The Hustle

The Hustle tag:www.obsidianhustle.com,2007-08-07://2 2008-10-03T13:38:06Z Irreverent...But strangely relevant. You will be sold...aggressively. Movable Type Pro 4.2-en Debate Debrief tag:www.obsidianhustle.com,2008://2.200 2008-10-03T12:52:35Z 2008-10-03T13:38:06Z

At the end of the day, if you're a partisan, you left feeling better about your guy's VP choice, on both sides. If you're an independent or undecided, you probably leaned left to Biden. And all of us -- the left and right alike -- are happy that Mrs. Palin didn't embarass the nation collectively with a laughably bad performance.

Tony
Governor Sarah Palin was supposed to implode. She did not. I am surprised.

That said, she did get her clock cleaned but, she wasn't utterly destroyed -- which many were expecting Joe Biden to do. Now, don't mistake my comments for praise for the governor. They are not; I'm simply noting that Palin survived the maelstrom.

As to the performance of both candidates, Senator Joe Biden (D-De.) was all he was billed up to be and not what people expected, at the same time. And both sides of that statement are net pluses for him and the top of the ticket, Barack Obama.

Biden was, as expected, the seasoned policy wonk and consumate Senator with bearing, as a result of years in the Well of the Senate, and cloakroom deal-making expertise. Pluses. He wasn't condescending, obtuse, or rambling; nor did he put his foot in his mouth, not once that I could discern. Those are takeaways from his normal persona. Minuses. But, they were pluses in a paradoxical sense. Confusing, I know.

And he was also human, visibly choking up when discussing the near-death experience of his son, after the horrible car accident that killed his wife and daughter some 30 years ago. A huge plus for him, personally.

Palin was...well, she was there. She didn't fumble too much, and for the most part she gave nothing new to the public. You saw a woman who was obvious coached, and forced to go the rote memorization route with her responses. You saw a woman whose folksy demeanor is at once disarming and off-putting, attacking with a smile, while speaking with a voice sounding like a sad imitation of Frances McDormand's character Marge Gunderson in Fargo, but without the impressive toughness and intelligence.

Aside blatantly ignoring several questions Gwen Ifill posited, and committing a few verbal gaffes -- she misnamed the commanding general in Afghanistan, calling him General McClelland (he's actually General David McKiernan), she was mistaken about the troop levels in Iraq being below pre-surge levels (they are still above pre-surge levels), and she said the surge strategy in Iraq should be applied in Afghanistan (General McKiernan says not) -- she did better than expected.

Oh, except for her comment that the constitutional powers of the Vice President should be increased. That was a huge mistake. Huge.

After 8 years of Dick Cheney's secretive management of both the war on terror and the energy un-policy of the United States, and his ridiculous assertion that his office is actually part of the legislative branch -- rather than its righful place in the executive -- the last thing we need is another Veep that thinks their power reaches beyond the billet given them by the president.

I won't blast Mrs. Palin here, there will be plenty of time for that in the days to come. But I will say that she is a good memorizer, if not very solid on her knowledge about the weighty issues of the day.

At the end of the day, if you're a partisan, you left feeling better about your guy's VP choice, on both sides. If you're an independent or undecided, you probably leaned left to Biden. And all of us -- the left and right alike -- are happy that Mrs. Palin didn't embarass the nation collectively with a laughably bad performance.

]]> Minorities And The Mortgage Crisis tag:www.obsidianhustle.com,2008://2.199 2008-10-02T20:34:23Z 2008-10-02T22:32:20Z

Like most things American, crisis is always somehow laid at the feet of the person with color. This wasn't a crisis of color or class, it was a crisis of stupidity, and greed. And last I checked, greed and avarice had no discernable color.

Tony
And unless you've been ignoring the hullabaloo surrounding the causes, you also know that mortgage-back securities, and their many derivatives are the proximate cause of the near-death experience capitalism is going through at the moment.

But what you probably don't know is that it's all the fault of Mexicans, Central Americans, and Black folks.

That's right. It's the niggers, spics, and wetbacks that have caused the meltdown of the world's premier economy.

Well, at least that's what some on the Right would have you believe.

There has been a pervasive, and seemingly coordinated effort of late to frame the cause of the mortgage crisis as overly-loose lending standards that disproportionately benefited people of color and low economic means. Then -- of course -- those low-capitalized cretins defaulted, throwing the greater economy into complete disarray.

Poppycock.

Here's the highly condensed version of events. The beginning of this foolishness hearkens back to FDR, and the creation of The Federal National Mortgage Association (FNMA) otherwise known as Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, its legal name being The Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (FHLMC). These government-sponsored entities provide a secondary market for "mortgage liquidity." That's a fancy way of saying they buy, insure and sell packaged bundles of mortgages to investors, freeing banks of consumer mortgage debt and enabling them be able to loan more money. The upshot was (and is) that more people can purchase homes, because mortgage money is more available. That was the goal, and it's worked fairly well.

Along the way, as racial discrimination became illegal, it was determined that banks, insurance companies and savings and loans were systematically denying services (retail accounts, branches, policies and mortgages) to certain geographic areas in something called "redlining." Thus, people of color, predominantly, were either unable to get these financial services, or they were paying prices (interest) for money inordinate to the actual risk they posed the financial institutions.

Jump to 1977. The Community Reinvestment Act of 1977 (CRA) was passed and signed into law. CRA made illegal redlining. It also mandates that banking institutions be evaluated to determine if they are meeting the credit needs of their entire respective service areas. CRA did not force banks to allocate credit disproportionately (in other words, there was no "credit affirmative action") and it provided for flexibility in evaluating compliance.

