Mary Feeney
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mkfeeney.bsky.social
Mary Feeney
@mkfeeney.bsky.social
4.8K followers 330 following 990 posts

Professor, traveller, cyclist, skater, science policy junkie. Reluctant Phoenician. Interested in all things public sector

Videos
Political science 38%
Sociology 13%
Posts Replies Media Videos

Reposted by Mary Feeney

normeisen.bsky.social
Norm Eisen @normeisen.bsky.social · 1d
Trump isn’t delivering on affordability or healthcare & keeps enriching himself through corruption

That’s why the American people are rejecting him

He was elected to serve the public, not his own interests

I explained on @weeknightmsnow.bsky.social👇

mkfeeney.bsky.social
Mary Feeney @mkfeeney.bsky.social · 2d
Is Nicki Minaj the new Kanye?

Reposted by Steve Peers, Mary Feeney, Maarten Vink , and 6 more

keithboykin.bsky.social
Keith Boykin @keithboykin.bsky.social · 2d
The New York Times investigated 346 people who donated at least $250,000 to Trump and found that more than half of them (197) have received pardons, jobs, government contracts, special treatment, or favors.
Hundreds of Big Post-Election Donors Have Benefited From Trump’s Return to Office
Well into his second term, the president and his allies have continued aggressively raising money. Many donors have interests before his administration, The Times found.
www.nytimes.com

Reposted by Mary Feeney

beninchamonix.bsky.social
BenInChamonix @beninchamonix.bsky.social · 3d
So 100 years or so of being screwed for basic healthcare.

Why do people accept it? No other country in the world bankrupts its citizens for being sick or injured.

Life in the USA honestly seems like a nightmare to me.

mkfeeney.bsky.social
Mary Feeney @mkfeeney.bsky.social · 4d
Of all the statues, why this one?
Old lady maid statue, partially blocking the entry way, in a 7-million dollar, Ann Arbor penthouse loaded with Versailles-like statues, marble floors, gaudy decor, and Versace pieces

mkfeeney.bsky.social
Mary Feeney @mkfeeney.bsky.social · 4d
Google Scholar is loading up with AI hallucinations - does this mean we need to limit ourselves to Scopus (or another library based citation system) for future P&T assessments?
benpatrickwill.bsky.social Ben Williamson @benpatrickwill.bsky.social · 4d
Closing out my year with a journal editor shocker 🧵

Checking new manuscripts today I reviewed a paper attributing 2 papers to me I did not write. A daft thing for an author to do of course. But intrigued I web searched up one of the titles and that's when it got real weird...

mkfeeney.bsky.social
Mary Feeney @mkfeeney.bsky.social · 4d
If we're going to put his name on something, shouldn't it be a thing he has built (not a thing he is actively destroying)? Some possible candidates:
Trump's Alligator Alcatraz
The Donald J. Trump ICE Squad
The Donald J. Trump Immigrant Detention Center
The Donald J. Trump Citizen Detention Center
ktumulty.bsky.social Karen Tumulty @ktumulty.bsky.social · 4d
I'm no history expert but am always curious about it. Spent time today digging into the Congressional Record from over 60 years ago. The history behind the naming of the Kennedy Center is especially poignant, so I wanted to share it with our readers. wapo.st/48OyZtb
Analysis | Trump’s predecessors would be unsettled by his naming obsession
The nation’s past chief executives, with rare exceptions, have refrained from slapping their names on things while in office.
wapo.st

Reposted by Mary Feeney

ktumulty.bsky.social
Karen Tumulty @ktumulty.bsky.social · 4d
I'm no history expert but am always curious about it. Spent time today digging into the Congressional Record from over 60 years ago. The history behind the naming of the Kennedy Center is especially poignant, so I wanted to share it with our readers. wapo.st/48OyZtb
Analysis | Trump’s predecessors would be unsettled by his naming obsession
The nation’s past chief executives, with rare exceptions, have refrained from slapping their names on things while in office.
wapo.st

