tag:world.hey.com,2005:/clough/feedDean Clough2024-03-18T13:55:02Ztag:world.hey.com,2005:World::Post/359732024-03-18T12:36:09Z2024-03-18T13:55:02ZPortico Darwin: Writing from A Real Writer<div class="trix-content">
<h1><strong>TODAY'S RAMBLINGS</strong></h1><div> <figure class="attachment attachment--preview attachment--lightboxable attachment--jpg">
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</figure><br><1 Minute Read</div><div><br>Good morning and happy Monday. Sure, I fantasize about being a professional writer, vs. whatever it is you want to call this shit show. But that doesn't mean I don't know what real writing is. <br><br>As evidence, everyone gets a break today. You from my droning, me from having to pretend I can write. Instead, you get my favorite author, on a relaxing topic. Relevant, too, since I returned from one just a little over a week ago.<br><br>Here is the late <strong>Philip Roth</strong>, on the awesomeness of cabins. <br><br>And no, I'm not dying. I'm just jealous that I will never be able to express myself like this.<br><br></div><blockquote>How did the idea of a cabin maintain its hold so long? <br><br>Well, it’s the earliest images - of independence and freedom, particularly - that do live obstinately on, despite the blessing and bludgeoning of life’s fullness. And the idea of the cabin, after all, isn’t ours. It has a history. It was Rousseau’s. It was Thoreau’s. The palliative of the cabin. The place where you are stripped back to essentials, to which you return - even if it happens not to be where you came from - to decontaminate and absolve yourself of the striving.<br><br>The place where you disrobe, molt it all, the uniforms you’ve worn and the costumes you’ve gotten into, where you shed your batteredness and your resentment, your appeasement of the world and its manhandling of you. The aging man leaves and goes into the woods - Eastern philosophical thought abounds with that motif, Taoist thought, Hindu thought, Chinese thought. <br><br>The “forest dweller,” the last stage on life’s way. Think of those Chinese paintings of the old man under the mountain, receding from the agitation of the autobiographical. He has entered vigorously into competition with life; now, becalmed, he enters into competition with death, drawn down into austerity, the final business.</blockquote><div><br>That is from <em>I Married a Communist</em>, the second novel in Roth's 3 volume <strong>American Trilogy</strong> series. It was preceded by the Pulitzer Prize-winning <em>American Pastoral</em>, and followed by <em>The Human Stain</em>. <br><br>The last is my favorite novel, and all 3 are <a href="https://world.hey.com/clough/portico-darwin-the-rating-system-d3b89335">Textbook</a> examples of the best of American literature. <br><br>As opposed to <strong>London Calling</strong>.<br><br>Have a great week. <br> </div><h1><strong>FROM THE UNWASHED MASSES</strong></h1><div>Speaking of<del> literature</del> <strong>London Calling</strong>, the noted literary critic Professor Howard Blum Esq. has weighed in. While we were enjoying cocktails this past Friday afternoon on the sun-splashed veranda at Presidio Bowl, the estate attorney to the stars made it clear he's waste-deep into it. <br><br>As in "What is this shit?"<br><br>And to that, I say: <em>At least Lara Mohair likes it!<br></em><br></div><blockquote>It’s more extreme than even I expected! Which makes it the best chapter . . . so far!</blockquote><div><br>And we haven't even had our passports revoked. Yet.<br><br></div><div>Thank you for reading this newsletter. <br><br></div><h1><strong>KLUF</strong></h1><div>Here's another great and very sadly, dead writer. Featuring <em>both</em> "Cabin Down Below" <em>and</em> "House in The Woods," <a href="https://open.spotify.com/album/3ZGUBwDiY5HPOcWv4SBPQg?si=UX8wcilrTV6T60YALBCBgg">here</a> is Tom Petty and <em>Wildflowers</em>.<br> <figure class="attachment attachment--preview attachment--lightboxable attachment--jpeg">
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Dean Cloughclough@hey.comtag:world.hey.com,2005:World::Post/358912024-03-14T12:57:04Z2024-03-15T13:22:46ZPortico Darwin: London Calling, Chapter 7<div class="trix-content">
<h1><strong>TODAY'S RAMBLINGS</strong></h1><div> <figure class="attachment attachment--preview attachment--lightboxable attachment--jpg">
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</figure> 8 Minute Read<br><br>Happy Friday, and this is the seventh installment of <strong>London Calling</strong>.<br><br><a href="https://app.hey.com/world/posts/7b8be580"><strong>Preface and Chapter 1</strong></a><strong><br></strong><a href="https://world.hey.com/clough/portico-darwin-london-calling-chapter-2-756315ca"><strong>Chapter 2</strong></a><strong><br></strong><a href="https://world.hey.com/clough/portico-darwin-london-calling-chapter-3-aaa94e0f"><strong>Chapter 3</strong></a></div><div><a href="https://world.hey.com/clough/portico-darwin-london-calling-chapter-4-3c42648b"><strong>Chapter 4</strong></a><strong><br></strong><a href="https://world.hey.com/clough/portico-darwin-london-calling-chapter-5-e2a2e63c"><strong>Chapter 5</strong></a><strong><br></strong><a href="https://world.hey.com/clough/portico-darwin-london-calling-chapter-6-d23cadbb"><strong>Chapter 6</strong></a></div><div><br><strong>This is Hardcore</strong></div><pre><em>Despite living it, I remain somewhat amazed at what we did in just 3 weeks in March of 1998.
We worked, too. But we'll get back to that soon.
I flew home after we awarded the WAN contract to Equant, but then came right back in March, this time for 3 full weeks. Two of them would be in the company of the program's newly anointed global Windows NT deployment guy, George Valiant Walker.</em></pre><div><br><em>Curious George Goes to London (and Amsterdam)</em><br>He was ready. When I was back in SF, I hammered George repeatedly about how much of this entire thing rested on his shoulders, and what the payoff, literally and figuratively, would be if he nailed it. <strong><br><br></strong>George - who I don't think had traveled much on business previously, arrived in London about a week after me. Boy, did he. First, he had scored two fine suits from the (now long-gone) San Francisco clothier, <strong>Kenneth Charles</strong>. He looked awesome upon his debut at Sea Containers House in mid-March of 1998.<br><br>But he was more than just a well-tailored suit (and pretty face). I had asked him to go overboard documenting how to build a Windows NT server to the new GESeaco specification (which he had defined), and then how to integrate it into our global NT scheme. He crushed it.<br><em><br></em>As above, George is not a hard guy to hang with, professionally, or personally. So once he started working with the Seaco chaps, the die was cast: George would join Andy Gill at the center of things, he on the Windows NT side, Andy on the WAN side. And both, along with Luigi Ferrari and Willy Aluminium, would also travel the world visiting each GESeaco office when the time came. <br><br>Randy and I would try to herd all of the cats. Which included ourselves, at times.<br><br></div><pre><em>I welcomed George to London in two ways.
Early in his stay, I told him to shower after work and put a suit back on. I was taking him on a </em>"Welcome to London and the Program"<em> dinner.
At the most expensive fucking place I could find.
I think it was called </em>Blue Ocean<em>, or something like that. I recall not believing we were allowed to do things like this. There were </em>a lot<em> of swish people about and, like Palais du Jardin with my wife just a couple of weeks prior, we blew it out.
And the second way I welcomed George? I informed him we'd be going to Amsterdam at the weekend, for a little R & R. Or H & H, </em>Hash and Heineken<em>, as it turned out. I also told him it was non-negotiable.</em></pre><div><br><em>A Short Break at the Weekend<br></em>I loved that George, before this trip, had never been in Europe before. Fortunately, I had visited Amsterdam first in 1988, and then again with Julie on our 5th anniversary holiday there in 1996, so I knew right where to take him for a weekend piss-up and a break from London.<br> <figure class="attachment attachment--preview attachment--lightboxable attachment--jpg">
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</figure></div><pre><em>We caught some weird but inexpensive Kenya Airlines flight, a 747 that stopped at AMS on its way from London to Nairobi. We booked rooms at what was then </em>The Intercontinental Hotel Amsterdam<em>. It was a classic business hotel, and it turned out to be ideal for us aspiring international players.
We dumped our bags and went straight to the hotel bar. I was already, but I could see George getting more and more psyched to be in Amsterdam. Yet he had zero idea what he was getting into.
Well, suffice to say George and I took in everything that Amsterdam is famous for: Incredible hospitality, world-class art, great food, and even better bars. </em>The<em> </em>coffee shops<em>, of course. And I'll argue with anybody about how pretty it is, straight or high.
George loved it all.
Highlight? That's easy. We ended up in a bar in some random neighborhood near our hotel, loving the vibe of the place and the amazing small Heineken drafts they serve everywhere in Amsterdam. We had several each, and then stepped outside for a wee bit o' hashish.
When we walked back in, a host said, </em>"You made it back just in time, we're doing a lock-in!"
<em>Yep, just like at Randy Smee's pub, the owners locked the front door, and we got to party inside. With the locals, who treated us like regulars. You know: It's that Dutch hospitality thing.
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<em>It wasn't all intoxicants. I took George to </em>The Van Gogh Museum <em>(admittedly</em> <em>in the proper state)</em>. <em>And on our trip to Amsterdam in 1996, Julie and I had discovered the other-worldly </em>Sauna Deco<em>, an urban spa on the </em>Herengracht. <em>George was going to have to see that, too.</em></pre><div>It seems a few years earlier, some clever folks had procured the interior of a Parisian department store, shuttered in the 1930s, and used it to build the interior of a luxury retreat in Amsterdam. It is a stunning facility, and Julie and I go on every visit there.</div><pre><em>We steamed and soaked and then had massages and then George passed out for an hour on a plush couch tucked away behind a palm tree. With the stained glass from the department store glowing behind him.
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</a>
</figure><em>
I just tried to take it all in.</em></pre><div><br><em>A Lunch in The City of London<br></em>One thing that became apparent early on is that I was going to have to develop a larger tolerance for drinking. Not just at night and on weekends, but <em>basically every work day at lunch</em>. Having one or two (or several) imperial pints at lunch was still very much de rigueur in London in 1998.<br> <figure class="attachment attachment--preview attachment--lightboxable attachment--png">
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</a>
</figure><br>There were several times I was glad to be a morning person, such that I did my heavy lifting before the nearly inevitable stroll at lunch to one of the great pubs close by Sea Containers House. Because after lunch, and no matter how many proper English teas I would fetch, I was still a tad sleepy for the duration.<br> <figure class="attachment attachment--preview attachment--lightboxable attachment--jpeg">
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</a>
</figure><br>But, alas, that was nothing. </div><pre><em>As I've said, these Seaco guys took to George immediately, and while he was in town, our colleagues decided to blow his mind (and mine) at one of the oldest restaurants in London. I think it was me, George, Malcolm Graveling, Jim Lawrence, and Peter Carolan. I do not recall its name, but it was in the City of London, and boy, was it fucking old.
And it was indeed a mind-blower for underexposed Americans like George and myself. </em>Textbook<em> does not begin to do it justice, up to and including the old-world service and absolutely classic English cuisine. </em>Spotted Dick<em>, anyone?
And the patrons! I hadn't seen this many pinstripes outside of Yankee Stadium.
Yet, none of this was unusual. We had similar meals regularly during the program's duration, albeit more often at dinner. You can ask Lara Mohair about </em>Red Lion<em> in Mayfair, to cite one example.
No, this one is indelible because of what happened at the end of what was now a 2+ hour lunch. Peter Carolan, never one to run away from a party, took it to the next level. Peter and the guys introduced us to a British tradition I had not seen before or since.
It's pretty simple. You order a bottle of Port, preferably a vintage year as we did on this day. When it arrives and is uncorked and poured, everyone raises their glass, a person makes a toast, and the bottle is passed to the next person. Who also makes a toast.
And it is passed and passed and passed and you toast and toast and toast until the entire bottle is gone. </em></pre><div><br></div><div><em>Whittam Says I Am Moving to London<br></em>In a surprise to no one who knows me, once I had my sights set on living - not just commuting - to London, I was relentless. Sure, I wanted the glamour, but the fact is, this program <em>had</em> to be run from London. And since I was going to be kinda sorta running it, I needed to be there, full-time.<br><br>As always, it was Whittam that needed to be sold. And here is the key groveling, from me. This is pulled from the relocation memo I sent to Boss Whittam, and also to Pleather and Peet Krakow, my business partners, on 20 March 1998.<br><br></div><blockquote>As we’ve discussed (you’re probably tired of me saying it!), I believe that a London-based project manager solely focused on delivering GE SeaCo’s new WAN and its LANs is imperative to achieve the desired outcome. I further believe that I am ideally suited for this role, and am therefore pleased to submit the attached estimate for my relocation to London for the length of the project’s course.</blockquote><div><br></div><pre><em>A few days later, but of course, with no warning or communication on the subject of any kind, Whittam came down the several floors to Randy and Marc's (and my) office. He didn't visit the plebian floors often, so I was somewhat taken aback as he walked in.
And in absolutely quintessential Whittam fashion, he strolled to my desk and tossed my relocation memo down, right in front of me. It had been approved, initialed, and dated by the Boss himself.
I looked at him, waiting. I knew by now to let him take the lead.
</em>
<em>He sniffed and at the same time, in the most stilted British accent you can imagine, said simply, </em>"Approved."<em>
But I do think there was a trace of humanity beneath the impeccable Saville Row tailoring when he granted me my dream: I noticed just a hint of a smile on his face as he turned and left the office. He didn't say goodbye, but then again, he never did.
No matter, because with that, I was moving to London, for 5 or so months, from April through September.
I ran to a private office, and not caring about the time difference, called Julie, woke her up, and lost my mind. A dream was coming true for both of us: We were going to spend the summer of 1998 in London.
</em> <figure class="attachment attachment--preview attachment--lightboxable attachment--jpg">
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</a>
</figure></pre><div>But first I had to check out of my hotel.<br><em><br>I'm Sorry, Sir, Your Card's Been Declined<br></em>Yes, I do love the gloriously staid and very British <strong>Royal Horseguards Hotel</strong>. <br><br>Paying for it? Not so much. As it turns out, it's rather expensive to stay for 21 nights (with plenty of room service) in a luxury hotel in a prime location in London. <br><br></div><pre>"Checking out," <em>said I as I gave the front desk clerk my room key.
</em>
"Here is your bill, Mr. Darwin - a pleasure having you with us again."
<em>I vaguely remember it being something like £4,500, or $7,500 at the time.
I handed her my WestConnect credit card. It was declined. I handed her a personal credit card. It was declined. I was kind of panicking, not to mention just a bit embarrassed. After all, aren't I the guy with the Range Rover waiting outside to whisk us to LHR?
In that panic, embarrassment, and rush, I did not want to call the card issuer and get them to approve the charge.
Luckily, George came to the rescue.
He took out his GE corporate card, and said in a way only a native Californian can, </em>"Hey man, just go ahead and put both rooms on my card and we'll sort it out later."<em>
Suffice it to say, the GE card had enough of a credit limit.</em></pre><div><br></div><div><em>George and Portico Fly Home, as Virgins<br></em>After I had calmed down from the check-out scare, we settled into the back of the Range Rover for the ride to LHR. I do remember the smell of the fine hides used to upholster the seats in these things helped to soothe my frazzled, wannabe nerves. </div><div><br>By now, I had tried to prep George for the experience, because I recall that for some reason, George flew an airline other than Virgin Atlantic inbound to London. But going home, we'd be flying together, in my beloved Upper Class.<br><br>The Range Rover ride and treatment outside of Heathrow was extraordinary as usual, but as I mentioned in an earlier chapter, little prepares the uninitiated for their first visit to the Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse at LHR. I had thought it through, and knowing we'd get arm/hand massages onboard the plane, I skipped that option and we headed directly to the bar. Shocker.</div><pre><em>At the bar, we each ordered a Bloody Mary, and they were sublime. Even more so as I lead Harry first on a tour of the ginormous facility, and then into one of my favorite places, the audiophile listening room. Here, Richard Branson had hit up </em>Linn Audio<em> for their best, and here it all was, for any guest's use.
I think they had actual Eames chairs for seating in front of the handcrafted speakers.</em></pre><div>Probably, because photos of the Clubhouse today reveal them, or at least nice copies, in use everywhere.<br> <figure class="attachment attachment--preview attachment--lightboxable attachment--jpeg">
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</a>
</figure></div><pre><em>I queued up Pearl Jam's newly released cranker, </em>Yield<em>, and it was on. We enjoyed our drink and saw how loud we could stand it.
Very fucking loud, in fact.</em></pre><div>While it would have been fun to hang out at the Clubhouse for several hours, alas, it was time to board. <br><br>Not that being onboard the 747's Virgin Atlantic flew on the route at the time was a hardship.</div><div><br>In fact, George and I had scored what were likely for the time the two best seats on a commercial airliner: The two individual front seats at the nose of the 747, in Virgin's Upper Class cabin. Unique for this plane, neither of us had anyone to either side, and wow was there a lot of room up there. <br><br>A lot of room to carouse, as it turned out.</div><pre><em>I said to George something like, "Look, this a daytime flight that takes about 10 hours, and you probably won't nap. So I suggest, before you book a time for your hand massage, we order some drinks, sync up our screens, and watch some 'Seinfeld' episodes together." George, as agreeable as always, was completely into it, so we fired up some favorites.
By about the 3rd episode, and an equal number of Scotches, we were starting to laugh a bit loudly for the front of the airplane. So yes, I managed to get scolded for being loud in the first class cabin on a transatlantic flight.
They still gave us our hand massages, and I certainly enjoyed the Armagnac they served after the cheese course.</em></pre><div>We landed in SFO. George had crushed it. <br><br>And I was moving to London. <br><br>Up Next: <strong>Peet Krakow Is Not Happy<br></strong><br></div><h1><strong>FROM THE UNWASHED MASSES</strong></h1><div>Thank you for reading this newsletter. <br><br></div><h1><strong>KLUF</strong></h1><div>Any careful reader of this blog over time might remember this record: I play it on <strong>KLUF</strong> essentially any time London is mentioned. That is because, during our visits in February and March of 1998 and leading up to its release on 31 March, a poster of this album's cover, or something like it, could be seen <em>everywhere</em> in London. <br> <figure class="attachment attachment--preview attachment--lightboxable attachment--jpg">
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</figure><br>I bought a copy just to find out who the hell this band was and what on earth it could be.<br><br></div><div><a href="https://world.hey.com/clough/portico-darwin-the-rating-system-d3b89335">Killer</a> modern rock is what it could be. <a href="https://open.spotify.com/album/32T4VUVJCN17nA2uybRRon?si=nwId3tVPS5yfuD_27LbtFg">Here</a> is Pulp and an album that I will forever associate with this period, the aptly named <em>This is Hardcore</em>.</div>
</div>
Dean Cloughclough@hey.comtag:world.hey.com,2005:World::Post/358642024-03-13T12:12:26Z2024-03-14T15:40:24ZPortico Darwin: The Rolling Stones are Old, But New<div class="trix-content">
<h1><strong>TODAY'S RAMBLINGS</strong></h1><div> <figure class="attachment attachment--preview attachment--lightboxable attachment--jpeg">
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</figure><br> 1 Minute Read</div><div><br>Despite my advocacy for them to now gracefully exit the stage, I will always be a huge fan of <strong>The Rolling Stones</strong>, for many reasons. Don't worry, I'm only going to cover 34 or 35 of those today. Oh, and Happy Wednesday.<br><br>Kidding. I only need one reason, and it's the new record from these geriatric legends. It is later-era live Stones, but holy smokes. Because they've finally released the famous Wiltern show. <br> <figure class="attachment attachment--preview attachment--lightboxable attachment--jpeg">
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</figure><br>More precisely, the <a href="https://open.spotify.com/album/4kGJlHs4hB1Ht6vGZlMApA?si=utLkDhHcQ62hXpGPRmxfiA">4 November 2002 performance</a> recorded in front of approximately 2,000 pretty fortunate people at the intimate <strong>Wiltern Theater</strong> in Los Angeles. Or is that 2,000 fortunate pretty people? Regardless, both Tom Petty and Neil Young were in attendance, at least physically. Sadly, we were in our beloved SF and somehow missed the entire thing. <br> <figure class="attachment attachment--preview attachment--lightboxable attachment--jpeg">
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</figure><br>I still find this new release a revelation. Of course hearing songs they never or rarely play live is exciting. But the entire band's clear commitment to quality playing throughout this show and the fidelity of the recording itself are just as important. <br><br>I rate this up there with the 17 October 1973 Brussels concert (captured in its entirety on the expanded version of <em>Goat's Head Soup</em>), and it's certainly as good as any of their other gazillion live albums. That includes <em>Ya-Ya's</em>, and even my personal favorite, the wrongly-derided <em>Love You Live</em>. <br><br>Here are their ages when this kick-ass concert was performed, and I am only including the main guys. <br><br><strong>Mick:</strong> 59 years old (26 July 1943)<br><strong>Keef: </strong> 58 years old (18 December 1943)<br><strong>Charlie:</strong> 61years old (2 June 1941) <br><strong>Ronnie:</strong> 55 (1 June 1947)<br><strong>Darryl:</strong> 40 years old (11 December 1961)<br><br> Impressive! And yes, Darryl Jones, who I feel deserves more love. A reminder he's played bass for The Stones for the same amount of time that Bill Wyman did. I get the difference between both eras, but still. <br><br>I am shining a spotlight on this disc today for a couple of reasons. First, as a reminder of just how <a href="https://world.hey.com/clough/portico-darwin-the-rating-system-d3b89335">Diamond Certified</a> this band is live. I've listened to a lot of live Rolling Stones recordings over the years, and as above, this new release stands among their best. <br><br>The second reason is that they can stop now, because, well:<br><br><strong>Mick:</strong> 80<br><strong>Keef:</strong> 80<br><strong>Charlie:</strong> RIP<br><strong>Ronnie:</strong> 76<br><strong>Darryl:</strong> 62<br><br>I can hear some saying, "Well then, Portico, what about Biden? Isn't <em>he</em> in his eighties?" <br><br>Sure, he's old, too. But I feel he's taken a bit better care of himself.<br> <figure class="attachment attachment--preview attachment--lightboxable attachment--jpg">
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</figure><br><br></div><h1><strong>FROM THE UNWASHED MASSES</strong></h1><div>It was a news flash from André Aurich, and it was not a good one. He informed me that one of our go-to's, the Killer <a href="https://www.presidiosocialclub.com/">Presidio Social Club</a>, is reportedly closing. I did not see this coming, at least not post-pandemic. It would stun me if the Presidio Trust didn't have somebody already lined up to move in. <br><br>Because there aren't many locations like this one.<br> <figure class="attachment attachment--preview attachment--lightboxable attachment--jpg">
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</figure> <br>In response to my <a href="https://world.hey.com/clough/portico-darwin-filthy-lucre-8a43c4ea">Filthy Lucre</a> post, this came in from our niece Nicki Vale. She is clearly getting ready for the next phase of her life:<br><br></div><blockquote>I really enjoyed reading this one. Baron and I have been meeting with a financial planner recently and have learned a lot about how to manage our money and track where we are spending it 😀, so this has been top of mind for me.</blockquote><div><br>And an anonymous reader agreed that Shittybank's fees are usurious, in terms of my foolish Admiral's Club credit card.<br><br></div><blockquote>Portico,<br><br>$770 per year credit card fee??? I'm thrilled on your behalf that you and Julie worked up a financial plan with Heather. </blockquote><div><br>Well, in Shittybank's defense, the annual fee for their Shitty/AAdvantage Executive World Elite Mastercard is <em>only</em> $695. It was an additional $75 for a second card for Julie, which <em>only then</em> brings the total to $770. <br> <br>Look - I understand that an expensive card with perks is a no-brainer for some people. <br><br>Because I used to be one of those people.<br><br></div><div>Thank you for reading this newsletter.<br><br></div><h1><strong>KLUF</strong></h1><div>Let's stay with the self-proclaimed "best rock and roll band in the world." <br><br>But first, here's a new equation for everyone to memorize: <strong>T²⁴ x MO∞ = CP</strong>, where:<br><br></div><ul><li><strong>T²⁴</strong> = Time raised to the power of 24 hours of retirement a day</li><li><strong>MO∞</strong> = Musical Obsession that is infinite</li><li><strong>CP</strong> = Crazytown Playlists</li></ul><div><br>You can be the judge of its accuracy by using the following. <br><br>It is a playlist of live Rolling Stone recordings, but this one is different. <br> <figure class="attachment attachment--preview attachment--lightboxable attachment--jpg">
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</figure><br>I looked at <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_songs_recorded_by_the_Rolling_Stones">a Wikipedia page listing all of their tracks</a> and sorted them by chronological order. I then found the best versions of each track from their many live albums, and here is the result, on both <a href="https://tidal.com/browse/playlist/681db8ea-88f7-422a-8b1e-50f448652591">TIDAL</a> and <a href="https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0FHCkCTpaDlhCYIeaZSqlY?si=fc054afb69e449d6">Spotify</a>. <br><br>I left out the nonsense, and I ended up with 72 different live tracks, each one fairly special, from 13 different Rolling Stone live albums. You can see what's on it and from which albums <a href="https://airtable.com/appCDRBZav2UhaOJC/shrBuJa3dbhRkdy0Z">here</a>.</div>
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Dean Cloughclough@hey.comtag:world.hey.com,2005:World::Post/358182024-03-11T13:23:44Z2024-03-12T02:08:00ZPortico Darwin: Filthy Lucre<div class="trix-content">
<h1><strong>TODAY'S RAMBLINGS</strong></h1><div> <figure class="attachment attachment--preview attachment--lightboxable attachment--jpg">
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</figure><br> 4 Minute Read</div><div><br>Happy Monday, and how about some useful information to start your week? A nice break from the font of narcissism typically showcased here 3 times a week?<br><br>Sorry, not so fast - this is still tangentially about my favorite subject. Indeed, it is a follow-up to <a href="https://world.hey.com/clough/portico-darwin-the-world-s-most-expensive-man-is-dead-afd9779d"><strong>The World's Most Expensive Man is Dead</strong></a> post, but you still might find it interesting.<br><br>10 Seconds of Seriousness: We just concluded our financial plan with the perfect <a href="https://www.clarityfinancialca.com/">Heather Liston</a>, and I'd like to share what I learned. Beyond the fact I like to spend too much money.<br><br>My apologies if you know all or most of what follows already. I most certainly did not.<br> <figure class="attachment attachment--preview attachment--lightboxable attachment--png">
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</figure><br>And, oh, as usual: I have zero connection to any person or service or company I advocate (or demean) in what follows.<br><br><strong>Financial Planning<br></strong>Heather charged us a $5,000 fee to perform her magic; it is among the best money we've ever spent. The breadth and depth of her work left no stone unturned, and we have a model that we can adjust or tweak as things change going forward. She has put us on a sustainable financial path that will go on forever. <br><br>For the record: I am not an advocate of a traditional financial planner - they are too expensive. A lot of research has been done, and the 2% or so fees charged by most add up to real money over 30 or 40 years of investing. <br><br>Instead, it's best to follow the advice of most experts, from Suze Orman on down: Have 10% or more taken out of your salary or income, and put it in a low-fee index or target-year retirement fund, like from Vanguard. You don't need to pay anyone anything for that, and over time, the results will at least be as good as an actively managed portfolio. <br> <br>Here's the usual disclaimer that every situation is different. But the above is a tried-and-true way to build wealth, without the middleman.<br><br>Our biggest mistake? Not seeking Heather's services earlier. Like October 3, 2020, the day after we decided I was retired. In fact, I think it would make sense to engage Heather or someone like her at every major life change.<br><br></div><div><strong>The 4% Rule Is No Rule<br></strong>I was operating under the assumption that drawing down 4% of one's retirement fund each year is a safe approach. Heather said that's largely a myth and dependent upon a variety of factors. In fact, in our case, she told us to knock off the Vanguard raids and tighten our belts.<br><br>And how best to do that? Sadly, it is a budget. <strong><br></strong><br><strong>You Need A Budget<br></strong>And a great budgeting tool is out there, and it's called exactly that: <a href="https://www.ynab.com/"><strong>YNAB</strong></a>. <br><br>After Heather stopped gagging at our profligate ways, she asked us to do a better job of budgeting more wisely and tracking the spending we do. She suggested YNAB and I've been very impressed so far. While we've had a budget for years, it was of little value, as we never tracked our actual spend vs. what was budgeted. That's not the case any longer.<br><br>In sum, my weekly Weissβier allocations remain intact, but my buys occur at BevMo, not Marina Super. And they're being tracked. <br><br>10 More Seconds of Seriousness: This exercise has revealed just how flat dumb a lot of our spending was. We've made adjustments such that our money will outlive us, yet neither of us has noticed a reduction in the quality of our lives.<br><br><strong>Charles Schwab Bank<br></strong>Another thing Ms. Liston found ridiculous was my clinging to my business checking account from the Casa Integration days. I had done that because it featured a legit line of credit of $5,000, which I felt was a smart security blanket. <br><br>Wrong. <del>Shittybank</del> Citibank was assessing us a $15 service charge each month for the privilege. "DUMB!" Heather exclaimed. She told us to find a free checking account, and that we should find one that's not only free, but that pays interest, too.<br><br>We are getting all of that and a lot more at my former employer, <a href="https://www.schwab.com/"><strong>Charles Schwab</strong></a>. I especially like how I can link to external accounts, like Julie's 401k at Fidelity and my IRA at Vanguard, and have real-time visibility into our net worth. And all with a free checking account and debit card. They even mail you checks for free.<br><br><strong>Get Used to Airport Bars<br></strong>This will hurt, but we'll somehow get through it. First, a story. Shocker, I know.<strong><br><br></strong>In 2005, as Casa Integration was starting to take off, it dawned on me to <em>not</em> arrange terms with the wholesale suppliers of the electronics and speakers I was purchasing for installation in my clients' homes. No, I got a Citi/AAdvantage Executive World Elite Mastercard. In other words, a credit card that earned a mile in the American Airlines AAdvantage frequent flier program for every dollar spent. <br><br>Ho-hum, right?<br> <br>Wrong. Back in the day, miles were worth something, and I bought hundreds of thousands of dollars in electronics in a typical year. The result was flying business class on all of our international vacations, starting in 2006, on our first visit to Italy. On miles. <br><br>More? The card soon provided access to American's Admiral's Club airport lounges, at least when flying on them or a partner airline. Whereas in the early days we'd only have access when flying business or first class, now we could separate ourselves from the actual <strong>UNWASHED MASSES </strong>on most flights, domestic or international. <strong><br><br></strong>That's all over now. When we first got this card, its annual fee for myself with Julie as an additional cardholder was something like $300. Not cheap, but not crazy either, especially given the perks, and as such, I didn't pay any attention over the years to the annual fee. Until Heather asked me to take a look a few weeks back.<br><br>This credit card now costs us <strong>$770 </strong>every year. We are going to dump it in November, and do you know what? <br><br>Each terminal at SFO is now gorgeous, with plenty of space to get away and enjoy some calm. We'll live.<br><br><strong>US Bank Cash+ Visa<br></strong>So while our use of credit cards (for convenience and paid-off monthly) will not change, it's goodbye <del>Shittybank</del> Citibank and your grotesque fees, and hello <a href="https://www.usbank.com/credit-cards/cash-plus-visa-signature-credit-card.html"><strong>US Bank</strong></a>. Again, every situation is different, but wow, is this one the cat's pajamas for us. Zero annual fee, and then a bunch of cash back, including 5% on our phone and power bills, 2% on groceries, and 1% on everything else. Not bad; I could see what we get back each year buying an airline ticket or two somewhere.<br><br><strong>What To Do With The Money<br></strong>This is from a recent Scott Galloway podcast, where he interviewed Arthur Brooks, who was on the show to discuss his book <em>The Pillars of Happiness</em>. Brooks confirmed Galloway's thesis that money <em>can</em> buy happiness, but there's a limit: Billionaires aren't markedly happier than multi-millionaires. But he emphasized that being poor results in much higher rates of unhappiness, which of course makes sense. Not being able to put food on the table and/or care for your sick child is not happiness-inducing.<strong><br><br></strong>Brooks went on to offer a summary of the 5 things one can do with money. Here they are, presented in the order he cited as the most happiness-inducing, to the least. <strong><br></strong><br></div><div>1. <em>Buy Experiences</em> - my personal favorite</div><div><br></div><div>2. <em> Buy Time</em> - have other people/machines do things for you; he highlighted this is only #2 if one uses the time recaptured wisely, not for doom-scrolling</div><div><br></div><div>3. <em>Give It Away</em> - donating to strangers or helping friends/family makes one more happier than not doing so<br><br>4. <em>Save it </em>- financial security instinctively makes people happier<br><br>5. <em> Buy Stuff</em><br> <strong><br>Hmm. Apparently less can be more.</strong><br><br></div><h1><strong>FROM THE UNWASHED MASSES</strong></h1><div>Thank you for reading this newsletter. <br><br></div><h1><strong>KLUF</strong></h1><div>I've mostly been lukewarm about these guys. Which explains this being just the second time they've hit the illusory airwaves of <strong>KLUF</strong>. But they did just have <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/07/arts/music/black-crowes-happiness-bastards.html?unlocked_article_code=1.b00.nASA.LdvIMLmxvzl3&smid=url-share">a big piece in the NY Times</a> about their upcoming album (of course, it's <em>a return to form</em> and they're happy to go <em>back to the basics</em>), and this old one certainly has its moments. <br><br><a href="https://open.spotify.com/album/2NRRQLuW6j3EsoWpIl2MR3?si=VEtEA-7gR8GdBZeahmEoZQ">Here</a> are The Black Crowes and their 1990 smash debut album, <em>Shake Your Money Maker.</em> <br> <figure class="attachment attachment--preview attachment--lightboxable attachment--jpeg">
<a download="shake.jpeg" title="Download shake.jpeg" data-click-proxy-target="lightbox_link_blob_1578065377" href="https://world.hey.com/clough/8a43c4ea/blobs/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaHNLd2ZoWFE5ZSIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoiYmxvYl9pZCJ9fQ==--351d048dea536de7b9a81059f151bba7c866176a/shake.jpeg?disposition=attachment">
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</a>
</figure><br>I wish I had one to shake; after all, Heather <em>did</em> encourage me to earn more, in addition to spending less.<br><br></div>
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Dean Cloughclough@hey.comtag:world.hey.com,2005:World::Post/357472024-03-07T22:55:15Z2024-03-08T13:49:46ZPortico Darwin: London Calling, Chapter 6<div class="trix-content">
<h1><strong>TODAY'S RAMBLINGS</strong></h1><div> <figure class="attachment attachment--preview attachment--lightboxable attachment--jpg">
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</figure> <6 Minute Read<br><br>Happy Friday, and this is the sixth installment of <strong>London Calling</strong>.<br><br><a href="https://app.hey.com/world/posts/7b8be580"><strong>Preface and Chapter 1</strong></a><strong><br></strong><a href="https://world.hey.com/clough/portico-darwin-london-calling-chapter-2-756315ca"><strong>Chapter 2</strong></a><strong><br></strong><a href="https://world.hey.com/clough/portico-darwin-london-calling-chapter-3-aaa94e0f"><strong>Chapter 3</strong></a></div><div><a href="https://world.hey.com/clough/portico-darwin-london-calling-chapter-4-3c42648b"><strong>Chapter 4</strong></a><strong><br></strong><a href="https://world.hey.com/clough/portico-darwin-london-calling-chapter-5-e2a2e63c"><strong>Chapter 5</strong></a></div><div><br><strong>Get Wired And Decide<br></strong>You can see it was time to get to work. And yes, that is what February and March of 1998 were all about. <br><br></div><div>Mostly.<br><br></div><div>I still can picture Julie joining me at Royal Horseguards, in February. It was a perfectly cold and snowy afternoon in Whitehall, and there she was. But her driver could not find his way to the hotel’s forecourt, so the image is of her slogging a block with her bags through the fresh and dry powder blanketing London on that cold Sunday. A bellman met her to assist, so I didn't feel too guilty. Welcome to London, sweetheart.<br> <figure class="attachment attachment--preview attachment--lightboxable attachment--jpg">
<a download="906907.jpg" title="Download 906907.jpg" data-click-proxy-target="lightbox_link_blob_1573531168" href="https://world.hey.com/clough/d23cadbb/blobs/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaHNLd2NnTHNwZCIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoiYmxvYl9pZCJ9fQ==--f8fba0ba1a264947f50ce218d7400b9d0c0f24fc/906907.jpg?disposition=attachment">
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</figure></div><div>Nowadays, Julie's arrival in London wouldn't be news. But in mid-February of 1998, she was making her inaugural visit to one of the world’s undisputed capitals. Julie now had 7 days and nights to fully experience the London she had heard me bang on and on about. I think she'd say today it remains one of her favorite times in London. It was all completely new for her.<br><br></div><pre><em>Me? I was hitting my stride. I fancied myself that American in 19th century London that's in the Sherlock Holmes books. Delusional, I recognize, but no less true.