In 1992, George H.W. Bush proposed and signed a law that, in part, directed Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to devote a percentage of their lending to support affordable housing. Sounds fair, as bank mergers and the rise in interstate banking permitted by a law change in 1994 was balanced by helping more monies to be funnelled into affordable housing.

In 1995, Bill Clinton signed into law new regulations for CRA to increase access to mortgage credit for inner city and distressed rural communities.

And so, we're now here, in 2008, with foreclosures representing about 3-5% of American mortgages, depending on who you ask, and multi-trillion dollar losses by banks worldwide as a result of those foreclosures. Predictably, everyone from the Wall Street Journal ("[CRA] compels banks to make loans to poor borrowers who often cannot repay them"), Ron Paul ("[CRA] forcing banks to lend to people who normally would be rejected as bad credit risks"), and even Minnesota Senator Michelle Backman (http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/260547) blamed minorities and the lower-middle class for the catastrophe.

But not so fast.

The only problem with all this speculation is it's completely wrong. Neither CRA nor affordable housing goals set by the government forced any lender to make loans they didn't want to. The lure of the subprime market was high yields and healthy profit margins -- it's as simple as that.

And the lure for the buyer was keeping up with the Jones', and making a killing at resale.

Consider that rigorous research has identified declining lending standards, an increase in loan incentives such as easy initial terms (like no money down with low "teaser rates"), and a long-term trend of rising housing prices which encouraged borrowers to assume difficult mortgages in the belief they would be able to quickly refinance at more favorable terms.

A 1997 research paper by economists at the Federal Reserve showed that "[CRA] lenders active in lower-income neighborhoods and with lower-income borrowers appear to be as profitable as other mortgage-oriented commercial banks," meaning that there was no greater risk of foreclosure among CRA beneficiaries that any other market. Janet L. Yellen, President of the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco pointed out that independent mortgage companies -- not regulated by CRA -- made "high-priced loans" at more than twice the rate of the banks and thrifts. And a law professor at the University of Michigan, Mike Barr stated that in his opinion, "the worst and most widespread abuses occurred in the institutions with the least federal oversight". None of those things seemingly have any correlation to the race or ethnicity of the borrower.

And then there is the unspoken factor of a speculative fever that gripped housing sales. In Florida for example, "flipping" -- that is, the purchase and near-immediate sale for enormous profit -- of condos was so profitable entrepreneurs opened an internet exchange to take advantage.

Then there's the concomitant issue of ridiculously high home prices. Areas in which foreclosures are most prevalent -- California, Florida, Nevada, and Michigan -- have median home prices well above the national average, and anecdotal information suggests that the cause of the issue isn't low-income minorities, but mainstream buyers purchasing too much house for their incomes. In fact, an article in the October, 2008 issue of Condé Nast Portfolio quotes home mega-builder Bob Toll as saying that buyers "drove til they qualified," meaning, buyers, buoyed by cheap gas, drove further and further out to the exurbs hunting for larger, more expensive homes that they could qualify to purchase using cheap money.

Doesn't sound like the poor and minorities to me.

The fact is, most of these buyers would have been decent risks had they had any money in downpayment. Mosg had jobs. And good or decent credit. What they didn't have was common sense. They bit off more than they could chew. When the rates on their zero-down, 1% APR Option-ARM started going up they simply couldn't afford their new payments. Add in millions of buyers who took interest only loans (a big seller in New York City) or even negative amortization loans, and a foreclosure tsunami was bound to occur.

The foreclosures started driving prices down which caused problems in the appraisals for people refinancing or trying to get cash out of their homes, placing them in jeopardy.

And once the cycle began, it was hard to stop.

Like most things American, crisis is always somehow laid at the feet of the person with color. This wasn't a crisis of color or class, it was a crisis of stupidity, and greed. And last I checked, greed and avarice had no discernable color.
]]> Things Fall Apart* tag:www.obsidianhustle.com,2008://2.198 2008-09-30T00:08:51Z 2008-09-30T00:42:22Z

"A banana republic with nukes" is what Paul Krugman of the New York Times called the United States. A Banana Republic, indeed.

Tony
Hmmm.

How do I say this...

Well, let's just say, in the aftermath of a 778-point drop in the Dow Industrials, a day where one Republican blamed Jewish high-holy days, and another blamed a mean floor speech by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), a day where John McCain claimed victory in getting the bailout passed, moments before the bill was voted down(!), the markets are indeed starting to fall apart.

Dow down 7percent. Australian exchange down 4% in the first 15 minutes of trading as I write this.

Let me get two things out of the way, really quick.

First I'm an Obama supporter (unabashedly so). Second, I am against my candidate and the greater political establishment when I say, "let the bastards fail" and let the bailout bill die a slow death. My personal opinion.

We're presented with a moment, similar to what Friedrich Hayek lived through in 1931 and '32 where the government increased the amount of the money in the economy and lowered interest rates to help ease the effects of the Great Depression. Sound like today, eh?

Mr. Hayek railed against such a solution, decrying government intervention in the dire state of the economy.

And like '32, there is the little-dissected but extremely large role that business played in this catastrophe; it wasn't just "free money" in the form of low-interest borrowing. Business was imprudent in creating both the exotic mortgage instruments underlying the problem, and in creating secondary investment vehicles so complex that not even they could fully understand them. Add to that, the fact that such complex instruments defy proper valuation (how can you assign value to something you don't inherently understand?), and you see the whole market for these CDOs, and MBSs was a shell game in practice. You have a recipe for disaster.

And we're in that disasterous mix, right now.