Reposted by Reece Jones, Guntram B. Wolff, Richard S.J. Tol , and 58 more

benpatrickwill.bsky.social
Ben Williamson @benpatrickwill.bsky.social · 4d
Closing out my year with a journal editor shocker 🧵

Checking new manuscripts today I reviewed a paper attributing 2 papers to me I did not write. A daft thing for an author to do of course. But intrigued I web searched up one of the titles and that's when it got real weird...

mkfeeney.bsky.social
Mary Feeney @mkfeeney.bsky.social · 5d
Audience out there cheering the loss of government services...

mkfeeney.bsky.social
Mary Feeney @mkfeeney.bsky.social · 5d
Gutting research funds to American universities while sending $1.6 million to quacks in Denmark to experiment on vulnerable populations in Guinea-Bissau. RFK Jr really delivering on that America First agenda!
lizszabo.bsky.social Liz Szabo @lizszabo.bsky.social · 6d
CDC awards $1.6 million for new hepatitis B vaccine study in Guinea-Bissau. Although the award recipients aren't named, the grant seems tailored to Danish researchers whose work is championed by anti-vaxxers but challenged by mainstream scientists.
www.cidrap.umn.edu/childhood-va...
CDC awards $1.6 million for hepatitis B vaccine study, likely to controversial Danish researchers
www.cidrap.umn.edu

Reposted by Mary Feeney

ryancordell.org
Ryan Cordell @ryancordell.org · 5d
almost to a student, they reported regular use of AI systems—even the students most loudly and vocally "anti" AI had carved out exceptions—to paint with too broad a brush, students saw their own use of AI as considered, moderate, & defensible while other people’s was lazy, dangerous, condemnable+

Reposted by Mary Feeney

azfaust.bsky.social
AZ Faust @azfaust.bsky.social · 5d
NSF bio hour - NSF BIO lost 40% of its staff 😑

Reposted by Lisa W. Fazio, Jason Mittell, Rebecca Solnit , and 5 more

popsci.com
Popular Science @popsci.com · 5d
The name "Popular Science" doesn't mean we shift our coverage depending on public opinion. It means we cover relevant subjects that are rigorously researched, reliable, and grounded in reality.

And trans lives are grounded in reality.

We see y'all. No matter what.

www.popsci.com/science/tran...
First-of-a-kind study shows encouraging data for trans kids who socially transition
Ninety-four percent of participants in a new study stood firm in their trans identity after five years, and "detransitioning" is rare.
www.popsci.com

Reposted by Mary Feeney, Juanjo Medina, Nathan P. Kalmoe , and 1 more

moreperfectunion.bsky.social
More Perfect Union @moreperfectunion.bsky.social · 6d
Zohran Mamdani explains that thousands and thousands of New Yorkers are already eligible for free and reduce public transportation, but because of the bureaucratic hurdles they never get enrolled in the program.

That's why he wants to just make the bus free.

Reposted by Richard E. Lenski, Mary Feeney, Esther K. Choo , and 4 more

lizszabo.bsky.social
Liz Szabo @lizszabo.bsky.social · 6d
CDC awards $1.6 million for new hepatitis B vaccine study in Guinea-Bissau. Although the award recipients aren't named, the grant seems tailored to Danish researchers whose work is championed by anti-vaxxers but challenged by mainstream scientists.
www.cidrap.umn.edu/childhood-va...
CDC awards $1.6 million for hepatitis B vaccine study, likely to controversial Danish researchers
www.cidrap.umn.edu

mkfeeney.bsky.social
Mary Feeney @mkfeeney.bsky.social · 6d
has a federal website ever been updated that quickly?
Were all 42 layers or approval simultaneous?