I was starting to understand the neighborhoods, the Tube, and how to take the amazing Black Cabs (approach the driver's window, ask if he'll take you to your destination, and only when he nods do you get in). I also knew about some pubs, some restaurants, and where the theaters were. My Seaco colleagues (and Fugazi!) had been very kind to date in exposing me to all of that and more. </em></pre><div><br></div><div>Which was great, because my colleagues and I had to get two things done, and now, if we had any hope of getting the 32 GESeaco offices operational on a modern tech platform by September. <br><br></div><div>First, in several locations, GESeaco would be moving into what was formerly a Sea Containers office. Which would have been OK if they had had communications technologies in them beyond tin cans and string. <br><br>They did not, which meant we had to find a company that could put modern cabling and networking capabilities into a whole bunch of places, globally. In other words, get them wired.<br><br></div><div>This was easier than I thought it would be, and that's because, in 1998, I learned about the existence of a company called <strong>SITA</strong>. It's doubtful you've heard of it, yet check this out from Wikipedia.<br><br></div><blockquote>SITA is a multinational information technology company providing IT and telecommunication services to the air transport industry. The company provides its services to around 400 members and 2,500 customers worldwide, which it claims is about 90% of the world's airline business.<br><br> Around the world, nearly every passenger flight relies on SITA technology.</blockquote><div> <figure class="attachment attachment--preview attachment--lightboxable attachment--png">
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</figure><br>LOL SITA! Who knew? But they'd end up being a major partner in this program, but we will get back to that. For now, know that SITA is the company that provides the basic technology for essentially every airline and significant airport in the world. This means they - uniquely - have relationships and people on the ground nearly everywhere.<br><br>Like in places like Guayaquil, Ecuador, and Durban, South Africa. And we needed that. <br><br>Getting the Seaco offices wired was also made easy because no other vendor chose to bid, apart from <strong>ITS</strong>, SITA's infrastructure services subsidiary at the time. Not even <strong>Unisys</strong>, who had just done the same thing for Genstar a year or two earlier. <br><br>But not even Whittam could argue the offices needed modernizing, so after we negotiated a bit on price, ITS/SITA was engaged in February of 1998. They got busy immediately, and, in hindsight, I can see this was the easiest aspect of the program.<br><br>The second piece to the deadline puzzle was far bigger: Awarding a contract, 3 years in length, to a telecommunications carrier for connecting GESeaco's 32 offices worldwide, at broadband (for the time) speeds, using Internet standards only. As I've mentioned, Andy Gill did a fantastic job, and here is the (rather boring) cover of what went out. Note how the joint venture's name wasn't even finalized at this point, and I have no idea why we made it red, either.<br> <figure class="attachment attachment--preview attachment--lightboxable attachment--jpg">
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</a>
</figure><br>But do you know what wasn't boring? Negotiating, at the time, an $8 million contract. </div><div><br><strong>Deals. I Do Deals.<br></strong>Said absolutely nobody ever in the history of fucking time that knows me. Because a poker face, I have not. <br><br>But there are exceptions to every rule.<br><br>The job Andy had done writing the original RFP for Genstar's new WAN meant we simply had to tweak it and send it, but for a London-based company, vs. one headquartered in San Francisco, and with more locations. The RFP went to <strong>AT&T</strong>, <strong>British Telecom</strong>, <strong>Equant</strong> (SITA's non-airline, commercial subsidiary at the time), and <strong>Global One</strong> (then a consortium of Deutsche Telecom, Sprint, and others).<br><br>This was where my limey colleagues proved their worth. Martin and Randy knew everyone there was to know in telecom in Europe at the time, and Randy had done a similar RFP for the UK gambling giant <strong>Ladbrokes </strong>a couple of years earlier. <br><br>Having all of that, as well as the clout of GE behind us, in a process like this was . . . refreshing, yet still frustrating. Despite this being a big deal for any company, the proposals we got ranged from professional to comically sophomoric (British Telecom's proposal was so <em>bogus</em> Martin Denny graded it a zero). <br><br>Here is the team's assessment, from the original report and recommendation to leadership.<br> <figure class="attachment attachment--preview attachment--lightboxable attachment--jpg">
<a download="wan1.jpg" title="Download wan1.jpg" data-click-proxy-target="lightbox_link_blob_1559624178" href="https://world.hey.com/clough/d23cadbb/blobs/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaHNLd2Z5K2ZWYyIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoiYmxvYl9pZCJ9fQ==--f720bf584e55f4d32f9d510fddff197add3b2707/wan1.jpg?disposition=attachment">
<img src="https://world.hey.com/clough/d23cadbb/representations/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaHNLd2Z5K2ZWYyIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoiYmxvYl9pZCJ9fQ==--f720bf584e55f4d32f9d510fddff197add3b2707/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaDdDam9MWm05eWJXRjBTU0lJYW5CbkJqb0dSVlE2RkhKbGMybDZaVjkwYjE5c2FXMXBkRnNIYVFLQUIya0NBQVU2REhGMVlXeHBkSGxwU3pvTGJHOWhaR1Z5ZXdZNkNYQmhaMlV3T2cxamIyRnNaWE5qWlZRPSIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoidmFyaWF0aW9uIn19--0b5e092e6240e14fab357b4c1013c9a0c881ff87/wan1.jpg" alt="wan1.jpg" srcset="https://world.hey.com/clough/d23cadbb/representations/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaHNLd2Z5K2ZWYyIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoiYmxvYl9pZCJ9fQ==--f720bf584e55f4d32f9d510fddff197add3b2707/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaDdDam9MWm05eWJXRjBTU0lJYW5CbkJqb0dSVlE2RkhKbGMybDZaVjkwYjE5c2FXMXBkRnNIYVFJQUQya0NBQW82REhGMVlXeHBkSGxwUVRvTGJHOWhaR1Z5ZXdZNkNYQmhaMlV3T2cxamIyRnNaWE5qWlZRPSIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoidmFyaWF0aW9uIn19--a8a2bb6a9884c661ef30854054544882621a1752/wan1.jpg 2x, https://world.hey.com/clough/d23cadbb/representations/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaHNLd2Z5K2ZWYyIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoiYmxvYl9pZCJ9fQ==--f720bf584e55f4d32f9d510fddff197add3b2707/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaDdDam9MWm05eWJXRjBTU0lJYW5CbkJqb0dSVlE2RkhKbGMybDZaVjkwYjE5c2FXMXBkRnNIYVFLQUZta0NBQTg2REhGMVlXeHBkSGxwUERvTGJHOWhaR1Z5ZXdZNkNYQmhaMlV3T2cxamIyRnNaWE5qWlZRPSIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoidmFyaWF0aW9uIn19--9b7ba00c32731d121dd7ff5706d31cc3652788dd/wan1.jpg 3x" decoding="async" loading="lazy">
</a>
</figure><br>And the final tally.<br> <figure class="attachment attachment--preview attachment--lightboxable attachment--jpg">
<a download="scorecard.jpg" title="Download scorecard.jpg" data-click-proxy-target="lightbox_link_blob_1559625004" href="https://world.hey.com/clough/d23cadbb/blobs/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaHNLd2NzL2ZWYyIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoiYmxvYl9pZCJ9fQ==--7a699a942c4e7afb57aba1c988a32e62e3916321/scorecard.jpg?disposition=attachment">
<img src="https://world.hey.com/clough/d23cadbb/representations/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaHNLd2NzL2ZWYyIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoiYmxvYl9pZCJ9fQ==--7a699a942c4e7afb57aba1c988a32e62e3916321/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaDdDam9MWm05eWJXRjBTU0lJYW5CbkJqb0dSVlE2RkhKbGMybDZaVjkwYjE5c2FXMXBkRnNIYVFLQUIya0NBQVU2REhGMVlXeHBkSGxwU3pvTGJHOWhaR1Z5ZXdZNkNYQmhaMlV3T2cxamIyRnNaWE5qWlZRPSIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoidmFyaWF0aW9uIn19--0b5e092e6240e14fab357b4c1013c9a0c881ff87/scorecard.jpg" alt="scorecard.jpg" srcset="https://world.hey.com/clough/d23cadbb/representations/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaHNLd2NzL2ZWYyIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoiYmxvYl9pZCJ9fQ==--7a699a942c4e7afb57aba1c988a32e62e3916321/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaDdDam9MWm05eWJXRjBTU0lJYW5CbkJqb0dSVlE2RkhKbGMybDZaVjkwYjE5c2FXMXBkRnNIYVFJQUQya0NBQW82REhGMVlXeHBkSGxwUVRvTGJHOWhaR1Z5ZXdZNkNYQmhaMlV3T2cxamIyRnNaWE5qWlZRPSIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoidmFyaWF0aW9uIn19--a8a2bb6a9884c661ef30854054544882621a1752/scorecard.jpg 2x, https://world.hey.com/clough/d23cadbb/representations/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaHNLd2NzL2ZWYyIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoiYmxvYl9pZCJ9fQ==--7a699a942c4e7afb57aba1c988a32e62e3916321/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaDdDam9MWm05eWJXRjBTU0lJYW5CbkJqb0dSVlE2RkhKbGMybDZaVjkwYjE5c2FXMXBkRnNIYVFLQUZta0NBQTg2REhGMVlXeHBkSGxwUERvTGJHOWhaR1Z5ZXdZNkNYQmhaMlV3T2cxamIyRnNaWE5qWlZRPSIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoidmFyaWF0aW9uIn19--9b7ba00c32731d121dd7ff5706d31cc3652788dd/scorecard.jpg 3x" decoding="async" loading="lazy">
</a>
</figure><br>And then the <em>real</em> final tally.<br> <figure class="attachment attachment--preview attachment--lightboxable attachment--jpg">
<a download="money.jpg" title="Download money.jpg" data-click-proxy-target="lightbox_link_blob_1559628093" href="https://world.hey.com/clough/d23cadbb/blobs/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaHNLd2M5Q2ZaYyIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoiYmxvYl9pZCJ9fQ==--d10e3167f0de4a2c6489f585834de2902f19b266/money.jpg?disposition=attachment">
<img src="https://world.hey.com/clough/d23cadbb/representations/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaHNLd2M5Q2ZaYyIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoiYmxvYl9pZCJ9fQ==--d10e3167f0de4a2c6489f585834de2902f19b266/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaDdDam9MWm05eWJXRjBTU0lJYW5CbkJqb0dSVlE2RkhKbGMybDZaVjkwYjE5c2FXMXBkRnNIYVFLQUIya0NBQVU2REhGMVlXeHBkSGxwU3pvTGJHOWhaR1Z5ZXdZNkNYQmhaMlV3T2cxamIyRnNaWE5qWlZRPSIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoidmFyaWF0aW9uIn19--0b5e092e6240e14fab357b4c1013c9a0c881ff87/money.jpg" alt="money.jpg" srcset="https://world.hey.com/clough/d23cadbb/representations/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaHNLd2M5Q2ZaYyIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoiYmxvYl9pZCJ9fQ==--d10e3167f0de4a2c6489f585834de2902f19b266/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaDdDam9MWm05eWJXRjBTU0lJYW5CbkJqb0dSVlE2RkhKbGMybDZaVjkwYjE5c2FXMXBkRnNIYVFJQUQya0NBQW82REhGMVlXeHBkSGxwUVRvTGJHOWhaR1Z5ZXdZNkNYQmhaMlV3T2cxamIyRnNaWE5qWlZRPSIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoidmFyaWF0aW9uIn19--a8a2bb6a9884c661ef30854054544882621a1752/money.jpg 2x, https://world.hey.com/clough/d23cadbb/representations/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaHNLd2M5Q2ZaYyIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoiYmxvYl9pZCJ9fQ==--d10e3167f0de4a2c6489f585834de2902f19b266/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaDdDam9MWm05eWJXRjBTU0lJYW5CbkJqb0dSVlE2RkhKbGMybDZaVjkwYjE5c2FXMXBkRnNIYVFLQUZta0NBQTg2REhGMVlXeHBkSGxwUERvTGJHOWhaR1Z5ZXdZNkNYQmhaMlV3T2cxamIyRnNaWE5qWlZRPSIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoidmFyaWF0aW9uIn19--9b7ba00c32731d121dd7ff5706d31cc3652788dd/money.jpg 3x" decoding="async" loading="lazy">
</a>
</figure> <br>The answer was Equant, objectively and subjectively. The process was fair and exhaustive, but not done until yours truly put on a poker face - for mostly the first and only time. <br><br>Because it was time to negotiate the final number.<br> <br>All of the players were there: Steve Whittam, Martin Denny, Randy Smee, Malcolm Graveling, Jim Lawrence, and me. I was in a very nice suit and even nicer shirt and tie, and we all sat in Whittam's office, which was nicer still.<br><br>On the other side were the senior sales executives from Equant, most from Paris, the company's HQ. This was a big boy's meeting, and I was there, too. <br><br>As Randy Smee recently recalled,<br> </div><blockquote>We were bouncing between the main conference room (making sure our team faced out of the window with THAT view) and Whittam’s office when we needed to review the negotiating position. At times it was fraught, and Martin kept excitedly repeating, “Chaps, chaps, we’ve got to be prepared to walk away,” in his posh, old- school and very British way at every break. </blockquote><div><br>I don't recall whether it was by plan or circumstance, but as the negotiating evolved, I increasingly played the young, brash, loud, and pushy American. Shocker, I know, but here, and for a change, it was helpful. It also helped I was the only American on hand, young or otherwise. <br><br>Because this had dragged on long enough.<br><br></div><pre><em>We had already told Equant they were among the two finalists, the other being Global One (who we wanted no part of, in actuality). Boss Whittam had done the niceties, Martin cracked a corny joke, and now, after what seemed like hours of marginal negotiating, it was time.
</em>
<em>I have no fucking idea where this courage or coolness came from, but I needed it. Everyone involved, including the Equant/SITA big shots, knew I, with Randy, had driven a lot of the WAN RFP process. So after the small talk, everyone was looking at me. Or at least I hoped they were.
Because where in the past I might have had a ginormous panic attack and melted down, there was none of that on this day.
I looked first to the River Thames out the expansive window that defined the room, and then at the top Equant guy, Howard Ford, straight in the eye. With as much of a street-smart New Yorker accent I could muster, I said, lying, </em>"Look, I've got GE Capital riding my ass. Seaco and I want to give this contract to you. Your number is in the ballpark. But GE has told me you must cut the final number by $500,000 before we can do business."
"Done," <em>said the Equant exec Ford. </em>
<em>Wow, am I glad I didn't wet my pants. No one was riding my ass; I had made the whole thing up.</em></pre><div><br>So it was done. We all shook hands right then on the deal, at the time worth almost $8 million ($15 million today). I have been high many times, but I've rarely felt <em>this</em> high. <br><br></div><pre> <figure class="attachment attachment--preview attachment--lightboxable attachment--jpg">
<a download="view.jpg" title="Download view.jpg" data-click-proxy-target="lightbox_link_blob_1573526933" href="https://world.hey.com/clough/d23cadbb/blobs/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaHNLd2VWSGNwZCIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoiYmxvYl9pZCJ9fQ==--33d36f0a4f0017e02d600d720c8b1f1dc5f54668/view.jpg?disposition=attachment">
<img src="https://world.hey.com/clough/d23cadbb/representations/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaHNLd2VWSGNwZCIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoiYmxvYl9pZCJ9fQ==--33d36f0a4f0017e02d600d720c8b1f1dc5f54668/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaDdDam9MWm05eWJXRjBTU0lJYW5CbkJqb0dSVlE2RkhKbGMybDZaVjkwYjE5c2FXMXBkRnNIYVFLQUIya0NBQVU2REhGMVlXeHBkSGxwU3pvTGJHOWhaR1Z5ZXdZNkNYQmhaMlV3T2cxamIyRnNaWE5qWlZRPSIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoidmFyaWF0aW9uIn19--0b5e092e6240e14fab357b4c1013c9a0c881ff87/view.jpg" alt="view.jpg" srcset="https://world.hey.com/clough/d23cadbb/representations/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaHNLd2VWSGNwZCIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoiYmxvYl9pZCJ9fQ==--33d36f0a4f0017e02d600d720c8b1f1dc5f54668/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaDdDam9MWm05eWJXRjBTU0lJYW5CbkJqb0dSVlE2RkhKbGMybDZaVjkwYjE5c2FXMXBkRnNIYVFJQUQya0NBQW82REhGMVlXeHBkSGxwUVRvTGJHOWhaR1Z5ZXdZNkNYQmhaMlV3T2cxamIyRnNaWE5qWlZRPSIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoidmFyaWF0aW9uIn19--a8a2bb6a9884c661ef30854054544882621a1752/view.jpg 2x, https://world.hey.com/clough/d23cadbb/representations/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaHNLd2VWSGNwZCIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoiYmxvYl9pZCJ9fQ==--33d36f0a4f0017e02d600d720c8b1f1dc5f54668/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaDdDam9MWm05eWJXRjBTU0lJYW5CbkJqb0dSVlE2RkhKbGMybDZaVjkwYjE5c2FXMXBkRnNIYVFLQUZta0NBQTg2REhGMVlXeHBkSGxwUERvTGJHOWhaR1Z5ZXdZNkNYQmhaMlV3T2cxamIyRnNaWE5qWlZRPSIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoidmFyaWF0aW9uIn19--9b7ba00c32731d121dd7ff5706d31cc3652788dd/view.jpg 3x" decoding="async" loading="lazy">
</a>
</figure>
<em>I didn't walk across Blackfriars Bridge that night, I fucking floated. I simply could not believe I had sat in London, in the fanciest office I had ever seen, and helped negotiate a multi-million, multi-year, and multi-national contract with a global telecommunications provider.
I still can't.