I don't believe we have a choice as to how to proceed any more. We simply can't wait for the private sector to get their collective ass in gear and get this situation worked out. We might agree to the cause, but that's hindsight.

The free market solution poses at least two huge problems intimately related to the successful - meaning least painful - decapitalization of these entities that engaged in overly-risky behavior. The most important is given the pervasive nature of these instruments throughout the balance sheets of businesses, how do you unwind these positions without killing off entire entities, and leaving jobless potentially millions of people nationwide as ancillary businesses scale back as well? Second, given that the market for these instruments have dried up, how does one value them at a price attractive enough for private sector businesses to even want to touch them? Answer to that one: you really can't.

I don't see a solution coming from the private sector - where it should come from - but I do see a Resolution Trust Corp.-style solution coming from the US Government. Socialism-lite, at least for the next couple of decades, while all this mess is done away with.

As much as I think Mr. Hayek is right in this case -- let the bastards fail -- I think we just have to suck this one up at this point, and do the damn bailout.

This is an instant where ideological purity will cause people (lots of them) to lose their jobs. Not just folks in the Financial District, real people with modest homes, not mansions, and children, who earn wages, not salaries, but simple wages.

But what are we doing right now? Arguing about offensive speeches and hurt feelings. Jewish holidays. And whether "Country First" means being in Washington and contributing nothing to the process. Our government is dysfunction, partisan, and pussified, playing the blame game, and succeeding in burying regular Americans more and more by the hour. What was Nero doing, when Rome burned? Fiddling, allegedly. Well, we witness it now: the government collectively fiddles, while Wall Street and the rest of the nation, burn.

"A banana republic with nukes" is what Paul Krugman of the New York Times called the United States.

A Banana Republic, indeed.

*Thanks to The Roots, as at no other time that I can remember, this CD title is more than apt. ]]> Return of The Jedi tag:www.obsidianhustle.com,2008://2.197 2008-09-25T13:14:41Z 2008-09-25T13:50:17Z

Seems Mr. McCain is trying to pull a Jedi mind trick with this gimmick. But hopefully the Luke Skywalker's, Princess Leia's and Han Solo's of the Obama campaign and the people's nation will strike back, and expose this insidious plot.

Tony
I'm so enthused.

Mr. McCain called for the suspension of his campaign activities and canceling the first scheduled presidential candidate debate, on deck for Friday at the University of Mississippi in Oxford. This, after the congress failed (thankfully) in passing the $700 billion bailout bill proposed by President George Bush. McCain also made an appeal to Senator Barack Obama to agree to suspend his campaign. For his part, Mr. Obama agreed to do nothing of the sort; he's expected to continue operations and be in attendance in Oxford, MS tomorrow night at 9pm.

Let me explain why I think this is all a bunch of hooey.

First, Mr. McCain had days, DAYS, to respond to this calamity but has made no substantive comment regarding the financial breakdown until yesterday. Where was his urgency the day after both AIG and Lehman Bros. unraveled? And where was his urgency in asking the President to present a realistic bill for congressional approval, not the drivel that Bush, Paulson, Bernanke, et al. tried to foist on the American public?

Second, what, exactly can either Mr. McCain or Mr. Obama do in Washington to assist the creation and passage of a well-crafted bill? Neither man is a member of any of the relevant senatorial committees or subcommittees. Further, why politicize the process even more, with the prescence of both presidential candidates?

According to Mr. Obama, he's been in constant contact with members of his party and they are well-aware of his (shared) priorities surrounding the proposed bailout. Mr. McCain, by his own admission, knows nothing about economics. So, what is he going to contribute?

Let's be completely honest: this was a political stunt. A stunt to do one or both of the following:

Delay the presidential debate, as Mr. McCain is unprepared and unready. I don't particularly subscribe to that reasoning because foreign policy -- the subject of the Friday debate -- is McCain's supposed strength.

More likely, the goal is push back the vice-presidential debate. This from CNN confirms the targeted result. According to CNN, the McCain people want to move the Friday debate to Thursday, October 2nd. That date just happens to be the scheduled opportunity for Alaska Governor Sarah Palin to debate Senator Joe Biden of Delaware, their only scheduled debate at this moment.

Mrs. Palin has been meeting with foreign leaders for the past two days at the United Nations General Assembly here in New York City. The most substantive thing to come from those meeting: Pakistan president Asif Ali Zardari was quoted as saying he thinks Mrs. Palin is "gorgeous," and Mrs. Palin and Afghan President Hamid Karzai discussed Mr. Karzai's son during their 30 second meeting.

Palin's not ready for prime time, and the McCain folks know it. Convenient, that they chose the date of her debate as a great raindate for the Obama/McCain tussle.

Now, I don't deny McCain loves his country, and takes his duty seriously. But I also believe that he and his handlers thought that he could kill three birds with one stone: increase his standing in the polls, show his "concern" for the nation (remember, "Country First"), and protect Mrs. Palin, all at the same time. Unfortunately, American cynicism is going to scuttle at least two of those results, I think.

Seems Mr. McCain is trying to pull a Jedi mind trick with this gimmick. But hopefully the Luke Skywalkers, Princess Leia's and Han Solo's of the Obama campaign and the people's nation will strike back, and expose this insidious plot.

But then again, I don't have much faith in a substantial chunk of the American people, so I could be wrong. Let's hope I'm not.

John McCain: the (dark side of the) Force is strong in this one.

]]> The Bailout. tag:www.obsidianhustle.com,2008://2.196 2008-09-23T00:47:05Z 2008-09-23T01:24:48Z

We're going to get royally screwed by this legislation. Giving away authority to spend over $700 billion completely without oversight?!

