Steve McNair

I've been putting off posting anything about Steve McNair, just because the whole situation made me so sad. Generally I'm not a big sports follower, but Steve McNair caught my attention early -- his talent was exceptional, but his determination was even greater. In a New York Times article several years ago, his brother told about what it was like to play on the same college team as Steve McNair. When the game was on the line, sometimes McNair would get so intense, so focused, that his brother would realize that Steve at the time did not even register the presence of his own brother in the huddle. At that moment nothing mattered but playing the game to the utmost of his ability.

Off the field he was basically the opposite, relaxed, polite, even a little shy. Which makes what happened to him all the more shocking. A secret relationship with a lover who eventually crafts a murder/suicide seemed like the last ending possible for Steve McNair. Maybe he was too straightforward a person in some ways to see it coming. Maybe someone less trusting would have walked away sooner. But he did not. He made few errors in judgment on the field--he paid far too high a price for this one off it.

As a reminder that such things are not new, check out the names Billy Jurges and Eddie Waitkus.

Nada is More Than Just a State of Mind

Nothing today, sorry.

The Beatles - You Never Give Me Your Money

To mark the passing of Allen Klein yesterday, a song that indirectly refers to him.

The opening lines--"You never give me your money/You only give me your funny papers/And in the middle of negotiations/You break down"--are drawn from Paul McCartney's real-world experiences with Klein. The "funny papers" were contracts that Klein wanted Paul to sign. Paul refused for months and eventually refused completely, after which the Beatles broke up. Klein's lawsuits with the Beatles stretched out for many years. RIP Allen Klein I guess, but not many people outside of his family will miss him.

Jimi Hendrix - The Star Spangled Banner

Happy Independence Day.

Krugman on Why the Stimulus is Not Enough

If I didn't think Krugman were right, what he says wouldn't be so depressing.

Unlike the federal government, states are required to run balanced budgets. And faced with a sharp drop in revenue, most states are preparing savage budget cuts, many of them at the expense of the most vulnerable. Aside from directly creating a great deal of misery, these cuts will depress the economy even further.

So what do we have to counter this scary prospect? We have the Obama stimulus plan, which aims to create 3 ½ million jobs by late next year. That’s much better than nothing, but it’s not remotely enough. And there doesn’t seem to be much else going on. Do you remember the administration’s plan to sharply reduce the rate of foreclosures, or its plan to get the banks lending again by taking toxic assets off their balance sheets? Neither do I.

Greenwald on NPR and Torture

Glenn Greenwald has been gently but persistently sparring with National Public Radio about their reluctance to use the word "torture" to describe actions by the US. It's worth a read.

The Sixteen/Harry Christophers - Ah, my dear, ah, my dear Son!

The Sixteen is an ensemble specializing in early modern (formerly known as the Renaissance) vocal music, and Harry Christophers is their leader. This piece is from the Eton Songbook, which means it was written about five hundred years ago.