That night, Julie and I celebrated, just the two of us. I took us to the Fugazi favorite </em>Palais du Jardin<em> in Covent Garden, and we completely blew it out. I think I ordered a £100 bottle of Champagne and an equally expensive Bordeaux. I probably cried.</em></pre><div><br>Am I exaggerating my role in negotiating the deal? As above, I reached out to Randy Smee and while he provided some details, perhaps my recounting will <del>trigger</del> activate some additional memories. In both of our defense, it was, after all, over 25 years ago. And apart from the outcome, there are no records to draw upon.<br><br>But other than my are-they/aren't-they delusions, I do know Julie and I went to Palais du Jardin that night, and we celebrated getting this deal done. Then, as now, it felt like something major had been accomplished. <br><br>Because we were now wired, and over the coming 5 months, we'd get the offices connected. <br><br>But we had so much other work, and yes, even more imbibing, ahead of us.<br><br>Up Next: <strong>Those 3 Weeks in March</strong></div><div><br></div><h1><strong>FROM THE UNWASHED MASSES</strong></h1><div>Who knew this guy also could farm? Here is the urban devotee Steven Simon with his idea for what to do with <a href="https://world.hey.com/clough/portico-darwin-sf-is-leading-the-way-but-where-7501e692">the empty offices and department stores</a>.<br><br></div><blockquote>Here's my half-baked idea for all of the vacant malls, big boxes, and office buildings: Large-scale indoor farming<br><br><ul><li>Better produce (protection from elements)</li><li>Organic</li><li>Local (right in the neighborhood)</li><li>Sustainable (solar + wind power)</li><li>Proven (plenty of current examples . . . including weed)</li></ul><br>I'm sure there are issues. Maybe even show-stoppers. But I'll leave it to you to research those. </blockquote><div><br>I love this idea. Naturally, I did do a tad of research, and the issues revolve around power and water. But add <a href="https://world.hey.com/clough/portico-darwin-nuke-texas-733a8292">small nuclear reactors</a> to the mix Steven already suggests, and it's no longer a problem. Water? Power desalination plants with the aforementioned small nuclear reactors, build some pipelines, and you have unlimited water. Crazy? So was landing a man on the moon, but we used to do big stuff in America.<br><br>And to Nicki Vale, Macy's Union Square store closing is personal.<br><br></div><blockquote>Macy's closing stores is so sad, but the Union Square store is devastating! I have so many memories of going shopping down there with Julie. It feels like the end of an era. <br><br>In protest, I have been trying to order less on Amazon in favor of brick-and-mortar stores, even if the prices are higher. </blockquote><div><br>Thank you for reading this newsletter. <br><br></div><h1><strong>KLUF</strong></h1><div>This is a Killer album from the era, and one of my favorites, then and now. It also captures the mood nicely. <a href="https://open.spotify.com/album/5uBBGoalYc2oYmh5yn2rtt?si=KuOUqRB2RBilSqwV0ASGoQ">Here</a> is Cracker and the rocking <em>The Golden Age</em>.<br> <figure class="attachment attachment--preview attachment--lightboxable attachment--jpg">
<a download="cracker.jpg" title="Download cracker.jpg" data-click-proxy-target="lightbox_link_blob_1573549480" href="https://world.hey.com/clough/d23cadbb/blobs/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaHNLd2VvZGNwZCIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoiYmxvYl9pZCJ9fQ==--2267578d7b67b67b4c59c8b6c33331440fbbefe2/cracker.jpg?disposition=attachment">
<img src="https://world.hey.com/clough/d23cadbb/representations/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaHNLd2VvZGNwZCIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoiYmxvYl9pZCJ9fQ==--2267578d7b67b67b4c59c8b6c33331440fbbefe2/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaDdDam9MWm05eWJXRjBTU0lJYW5CbkJqb0dSVlE2RkhKbGMybDZaVjkwYjE5c2FXMXBkRnNIYVFLQUIya0NBQVU2REhGMVlXeHBkSGxwU3pvTGJHOWhaR1Z5ZXdZNkNYQmhaMlV3T2cxamIyRnNaWE5qWlZRPSIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoidmFyaWF0aW9uIn19--0b5e092e6240e14fab357b4c1013c9a0c881ff87/cracker.jpg" alt="cracker.jpg" srcset="https://world.hey.com/clough/d23cadbb/representations/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaHNLd2VvZGNwZCIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoiYmxvYl9pZCJ9fQ==--2267578d7b67b67b4c59c8b6c33331440fbbefe2/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaDdDam9MWm05eWJXRjBTU0lJYW5CbkJqb0dSVlE2RkhKbGMybDZaVjkwYjE5c2FXMXBkRnNIYVFJQUQya0NBQW82REhGMVlXeHBkSGxwUVRvTGJHOWhaR1Z5ZXdZNkNYQmhaMlV3T2cxamIyRnNaWE5qWlZRPSIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoidmFyaWF0aW9uIn19--a8a2bb6a9884c661ef30854054544882621a1752/cracker.jpg 2x, https://world.hey.com/clough/d23cadbb/representations/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaHNLd2VvZGNwZCIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoiYmxvYl9pZCJ9fQ==--2267578d7b67b67b4c59c8b6c33331440fbbefe2/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaDdDam9MWm05eWJXRjBTU0lJYW5CbkJqb0dSVlE2RkhKbGMybDZaVjkwYjE5c2FXMXBkRnNIYVFLQUZta0NBQTg2REhGMVlXeHBkSGxwUERvTGJHOWhaR1Z5ZXdZNkNYQmhaMlV3T2cxamIyRnNaWE5qWlZRPSIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoidmFyaWF0aW9uIn19--9b7ba00c32731d121dd7ff5706d31cc3652788dd/cracker.jpg 3x" decoding="async" loading="lazy">
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</figure><br><br><br></div>
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Dean Cloughclough@hey.comtag:world.hey.com,2005:World::Post/357012024-03-06T12:33:51Z2024-03-06T20:43:25ZPortico Darwin: SF is Leading the Way, But Where?<div class="trix-content">
<h1><strong>TODAY'S RAMBLINGS</strong></h1><div> <figure class="attachment attachment--preview attachment--lightboxable attachment--jpg">
<a download="macy.jpg" title="Download macy.jpg" data-click-proxy-target="lightbox_link_blob_1571133799" href="https://world.hey.com/clough/7501e692/blobs/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaHNLd2RubWFWZCIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoiYmxvYl9pZCJ9fQ==--0111af5d78232c477607dc998a5b0c7dc950fe38/macy.jpg?disposition=attachment">
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</figure></div><div><2 Minute Read</div><div><br>Happy Wednesday and it is great to be back in San Francisco. As you might have noticed, I tend to be a bit of a cheerleader for my beloved SF. <br><br>That was never more true than on my recent trip to Hoboken and Tupper Lake. I took every occasion to do my "those that bet against San Francisco always lose" routine, explaining how this ain't our first rodeo, in terms of recovering from devastating blows. LOL, I remember it was over for SF when the original dot com bubble exploded in 2000, and again in 2008 after the financial crisis. There were ass-kicking earthquakes in 1906 and 1989, and yes, the pandemic, too, did a number on the world's best city. <br><br>But as I've said before: <a href="https://app.hey.com/world/posts/da9bc9ff">it's fucking <em>San Francisco</em></a>, and there's a reason our city logo features a phoenix.<br><br>I also reminded people on this self-anointed speaking tour that while all cities have homeless, car break-ins, and shoplifting, no other city compresses that unsavoriness into 49 square miles. We don't even make the list of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_United_States_cities_by_area">the largest 150 cities by landmass</a>, so it's not as easy for us to hide the bad stuff as it is in say, Indianapolis (361 square miles).<br><br>Yet it is hard to explain away the nation's worst office occupancy rates, and now this, the news that the <strong>Macy's</strong> flagship department store in San Francisco's famous Union Square shopping district is closing. What was an institution for generations will be just another empty retail store. Indeed, it is easier to name the major brands that have left Union Square, versus those that remain. <br><br>As a long-time resident - it will be 32 years soon - this is a gut punch. For many of the years we've lived here, "going to Union Square" was still kind of a big deal. Heck, a lot of people used to dress for the occasion, and still did when we first arrived.<br><br>Now? Well, you only need to turn on <em>Fox News</em> to see Macy's is just one in a long line of closures all over downtown. <br><br><strong>But I say we're on the leading edge. </strong> The problem is that no one, to date, can say where we're going.<strong> <br></strong><br>Offices and big department stores are mostly over, and San Francisco is the vanguard of that trend. What we're going through now will inevitably reach nearly all major commercial districts, if not now, then soon. And if not to the degree we are experiencing, close to it. I am not the first to observe that many office towers may become our civilizations' pyramids, and giant urban department stores are the same thing. <br><br>Indeed, this reminds me of the wisdom shared by the brewing enthusiast Günther Strobel, explaining the demise of another SF legend, <strong>Anchor Brewing</strong>. Mr. Strobel asked the simple question, "When was the last time you ordered a Steam Beer?" <br><br>He was right, and the same logic applies here: Nobody, relatively speaking, is going to Union Square anymore, or to the office, either. The computer, the Internet, and finally, the pandemic, changed everything. <br><br>But that's the case everywhere.<br><br>Because look at this. This is another Macy's, but this is one in my hometown of Albany. While it is not currently slated for closure, does anyone see a bright future here? <br> <figure class="attachment attachment--preview attachment--lightboxable attachment--jpg">
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</figure><br>Me neither. Who the hell is getting in a car and driving to that? Why? To be ignored by the few sales clerks that you can't find in the first place? <br><br>The same is true for return-to-office mandates - why demand that people commute when there's no need? While I may staunchly believe there is value in workers uniting in a common location (A.K.A. <em>offices</em>), I appear to be in the minority. It's also a lot cheaper for companies. So I wonder which way most will go, especially when their employees don't want to go to an office in the first place?<br><br>Thus my call for our best urban planners and architects to take the lead, and now. What should we do with all of this space?<br><br>"Housing?" Great, but look at the hulking monolith above and tell me how? <br><br>Answering the question of what to do with dying or dead office buildings and retail stores is important, and the problem is not going away. In SF, and soon, most everywhere else.<br><br></div><h1><strong>FROM THE UNWASHED MASSES</strong></h1><div>I guess all of the self-adoration has been a bit much for some, judging by the dearth of fireworks and dancing in the street surrounding this blog's 3rd birthday.<br><br>But not to worry: There's another chapter of <strong>London Calling</strong> coming right up!<br><br>Thank you for reading this newsletter. <br><br></div><h1><strong>KLUF</strong></h1><div>I find this surprisingly good, and it's the last album from ZZ Top, at least the one that included Dusty Hill, who died in 2021. <a href="https://open.spotify.com/album/0rp7KWSLdzcLufa1IdvnGv?si=ON7SUoCNR4Oc-pfYmDiNwQ">Here</a> is 2012's enjoyable <em>La Futura.<br></em> <figure class="attachment attachment--preview attachment--lightboxable attachment--jpeg">
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Dean Cloughclough@hey.comtag:world.hey.com,2005:World::Post/356402024-03-04T10:11:51Z2024-03-04T14:32:50ZPortico Darwin: 3 Year Anniversary + Depart Tupper Lake<div class="trix-content">
<h1><strong>TODAY'S RAMBLINGS</strong></h1><div> <figure class="attachment attachment--preview attachment--lightboxable attachment--jpg">
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<img src="https://world.hey.com/clough/810cbbe9/representations/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaHNLd2RRSmpsZCIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoiYmxvYl9pZCJ9fQ==--b42a11b49adccc9d5f02e26c701381b5797618ed/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaDdDam9MWm05eWJXRjBTU0lJYW5CbkJqb0dSVlE2RkhKbGMybDZaVjkwYjE5c2FXMXBkRnNIYVFLQUIya0NBQVU2REhGMVlXeHBkSGxwU3pvTGJHOWhaR1Z5ZXdZNkNYQmhaMlV3T2cxamIyRnNaWE5qWlZRPSIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoidmFyaWF0aW9uIn19--0b5e092e6240e14fab357b4c1013c9a0c881ff87/3.jpg" alt="3.jpg" srcset="https://world.hey.com/clough/810cbbe9/representations/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaHNLd2RRSmpsZCIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoiYmxvYl9pZCJ9fQ==--b42a11b49adccc9d5f02e26c701381b5797618ed/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaDdDam9MWm05eWJXRjBTU0lJYW5CbkJqb0dSVlE2RkhKbGMybDZaVjkwYjE5c2FXMXBkRnNIYVFJQUQya0NBQW82REhGMVlXeHBkSGxwUVRvTGJHOWhaR1Z5ZXdZNkNYQmhaMlV3T2cxamIyRnNaWE5qWlZRPSIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoidmFyaWF0aW9uIn19--a8a2bb6a9884c661ef30854054544882621a1752/3.jpg 2x, https://world.hey.com/clough/810cbbe9/representations/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaHNLd2RRSmpsZCIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoiYmxvYl9pZCJ9fQ==--b42a11b49adccc9d5f02e26c701381b5797618ed/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaDdDam9MWm05eWJXRjBTU0lJYW5CbkJqb0dSVlE2RkhKbGMybDZaVjkwYjE5c2FXMXBkRnNIYVFLQUZta0NBQTg2REhGMVlXeHBkSGxwUERvTGJHOWhaR1Z5ZXdZNkNYQmhaMlV3T2cxamIyRnNaWE5qWlZRPSIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoidmFyaWF0aW9uIn19--9b7ba00c32731d121dd7ff5706d31cc3652788dd/3.jpg 3x" decoding="async" loading="lazy">
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</figure><br> <2 Minute Read<br><br>While it probably seems longer, it is 3 years tomorrow that I <a href="https://world.hey.com/clough/portico-darwin-who-or-what-is-portico-darwin-1ad2df52">began this blog</a>. <br><br>A couple of months later, a <a href="https://porticodarwin.com">companion website</a>. <a href="https://www.bonfire.com/store/porticodarwin/">Swag</a>, too. Of course, there is swag! <br> <figure class="attachment attachment--preview attachment--lightboxable attachment--jpg">
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</figure><br>But it wasn't all vile commercialism: I built <a href="https://www.porticodarwin.com/artgallery">an AI art gallery</a>, after all. <br> <figure class="attachment attachment--preview attachment--lightboxable attachment--jpg">
<a download="ag.jpg" title="Download ag.jpg" data-click-proxy-target="lightbox_link_blob_1568262888" href="https://world.hey.com/clough/810cbbe9/blobs/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaHNLd2ZveW5sZCIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoiYmxvYl9pZCJ9fQ==--ccf8f1150e7ff17151ae683c487d19a6f936fffc/ag.jpg?disposition=attachment">
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</a>
</figure><br>There have been a total of 502 posts in the process, and 476 tracks/albums/playlists played to date on <strong>KLUF</strong>. 131 people and 2 dogs have been given fake names. There's been <a href="https://world.hey.com/clough/portico-darwin-the-hotel-soptoc-chain-longer-stays-paying-for-it-5adbc212"><strong>SOPTOC</strong></a>, <a href="https://world.hey.com/clough/portico-darwin-lottery-winner-77b0b019"><strong>Lottery Winner</strong></a>, and now, <a href="https://world.hey.com/clough/portico-darwin-introducing-london-calling-7b8be580"><strong>London Calling</strong></a>. And there's no end in sight: I think we all can agree it's unlikely I will ever run out of opinions.<br><br><strong>So sure, and with the humility that is my hallmark, I toast to . . . myself.<br></strong> <br>10 Seconds of Seriousness: What an unusual period, in the world, and my life, too.<br><br>The former? 5 March 2021 was just two months after the attempted overthrow of the US Government on January 6th. The virus was still ongoing. President Biden was 3 years younger. It appeared the Republican party might be ready to move beyond Trump.<br><br>Now? I just want this year to end with anyone but Trump elected President. I literally don't care about anything else, not climate, not guns, not crime - nothing. <br><br>Because I don't believe America will ever be America again were he to be somehow reelected. The guardrails held - barely - the first time. The next time I fear we will not be as fortunate. <br><br>What about the latter, these past 3 years in my own life? <br><br><em>Tell us more</em>. <br><br>Said no reader of this blog, ever.<br><br>But this much does need to be said: <strong>Thank you </strong>-<strong> </strong>I appreciate you making time to read my <strong>RAMBLINGS</strong>. You do not know how much it means to me that people - people I love and respect - read this. <br><br>(<em>Not valid in North Carolina.</em>)<br><br>As I am wont to say: I love to write, and I have acknowledged early and often that this blog is my pitiful attempt at relevance in retirement. <br> <br>And mental health. Trust me, putting shit out there, no matter how you do it, can help.<br><br>Back to the fun. Using the wonders of database technology and online word cloud services, I present the general subjects and topics of <strong>TODAY'S RAMBLINGS, </strong>and the bands played on <strong>KLUF</strong>. Searchable/sortable lists are available at the website, or you can click <a href="https://airtable.com/appJVPX180GdOvx0z/shry0i79B2h0FuQur">here</a> for the article archive, and <a href="https://airtable.com/appJVPX180GdOvx0z/shrCbj5U5MxqpXLT9">here</a> for everything played on my imaginary radio station.<br><br><strong>Subjects<br></strong> <figure class="attachment attachment--preview attachment--lightboxable attachment--jpg">
<a download="Subj.jpg" title="Download Subj.jpg" data-click-proxy-target="lightbox_link_blob_1564672713" href="https://world.hey.com/clough/810cbbe9/blobs/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaHNLd2ZKQWtOZCIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoiYmxvYl9pZCJ9fQ==--a4615fac62f029dc4fdb6337104f42944ffccc9e/Subj.jpg?disposition=attachment">
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</a>
</figure><br><strong>Topics<br></strong> <figure class="attachment attachment--preview attachment--lightboxable attachment--jpg">
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</a>
</figure><br><strong>KLUF</strong><br> <figure class="attachment attachment--preview attachment--lightboxable attachment--jpg">
<a download="KLUF.jpg" title="Download KLUF.jpg" data-click-proxy-target="lightbox_link_blob_1564732556" href="https://world.hey.com/clough/810cbbe9/blobs/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaHNLd2VNN0VOZCIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoiYmxvYl9pZCJ9fQ==--f6fc6668c9b8ed1aff169fc7273575e544e12b77/KLUF.jpg?disposition=attachment">
<img src="https://world.hey.com/clough/810cbbe9/representations/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaHNLd2VNN0VOZCIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoiYmxvYl9pZCJ9fQ==--f6fc6668c9b8ed1aff169fc7273575e544e12b77/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaDdDam9MWm05eWJXRjBTU0lJYW5CbkJqb0dSVlE2RkhKbGMybDZaVjkwYjE5c2FXMXBkRnNIYVFLQUIya0NBQVU2REhGMVlXeHBkSGxwU3pvTGJHOWhaR1Z5ZXdZNkNYQmhaMlV3T2cxamIyRnNaWE5qWlZRPSIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoidmFyaWF0aW9uIn19--0b5e092e6240e14fab357b4c1013c9a0c881ff87/KLUF.jpg" alt="KLUF.jpg" srcset="https://world.hey.com/clough/810cbbe9/representations/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaHNLd2VNN0VOZCIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoiYmxvYl9pZCJ9fQ==--f6fc6668c9b8ed1aff169fc7273575e544e12b77/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaDdDam9MWm05eWJXRjBTU0lJYW5CbkJqb0dSVlE2RkhKbGMybDZaVjkwYjE5c2FXMXBkRnNIYVFJQUQya0NBQW82REhGMVlXeHBkSGxwUVRvTGJHOWhaR1Z5ZXdZNkNYQmhaMlV3T2cxamIyRnNaWE5qWlZRPSIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoidmFyaWF0aW9uIn19--a8a2bb6a9884c661ef30854054544882621a1752/KLUF.jpg 2x, https://world.hey.com/clough/810cbbe9/representations/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaHNLd2VNN0VOZCIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoiYmxvYl9pZCJ9fQ==--f6fc6668c9b8ed1aff169fc7273575e544e12b77/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaDdDam9MWm05eWJXRjBTU0lJYW5CbkJqb0dSVlE2RkhKbGMybDZaVjkwYjE5c2FXMXBkRnNIYVFLQUZta0NBQTg2REhGMVlXeHBkSGxwUERvTGJHOWhaR1Z5ZXdZNkNYQmhaMlV3T2cxamIyRnNaWE5qWlZRPSIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoidmFyaWF0aW9uIn19--9b7ba00c32731d121dd7ff5706d31cc3652788dd/KLUF.jpg 3x" decoding="async" loading="lazy">
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</figure><strong><br></strong>10 More Seconds of Seriousness: <strong>Thanks again, to all of you.<br></strong> <figure class="attachment attachment--preview attachment--lightboxable attachment--jpg">
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</a>
</figure><strong><br><br>Tupper Lake</strong><br>A note on my beloved Tupper Lake, as I depart soon for the drive and train ride to Hoboken. <br><br>It is still amazing, and still so very depressed economically. If you want to see what no business activity looks like, come here, at least in winter. I sure wish they'd get behind <a href="https://world.hey.com/clough/portico-darwin-a-proposal-for-tupper-lake-9960bdbb">my master plan</a>. <br><br>But boy, is it quiet, and it is nice not locking one's car, or even house. <br><br>It is also f'ing gorgeous, at any time of the year.<br> <figure class="attachment attachment--preview attachment--lightboxable attachment--jpg">
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</a>
</figure><br>Oh, and a pro tip for anyone with similar needs. This being her secondary house in Tupper Lake, reserved for those so relegated (like me), Shelly to date had no music system at Murphy Meadows. <br><br>That is now fixed, and you'd be amazed at what two <a href="https://www.sonos.com/en-us/shop/roam-sl-and-wireless-charger-set">Sonos Roam SL's</a> can do. At $200 each, including their trick charging stand, these are tough to beat, as they are not only traditional Sonos zones, but portable Bluetooth speakers, too. <a href="https://world.hey.com/clough/portico-darwin-the-rating-system-d3b89335">Diamond Certified</a>, at least for what they are.<br><br></div><h1><strong>FROM THE UNWASHED MASSES</strong></h1><div>Just know that Randy Smee and Lara Mohair are enjoying <strong>London Calling</strong>. <br><br>But me publishing the two of them reveling in it here would make that soirée of self-absorption worse than it is already, correct?<br><br></div><div>Thank you for reading this newsletter. <br><br></div><h1><strong>KLUF</strong></h1><div>In honor of this 3rd anniversary, <a href="https://open.spotify.com/track/5vtXtPjH9NBC79ZOuTHYrF?si=886cab08d0944df4">here</a> is Lou Reed and the live version of "Sweet Jane," from his live album <em>Rock n Roll Animal</em>.<br> <figure class="attachment attachment--preview attachment--lightboxable attachment--jpg">
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</a>
</figure><br>This is my favorite rock song, which I get to play, <em>since it's my day</em>. <br><br>Some will recognize that as a not-so-sweet remembrance of my dear, departed mother, who would unilaterally make things like her birthday and anniversary an artificially big deal. <br><br>And who would do that?<br><br></div>
</div>
Dean Cloughclough@hey.comtag:world.hey.com,2005:World::Post/356262024-03-03T17:51:18Z2024-03-03T19:14:04ZPortico Darwin: Lottery Winner<div class="trix-content">
<div><a href="https://world.hey.com/clough/portico-darwin-lottery-winner-part-i-e6cd00d3">Portico Darwin: Lottery Winner, Part I</a><br><br><a href="https://world.hey.com/clough/portico-darwin-lottery-winner-part-ii-c43e6870">Portico Darwin: Lottery Winner, Part II</a><br><br><a href="https://world.hey.com/clough/portico-darwin-lottery-winner-the-electrifying-conclusion-38094c1a">Portico Darwin: Lottery Winner, The Electrifying Conclusion</a><br><br></div>
</div>
Dean Cloughclough@hey.comtag:world.hey.com,2005:World::Post/355802024-03-01T11:19:38Z2024-03-01T13:43:12ZPortico Darwin: London Calling, Chapter 5<div class="trix-content">
<h1><strong>TODAY'S RAMBLINGS</strong></h1><div> <figure class="attachment attachment--preview attachment--lightboxable attachment--jpg">
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</a>
</figure><6 Minute Read<br><br>Happy Friday, and this is the fifth installment of <strong>London Calling</strong>.<br><br><a href="https://app.hey.com/world/posts/7b8be580"><strong>Preface and Chapter 1</strong></a><strong><br></strong><a href="https://world.hey.com/clough/portico-darwin-london-calling-chapter-2-756315ca"><strong>Chapter 2</strong></a><strong><br></strong><a href="https://world.hey.com/clough/portico-darwin-london-calling-chapter-3-aaa94e0f"><strong>Chapter 3</strong></a></div><div><a href="https://world.hey.com/clough/portico-darwin-london-calling-chapter-4-3c42648b"><strong>Chapter 4</strong></a></div><div><br><strong>It Snows in London and The Royal Horseguards Doesn't Suck<br></strong>I know because, after the Seaco team visited San Francisco, I was soon asked to come to London in December of 1997, and again in February of 1998. And then, again in March. God, those Virgin Atlantic Upper Class flights were something, and London covered in fresh snow was not bad, either. <br><br>My presence was required because it was time to define the program (or "project" as we called it then - I wouldn't hear the term "program management" for a couple of more years), such that we could start getting the real work done. And while I hadn't been anointed officially as leading the telecom and desktop/server refresh, I didn't wait. I wanted to be in London as often as possible. <br><br>As you've read, I now knew which airline to fly, and from the first trip (and since no one seemed to object), I knew where to stay: on each trip, I booked myself a nice room at <strong>The Royal Horseguards</strong>, smack-dab in Whitehall and a short walk to Westminster and the Houses of Parliament. <br><br>This hostelry was the site of a lot of work and a lot of not work. In the coming months, its classic and fine rooms would be graced by a whole bunch of different people. Of course George Valiant Walker and Andy Gill, but also my wife. Other Genstar staff (here's looking at you, Lara Mohair), too, but they'd soon be basking in their severance packages and were mostly gone after March or thereabouts.<br><br>By which time I was already shopping for apartments in London for the summer. But I am getting ahead of myself.<br><br>Because until then, we slummed it here. And there was quite a cavalcade of guest stars, some expected, others not.<br> <figure class="attachment attachment--preview attachment--lightboxable attachment--jpeg">
<a download="rh.jpeg" title="Download rh.jpeg" data-click-proxy-target="lightbox_link_blob_1544411444" href="https://world.hey.com/clough/e2a2e63c/blobs/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaHNLd2MwMlExYyIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoiYmxvYl9pZCJ9fQ==--ec6acd6b858966b7a02f906cedcd1960a4ec9dde/rh.jpeg?disposition=attachment">
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</figure><br>Including locals Randy Smee and Marc Bass, who spent a night - in my room. We'll get back to that shortly. <br><br>And there was a repeat of me downing a bottle of Scotch at the base of Big Ben. However this time, I was with two women, both Genstar employees. <em>Meow</em>, but there's an entire chapter upcoming that details the insane months of February and March of 1998 in London at The Royal Horseguards and beyond - of which that night was just a small part.<br><br>But now, it's still the wash-rinse-repeat days of December 1997 and early '98. <br><br>And just look at the gonzo location of The Royal Horseguards. It was either three stops away on the Tube's District Line, or an amazing 15 minute walk along The River Thames, to Sea Containers House and work. St. James's Park was a stone's throw and gosh, were there some fine pubs in Mayfair, also nearby. <br> <figure class="attachment attachment--preview attachment--lightboxable attachment--jpg">
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</a>
</figure><br>In the end, my tally of stays here added to 4, the first on that initial due diligence visit, and then another week in December, February for 2 weeks, and then 3 more weeks in March. <br><br>It was fucking amazing.<br><br></div><pre><em>I only vaguely remember the start of this particular night, and don't remember the finish. My only clear memory is of the wreckage in my room the following morning, when I came to.
There were dozens of empty bottles of things like Budweiser and Carling, and they were everywhere. Also, my CD player and powered speakers were unplugged.
Oh, and there were Randy Smee and Marc Bass, each unconscious in a chair and settee, respectively. Randy was still donning the wraparound sunglasses from the night before. It was 7 AM.
I imagine I probably invited the chaps to come up my way after work, for some pints and a pub dinner. After, I must have insisted on demonstrating my exquisite musical taste to these posers, because the real party had clearly started and finished in my equally exquisite hotel room.
And that's where I utilized The Royal Horseguards' 24-hour room service. We placed at least two different, giant orders for beers, and didn't get started until 11 PM.
Julie still tells the story of me calling her that night - early evening in SF - and telling her I missed and loved her. All true.
But then I hung up and called room service again, ordered another 18 bottles of Budweiser, and probably started explaining the importance of </em>Pet Sounds<em> to Randy and Marc.
Again.</em></pre><div><br></div><div><strong>This is Called Working Man<br></strong>By now, a reader could reasonably surmise <strong>London Calling</strong> to be little more than drunken bacchanals, interspersed with the occasional business meeting. <br><br>So it is probably about the right time to be clear about something: I worked as hard on this program throughout its duration as at any other time in my life, on anything else. And if you've never been on the receiving end of my management, you will have to take my word for it that that means something. I consider myself an animal in terms of getting things done, and this was probably my peak <em>Mad Dog</em> (my partner Peet Krakow's not-so-complimentary nickname for me).<br><br>I point this out not for a trophy - after all, I wasn't digging ditches. I have been honest about that.<br><br>But while a lot of this experience was indeed glorious and exciting, it was also akin to a marathon. A grueling, uphill, marathon. </div><pre><em>Even my feet got fucked-up from the misfitting dress shoes I wore month after month on my Blackfriars Bridge crossings from/to the Tube stop of a similar name.
God was it beautiful and wow could it pour on that damned bridge.
</em> <figure class="attachment attachment--preview attachment--lightboxable attachment--jpg">
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</a>
</figure></pre><div>I remain overwhelmed with gratitude for this entire experience, but zero of the work was easy. Among the most challenging things was simply defining what needed doing. That is what these wash, rinse, repeat trips were for: <br><br>With my Seaco and Genstar colleagues, <strong>figure out what the program even was.<br><br></strong>Exhibit A: It was quite an effort just getting the executives to finalize the offices in which the merged companies would work. In some cities, both companies had facilities. In others, one or the other did. And all had leases or other real estate considerations, each of which needing to be analyzed. <br><br>Yet knowing the addresses where we needed stuff was kind of important, and we eventually got our answer. Each red pin on <a href="https://batchgeo.com/map/48179f724c6d442f89efbaa0380f8503">the map</a> was where we worked, 32 offices in all. <br> <figure class="attachment attachment--preview attachment--lightboxable attachment--jpg">
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</a>
</figure><br> <figure class="attachment attachment--preview attachment--lightboxable attachment--jpg">
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</a>
</figure></div><div>What was going into these offices? <br><br></div><pre><em>While I'll admit to being a rookie international consultant, I had to date not experienced CIO Steve Whittam's mindless demands for </em>insane <em>levels of documentation. For everything. I remember vividly a weekend in February spent at Royal Horseguards writing a report justifying every last single bit of kit we were proposing for each office.
I literally had to define what a PC was and what they'd be used for. This made even less sense because Seaco had very few PCs worth a shit, and was going to be getting all of Genstar's modern PCs for free.
Yet I still found myself explaining why having PCs in the offices of the world's largest intermodal shipping container lessor would be useful. In 1998.</em></pre><div><br>It took quite a while, but in the end, we were able to distill things into something palatable for Whittam and the other big boys upstairs at Sea Containers House. <br><br>Here is the program being born, in a memo I wrote to Steve Whittam, beginning with its table of contents, and fab WestConnect logo. These are from the program's original working papers, which I am proud to say I have still. <br> <figure class="attachment attachment--preview attachment--lightboxable attachment--jpg">
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</a>
</figure><br> <figure class="attachment attachment--preview attachment--lightboxable attachment--jpg">
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</a>
</figure><br>This is Appendix A; we did this in 32 offices.<br> <figure class="attachment attachment--preview attachment--lightboxable attachment--jpg">
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</figure><br>In English:<br><br></div><ul><li>We had to have new wiring, Ethernet outlets, and an equipment rack installed in many of the 32 offices</li></ul><div><br></div><ul><li>We needed new international broadband data circuits to connect these offices, and they needed to utilize Internet standards and protocols</li></ul><div><br></div><ul><li>Someone was going to need to visit each office to install the servers, PCs, and associated gear</li></ul><div><br>And this had to go on while every office remained operational.<br><br></div><pre><em>The Seaco-mandated </em>Sales Office PC<em> marked the point where I lost all hope Reg Ellwood, responsible for personal computing for Seaco, could be useful to the program. The SOPC was a Frankenstein's monster, easily replaced with the modern file sharing and communications facilitated by the new stuff we were putting in every office.
I tirelessly attempted to educate/convince Reg of that.
But ever fearful of angering Boss Whittam, Reg insisted the </em>Sales Office PC<em> be a part of the plan. I think an admin in each office sat at them, waited for orders on a green-screen emulator, printed them, and then faxed them somewhere.
I may have that wrong: It was probably less sophisticated. </em></pre><div><br>It still thrills me to reflect on the size of this program, and the work it took to pull it off. As you can see, we had framed the program by early 1998. <br><br>And by 1 September 1998, the whole thing was finished. Or about six months. <br><br>What happened in between? <br><br>I negotiated the biggest contract I ever would, smoked hash in Amsterdam with a client, almost couldn't check out of Royal Horseguards, and golfed where <em>Goldfinger</em> was filmed. Whilst Andy Gill went for a massage in Auckland, but George Valiant Walker couldn't fit in a ski trip to the Chilean Andes between deployments; both were at my request. <br><br>We will get back to all of that.<br><br></div><pre><em>And wait until you hear about handsome Dimitri, the son of a Greek shipping magnate, hitting on my wife, not long before dawn, at a bar in Antwerp. That was fine because Luigi Ferrari and I were doing another </em>kopstootje<em> - Dutch for </em>blow to the head<em>. Which they love serving in Belgium, too, and it consists of a shot of </em>genever<em> (Dutch gin), chased by a beer. Like fine Belgium beer. Like the kind they serve in Antwerp, the city with the best bars in the world.
We - Julie, too - had about 5 or 10 of those, starting at around 1AM. Which in Antwerp in 1998, was right after dinner.
And then we had our passports revoked, just a few hours later.
