ft.com · 29/09/2026
@asapjournal.bsky.social You should have a newsletter so I don’t miss any of your articles 📝
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Josh Spero @joshspero.ft.com · 29/09/2026
What am I doing for six hours on December 22? That’s right: hearing Morton Feldman’s second string quartet at Wigmore Hall! www.wigmore-hall.org.uk/whats-on/202...
This concert is approximately 5 hours and 30 minutes in duration, without an interval. Audience members will be able to move in and out of the auditorium freely throughout the performance
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gregorg @greg.org · 29/09/2026
"Confusing intimacy with equivalence: to reconstruct a great work is not to have made one."
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Josh Spero @joshspero.ft.com · 29/09/2026
“It is only a slight exaggeration to say that since Republican lawmakers do not have control of Congress, they cannot really lose it” as.ft.com/r/f1de31a3-b...
as.ft.com
A Republican midterm defeat will not be an earthquake
Democrats are likely to make gains in Congress but divided government is unlikely to derail Trump’s agenda
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@GottaLaff @gottalaff.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
"USS Fort Lauderdale was in the Caribbean, part of the Trump admin's operation around Venezuela.. "It was constantly like getting texts like, 'Guys, you'll never f***ing believe it. We just got extended again,' & I think it happened 4x. It's just that uncertainty & promises unfulfilled": Calderon
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Jim Pickard @pickardje.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
as a satire on so-called late stage capitalism how could one beat investors pouring a trillion into a company offering to wipe out humankind
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J. Emory Parker 🏳️‍🌈 @jaspar.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Meta muse saying why would I deceive you?
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gamera obscura @ohrobin.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Google earth has updated its satellite images of Gaza. The destruction is almost incomprehensible.
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Saeed Jones @theferocity.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
There remains an active campaign to reply-harass Black people off this platform and it is not on us to solve this problem. It’s on y’all.
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◥◤Kriston Capps 250 @kristoncapps.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
He should announce it from the grounds of the Foxconn plant in Wisconsin
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The New York Times @nytimes.com · 28/09/2026
A Russian drone strike on Ukraine’s National Academy of Sciences in Kyiv on Monday killed at least one person and injured six, local officials said. nyti.ms/4ddood4
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Financial Times @financialtimes.com · 28/09/2026
Netanyahu under pressure over reports he was warned about October 7 ft.trib.al/3PHq7RS
ft.trib.al
Netanyahu under pressure over reports he was warned about October 7
Opposition attacks Israeli premier ahead of election over leaks suggesting Egyptian and Emirati officials alerted him to Hamas threat
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Tits McGee @scientits.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Seeing this kind of thing reported all over - homeowners refusing to accept that the price they want for their property may not be the same price as anyone else is willing to pay
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Nina Willburger @drnwillburger.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
New discovery: Tableware found in 2,100-year-old shipwreck located off coats of Adrasan, Türkiye It's believed that the cargo contained luxury tableware produced in Rhosus, modern-day Arsuz, and was intended for markets such as Rome. www.dailysabah.com/life/history...
Underwater photo of numerous pottery vessels across the sandy seabed, including bowlss and plate. A measuring scale is visible in the background.
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the beggars out of here getter @milesklee.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
trendy new coffee spot near us has a bunch of one-star reviews because of one specific barista who is allegedly mean. i’m just wondering how that isn’t an automatic 30% tip
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Financial Times @financialtimes.com · 28/09/2026
Shein’s profits fall by two-thirds in first earnings report as a public company ft.trib.al/UR4I8sb
ft.trib.al
Shein’s profits fall by two-thirds in first earnings report as a public company
Fast-fashion retailer squeezed by rising freight costs and increased tariffs as business model comes under pressure
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Jonn Elledge @jonnelledge.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
I really feel like someone is over-reaching with the slogan "Discover Euston".
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⤵️ @bryce.lol · 27/09/2026
If we shadows have offended, Think but this, and all is mended, That you have but slumber’d here While these visions did appear. And this weak and idle theme No more yielding but a dream, Gentles, do not reprehend: if you pardon, we will mend; And, as I am an honest Puck, Show is over, off you fuck.
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Tyron @tyron.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
Just seen it's Wikipedia's 25th birthday. The greatest website online, and possibly the internet's greatest fruit
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Greg Jenner (Historian) @gregjenner.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
Malcolm Gladwell’s new book on US gun culture doesn’t impress Gary Younge www.theguardian.com/books/2026/s...
theguardian.com
The American Way of Killing by Malcolm Gladwell review – wide of the mark
Gladwell’s highly readable investigation into US gun culture fails to engage with the bigger questions
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Tom Roberts @tpgroberts.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
We've made the Tamagotchi evil.
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John Oxley @joxley.jmoxley.co.uk · 27/09/2026
Oh Lord, grant me social care reform, but not yet.