Tony
So now, wither the US economy, and by implication, your and my tax dollars? At this moment, the US Treasury estimates that the bailout will cost us a cool $700 billion dollars (with the best Dr. Evil voice I can muster). Now, I'm mad as hell, because when I went through financial hard times, there was no bailout forthcoming from the government. When I made credit mistakes fresh out of college, all I was left with was bills to pay, and a credit score in the high-500s.

But now, multi-billion dollar entities, who turned out to be far too smart (?) for their own good, get skunked, and Lord have mercy, here comes the feds to purchase all their "toxic mortgage-based assets." And not just domestic banks, even foreigners get in on the dialing for dollars.

Here's a question for you: why are foreign banks getting bailed out as well? Well, one name: Phil Gramm.

Mr. Gramm has been involved in the creation of the bill that the President wants congress to pass without debate. Mr. Gramm of "Americans are a nation of whiners" fame, and former chief economic advisor to candidate John McCain, is now vice-chairman of UBS, and he's been intimately involved in the crafting of the legislation designed to rescue the economy. UBS stands to be the recipient of several billion to cover their losses as a result of the exotic mortgage meltdown.

I don't know about you, but I don't want some rich bastard who calls me a whiner to get any of my tax dollars for his Swiss employer.

As if that's not enough, there's not going to be even a bit of recourse if the fed just throws money at these firms and overpays for those aforementioned toxic assets. Section 8 of the proposed bill explicitly states that whatever the Secretary of the Treasury does, those actions are not reviewable by the courts or congress:

Sec. 8. Review.
Decisions by the Secretary pursuant to the authority of this Act are non-reviewable and committed to agency discretion, and may not be reviewed by any court of law or any administrative agency.

I don't know about you, but when I got credit to buy my new car for example, there was oversight and stipulations on what I could purchase (new car), from whom (a franchised dealer) and with a maximum transaction price. And if I didn't meet the covenants of my loan, there would be no purchase. Who trusts the government to wisely spend our three-quarters of a trillion dollars?

We're going to get royally screwed by this legislation. Giving away authority to spend over $700 billion completely without oversight?!

No oversight, no accountability. And an open purse containing nearly a trillion of our hard-earned dollars, available to banks and the wealthiest worldwide. And by the way, many economists are expressing doubt that the bailout will work. And fiscal conservatives are apoplectic. None other than Sen. Richard Shelby (R-Ala.) is so concerned, he may not vote for the bill:

"In my judgment, it would be foolish to waste massive sums of taxpayer funds testing an idea that has been hastily crafted, and may actually cause the government to revert to an inadequate strategy of ad hoc bailouts."

This is the price we, as a nation, get to pay, for years of completely non-existent regulation. We need to slow this train down, before the second train wreck occurs in short order.
]]> The Hustle Has Returned From Summer Hiatus tag:www.obsidianhustle.com,2008://2.195 2008-09-23T00:38:34Z 2008-09-23T00:41:50Z

It's been a long time! But I'm back...And boy, do I have a lot to talk about!

Tony
"It's been a long time since I left you...Without a Strong essay to read."

I'm not Rakim and my rhyming skills leave much to be desired. But nonetheless, I've returned and boy, do I have lots to write about, from politics to economics. It's great to be back from summer break....I've missed y'all!!

Now, let's get back down to business...
]]> Friday Flashback :: Tears For Fears' "Shout" tag:www.obsidianhustle.com,2008://2.194 2008-06-28T01:29:55Z 2008-06-28T16:53:37Z

A simple song, with a simple solution to a complex world.

Tony
Roland Orzabal and Curt Smith met as children in Bath. Both boys came from broken homes, and Smith was leaning toward juvenile delinquency. Once they discovered each other and Janov's therapy strategies, they started making music and soon landed a recording contract with Polygram in 1982.

Their first release, The Hurting was a great hit in the UK with five top-ten hits. Two years later, the group released Songs From The Big Chair which featured a soul-influenced sound. This release became an international hit, based on the strength of two tracks, one of which is today's Flashback. "Shout" was one of the most recognizable songs of the '80s, and became their second No. 1 U.S. single. The fact that a group named for primal scream therapy would write a song to protest the madness of the world around them by...shouting...makes perfect sense.

It's a seriously simple song, with clarity, but not "stripped." It's driven by a simple percussion track, and moves along, never losing its drive. The melodies remain simple even in the solos, and the production never gets out of control. In short, it's simplicity itself.

Kinda makes sense: a simple song, with a simple solution to a complex world.

Tears For Fears :: "Shout"
Album: Songs From The Big Chair
Released: 1985
Billboard: #1, The Billboard Top 100; #1, Hot Dance; #6, Mainstream Rock; #56 Hip Hop/R&B Singles.

Play the Track: Shout (to download, Mac users, Control-click, and choose 'Save Link As...' Windows users right-click the link and choose 'Save Target As...').

]]> Friday Flashback :: Pam Todd & Love Exchange's "Let's Get Together" tag:www.obsidianhustle.com,2008://2.193 2008-06-20T02:31:47Z 2008-06-20T02:53:30Z

What better than a legendary Chicago-House/Disco classic, that for real house-heads (like me) will get one into a full-fledged jumping, kicking, and twirling frenzy: Pam Todd & Love Exchange's "Let's Get Together."

Tony
What better than a legendary Chicago-House/Disco classic, that for real house-heads (like me) will get one into a full-fledged jumping, kicking, and twirling frenzy: Pam Todd & Love Exchange's "Let's Get Together."