Reposted by Mary Feeney

andreasuozzo.com
Andrea Suozzo @andreasuozzo.com · 7d
Charities are rewriting their mission statements to remove or minimize language tied to race, inequity and historically disadvantaged communities. Great nonprofit data reporting from @emsimani.bsky.social, gorgeous design by @zisiga.bsky.social www.propublica.org/article/dele...
Under Trump, More Than 1,000 Nonprofits Strip DEI Language From Tax Forms
As the Trump administration ordered agencies to eradicate “illegal” diversity, equity and inclusion efforts, we identified more than 1,000 nonprofits that removed such language from the mission statem...
www.propublica.org

Reposted by Steve Peers, Mary Feeney, Rosemary A. Joyce , and 1 more

samanthamichaels.bsky.social
Samantha Michaels @samanthamichaels.bsky.social · 7d
I've been reporting on the criminal justice system for over a decade and have lived in an authoritarian country overseas, but I've never seen anything like the police presence in ICE-occupied Memphis. Here's my dispatch: www.motherjones.com/politics/202...
I'm a veteran criminal justice reporter. I've never seen anything like ICE-occupied Memphis.
“It’s about as sad as you can possibly imagine."
www.motherjones.com

Reposted by Robert Böhm, Brady T. West, Brendan Nyhan , and 43 more

sabrinanorwood.bsky.social
Sabrina Norwood @sabrinanorwood.bsky.social · 7d
Did you know that from tomorrow, Qualtrics is offering synthetic panels (AI-generated participants)?

Follow me down a rabbit hole I'm calling "doing science is tough and I'm so busy, can't we just make up participants?"
Text reads: About synthetic panels Recruiting the right participants for a study can be difficult. You may not get the exact demographics you need, and the shorter the deadline, the less sure you can be that everyone will answer on time. One possible solution can be to use synthetic panels. Synthetic panels are powered by a first party proprietary AI model developed here at Qualtrics. Our synthetic panel is trained on thousands of responses from a variety of demographic backgrounds in order to more accurately predict how certain populations would respond to a survey. Our synthetic panel is based on the United States General Population, and is only available in English. This panel comes with ready-made quotas and target breakouts in order to represent your chosen population and make it easy to launch your survey right away. Text reads: Question-writing best practices To get the most reliable and actionable results from synthetic audiences, consider these question-writing best practices: Ask forward-looking and attitudinal questions. Synthetic panels perform best with perceptions, preferences, and intent-based questions. For example, “How likely are you to try…?” Synthetic panels are less applicable for studies on past behaviors, detailed recall, brand recall, or awareness questions. For example, “When did you last visit…?” Text reads: Discussion The current study aimed to conduct a meta-analysis of the TPB when applied to health behaviours which addressed the limitations of previous reviews by including only prospective tests of behaviour, applying RE meta-analytic procedures, correcting correlations for sampling and measurement error, and hierarchically analysing the effect of behaviour type and sample and methodological moderators. Some 237 tests were identified which examined relations amongst model components. Overall the analysis indicated that the TPB could explain 19.3% of the variance in behaviour and 44.3% of the variance in intention across studies. This level of prediction of behaviour is slightly lower than that of previous meta-analytic reviews which have found between 27% (Armitage & Conner, 2001; Hagger et al., 2002) and 36% (Trafimow et al., 2002) of the variance in behaviour to be explained by intention and PBC.

mkfeeney.bsky.social
Mary Feeney @mkfeeney.bsky.social · 8d
that's awful

mkfeeney.bsky.social
Mary Feeney @mkfeeney.bsky.social · 8d
but RWR "if the proposal is not aligned with new federal/NSF priorities (e.g., no DEI)" does not mean it isn't good science, it means it's bad politics - which is problematic on a whole other level and, IMHO, doesn't count as scientific review

mkfeeney.bsky.social
Mary Feeney @mkfeeney.bsky.social · 8d
If anyone cared about efficiency & workload at the NSF, the very first reform would be allowing "desk rejects". When I was there we were required to review any proposal that met the submission criteria. There were steps to speed up that review - but still it sucked up a lot of time.

