Welcome To Badlands Journal

AIDS and Covid-19

Posted by Badlands Journa... on Tuesday, 19 January 2021

As we begin to take a historical perspective on the Covid-19 pandemic, including its yearlong siege, the change of political regime and the possibility of better government choices in the near future, we begin to look for precedents in the past. AIDS may be to Covid-19 like the Korean War was to Vietnam -- sometimes history at least rhymes -- and  some of the leaders are the same and the pathos and fear in the gay community in the 1980s certainly mirrors that of the elderly and vulnerable in the 2020s pandemic. -- blj

6-1-20

Big nuts in the desert

Posted by Badlands Journa... on Saturday, 16 January 2021

The reader of the article below about a plantation of 100,000 pistachio trees in the Mojave Desert should also consider that Ridgecrest is the driest corner in Kern County, in extreme drought at the moment.  -- blj

 

10-3-20

Mojave Pistachios, SVM file lawsuits vs. IWVGA

The Daily Independent

By Lauren Jennings
Sports Editor

Joe Lauria's priceless perspective

Posted by Badlands Journa... on Thursday, 14 January 2021

American society no longer values the work of excellent veteran newspaper investigative reporters. Never has this been more evident than in the response to the riot in the Capitol last week. It is remarkable, given the opposition to actual news writing and analysis by interests that have always been opposed to it, that anyone still bothers to try to write the kind of article we have posted below. The article requires more than a glance or a quick read; it deserves and rewards real study. -- blj

Virus update: January 14, 2020

Posted by Badlands Journa... on Thursday, 14 January 2021

MERCED (BLJ) Two hundred and eighty-seven people have died of Covid-19 in Merced County since the pandemic began early last year. The post-holiday-season infection rate has risen to 15.7 percent. The County notified the public today that there are vaccinations available for all essential, "frontline" personnel, from doctors to grocery clerks, but there is not yet any vaccine available for vulnerable citizens not deemed "essential." This follows the pattern the County established for tests.

US Sen. Hawley's last ride

Posted by Badlands Journa... on Sunday, 10 January 2021

When US Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo, looked squarely into the cameras to address the darker heart of America the evening after the riots, he argued for a special commission to examine the legality of the General Election vote and the electors of Pennsylvania, I saw that he had been completely carried away by dirty sophistry in the service of white-nationalist ideology and that disaster lay in his immediate future. An image of the downfall of this pathetic product of Stanford and Yale came to mind and stayed there in the following days.

George Whitmore, great California environmentalist, 1931-2021

Posted by Badlands Journa... on Tuesday, 5 January 2021

 

1-4-21

Fresno Bee

Conservationist George Whitmore, on 1st team to climb Yosemite's El Capitan, dies of COVID-19

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/conservationist-george-whitmore-on-1st...

Jan. 4—George Whitmore of Fresno still had more mountains to climb at age 89, his family said, but COVID-19 changed that

252 dead

Posted by Badlands Journa... on Wednesday, 30 December 2020

On December 30, 2020, the total number of dead in Merced County from Covid-19 reached 252 and the nation's top epidemiologists predict a sharp increase in infections in a couple of weeks, due to holiday travel and large gatherings. But, not to worry, the vaccine is being distributed by capable military personnel. Today, four-star Army General Gustave F.

Patrick Cockburn's obituary of Robert Fisk; the Angry Arab has another view

Posted by Badlands Journa... on Sunday, 20 December 2020

A close colleague at the Independent in war correspondence from Northern Ireland to the Middle East, Patrick Cockburn, reflects on the character and work of Robert Fisk. Lebanese scholar As`ad AbuKhalil, a professor at CSU Stanislaus, has another view. All we know about it is that Fisk reported from the front of the battle while AbuKhalil opined from Turlock. -- wmh

Independent  

November 17, 2020

Virus update: December 18, 2020

Posted by Badlands Journa... on Saturday, 19 December 2020

The Merced County Public Health Department announced on Friday that the current positive rate of infection in the last seven days among those tested is 13.9 percent and the total number of people who have died in the county from the virus are 216.

In California, 22,509 have died since the beginning of the pandemic, 228 died on Friday.

In the United States, 316,339 have died since the pandemic began, 2,542 died on Friday.

The total dead for the globe is estimated to be 1,672,772, with 4,648 dying on Friday.

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