Released shortly after my sixth birthday, in 1977, this song was a "Paradise Garage" classic and disco jam, hella soulful, and built to make people dance! The disco legend Greg Carmichael was the producer of this track. Carmichael was behind Universal Robot Band, Inner Life, and Phreek. Each of these outfits delivered a handful of club classics that still endure as house-DJ favorites decades after their original release. Songs such as "Dance and Shake Your Tamborine," "Barely Breaking Even," "Weekend," "Love Bug," "Moment of My Life," and "I'm Caught Up" are part of every classic house jocks record bag.

Note I don't focus much on Pam Todd, as she and Love Exchange were just a vehicle for Carmichael's disco jones to be realized. Todd and company did have an LP called "Let's Get Together" (from which this song came), but nothing else came from it, and truthfully, Todd was a bit player and foil for Carmichael's musical and production genius.

Nonetheless, while Pam Todd does get the lead credit, make no mistake, the real star in this case was Greg Carmichael.

The Flashback for June 20, 2007: "Let's Get Together" from Pam Todd & Love Exchange.

Pam Todd & Love Exchange :: "Let's Get Together"
Album: Let's Get Together
Released: 1977

Play the Track: Let's Get Together (to download, Mac users, Control-click, and choose 'Save Link As...' Windows users right-click the link and choose 'Save Target As...').

]]> Back In The Saddle Again tag:www.obsidianhustle.com,2008://2.192 2008-06-20T01:49:47Z 2008-06-20T17:34:45Z

Two mishaps had taken me out of commission. It's nice to be back.

Tony
After two rather unfortunate circumstances, I'm back to blogging. It was weird not being able to post...

First, and most unfortunate circumstance: I partially tore a ligament in my left foot. Yes, I did. How, you might ask? Well, let's say it was nothing particularly heroic, or dramatic. It was actually kinda dumb. So on Saturday, the 14th, I had a hankering for some Jamaican food. I placed an order for some Jerk and plantains and proceeded to make my way to the restaurant. It was raining and such but I didn't think it was that hard a rain. So I ventured out with some beach sandals and shorts and a tee.

The rain intensified as I drove to the spot. Of course it did.

As I got to the restaurant, all rainy hell broke loose. The street turned into a makeshift river. And I, like a dumb-ass, got out of the car because I just had to have some Jerk chicken. So, as I said, I parked and got out. I looked down to ground, and noticed that the gutter had seemingly expanded to be about three feet wide with flowing water. Just then, a big flash of lightning occurred. I have this irrational fear of being struck by lightning (one of the few things I fear) and I didn't think placing even a foot in the watery torrent that was the gutter/street edge was wise, either from a hygiene or electrical-conductivity standpoint, so I figured I'd leap to cross it.

Not a big deal. I've done such things before.

It was then, that "it" happened. As I pushed off on my left foot, I felt a distinct "pop." I landed fine on my right foot, but trying to put pressure on my left foot was instantly painful. I hopped, one-legged, into the restaurant, dropped my cash, and rolled out with my chicken and plantains. I looked crazy: hopping out of the restaurant with a bag of chicken and banana, avoiding pressure on my foot, the instep of which was rapidly swelling, all the while cursing the southeast-Asia monsoon season-style downpour. A painful night, a trip to the ER, and three X-Rays later, I learned for sure what I already knew: partially torn ligament in my foot. So, since Sunday, I've been off my feet, and bored out of my skull sitting at home, with ibuprofen, ice packs and HBO.

Second unfortunate circumstance: Prior to my injury, I had a bit of an accident with my trusty MacBook.

A tumble out of my camera bag led the BlackBook to fall rear edge-first, bounce, then skate top-face down across my apartment floor, apparently damaging the back-light element. So, I could hear my machine power up, but I had no screen to view. Shit! A UPS trip to Santa Clara, California and MacService, was now in order for my beloved Mac. Since it had just been there a scant six months before (when I mistakenly stepped on the laptop as it sat on the floor next to my bed, cracking the glossy LCD screen), this most recent service was technically under warranty. They didn't need to know that the recent damage was accidental, and not a part failure.

So, $39 and one week later, my beloved black MacBook was back in my hands.

Of course, as a result of these combined mishaps, I've been gone for about a week.

Lessons learned: first, if it's raining like from God's own shower-head, stay home. Jerk Chicken is not worth it.

Second, electronics are fragile. Feet plus floors plus MacBooks equal pain, suffering and somewhat lighter wallets.

]]> Friday Flashback (A Bit Late) :: Aretha Franklin's "Jump To It" tag:www.obsidianhustle.com,2008://2.191 2008-06-07T17:05:40Z 2008-06-09T17:28:24Z

"Jump to It" stayed at number one R&B for four weeks (her first Number One of the 80's) while going to number 24 pop in late 1981.

Tony
Anyway, a bit late, but never missing a beat, here is today's flashback cut: Aretha Franklin's "Jump To It."

Produced by long-time musical collaborators Marcus Miller and the late, great Luther Vandross -- yeah, that Luther! -- "Jump To It" was a return to more energetic stylings by Ms. Franklin. Apparently, the story goes that Luther was enthralled with Aretha's string of 17 #1 hits during her Atlantic Records time, and he was quoted as saying that he wanted to produce a song for her. Well, Clive Davis got wind of Luther's desire, and passed word onto Aretha, who was immediately on-board.

After some mutual ego-stroking, Vandross introduced Aretha to the tune he and Miller had been working on (conceived in a hallway at NBC's New York studios, as Vandross and Miller were preparing to appear on "Saturday Night Live"). Franklin gave the thumbs-up, and the rest is musical history.