And yes, we'll get back to that. Certainly.</em></pre><div><br></div><div>What were you doing that summer? </div><div><br>Up Next: <strong>London Calls</strong></div><div><br></div><h1><strong>FROM THE UNWASHED MASSES</strong></h1><div>It is always great to hear from the brainiac, overachieving part of my family. Proof? Here are the perfectly charming comments I received from my cousin, Raquel Heinz Baku, in response to <a href="https://world.hey.com/clough/portico-darwin-a-free-man-goes-up-the-river-de1b85b8">A Free Man Goes Up The River</a>.<br><br></div><blockquote>Love this journey!<br> <br>There's a really beautiful children's book, <a href="https://www.amazon.com/River-Elisha-Cooper/dp/133831226X/ref=asc_df_133831226X/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=385670979584&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=10472485913318602411&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9005550&hvtargid=pla-826159507879&psc=1&mcid=3724c80e9a833bc18b769dffbff1aca4&tag=&ref=&adgrpid=79288120795&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvadid=385670979584&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=10472485913318602411&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9005550&hvtargid=pla-826159507879&gclid=CjwKCAiA0PuuBhBsEiwAS7fsNbNr3flfgoLmWzFtWsnBu3h2MuIBIzfIp8xcG2QW_0H4Kd4oy3mXMhoCCo4QAvD_BwE">River</a>, that is about a solo journey of a mom going from Lake Tear of the Clouds to New York in a canoe down the Hudson. <br><br>I read it often during the most sequestered of COVID times, and fantasized about such an adventure (but not sure that I'm brave enough to actually do it)!</blockquote><div><br>I was not familiar with the book, but wow, did I find an example of the beauty of its art and prose.<br> <figure class="attachment attachment--preview attachment--lightboxable attachment--jpeg">
<a download="river.jpeg" title="Download river.jpeg" data-click-proxy-target="lightbox_link_blob_1564942025" href="https://world.hey.com/clough/e2a2e63c/blobs/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaHNLd2ZKSGtkZCIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoiYmxvYl9pZCJ9fQ==--496d3e0ae6aa3ba386a69d784c917ce6c000834a/river.jpeg?disposition=attachment">
<img src="https://world.hey.com/clough/e2a2e63c/representations/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaHNLd2ZKSGtkZCIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoiYmxvYl9pZCJ9fQ==--496d3e0ae6aa3ba386a69d784c917ce6c000834a/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaDdDam9MWm05eWJXRjBTU0lKYW5CbFp3WTZCa1ZVT2hSeVpYTnBlbVZmZEc5ZmJHbHRhWFJiQjJrQ2dBZHBBZ0FGT2d4eGRXRnNhWFI1YVVzNkMyeHZZV1JsY25zR09nbHdZV2RsTURvTlkyOWhiR1Z6WTJWVSIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoidmFyaWF0aW9uIn19--824130a6fd2f596d29a6d245cf773fab0beee210/river.jpeg" alt="river.jpeg" srcset="https://world.hey.com/clough/e2a2e63c/representations/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaHNLd2ZKSGtkZCIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoiYmxvYl9pZCJ9fQ==--496d3e0ae6aa3ba386a69d784c917ce6c000834a/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaDdDam9MWm05eWJXRjBTU0lKYW5CbFp3WTZCa1ZVT2hSeVpYTnBlbVZmZEc5ZmJHbHRhWFJiQjJrQ0FBOXBBZ0FLT2d4eGRXRnNhWFI1YVVFNkMyeHZZV1JsY25zR09nbHdZV2RsTURvTlkyOWhiR1Z6WTJWVSIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoidmFyaWF0aW9uIn19--f3f1b2037df56b6e7b02c335c36fe9999ab42b52/river.jpeg 2x, https://world.hey.com/clough/e2a2e63c/representations/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaHNLd2ZKSGtkZCIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoiYmxvYl9pZCJ9fQ==--496d3e0ae6aa3ba386a69d784c917ce6c000834a/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaDdDam9MWm05eWJXRjBTU0lKYW5CbFp3WTZCa1ZVT2hSeVpYTnBlbVZmZEc5ZmJHbHRhWFJiQjJrQ2dCWnBBZ0FQT2d4eGRXRnNhWFI1YVR3NkMyeHZZV1JsY25zR09nbHdZV2RsTURvTlkyOWhiR1Z6WTJWVSIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoidmFyaWF0aW9uIn19--6b62883c9596ea5ec874f8c026d734630c019ca2/river.jpeg 3x" decoding="async" loading="lazy">
</a>
</figure></div><div>Thank you, Raquel. <br><br></div><div>Thank you for reading this newsletter. <br><br></div><h1><strong>KLUF</strong></h1><div>Two-for-one today on <strong>KLUF</strong>. And that's because I have vivid memories of sitting in a pub in Whitehall during this period and listening to these, on headphones. Both had an impact, for different reasons.<br><br><a href="https://open.spotify.com/album/3w7TTi80vZApF0rQE5DMYb?si=wPhOGro9Rwm3y1R30Fe9KA">Here</a> is Sheryl Crow with her eponymous album from 1996, and also Oasis, and their bombastic but oh-so-Cool-Britannia <a href="https://open.spotify.com/album/021D07OEcg0c4tUCilc7ah?si=VSunya3dRDSonCb--PoDqw">album</a>, released in 1997, <em>Be Here Now</em>. <br> <figure class="attachment attachment--preview attachment--lightboxable attachment--jpg">
<a download="pubs.jpg" title="Download pubs.jpg" data-click-proxy-target="lightbox_link_blob_1558317551" href="https://world.hey.com/clough/e2a2e63c/blobs/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaHNLd2Z2Q2VKYyIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoiYmxvYl9pZCJ9fQ==--c56a1f3a4072822b10589c663c6ac2935dbfa96c/pubs.jpg?disposition=attachment">
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</a>
</figure><br>To this day I still lose my mind over "Magic Pie", but for some reason, not over "My Big Mouth."</div>
</div>
Dean Cloughclough@hey.comtag:world.hey.com,2005:World::Post/355312024-02-28T14:08:12Z2024-02-29T13:16:35ZPortico Darwin: A Free Man Goes Up The River<div class="trix-content">
<h1><strong>TODAY'S RAMBLINGS</strong></h1><div> <figure class="attachment attachment--preview attachment--lightboxable attachment--jpg">
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</figure><br><br></div><div>2 Minute Read<br><br>Hello Hump Day and not to worry: Julie and I are doing great, nor am I going to prison. Indeed, it feels like just yesterday (albeit in dog years) that we got married. <br><br>I kid my wife but I think she'd agree occasional time apart is not a bad thing, after almost 35 years together. <br><br>So that is how I find myself this week on another of my semi-regular solo winter pilgrimages to <strong>Tupper Lake</strong>, in New York's Adirondack Mountains. And the river upon which I am going up is the famed <strong>Hudson</strong>, whose source, Henderson Lake (and Lake Tear of the Clouds, often also attributed), is quite close to Tupper Lake. <br> <figure class="attachment attachment--preview attachment--lightboxable attachment--jpg">
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</figure><br>I am also following in my late father's footsteps. He came to Tupper Lake (albeit from Albany, not SF) each year on his own for something like 40 of them. <br><br>Although I am not here for deer hunting, as he was. <br> <figure class="attachment attachment--preview attachment--lightboxable attachment--jpg">
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</a>
</figure><br>I do know he loved the region at least as much as I do. <br><br>Regular readers know Tupper Lake is one of my global happy places, joining Hawai'i Island, The Dolomites, and California's Anderson Valley. It has world-class beauty, and I love it here, even if I've been relegated to Dr. Shelly Murphy's original lakefront home, <a href="https://www.magesticadk.com/en/bridgeview-in-the-adirondacks#gallery"><strong>Murphy Meadows</strong></a>. While not as sick as Murphy Manor, it remains as gorgeous and comfortable as always. <br><br>But do know reaching Tupper Lake from the western US in anything other than a private jet (yes, we have, on Shelly's plane, in 2014) is a drag. Unless one commits to a monstrous day of flying and driving, it's 2 days getting there, and then 2 more going back home.<br><br>So why not make it fun and exciting?<br><br>Rather than the all-day drudge of flying from SFO to some other hub, then to ALB, and <em>then</em> on to some non-descript airport hotel for the night, I did it a new way. <br><br>I flew nonstop SFO - EWR, and stayed overnight in glorious Hoboken on Sunday. <br><br>On Monday, I departed for the Adirondacks and Tupper Lake. <br><br><strong>Walk to Pier 13 and the NY Waterway Midtown</strong> <strong>Ferry<br>Time: </strong>5 Minutes<br>Here is the Hudson River, near its end, with midtown Manhattan in the background. This was my start on Monday. <br> <figure class="attachment attachment--preview attachment--lightboxable attachment--jpg">
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</a>
</figure><br>OK, full disclosure: I did take this photo on Monday, and it is indeed the view on the walk to the ferry dock in northern Hoboken. <br><br>But it was taken a couple of hours earlier, when I went out to grab a coffee, not a boat.<br><strong><br>Ride the Ferry to 39th Street/Midtown<br>Time: </strong>7 Minutes<br>Any regular reader knows my effusive love for this ride, one I've now taken dozens of times. Is this the best 7 minutes of urban public transportation anywhere? Maybe, and if it's not, it is not far from it. Even on a cold and grey ride, like Monday's.<br> <figure class="attachment attachment--preview attachment--lightboxable attachment--jpg">
<a download="nyw.jpg" title="Download nyw.jpg" data-click-proxy-target="lightbox_link_blob_1560664864" href="https://world.hey.com/clough/de1b85b8/blobs/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaHNLd2NnMndWZCIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoiYmxvYl9pZCJ9fQ==--5c448485c9387e041e7e780fec1cbe2042123e9f/nyw.jpg?disposition=attachment">
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</a>
</figure><strong><br><br>Walk to the Moynihan Train Hall in Midtown Manhattan<br>Time: </strong>20 Minutes<br>I was eager to do this because I am now quite familiar with Manhattan. So I knew what is in essence a new <strong>Penn Station</strong> is only a short stroll up 34th Street from the ferry terminal.<br><br>It was my first visit, and I was impressed. It bordered on European, and in fact, would be an upgrade over what exists now in, say, Milan. <br><br>I grabbed a cappuccino and a muffin and sat in the nicely appointed waiting area. Is this really an Amtrak station? <figure class="attachment attachment--preview attachment--lightboxable attachment--jpg">
<a download="mth.jpg" title="Download mth.jpg" data-click-proxy-target="lightbox_link_blob_1560690248" href="https://world.hey.com/clough/de1b85b8/blobs/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaHNLd2RJUGdaZCIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoiYmxvYl9pZCJ9fQ==--354b991c90c3a219ea9e76e41f8de7faea1ee3be/mth.jpg?disposition=attachment">
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</figure><br>As anyone who's used it can attest, anything is better than the previous "Pennsylvania Station" - which was beneath Madison Square Garden. That incarnation had all of the light, room, and airiness one associates with basements. Madison Square Garden may be America's most iconic indoor sports facility, but architectural splendor it ain't. <br> <figure class="attachment attachment--preview attachment--lightboxable attachment--jpg">
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</figure><br>Moynihan Train Hall is a huge upgrade in every way.<br><strong><br>Ride Amtrak up the Hudson River to Albany<br>Time: </strong>2.5 Hours<br>I must be getting older because I am nearly certain this ride - which I've taken on dozens of occasions, dating to childhood - somehow gets prettier each time. And it straddles the Hudson River from start to finish. <br><br>The second photo does not come close to doing the passing scenery justice, but I didn't want to use a stock photo.<br> <figure class="attachment attachment--preview attachment--lightboxable attachment--jpg">
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</figure><br> <figure class="attachment attachment--preview attachment--lightboxable attachment--jpg">
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</a>
</figure><br><strong><br>Drive from Albany to Murphy Meadows <br></strong>I love the 2.5 hour drive from Albany to Tupper Lake, and that's from someone who otherwise hates driving. Depending upon the time of year, there is little traffic, and what there is tapers to usually zero by the time you're hitting places like Indian or Blue Mountain Lakes. And boy, is it pretty, at any time of the year. <br><br>I also like it since I can do it from memory - I have traveled this route literally since I was born.<br> <figure class="attachment attachment--preview attachment--lightboxable attachment--jpg">
<a download="northriver.jpg" title="Download northriver.jpg" data-click-proxy-target="lightbox_link_blob_1561738424" href="https://world.hey.com/clough/de1b85b8/blobs/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaHNLd2U0UEJaZCIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoiYmxvYl9pZCJ9fQ==--72bcb09d1862b1d2a811da32a5a80339ba59cb67/northriver.jpg?disposition=attachment">
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</figure><strong><br></strong>The payoff for a journey that began with sunrise in Hoboken? This was upon arrival at Murphy Meadows. <br> <figure class="attachment attachment--preview attachment--lightboxable attachment--jpg">
<a download="mm.jpg" title="Download mm.jpg" data-click-proxy-target="lightbox_link_blob_1561740369" href="https://world.hey.com/clough/de1b85b8/blobs/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaHNLd2RSUkJaZCIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoiYmxvYl9pZCJ9fQ==--6620215445d53eee0e16ee17950dcb9ee9379d72/mm.jpg?disposition=attachment">
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</figure><br>For the record, I left Hoboken at 10 and arrived just in time for sunset at 5:30. It was time well spent.</div><div><br></div><h1><strong>FROM THE UNWASHED MASSES</strong></h1><div>I was wrong: Lara Mohair is not in a distinct minority of one that is enjoying London Calling. It's a distinct minority of two, because Randy Smee also appears to be enjoying it. That makes sense, as he has a starring role. <br><br>And his recollections do provide a nice alternative to my own.<br><br></div><blockquote>You say Lara Mohair thought Steve Whittam’s comment to you was classic? <br><br>Perhaps Lara would enjoy another comment along the same lines I received from (I think) a lady at AT&T in the States, after you must have just balled her out. <br><br>“Andy, you gotta teach Portico Darwin to breathe in and out!” </blockquote><div><br><strong><em>That is complete and total fucking nonsense, and if I saw this woman today, I'd get right in her face and tell her what's what!</em></strong><br><br>Hunter Deuce? Wrong, or at least ill-informed, in his latest comments, regarding <a href="https://world.hey.com/clough/portico-darwin-a-secret-at-sfo-depart-hoboken-00fc6c8c">my new technique at SFO</a>. <br><br>There's a shocker.<br><br></div><blockquote>Or you could just take BART and spare your wife the hassle of dropping your raggedy ass off in short-term parking.</blockquote><div><br>This is true, and our new financial austerity program means that's now our first choice. <br><br>Just not at 5 AM.<br><br>More? How about me running into Bulleit Bob and his wife Betty <em>by chance</em> at Little Italy last night? We'll be dining at the legendary <a href="https://www.redfoxrestaurantsaranaclake.com/">Red Fox</a>, just outside of Saranac Lake, tomorrow evening. <br><br>And this, at the last moment, from an anonymous reader:<br><br></div><blockquote>Thanks, Portico, for the useful SFO info!<br><br>Greetings from my cruise ship in the Indian Ocean, approaching Mauritius.</blockquote><div><br>Never let it be said we don't cover the world.<br><br></div><div>Thank you for reading this newsletter. <br><br></div><h1><strong>KLUF</strong></h1><div>No, no Springsteen. In fact, what I am playing is probably played too often here on <strong>KLUF</strong>. <br> <br>But with good reason, of course.<br><br><a href="https://open.spotify.com/album/2WTDHjiVNCHY3ju9kmGNOY?si=I01xyobGQKaYJtu0DPCP-A">Here</a>, and featuring the definitive version of "Take Me to the River," are Talking Heads, and a Mount Rushmore of a live album, <em>The Name of This Band is Talking Head</em>s.<br> <figure class="attachment attachment--preview attachment--lightboxable attachment--jpg">
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Dean Cloughclough@hey.comtag:world.hey.com,2005:World::Post/354952024-02-26T11:16:30Z2024-02-26T22:00:37ZPortico Darwin: A Secret at SFO + Depart Hoboken<div class="trix-content">
<h1><strong>TODAY'S RAMBLINGS</strong></h1><div> <figure class="attachment attachment--preview attachment--lightboxable attachment--jpeg">
<a download="sfo.jpeg" title="Download sfo.jpeg" data-click-proxy-target="lightbox_link_blob_1548556569" href="https://world.hey.com/clough/00fc6c8c/blobs/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaHNLd2NaR1UxYyIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoiYmxvYl9pZCJ9fQ==--1bad1ae2eeda34afd197e93720dc47cc20d1388d/sfo.jpeg?disposition=attachment">
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</figure>1 Minute Read</div><div><br>Happy Monday, and happy break from the orgy of self-revelation that is my <strong>London Calling </strong>series. <br><br>Today's post is about a trick at San Francisco International Airport. I used it just yesterday on my way to <a href="https://world.hey.com/clough/portico-darwin-adirondack-wonders-0995a2e3">Tupper Lake</a> (via <a href="https://world.hey.com/clough/portico-darwin-metro-nyc-travel-guide-2023-addendum-495780b9">Hoboken</a> last night) and it continues to impress. Here it is:<br><br><strong>The Short-Term Parking Garage is to be embraced, not shunned.<br><br></strong>That might also be true at your own airport, if there is covered short-term parking attached to its terminals, and the first 15 minutes there are free. <strong><br></strong><br>The concept is simple: You never subject yourself to the madness of the <em>Departures</em> and <em>Arrivals </em>clusterfuck lanes. Instead, drive directly into the short-term parking garage, just for a moment (and free) if dropping off, or a bit longer if picking up (probably still free). The actual traveler will barely notice the difference, but the driver most certainly will. <br><br>Because in the garage, there's no chaos. No jockeying for position near a curb - somewhere. No freak-outs trying to get bags out of the car while you know there are many waiting behind you to do the same. It is the antithesis of the normal and stressful airport drop-off or pick-up, yet adds no or very little time for anyone.<br><strong><br></strong>It's true. I first discovered this with the arrival in SF of the renowned artist and my cousin, <a href="https://clufff.com/">Charles Clough</a>, for his showing at Funston House, in early 2022. Since then, I have further refined and yes, documented, my methods and I believe I have it nailed.<br><br>First, a map for context. The colored areas on the map represent areas of the parking garage, which correspond to terminals, their respective gates, and thus airlines.<br> <figure class="attachment attachment--preview attachment--lightboxable attachment--jpg">
<a download="sfogarage.jpg" title="Download sfogarage.jpg" data-click-proxy-target="lightbox_link_blob_1545768986" href="https://world.hey.com/clough/00fc6c8c/blobs/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaHNLd2Nha0NKYyIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoiYmxvYl9pZCJ9fQ==--4117911e58bfb86f61673718bc7b3fc0cac0b1c3/sfogarage.jpg?disposition=attachment">
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</figure><br>And here, in all of its complex glory, are blow-by-blow directions. Sure, it's convoluted, but also exactly accurate, at least as of yesterday, 25 February 2024.<br><br><strong>Access the garage via Ramp 2 at the Hourly Parking Entrance. Pullover or park in Section A/B or B (Terminal 1 Airlines), D or E(Terminal 2 Airlines), or F (Terminal 3 Airlines), on level 4,</strong><strong><em> at the elevator bank</em></strong><strong>. Go up to/from the airport via level 5 of the garage to level 3, the Mezzanine in the airport. Gates are on level 2, baggage is on level 1.<br><br></strong>They have some areas fenced off, but I have found I can drive to any section.<br><br>Trust me, the walk is hardly farther than if you were dropped off at the curb. One goes up a floor, via an elevator or stairs. The 5th floor of the garage is connected to the airport proper via an enclosed sky bridge - which provides a nice view of the awful <em>Departure</em> and <em>Arrival</em> areas you've successfully avoided. You end up on the Mezzanine, one level above gate level and security, two above baggage claim. It is not a long walk and is easy even with bags. And, voilà, you're at TSA Pre-Check. <br><br>Pick-ups can be even more fun because if you time it correctly, you can park your car, meet whomever at baggage, and walk together back to the car. <br><br>All free, or for a pick-up, perhaps $5 or less, which is worth it to avoid the stress.<br><br>Or maybe that's just me.<br><br></div><h1><strong>FROM THE UNWASHED MASSES</strong></h1><div>A part of a distinct minority (apparently of one), Lara Mohair is thoroughly enjoying <a href="https://world.hey.com/clough/portico-darwin-london-calling-chapter-4-3c42648b"><strong>London Calling</strong></a>. And she also provides some third-party validation of my Virgin Atlantic adoration. <br><br></div><blockquote>Such a great read. Steve Whittam’s comment to you is classic. <br><br>Best quote I remember was (Genstar employee) Craig Hughes after flying Virgin Atlantic Upper Class to London, upon arrival stating that it’s already been the best trip of his life. <br><br>That might not be word for word but yeah, you’re not exaggerating.</blockquote><div><br>Thank you, Lara. And to my <del>thousands of</del> few dozen readers: maybe don't just hit delete this Friday.<br><br></div><div>Thank you for reading this newsletter. <br><br></div><h1><strong>KLUF</strong></h1><div>This is a first time play on <strong>KLUF</strong>, not just for the album but also for the band. I've always been respectful yet somehow lukewarm to Red Hot Chili Peppers. But <a href="https://open.spotify.com/album/74cQBDmkkzRBntR064f0SD?si=LElErd7-TZGGdjJ6gcJBEg">here</a> they are, with <em>One Hot Minute</em>, because "Aeroplane" is just too perfect for today. <br> <figure class="attachment attachment--preview attachment--lightboxable attachment--jpeg">
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Dean Cloughclough@hey.comtag:world.hey.com,2005:World::Post/354512024-02-23T13:19:37Z2024-02-23T13:36:29ZPortico Darwin: London Calling, Chapter 4<div class="trix-content">
<h1><strong>TODAY'S RAMBLINGS</strong></h1><div> <figure class="attachment attachment--preview attachment--lightboxable attachment--jpg">
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</figure><br> 6 Minute Read<br><br>Happy Friday, and this is the fourth installment of <strong>London Calling</strong>.<br><br><a href="https://app.hey.com/world/posts/7b8be580"><strong>Preface and Chapter 1</strong></a><strong><br></strong><a href="https://world.hey.com/clough/portico-darwin-london-calling-chapter-2-756315ca"><strong>Chapter 2</strong></a><strong><br></strong><a href="https://world.hey.com/clough/portico-darwin-london-calling-chapter-3-aaa94e0f"><strong>Chapter 3</strong></a></div><div><br><strong>A British Invasion Welcomed by Yanks<br></strong>Seaco's due diligence trip to Genstar's HQ in San Francisco did much to cement me and others into the picture. <br><br>For one, we drank together, both in SF and also on an all-day Fugazi special to the Napa Valley for wine tasting and a plush meal afterward. I got on great with my counterparts from Sea Containers Limited, and as I mentioned, it would prove somewhat revealing who came to San Francisco:<br><br></div><ul><li>Steve Whittam, CIO</li><li>Malcolm Graveling, VP System Operations</li><li>Chris Bushell, VP Software and British snob</li><li>Jim Lawrence, Director, System Operations</li><li>Randy Smee, Director, Telecom</li></ul><div><br></div><div>The non-gin-mill aspects of their due diligence visit to San Francisco went equally well. I believe even then it was clear to Seaco that our team at Genstar had already done (or at least were preparing) a lot of what the merged entity was going to need. <br><br>Specifically, we had written a fantastic Request for Proposal (RFP) for a new, Internet-oriented global data network, and had begun planning in earnest a migration of the company's workstations and servers to Microsoft's Windows NT. The combined companies were going to need that and even more.<br><br>Fortunately for me and my London dreams, Seaco had essentially nothing but a mishmash of yesterday's technology, interspersed with an occasional nod towards modernity. I vividly recall that Martin Denny - <em>the head of telecommunications for Seaco </em>- did not have an Internet email address at the time, and used a typewriter for correspondence.<br><br>From my trip and now theirs, it was obvious to all involved that this joint venture was going to need upgraded tech. It was also obvious it would be foolish to recreate things that already had been done, and since I had led that team, it was logical for me to be at or near the center of things moving forward.<br><br>In other words, right where I wanted to be.<br><br></div><pre><em>The early relationship-building that started in London continued in San Francisco. Fugazi, to his credit, knew that to be important, and helped by encouraging the party to not stop.
A fond memory was having a blowout dinner at a top Italian restaurant in SF, and then retiring to the swank bar at the equally swank hotel, then and now, at which the Seaco crew were staying, Campton Place. We were all buzzed, but I was on my best behavior and in full-on smooth consultant mode. I was seated next to Boss Whittam and I decided to take the opportunity to further burnish my credentials for leading the tech refresh for the joint venture.
Now, a reminder this was likely the guy that put the "stiff" into "stiff upper lip." Steve Whittam was the epitome of a stuffed-shirt British executive. He even had a company car and driver, FFS. He likely wore a tie while swimming. And to date, he had revealed exactly no personality, and even less humor.
So after I had regaled Mr. Whittam with my knowledge of what was needed technically, he tossed his Scotch back, signaled a nearby waiter for another, looked at me and said, in pitch-perfect British deadpan:
</em>"Portico, my friend, you really need to lighten up. Now stop talking and have another whiskey."
