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Alex Wenzel

@alexwenzel.bsky.social

Postdoc at UC San Diego studying cancer. Academic unionist and transit enthusiast. Trying to make buses less invisible. Medic main in TF2. he/him

1,572 Followers  |  332 Following  |  4,775 Posts  |  Joined: 09.07.2023  |  2.1782

Latest posts by alexwenzel.bsky.social on Bluesky

Everyone is vulnerable to a dictator who has achieved a de facto coup. I refuse to concede that publicly funded research β€œmade itself vulnerable” by accepting the funds. A fascist has ended the prior constitutional order, that is not a position publicly funded researchers put themselves in.

06.08.2025 08:12 β€” πŸ‘ 0    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

That wasn’t always the case because we did not always have the massive research ecosystem that the NIH and NSF created. The β€œfederal research funding addiction” is the reason childhood leukemia survival rates are 85% now instead of 45% as they were in the 70s.

06.08.2025 06:07 β€” πŸ‘ 2    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0

Yep, replacing the 600s and 700s most likely. They’ve mostly been on 11, 12, 20, occasionally 30 but I haven’t seen one IRL.

06.08.2025 06:02 β€” πŸ‘ 3    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

The number of athletes, primarily those from African or South American countries, who are going to end up being tortured in CBP custody over trivial visa issues is not going to be zero.

06.08.2025 05:36 β€” πŸ‘ 3    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

Every country on earth engages in varying degrees of extra cruelty towards unhoused people in their Olympic cities. I’m not interested in waiting to see what the Pentagon does when tasked with that β€œmission”.

06.08.2025 05:36 β€” πŸ‘ 3    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0

Cancel it. This is not a hard decision.

06.08.2025 05:36 β€” πŸ‘ 8    πŸ” 3    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0

Or agreeing that some our students and coworkers aren’t real.

06.08.2025 05:18 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

Any compromise on standard of care at a UC medical center and I think that will be it for me.

06.08.2025 05:17 β€” πŸ‘ 4    πŸ” 1    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0

Also they might be assuming a difference between what most people spend and what they should have budgeted. Apparently the average person spends $900/year on maintenance, but you should probably budget higher in case something happens that costs substantially more.

06.08.2025 03:18 β€” πŸ‘ 0    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

Going with very rough estimates (googling β€œ<x> spending in California”), it seems on the upper bound of gas + payment + maintenance + insurance, unless there’s another major expense category I’m forgetting.

06.08.2025 03:15 β€” πŸ‘ 0    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0

*excludes COASTER, Rapid Express 280 and 290, and rural

06.08.2025 03:06 β€” πŸ‘ 2    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 3    πŸ“Œ 0

A full year of unlimited* fixed route transit rides in San Diego County:

- Standard: $864

- Senior/disabled/on Medicare: $276

- Under 18: $0

- Under 24 & exiting foster system: $0

06.08.2025 03:06 β€” πŸ‘ 14    πŸ” 1    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0

Why even have roads this wide when cars are going to pass a stopped bus so close that the windows shake?

06.08.2025 02:39 β€” πŸ‘ 4    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0
Preview
β€˜Immediately rescind’: UC researchers ask judge to undo Trump’s UCLA grant suspensions After the National Science Foundation suspended UCLA research grants, the UC claims that decision violated a court order.

NEW: A federal judge today ordered lawyers for the Trump administration to explain why last week’s suspension of about 300 UCLA grants by the National Science Foundation does not run afoul of that judge’s June order barring the agency from terminating additional grants.

06.08.2025 00:18 β€” πŸ‘ 15    πŸ” 7    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 1

I’d start watching sports again if these were the commentators.

06.08.2025 02:16 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

i think it is hard for some people to really their heads around the reality that kennedy is staunchly anti-vaccine and thinks that people should suffer through disease and that those who die deserved it and that those who survive are a better order of human being

05.08.2025 22:54 β€” πŸ‘ 5827    πŸ” 1427    πŸ’¬ 123    πŸ“Œ 93
Screen grab of a section of the HHS press release which is black text on white background. 

The wind-down affects a range of programs including:Termination of contracts with Emory University and Tiba Biotech.De-scoping of mRNA-related work in existing contracts with Luminary Labs, ModeX, and Seqirus.Rejection or cancellation of multiple pre-award solicitations, including proposals from Pfizer, Sanofi Pasteur, CSL Seqirus, Gritstone, and others, as part of BARDA’s Rapid Response Partnership Vehicle (RRPV) and VITAL Hub.Restructuring of collaborations with DoD-JPEO, affecting nucleic acid-based vaccine projects with AAHI, AstraZeneca, HDT Bio, and Moderna/UTMB.