"Jump to It" stayed at number one R&B for four weeks (her first Number One of the 80's) while going to number 24 pop in late 1981. The eponymous LP also yielded the Top 30 R&B hits "Love Me Right" and "This Is for Real."

There's a surprising familiarity that one feels instantly when hearing this song. It reminds me (at least) of some of Luther's better 80's work, post-Change, days, like "Never Too Much" for example. All I know is that "Jump..." is one of the better examples of ReRe's work during the 80s...

Aretha Franklin :: "Jump To It"
Album: Jump To It
Released: 1982
Billboard peak: #1 R&B Singles

Play the Track: Jump To It (to download, Mac users, Control-click, and choose 'Save Link As...' Windows users right-click the link and choose 'Save Target As...').

]]> The Dust Is Settling tag:www.obsidianhustle.com,2008://2.190 2008-06-05T00:49:33Z 2008-06-05T01:51:27Z

After 16 months of balls-out campaigning, the race for the Democratic Party nominee for president has come to a close, and it appears that Barack Obama has emerged, bloodied, but victorious.

Tony
Before I go on, let me say that I honor Hillary Clinton, and congratulate her for running a hard-hitting (sometimes too hard) campaign, and for being gutsy, and dogged in her pursuit of the nomination. She's a helluva person -- not just a helluva woman -- and she deserves props for keeping her promise to her supporters. She's incredibly bright, with some great ideas and she's not done in politics -- presidential or otherwise -- by any measure. It just wasn't to be for her. This year.

As to the presumptive nominee, damn he did it!!

For a moment, let's reflect on the accomplishment that we celebrate this day after the last primaries. It was 389 years ago when the first Africans set foot in Virginia colony, dragged to the New World in shackles and chains, at then end of their own tearful journey. In between then and now, there was brutal slavery, lynching, the Civil War, Reconstruction, Jim Crow, segregation, and 'soft racism,' among other slights. But now, today, we have what appears to be the first non-white, the first African-American presidential candidate. Progress, for sure. Tremendous progress for sure. But there is so much more that we can do. Like electing Obama for a start.

What I'm proudest about right now, is that the Obama campaign has been classy and gracious in dealing with the competition in the Clinton camp. He's shown her and her campaign a great deal of deference, not just in the interest of party unity, but out of simple respect. That's what we need to end this part of the process and more importantly, such...presidential...behavior is what we need from the next president.

But before we get to that part, it's time for the wind-down.

Hillary's campaign is going into suspended-mode. She is bringing things to a close, but to do so, it's akin to stopping a speeding train: it takes time and distance, and to their credit, the Obama camp is keeping its distance to let Clinton decelerate gracefully. Congressional Dems, in their zeal to move forward, have been placing phone calls all day, demanding a quick close -- because they want to pivot and tee off on John McCain.

To those that stood with Senator Clinton, to those that feel a sense of hurt at the defeat of their candidate, your pain is understood. There are lots of hurt feelings to go around, with many real and imagined slights inflicted on both candidates. But now, it's time to come together as a party, as 37 million (or more) people, to do away with the 8-year stain that's been Republican domination of the American political landscape. And in the sober light of the day after, you can see what Obama supporters see: that Senator Obama needs you. America needs you.

So now, let's complete this historic moment by moving forward together to ensure in January, 2009, a new day dawns that we can be proud of. A day that sees a Democrat in the White House.

]]> Photo Monday: Wistful tag:www.obsidianhustle.com,2008://2.189 2008-06-02T21:36:06Z 2008-06-02T22:02:03Z

The perfect combination of longing, detachment from her surroundings and loss, simultaneously.

Tony

Wistful. Model: Kay Hill.
©2008, Anthony Armstrong for IKONIK. All Rights Reserved.
Shot with Canon EOS-1D Mark II, with EF70-200mm f/2.8 USM.
Focal length: 70mm, 1/125sec @ f/2.8, ISO100.

After taking Memorial Day off, it was back to shooting this weekend. The sitter this week was Kay Hill, student at New York's Fashion Institute of Technology, designer and model.

We didn't have a theme for this shoot, so she threw together some of her fashions, met me at the studio, and we got to shooting. As is sometimes the case, the best shots came towards the end, once we'd gotten used to one another's style. The series of naturally-lit shots with her at the window sill were excellent! This one I think is the best of the group, capturing her profile, with short lighting through the (quite dirty) window. The dirt was a blessing, helping the incoming light be as diffuse as possible. This lighting was quite even, and flattering on her face, without objectionable hotspots.

I think the best thing about the shot is her facial expression. I wanted longing, detachment from her surroundings and loss, simultaneously, which is exactly what I got. It's almost as if she's looking out of the window waiting for a lost love to return.

Even better for me, was the fact that there was virtually no post-processing necessary, except for the obligatory sharpening, and conversion to JPEG. Gotta love that!

]]> Friday Flashback :: Junior's "Mama Used To Say" tag:www.obsidianhustle.com,2008://2.188 2008-05-30T20:21:22Z 2008-05-30T20:43:50Z

he track as written by Junior and executive produced by Bob Carter would reach Number Two on the R&B charts and broke the mainstream pop Top 30 in early 1982. To this day, this infection jam retains its classic status among music fans in the US and abroad.

Tony . Junior Giscombe was born in London, and grew up enjoying American R&B of Sixties-vintage, especially The Dells, Otis Redding, Motown era artists, and Philly soul of the Seventies, along with Reggae influences.