<em>It was then I thought I might have a chance at winning Whittam over.</em></pre><div><br>It must be emphasized here that my charm probably wouldn't have been enough. The Genstar staff that would be joining the joint venture IT refresh were key, and the Seaco leadership got to meet them on their visit to San Francisco. <br><br>As with their British counterparts, Luigi Ferrari and Willy Aluminium, this whole thing likely blows up without these next two gentlemen. Because of the 5 people in Genstar's telecommunications group that I was managing, 3 took the lucrative severance package, and only two decided to stay and jet around the world for the next 11 months.<br><br>I am glad it was these two guys; they were each perfect in their own way for the roles they would soon assume.<br><br><em>George Valiant Walker<br></em>I hardly knew George at this point. Before the joint venture, he had stayed in the shadow of the acknowledged Windows NT pro at Genstar, Gorey Mouse. <br><br>But with Gorey taking the money and running, I talked with George on several occasions about what a career-builder this would be for us all. Defining, designing, and leading a multi-national Windows NT deployment - i.e., George's role - was a cool resume item to have back then. <br><br>George bought in, but at the time I did not know - nor did he - if he could pull it off, but we'll get back to that (preview: he fucking crushed it). But he did his part early on, during Seaco's visit to SF. <br><br>Then as now, he's one hell of a nice guy to be around, and Seaco took to him immediately. Those who know George know that that is no shocker. Add his expanding Windows NT expertise, and he's going to London, too. And beyond.<br><br>There is so much more to the George Valiant Walker story. He, his wife Sherry, and their family are among our closest friends to this day. Here they are with their first-born Troy Walker, soon after our return from London in September of 1998. Troy is now attending the University of California at Irvine. Yes, this is an old tale.<br> <figure class="attachment attachment--preview attachment--lightboxable attachment--jpg">
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</figure><br><em>Andy Gill<br></em>Pre-merger, it was Andy with whom I worked the closest, as he <del>and I</del> wrote Genstar's wide area network request for proposal (RFP). In English, and as I've mentioned, this was a comprehensive document where we asked the world's largest telecommunications providers to submit bids for establishing new communication links to connect all of Genstar's offices, which existed on all continents, save Antarctica.<br><br>Luckily for me, Andy was a fucking savant on this stuff, and a great person, to boot. He researched the living daylights out of what a proper RFP looks like - I sure as hell didn't know. This got far enough along that we had received responses and developed a methodology for assessing them, with AT&T's proposal being graded the best. <br><br>But then the joint venture was announced and that was tabled.<br><br>I think, to this day, it was the WAN RFP we (really, Andy) had done, along with Gorey's NT plans, that made us too good for Seaco to pass on. It also helped that, like me, Andy had a touch of arrogance, and was not intimidated by any of this. That was useful, believe it or not, as it demonstrated we felt ready ourselves to take on this monster of a project. <br><br>So Andy Gill was as key as anybody in the program's eventual success. And wait until you hear his travel schedule as a central participant.</div><div><br>Today? Mr. Gill is an IT executive, and he lives in Seattle. We remain in touch, although I have not seen him or his lovely family in years. I don't have a picture of Andy from this era, but here is a more recent photo.<br> <figure class="attachment attachment--preview attachment--lightboxable attachment--jpg">
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</figure><br><strong>Upper Class (Virgin Atlantic Variety)<br></strong>With their visit complete, my new British pals flew home and now things really heated up. <br><br>The most tangible evidence of that was that both Genstar <em>and</em> Seaco wanted me in London regularly, to work with their team to sort out what the IT environment for GESeaco was going to look like. <br><br>And folks, while The World's Most Expensive Man may have recently passed, his birth occurred at this time. <br><br>You see, and while it is hard to envision today, GE Capital's policy at the time allowed for employees (and somehow me as an outside consultant) to fly business class internationally. That meant I would be flying in the front of the plane a whole bunch, and soon. It was a dream come true, and that wasn't all. <br><br>I of course <em>did my own research</em>, and holy shit, am I glad I did. Because while Genstar personnel and of course the Seaco chaps preferred British Airways' SFO - LHR nonstop offering, I learned there was another carrier flying the route: Richard Branson's Virgin Atlantic. And at that time, nobody and I mean fucking nobody, was doing it like they were, in what they called then and now <strong>Upper Class</strong>. They had no first or business class - Upper Class was their premium offering. <br><br>I am not sure <em>premium</em> (or even Diamond Certified) rightly describes just how swank it all was. By my count, I flew to London or San Francisco nonstop on Virgin at least 6 times, and frankly, each time was better than the last. It is important to remember this was all before 9/11.<br><br></div><ul><li>In SF, a black sedan to and from the airport was included with an Upper Class ticket; in London, transport to/from Heathrow was via a Range Rover. </li></ul><div><br></div><ul><li>Upon arrival at SFO, uniformed Virgin Atlantic staff would walk out to my car, take my luggage, and hand me a boarding pass. I never visited a ticket counter nor traditional security checkpoint.</li></ul><div> </div><ul><li>But that was nothing like the experience of flying Upper Class out of Heathrow, because one got the above but also admission into their then (and likely now) completely off-the-hook lounge, known as <em>The Clubhouse</em>. The place was so insane it had a soundproofed room with extraordinarily high-end audiophile gear (from <em>Linn</em>, FFS), where one could sip a bevie and crank the jams. </li></ul><div><br></div><pre>You're Goddamned right I did. <em>Another time, I got a haircut and manicure in the Clubhouse's salon, before a sushi lunch that would have been good in Japan, all before boarding. And I still remember vividly taking the wide-eyed George Valiant Walker around the place at the end of our March 1998 tour de force in London. </em></pre><div><br></div><ul><li>The experience onboard? </li></ul><div><br></div><pre><em>On a flight home to SF, I can still remember the female flight attendant's inquiries, asked in the Queen's English: "Mr. Darwin, we are ready for your hand massage in the bar now - may I escort you? And may I bring you another single malt Scotch or perhaps a glass of Champagne to enjoy whilst you receive your treatment?"</em></pre><div><br>There is not a lick of exaggeration to any of the above. Suffice to say, I got accustomed to this jet set thing very quickly, but 10 Seconds of Seriousness: This entire experience showed me what I wanted from life, and provided a lot of motivation going forward. Heck, at this point and just 33, I hadn't understood this world even existed.</div><div><br>No, the seats weren't the lay-flat beds in private cabins one sees now, and I apologize for the blurry picture. But that is a bar, and I can assure you, it - and the entire Upper Class experience - worked just fine.<br> <figure class="attachment attachment--preview attachment--lightboxable attachment--jpg">
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</figure></div><div><br>Up Next:<strong> Wash, Rinse, Repeat</strong></div><div><br></div><h1><strong>FROM THE UNWASHED MASSES</strong></h1><div>On Wednesday, Julie and I had cocktails with Margie Butler and her husband, José Vega, here in Sonoma. I had - in one of those small-world things - run into José the previous day, and he insisted the 4 of us meet for drinks before we left town. It seems they just recently moved here from SF.<br><br>Unwashed she is not, and any daughter of Perry's . . . is certainly worth meeting at Starling Bar. <br><br>What a family - that's brother Aldy with the King himself, and the very kind Margie, in a photo from 2019.<br> <figure class="attachment attachment--preview attachment--lightboxable attachment--jpg">
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</figure><br>10 Seconds of Seriousness: It's hard not to admire Mr. Butler and his family. They are the real deal, their work speaks for itself, and it has for 50+ years. <br> <br>Thank you for reading this newsletter. <br><br></div><h1><strong>KLUF</strong></h1><div>Released in 1997, then and now it is a staple at <strong>KLUF</strong>. <a href="https://open.spotify.com/album/0ZJyOePPMtaA6C1PXpNx3N?si=yucBFa4pQb66qpGmGYerNw">Here</a> is the underappreciated Morphine, and their <a href="https://world.hey.com/clough/portico-darwin-the-rating-system-d3b89335">Killer</a> <em>Like Swimming</em>.<strong><br></strong> <figure class="attachment attachment--preview attachment--lightboxable attachment--jpg">
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Dean Cloughclough@hey.comtag:world.hey.com,2005:World::Post/353852024-02-21T12:44:03Z2024-02-21T13:40:45ZPortico Darwin: French Wino in Sonoma<div class="trix-content">
<h1><strong>TODAY'S RAMBLINGS</strong></h1><div> <figure class="attachment attachment--preview attachment--lightboxable attachment--jpg">
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</figure><br> <2 Minute Read<br><br>Some may find it shocking that I am well into a full week here in Sonoma, yet have not bragged nor otherwise gone on about it. That all ends now, but it's not what you think. <br><br>Motivated by my surroundings, I am pleased to present the virtue-signaling and decidedly pompous:<br><br><strong>Portico Darwin Simple Guide to French Wines<br><br></strong>Julie and I have been fortunate to learn much about wines, given our proximity to Napa and Sonoma. And that knowledge has been expanded further on didn't-suck vacations to wine regions in Italy, Argentina, Chile, Germany, Spain, and Portugal. <br><br>And France. <br><br>10 Seconds of Seriousness: I am no expert on French or any other wines. But I do think too many are wrongly confused and intimated when attempting to select a French wine they'll enjoy. This is my attempt to make it easy. <br><br>While many are aware of this, it's worth repeating that confidently buying French wine is as simple as remembering <strong>that they are labeled by region, and each region has a predominant varietal or varietals.<br><br></strong>And if you drink wine now, you already know what varietal you like: Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, etc. Don't get hung up on not seeing the actual grape name on the label/list or the fact that the wine is almost certainly a blend of grapes from those grown in the region.<br><br>Now, the fun part. Below are most of the main wine-making regions in France. Just connect the grape variety you enjoy to its region, and you're ready to order or buy. And I bet you've heard of most, if not all, of these places.<br><br><strong>Burgundy </strong></div><ul><li>Chardonnay</li><li>Pinot Noir</li></ul><div><br><strong>Bordeaux</strong></div><ul><li>Cabernet Sauvignon</li><li>Merlot</li><li>Malbec</li><li>Cabernet Franc (primarily used for blending)</li><li>Petit Verdot (primarily used for blending)</li><li>Carménère (primarily used for blending)</li><li>Semillon</li></ul><div><br></div><div><strong>Loire Valley</strong></div><ul><li>Chenin Blanc</li><li>Sauvignon Blanc</li></ul><div><br><strong>Alsace</strong></div><ul><li>Pinot Gris</li><li>Gewürztraminer</li><li>Riesling</li></ul><div><br><strong>Rhône</strong></div><ul><li>Grenache</li><li>Syrah</li><li>Mourvèdre</li><li>Viognier</li></ul><div><br>I typically associate the region with red wines, but boy, did I learn otherwise at the Sonoma go-to <a href="https://www.thegirlandthefig.com/">Girl and the Fig</a> this past Monday. They have, beyond the obvious and extensive list of Sonoma wines, a huge selection of Rhône wines; indeed, the region has been a focus since the restaurant opened 27 years ago. <br><br>I am sharing all of that because this $52 bottle of white wine was so good, we had two. An amazing value, at one of the best restaurants in California.<br> <figure class="attachment attachment--preview attachment--lightboxable attachment--jpg">
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</figure></div><div><br><strong>Provence</strong></div><ul><li>Synonymous with rosé wines, its proximity to Rhône means the same grapes are often used</li><li>Like in this, the very popular Miraval:</li></ul><div> <figure class="attachment attachment--preview attachment--lightboxable attachment--png">
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</figure><br><br></div><div>Sutter Home White Zinfandel it ain't.<br><br><strong>Champagne</strong></div><ul><li>As you almost certainly know, only the Champagne region in France makes Champagne</li><li>But look for a<em> Cremant </em>- these are white or rosé sparkling wines made the same way, but elsewhere in France; they are often great values</li></ul><div><br><strong>Next time: </strong> Cognac or Sauternes, anyone?<br><br>(No, not really and don't worry: Another scintillating installment of <strong>London Calling</strong> is coming Friday.)<br><br></div><h1><strong>FROM THE UNWASHED MASSES</strong></h1><div>The stars must have aligned, as this came in from the noted oenologist, Dr. Davis Fladgate. However, his correspondence was not about wine, but the related subject of travel. Here are some rabbit holes for you, via Davis and <em>Travel & Leisure Magazine</em>:<br><br></div><blockquote><a href="https://www.travelandleisure.com/best-places-to-live-in-the-us-for-families-8424292">10 Best Places to Live in the US for Families</a><br><br><a href="https://www.travelandleisure.com/best-places-to-live-in-europe-8402668">20 Best Places to Live in Europe</a><br><br><a href="https://www.travelandleisure.com/best-places-to-retire-in-mexico-8410786">9 Best Places to Retire in Mexico</a></blockquote><div><br></div><div>Thanks, Davis and LOL - SF finished 10th on list #1. List #2 includes several of our favorites, and I think Mexico and Mexicans are kick-ass, and we would never rule out retiring there.<br><br>Although moving to Sonoma would be a lot easier.<br><br></div><div>Thank you for reading this newsletter. <br><br></div><h1><strong>KLUF</strong></h1><div>Of course, it's the French chill-meisters <strong>Air</strong>. I play this about once per year on <strong>KLUF</strong>, and for good reason. Here, at both <a href="https://tidal.com/browse/playlist/ec6458bf-1e89-450d-b7e4-93ed36f90235">TIDAL</a> and <a href="https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5p2dZdYSJ8jt5QLiwfo6wU?si=cf12852262ca4c51">Spotify</a>, is my <a href="https://world.hey.com/clough/portico-darwin-the-rating-system-d3b89335">Diamond Certified</a> and hand-picked selection of their best music.<br> <figure class="attachment attachment--preview attachment--lightboxable attachment--jpeg">
<a download="air.jpeg" title="Download air.jpeg" data-click-proxy-target="lightbox_link_blob_1553340822" href="https://world.hey.com/clough/3509bc69/blobs/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaHNLd2VXR1paYyIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoiYmxvYl9pZCJ9fQ==--8c1b8a9a9aff1da1cf9ff322f0ca1e6ec19597c3/air.jpeg?disposition=attachment">
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</figure><br>It's almost exactly 2 hours in length, and will be an ideal complement for your next bottle of wine, wherever its source.</div>
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Dean Cloughclough@hey.comtag:world.hey.com,2005:World::Post/353432024-02-19T12:28:44Z2024-02-19T20:13:22ZPortico Darwin: Regulatory Capture and Scale are Killing Us<div class="trix-content">
<h1><strong>TODAY'S RAMBLINGS</strong></h1><div> <figure class="attachment attachment--preview attachment--lightboxable attachment--jpeg">
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</figure><br><3 Minute Read</div><div><br>I had a light, informative post for the start of the week, but that will have to wait until Wednesday. <br><br>I've written previously about <a href="https://world.hey.com/clough/portico-darwin-the-problem-is-the-money-5d423594">corruption</a>, <a href="https://world.hey.com/clough/portico-darwin-guns-41ca7fc6">guns</a>, and <a href="https://world.hey.com/clough/portico-darwin-i-alone-can-fix-it-12047d39">election reform</a> in America. I stand by each post. <br><br>But another mass shooting made me realize the issue <em>isn't</em> the guns. There is also no red or blue tinge to this: It's about power and greed, not Republicans or Democrats. <br><br>The problems are <strong>Regulatory Capture</strong> and <strong>Scale</strong>. <br><br><em>Regulatory Capture</em><strong> </strong>refers to the myriad ways interested parties influence or outright direct individuals, agencies, and/or legislative bodies to create laws, rules, and policies that make them money, save them money, or in some other way, benefit them. Often in ways that are . . . opaque. <br><br>Sure, that's gone on forever, but the problem now is that the <em>scale</em><strong> </strong>of life now makes inaction or malign action much worse. Be it not reforming Section 230, taxing capital gains differently than labor, or resolving the immigration mess, not reasonably addressing what ails us has an impact today that wasn't possible before.<br><br>First, there was essentially no Internet before the 1990s. Media consisted of 3 TV channels, movies, AM radio, magazines, and newspapers - all tightly regulated. The <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fairness_doctrine">Fairness Doctrine</a> is a prime and also long-gone example of the rules in place at the time. <br><br>Now? Meta, Alphabet, and the rest do what they want, but at a scale previously unthinkable, with wreckage (teen suicides, isolation, depression, etc.) that matches. And they can do it because their <em>scale </em>in terms of money and lobbyists has grown to essentially infinity. They can outspend and out-lawyer any government agency or body. So they get to continue to write the rules by which they play. <br><br>Likewise, the rich getting richer. Again, that's always been the case. But the policies begun by Reagan have metastasized into a wealth inequality now that is a grotesque positive spiral for 1 percenters, but a doom loop for many others. We thus have <em>socialism for the rich, yet hardboiled capitalism for the poor. </em>Again, the wealthy and the powerful create the policies by which we all live, and guess who reaps the benefits?<em><br> </em><br>Immigration? I <a href="https://world.hey.com/clough/portico-darwin-border-schmorder-9b2588ff">wrote about that</a> last week, but I didn't include the magnitude of this problem. There are simply too many people coming into the United States illegally - and in a lot of other places worldwide, too. Why? Because of the scale of the wealth inequality (oppression, too, in many places) described above. People are impoverished and dying because of it, so they'll do anything to get somewhere that's even just a tiny bit less awful. <br><br>But there's no change, because Big Agriculture, Big Meat, and Big Pharma don't want any. The former two want cheap labor, while the latter wants to be the only legal drug dealer in town - so who cares if coca, fentanyl, and meth production in Mexico, and Central and South America is destroying societies? <br><br> That brings us to something else that has scaled, in this case horrifically, over the years: The destructive power of guns and ammunition - and the sheer numbers of both in America now. <br><br>As recently as 50 years ago, there was not much else on the streets apart from pistols, single-shot rifles, and shotguns. But since, our "leaders" have since allowed <em>weapons of war</em> to infiltrate, permeate, and destroy civilized society. Meanwhile, the sheer number of guns of every type has grown to psychotic proportions.<br><br><strong>I believe I speak for most by saying I have about fucking had it with gun violence in the U.S. <br></strong><br>I am beyond fed-up with this national disease and its awful impact, but even more sick of the regulatory capture by the (meaningless and impotent) National Rifle Association. <br><br>The inability of the U.S. Congress to do anything - anything at all! - about this are exhibits A-Z in terms of regulatory capture.<br><br><strong>But let it not be said I only bang on and on about problems without proposing solutions. <br></strong><br>While I fear addressing the <em>scale</em> of things in today's world may resemble returning a genie to a bottle, <em>regulatory capture</em> can be fixed. Or at least we could try.<br><br><strong>Final Five or Ranked Choice Voting </strong>is a proven way to fix the hyper-partisan, gerrymandered, and broken-down clown car that is governing today. <br><br>This is from <em>Wisconsin Watch</em>, from <a href="https://wisconsinwatch.org/2024/01/wisconsin-republican-voting-senate-assembly-legislation-bill-watch/">an article</a> about how that state is debating its implementation.<br><br></div><blockquote><strong>What are final five voting and ranked-choice voting? </strong>Final five voting involves all candidates, regardless of party affiliation, running in the same primary election. The five candidates who receive the most votes then advance to the general election (for example, the general election ballot could feature two Republicans, two Democrats, and one Libertarian). The general election then uses ranked-choice voting — sometimes referred to as <a href="https://electionlab.mit.edu/research/instant-runoff-voting">“instant runoff” voting</a>. <br><br>In this system, voters rank the candidates in order of preference. After each round of counting, the candidate who receives the fewest votes is eliminated, and the voters who ranked that candidate first have their ballots redistributed based on their next choice. The process continues until one candidate receives a majority of the vote.</blockquote><div><br>This works where it's been attempted. And it would scale. <br><br>But I'm afraid regulatory capture may prevent that from ever happening..<br><br></div><h1><strong>FROM THE UNWASHED MASSES</strong></h1><div>This is not a tease, but a fact: Recent material provided by <a href="https://world.hey.com/clough/portico-darwin-london-calling-chapter-3-aaa94e0f"><strong>London Calling</strong></a> co-star Randy Smee reveals a side of your author that <del>few</del> most have seen. Here's a preview, because it will be a few chapters before we get to this, our legendary pub lock-in night, from the summer of 1998.<br><br></div><blockquote>Lord knows what time we rolled up to the Smee residence, but shortly after arriving, you fell all of the way down the stairs, waking up the household. You were lying limbs twisted with your glasses still on your head but at half-mast and smiling stupidly in a drunken haze, insisting “I'm fine, man”.</blockquote><div><br>You'd have to be familiar with Randy's imitation of my New York/American accent to fully appreciate the ending.</div><div><br>But this was completely Randy's fault. Who takes an <em>innocent</em> American to a rural pub where the proprietor locks the patrons <em>inside</em> at the 10 PM closing time? And then <em>forces</em> him to stay there until 2 AM (at least), guzzling those <em>perfectly awful</em> hand-pulled imperial pints of British ale? With a bunch of <em>locals</em>? <br> <figure class="attachment attachment--preview attachment--lightboxable attachment--jpg">
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</figure><br>And then he expects fucking <em>ballet dancing</em>?<br><br>10 Seconds of Seriousness: That's the place (at least as it appears now), and thank you, Randy, all these many years later, for one of the better nights of <strong>London Calling</strong>. <br><br>Thank you for reading this newsletter. <br><br></div><h1><strong>KLUF</strong></h1><div><strong><em>I Want to Live</em></strong><strong>. Says every American citizen attending an event in public.<br><br></strong>That song and so many equally great tunes are on this album, somehow overlooked to date on <strong>KLUF</strong>. <a href="https://open.spotify.com/album/2fWZB7RYgsvBzaWTHWNPaq?si=oTvDK2TyTCCzo6PiV5u1Nw">Here</a> are The Radiators and the <a href="https://world.hey.com/clough/portico-darwin-the-rating-system-d3b89335">Textbook</a> <em>Zig-Zaggin' Through Ghostland</em>.<br> <figure class="attachment attachment--preview attachment--lightboxable attachment--jpg">
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Dean Cloughclough@hey.comtag:world.hey.com,2005:World::Post/352872024-02-16T13:41:19Z2024-02-16T19:13:23ZPortico Darwin: London Calling, Chapter 3<div class="trix-content">
<h1><strong>TODAY'S RAMBLINGS</strong></h1><div> <figure class="attachment attachment--preview attachment--lightboxable attachment--jpg">
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</figure><br> 6 Minute Read<br><br>Happy Friday, and this is the third installment of <a href="https://world.hey.com/clough/portico-darwin-introducing-london-calling-7b8be580"><strong>London Calling</strong></a>.<br><br><a href="https://app.hey.com/world/posts/7b8be580"><strong>Preface and Chapter 1</strong></a><strong><br></strong><a href="https://world.hey.com/clough/portico-darwin-london-calling-chapter-2-756315ca"><strong>Chapter 2</strong></a><br><br><strong>Welcome to Our World<br></strong>In between our due diligence trip to London in October of 1997 and Seaco's own to San Francisco a few weeks later, rumors internally at Genstar were running rampant. Although I was not truly on the inside, special insight was of course available, via Pleather, from Fugazi. <br><br>The bottom line was GE Capital wanted out of the shipping container leasing business, despite being, at the time, the largest player in the industry. The final result of the "merger" or "joint venture" (or "JV, " as Genstar staff called it) would be, while named <strong>GESeaco</strong>, a Seaco-run affair. GE Capital and Genstar would have plenty of say, but eventually, GE would be out operationally, with Seaco assuming control of the whole shebang.<br><br>This also meant a lot of people had a big decision to make, as GE Capital was offering Genstar staff a no-lose proposition. As the combined GESeaco entity would have a lot of redundancy in terms of staff and their roles, employees could opt for a very nice severance package and leave. Alternatively, there was the option to stay, and participate in the merging of the operations. Most chose the former. <br><br>The funny thing for me then was that I didn't comprehend, or even care, about much of this. With my wide and dreaming eyes, all I could see was an opportunity to work and live internationally. <br><br>The fact that it could be in London gave me the chills. My father is a first-generation American: My paternal grandparents were both born in and around London. From that and my own visits previously, I was over the moon. <br><br>Beyond the personal and even early on, I could also see this would be one hell of a big project. I fucking loved that and craved doing something bigger than building a small data center in San Carlos, California.<br><br>And now, with Genstar's headcount dwindling weekly, there were growing questions (that I naturally encouraged) about who was going to do the actual work of getting the joint venture's technology on solid ground. While I didn't <em>actually</em> raise my hand, I almost did. <br><br>So, yeah, I was motivated when my British counterparts came to San Francisco and Genstar's headquarters at 505 Montgomery Street (there's <a href="https://world.hey.com/clough/portico-darwin-building-blocks-1d399b66">a great story</a> involving that building). It was the perfect opportunity for me to show off what we (really, the team) had done. <br><br>Because luckily, it just happened to match what GESeaco was going to need, at least in terms of computing and telecommunications. <br><br></div><div><strong>The Seaco </strong><strong><del>Limey Bastards</del></strong><strong> Blokes<br></strong>With whom did we do due diligence? Who came to San Francisco to pull back Genstar's curtain? <br><br>I must say now that the warmth that was extended to Julie and me throughout all of this by the people that follow (exception of course noted) still almost brings tears to my eyes. What these guys (and yes, they were all white men at Seaco) did to enable a professional highlight of my life is a debt I can never repay.<br><br>And we haven't even really started talking about the partying. Or the complete awesomeness of the endeavor itself.<br><br>Until then, here were the big players in Seaco IT - in other words, who I hung with for almost 11 solid months; some came to San Francisco, others did not. Most of the names are real, and the titles are how I perceived each person's role, but they're probably incorrect.<br><strong><br></strong><em>Steve Whittam, CIO<br></em>Holy mother of God, this guy was pompous and I know something about that. But also very smart, and in the end, I think he eventually took to me. <br><br><strong>Or at least saw me as someone he and everyone that follows could blame if the technology went south. </strong><br> <br>Whichever it may have been, he approved the stuff that mattered to Julie and me, including paying for our apartment in South Kensington, so I could direct the project from London. We'll get back to that.<em><br></em><br></div><pre><em>Wow wow wow - I had only seen offices like Whittam's in the movies. It was on the floor beneath the main conference room at Sea Containers House, with the same nutty view of The River Thames and St. Paul's Cathedral. It was huge and paneled and furnished in solid white oak. Whittam's desk was attached to a conference table, at which we'd all sit, while he leered and snarled and intimidated, in his tailored suit and French-cuffed shirts. This guy was something else.</em></pre><div><br><em>Martin Denny, VP Telecom<br></em>Martin Denny is one of the kindest men I have met. Fairly old even in 1997, he had been in telecom essentially since its inception, and was my biggest advocate at Seaco. Eccentric as only the British can be, it was Denny and Denny only that stood up to the CIO Whittam when it was required. <br><br>And it was certainly required to bring in a loud and extremely brash 34-year-old American consultant and let him manage the company's largest-ever tech upgrade. While Genstar was my client, the depth and breadth of my role were defined and approved largely by Steve Whittam. But I believe with a lot of encouragement by Martin Denny.<br> <br>Martin and his wife, Anita, were kind enough to have us to their home for a meal. They also hosted us to a highlight of the entire year, a day out at the Henley Royal Regatta. We will also get back to that.<em><br><br>Malcolm Graveling, VP System Operations<br></em>The lynchpin. Malcolm was responsible for Seaco's data center and its big computing: Its mainframes, minicomputers, and servers (although I am not clear they knew what a server was at the time). His acceptance of my role would also be critical, as, like Denny, he had Whittam's ear. <br><br>Malcolm was also a great guy, and we would connect for drinks and/or dinner with him and his wife Linda for years afterward whenever we were in London.<em><br></em><br></div><pre>Chris Bushell, VP Software<em>
I mention him only because he was exceptional among all of these people in that he was never nice or friendly to me over the entire 11 months. Not that I remember slights or anything.</em></pre><div><br></div><pre><em>These three, Martin Denny, Malcolm Graveling, and the software engineering dilettante Bushell constituted Whittam's IT brain trust. </em></pre><div><br><em>Randy Smee, Director, Telecom<br></em>My man. It is Randy who deserves the credit for a lot of this story. Sure, we both worked our asses off, but it was he who knew what to do within the Seaco and European telecom bureaucracies, and he was kind enough to share that info with me. My and the overall program's success is in large part due to Randy. Full stop, as he would say.<br><br>He also enjoyed an occasional pint (he hosted me at my only pub lock-in - but we'll get back to that) and he also knew a thing or two about music. And telecommunications. <br><br>Fun Fact: Randy's last name here derives from his insanely accurate and hysterical imitation of big boss Steve Whittam's habit of not announcing his name at the start of a telephone call. Instead, Steve (and Randy) held the phone as if the act were beneath him, dialed a number, and when connected, would simply utter "<em>smee</em>." As in "<em>It is me</em> and you sure as hell better recognize my voice."<em><br></em><br><em>Jim Lawrence, Director, System Operations<br></em>I honestly don't remember Jim's precise role, apart from being Malcolm's right-hand man. And while I think he opposed my involvement initially, he helped me greatly once we got rolling. I loved talking politics and world events with Jim, and his wife's name was even Julie. <br><br><em>Peter Carolan, Director, System Operations<br></em>Sadly, Peter passed a couple of years ago, but he will never be forgotten by those who knew him. <br><br>Peter, always game for a pint, was a bantam-sized comic force and also Seaco's resident Cockney Rhyming Slang expert. He ran their main data center, which was housed in the basement of Sea Containers House. <br><br>Along with Malcolm and Linda, we would reunite with Peter and his lovely wife Eve many times over the years on visits to London. She still sends us beautiful Christmas cards.<br><br></div><pre><em>While Jim was Malc's second-in-command, Peter wasn't far behind and he and Eve were also close personal friends of Malcolm and Linda's. This starts to matter soon, as these wonderful Brits became a part of our very own London social circle.</em></pre><div><em><br>Reg Ellwood, Director, Desktop Computing<br></em>The weak link. Maybe the only non-player in the group. Passive and you've just never seen a grown man cower before another like he did under Boss Whittam. Still, a nice guy, and he did my family and me right by suggesting a Sunday meal at The Plough Inn, in Ford, in The Cotswolds. <br><br></div><pre><em>I also must mention the late Marc Bass. Marc had nothing to do with this project, except he worked for Randy Smee and was in Martin Denny's organization. He was the archetype of a British Lad and a borderline football hooligan, but he was the real deal and also very kind to me. Even after I was moved into his and Randy's office. The image of Randy and Marc working at their desks, perpendicular to a big office window, and so facing each other, will never fade from my mind.
But Marc drank himself to death and I think he died before he was 30. This story is not without sadness.
