The article The Apple Watch Could Have a Key Role in the Battle Against COVID-19 | iPad Insight by James Rogers triggered the thought that healthcare-related features of the Apple Watch - Series 5 might make it worth the investment. Then again, it may be better to wait for the Series 6 which is rumored to be released this fall according to Kate Kozuch in her article Apple Watch 6 release date, price, blood pressure tracking and rumors | Tom’s Guide. More features at what’s estimated to be near the price of the current Series 5.

Nick Cannon controversy over anti-Semitic comments - The Washington Post How does one ask open questions rather than issue closed statements in order to deepen understanding and not betray one’s ignorance?

How Trump wins in 2020 - The Washington Post So many factors playing out on the field of partisan politics, so few of them really focus on improving the welfare of a majority of the population.

Edited today’s post to GreenerAcres Value Network on Wordpress:  Daily Bookmarks to GAVNet 07/19/2020

A friend shared the results of a study about planting corn that showed seed orientation influences yield. I did a QUICK search and found this study which concludes seed orientation also makes a difference in emergence and growth: Effect of Seed Orientation on Emergence and Growth of Corn | Agronomy Journal. Too bad the study didn’t include yield data! No doubt many such studies measure yield but didn’t appear in my quick search. Maybe a deeper dive later.

What a well-deserved and well-written tribute: John Lewis on Love, Forgiveness, and the Seedbed of Personal Strength – Brain Pickings.

In the spirit of Congressman John Lewis, Dr. Jason Hickel speaks to our shared moral imperative of dismantling systemic racism in all its manifestations through his article, The racist double standards of international development | Workers’ Rights | Al Jazeera:

In the 21st century, in the era of Black Lives Matter, we can no longer accept the racist double standards of international development. We must reject the logic of apartheid. If we are going to live in a single global economy, then we must demand a single standard for all human lives: that all people receive fair wages for their labour and fair prices for their resources. This is the principle that international development must demand, if it is to have any moral standing. This is what real progress looks like.

A plug for Wikipedia in the article Remember when the internet was supposed to be transparent and democratic? There’s still hope | Salon.com by Paul Rosenberg. He summarizes his interview with Philipp Lorenz-Spreen, lead author on the paper, How behavioural sciences can promote truth, autonomy and democratic discourse online | Nature Human Behaviour. As the titles of both attest, the search for truth rarely follows a straight, unencumbered path from here to there.

Still, search we must if we are to learn from the circumstances in which we find ourselves and take appropriate action as evidenced by the Bahá’í World News Service article “What have we learned from the health crisis?” Peace Chair asks researchers:

The Baha’i Chair for World Peace at the University of Maryland has invited researchers to contribute articles for a series titled “Learning During the COVID-19 Pandemic”. Reflecting on the contributions, Hoda Mahmoudi, holder of the Chair, says: “The intention of this series has been to broaden understanding and knowledge, which in turn makes more action possible. Change has always begun when a small group of people with lofty yet realistic ideals and a spirit of hope begin to take determined action.”

Now, there’s a QWERKYWRITER® for those who have a masochistic bent, or haven’t experienced what it’s really like to have to use a typewriter, or they have but the distance in time has filled the memories with nostalgia ;-)