Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Sean D. Johnson @seanjohnson.bsky.social · 9h

Seeing Frog at a lot of protests. My question: where is Toad??

Reposted by Sean D. Johnson

Sarah Tuttle @niais.bsky.social · 1d

Are you someone who is interested in astronomy graduate school? This is a list of many/most departments and their expectations for admissions this year. Please feel free to spread it far and wide. If you are doing admissions and you'd like to update your entry, reach out as per the form!

US Astronomy Graduate Admissions, AY 2025-2026

docs.google.com

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Reposted by Sean D. Johnson

Josh Moody @byjoshmoody.bsky.social · 1d

MIT rejects "compact" proposed by the Trump administration.
MIT prez wrote: it "would restrict freedom of expression and our independence as an institution" and "is inconsistent with our core belief that scientific funding should be based on scientific merit alone."
orgchart.mit.edu/letters/rega...

Regarding the Compact | MIT Organization Chart

orgchart.mit.edu

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Sean D. Johnson @seanjohnson.bsky.social · 1d

No words.

ghostly gwen howerton @kissphoria.bsky.social · 1d

San Antonio has no immediate plans to remove its Pride crosswalks, but Gina Ortiz, the city's first gay mayor, says that "We don't need crosswalks for pride, right? We don't need it, though they're nice to have, but that pride rolls on."
www.tpr.org/news/2025-10...

San Antonio: ‘No immediate plans’ to remove rainbow crosswalk or alter roadways amid TxDOT directive

“We are now working with TXDoT to understand the state’s specific areas of local concern. There are no immediate plans to make changes to any roadways, and any future changes will occur with City Coun...

www.tpr.org

Sean D. Johnson @seanjohnson.bsky.social · 3d

southsideweekly.com/federal-agen...

Federal Agents Storm South Shore Building, Detaining Families and Children

Families were woken by flashbangs and helicopters as hundreds of federal agents raided their homes. Days later, neighbors are still searching for the missing.

southsideweekly.com

Sean D. Johnson @seanjohnson.bsky.social · 3d

Terrifying & outstanding reporting by the best local paper I’ve ever been served by, @southsideweekly.bsky.social

“agents detained nearly every resident of the 130-unit building—including children and babies—placing them in zip ties and separating them by race into vans for more than two hours”

Bluesky

bysouthsideweekly.bsky.social

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Sean D. Johnson @seanjohnson.bsky.social · 4d

Right! I was just thinking that Loeb must be the only person outside of the Doctor Who universe who thinks that the U.N. Is this powerful…

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Sean D. Johnson @seanjohnson.bsky.social · 4d

With apologies, arxiv.org/pdf/2510.01405

You’ll be shocked to discover who Avi thinks should be the Director General of this new organization, reporting only to the U.N. Secretary General.

arxiv.org

1

Sean D. Johnson @seanjohnson.bsky.social · 4d

We should form a list of astronomers devoted to telling each other when one of us has gone off the rails. We’ll call it Emily’s List.

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Sean D. Johnson @seanjohnson.bsky.social · 4d

I, too, would like 50 8-10 meter class telescope nights per year, 380 million dollars over two years, and 80 million dollars annually thereafter. If someone could arrange, that would be lovely.

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Sean D. Johnson @seanjohnson.bsky.social · 5d

Buying a "newsletter" that costs subscribers $60/yr for a total price equivalent to nearly $1000 per paid subscriber seems like a not-good idea.

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Sean D. Johnson @seanjohnson.bsky.social · 7d

Some devices with these tiny LEDs mistakenly end up in astronomical instruments/telescopes/domes, and people spend weeks trying to figure out where the hell the light is coming come 🤦‍♂️

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Sean D. Johnson @seanjohnson.bsky.social · 7d

(Obviously, this turned into a longer conversation with the kid)

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Sean D. Johnson @seanjohnson.bsky.social · 7d

Yesterday, 4-year old said of me (cis) and a friend (trans man): “you are guys because you don’t have hair on top of your head. Girls have it.”

And with that, after generations, Freudian and Lacanian theories of gender with maleness based on presence & femaleness based on absence went up in smoke.

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Reposted by Sean D. Johnson

ACLU of Michigan @acluofmichigan.bsky.social · 13d

Powerful conversation on @michigan_public Stateside with two Michigan moms talking to host @aprilbaer about their transgender children

www.michiganpublic.org/stateside/2...

