fergalm

Congratulations @AodhanORiordain . We're lifting your effigy onto our shoulders all the way from Baltimore

With the Boys in Blue all the way from Baltimore, Maryland #gaago

We lost Frank Drake, one of astronomy's giants today. My son got to meet him many years ago, and he was a true gentleman.

@CuriousTerran @mustaric @elsisrad @aussiastronomer @elisarad Well, there's plumbing problems, paperwork, and kids crawling into your bed at 2am keeping you awake all night. I think that covers it.

@fergalm @mustaric @elsisrad @aussiastronomer @elisarad Fergal, What is life but a series of things that sit in the basement or in a box for years not being used. Note, this is a metaphor for my brain.

@mustaric @elsisrad @aussiastronomer @elisarad This conversation isn't going the way I hoped...

@elsisrad @aussiastronomer @fergalm @elisarad that's great! This is the best reason to get one I've heard yet. We can start a Chexo Astronomers who craft club.

@aussiastronomer @mustaric I hope to see a tweet in a week saying you never used it and glad you didn't spend money on one that would sit in the basement for years doing nothing more than taking up space.

@BaltCofairmaps I do believe Mr. Gimpel is trying to argue that Black voters aren't disenfranchised in the county because they get to elect Democrats...

If boundaries don't really matter in elections, Dr. Gimpel, why are you testifying as an expert on BOUNDARIES in ELECTIONS?

@BaltCofairmaps Unclear to me why the county paid so much money for these lawyers. She's trying to argue that the proposed district 2 from the country will respect the voting rights act if you include data that isn't available.

Unclear where the county's lawyer is going with this. Another obfuscatory rabbit hole, perhaps?

@AnalysisGaa @SportTG4 Not to be churlish, but I think that's a technical foul. He hopped the ball twice in succession after touching the ball with his second hand.

“Just play. Have fun. Enjoy the game.” – Michael Jordan 🎥 @SportTG4

Elephant and Piggie (@The_Pigeon) knew how amazing it would be to get a new glimpse of the Universe. Congrats to all those talented and dedicated souls who brought us all this far. Just look at those stars and galaxies! #JWST @NASAWebb

@benmontet For Kepler, the offset was the Julian date of the 1st day of the year of launch. I was told that was the NASA convention. Maybe something similar for TESS, like the planned year of launch before delays?

TESS aficionados: why is the time zeropoint 2457000? Data then starts at like 1300 days, is there a reason why 2458000 wasn’t the zero point to lop off a digit at the start? A student asked me and I realised I have no idea

@farrwill @aussiastronomer We have a leaf with an 80-90 mile range. We much prefer it to the old car, which we keep around for inter city trips

@aussiastronomer My LEAF is a *great* runabout. (Mine is 2015-era, so 60-70 miles of range in winter, maybe 80-85 in summer. Definitely would fit two astronomers and two booster seats and some groceries in the trunk; probably not good for primary car.)

@marylandmatters The judge said 1 majority black district wasn't enough, so they submit a new map with 1 majority black district? How can they believe they complied with the injunction?

Baltimore County waited until the eleventh hour to submit a redrawn map to a federal judge Tuesday night — and the county council’s revised map still included only one majority Black Council district. marylandmatters.org/2022/03/09/in-…

@EbThen @AstroKatie @EbThen : My argument is that Covid isn't preventable. The only thing that's preventable is showing up at a hospital that's too overwhelmed to treat you properly. And the CDC is saying that it's not worried about lots of vaccinated people filing up the hospitals.

The new CDC “Community Levels” determining when they do or don’t recommend masks have virtually no connection to your risk of catching Covid; they’re just about whether there’s a decent chance you’ll die *specifically* because local hospitals are full with your neighbors.

@AstroKatie I think we are thinking of avoid -ability differently. Covid is much more infectious, but flu is infectious enough that everyone gets it at some point. In that sense it's unavoidable. You just don't want everyone catching it at the same time.

@fergalm Without widespread and collectively adopted precautions, it’s WAY less avoidable than the flu. Covid mitigation measures essentially wiped out the flu for two years — some strains apparently went extinct! But Covid is still spreading like wildfire. It needs a collective response.

All ready for Pancake Tuesday

The Democratically-controlled Baltimore County Council says it is considering its "options" as to whether to comply with the Voting Rights Act--or appeal the ruling against its district map. **Let's be clear about what that means.** 🧵

@GovLarryHogan You can't be the governor and simultaneously throw rocks at your own government. And the idea that you think students and parents have won anything in the last year and a half makes me want to cry.

Just two weeks after we called for action, the State Board of Education's school mask policy has now been officially rescinded. This is an important victory for students and parents.

Judge strikes down new map of Baltimore County Council districts, saying it would disadvantage Black voters baltimoresun.com/politics/bs-md… @sunjeffbarker @baltimoresun