He'd strike it big with the dance-floor track "Mama Used to Say." "Mama Used to Say" didn't take off right away. Like many of the 80's hottest tracks, the song was originally issued in the U.K. by Phonogram. The single languished around until it was released by the label's sister U.S. imprint, Polygram, and given a hot 12" remix house/disco legend Tee Scott. With thumping synth bass and a blasting horn section that would make James Brown proud, "Mama..." was given the treatment it needed by Scott. The aforementioned elements were brought to the fore, some additional percussion breaks were added, and the track was given an overall wider sound.

That was all it needed! The track as written by Junior and executive produced by Bob Carter would reach Number Two on the R&B charts and broke the mainstream pop Top 30 in early 1982. To this day, this infection jam retains its classic status among music fans in the US and abroad.

Today's Flashback for last Friday in May, 2008 is Junior's "Mama Used To Say"

Junior :: "Mama Used To Say"
Album: Ji
Released: 1982
Billboard peak: #2 R&B Singles

Play the Track: Mama Used To Say (to download, Mac users, Control-click, and choose 'Save Link As...' Windows users right-click the link and choose 'Save Target As...').

]]> Rachel Ray, Her Scarf and Terrorism (Or alternately, Get Michelle Malkin a Vibrator and some Vaseline) tag:www.obsidianhustle.com,2008://2.187 2008-05-29T17:53:04Z 2008-05-29T19:14:04Z

While I'd die to defend her right to say whatever stupid and ignorant mess she has to say, I'd love for someone take her laptop from her and throw it into the Potomac, if only to keep her from spewing more comments of hate and ignorance.

Tony
In said ad, Ms. Ray is wearing a scarf that on TV resembles something called a keffiyeh, a hundreds-of-years old design of head-dress primarily worn by men in the Middle East to shield their heads from the searing sun and heat of that parched part of the globe. It's existed for centuries, and only of late -- the last 50 years or so -- has it become associated with Palestinian solidarity. (It's interesting to note that British Colonel T.E. Lawrence -- known to most as "Lawrence of Arabia" -- wore one during WWI).

While I don't drink coffee, I do -- well I did -- enjoy Dunkin' Donuts artery-clogging confections every blue moon so I consider(ed) myself a fan of their work. Now, I'll be boycotting them, not because of the scarf, but because they actually capitulated to the lunatic fringe and pulled the commercial.

Of course, not to be deterred by common sense, the political right in this country, led by one Michelle Malkin, have seized on the scarf, yes the scarf, around Ms. Ray's neck, labeling said scarf as a keffiyeh, and deciding it's a sign of Ray demonstrating "jihadi chic," and of Dunkin Donuts' and Ray supporting "hate couture."

Goddamnit, I hate stupidity.

I was going to avoid and refrain from an ad hominem attack on Miss Malkin. But I feel compelled to overturn my initial decision and go in.

First though, let me say, I think Rachel Ray is a hottie. Bona fide. Hottie. She also can throw down in the kitchen, so in my book, she's a winner. And according to her spokespeople the scarf she was wearing wasn't even a keffiyeh: it was some paisley number with fringe that her stylist thought might be cute. I'm a dude, and scarves aren't my thing, so, if they say it was a compliment to her outfit, so be it. I couldn't care less.

But back to Ms. Malkin. Like I said, I was going to stay away from bashing her directly but I must.

This chick needs some good penis. Bottom line.

I've tried to understand what would make one so jingoistic in their short-sightedness, and so ignorant in their approach to things they don't understand. I've thought and thought, but I was at a loss. She needs something. In her case, as darling of the Rabid Right, money and fame are not in short supply right now. So it has to be dick...How much would you like to bet that she's married to some member of the "mainstream" with a 3-inch joystick? She's sexually frustrated, so she has to lash out at perceived threats. From a scarf, for example.

And obviously while she's bright, she lacks common sense. Either that, or she's convinced in her undiagnosed paranoia that her personal safety is that much at risk from a piece of cotton fabric on the head of a foodie.

Imagine the outrage if Ms. Malkin appeared on TV wearing a skirt or some other article of clothing native to the Philippines, and she was labeled a goo-goo or gook, slapped her on the ass and told to "blow me mama-san?" How would she feel? And better yet, how would the antagonist look, allowing their personal ignorances to publicly label and slander a whole group of people? They would look ignorant, and stupid.

About as ignorant and stupid as saying a scarf represents jihad, and by racist insinuation that anyone wearing such is a terrorist or supports the killing of innocents. It's ignorant bullshit such as this that fuels hatred of this country, and makes us more likely to be the target of terror.

And this lack of understanding...it seems to permeate the entirety of the Right in this country. See something you don't understand, demonize it. Not wearing a flag lapel pin, demonize him. Not creaming at the first two bars of the "Star Spangled Banner?" You're a demon!

This is an example of the epidemic of utter and complete ass-backwards thought that has taken over this country in the past decade or two. And while I'd die to defend her right to say whatever stupid and ignorant mess she has to say, I'd love for someone take her laptop from her and throw it into the Potomac, if only to keep her from spewing more comments of hate and ignorance.

Thank you armchair, dick-deprived, self-hating, paranoid, and racist patriots of America, for using your powerful mouse-clicking muscles to keep us safe from scarves and other supposed symbols of hatred. I knew that doughnuts were unhealthy, but I had no idea that Al Qaeda was behind it all!

]]> On Florida and Michigan tag:www.obsidianhustle.com,2008://2.186 2008-05-28T17:19:03Z 2008-05-28T21:11:21Z

The bottom line is this: the candidates agreed on ground rules. They played by those rules. And Barack Obama has won by those rules. This isn't some anti-feminist conspiracy, nor is this situation one forced on Mrs. Clinton. This situation is a result of the rules she and her own people agitated for.

