Noteworthy: Shocking news… we don’t stay on track anymore

By Bruce Penton on August 28, 2024.

Our attention spans are getting shorter, according to a recent story in the Globe and Mail. In 2004, people scrolling through the internet stayed on a site for an average of two and a half minutes before switching to a different window. Today, that length of time is 47 seconds, according to researchÂ by California-based informatics professor Gloria Mark, author ofÂ Attention Span: A Groundbreaking Way to Restore Balance, Happiness and Productivity.

Now, where was I … oh, yes, attention spans … oh, look, a squirrel.

The same story advised people to increase their focus on one task and that multi-tasking, while generally regarded as an admirable trait, actually creates a situation where neither task is being done to the best of your ability. One at a time … focus. Then the next one … focus.

â€¢ Notices about candlelight concerts coming to Medicine Hat have been showing up on my Facebook pages and other places recently. “From the broad music selection to the atmosphere created by thousands of candles to the accessible ticket prices” are the major attractions, said one of the notices.

The concerts, all of which will be performed by string quartets, are being held at the Medicine Hat Public Library. Three of them are scheduled for this fall, and they each have a theme. One features Vivaldi’s Four Seasons and More (Sept. 20), one is a tribute to Taylor Swift (Oct. 30) and the third is a tribute to music by Coldplay on Nov. 22.

All concerts begin at 6:30 p.m. Doors open 30 minutes ahead of the concert start time and late entry is not permitted.

â€¢ Here’s a big story: The tallest person in the world is a Turkish farmer named Sultan Rosen, who is 8-foot-3. But a Quebec teenager is on the rise. He’s 18-year-old Olivier Rioux, from Terrebone, Que., who is 7-foot-9, and growing. He was 6-foot-1 at the age of eight, almost seven feet tall by Grade 6. Naturally, he’s a basketball player, and when he committed in 2023 to play with the Florida Gators, he was 7-foot-6. Now he’s 7-foot-9.

Said Rioux in a yahoo.com interview: “Â We’re still not 100 per cent sure why I’m so tall … doctors could only explain it with the genetics that my family has. My father is 6-foot-8, my mom is 6-foot-2 and my older brother is 6-foot-9,” RiouxÂ said. “This is what nature planned for me. I learned to be peaceful and happy about it.”

â€¢ Somebody (or maybe a fancy computer) actually analyzed every word spoken at the two recent political conventions in the U.S. They counted the most-used words, or phrases, by the Democrats and Republicans, but also reported which words were NOT uttered at the Republican convention in Milwaukee and the Democratic gathering in Chicago.

Words and phrases not used even once by Republicans were: “abortion,” “Project 2025,” “not going back,” “Obamacare” and “convicted felon.”

Never mentioned at the Democratic convention were: “invasion,” “illegal aliens,” “school choice,” “indoctrination,” “radical left” and “build the wall.”

â€¢ Baseball fans are likely aware of the oddity that occurred Monday in a game between the Blue Jays and Boston Red Sox. Catcher Danny Jansen played for both teams in that game, which started June 26 but a rainstorm caused it to be suspended in the second inning. It was resumed Monday. Jansen, who was a Blue Jay on June 26, was actually at bat with an 0-1 count when the game was suspended, and he was traded to the Red Sox on July 27.

So, on Monday afternoon when the game resumed, the Blue Jays’ Daulton Varsho pinch hit for the departed Jansen, adopting his 0-1 count when he strode to the plate, with Jansen, now a Red Sox catcher, behind the plate. (Varsho eventually struck out.) What would have been really odd is had the count been 0-2 on Jansen back in June, the eventual result of the at-bat by the pinch hitter would have been credited to Jansen – trade or no trade. Had that been the case, Jansen might have caught the third strike of his own strikeout.

â€¢ Short snappers: Headline in the New York Post: “Cursed: New York ridiculously named 17th most foul-mouthed state – when we’re obviously No. 1” … A massive storm in Manitoba last weekend ripped the roof off the arena in Foxwarren, Man., a rink where Ron Low and Pat Falloon, among others, developed their skills at hockey. The highest recorded wind was 106 km/h at a nearby community, St. Lazare. … Did you know you can pay library fines with food? Every Thursday, the library accepts non-perishable food items and gives you $2 in fine credit for each item – up to a maximum of $20.