The simple joys come to the top these days.  | In just about five months, these blossoms will yield savory peaches unless the stinkbugs, wasps, other pests or the weather have other plans. Though Jimmy Hoffy “disappeared in 1975, signs of him still haunt.

“It’s getting bad out there, folks | especially for our health care workers — not just those in the hospitals, nursing homes, an other care facilities, but also the EMTs, paramedics, police, firefighters, home health aides … They all are risking their health and their lives, working frantically to keep the rest of us safe. Because that is what they do. Don’t talk to me about athletes or entertainers being heroes because they toss around a football with a sick kid. That’s really nice, and very kind, but it’s not heroic. I know a hero when I see one, and she’s wearing a surgical mask.” – from The Boston Globe‘s subscriber newsletter.

“Why another flu pandemic is likely just a matter of when.” | This June, 2019 PBS nine-minute video is enlightening. “Despite the availability of vaccines, the flu still kills tens of thousands of people in the U.S. each year, and hundreds of thousands more worldwide. But public health officials fear that an even graver threat lies ahead: the emergence of a new, much more deadly flu virus. As William Brangham reports, the scenario has occurred before.” One writer notes: “This segment even features an appearance by the one-and-only Dr. Anthony Fauci, and we as a society clearly learned nothing from it.”

The Great Pandemic | Columbia news, views & reviews has written frequently about John Barry, the author of The Great Pandemic. There’s a really good interview with Barry in this New Yorker magazine article. By the way the article is worth reading, too.

Advice for restaurants | “Lower Your Prices Now.” – This Harvard Business Review article author advises: “Rafi Mohammed advises restaurants to, above all, lower their prices. ‘Discounting is an important ingredient to help businesses weather this challenging economic environment,’ he said.”

“It’s not a matter of if, but when. | “Is America Ready for a Second Wave of Coronavirus?” – Route Fifty