Yesterday, UW-Whitewater’s Chancellor, Dr. Dwight Watson, and Communications Director, Jeff Angileri, gave a radio interview with WCLO about their plans for a fall semester during a pandemic. The interview is available online as an audio file. A few remarks: A College Town. There’s a difference between a town with a college and a college town,…
Public Health
Coronavirus, Covidiocy, Disinformation, Mendacity, Public Health, Trump
Trump’s Excuses as COVID-19 Cases Continued to Rise
by JOHN ADAMS •
Coronavirus, Covidiocy, Culture, Libertarians, Liberty, Public Health
Individual Responsibility in Conditions of Pandemic
by JOHN ADAMS •
Economist Robert Samuelson, writing Americans are historically unhappy. But there’s a lesson to learn here, observes that The connecting threads of these pessimistic surveys are the novel coronavirus and its devastating impact on the economy. Nearly everyone is affected in one way or another. There’s a clash between America’s individualistic culture (“You can’t make me wear…
Coronavirus, Covidiocy, Public Health
Brazilian Pres. Bolsonaro defied health guidelines before testing positive for the coronavirus
by JOHN ADAMS •
For months, even as the coronavirus pandemic grew into a debilitating national crisis, Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro did everything he could to downplay it. He called on people to return to normal. He waded into crowds of supporters. He repeatedly described it as nothing more than a little flu. Now Brazil is experiencing the world’s…
Coronavirus, Covidiocy, Never Trump, Public Health, Trump, Unfit
Ron Brownstein on Trump and His Anti-Mask Base
by JOHN ADAMS •
“Ron, there is a retail trade group that has asked President Trump to institute federal, nationwide mask guidelines at stores across the country as the country continues to re-open,” said anchor Alex Marquardt. “Experts are saying that masks could save thousands of lives in the coming months. Do you see a scenario in which —…
Coronavirus, Documentary, Federal Government, ICE, Negligence, Public Health
How ICE Helped Spread the Coronavirus
by JOHN ADAMS •
Coronavirus, Education, Public Health, School District
The Choice on Schools Is About Hard Work
by JOHN ADAMS •
The choice before us is not between schools staying closed or schools reopening in potentially unsafe conditions. The choice is whether we care enough about opening schools to do what is necessary *now* so it will be safe to do so in the fall. — Susan Hennessey (@Susan_Hennessey) July 7, 2020 Hennessey sees what truly…
City, Conspiracy Theories, Culture, Public Health, Reasoning
The Balancing That Shouldn’t Have Happened
by JOHN ADAMS •
In communities across America, when a common & rational direction is most needed, cities & towns are about to confront the absence of a rational consensus. Residents who are in the grip of conspiracy theories (Qanon, anti-vaxxers, rumors of antifa, etc.) and those who have retained a sound understanding may live in the same place,…
Coronavirus, Covidiocy, Mendacity, Public Health, Trump
‘Gaslighting on a massive scale’
by JOHN ADAMS •
“This is gaslighting on an enormous scale, and means until people eventually get sick or their family members get sick, the communities hit hard, they won’t believe it, and then it will be too late,” said [Dr. Celine] Grounder. “The problem is there’s a lag period from the time that somebody’s infected and starts to…
Coronavirus, Education, Public Health, School District
Local Portents on Addressing the Coronavirus
by JOHN ADAMS •
The Whitewater Unified School District, like every other district in the area, has choices to exercise about holding classes during this pandemic. The district recently sent an email link to a survey soliciting parents’ views, and the new district administrator and veteran school board will soon have important decisions to make. Over in the Jefferson…
Coronavirus, Covidiocy, Public Health, Trump
This is a Mask
by JOHN ADAMS •
Coronavirus, Covidiocy, Public Health, Trump, Unfit
Trump: Slow the Testing
by JOHN ADAMS •
Bad Ideas, Coronavirus, Covidiocy, Public Health, Walworth County
How ‘bout a New Slogan for the Walworth County Fair?
by JOHN ADAMS •
One reads that not only are organizers planning to hold the Walworth County Fair during a pandemic, but that they hope to entice patrons with beer sales. Candidly, aside from the pig races (always suspenseful), one can be hit-or-miss about the fair. Holding it this year is problematic; looking for ways to attract more people…
Crime, Documentary, Drug War, History, Opioids, Public Health
The Public Health Crisis before the Public Health Crisis
by JOHN ADAMS •
Frontline’s Opioids, Inc. (full film): Pushing opioids. Bribing doctors. Making millions. FRONTLINE and the Financial Times investigate how Insys Therapeutics profited from a fentanyl-based painkiller up to 100 times stronger than heroin — and how some Wall Street investors looked the other way. Since 2007, communities like Whitewater have faced a Great Recession, an opioid…