Welcome To Badlands Journal

Rediscovering Camus' novel, The Plague

Posted by Badlands Journa... on Friday, 20 March 2020

It has been just long enough, Albert Camus was a favorite of War Babies and the early Boomers, that Camus and his masterpiece, The Plague, might not be remembered by all today. But this profound, reflective story about quietly heroic people enduring the complete quarantine of their city will move you and may even help you endure the anxieties of the pandemic. Among other things, it is a novel of responsibility.-- blj

 

Camus on the Coronavirus

UC President's letter to campuses: what's missing?

Posted by Badlands Journa... on Thursday, 19 March 2020

MERCED (BLJ) -- As the second possible case of Covid-19 is reported at the University of California, Merced, and the campus awaits the test results, we found this letter from UC President Janet Napolitano to the campuses. Absent from the letter is any concern for the populations that surround the campuses, and there is no thought that a vector for the infection are likely to include UC students, and other members of the "UC community." But read the letter below with the knowledge that the state of California now provides only about 10-percent of UC's annual budget.

Suicide: the prior national epidemic

Posted by Badlands Journa... on Wednesday, 18 March 2020

MERCED (BLJ) -- Dignity, like class, is not a fashionable concept. We have Trump to thank for reminding us of our instinctive demand for it because Trump offends human dignity with practically every bloated utterance. Whenever he lies, which is every time he opens his mouth, he offends the dignity of all American citizens and encourages every bully who has a position over anybody else to abuse that position.

The public health logic of the political donut shop

Posted by Badlands Journa... on Sunday, 15 March 2020

From the City of Atwater website:

Are there any reported cases in Merced County?

As of 3-13-20, there are no known reported cases in the County, so there is no cause for undue alarm. However, we still are taking all precautions to ensure plans and contingencies are in place to help protect the public, should they be necessary. – Atwater City Council, March 14, 2020; https://www.atwater.org/2020/02/27/coronavirus

Merced County still virus free -- it's a miracle!

Posted by Badlands Journa... on Saturday, 14 March 2020

 

To: Badlands

From: Geezers Anonymous of Merced County/Viejitos anonimos del Condado de Merced

Although every county that touches on Merced County has reported confirmed cases of COVID-19, miraculously, Merced County has escaped. At least it not reported any confirmed cases. And what does "confirmation" mean? How long does it take to get confirmation in Merced County? We count the days as Mercy Hospital constructs yellow tents to handle the overflow of unreported cases of COVID-19.

Who gets the COVID-19 test in Merced County?

Posted by Badlands Journa... on Friday, 13 March 2020

In an effort to wring from the Merced Sun-Star’s Thursday, March 20th story, ”Coronavirus response efforts increase in Merced County,” what useful news its 37 column inches might contain, we came up with this assertion in the 25th graph by Interem County Health Officer Dr. Kenneth Bird.

Public Health labs remain the only facilities available to test for the virus, but the county has ample coronavirus test kits at this time.

But the story begins:

Protesting border horrors

Posted by Badlands Journa... on Sunday, 8 March 2020

3-7-20

The Guardian

'This is our feminist spring': millions of Mexican women prepare to strike over

femicides

As the country grapples with a worsening crisis, the revolt among a new generation of feminists is picking up steam: ‘It’s our last resort’

by Tom Phillips in Tijuana

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