Screen grab of a section of the HHS press release which is black text on white background. The wind-down affects a range of programs including:Termination of contracts with Emory University and Tiba Biotech.De-scoping of mRNA-related work in existing contracts with Luminary Labs, ModeX, and Seqirus.Rejection or cancellation of multiple pre-award solicitations, including proposals from Pfizer, Sanofi Pasteur, CSL Seqirus, Gritstone, and others, as part of BARDA’s Rapid Response Partnership Vehicle (RRPV) and VITAL Hub.Restructuring of collaborations with DoD-JPEO, affecting nucleic acid-based vaccine projects with AAHI, AstraZeneca, HDT Bio, and Moderna/UTMB.

I'm seeing a lot of big accounts missing the mark on this story. HHS through BARDA is cancelling contracts for mRNA vaccine research related to viral respiratory illnesses. This does not affect mRNA cancer research by NIH and Moderna.

It's still bad news but let's try to keep our facts straight.

06.08.2025 01:09 β€” πŸ‘ 321    πŸ” 129    πŸ’¬ 17    πŸ“Œ 19

An intention to use his office to enact a eugenics program is the only unifying explanation behind all of RFK Jr's actions. bsky.app/profile/pear...

06.08.2025 00:56 β€” πŸ‘ 5    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

They are being canceled because they prevent (and treat) diseases that RFK Jr believes will be more effective and less overtly horrifying than extermination campaigns at achieving his eugenic goals.

06.08.2025 00:32 β€” πŸ‘ 12    πŸ” 6    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0

This technology will be revived someday, maybe long after I'm dead, and scientists will be able to quantify how many people died needlessly in the interim. It will be in the tens of millions.

06.08.2025 00:23 β€” πŸ‘ 21    πŸ” 8    πŸ’¬ 3    πŸ“Œ 0

this work saved millions of lives in 2021, won the Nobel Prize in 2023, and is cancelled in 2025

05.08.2025 21:58 β€” πŸ‘ 6071    πŸ” 2547    πŸ’¬ 156    πŸ“Œ 74

They’ll inevitably have to say something transphobic in on-the-record bargaining and that’s when you can put them through the media meat grinder. PR is the only thing they care about.

05.08.2025 20:43 β€” πŸ‘ 2    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

UAW 4811's contract with UC guarantees access to gender-neutral bathrooms. I hope the bargaining team sticks to their promise to fight for access to gender-affirming care for all ASEs in contract negotiations currently under way.

05.08.2025 20:22 β€” πŸ‘ 52    πŸ” 15    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0

[BREAKING] Since May, Columbia admin has been secretly working to eliminate graduate teaching jobs while negotiating with SWC for a new contract. Out of ~200 instructor jobs in a regular year, we know of only ~10 that have been appointed.

05.08.2025 20:13 β€” πŸ‘ 21    πŸ” 13    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 1
Home Please forward this letter widely at https://tinyurl.com/ucstandup

If you're affiliated with the UC system, I'd encourage you to join me in signing this open letter to the President's Office urging him to fight the Trump administration's recent illegal rescissions of grant money to scholars at UCLA in court.

Trumpists are weak and now is the time to hit them.

05.08.2025 17:37 β€” πŸ‘ 44    πŸ” 21    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

NEW: A federal judge has demanded NSF explain in court how the UCLA grant suspensions are not in violation of her June order that restored grants to UC scientists

05.08.2025 16:15 β€” πŸ‘ 220    πŸ” 74    πŸ’¬ 5    πŸ“Œ 7

It's also worth noting: this entire case is only possible due to the bravery of INDIVIDUAL faculty members, not the uni admin.

It's a class action suit for UC researchers brought by UC researchers.

UCLA senior administrators, on the other hand:

05.08.2025 00:53 β€” πŸ‘ 39    πŸ” 17    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 2

Issa is already really mad about elections and is burning money suing the state over counting mail ballots postmarked by Election Day, maybe because he’s insecure about how much he won by. This happening to him would be really funny.

05.08.2025 07:49 β€” πŸ‘ 9    πŸ” 1    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
Preview
Trump Administration Is Freezing Over $300 Million for U.C.L.A.

Trump’s move to cancel research grants at UCLA is an attack on Californiaβ€”on our universities, our research, and the future of our students. UAW 4811 is ready to fight back and defend academic freedom, public research, and higher education in our state. www.nytimes.com/2025/08/01/u...

04.08.2025 23:53 β€” πŸ‘ 38    πŸ” 20    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0

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