Nor the unpredictability of life.</em></pre><div><br>I have saved some of the best for last. In this and in the next chapter, I will introduce the 2 Brits and then the 2 Yanks who made the whole thing go, at least in nearly 35 offices around the world. <br><br><em>Luigi Ferrari, Analyst, Desktop Computing<br></em>The story of Luigi and me spans decades, continents and includes smoking pot on both my rooftop in SF as well as in the finer coffeeshops of Amsterdam. It eventually included a beyond-Diamond Certified sailing trip in the Mediterranean in 2019. <br><br>But much earlier, in May of 2002, here we are at, Schloss Nymphenburg, outside of Munich. <em><br></em> <figure class="attachment attachment--preview attachment--lightboxable attachment--jpg">
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</figure><em><br></em>Fun Fact: I vividly remember talking up my new venture, Casa Integration, with Luigi on this very day and him thinking it was a great idea. Lucky for me, he was not wrong.<br><em><br></em>But I digress and in the Fall of 1997, Luigi Ferrari was barely even mentioned, apart from being a name in Reg Ellwood's organization. That wouldn't last long, for him, nor one of his colleagues, Willy Aluminium.<br><br><em>Willy Aluminium, Analyst, Desktop Computing</em> <br>Like Luigi, Willy was a non-factor at this point. But also like Luigi, he would play a key role in the program, and we became personal friends. Here we are in Prague, with his then-girlfriend, the National Health Service rock star Bo Nightingale. This was taken a week after the photo above, and we remain in touch with both as I write this in 2024. <em> </em><br> <figure class="attachment attachment--preview attachment--lightboxable attachment--jpg">
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</figure><br>Note that only a small number of the people above came to San Francisco on Seaco's due diligence visit. It would turn out to be telling, as apart from Martin, only those Whittam listened to were invited.<br><br>It must be noted that Seaco was the epitome of an old-line British company. Nearly all of the people above had been at Seaco for years, some decades. "Entrenched, old-line IT guys in a big and well-connected British firm" is not far off. Dynamic it wasn't.<br><br>But that didn't mean most weren't smarter (let alone more experienced) than I - they were and the difference was cultural. These guys were smothered by Whittam and traditional British hierarchical nonsense. <br><br>I had neither affliction, which I would soon learn was just what Seaco needed. </div><div><br>Up next: <strong>Upper Class (Virgin Atlantic Variety)</strong><br><br></div><h1><strong>FROM THE UNWASHED MASSES</strong></h1><div>What, another chapter and another with nothing about the Brits' own visit to San Francisco in the late fall of 1997? Correct - but I'll whet your appetite for Chapter 4 with the recollection of none other than Randy Smee himself. <br><br></div><blockquote>My only memory of that (trip) was arriving in my hotel room around 10 pm and in urgent need of a restroom. Within a minute or so of relief, the telephone in the bathroom rang. It was Whittam.<br><br>“Randy, smee. We’re in the bar."<br><br>“Steve, I have just arrived, I’m worn out, and I’ll see you at breakfast.”<br><br>“Randy, we’re in the bar.”<br><br>“OK, I’ll see you 5 minutes.” <br><br>Buggers were absolutely hanging and wouldn’t have remembered if I’d shown or not.</blockquote><div><br>And that was not Whittam's only piss-up in SF. We'll get back to that . . .<br><br></div><div>Thank you for reading this newsletter. <br><br></div><h1>KLUF</h1><div>I might as well get this out of the way relatively early in <strong>London Calling</strong>. For one, <em>wouldn't it be nice</em> if I were able to live a dream, and get paid to work and live internationally, and in London of all places? Next, I had only just recently been exposed to the album and was thus at peak <em>Pet Sounds </em>at the time of all of this. <br><br><a href="https://open.spotify.com/album/2CNEkSE8TADXRT2AzcEt1b?si=wl_FFYVXS9yUZi_TVgSN3w">Here</a> is Brian Wilson's <a href="https://world.hey.com/clough/portico-darwin-the-rating-system-d3b89335">Diamond Certified</a> masterwork. <br> <figure class="attachment attachment--preview attachment--lightboxable attachment--jpeg">
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</figure><br>Fun Fact: As a token of my gratitude at the end of the program, I gifted Randy Smee some of my favorite CDs (remember, it's 1998) at the time, and this of course was included. </div>
</div>
Dean Cloughclough@hey.comtag:world.hey.com,2005:World::Post/352322024-02-14T12:35:23Z2024-02-14T14:05:42ZPortico Darwin: What is Dance Music?<div class="trix-content">
<h1><strong>TODAY'S RAMBLINGS</strong></h1><div> <figure class="attachment attachment--preview attachment--lightboxable attachment--jpg">
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</figure></div><div>1 Minute Read<br><br>Happy Valentine's Day. Let's dance.</div><div><br>But before anyone asks, no, I do not know who this happy woman is, although this photo was in my parents' ginormous collection of 35mm slides, the best of which I scanned a while back. Like this one.<br><br>Because, look: I have been to my share of parties. A shocker, yes, but it's true. And at some of those parties, and apparently like the one above, the music gets turned up, and people start moving. In my house, that can mean humans gyrating on top of our furniture and broken lamps. Perhaps you've experienced the same, or maybe read about it in magazines?<br><br>Indeed, we had just such a party in celebration of my 60th birthday in early December; many reading this were there. <br><br>But one thing that stuck in my graying craw from that night was the demand for <em>dance music</em>. <br><br>Wait - isn't Green Day's <a href="https://open.spotify.com/track/5cu6CdQxySZx50NwR3iMst?si=fde67b73f78645cb">insane cover</a> of <em>Tired of Waiting </em>dance music??? <br><br>Apparently not, and thus today's mercifully brief post.<br><br>For my 60th party, I built a special playlist, consisting of rock songs that I knew from experience can get people really going wild. It was cranked early and often that night. I have shared that story (and the playlist) <a href="https://world.hey.com/clough/portico-darwin-speechless-404b64b3">previously</a>.<br><br>Yet the calls kept coming: <em>We want dance music!</em> Christ, the situation grew so dire that I even allowed Byron Browne IV to play music. But he came through and the rest is history.<br><br>But it left me pondering an obvious hole at <strong>KLUF</strong>. Naturally, that meant research, and then building a playlist combining the few real dance songs I am aware of, with those suggested by experts. <br><br>With the modesty that is my hallmark, I am pleased to introduce on both <a href="https://tidal.com/browse/playlist/245d3807-81cd-4e0b-a4fa-16e458071a7c">TIDAL</a> and <a href="https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7u3YJrTSOrWRh35nudv7q8?si=189a8883d5fd471d">Spotify</a>, the (hopefully) <a href="https://world.hey.com/clough/portico-darwin-the-rating-system-d3b89335">Killer</a> <strong>KLUF: dancefloor</strong>.<br> <figure class="attachment attachment--preview attachment--lightboxable attachment--jpg">
<a download="KLUF-dncflr.jpg" title="Download KLUF-dncflr.jpg" data-click-proxy-target="lightbox_link_blob_1540055354" href="https://world.hey.com/clough/cf8b840f/blobs/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaHNLd2M2WWN0YiIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoiYmxvYl9pZCJ9fQ==--8ae0eda99aa0822c6a4de5354493a70bd3ab683b/KLUF-dncflr.jpg?disposition=attachment">
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</figure><br><a href="https://airtable.com/appCDRBZav2UhaOJC/shr6GpMSqvjgEU0mw">Here</a> is a sortable list of its contents. <br><br>So to all of you dancing queens (and kings and whatever) out there: I am ready for the next party. I just hope I am not missing anything obvious. <br><br>And I must admit, I don't mind a lot of these songs. <br><br></div><h1><strong>FROM THE UNWASHED MASSES</strong></h1><div>Thanks to the friends and family that reached out to express sympathy and also anger regarding the Niners loss to the Chiefs in the Super Bowl. My cousin, the golfing legend Zeb Jones, distilled the situation to its barest essence. This came in via the modern telegraph.<br><br></div><blockquote>Tough loss.</blockquote><div><br>Next, Lara Mohair says nay-nay to Tay-Tay's boytoy Travis Kelce, Kansas City's tight end. Kelce got frustrated during the game and vented by nearly pushing KC's head coach Andy Reid to the ground.<br><br></div><blockquote>And regarding Sunday and the game, somebody has to say: Travis Kelce, what a jerk. Disrespectful of his coach and almost knocked him down - bad sportsmanship and she should leave him before they lose. </blockquote><div><br>And she was kind enough to validate <strong>London Calling</strong>. Remember, she was there, at least for a while.<br><br></div><blockquote>The thing with <em>London Calling</em> is that if you didn’t experience it, you might think you are exaggerating, but it’s pretty close to how I remember that time, too! </blockquote><div><br></div><div>Thank you for reading this newsletter. <br><br></div><h1><strong>KLUF</strong></h1><div>I am also presenting the real deal. No album art - just completely balls-to-the-wall party music. That also happens to be rock music. <br><br>So listen and learn, disco weirdos: Here, on <a href="https://tidal.com/browse/playlist/7ff21265-1e4c-45e1-9707-25b034c02376">TIDAL</a> and <a href="https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7IlVHY5azotJgEO4BHhP25?si=d20869c82bfc4013">Spotify</a>, is the Diamond Certified <strong>Danceable</strong>. <br> <figure class="attachment attachment--preview attachment--lightboxable attachment--jpg">
<a download="danceable.jpg" title="Download danceable.jpg" data-click-proxy-target="lightbox_link_blob_1540058174" href="https://world.hey.com/clough/cf8b840f/blobs/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaHNLd2MrYk10YiIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoiYmxvYl9pZCJ9fQ==--01474df665e1101c61104affd2609f0cdcd582fb/danceable.jpg?disposition=attachment">
<img src="https://world.hey.com/clough/cf8b840f/representations/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaHNLd2MrYk10YiIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoiYmxvYl9pZCJ9fQ==--01474df665e1101c61104affd2609f0cdcd582fb/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaDdDam9MWm05eWJXRjBTU0lJYW5CbkJqb0dSVlE2RkhKbGMybDZaVjkwYjE5c2FXMXBkRnNIYVFLQUIya0NBQVU2REhGMVlXeHBkSGxwU3pvTGJHOWhaR1Z5ZXdZNkNYQmhaMlV3T2cxamIyRnNaWE5qWlZRPSIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoidmFyaWF0aW9uIn19--0b5e092e6240e14fab357b4c1013c9a0c881ff87/danceable.jpg" alt="danceable.jpg" srcset="https://world.hey.com/clough/cf8b840f/representations/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaHNLd2MrYk10YiIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoiYmxvYl9pZCJ9fQ==--01474df665e1101c61104affd2609f0cdcd582fb/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaDdDam9MWm05eWJXRjBTU0lJYW5CbkJqb0dSVlE2RkhKbGMybDZaVjkwYjE5c2FXMXBkRnNIYVFJQUQya0NBQW82REhGMVlXeHBkSGxwUVRvTGJHOWhaR1Z5ZXdZNkNYQmhaMlV3T2cxamIyRnNaWE5qWlZRPSIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoidmFyaWF0aW9uIn19--a8a2bb6a9884c661ef30854054544882621a1752/danceable.jpg 2x, https://world.hey.com/clough/cf8b840f/representations/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaHNLd2MrYk10YiIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoiYmxvYl9pZCJ9fQ==--01474df665e1101c61104affd2609f0cdcd582fb/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaDdDam9MWm05eWJXRjBTU0lJYW5CbkJqb0dSVlE2RkhKbGMybDZaVjkwYjE5c2FXMXBkRnNIYVFLQUZta0NBQTg2REhGMVlXeHBkSGxwUERvTGJHOWhaR1Z5ZXdZNkNYQmhaMlV3T2cxamIyRnNaWE5qWlZRPSIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoidmFyaWF0aW9uIn19--9b7ba00c32731d121dd7ff5706d31cc3652788dd/danceable.jpg 3x" decoding="async" loading="lazy">
</a>
</figure><br><a href="https://airtable.com/appCDRBZav2UhaOJC/shruVXTr7B4vYwQfg">Here</a> are the sortable contents of this masterpiece for going ape-shit, by yourself or with friends and family.<br><br>Although judging by the look on Elizabeth "Polly" Michaels's face above, it's obvious she wanted <strong>dancefloor</strong> at this point, not <strong>Danceable</strong>. </div>
</div>
Dean Cloughclough@hey.comtag:world.hey.com,2005:World::Post/351822024-02-12T12:56:24Z2024-02-12T21:53:13ZPortico Darwin: Border Schmorder<div class="trix-content">
<h1><strong>TODAY'S RAMBLINGS</strong></h1><div> <figure class="attachment attachment--preview attachment--lightboxable attachment--jpeg">
<a download="johnson.jpeg" title="Download johnson.jpeg" data-click-proxy-target="lightbox_link_blob_1537952306" href="https://world.hey.com/clough/9b2588ff/blobs/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaHNLd2N5U3F0YiIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoiYmxvYl9pZCJ9fQ==--90a09389c0760a74e1965e76035b4e0d50d22cbf/johnson.jpeg?disposition=attachment">
<img src="https://world.hey.com/clough/9b2588ff/representations/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaHNLd2N5U3F0YiIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoiYmxvYl9pZCJ9fQ==--90a09389c0760a74e1965e76035b4e0d50d22cbf/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaDdDam9MWm05eWJXRjBTU0lKYW5CbFp3WTZCa1ZVT2hSeVpYTnBlbVZmZEc5ZmJHbHRhWFJiQjJrQ2dBZHBBZ0FGT2d4eGRXRnNhWFI1YVVzNkMyeHZZV1JsY25zR09nbHdZV2RsTURvTlkyOWhiR1Z6WTJWVSIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoidmFyaWF0aW9uIn19--824130a6fd2f596d29a6d245cf773fab0beee210/johnson.jpeg" alt="johnson.jpeg" srcset="https://world.hey.com/clough/9b2588ff/representations/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaHNLd2N5U3F0YiIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoiYmxvYl9pZCJ9fQ==--90a09389c0760a74e1965e76035b4e0d50d22cbf/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaDdDam9MWm05eWJXRjBTU0lKYW5CbFp3WTZCa1ZVT2hSeVpYTnBlbVZmZEc5ZmJHbHRhWFJiQjJrQ0FBOXBBZ0FLT2d4eGRXRnNhWFI1YVVFNkMyeHZZV1JsY25zR09nbHdZV2RsTURvTlkyOWhiR1Z6WTJWVSIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoidmFyaWF0aW9uIn19--f3f1b2037df56b6e7b02c335c36fe9999ab42b52/johnson.jpeg 2x, https://world.hey.com/clough/9b2588ff/representations/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaHNLd2N5U3F0YiIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoiYmxvYl9pZCJ9fQ==--90a09389c0760a74e1965e76035b4e0d50d22cbf/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaDdDam9MWm05eWJXRjBTU0lKYW5CbFp3WTZCa1ZVT2hSeVpYTnBlbVZmZEc5ZmJHbHRhWFJiQjJrQ2dCWnBBZ0FQT2d4eGRXRnNhWFI1YVR3NkMyeHZZV1JsY25zR09nbHdZV2RsTURvTlkyOWhiR1Z6WTJWVSIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoidmFyaWF0aW9uIn19--6b62883c9596ea5ec874f8c026d734630c019ca2/johnson.jpeg 3x" decoding="async" loading="lazy">
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</figure> <br><2 Minute Read<br><br>What Super Bowl? It feels like a bad dream. <br><br>But happy Monday regardless. And let's take a break from the barrage of me. <br><br>You're so very welcome, but when you see today's alternative, you might just long for the next chapter of <a href="https://world.hey.com/clough/portico-darwin-london-calling-chapter-2-756315ca"><strong>London Calling</strong></a>. And don't panic: Today's post does not signal a return to my "hair on fire" phase of blogging.<br><br>Instead, and as I often do, I will let that crazy left nutjob mouthpiece <em>The Economist </em>do the heavy lifting:<br> <figure class="attachment attachment--preview attachment--lightboxable attachment--jpg">
<a download="borderline.jpg" title="Download borderline.jpg" data-click-proxy-target="lightbox_link_blob_1537952488" href="https://world.hey.com/clough/9b2588ff/blobs/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaHNLd2ZvU3F0YiIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoiYmxvYl9pZCJ9fQ==--b84747071d5fa53af380ef5372f980d5b23b43bc/borderline.jpg?disposition=attachment">
<img src="https://world.hey.com/clough/9b2588ff/representations/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaHNLd2ZvU3F0YiIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoiYmxvYl9pZCJ9fQ==--b84747071d5fa53af380ef5372f980d5b23b43bc/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaDdDam9MWm05eWJXRjBTU0lJYW5CbkJqb0dSVlE2RkhKbGMybDZaVjkwYjE5c2FXMXBkRnNIYVFLQUIya0NBQVU2REhGMVlXeHBkSGxwU3pvTGJHOWhaR1Z5ZXdZNkNYQmhaMlV3T2cxamIyRnNaWE5qWlZRPSIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoidmFyaWF0aW9uIn19--0b5e092e6240e14fab357b4c1013c9a0c881ff87/borderline.jpg" alt="borderline.jpg" srcset="https://world.hey.com/clough/9b2588ff/representations/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaHNLd2ZvU3F0YiIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoiYmxvYl9pZCJ9fQ==--b84747071d5fa53af380ef5372f980d5b23b43bc/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaDdDam9MWm05eWJXRjBTU0lJYW5CbkJqb0dSVlE2RkhKbGMybDZaVjkwYjE5c2FXMXBkRnNIYVFJQUQya0NBQW82REhGMVlXeHBkSGxwUVRvTGJHOWhaR1Z5ZXdZNkNYQmhaMlV3T2cxamIyRnNaWE5qWlZRPSIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoidmFyaWF0aW9uIn19--a8a2bb6a9884c661ef30854054544882621a1752/borderline.jpg 2x, https://world.hey.com/clough/9b2588ff/representations/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaHNLd2ZvU3F0YiIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoiYmxvYl9pZCJ9fQ==--b84747071d5fa53af380ef5372f980d5b23b43bc/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaDdDam9MWm05eWJXRjBTU0lJYW5CbkJqb0dSVlE2RkhKbGMybDZaVjkwYjE5c2FXMXBkRnNIYVFLQUZta0NBQTg2REhGMVlXeHBkSGxwUERvTGJHOWhaR1Z5ZXdZNkNYQmhaMlV3T2cxamIyRnNaWE5qWlZRPSIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoidmFyaWF0aW9uIn19--9b7ba00c32731d121dd7ff5706d31cc3652788dd/borderline.jpg 3x" decoding="async" loading="lazy">
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</figure><br>The subtitle says it all: <em>One chamber is trying to govern. The other just wants to campaign</em>. <a href="https://apnews.com/article/immigration-border-crossings-mexico-biden-18ac91ef502e0c5433f74de6cc629b32">While Rome is burning</a>, the Republicans in the House won't govern. Not when Boss Trump says to accept only a "perfect" border bill. <br><br><strong>Oh, how I loathe Trump. But I digress.<br></strong><br>You see, President Biden and the Democrats in the Senate have gone a very long way to meet the Republicans where they are, face reality, and accept things unthinkable previously. The deal on offer guarantees nothing in terms of paths to citizenship, nor anything to "<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deferred_Action_for_Childhood_Arrivals">the Dreamers</a>", both anathema to many on the left. There is very much a law-and-order-and-deport tone to the whole bill. Soft on immigration it isn't. <a href="https://econ.st/3HODVQr">Here</a> is The Economist's analysis if you're interested. <br><br>And here is mine.<br><br>This makes me only more sad about the state of my beloved United States. The situation at the border is as fucked-up as it is complex. It is not as simple as building walls - or letting everybody in. It needs fixing, the Democrats are compromising, and yet we get . . . nothing.<br><br><em>Because one </em><em><del>chamber</del></em><em> party is trying to govern, the other just wants to campaign.<br></em><br>Which would be awful enough on its own, but we're also screwing around with funding for Ukraine and Israel. <br><br>Ukraine - you know, that country that was brazenly invaded by Russia. <br><br>Remember Russia? Ah, yes: That country Republicans used to be united in opposition against?<br><br>Kind of like how <em>securing the border </em>used to be something Republicans wanted. It's called compromise, and I fear that as long as Trump is calling the shots, we'll see exactly zero in Congress. <br><br>Shameful. I don't know how or what it will take to break the spell 50% of the country is apparently under. Because I am sorry, Republicans, blaming The Psycho Woke, trans people using bathrooms, and now Taylor Swift on why you must stick with Trump is not good enough. <br><br>I will ask again: This border BS, all that is Trump, and getting absolutely zero done for our country is all fine as long as taxes are kept artificially low? <br><br>Please. Someone - anywhere. Explain this to me. </div><div><br></div><h1><strong>FROM THE UNWASHED MASSES</strong></h1><div>Judging by the <del>overwhelming</del> essentially non-existent response to <strong>London Calling</strong>, I fear some believe I am doing this.<br> <figure class="attachment attachment--preview attachment--lightboxable attachment--jpg">
<a download="fonz.jpg" title="Download fonz.jpg" data-click-proxy-target="lightbox_link_blob_1541730646" href="https://world.hey.com/clough/9b2588ff/blobs/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaHNLd2RXOGVSYiIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoiYmxvYl9pZCJ9fQ==--1e4329316f4eef349a589dc754c12ef69b930e08/fonz.jpg?disposition=attachment">
<img src="https://world.hey.com/clough/9b2588ff/representations/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaHNLd2RXOGVSYiIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoiYmxvYl9pZCJ9fQ==--1e4329316f4eef349a589dc754c12ef69b930e08/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaDdDam9MWm05eWJXRjBTU0lJYW5CbkJqb0dSVlE2RkhKbGMybDZaVjkwYjE5c2FXMXBkRnNIYVFLQUIya0NBQVU2REhGMVlXeHBkSGxwU3pvTGJHOWhaR1Z5ZXdZNkNYQmhaMlV3T2cxamIyRnNaWE5qWlZRPSIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoidmFyaWF0aW9uIn19--0b5e092e6240e14fab357b4c1013c9a0c881ff87/fonz.jpg" alt="fonz.jpg" srcset="https://world.hey.com/clough/9b2588ff/representations/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaHNLd2RXOGVSYiIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoiYmxvYl9pZCJ9fQ==--1e4329316f4eef349a589dc754c12ef69b930e08/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaDdDam9MWm05eWJXRjBTU0lJYW5CbkJqb0dSVlE2RkhKbGMybDZaVjkwYjE5c2FXMXBkRnNIYVFJQUQya0NBQW82REhGMVlXeHBkSGxwUVRvTGJHOWhaR1Z5ZXdZNkNYQmhaMlV3T2cxamIyRnNaWE5qWlZRPSIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoidmFyaWF0aW9uIn19--a8a2bb6a9884c661ef30854054544882621a1752/fonz.jpg 2x, https://world.hey.com/clough/9b2588ff/representations/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaHNLd2RXOGVSYiIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoiYmxvYl9pZCJ9fQ==--1e4329316f4eef349a589dc754c12ef69b930e08/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaDdDam9MWm05eWJXRjBTU0lJYW5CbkJqb0dSVlE2RkhKbGMybDZaVjkwYjE5c2FXMXBkRnNIYVFLQUZta0NBQTg2REhGMVlXeHBkSGxwUERvTGJHOWhaR1Z5ZXdZNkNYQmhaMlV3T2cxamIyRnNaWE5qWlZRPSIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoidmFyaWF0aW9uIn19--9b7ba00c32731d121dd7ff5706d31cc3652788dd/fonz.jpg 3x" decoding="async" loading="lazy">
</a>
</figure><br>For you kids out there, that's Fonzie <em>jumping the shark</em>. And if you don't know who Fonzie is, I can't help you.<br><br>10 Seconds of Seriousness: I love to write and also to ponder the luckiest times in my life, so my apologies if you find <strong>London Calling</strong> too much. But I assure you I will tell the entire story - a shocker, I know.<br><br></div><div>Thank you for reading this newsletter. <br><br></div><h1><strong>KLUF</strong></h1><div>No Madonna, and certainly no Eagles, FFS. <br><br><a href="https://open.spotify.com/album/792SNee67NvAFZbsip969c">Here</a>, at the end of their first (and best, to this music reviewer) run of great albums, is Aerosmith and the <a href="https://world.hey.com/clough/portico-darwin-the-rating-system-d3b89335">Textbook</a> <em>Draw the Line</em>.<br> <figure class="attachment attachment--preview attachment--lightboxable attachment--jpeg">
<a download="dtl.jpeg" title="Download dtl.jpeg" data-click-proxy-target="lightbox_link_blob_1539745665" href="https://world.hey.com/clough/9b2588ff/blobs/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaHNLd2VCcDhaYiIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoiYmxvYl9pZCJ9fQ==--0fb6caa636df0404099a670a08565ef8f6d324db/dtl.jpeg?disposition=attachment">
<img src="https://world.hey.com/clough/9b2588ff/representations/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaHNLd2VCcDhaYiIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoiYmxvYl9pZCJ9fQ==--0fb6caa636df0404099a670a08565ef8f6d324db/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaDdDam9MWm05eWJXRjBTU0lKYW5CbFp3WTZCa1ZVT2hSeVpYTnBlbVZmZEc5ZmJHbHRhWFJiQjJrQ2dBZHBBZ0FGT2d4eGRXRnNhWFI1YVVzNkMyeHZZV1JsY25zR09nbHdZV2RsTURvTlkyOWhiR1Z6WTJWVSIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoidmFyaWF0aW9uIn19--824130a6fd2f596d29a6d245cf773fab0beee210/dtl.jpeg" alt="dtl.jpeg" srcset="https://world.hey.com/clough/9b2588ff/representations/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaHNLd2VCcDhaYiIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoiYmxvYl9pZCJ9fQ==--0fb6caa636df0404099a670a08565ef8f6d324db/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaDdDam9MWm05eWJXRjBTU0lKYW5CbFp3WTZCa1ZVT2hSeVpYTnBlbVZmZEc5ZmJHbHRhWFJiQjJrQ0FBOXBBZ0FLT2d4eGRXRnNhWFI1YVVFNkMyeHZZV1JsY25zR09nbHdZV2RsTURvTlkyOWhiR1Z6WTJWVSIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoidmFyaWF0aW9uIn19--f3f1b2037df56b6e7b02c335c36fe9999ab42b52/dtl.jpeg 2x, https://world.hey.com/clough/9b2588ff/representations/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaHNLd2VCcDhaYiIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoiYmxvYl9pZCJ9fQ==--0fb6caa636df0404099a670a08565ef8f6d324db/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaDdDam9MWm05eWJXRjBTU0lKYW5CbFp3WTZCa1ZVT2hSeVpYTnBlbVZmZEc5ZmJHbHRhWFJiQjJrQ2dCWnBBZ0FQT2d4eGRXRnNhWFI1YVR3NkMyeHZZV1JsY25zR09nbHdZV2RsTURvTlkyOWhiR1Z6WTJWVSIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoidmFyaWF0aW9uIn19--6b62883c9596ea5ec874f8c026d734630c019ca2/dtl.jpeg 3x" decoding="async" loading="lazy">
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</figure><br> Because what is a border if not a line? <br><br>Yeah, yeah, I know: the "line" to which America's very own Toxic Twins are referring isn't a demarcation between two countries. Of course, you could always start your very own make-believe radio station, name it after yourself, and even have shirts printed. <br> <figure class="attachment attachment--preview attachment--lightboxable attachment--png">
<a download="KLUFLogo.png" title="Download KLUFLogo.png" data-click-proxy-target="lightbox_link_blob_1539751554" href="https://world.hey.com/clough/9b2588ff/blobs/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaHNLd2VDdnNaYiIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoiYmxvYl9pZCJ9fQ==--f4673259d943ebb16a05b4760dbbb62c154aa2a0/KLUFLogo.png?disposition=attachment">
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</a>
</figure><br>But who would do <em>that</em>?</div>
</div>
Dean Cloughclough@hey.comtag:world.hey.com,2005:World::Post/350972024-02-09T13:10:39Z2024-02-12T14:41:40ZPortico Darwin: London Calling, Chapter 2<div class="trix-content">
<h1><strong>TODAY'S RAMBLINGS</strong></h1><div> <figure class="attachment attachment--preview attachment--lightboxable attachment--jpg">
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</figure><br> 5 Minute Read<br><br>Happy Friday, and this is the second installment of <a href="https://world.hey.com/clough/portico-darwin-introducing-london-calling-7b8be580"><strong>London Calling</strong></a>. <br><br>But before that gets started:<br> <figure class="attachment attachment--preview attachment--lightboxable attachment--png">
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</figure><br>OK. Here we go. <br><br><strong>Upper Ground and Upper Class (Non-Virgin Atlantic Variety)<br></strong>I had worked for Ernst & Young in Houston in the early 1990s (so in both their and client Chevron's fancy towers downtown) and had already grown accustomed to Genstar's fairly luxe facilities in SF's Financial District. Heck, I even visited The New York Telephone Company's ornate HQ building in Albany often as a kid in the 1970s (true - my father worked there for years).<br> <figure class="attachment attachment--preview attachment--lightboxable attachment--jpeg">
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</figure><br>Yet none of that prepared me for what became my primary workplace for the next 11 months: The glamorous Sea Containers House in London. <br> <figure class="attachment attachment--preview attachment--lightboxable attachment--jpg">
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</figure><br>Dead-smack on the south bank of The River Thames and directly across from St. Paul's Cathedral, it was here where I and the rest of the Genstar and GE Capital due diligence team first toiled. We worked long hours in this building (and our hotel) for a solid week. <br><br>I would do it again in a second. This week began some of the best 11 months of my life, and Julie's. We just didn't know it yet.<br><br>It was also here - 2 floors below that golden <em>Sea Containers House</em> sign - in a conference room that ran the length of those four wide, wide windows, that we met our Seaco counterparts. This story is nothing without my British friends, some of whom I met for the first time on this trip. I assure you, we'll get to them later.<br><br>And while Genstar's CIO Johnny Fugazi had already been here and had met the principals, for most of us, this was all new. It certainly was for me.<br><br></div><pre><em>In 1997 and even in America, most still dressed up for work, and by that I mean suits for men and the equivalent for women. London? My </em>LA Law<em>-like Hugo Boss kit was barely good enough, as the Seaco executives appeared to have rarely strayed from Saville Row. Not having shirts with French cuffs felt like an affront to civilized society here, FFS.</em></pre><div> <br>I don't remember everyone who comprised our due diligence team. It was Fugazi, a few other Genstar folks from various groups, some GE Capital corporate types, and me. I barely understood what was going on, and remember being overwhelmed by the whole thing. <br><br>The solid oak-paneled conference room was nearly the size of a fucking football field, for one thing. And then there were the female admins that brought us tea and literally crumpets after lunch; I don't think my British colleagues caught my double-take. <br><br>And more pertinent to the task at hand and despite having co-authored Genstar's IT strategic plan: I still knew relatively little about the big-time intermodal shipping business. <br> <br>That week in London, I got a crash course.<br><br><strong>What, Exactly, was Sea Containers Limited?<br></strong>Genstar's potential merger partner was, at the time, a super fucking cool company. They owned trick high-speed passenger ferries that plied The English Channel; posh hotels; the Venice-Simplon Orient Express (and other) luxe trains; and Great North Eastern Railway, a regional UK passenger railroad. </div><div> <figure class="attachment attachment--preview attachment--lightboxable attachment--jpg">
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</figure><br>And of course, the shipping containers, which are not interesting to look at.<br><br>Oh, and from Wikipedia, the origin story of Seaco:<br><br></div><blockquote>Yale University graduate and retired United States Navy officer James Sherwood founded Sea Containers in 1965, with initial capital of $100,000. It was later listed on the New York Stock Exchange. </blockquote><div><br>We often laughed that this most British of companies - and let me tell you, Seaco was fucking <em>dripping</em> Blighty - had been founded by a Yank. <br><br>Or <em>Septic, </em>in Cockney Rhyming Slang, as I learned that week.<br><br><strong>It's a Party and Nobody Cares<br></strong>There can be no retelling of this story without emphasizing the opulence and decadence that prevailed throughout. Literally every step of the way and even as an outside consultant, no business class flight was wrong, the better the hotel the better, and for fuck's sake, don't skimp on the food and drink. It was a good time to be a part of something like this.<br><br>And it was the Genstar CIO Fugazi that set the tone for the next 11 months during this first trip, in October of 1997.<br><br>How? Example: Most of the team stayed at Royal Horseguards, a perfectly wonderful hotel directly in Whitehall. This hotel would be central to the early days, so you can bet we'll get to this later.<br><br>That wasn't enough for Fugazi - he ensconced himself at The Savoy. Can't say I blame him, but Royal Horseguards was more than fine, Textbook, even. </div><div class="attachment-gallery attachment-gallery--2">
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</div><div>And when I wasn't trying to understand the ancient secrets of Seaco's X.25 networking, I was right there with regular Genstar and GE employees on the due diligence team: At the best restaurants, bars, and shows, in London. Le Palais du Jardin, Belgo, and OXO Tower were Johnny's favorites at the time, and it was always pedal to the floor. Or more precisely: Fugazi's GE corporate credit card to the tab.<br><br>Whether it was fine wines at Palais Du Jardin, board after board after board of Schnapps at Belgo, or a French cheese course accompanied by vintage port at OXO, it was all fair game with John Fugazi. I, of course, loved every single second of it. <br><br>For the record, the first two are long gone, but OXO Tower is still going strong, some 25 years on. And holy smokes, were all 3 Killer then.<br><br>Frankly, it was almost like he wanted us to live it up, with or without him there. As I embedded myself further and further into the program, I was more than happy to prove that thesis.<br><br>And it would help that Seaco was full of enablers.</div><div><br></div><pre><strong><em>What, exactly is Due Diligence? From </em></strong><strong>Lexis/Nexis</strong><strong><em>: </em></strong>Due diligence is a comprehensive assessment process undertaken by a merger partner to thoroughly understand the operational, financial, legal, and strategic aspects of the target company. It's the deep dive that aims to reveal any hidden liabilities, risks, or potential red flags that might not be evident at a surface glance.</pre><div><br><strong>What Did Our Due Diligence Visit Reveal?<br></strong>The entire process was a blur, and as above, I hardly understood any of it. l look back now and realize my part at this point of the merger was of so little significance as to border on irrelevancy. <br><br>Because where the heavy lifting took place in the fall of 1997, on the murky Thames, was in the break-out rooms. This was where actual brainiacs would delve into the financial aspects of both Seaco and the deal itself. And the legal teams from both sides were doing the same - I think those people took up a couple of rooms on their own. <br><br>Remember, the higher-ups from both companies had already decided they wanted this merger done. The respective due diligence teams just had to figure it out, and each company had to ensure the other wasn't hiding anything material. Or at least <em>overly</em> material.<br><br>In my little slice of the analysis, Genstar's tech was old, but we were at the time of the proposed merger actively engaged in a top-to-bottom IT refresh. Seaco's technology was older, and they weren't planning shit that I could see in terms of wholesale upgrades. Indeed, I don't think they had ever done things that way. <br><br>So that's what I said, verbally, and in writing, at the end of the week: <strong>If this merger occurs, the joined companies will require a new technology platform, and fast, in every office that is retained.</strong><br><br>Now I just had to sell that to everybody, and that I was the person to direct the effort. I would have my chance soon, as Seaco was sending <em>their</em> due diligence team over to Genstar's San Francisco HQ in a few weeks.<br><br></div><pre><em>And so it was - my first posh international business trip. It was mostly a lot of work, with some intense eating and drinking thrown in as a diversion. How intense?
</em>
<em>Towards the end of the week, and after a 12-hour workday and late dinner at the Royal Horseguards, fellow GE due diligence team member Mike Sgroi and I picked up a bottle of Johnny Walker Black Scotch. We walked down to a bench at the base of Big Ben, took a seat, and knocked the whole thing back. We did bring glasses.
I remember much of that evening, especially the earlier parts.
