Author Archives: Ron Byrnes

Age Is Just A Number

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The Paris Olympics are the distraction we need. ESPN has a groovy interactive feature that allows you to pick Team (d)USA’s men’s hoops starting five. After assembling your team, you get immediate feedback on how they would likely fare.

ESPN’s computer did not like my vet-heavy choices.

Stop stressing about the weather, the Presidential Election, Project 2025, and the possible end of democracy, and pick your starting five. No doubt you will assemble a younger, better team, maybe even a gold medal winning one.

Postscript. My do-over.

Privacy Is So Yesterday

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This is how the story starts:

“NEW YORK (AP) — Columbia University said Monday that it has removed three administrators from their positions and will keep them on leave indefinitely after finding that text messages they exchanged during a campus discussion about Jewish life ‘disturbingly touched on ancient antisemitic tropes.'”

Do not mistake what I’m about to write as exonerating the admins. I am not shedding any tears over their dismissals. Be prejudiced and stupid at your own risk.

That said, there’s a troubling story within the larger troubling story. I’ll leave it to you to decide which is more troubling.

The story is that none of the reporting I’ve seen raises a single question about the method used to bust the admins. Someone sitting behind them used their phone to take pics of one of the dismissed admins’ phone on which a group text was running amok.

You may have seen the recent story of some guy on an airplane wearing a wedding ring who allegedly hit on and hooked up with a fellow passenger. A nearby busy body passenger filmed the whole shady thing and then uploaded it to her socials. It went viral, people found his wife, and I don’t know how it turned out. I don’t even know if the vid was edited with the hope of going viral.

Way more interesting than the actual case study was the difference in how the story was told. Specifically, there was lots of conversation about what might be referred to as “electronic etiquette”. More to the point, whose actions were more egregious, the alleged philander or the budding movie maker? That’s an issue upon which reasonable people can disagree, but the point is her total ignoring of his privacy was a part of how the story was written up.

But not in the case of the Columbia grouptexters.

The larger question is whether we want to live in a world where everything we think and write—whether in public, semi-private, or private even—is subject to public approval or disapproval or not?

I can’t help but conclude, based on the complete non-questioning of the surreptitious phone texting photographer’s methods, that few people are sweating the end of privacy.

Maybe all that’s left of the privacy crowd is a sad sack Boomer with a humble blog.

The Upside Down

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Somehow, I’ve stumbled into a Stranger Things episode. And thanks to Biden, Trump, and the Lakers, I can’t get out.

Democratic Party leaders and Biden officials say I shouldn’t trust what I’m seeing and hearing. They know what I, a certified bed-wetter, don’t. The President is not aging. The debate was a one-off. His voice, energy levels, and communication skills are all fine. And will continue to be throughout a second term. He continues to be the exact right person for the job at the exact right time.

Following the debate, the Serial Liar said, “As I walked off the stage on Thursday night, at the end of the highly anticipated ‘Debate,’ anchors, political reporters and all screamed that I had had the greatest debate performance in the long and storied history of North Korea Presidential Debates. They all said, effectively, ‘Trump was fantastic!'”

Cue JJ Redick, the Los Angeles Lakers’ new head coach who today said, with a remarkably straight face, “Rob (Pelinka) and I did not give Bronny anything. Bronny has earned this. … Bronny has earned this through hard work.”

Bronny, who is shorter than me, averaged 4.8 points on 36.6% shooting (26.7% from 3), 2.8 rebounds and 2.1 assists in 19.3 minutes per game at some loathsome college. But the Lakers are saying I shouldn’t trust that sample set and that they would’ve picked Bronny even if the team wasn’t desperate to make his dad happy and resign him.

Biden’s Reelection Team, The North Korean, and the Los Angeles Lakers all think we’re too stupid to think for ourselves. So they’ll do it for us.

Our eyes, ears, and brains be damned.

The Con Man And The Old Man

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Peggy Noonan:

“From the moment he shuffled out with a soft and faltering gait, you could see how much he has declined. He was pale and waxy, and there was something almost furtive in his gaze. His voice was hoarse and feathery, with no projection. His answers were scrambled, halting. At some points he made no sense. At some points he seemed out of it.”

Nicholas Kristof:

“One of the perils facing this country, I believe and Biden believes, is the risk of a victory by Donald Trump. And after the debate, it’s hard to avoid the feeling that Biden remaining in the race increases the likelihood that Trump will move into the White House in January.”

Biden has been an extremely successful president and is universally well liked and deeply respected by those who know him best. I believe, if the election were held today, he would lose. And were he to prove me wrong, I believe he’d be way too diminished in a year, two, three, or four to have anywhere as successful a second term. Because biology is undefeated.

You need an example? This morning I ran around Capitol Lake, a scenic 5-mile loop with views of water, birds, and the State Capitol dome. The last mile is a 2% decline and today I decided to flip the turbo booster switch and see what kind of mile I could do downhill. At my athletic peak I had very average speed at best, by which I mean I’ve always been slow. But my consistency over decades resulted in above average endurance. Leading to decent performances. For example:

Less than seven years ago, 7:46/mile 26 times. As Adam Sandler sings in the Chanukah song, not too shabby. So, back to this morning’s time trial. Felt good. Movin’. Watch vibrates signaling the mile split. “Seven what?” I thought to myself. Glance down. 8:09.

I was planning on running the 10k in the (d)US Olympic Trials until The Good Wife and my close friends staged an intervention. They said I was jeopardizing my legacy as the Seattle Marathon age group winner and beloved figure of running fans near and far. And that the selfless thing to do would be to acknowledge my time in the running limelight has passed and to kindly step off the track before I lose badly to Grant Fisher and company.

Thank goodness for their objective tough love.

Human Decency Wins Again

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Life downtown means interacting with the Walking Wounded. Regularly.

Two times in as many weeks I’ve happily been ignored while next up in the grocery store check out line.

Both times the cashiers showed exceptional care and kindness to the down-and-out people in front of me. With no concern for the rest of us in line.

The first time the cashier explained that he knew the customer and always took extra time to do right by him and his guide dog. Although he didn’t need to, he also thanked me for my patience. I wish I had the presence of mind to thank him for taking his time to see the troubled person and for honoring his humanity.

A lot of people who are caring and kind normally aren’t especially either one when it comes to the homeless. Which perplexes me. It’s almost as if they’re offended by their poverty, addictions, and mental health issues. How dare they be poor, addicted, schizophrenic.

No one likes encampments in public spaces or personal property crime. But if we have to be angry, maybe we should direct our anger at ourselves for not making any more headway than we have in solving the crisis.

Granted, it’s a vexing, multi-faceted challenge. I suspect progress depends on more of us following the lead of patient, kind-hearted grocery store cashiers.