Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Reposted by .brian Medeiros

Melanie D’Arrigo @darrigomelanie.bsky.social · 21h

I feel like this photo of masked, armed men pepper spraying a pastor protecting his community is going to be a defining picture of this moment in America for a long, long time.

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Reposted by .brian Medeiros

Lora Kolodny @lorak.bsky.social · 12d

NASA confirmed the (sudden, I heard from employees) resignation of Joseph Pelfrey from his role as director of Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. Huge employer in the state, critical to human spaceflight initiatives at the US space agency.... www.cnbc.com/2025/09/25/n...

NASA Marshall Space Flight Center director Joseph Pelfrey resigns

The director of NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, announced his resignation on Thursday.

www.cnbc.com

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.brian Medeiros @brian-medeiros.bsky.social · 19d

Apple Music on iOS 26 Critical Fix:

Settings > Apps > Music > Song Transitions

TURN OFF!!!

Reposted by .brian Medeiros

Ars Technica @arstechnica.com · 20d

Nissan axes the Ariya electric SUV from its model-year 2026 lineup

If you wanted an Ariya, you can blame the Trump tariffs for its cancellation.

arstechnica.com

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.brian Medeiros @brian-medeiros.bsky.social · Aug 7

The collective reputation is pretty poor. 😂

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.brian Medeiros @brian-medeiros.bsky.social · Aug 2

www.pbs.org/newshour/pol...

$200M is the entire annual budget for the National Center for Atmospheric Research.

White House says it will begin construction on $200 million ballroom in September

Trump for months has been promising to build a ballroom, saying the White House doesn't have enough space to hold large events.

www.pbs.org

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.brian Medeiros @brian-medeiros.bsky.social · Jul 25

weekend goal: try not to learn about or even think about pedophiles nor friends-of-pedophiles. 🤞

.brian Medeiros @brian-medeiros.bsky.social · Jul 9

New commentary about model hierarchies

agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1029/...

Why Idealized Models Are More Important Than Ever in Earth System Science

Idealized models enable imaginative science that push researchers to think in new and creative ways making them useful educational tools Reduced complexity configurations remain important tools f...

agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com

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Reposted by .brian Medeiros

Jessica Tierney @leafwax.bsky.social · Jul 7

As of today, all current NOAA Climate and Global Change postdoctoral fellows have been furloughed due to the Dept of Commerce not releasing the funding for the program. In addition no new Fellows were awarded this year. cpaess.ucar.edu/cgc

NOAA Climate & Global Change (C&GC) Postdoctoral Program | Cooperative Programs for the Advancement of Earth System ScienceNOAA Climate & Global Change (C&GC) Postdoctoral Program | Cooperative Progra...

cpaess.ucar.edu

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Reposted by .brian Medeiros

Jeff Frame @vortexjeff.bsky.social · Jul 5

Meanwhile, here are the weather balloon launches from this morning. The red dots indicate locations that missed the launch today owing to short staffing. The blue dots indicate long-term outages.

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.brian Medeiros @brian-medeiros.bsky.social · Jun 30

news.slashdot.org/story/25/06/...

Earth is Trapping Much More Heat Than Climate Models Forecast - Slashdot

What happens if you track how much heat enters Earth's atmosphere and how much heat leaves? You discover that Earth's energy budget "is now well and truly out of balance," three climate researchers ...

news.slashdot.org

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Reposted by .brian Medeiros

Dr. Jessie Christiansen @aussiastronomer.bsky.social · Jun 29

NASA is being told to cancel 19 *active* missions to save $6B, which looks to be less than the ICE *hiring/retention* budget going forward.

I need people to let that sentence sink into their bones for a minute.

Aaron Reichlin-Melnick @reichlinmelnick.bsky.social · Jun 28

If the GOP reconciliation bill passes, ICE gets through FY2029:

- $45 billion for detention, on top of the current annual budget of $3.4 billion
- $14.4 billion for transportation and removal, on top of the current annual budget of $750 million
- $8 billion for hiring/retention
- Billions more.

Jon Cooper @joncooper-us.bsky.social · Jun 28

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.brian Medeiros @brian-medeiros.bsky.social · Jun 28

www.washingtonpost.com/national-sec...
This article is about State, but the broader point is that the morale is down across the federal government, government contractors, academia, and most of the “knowledge worker” class in this country because of the existential dread looming over them.

www.washingtonpost.com

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Reposted by .brian Medeiros

Jeffrey Mervis @policyhound.bsky.social · May 22

A poignant picture: NSF staff overcome obstacles to mark agency's 75th anniversary. www.science.org/content/arti...

Is a photo subversive? NSF staff overcome obstacles to 75th anniversary portrait

Management tried to quash outpouring of support for beleaguered agency

www.science.org

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Reposted by .brian Medeiros

ICECHIP @nsficechip.bsky.social · May 17

REMINDER:

ICECHIP Field Day is tomorrow from 2-4 pm MDT for open viewing to the general public in Boulder, CO! Come see our instruments and talk to us before we head to the Plains! More information in the flyer below.

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.brian Medeiros @brian-medeiros.bsky.social · May 15

looks like Bono to me:

www.irishamerica.com/wp-content/u...

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.brian Medeiros @brian-medeiros.bsky.social · May 11

These jets are more than $50MILLION each. That could cover a lot of science research that actually has an ROI.

Branden McEuen but he’s spooky @bmceuen.bsky.social · May 11

The Sea demands its sacrifice

Gail Waldby ❌👑 @gailwaldby.bsky.social · May 10

Another Navy jet falls into sea, marking fourth major mishap in months
wapo.st/4dlyTda

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Reposted by .brian Medeiros

Tom Di Liberto @tdiliberto.bsky.social · May 7

Just received this lovely note from the Dept. of Commerce. Always great hearing DOC say "Look we're forced to do this and say you weren't fired for performance issues and part of a government wide mass termination. But don't worry we think that's wrong and we're gonna fight it tooth and nail."

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.brian Medeiros @brian-medeiros.bsky.social · May 4

This episode of Plain English is highly recommended. Three interesting interviews that delve into how the American science endeavor works, and thoughts about how it could be better. Spoiler: destroying the system is not the answer.

open.spotify.com/episode/4Pee...