But that was nothing - the carousing integral to this program would become legendary.</em></pre><div> <br>Up next: <strong>Limey Bastards Invade SF</strong></div><div><br></div><h1><strong>FROM THE UNWASHED MASSES</strong></h1><div>Hunter Deuce was succinct and accurate in his response to <a href="https://world.hey.com/clough/portico-darwin-the-world-s-most-expensive-man-is-dead-afd9779d">the death of the World's Most Expensive Man</a>.<br><br></div><blockquote>Financial planners can be such buzzkills.</blockquote><div><br>And both he and new Portico Darwin fanboy Randy Smee enjoyed the Rainbow pick on <strong>KLUF</strong>, although Randy got tactile, after a bit of self-reflection:<br><br></div><blockquote>Rainbow - <em>Rising</em>. A guilty pleasure. Richie Blackmore’s guitar and the clear, loud production for that era set it apart. It makes me feel better about myself that you call it out. <br><br>Often played loudly in the car when I’m on one of my frequent long journeys. Either taking over from Ronnie Dio on vocals, or wearing out the edge of the car seat doing Blackmore strumming.</blockquote><div><br>Thank you for reading this newsletter. <br><br></div><h1><strong>KLUF</strong></h1><div>Due diligence is akin figuratively to ascertaining the color and the shape of your prospective partner. <br><br>Released in May of 1997, I was crazy about this in London and ever since. <a href="https://open.spotify.com/album/30ly6F6Xl0TKmyBCU50Khv?si=wPhmokrzQm6Xp_gW916DtQ">Here</a> is the real Diamond Dave, and his band, Foo Fighters, with the Killer <em>The Colour and The Shap</em>e. <br> <figure class="attachment attachment--preview attachment--lightboxable attachment--jpeg">
<a download="ff.jpeg" title="Download ff.jpeg" data-click-proxy-target="lightbox_link_blob_1535768514" href="https://world.hey.com/clough/756315ca/blobs/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaHNLd2ZDOTRsYiIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoiYmxvYl9pZCJ9fQ==--33f33bbde823aa906a877d0bdbdec1f48143e2e5/ff.jpeg?disposition=attachment">
<img src="https://world.hey.com/clough/756315ca/representations/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaHNLd2ZDOTRsYiIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoiYmxvYl9pZCJ9fQ==--33f33bbde823aa906a877d0bdbdec1f48143e2e5/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaDdDam9MWm05eWJXRjBTU0lKYW5CbFp3WTZCa1ZVT2hSeVpYTnBlbVZmZEc5ZmJHbHRhWFJiQjJrQ2dBZHBBZ0FGT2d4eGRXRnNhWFI1YVVzNkMyeHZZV1JsY25zR09nbHdZV2RsTURvTlkyOWhiR1Z6WTJWVSIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoidmFyaWF0aW9uIn19--824130a6fd2f596d29a6d245cf773fab0beee210/ff.jpeg" alt="ff.jpeg" srcset="https://world.hey.com/clough/756315ca/representations/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaHNLd2ZDOTRsYiIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoiYmxvYl9pZCJ9fQ==--33f33bbde823aa906a877d0bdbdec1f48143e2e5/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaDdDam9MWm05eWJXRjBTU0lKYW5CbFp3WTZCa1ZVT2hSeVpYTnBlbVZmZEc5ZmJHbHRhWFJiQjJrQ0FBOXBBZ0FLT2d4eGRXRnNhWFI1YVVFNkMyeHZZV1JsY25zR09nbHdZV2RsTURvTlkyOWhiR1Z6WTJWVSIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoidmFyaWF0aW9uIn19--f3f1b2037df56b6e7b02c335c36fe9999ab42b52/ff.jpeg 2x, https://world.hey.com/clough/756315ca/representations/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaHNLd2ZDOTRsYiIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoiYmxvYl9pZCJ9fQ==--33f33bbde823aa906a877d0bdbdec1f48143e2e5/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaDdDam9MWm05eWJXRjBTU0lKYW5CbFp3WTZCa1ZVT2hSeVpYTnBlbVZmZEc5ZmJHbHRhWFJiQjJrQ2dCWnBBZ0FQT2d4eGRXRnNhWFI1YVR3NkMyeHZZV1JsY25zR09nbHdZV2RsTURvTlkyOWhiR1Z6WTJWVSIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoidmFyaWF0aW9uIn19--6b62883c9596ea5ec874f8c026d734630c019ca2/ff.jpeg 3x" decoding="async" loading="lazy">
</a>
</figure><br>The fact this album's title uses the British spelling of the word "color" makes it even more perfect for today. As my British friends have always said, regarding the UK and US: "We are two great nations divided by a common language."</div>
</div>
Dean Cloughclough@hey.comtag:world.hey.com,2005:World::Post/350332024-02-07T12:58:24Z2024-02-07T13:32:30ZPortico Darwin: The World's Most Expensive Man is Dead<div class="trix-content">
<h1><strong>TODAY'S RAMBLINGS</strong></h1><div> <figure class="attachment attachment--preview attachment--lightboxable attachment--jpg">
<a download="downsize.jpg" title="Download downsize.jpg" data-click-proxy-target="lightbox_link_blob_1534041944" href="https://world.hey.com/clough/afd9779d/blobs/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaHNLd2RZbjI5YiIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoiYmxvYl9pZCJ9fQ==--61309c50cd9ba01085761a51de619a45bf56db09/downsize.jpg?disposition=attachment">
<img src="https://world.hey.com/clough/afd9779d/representations/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaHNLd2RZbjI5YiIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoiYmxvYl9pZCJ9fQ==--61309c50cd9ba01085761a51de619a45bf56db09/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaDdDam9MWm05eWJXRjBTU0lJYW5CbkJqb0dSVlE2RkhKbGMybDZaVjkwYjE5c2FXMXBkRnNIYVFLQUIya0NBQVU2REhGMVlXeHBkSGxwU3pvTGJHOWhaR1Z5ZXdZNkNYQmhaMlV3T2cxamIyRnNaWE5qWlZRPSIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoidmFyaWF0aW9uIn19--0b5e092e6240e14fab357b4c1013c9a0c881ff87/downsize.jpg" alt="downsize.jpg" srcset="https://world.hey.com/clough/afd9779d/representations/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaHNLd2RZbjI5YiIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoiYmxvYl9pZCJ9fQ==--61309c50cd9ba01085761a51de619a45bf56db09/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaDdDam9MWm05eWJXRjBTU0lJYW5CbkJqb0dSVlE2RkhKbGMybDZaVjkwYjE5c2FXMXBkRnNIYVFJQUQya0NBQW82REhGMVlXeHBkSGxwUVRvTGJHOWhaR1Z5ZXdZNkNYQmhaMlV3T2cxamIyRnNaWE5qWlZRPSIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoidmFyaWF0aW9uIn19--a8a2bb6a9884c661ef30854054544882621a1752/downsize.jpg 2x, https://world.hey.com/clough/afd9779d/representations/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaHNLd2RZbjI5YiIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoiYmxvYl9pZCJ9fQ==--61309c50cd9ba01085761a51de619a45bf56db09/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaDdDam9MWm05eWJXRjBTU0lJYW5CbkJqb0dSVlE2RkhKbGMybDZaVjkwYjE5c2FXMXBkRnNIYVFLQUZta0NBQTg2REhGMVlXeHBkSGxwUERvTGJHOWhaR1Z5ZXdZNkNYQmhaMlV3T2cxamIyRnNaWE5qWlZRPSIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoidmFyaWF0aW9uIn19--9b7ba00c32731d121dd7ff5706d31cc3652788dd/downsize.jpg 3x" decoding="async" loading="lazy">
</a>
</figure><br> 2 Minute Read<br><br>Happy Wednesday, and as if <a href="https://world.hey.com/clough/portico-darwin-introducing-london-calling-7b8be580"><strong>London Calling</strong></a> isn't enough, let me today share an outcome of our recent engagement with a certified financial planner, the fiduciary Heather Liston. Here it is:<br><br><strong>The World's Most Expensive Man is Dead.<br><br></strong>Or, in other words, the diamond man is now the lab-grown diamond man.<br><br>Some background. <em>The World's Most Expensive Man </em>has been my dear friend K. Helmsley Garfinkel's moniker for me for years now. He's witnessed many a time when I up the ante and take things to the next level, especially when it comes to flushing money at bars, restaurants, and hotels. And on yachts sailing the Dalmatian Coast of Croatia, as above in May of 2019, although K. Helmsley missed that one. <br><br>It's what I <del>do</del> used to do. <br><br>That's because of any professional service I've ever utilized, Heather Liston has arguably been the best. <br><br>(Well, apart from Professor Howard Blum, Esq., A.K.A. "Bobby's Estate Planner," but that's a different blog post.) <br><br>Rare in my experience in terms of financial planners, the charming but forceful Ms. Liston works on a for-hire basis, meaning we paid her a flat fee. She also doesn't want to manage our investments in the future. <br><br>Instead, she took an intense and broad dive into every aspect of our finances, plugged it all into a <a href="https://www.rightcapital.com/">sophisticated computer model</a>, and gave us the answer:<br> <br><strong>Earn a bit more or spend a bit less, preferably both, and your money will outlive you, with near certainty.<br><br></strong>The cool thing is that we've planned on this for years. The only difference is that this phase was supposed to begin when Julie and I both retired, 3 years from now. Sure, I would have made several hundred thousand dollars more for us meanwhile if <a href="https://app.hey.com/world/posts/38094c1a">TEECOM</a> hadn't happened, but c'est la vie. <br><br>Indeed, even after Heather's beatdown (and a 4-year Airbnb binge), we still have plenty allocated every year going forward for domestic and international travel. Almost as important, there remain ample sums assigned for <em>reasonable</em> food & drink shenanigans each week, for the rest of my already spoiled-rotten life. Julie's, too, although she's not quite the demanding brat I am.<br><br>So our transition to lab-grown diamonds should be relatively painless and won't likely impact much - apart from our maturity. Instead of everything everywhere all at once, it'll be quite a few things in quite a few places often. <br><br>Or, even more concisely: Mumm Napa, vs. Veuve Clicquot.<br><br></div><div>10 Seconds of Seriousness: For the record, I'd love to earn more, but I am either too old or radioactive or both. I am open to virtually anything you hear of, for any amount of time - there's nothing too big or too small, and those who know my work will say I am capable in a variety of areas. I am happy to send my CV and portfolio to anyone who asks.<br><br>If nothing happens, that's fine, too, because we're now operating from a place of knowledge and confidence.<br><br>Which is better than a mediocre Crème Brûlée any day.<br><br>Thank you for your indulgence today. Too much sharing? I'll let you be the judge, but I felt others might want to know:<br><br></div><ul><li>How to find someone like the <a href="https://world.hey.com/clough/portico-darwin-the-rating-system-d3b89335">Diamond Certified</a> <a href="https://www.clarityfinancialca.com/whoweare">Heather Liston</a>, if you're in the market for a one-off and complete sanity check of your current and future finances. I simply could not have been more impressed by the experience and deliverables. </li></ul><div><br></div><ul><li>That even a 60-year-old bourgeoisie crank can learn and adjust.</li></ul><div><br></div><h1><strong>FROM THE UNWASHED MASSES</strong></h1><div>I can't spill the beans now, but a shout-out to the <a href="https://world.hey.com/clough/portico-darwin-introducing-london-calling-7b8be580"><strong>London Calling</strong></a> cheerleader Lara Mohair. She came through with some deep intel that will be featured in Friday's chapter.<br><br>Until then, look at this double rainbow from our neighbor and close pal Laura Gonzalez, taken from her and Andrew Whistler's apartment next door this past Monday, at the end of the Bomb Cyclone. <br> <figure class="attachment attachment--preview attachment--lightboxable attachment--jpg">
<a download="rainbow.jpg" title="Download rainbow.jpg" data-click-proxy-target="lightbox_link_blob_1535312290" href="https://world.hey.com/clough/afd9779d/blobs/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaHNLd2VpQVlOYiIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoiYmxvYl9pZCJ9fQ==--4928c3bddb900a001bcde352330b7a3c90db2d8e/rainbow.jpg?disposition=attachment">
<img src="https://world.hey.com/clough/afd9779d/representations/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaHNLd2VpQVlOYiIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoiYmxvYl9pZCJ9fQ==--4928c3bddb900a001bcde352330b7a3c90db2d8e/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaDdDam9MWm05eWJXRjBTU0lJYW5CbkJqb0dSVlE2RkhKbGMybDZaVjkwYjE5c2FXMXBkRnNIYVFLQUIya0NBQVU2REhGMVlXeHBkSGxwU3pvTGJHOWhaR1Z5ZXdZNkNYQmhaMlV3T2cxamIyRnNaWE5qWlZRPSIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoidmFyaWF0aW9uIn19--0b5e092e6240e14fab357b4c1013c9a0c881ff87/rainbow.jpg" alt="rainbow.jpg" srcset="https://world.hey.com/clough/afd9779d/representations/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaHNLd2VpQVlOYiIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoiYmxvYl9pZCJ9fQ==--4928c3bddb900a001bcde352330b7a3c90db2d8e/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaDdDam9MWm05eWJXRjBTU0lJYW5CbkJqb0dSVlE2RkhKbGMybDZaVjkwYjE5c2FXMXBkRnNIYVFJQUQya0NBQW82REhGMVlXeHBkSGxwUVRvTGJHOWhaR1Z5ZXdZNkNYQmhaMlV3T2cxamIyRnNaWE5qWlZRPSIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoidmFyaWF0aW9uIn19--a8a2bb6a9884c661ef30854054544882621a1752/rainbow.jpg 2x, https://world.hey.com/clough/afd9779d/representations/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaHNLd2VpQVlOYiIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoiYmxvYl9pZCJ9fQ==--4928c3bddb900a001bcde352330b7a3c90db2d8e/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaDdDam9MWm05eWJXRjBTU0lJYW5CbkJqb0dSVlE2RkhKbGMybDZaVjkwYjE5c2FXMXBkRnNIYVFLQUZta0NBQTg2REhGMVlXeHBkSGxwUERvTGJHOWhaR1Z5ZXdZNkNYQmhaMlV3T2cxamIyRnNaWE5qWlZRPSIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoidmFyaWF0aW9uIn19--9b7ba00c32731d121dd7ff5706d31cc3652788dd/rainbow.jpg 3x" decoding="async" loading="lazy">
</a>
</figure><br>Everyone we know made it through unscathed, and we've had far worse storms here. But this was right around the corner from us, on the approach to the Golden Gate Bridge. I guess <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Explosive_cyclogenesis">that pressure did drop</a> and it did get a touch breezy . . .<br> <figure class="attachment attachment--preview attachment--lightboxable attachment--jpg">
<a download="cyclone.jpg" title="Download cyclone.jpg" data-click-proxy-target="lightbox_link_blob_1537666762" href="https://world.hey.com/clough/afd9779d/blobs/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaHNLd2ZLN3FaYiIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoiYmxvYl9pZCJ9fQ==--ec594384bd5f9bc4c7f37fbd6223b972c61f6ac3/cyclone.jpg?disposition=attachment">
<img src="https://world.hey.com/clough/afd9779d/representations/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaHNLd2ZLN3FaYiIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoiYmxvYl9pZCJ9fQ==--ec594384bd5f9bc4c7f37fbd6223b972c61f6ac3/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaDdDam9MWm05eWJXRjBTU0lJYW5CbkJqb0dSVlE2RkhKbGMybDZaVjkwYjE5c2FXMXBkRnNIYVFLQUIya0NBQVU2REhGMVlXeHBkSGxwU3pvTGJHOWhaR1Z5ZXdZNkNYQmhaMlV3T2cxamIyRnNaWE5qWlZRPSIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoidmFyaWF0aW9uIn19--0b5e092e6240e14fab357b4c1013c9a0c881ff87/cyclone.jpg" alt="cyclone.jpg" srcset="https://world.hey.com/clough/afd9779d/representations/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaHNLd2ZLN3FaYiIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoiYmxvYl9pZCJ9fQ==--ec594384bd5f9bc4c7f37fbd6223b972c61f6ac3/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaDdDam9MWm05eWJXRjBTU0lJYW5CbkJqb0dSVlE2RkhKbGMybDZaVjkwYjE5c2FXMXBkRnNIYVFJQUQya0NBQW82REhGMVlXeHBkSGxwUVRvTGJHOWhaR1Z5ZXdZNkNYQmhaMlV3T2cxamIyRnNaWE5qWlZRPSIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoidmFyaWF0aW9uIn19--a8a2bb6a9884c661ef30854054544882621a1752/cyclone.jpg 2x, https://world.hey.com/clough/afd9779d/representations/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaHNLd2ZLN3FaYiIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoiYmxvYl9pZCJ9fQ==--ec594384bd5f9bc4c7f37fbd6223b972c61f6ac3/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaDdDam9MWm05eWJXRjBTU0lJYW5CbkJqb0dSVlE2RkhKbGMybDZaVjkwYjE5c2FXMXBkRnNIYVFLQUZta0NBQTg2REhGMVlXeHBkSGxwUERvTGJHOWhaR1Z5ZXdZNkNYQmhaMlV3T2cxamIyRnNaWE5qWlZRPSIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoidmFyaWF0aW9uIn19--9b7ba00c32731d121dd7ff5706d31cc3652788dd/cyclone.jpg 3x" decoding="async" loading="lazy">
</a>
</figure><br>Thank you for reading this newsletter. <br><br></div><h1><strong>KLUF</strong></h1><div>And how convenient was Laura's subject matter? In its first play on <strong>KLUF</strong>, <a href="https://open.spotify.com/album/3gsCg5XVJnAp5mLblhIUtP?si=RcGaTVz4QsWKXpKj15y1vQ">here</a> is an album considered in some circles a hard rock classic: Rainbow and the apropos <em>Rising</em>. Kids, these are what instruments sound like.<br> <figure class="attachment attachment--preview attachment--lightboxable attachment--jpeg">
<a download="rr.jpeg" title="Download rr.jpeg" data-click-proxy-target="lightbox_link_blob_1535007295" href="https://world.hey.com/clough/afd9779d/blobs/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaHNLd2MvV241YiIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoiYmxvYl9pZCJ9fQ==--f7ad39d32ab3eaad6a875342a52b7fee23aad746/rr.jpeg?disposition=attachment">
<img src="https://world.hey.com/clough/afd9779d/representations/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaHNLd2MvV241YiIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoiYmxvYl9pZCJ9fQ==--f7ad39d32ab3eaad6a875342a52b7fee23aad746/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaDdDam9MWm05eWJXRjBTU0lKYW5CbFp3WTZCa1ZVT2hSeVpYTnBlbVZmZEc5ZmJHbHRhWFJiQjJrQ2dBZHBBZ0FGT2d4eGRXRnNhWFI1YVVzNkMyeHZZV1JsY25zR09nbHdZV2RsTURvTlkyOWhiR1Z6WTJWVSIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoidmFyaWF0aW9uIn19--824130a6fd2f596d29a6d245cf773fab0beee210/rr.jpeg" alt="rr.jpeg" srcset="https://world.hey.com/clough/afd9779d/representations/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaHNLd2MvV241YiIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoiYmxvYl9pZCJ9fQ==--f7ad39d32ab3eaad6a875342a52b7fee23aad746/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaDdDam9MWm05eWJXRjBTU0lKYW5CbFp3WTZCa1ZVT2hSeVpYTnBlbVZmZEc5ZmJHbHRhWFJiQjJrQ0FBOXBBZ0FLT2d4eGRXRnNhWFI1YVVFNkMyeHZZV1JsY25zR09nbHdZV2RsTURvTlkyOWhiR1Z6WTJWVSIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoidmFyaWF0aW9uIn19--f3f1b2037df56b6e7b02c335c36fe9999ab42b52/rr.jpeg 2x, https://world.hey.com/clough/afd9779d/representations/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaHNLd2MvV241YiIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoiYmxvYl9pZCJ9fQ==--f7ad39d32ab3eaad6a875342a52b7fee23aad746/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaDdDam9MWm05eWJXRjBTU0lKYW5CbFp3WTZCa1ZVT2hSeVpYTnBlbVZmZEc5ZmJHbHRhWFJiQjJrQ2dCWnBBZ0FQT2d4eGRXRnNhWFI1YVR3NkMyeHZZV1JsY25zR09nbHdZV2RsTURvTlkyOWhiR1Z6WTJWVSIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoidmFyaWF0aW9uIn19--6b62883c9596ea5ec874f8c026d734630c019ca2/rr.jpeg 3x" decoding="async" loading="lazy">
</a>
</figure><br>And what hard rock vocals sound like: I feel the late Ronnie James Dio has been wrongly lost to history.</div>
</div>
Dean Cloughclough@hey.comtag:world.hey.com,2005:World::Post/349712024-02-05T12:34:10Z2024-02-05T14:00:44ZPortico Darwin: The Middle East Cluster F<div class="trix-content">
<h1><strong>TODAY'S RAMBLINGS</strong></h1><div> <figure class="attachment attachment--preview attachment--lightboxable attachment--jpg">
<a download="war.jpg" title="Download war.jpg" data-click-proxy-target="lightbox_link_blob_1533942358" href="https://world.hey.com/clough/cdc2afc2/blobs/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaHNLd2RXR201YiIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoiYmxvYl9pZCJ9fQ==--b0cec959fdcf0143c2bff0c1f34e79832103461f/war.jpg?disposition=attachment">
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</figure><br> <3 Minute Read</div><div><br>Happy Monday, but I will say I am a bit unnerved by the prospect of a widening conflict in the Middle East. Us attacking Iranian proxies in Iraq, Syria, and Yemen over the weekend, while completely justified in the mind of this diplomat, could still send the region into full-tilt war. With the United States at the center of it.<br><br>Today's post is mostly a random laundry list of considerations that make this mess so extraordinarily complicated. And difficult (some say impossible) to fix - but there's a proposed solution at the end, from <em>The Economist</em>.<br><br></div><ul><li>The 3 most powerful nations in the region are Israel, Iran, and Saudi Arabia; one has the stated goal of eliminating Israel, that being Iran.</li></ul><div><br></div><ul><li>Saudi Arabia (Arab and predominantly Sunni Muslim) and Iran (Persian and predominantly Shite Muslim) are arch-enemies and have been for a very long time.</li></ul><div><br></div><ul><li>Iran's proxies include Hezbollah and the Houthis. They also arm and train several different jihadist groups in Syria. And there's little doubt Iran is doing a whole bunch of other bad things in many other places.</li></ul><div><br></div><ul><li>I am not re-litigating the Trump presidency, but his trashing and walking away from "the Iran nuclear deal" was/is a mistake. </li></ul><div><br></div><ul><li>Saudi Arabia and Israel have been on the brink of normalizing relations - which would be HUGE - for a long time now. Indeed, that was almost certainly a motivating factor in Hamas's barbaric attack on October 7.</li></ul><div><br></div><ul><li>Israel (really, Binyamin Netanyahu) is damaging the country's standing globally with its current actions - no matter how much the country has a right to defend itself after Hamas's attack.</li></ul><div><br></div><ul><li>Likewise, and particularly under Netanyahu's reign, Israel has repeatedly justified its misguided and/or illegal policies "as guaranteeing our peace and security." Note to Bibi: it is not working. </li></ul><div><br></div><ul><li>The Persian and Iranian heritage should be cherished; their history is as impressive as any. </li></ul><div><br></div><ul><li>Our (and Britain's) mid-20th century history in Iran is awful. The assassination of a democratically elected leader in order <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mohammad_Reza_Pahlavi#Nationalization_of_oil_and_1953_Iranian_coup_d'%C3%A9tat">to protect UK and US oil interests</a> was not a good idea; installing and propping up the Shah was worse.</li></ul><div><br></div><ul><li>Say what you will about the unlawful Israeli occupation in the West Bank and its treatment of Palestinians, but the fact is Israel does not seek to eliminate a race of people (genocide), whereas Hamas's charter calls for it.</li></ul><div><br></div><ul><li>Relatedly, let's say every Muslim jihadist in Gaza and The West Bank today laid down their weapon, and said, "Israel, we're good and let's join hands in peace." If that were to occur, Israel would not roll tanks and subjugate and/or kill Muslims in either place. </li></ul><div><br></div><ul><li>But if Israel disarmed, and said "Jihadists, we're good and let's join hands in peace," WTF do you think would happen?</li></ul><div><br></div><ul><li>To my Psycho Woke friends: Remember that and also this, as you're demanding a free Palestine: gay people are rightfully embraced and celebrated in Israel. The Muslim world? Not so much - they're stoned in the public square.</li></ul><div><br></div><ul><li>Worse are the true morons that demand a free Palestine "from the River to the Sea," not recognizing that would eliminate Israel. </li></ul><div><br></div><ul><li>Religion is at the root of most of this.</li></ul><div><br></div><ul><li>The <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arab_Peace_Initiative">Arab Peace Initiative</a> says if Israel were to withdraw <em>completely</em> from the West Bank to the original 1967 borders and support a Palestinian state, all Arab countries would recognize Israel and normalize relations. Of course, Iran is not an Arab country.</li></ul><div><br></div><ul><li>Israel is typically held to a standard to which few or no other countries are held.</li></ul><div><br></div><ul><li>With that said, Israel still needs to abide by <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Nations_Security_Council_Resolution_242">United Nations Resolution 242</a>.</li></ul><div><br></div><ul><li>But the amount of aid that has been given to date to the Palestinians by the global community is staggering. It is evidence of the woeful corruption of these proud peoples' so-called "leaders."</li></ul><div><br></div><ul><li>Why do Palestinians/other Arab nations get to fuck up negotiations by demanding a "right of return" to land that was (perhaps illegally) taken by the original Jewish settlers in what was then British Palestine? Why can't Jews do the same concerning Poland or Germany? Can you say "<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pogrom">pogrom</a>?"</li></ul><div><br></div><ul><li>It is possible to be opposed to current Israeli policy (both its prosecution of the war in Gaza, and its policy of continuing to build illegal settlements in The West Bank), and not be antisemitic. Very possible.</li></ul><div><br></div><div><em>The Economist's</em> <a href="https://www.economist.com/leaders/2024/02/01/how-to-end-the-middle-easts-agony">proposed solution</a>? They say there's a 50% chance of an extended cease-fire between Hamas and Israel; if that were to occur, the magazine believes it's likewise 50-50 Saudi Arabia will carry through on recognizing and establishing formal diplomatic relations with Israel. Israel, the Arabs, and the world would then (with Netanyahu assumedly gone) actively support a Palestinian state, which would (somehow) be run honestly.</div><div> <figure class="attachment attachment--preview attachment--lightboxable attachment--jpg">
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</figure><br>One must dream. </div><div><br></div><h1><strong>FROM THE UNWASHED MASSES</strong></h1><div>The response to <a href="https://world.hey.com/clough/portico-darwin-introducing-london-calling-7b8be580"><strong>London Calling</strong></a><strong> </strong>was gratifying, in as much that nobody canceled their subscription to this blog. <strong> </strong> <br><br>In fact, two whole readers - Randy Smee and Lara Mohair - had some great comments. Sure, both were participants back then, but still.<br><br>However, I can't publish Randy's, because he's trying to skip ahead, to when he and his Seaco colleagues came to SF and Genstar HQ to do their <em>own</em> due diligence. Trust me, it's coming up.<br><br>Lara Mohair? I'm not sure she's getting enough oxygen in her part of SF, at least judging by her first comment.<br><br></div><blockquote>(This is) going to be among your most popular blog series.<br><br>I can picture the indignation of Pleather when you asked her if she was sleeping with Johnny!! I never believed those rumors - until they had everyone over to their house in Walnut Creek one time. </blockquote><div><br></div><div>Thank you for reading this newsletter. <br><br></div><h1><strong>KLUF</strong></h1><div>This is about right, in terms of the wars and attacks and skirmishes and human rights violations and death in the Middle East.<br> <figure class="attachment attachment--preview attachment--lightboxable attachment--jpg">
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<img src="https://world.hey.com/clough/cdc2afc2/representations/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaHNLd2RIQ1c5YiIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoiYmxvYl9pZCJ9fQ==--459934ea134dd172351a071b44e92833970d8b6a/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaDdDam9MWm05eWJXRjBTU0lJYW5CbkJqb0dSVlE2RkhKbGMybDZaVjkwYjE5c2FXMXBkRnNIYVFLQUIya0NBQVU2REhGMVlXeHBkSGxwU3pvTGJHOWhaR1Z5ZXdZNkNYQmhaMlV3T2cxamIyRnNaWE5qWlZRPSIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoidmFyaWF0aW9uIn19--0b5e092e6240e14fab357b4c1013c9a0c881ff87/relentless.jpg" alt="relentless.jpg" srcset="https://world.hey.com/clough/cdc2afc2/representations/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaHNLd2RIQ1c5YiIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoiYmxvYl9pZCJ9fQ==--459934ea134dd172351a071b44e92833970d8b6a/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaDdDam9MWm05eWJXRjBTU0lJYW5CbkJqb0dSVlE2RkhKbGMybDZaVjkwYjE5c2FXMXBkRnNIYVFJQUQya0NBQW82REhGMVlXeHBkSGxwUVRvTGJHOWhaR1Z5ZXdZNkNYQmhaMlV3T2cxamIyRnNaWE5qWlZRPSIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoidmFyaWF0aW9uIn19--a8a2bb6a9884c661ef30854054544882621a1752/relentless.jpg 2x, https://world.hey.com/clough/cdc2afc2/representations/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaHNLd2RIQ1c5YiIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoiYmxvYl9pZCJ9fQ==--459934ea134dd172351a071b44e92833970d8b6a/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaDdDam9MWm05eWJXRjBTU0lJYW5CbkJqb0dSVlE2RkhKbGMybDZaVjkwYjE5c2FXMXBkRnNIYVFLQUZta0NBQTg2REhGMVlXeHBkSGxwUERvTGJHOWhaR1Z5ZXdZNkNYQmhaMlV3T2cxamIyRnNaWE5qWlZRPSIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoidmFyaWF0aW9uIn19--9b7ba00c32731d121dd7ff5706d31cc3652788dd/relentless.jpg 3x" decoding="async" loading="lazy">
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</figure><br> So it's helpful here at <strong>KLUF</strong> that rock icon Chrissie Hynde released an album of the same name last fall. <a href="https://open.spotify.com/album/7cSjOM6t4Sg5a8WJ4qW2hi?si=B5qIxjS1TJqGBrIjCf7qFg">Here</a> are Pretenders and the impressive <em>Relentless</em>. <br> <figure class="attachment attachment--preview attachment--lightboxable attachment--jpeg">
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Dean Cloughclough@hey.comtag:world.hey.com,2005:World::Post/349102024-02-02T13:05:36Z2024-02-14T18:51:04ZPortico Darwin: Introducing "London Calling"<div class="trix-content">
<h1><strong>TODAY'S RAMBLINGS</strong></h1><div>4 Minute Read<br><br>Hello, and happy Friday. <br><br>No witty repartee: There is obviously no one asking me to tell the story of my stint in London, during 1997 and 1998. But I love to write, so recently hearing from a colleague from that time was all of the impetus I needed. Lucky you.<br><br>10 Seconds of Seriousness: Lucky me.<br><br>I will attempt to publish a chapter once weekly on Fridays going forward until this story is told. Which, knowing me, could be around Thanksgiving . . .<br><br></div><div>Here is the first installment of <strong>London Calling</strong>.<br><br> <figure class="attachment attachment--preview attachment--lightboxable attachment--jpg">