Tony
So, let's look back and see where all this started, shall we?

August 25, 2007: Democrats previously created rules for the primary voting season to come, scheduling primaries based on region, ethic make-up of the electorate and a desire to have an orderly nominating process. The rules ban states from holding their 2008 contests before Feb. 5, except Iowa, Nevada, New Hampshire and South Carolina. Florida and Michigan are both given the "death penalty" for their attempts to leap-frog other states in the primary rush. The candidates are allowed to visit Michigan and Florida to raise money and can send their spouses to campaign, but they can't run advertisements, hold rallies or do most of the other things that would help give them a leg up on their opponents. The hope is, with electoral hostilities settled likely by SuperTuesday, February 5, 2008, an orderly convention in Denver can follow in the summer, nominee selected and general election victory all but assured. All front-runners, Hillary Clinton, John Edwards, and then-upstart Barack Obama agree to be bound by the rules.

In fact (!), Clinton held tremendous potential leverage over this decision, and not only because she was then widely judged the likely nominee. Of the Democratic Nominating Committee's 30 members, a near-majority of 12 were Clinton supporters. All of them -- most notably her chief strategist Harold Ickes -- voted for Florida's full disenfranchisement. (The only dissenting vote was cast by a Tallahassee, Fla., city commissioner who supported Obama.)

Friday, September 1, 2007: Hillary Clinton agrees to the following statement: "We believe Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina play a unique and special role in the nominating process. And we believe the DNC's rules and its calendar provide the necessary structure to respect and honor that role. Thus, we will be signing the pledge to adhere to the DNC approved nominating calendar."

Thursday, October 11, 2007: Hillary Clinton, during an interview on New Hampshire Public Radio's call-in program, "The Exchange" says of Michigan's rule-breaking Democratic Primary:"It's clear, this election they're having is not going to count for anything."

Thursday, Jan. 3, 2008: Iowa Caucuses. In mid-2007, after other states advanced the dates of their nominating contests, Iowa Democrats joined Republicans in making their caucus the first in the nation and the earliest ever. Why? Iowa has been historically the first plebiscite of the political silly season. Obama goes on to an unexpected victory.

Tuesday, Jan. 8, 2008: New Hampshire's Primary Day. Months earlier, that state's Secretary of State moved its primary ahead of Michigan's -- which moved its primary up because it was seething at the power New Hampshire and Iowa had in shaping the political discourse. New Hampshire State law says New Hampshire must vote at least a week before any other primary. Clinton, in the now-infamous tear-jerker interview, goes on to win.

Tuesday, Jan 15, 2008: Michigan Primary Day. It was Mchigan's attempt to move ahead of the other states triggered the earlier-than-normal primary contests -- and got them stripped of all 156 of their delegates. Clinton wins Michigan -- running unopposed because Obama and Edwards weren't on the ballot and had not campaigned there -- with 55% of the vote. A shocking 40% of voters vote "UNCOMMITTED" on their ballots, and another 4% vote for Dennis Kucinich. "Uncommitted" actually beat Clinton in some counties and held her below 50 percent in others, including Detroit's Wayne County.

Tuesday, Jan. 29, 2008: Florida Primary. Months earlier, despite warnings and candidate pledges, Florida persists in shifting its primary forward. Florida hoped for a bigger role in the nominating process but got nothing as DNC strips delegates. Here's the important point that's lost in all the partisan hand-wringing: what most people seem to miss in this whole fracas is that the move by the Republican-controlled Florida legislature to move the primary date ahead of that authorized, is in violation of both DNC and Republican National Committee rules, leading to sanctions from both parties. The RNC strips Florida of 1/2 its delegates as punishment for the infraction. Clinton wins about 50% of the Democratic vote. Edwards outpolls Obama slightly for second.

As of today, Obama has a lead in the popular vote, the pledged delegate count and the increasingly important super-delegate count, the trifecta all but assuring him of being the first non-white nominee of a major party in a race for the Office of President of The United States.

A cynic might be tempted to remind Clinton that these disputed primaries only became a concern when it looked like they could help her, and only became a crusade when she had no other path to pursue.

But there stands Hillary Clinton, arms folded, pouting and petulant. She wants to be the nominee, by hook or by crook.

Her most obvious line of attack to lay any claim to the nomination would be to claim the popular vote lead -- despite the fact that the Dems agreed that the delegate count, not the popular vote would determine the winner. Again, a cynic would probably feel compelled to note that the only plausible way Clinton can accomplish this feat is by awarding herself 328,309 votes in Michigan and awarding Obama (whose name wasn't on the ballot) a whopping zero -- and convincing about a hundred super-delegates to switch sides. Even if she could pull off such a stunt, can you imagine the sense of betrayal felt by Obama supporters? It's a guarantee that should such tomfoolery occur, many Obama supporters -- to their own disservice, perhaps -- would either not vote, or cast write-in ballots, or (gulp) vote John McCain come November.

The bottom line -- and what should be the end to all this BS -- is this: the candidates agreed on ground rules. They played by those rules. And Barack Obama has won by those rules. This isn't some anti-feminist conspiracy, nor is this situation one forced on Mrs. Clinton. This situation is a result of the rules she and her own people agitated for.

Only, when they were agitating, it was her nomination to lose. But now...Well let's just say, maybe Hillary Clinton conspired with Hillary Clinton to cost Hillary Clinton the Democratic nomination for President.

Rules are Rules. Either play by them, or get out of the sandbox and go home.
]]>