Noteworthy: Golden in colour only, it seems

By Bruce Penton on August 15, 2024.

A gold medal? Really?

No, not really. According to a report in Oxford Economics, the gold medals hung around the necks of champions in Paris for the past two weeks actually contained 523 grams of silver and only six grams of 24-carat gold. A ‘gold medal’ value was estimated to be just over $1,000. Had the medals been pure gold, their estimated value was in the $40,000 range.

• The best golfers in Alberta – both professional and amateur – are gathering in Medicine Hat this week to compete in the Alberta Open. The first two rounds at Desert Blume were played Tuesday and Wednesday, and the 60 lowest-scoring golfers (plus ties) will play 18 more holes today to decide champions in both pro and amateur divisions.

Golf fans are welcome to visit Desert Blume and witness how the game is really supposed to be played.

A few dozen Desert Blume members are part of the volunteer entourage, which helps the tournament run smoothly in conjunction with officials from Golf Alberta.

• The run-up to the November U.S. Presidential election is of more than just passing interest to many Canadians. Donald Trump/J.D. Vance v. Kamala Harris/Tim Walz is apparently too close to call, a far cry from a couple of weeks ago when Trump v. Joe Biden had the former far ahead in the polls. Interesting to note that after Vance was chosen as Trump’s running mate, his memoir from 2016, Hillbilly Elegy, sold 750,000 copies.

• Now there are two good reasons to plan my next quick getaway to New York City.

I’ve only visited the Big Apple once in my life but there is so much to see and do that a return trip has always been on my agenda. Now, two of my favourite movies, Back to the Future and Glengarry Glen Ross, are being brought to life on Broadway stages (or soon to be, in the case of GGR).

Jack Lemmon’s acting performance in Glengarry Glen Ross was one of the best I’ve ever seen and it’s hard to believe any Broadway performer will be able to match on stage what he did on screen.

Glengarry Glen Ross was originally a Pulitzer Prize-winning play before it was turned into a movie in 1992. And what an all-star cast: Lemmon, Al Pacino, Alec Baldwin, Ed Harris, Alan Arkin and Kevin Spacey, among others.

Hard to believe the movie bombed at the box office, with gate receipts totalling $2 million less than what it cost to make the film. Wikipedia says Glengarry Glen Ross is now regarded as a ‘cult classic.’

• Plans for the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles are well under way, and officials have said it will be a ‘car-free’ event. Now, if you’ve ever been to L.A. or seen the traffic on the many freeways that run through the metropolis, you might wonder how it can possibly be car-free. Instead, mass transit will be utilized and to that end, the Olympic committee is gathering up 3,000 buses from around the U.S. to make it a reality.

Many major sports events in North America shun the use of individual vehicles. Some major golf tournaments I’ve attended over the years have had a general parking location, such as a wide open empty field, with shuttle buses then transporting people to the front gate of the sports venue. The metro train system in Paris got rave reviews, from what I’ve seen and read, and L.A. officials were obviously taking notes.

• Short snappers: Statistics show that 3.6 million Canadians golfed at least once in the previous year, but pickleball is catching up in popularity. Pickleball Canada reports that 1.37 million Canadians played at least once a month in 2023 and the Globe and Mail says the biggest surge in pickleball is in the 18-34 age range. … Staff at The Athletic have compiled a futuristic story about Canada’s 2025 World Junior hockey team and two Tigers – Gavin McKenna and Cayden Lindstrom – are on this fictitious roster. Considering there are 60 teams in the Canadian Hockey League, having two players from one team on a 20-player national roster is well above average. … Does celebrity endorsement of a politician have an effect? You bet it does. A recent poll of Gen Z voters (born between 1997 and 2012) suggested they would be swayed to support a candidate endorsed by, say, Taylor Swift. The candidates await. … That building going up on the site of the former Petro-Canada station just north of Medicine Hat Lodge will be a Taco Bell franchise. My mouth is already watering.

Bruce Penton is a retired News editor who may be reached at brucepenton2003@yahoo.ca

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