Stateside: Wednesday, Sept. 24, 2025

First, a conversation with parents on how Corewell Health's step backwards on gender-affirming care affects their families. Then, a residential artist at the University of Michigan walks us through her upcoming book on country/folk music, race and class in American history.

www.michiganpublic.org

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Reposted by Sean D. Johnson

Ebony Elizabeth Thomas @ebonyteach.blacksky.app · 9d

....sigh. Star Trek, I'll always love you, but not enough for me to keep subscribing to Paramount Plus.

Miss when Netflix had the streaming rights 10 years ago. Ah, well! Time for me to invest in some Blu Rays. 🖖🏾

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Sean D. Johnson @seanjohnson.bsky.social · 9d

Google used to be useful as a quick calculator (though highly inefficient from an energy use standpoint), and could do unit conversions. Now, it often spits out bullshit that is orders of magnitude off. Ah well, AI ruins many things.

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Reposted by Sean D. Johnson

Assigned Media @assignedmedia.org · 10d

On Friday 18 blue state attorneys general BLASTED the Federal Trade Commission, telling it to back off trans youth healthcare and warning of an insidious attempt to reshape the regulation of medicine in the US.

And nobody covered it.

www.assignedmedia.org/breaking-new...

State AGs Defend Trans Americans in Stunning Rebuke to Trump’s FTC — Assigned

Eighteen state Attorneys General unite to stand up in defense of trans Americans, in opposition to a Federal Trade Commission investigation into trans healthcare.

www.assignedmedia.org

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Sean D. Johnson @seanjohnson.bsky.social · 10d

Now, University of Texas and University of North Texas, among others.

www.texastribune.org/2025/09/30/t...

Texas universities launch course reviews amid push to limit gender identity instruction

After a viral video stirred controversy at Texas A&M, Texas Tech ordered course adjustments while UNT and UT launched reviews. It’s unclear what the reviews will look for.

www.texastribune.org

1

Sean D. Johnson @seanjohnson.bsky.social · 11d

They already caved on bills that were *not* clean earlier this year... so why pull out all the stops on the one clean bill that's been proposed? Am I missing something and they are actually playing 3D chess? Cause this seems like chaotic flailing about to no purpose.

Sean D. Johnson @seanjohnson.bsky.social · 11d

I am confused by the Dem strategy in the Senate & House. I'm all for using the filibuster as leverage. But so far as I can tell, the CR is actually clean, and the Appropriations Bills can be filibustered. Why not approve the CR, delay the bad proposals, & filibuster on Appropriations to remove them?

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Reposted by Sean D. Johnson

Eric Michael Garcia @ericmgarcia.bsky.social · 11d

Ok. So there's A LOT of misinformation about the government shutdown, the continuing resolution and gender-affirming care. There was one article in PinkNews that was VERY shoddy about what Trump said. So let's breakdown what's true and what's BS. 1/
www.thepinknews.com/2025/09/29/t...

Trump threatens to shut down US government unless all trans health care is banned

The US government's looming shutdown hinges on anti-trans measures after Donald Trump refused to speak to Democrats unless they were passed.

www.thepinknews.com

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Sean D. Johnson @seanjohnson.bsky.social · 11d

Careful thread, & consistent with my read of the continuing resolution and budget bill proposals, which is where the actual horrors lie.

Keep calling your reps! But better to be informed on the details of the machinations while doing so. I wish we didn’t have to pay such close attention, but we do.

Eric Michael Garcia @ericmgarcia.bsky.social · 11d

Ok. So there's A LOT of misinformation about the government shutdown, the continuing resolution and gender-affirming care. There was one article in PinkNews that was VERY shoddy about what Trump said. So let's breakdown what's true and what's BS. 1/
www.thepinknews.com/2025/09/29/t...

Trump threatens to shut down US government unless all trans health care is banned

The US government's looming shutdown hinges on anti-trans measures after Donald Trump refused to speak to Democrats unless they were passed.

www.thepinknews.com

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Sean D. Johnson @seanjohnson.bsky.social · 12d

Have I learned my lesson to never do a find-and-replace all involving white space again?

a woman in an orange dress says nope in front of a netflix ad

Alt: a woman in an orange dress says nope in front of a netflix ad. From umbrella academy

media.tenor.com

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Sean D. Johnson @seanjohnson.bsky.social · 12d

Was briefly impressed with my own revising when a draft paper came in 500 words shorter than before, only to discover a find-and-replace-all catastrophe while giving it what I thought was a final read.

a man wearing a blue hoodie and a beanie is walking down a sidewalk with a netflix logo in the corner

Alt: a man wearing a blue hoodie and a beanie is walking down a sidewalk with a netflix logo in the corner. From the umbrella academy

media.tenor.com

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