Reposted by Michael A. Clemens, Melanie C. Green

mkfeeney.bsky.social
Mary Feeney @mkfeeney.bsky.social · 8d
Asa former PO, I can say this level of workload & responsibility would have had me running for the hills. I can't imagine many rotaters nor permanent employees want this & the ones that do want this are definitely NOT the type of scientists you want with this amount of control/power.
hleisthen.bsky.social HL Eisthen, defective human product @hleisthen.bsky.social · 8d
NSF now planning to let POs largely decide what gets funded, and to send PIs reviews that are only 3-5 sentences long. They don't have to use outside reviewers (except maybe 1) and don't have to convene panels. (1/5)
NSF pares down grant-review process, reducing influence of outside scientists
Memo cites overburdened staff, but some say move also aims to elevate White House priorities
www.science.org

mkfeeney.bsky.social
Mary Feeney @mkfeeney.bsky.social · 8d
Massive waste & fraud followed by districts letting people go & loads of public / neighborhood schools closing

Reposted by Jesse M. Shapiro, Michael A. Clemens, Mary Feeney , and 4 more

hleisthen.bsky.social
HL Eisthen, defective human product @hleisthen.bsky.social · 8d
NSF now planning to let POs largely decide what gets funded, and to send PIs reviews that are only 3-5 sentences long. They don't have to use outside reviewers (except maybe 1) and don't have to convene panels. (1/5)
NSF pares down grant-review process, reducing influence of outside scientists
Memo cites overburdened staff, but some say move also aims to elevate White House priorities
www.science.org

Reposted by Scott L. Greer, Mary Feeney, Cathy N. Davidson , and 2 more

prisonculture.bsky.social
Prisonculture @prisonculture.bsky.social · 8d
Vandals decapitated and smashed the statue of Mary in an Evanston church’s outdoor Nativity scene Friday, and the church responded by replacing it with a sign saying Mary was beaten & dragged away in front of her son and is being held in immigration detention.
www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/15/n...
Nativity smashed, Mary figure ‘beaten’ at Evanston church: ‘God’s on the side of the vulnerable’
Vandals destroyed Lake Street Church of Evanston’s Nativity. It replaced Mary with a sign saying she’s in immigration detention.
www.chicagotribune.com

mkfeeney.bsky.social
Mary Feeney @mkfeeney.bsky.social · 9d
A cheaper option would be non-gendered toilets, with locks. If we are going to waste time & money on non-issues, let's at least land on cost effective solutions that work for everyone. But of course, this isn't about a real problem or real solutions - it's fear mongering and misogyny.
esqueer.net Alejandra Caraballo @esqueer.net · 10d
In order to "protect women" Texas made it so that women have to go through armed guards with an ID check. They literally created a potty police.
Three uniformed state troopers stand inside a government building near a sign directing visitors to women’s restrooms and elevators, with wood-paneled walls and columns in the background.

Reposted by Mary Feeney, Alan Richardson, Nathan P. Kalmoe

esqueer.net
Alejandra Caraballo @esqueer.net · 10d
In order to "protect women" Texas made it so that women have to go through armed guards with an ID check. They literally created a potty police.
Three uniformed state troopers stand inside a government building near a sign directing visitors to women’s restrooms and elevators, with wood-paneled walls and columns in the background.

mkfeeney.bsky.social
Mary Feeney @mkfeeney.bsky.social · 13d
Their petty outrage continually furthers my education on all sorts of topics! No one talked about CRT 6 yrs ago - now people defend it. I’ve learned tons abt trans medical care bc of their hatred.

I had no idea the Calibri default was bc of accessibility. Now I’ll use it more intentionally!!!
phillewis.bsky.social Phil Lewis @phillewis.bsky.social · 14d
Marco Rubio ordered diplomats to return to using Times New Roman font in official communications, calling his predecessor's decision to adopt Calibri a “wasteful” diversity move
Rubio Stages Font Coup: Times New Roman Ousts Calibri
The secretary of state called it a "wasteful" diversity move, according to an internal department cable seen by Reuters.
www.huffpost.com