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🌅 Good morning!

Have you found it harder and harder to pay attention? If so, you're not alone.

The modern world we are living in is “militating against the possibility of forming deep focus,” author Johann Hari writes. “You can still do it, but it’s getting harder and harder.”

I'm going to be honest. While writing this newsletter, at different points I've gotten distracted by text messages, social media notifications, trying to get the Wordle, getting a snack and even by background videos from our own Deseret News site.

Why is being able to have deep attention important?

“Your ability to pay attention is absolutely foundational to the texture of your life,” Hari said. “What is your life like if (it’s) dissolved into a hailstorm of three-minute fragments?”

Read more of Jacob Hess's story about why some experts believe there's a society-wide "serious crisis of attention" today.

Wanted: More young men enrolling in college

More and more men are sidestepping college.

Here are a few facts from organized Higher Education Male Achievement Collaborative (HEMAC):

Men now account for just two out of five college degrees earned in the United States, fewer than the share women received in 1972.
Less than half of men who enroll complete a four-year degree within the expected time frame.
Increasing numbers of male students arrive at college with significant mental health needs and associated challenges.

About 53% of students enrolled in college in Utah are women. A larger portion of women are enrolled at each of Utah's eight public degree-granting colleges and universities except for the University of Utah, where males hold the majority by a tiny margin, Jason Swensen reported.

”We can be passionate about women’s rights — and compassionate towards the struggles of boys and men,” Mike Kofoed, an assistant professor of economics at the University of Tennessee and who partners with HEMAC, said.

Read more about how national collaboratives and local higher ed leaders are responding to declining numbers of men enrolling in college.

A nondrinker’s guide to mocktails

Utah has the lowest alcohol consumption in the nation for a few reasons that are obvious to those of us who live here.

Nearly half of the population identifies as members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and observe the Word of Wisdom which prohibits alcohol, and the liquor laws in Utah are some of the strictest in the nation, Meg Walter reported.

Like the dirty soda shops and cookie delivery, Utah might be on trend in another regard — sobriety.

Younger generations are drinking far less than previous counterparts, according to Time.

And nonalcoholic beverages and mocktails are more often being stocked in grocery stores than in the past — there are 34% more mocktails on menus than there were in 2019.

Our own mocktail expert Meg Walter weighs in on the best ways to try them out.

Her do's:

Stick with citrus flavors.
Go for options that have "spritz" or "spritzer" if you're partial to bubbles.

Her don't's:

Order a phony negroni — she says it's a $12 glass of cough syrup.
Be afraid of unusual juice and herb combinations.
Shy away from a spicy drink

Read more about why dry doesn't have to mean dull for those abstaining from alcohol this month and beyond.

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Health

Cancer cases rising in females, declining in males. How to reduce your risk (Healthline)
Beyond red dye No. 3: Here's what parents should know about food colorings (NPR)

Faith

First Presidency meets with ambassadors from Portugal and Dominican Republic (Church News)
BYU, other Latter-day Saint schools will not drift from church governance, leader says (Deseret News)

Politics

Steve Pierce: History may be kinder to Joe Biden than voters (Deseret News)
Lawmaker wants to loosen Utah's eviction laws (KSL)
Utah’s hotly anticipated higher ed budget bill is out. Here’s what it says (KUER)

The Nation and the World

Why some experts believe there’s a society-wide ‘serious crisis of attention’ today (Deseret News)
Netanyahu issues warning ahead of Gaza ceasefire (BBC)
ICE planning to ramp up arrests in major U.S. cities after Trump takes office, sources say (CBS News)

Sports

BYU’s road woes continue in nail-biting 73-72 overtime loss to Utes (Deseret News)
Avery Neff injury overshadows bounce back performance for Utah gymnastics (Deseret News)
Utah Hockey Club star Mikhail Sergachev out with upper-body injury (Deseret News)
High school girls basketball: RPI rankings Saturday update — top spots in all 6 classifications remain unchanged (Deseret News)
High school boys basketball: RPI rankings Saturday update — South Sevier, Rich take over top spots in 2A, 1A (Deseret News)

🗓️ Events Calendar

We put together a calendar list of events and activities going on around the state of Utah during the next month. Check it out and let us know if we are missing anything!

Here are some highlights for events in Utah today:

U of U skiing Utah Invitational
USU men’s tennis vs. Weber State | 12 p.m.

Please reach out to me at sgambles@deseretnews.com if you have any thoughts, feedback or ideas you would like to share!

✨ Cheers ✨

— Gambles

More in Utah

A nondrinker’s guide to mocktails

🗓️ Events Calendar