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Oli Hawkins @olihawkins.com · 27/09/2026
Increasingly persuaded of the significance of the HuggingFace hack. Irrespective of OpenAI’s sloppiness, the behaviour of the agents is genuinely interesting. swarmtraces.org
swarmtraces.org
Revealing the details of how OpenAI agents hacked Hugging Face
When a swarm of 700 OpenAI agents hacked Hugging Face in July, they left behind a public trail of evidence.
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Josh Spero @joshspero.ft.com · 26/09/2026
We have had mobile phones long enough now that it’s a time for an Idiot Tax (actual fine in local currency) for people whose phones ring during concerts, plays etc
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B.S.W. Barootes @barootes.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
And yet I was only allowed to access a 1955 B.Litt. thesis, the only lengthy study on Robert Braybrooke, in person and take notes (no photos). I had to sign a register of those who had ever accessed the thesis.
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Nina Willburger @drnwillburger.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
Fascinating world of ancient #glass: A Roman glass model of a #boat, dating 2nd c. AD. It was found in St. Aldegund in a 4th-century woman's grave. Six of such boats are known. We don't know their function: Were they used as women's urinals, as components of water clocks and sundials, as...🧵1/2 🏺
A translucent blue glass vessel shaped like a boat, with a curved hull, upturned ends, and small protruding feet for support. The surface has visible cracks. A soft shadow is cast beneath the object on a neutral background.
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tagerai.bsky.social @tagerai.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
lol how did I miss this I just got an email advertising a prize for 1 MILLION dollars to 5 ‘social scientists who tell controversial truths at great professional cost“. The head of the committee is Roland fryer, it’s got Vanderbilt report alums, and it’s bankrolled by Bill Ackman And NerI Oxman.
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Lea Fink @strassenverlauf.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
In der BBC sprach Thomas Mann am 27. September 1942 über die Ermordung durch Giftgas: "Nach den Informationen der polnischen Exil-Regierung sind alles in allem bereits 700.000 Juden von der Gestapo ermordet oder zu Tode gequält worden [...] Wisst ihr Deutschen das?"🧵
Fotografie von Thomas Mann 1929 mit Schnauzer. Er trägt Anzug und Krawatte und stützt den Kopf auf eine Hand.Titelblatt von Thomas Mann: Deutsche Hörer! Fünfundfünzig Radiosendungen nach Deutschland von Thomas Mann, Stockholm 1945.
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Carl AF @carlos8.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
Faraday bag but entire entertainment venues
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Julie S. Lalonde @julieslalonde.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
- I saw Fran Lebowitz speak earlier this year & she talked about how Oprah might have encouraged a lot of people to get into reading but she did so by referring to books as mirrors where you should see yourself reflected RATHER than viewing books as windows into the experiences of others.
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Josh Spero @joshspero.ft.com · 26/09/2026
Then you’re much too busy for concerts
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Josh Spero @joshspero.ft.com · 26/09/2026
We have had mobile phones long enough now that it’s a time for an Idiot Tax (actual fine in local currency) for people whose phones ring during concerts, plays etc
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Josh Spero @joshspero.ft.com · 26/09/2026
A piece almost as interesting for what it doesn’t say as what it does; the lines, they are not hard to read between www.wsj.com/articles/kim...
wsj.com
The Mystery Man Shadowing Kimberly Guilfoyle as She Pushes Deals Across Europe
Christos Marafatsos works as an energy lobbyist while also closely advising the U.S. ambassador to Greece.
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Kendra "Gloom is My Beat" Pierre-Louis @kendrawrites.com · 26/09/2026
advocate.com
Gay Dutch prime minister & Zohran Mamdani visit LGBTQ+ archive — and hear from young New Yorkers it serves
Rob Jetten, prime minister of the Netherlands, joined New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani at a New York City LGBTQ+ center.
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maksym.eristavi @maksymeristavi.com · 26/09/2026
there are lots of great literary residencies out there. and there's this one: in wartime Ukraine, named after the finest voice of my generation. the kind of residency you'll be writing in your books about and mentioning for the rest of your life www.index-ukraine.org/en/news/vidk...
index-ukraine.org
Victoria Amelina Fellowship Programme 2027: Open Call
Two scholarship recipients will spend January to March 2027 in Lviv, Amelina’s hometown, working on their own literary projects....
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Paul Bassett Davies @thewritertype.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
It’s Pavlov’s birthday. Pavlov was famous for making his wife, the ballerina Pavlova, salivate and ring a bell whenever he fed his dog a meringue-based pudding.
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Katie Martin @katie0martin.ft.com · 25/09/2026
I have blamed The agents That hacked Your website And which You probably Reasonably thought I controlled Forgive me I am rich And unaccustomed To taking responsibility
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Luke LeBrun @lukelebrun.ca · 26/09/2026
Tech companies suddenly decide they can, in fact, moderate content on their platforms after all
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