Alan Macpherson

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Articles

On the Meaning of Dying Young

Dec 3, 2024 | medium.com | Alan Macpherson

Like Late November SunshineAlan Macpherson·FollowPublished inMusic For Thought·3 min read·--(photo by webentwickerlin on Pixabay)No, of course I don’t know the full meaning of dying young. But I’m willing to explore it a little, in memory of my sister Liza. She was killed in a car accident at age 25. Many of you have suffered similar losses. I am sorry for the things she missed by dying young. She was engaged at the time, to a good guy.
What Gives Zip to Gwen Stefani’s Hollaback Girl?

Nov 21, 2024 | medium.com | Alan Macpherson

The Zip is in the RhythmAlan Macpherson·FollowPublished inMusic For Thought·3 min read·--(Image from Pixabay)Ah, welcome again to the Pine Room for some listening and discussion. We’re burning some oak from a big limb taken off two years ago. Solid and hot. Our signature drink tonight is the Dark & Stormy. Initial Reactions? Tonight we’re watching the official video of Gwen Stefani’s Hollaback Girl and talking a little about it.
What Can We Say about a Song?

Nov 5, 2024 | medium.com | Alan Macpherson

Comprehending Where Is My Mind, by the PixiesAlan Macpherson·FollowPublished inMusic For Thought·4 min read·--Photo by Ralphs_Fotos on PixabayI started on Medium in January, with a series of discussions in the Pine Room on offbeat composer Erik Satie and his half dozen sort-of-followers called Les Six. I want to welcome you back to the Pine Room here in November. This is our cozy imagined place where we get together and enjoy good music, listening then sharing thoughts.
Boy from Alabam, Girl from NYC

Nov 1, 2024 | medium.com | Alan Macpherson

A country song with a little jazzAlan Macpherson·FollowPublished inMusic For Thought·3 min read·--(Image from Pixabay)Inspired by my recent look at Bob Wills and The Texas Playboys (Western Swing: What Is It?), I wanted to visit personally the intersection of country music and jazz. How to sketch the scene? Hey, maybe have a country kid meet a girl from the city. Here are some things that happened in the writing:Story and structure.
Property taxes

Nov 1, 2024 | taxjournal.com | Elizabeth Bradley |Pete Miller |Alan Macpherson |Rebecca Harris

On the stamp duty front the Budget announcements (or lack of them) were unexpected. On the one hand the Chancellor announced a chunky increase to the SDLT surcharge for those buying second homes. That surcharge is rising from 3% to 5% with effect from 31 October 2024. The same increase from 15% to 17% also applies to companies buying residential property for more than £500k from the same date.
EOTs: changes in Finance Bill

Nov 1, 2024 | taxjournal.com | Pete Miller |Elizabeth Bradley |Alan Macpherson |Rebecca Harris

Although not mentioned in the Budget speech the accompanying documents included a policy paper and draft legislation proposing changes to the EOTs regime. Most of these changes will have an effect for disposals to an employee ownership trust on or after 30 October 2024. The announcement was a bit of a surprise in the sense that there has been a deafening silence on the subject from HMRC since the consultation finished over a year ago.
Pensions

Nov 1, 2024 | taxjournal.com | Alan Macpherson |Rebecca Harris |Robert Waterson |Duncan Weldon

Good news. The Chancellor has kept to her word – with no change to the April 2024 pension tax reforms: the two new allowances LSA and LSBDA are still in place there is no return to the Lifetime Allowance no change to the higher Annual Allowance of £60k and no change to the tax relief system or the taxation of the lump sum benefit withdrawal.
Impact for the energy and resources sector

Nov 1, 2024 | taxjournal.com | Alan Macpherson |Elizabeth Bradley |Rebecca Harris |Robert Waterson

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Western Swing: What Is It?

Oct 27, 2024 | medium.com | Alan Macpherson

Country music meets jazz and big bandAlan Macpherson·FollowPublished inMusic For Thought·3 min read·--(Photo by Chikilino on Pixabay)In the 1930s Bob Wills and The Texas Playboys brought a new feel to country music. It came to be called Western Swing. It had a kind of jazzy big band sound. The group had in late 1938 introduced an instrumental dance song named San Antonio Rose. It went to #1 on the Hillbilly/Folk chart in 1939.
Blocked Up, Confused, and a Little Afraid

Sep 2, 2024 | medium.com | Alan Macpherson |Vidya Sury

Blocked Up, Confused, and a Little AfraidOne of my half-dozen theories on life is that most of us have to go through an internal shake-down at some time, to deepen us and make us what we are. A corollary is that it’s better to go through this when we’re in our twenties, rather than, say, in our forties when we are likely to have kids depending on us. In college, I majored in English Literature. I went straight from there to law school at the University of Washington.