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</figure></div><div><strong>Preface</strong><br>My London story begins with a Blue Angels air show in SF. Early in October of 1997, a Fleet Week extravaganza on the roof of our building (natch, the site of many a rager, before it was locked off) marked the start. I didn't get to stay, but we'll get back to that.<br><br></div><div>I have a story to tell (shocker), and I am almost compelled to do so, because what follows was nothing short of a watershed moment, for both me, and my wife Julie. <br><br>But while that may be true, why should you or anyone else care? <br><br>My experience in London was a highlight of my life, professionally and personally. I believe Julie and my colleagues from this time feel the same. <br><br><em>But it only happened because I dreamed of it happening and that's the whole point.</em><strong> London Calling</strong><em> </em>is about the result of having a clear vision in your mind of a realistic goal. <br><br>And for me, that goal was to work and live internationally. This is the story of how that happened, and what transpired when it did. <br><br>You should first know I had dreamed of this to such a degree that I even remember what I was wearing when it all began. <br><br>Since I knew I'd be flying to London that afternoon, I attended our rooftop Fleet Week party in SF in fairly posh attire: dark green corduroy pants, and a beige and very well-made Ralph Lauren mock turtleneck. I felt it perfect for my nonstop business class flight from SFO to LHR - dressy, but comfortable.<br><br>Yet, I was young and a nobody, so I barely could contain myself. Sure, I had just been to Asia that same summer for this same client, <strong>GE Capital</strong>, but now? Being asked to be the telecom guy on a due diligence team, and one analyzing a potential major international business merger at that, was almost beyond my comprehension. <br><br>But only almost. Because this was how I always imagined myself: a jet setter. An international businessman. A player. Cool, like I never had been. So when my black car pulled up in front of our Marina District apartment, I bid farewell to everyone on our roof, walked downstairs, and got in the car. I was off to London and I was feeling pretty good. I was 33.<br><br><strong>Why Did This Even Happen?<br></strong>It was in large part because my business partner Pleather was having an affair with Johnny Fugazi, the CIO of a big GE Capital subsidiary, <strong>Genstar Container Corporation. </strong>That relationship opened doors in a building I wouldn't have visited otherwise; by 1997, Pleather, our other partner Peet Krakow, and I were all consulting there. <br><br>Pleather, Peet, and I owned <strong>WestConnect Technologies</strong>, an IT consultancy based in the SF Bay Area, that we started in 1996. Here's the business card - so proud then, a bit embarrassed now: "Solutions with Direction?" <br> <figure class="attachment attachment--preview attachment--lightboxable attachment--jpg">
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</figure></div><div>Before forming the partnership, I asked Pleather directly about the rumors already circulating about her and Fugazi. For the record, at a brewpub in the East Bay in 1996, she lied and flatly denied everything. She was even offended I asked, which was very fucking rich.<br><br>By now Genstar is - clearly coincidentally - our biggest client, and at the time, also the largest lessor of shipping containers in the world. You know, these things:<br> <figure class="attachment attachment--preview attachment--lightboxable attachment--jpg">
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</figure><br>And who are these people? Well, that's Prudence and Luigi Ferrari on their wedding day, at one of the world's largest shipping container depots, in Singapore. Luigi plays an outsized role in this tale, but we'll get back to him - and Prudence - in later chapters. For now, please note two names from the photo, the aforementioned Genstar, and also <strong>Seaco</strong>, short for <strong>Sea Containers Limited</strong>, a London-based conglomerate that was a mid-sized player at the time in container leasing.<br><br>While the origin story is sordid, my going to London was not only a boudoir quid pro quo. Sure, we were allowed to write the IT strategic plan for a General Electric subsidiary because of my partner Pleather's extracurriculars with Fugazi. That is not debatable. <br> </div><h1> <figure class="attachment attachment--preview attachment--lightboxable attachment--jpg">
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</figure></h1><div>But, after publishing the plan above, for which I had written both its Executive Summary and Telecommunications sections, I was hired to further consult with Genstar by the CIO Fugazi. To manage (and shape up) his company's telecom group of five, and also deploy new tech to their 20+ offices globally, as we had called for in the "strat plan."<br><br>Well, I nailed that work in 1997, or at least started to. What I mean by that will be obvious shortly. <br><br>With the eventual acquiescence of the team's manager - a Genstar employee who now kinda sorta had to answer to me - the team improved. It helped that just a couple of years ago, I had built a small data center myself, was a big telecom guy, and fully understood the challenges any team working with tech faces. All of that gave me some cred with this team - helpful, as I was thrust upon them by Fugazi with little warning.<br><br></div><pre><em>But that did not translate to other Genstar staff. Peet, I, and of course Pleather were all resented to varying degrees as outsiders. That's normal for consultants, but there were also starting to be grumblings about how we got in the door in the first place . . . </em></pre><div><br>So Genstar's telecom group, previously more interested in gee-whiz tech they could play with, became one focused instead on applying technology to solve business problems at the company. The Ernst & Young consultant in me came out, and it served us all well here.<br><br>One problem to be solved was how to best position the company for the future, technically. In 1997, that meant something I had specified in the IT plan: Moving the company to an Internet Protocol (IP, or more accurately, TCP/IP) environment. <br><br>In English: the IT strategic plan called for the company's tech to be Internet-centric, and rely upon its underlying standards, vs. continuing with the proprietary ecosystems and protocols Genstar and most other companies employed at the time. Remember, this is 1997.<br><br>Doing so required drafting an exhaustive request for proposal (RFP) for a new wide area network (WAN) for Genstar. Again, in English, that was asking big telecom providers to formally propose a new international data network for us, detailing the costs, service level guarantees, etc. It also meant new local area networks (LANs), desktop computers, and servers in each of the company's offices around the world.<br><br>So it's now mid-1997, and the team is humming away on all of this, under my direction. Led by the network aficionado Andy Gill, we wrote a banger of a WAN RFP. At the same time, the overly-tatted Microsoft Windows NT (remember that?) guru, Gorey Mouse, was busy planning the complete refresh of the computing technology used by Genstar employees worldwide. <br><br></div><pre><em>When our IT plan was circulated and it revealed our advocacy of a streamlined approach, using Windows NT on both office servers and desktop computers, a Unix bigot and Genstar IT manager named Chris Ice did not agree. He expressed that by picking up a chair and throwing it at me - in a plush GE conference room, 30 floors above SF. </em></pre><div><br>As above, I had been dispatched by Fugazi to Asia in June of 1997, to introduce everything we were doing, tech-wise, to the Managing Directors and their staffs in the Taipei, Singapore, and Hong Kong offices. That was my first international business trip. <br><br></div><pre><em>In the Taipei office, all of the staff took naps at their desks after lunch, and they were stunned to learn I was not sleepy. And I was in Hong Kong 3 days before the handover to China by the Brits, on 1 July 1997. I vividly remember the decorations being put up. It was heady stuff for a kid from Albany.</em></pre><div><br>Exciting times, but later that summer, everything we were working on was stopped. No WAN negotiations, and no new PCs or servers, either. <br><br><strong>At least not yet, because GE Capital and GE itself had decided to exit the container leasing business, by merging Genstar with Seaco.</strong><br><br>A short time later, I was asked by the CIO Johnny Fugazi to go to London to be on Genstar's merger due diligence team. I had a comprehensive understanding of <em>their</em> telecom. Now I had to go to London and develop an equal understanding of Seaco's own networks, and figure out what it was going to take to combine the two. I was ready. <br><br>Naive, but ready.<br><br></div><pre><em>WestConnect was on the inside enough that I flew on United Airlines to LHR from SFO for the first due diligence trip with the CIO himself. I am glad I was dressed properly. And comfortably: This was my longest international business class flight to date. It would not be the last.</em></pre><div><br>Next: <strong>Upper Ground and Upper Class</strong><br><strong> </strong></div><h1><strong>FROM THE UNWASHED MASSES</strong></h1><div>André Aurich, slumming it at home in Tiburon, took time away from his speedy recovery to share a newspaper article. I need plenty of reassurance, so I loved this.<br><br></div><blockquote>The <em>Santa Rosa Press Democrat</em> agrees with you on the 10 mph over speed limit (governor thing).<br><br><a href="https://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/opinion/pd-editorial-tap-the-brakes-on-state-speed-law">Editorial: Tap the Brakes on State Speed Law</a></blockquote><div><br></div><div>Thank you for reading this newsletter. <br><br></div><h1><strong>KLUF</strong></h1><div>If you're thinking Clash, you're thinking uncreatively. <br><br>For this new series, I will attempt to bring it further to life by playing music that either came out and I cranked during this period, and/or is something I relentlessly advocated to my London colleagues while there.<br><br>Let's go with a favorite here on <strong>KLUF</strong>, and an album released on 1 July 1997, 3 days after I visited Hong Kong. This music featured prominently for me and many during this time; <a href="https://open.spotify.com/album/6dVIqQ8qmQ5GBnJ9shOYGE?si=SBwHKeFOTxipscZxpayJ0A">here</a> is Radiohead and the beyond <a href="https://world.hey.com/clough/portico-darwin-the-rating-system-d3b89335">Diamond Certified</a> <em>OK Computer</em>.<br> <figure class="attachment attachment--preview attachment--lightboxable attachment--png">
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Dean Cloughclough@hey.comtag:world.hey.com,2005:World::Post/348472024-01-31T12:29:54Z2024-01-31T17:10:21ZPortico Darwin: SF & California Can Be Crazy<div class="trix-content">
<h1><strong>TODAY'S RAMBLINGS</strong></h1><div> <figure class="attachment attachment--preview attachment--lightboxable attachment--jpg">
<a download="Cali.jpg" title="Download Cali.jpg" data-click-proxy-target="lightbox_link_blob_1526200395" href="https://world.hey.com/clough/088e8db2/blobs/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaHNLd2RMK1BkYSIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoiYmxvYl9pZCJ9fQ==--567aa9ed53605c77390c4fb551dd77af857bf69d/Cali.jpg?disposition=attachment">
<img src="https://world.hey.com/clough/088e8db2/representations/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaHNLd2RMK1BkYSIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoiYmxvYl9pZCJ9fQ==--567aa9ed53605c77390c4fb551dd77af857bf69d/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaDdDam9MWm05eWJXRjBTU0lJYW5CbkJqb0dSVlE2RkhKbGMybDZaVjkwYjE5c2FXMXBkRnNIYVFLQUIya0NBQVU2REhGMVlXeHBkSGxwU3pvTGJHOWhaR1Z5ZXdZNkNYQmhaMlV3T2cxamIyRnNaWE5qWlZRPSIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoidmFyaWF0aW9uIn19--0b5e092e6240e14fab357b4c1013c9a0c881ff87/Cali.jpg" alt="Cali.jpg" srcset="https://world.hey.com/clough/088e8db2/representations/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaHNLd2RMK1BkYSIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoiYmxvYl9pZCJ9fQ==--567aa9ed53605c77390c4fb551dd77af857bf69d/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaDdDam9MWm05eWJXRjBTU0lJYW5CbkJqb0dSVlE2RkhKbGMybDZaVjkwYjE5c2FXMXBkRnNIYVFJQUQya0NBQW82REhGMVlXeHBkSGxwUVRvTGJHOWhaR1Z5ZXdZNkNYQmhaMlV3T2cxamIyRnNaWE5qWlZRPSIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoidmFyaWF0aW9uIn19--a8a2bb6a9884c661ef30854054544882621a1752/Cali.jpg 2x, https://world.hey.com/clough/088e8db2/representations/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaHNLd2RMK1BkYSIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoiYmxvYl9pZCJ9fQ==--567aa9ed53605c77390c4fb551dd77af857bf69d/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaDdDam9MWm05eWJXRjBTU0lJYW5CbkJqb0dSVlE2RkhKbGMybDZaVjkwYjE5c2FXMXBkRnNIYVFLQUZta0NBQTg2REhGMVlXeHBkSGxwUERvTGJHOWhaR1Z5ZXdZNkNYQmhaMlV3T2cxamIyRnNaWE5qWlZRPSIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoidmFyaWF0aW9uIn19--9b7ba00c32731d121dd7ff5706d31cc3652788dd/Cali.jpg 3x" decoding="async" loading="lazy">
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</figure></div><div><2 Minute Read</div><div><br>Happy Hump Day. Yes, I am still basking in the glory of Brock "Playground" Purdy and our Niners being Super Bowl-bound, for the 8th time. <br><br>But the haters still be hating, and darn if we don't give the rest of the country good reason. <br><br>And it's not just our perfect weather and even better geography. Or even our dynastic sports teams.<br><br>No: We also do a lot of foot-shooting.<br><br>It is Bill Maher I will credit with observing that, as a rule, the Democratic party should not pursue policies that could be headlines from <a href="https://www.theonion.com/"><em>The Onion</em></a>. You know, stuff like this:<br> <figure class="attachment attachment--preview attachment--lightboxable attachment--jpg">
<a download="onion.jpg" title="Download onion.jpg" data-click-proxy-target="lightbox_link_blob_1526229881" href="https://world.hey.com/clough/088e8db2/blobs/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaHNLd2Q1YS9oYSIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoiYmxvYl9pZCJ9fQ==--1ccc5ac9f395845e2c0ed95b650c57be8fe55f7a/onion.jpg?disposition=attachment">
<img src="https://world.hey.com/clough/088e8db2/representations/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaHNLd2Q1YS9oYSIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoiYmxvYl9pZCJ9fQ==--1ccc5ac9f395845e2c0ed95b650c57be8fe55f7a/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaDdDam9MWm05eWJXRjBTU0lJYW5CbkJqb0dSVlE2RkhKbGMybDZaVjkwYjE5c2FXMXBkRnNIYVFLQUIya0NBQVU2REhGMVlXeHBkSGxwU3pvTGJHOWhaR1Z5ZXdZNkNYQmhaMlV3T2cxamIyRnNaWE5qWlZRPSIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoidmFyaWF0aW9uIn19--0b5e092e6240e14fab357b4c1013c9a0c881ff87/onion.jpg" alt="onion.jpg" srcset="https://world.hey.com/clough/088e8db2/representations/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaHNLd2Q1YS9oYSIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoiYmxvYl9pZCJ9fQ==--1ccc5ac9f395845e2c0ed95b650c57be8fe55f7a/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaDdDam9MWm05eWJXRjBTU0lJYW5CbkJqb0dSVlE2RkhKbGMybDZaVjkwYjE5c2FXMXBkRnNIYVFJQUQya0NBQW82REhGMVlXeHBkSGxwUVRvTGJHOWhaR1Z5ZXdZNkNYQmhaMlV3T2cxamIyRnNaWE5qWlZRPSIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoidmFyaWF0aW9uIn19--a8a2bb6a9884c661ef30854054544882621a1752/onion.jpg 2x, https://world.hey.com/clough/088e8db2/representations/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaHNLd2Q1YS9oYSIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoiYmxvYl9pZCJ9fQ==--1ccc5ac9f395845e2c0ed95b650c57be8fe55f7a/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaDdDam9MWm05eWJXRjBTU0lJYW5CbkJqb0dSVlE2RkhKbGMybDZaVjkwYjE5c2FXMXBkRnNIYVFLQUZta0NBQTg2REhGMVlXeHBkSGxwUERvTGJHOWhaR1Z5ZXdZNkNYQmhaMlV3T2cxamIyRnNaWE5qWlZRPSIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoidmFyaWF0aW9uIn19--9b7ba00c32731d121dd7ff5706d31cc3652788dd/onion.jpg 3x" decoding="async" loading="lazy">
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</figure><br>But sadly, here are two stories reported in complete seriousness by our fine local paper, the <em>San Francisco Chronicle</em>.<br><br>And in a surprise to no one, I have some thoughts.<br><br><a href="https://www.sfchronicle.com/sf/article/sf-bespoke-trash-can-garbage-budget-deficit-breed-18617624.php"><strong>Trash Can't</strong></a><strong><br></strong> <figure class="attachment attachment--preview attachment--lightboxable attachment--jpg">
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<img src="https://world.hey.com/clough/088e8db2/representations/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaHNLd2RXa2V4YSIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoiYmxvYl9pZCJ9fQ==--aea076a11753aa7c828b0765f4ae8201536ce0d5/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaDdDam9MWm05eWJXRjBTU0lJYW5CbkJqb0dSVlE2RkhKbGMybDZaVjkwYjE5c2FXMXBkRnNIYVFLQUIya0NBQVU2REhGMVlXeHBkSGxwU3pvTGJHOWhaR1Z5ZXdZNkNYQmhaMlV3T2cxamIyRnNaWE5qWlZRPSIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoidmFyaWF0aW9uIn19--0b5e092e6240e14fab357b4c1013c9a0c881ff87/trash.jpg" alt="trash.jpg" srcset="https://world.hey.com/clough/088e8db2/representations/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaHNLd2RXa2V4YSIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoiYmxvYl9pZCJ9fQ==--aea076a11753aa7c828b0765f4ae8201536ce0d5/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaDdDam9MWm05eWJXRjBTU0lJYW5CbkJqb0dSVlE2RkhKbGMybDZaVjkwYjE5c2FXMXBkRnNIYVFJQUQya0NBQW82REhGMVlXeHBkSGxwUVRvTGJHOWhaR1Z5ZXdZNkNYQmhaMlV3T2cxamIyRnNaWE5qWlZRPSIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoidmFyaWF0aW9uIn19--a8a2bb6a9884c661ef30854054544882621a1752/trash.jpg 2x, https://world.hey.com/clough/088e8db2/representations/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaHNLd2RXa2V4YSIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoiYmxvYl9pZCJ9fQ==--aea076a11753aa7c828b0765f4ae8201536ce0d5/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaDdDam9MWm05eWJXRjBTU0lJYW5CbkJqb0dSVlE2RkhKbGMybDZaVjkwYjE5c2FXMXBkRnNIYVFLQUZta0NBQTg2REhGMVlXeHBkSGxwUERvTGJHOWhaR1Z5ZXdZNkNYQmhaMlV3T2cxamIyRnNaWE5qWlZRPSIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoidmFyaWF0aW9uIn19--9b7ba00c32731d121dd7ff5706d31cc3652788dd/trash.jpg 3x" decoding="async" loading="lazy">
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</figure><br>This fiasco joined Noe Valley's $1.7 million single-stall public restroom <a href="https://world.hey.com/clough/portico-darwin-sf-is-the-best-sf-is-the-worst-6bd0f714">embarrassment</a> in the national news. <br><br><em>We San Franciscans must have bespoke public trash bins that are 2 to 3 times the cost of standard models! <br><br></em>Said nobody here, ever. <br><br>Is the chosen design attractive? Yes - in fact, I like it quite a bit. And aren't our current receptacles prone to overflowing and thus exacerbating a problem they're supposed to solve? Yes. And doesn't a city with the gravitas of SF deserve esthetically attractive street furniture? Yes again.<br><br>But the process to select a replacement for my beloved SF's 3,000 some-odd trach cans took <em>FIVE YEARS</em>, and cost over a <em>HALF MILLION DOLLARS</em>. The city had 5 different prototypes made, with some costing $30K or more to produce.<br><br>The results? Well, they picked the one above, but we don't have the money for them any longer. <br> <br>And no, that last line is not from <em>The Onion</em>, however ridiculous it may seem.<strong><br></strong><br><a href="https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/car-speed-governors-bill-18624126.php"><strong>(Limiting) Speed Kills (Political Careers)</strong></a><strong><br></strong> <figure class="attachment attachment--preview attachment--lightboxable attachment--jpg">
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<img src="https://world.hey.com/clough/088e8db2/representations/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaHNLd2ZKOFBWYSIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoiYmxvYl9pZCJ9fQ==--a5155379e415a878bf0a8bce396a020cc19af6f6/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaDdDam9MWm05eWJXRjBTU0lJYW5CbkJqb0dSVlE2RkhKbGMybDZaVjkwYjE5c2FXMXBkRnNIYVFLQUIya0NBQVU2REhGMVlXeHBkSGxwU3pvTGJHOWhaR1Z5ZXdZNkNYQmhaMlV3T2cxamIyRnNaWE5qWlZRPSIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoidmFyaWF0aW9uIn19--0b5e092e6240e14fab357b4c1013c9a0c881ff87/speed.jpg" alt="speed.jpg" srcset="https://world.hey.com/clough/088e8db2/representations/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaHNLd2ZKOFBWYSIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoiYmxvYl9pZCJ9fQ==--a5155379e415a878bf0a8bce396a020cc19af6f6/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaDdDam9MWm05eWJXRjBTU0lJYW5CbkJqb0dSVlE2RkhKbGMybDZaVjkwYjE5c2FXMXBkRnNIYVFJQUQya0NBQW82REhGMVlXeHBkSGxwUVRvTGJHOWhaR1Z5ZXdZNkNYQmhaMlV3T2cxamIyRnNaWE5qWlZRPSIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoidmFyaWF0aW9uIn19--a8a2bb6a9884c661ef30854054544882621a1752/speed.jpg 2x, https://world.hey.com/clough/088e8db2/representations/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaHNLd2ZKOFBWYSIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoiYmxvYl9pZCJ9fQ==--a5155379e415a878bf0a8bce396a020cc19af6f6/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaDdDam9MWm05eWJXRjBTU0lJYW5CbkJqb0dSVlE2RkhKbGMybDZaVjkwYjE5c2FXMXBkRnNIYVFLQUZta0NBQTg2REhGMVlXeHBkSGxwUERvTGJHOWhaR1Z5ZXdZNkNYQmhaMlV3T2cxamIyRnNaWE5qWlZRPSIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoidmFyaWF0aW9uIn19--9b7ba00c32731d121dd7ff5706d31cc3652788dd/speed.jpg 3x" decoding="async" loading="lazy">
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</figure><br>I re-read this several times to make sure I hadn't had one too many Old Fashioneds. But, alas, it is true and we have the do-gooding and nanny-wannabe, California state senator Scott Weiner, to thank. And no, that is not a Portico Darwin name; the senator's name is, appropriately, "Weiner." <br><br>As in what a fucking wiener because who comes up with utter nonsense like this? Scott Weiner does! He just can't possibly fathom people wanting or needing to go a bit faster than posted speed limits. So he'll protect us all from ourselves, and create some new regulations! <br><br>Attention, Senator Weiner, who is almost certainly reading this: As a resident of the state of California, here is a list of things I'd prefer you and your colleagues spend time on:<br><br></div><ol><li>Any</li><li>Thing</li><li>Else </li><li>At</li><li>All</li></ol><div><br>And Scott (and the unaccountable bureaucrats behind the trashcan madness), try to heed Bill Maher's remarks in the future: If what you're doing could be a legitimate headline from <em>The Onion</em>, you might want to rethink the whole thing.</div><div><br></div><h1><strong>FROM THE UNWASHED MASSES</strong></h1><div>Thank you for reading this newsletter. <br><br></div><h1><strong>KLUF</strong></h1><div>Featuring a beautiful version of "California Dreaming," as well as the retiree anthem "Lush Life," <a href="https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/0B8D2uCXehgBcRVJ5b2YtVG9Rd2c?resourcekey=0-5caGDxMYqyXfjQo1Fjrz3A&usp=sharing">here</a> is a <a href="https://world.hey.com/clough/portico-darwin-the-rating-system-d3b89335">Textbook</a> album nobody was expecting upon its 2004 release, <em>The Dana Owens Album</em>.<br> <figure class="attachment attachment--preview attachment--lightboxable attachment--jpg">
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<img src="https://world.hey.com/clough/088e8db2/representations/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaHNLd2VHa2YxYSIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoiYmxvYl9pZCJ9fQ==--5cc58d68771629c786eafe388be5565681751ef1/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaDdDam9MWm05eWJXRjBTU0lJYW5CbkJqb0dSVlE2RkhKbGMybDZaVjkwYjE5c2FXMXBkRnNIYVFLQUIya0NBQVU2REhGMVlXeHBkSGxwU3pvTGJHOWhaR1Z5ZXdZNkNYQmhaMlV3T2cxamIyRnNaWE5qWlZRPSIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoidmFyaWF0aW9uIn19--0b5e092e6240e14fab357b4c1013c9a0c881ff87/doa.jpg" alt="doa.jpg" srcset="https://world.hey.com/clough/088e8db2/representations/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaHNLd2VHa2YxYSIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoiYmxvYl9pZCJ9fQ==--5cc58d68771629c786eafe388be5565681751ef1/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaDdDam9MWm05eWJXRjBTU0lJYW5CbkJqb0dSVlE2RkhKbGMybDZaVjkwYjE5c2FXMXBkRnNIYVFJQUQya0NBQW82REhGMVlXeHBkSGxwUVRvTGJHOWhaR1Z5ZXdZNkNYQmhaMlV3T2cxamIyRnNaWE5qWlZRPSIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoidmFyaWF0aW9uIn19--a8a2bb6a9884c661ef30854054544882621a1752/doa.jpg 2x, https://world.hey.com/clough/088e8db2/representations/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaHNLd2VHa2YxYSIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoiYmxvYl9pZCJ9fQ==--5cc58d68771629c786eafe388be5565681751ef1/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaDdDam9MWm05eWJXRjBTU0lJYW5CbkJqb0dSVlE2RkhKbGMybDZaVjkwYjE5c2FXMXBkRnNIYVFLQUZta0NBQTg2REhGMVlXeHBkSGxwUERvTGJHOWhaR1Z5ZXdZNkNYQmhaMlV3T2cxamIyRnNaWE5qWlZRPSIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoidmFyaWF0aW9uIn19--9b7ba00c32731d121dd7ff5706d31cc3652788dd/doa.jpg 3x" decoding="async" loading="lazy">
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</figure><br>Fun Fact: my skinny white ass bumped up against Dana's not-too-skinny and not-white ass on a busy street corner outside of the Salvatore Ferragamo store in Florence, Italy in 2006. True story!</div>
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Dean Cloughclough@hey.comtag:world.hey.com,2005:World::Post/347922024-01-29T13:40:56Z2024-01-29T16:44:00ZPortico Darwin: KLUF - The Complete Library<div class="trix-content">
<h1><strong>TODAY'S RAMBLINGS</strong></h1><div> <figure class="attachment attachment--preview attachment--lightboxable attachment--jpg">
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</figure><br> 1 Minute Read plus Ungodly Hours of Listening</div><div><br>Happy Monday and let's jam: the Niners are going to the Super Bowl. <br><br>But I won't even try to pretend: This is a self-indulgent, narcissistic clusterfuck of a blog post. <br><br>But is it really? Why is having (a lot of) the world's finest music in one spot not useful? <br> <br>Either way, what follows are all of the <strong>KLUF</strong> playlists to date, in alphabetical order. <br><br>You are so very, very welcome. <br><br>Some context: I created many of these for our month-long stay in Palm Springs during the summer of 2020. With the pandemic, there was nowhere to go but poolside, and I needed something to listen to whilst guzzling Weissβier. <br> <br>10 Seconds of Seriousness: Many of these were carefully researched.<br><br>(It's not my preference, or even the service I use, but the links are all to Spotify, A.K.A. the lowest common denominator.)<br><br><a href="https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4jvbPk4y056nVHXaEKHLLM?si=12500970edad41c8"><strong>KLUF: 60</strong></a><strong><br></strong>A party mix; oh, fuck it: <em>the</em> party mix. <br><br><a href="https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5mbWigLgg7ve0AtvXIrLd0?si=c93c747250944ec5"><strong>KLUF: Ambient</strong></a><strong><br></strong>Put the music in the background.<strong><br><br></strong><a href="https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1wtlpCsHmKGiYpgOsEUBdf?si=d68b723447794c31"><strong>KLUF: Cabo Pulmo</strong></a><strong><br></strong>Idyllic.<strong><br><br></strong><a href="https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0fdco6ooqWtG3qFwpi7jKU?si=3d2324ac546e46a2"><strong>KLUF: Classic Rock</strong></a><strong><br></strong>Listen to what 119 hours of <a href="https://world.hey.com/clough/portico-darwin-the-rating-system-d3b89335">Textbook</a> sounds like.<strong><br><br></strong><a href="https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2g1MmC9evZtvleefa0rPET?si=5fec7d9f46124637"><strong>KLUF: Entertaining</strong></a><strong><br></strong>Coastal elite.<strong><br><br></strong><a href="https://open.spotify.com/playlist/34FPdeuUWkPIjE2iaEqdZX?si=5be87a7c25c04efc"><strong>KLUF: Harder Rock</strong></a><strong><br></strong>Hey: you ever been to Albany, punk? Or in an attic or crawlspace?<br><br><a href="https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1bLmt2MNMGVgbTMMylZx4t?si=96ae0df0f515461e"><strong>KLUF: Modern Rock</strong></a><strong><br></strong>It's whatever I say it is.<strong><br><br></strong><a href="https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1mZFexxx8Vf9BY1PI7GvJx?si=c12278bdfcb4455a"><strong>KLUF: Pool Party</strong></a><strong><br></strong>Mellow go-time.<strong><br><br></strong><a href="https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4FLQm8snYgCtvjz0W5N4zb?si=38012f9ac3cd49bc"><strong>KLUF: Rock Albums</strong></a><strong><br></strong>As I've mentioned before, these are not necessarily the best (although <em>Pet Sounds</em> is indeed here), but rather are albums that, to this listener, are a cut above. And of course, Diamond Certified. <strong><br><br></strong><a href="https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0Pz7ojXTQwQW2ejAOcXUFz?si=4d05349009344925"><strong>KLUF: SoCal</strong></a><strong><br></strong>Another reason to <del>hate</del> love LA.<strong><br><br></strong><a href="https://open.spotify.com/playlist/05KRoSbAzqujGfZu967n4b?si=5fe6cd74d0c6410f"><strong>KLUF: Ultra Chill</strong></a><strong><br></strong>Now departing for Formentera.<strong><br><br></strong>Did you make it this far? Good, because I am adding more.<br><br> <figure class="attachment attachment--preview attachment--lightboxable attachment--jpg">
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</figure><br><strong><br></strong><a href="https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1mpvrhrGI2qNNvA6t5mMg6?si=6c402cafb7dd45a3"><strong>KLUF: Classical</strong></a><strong><br></strong>Virtue signaling? No.<br><strong><br></strong><a href="https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5nuROHGzjRU4Yy2nu7eVxk?si=b118f097a5104b79"><strong>KLUF: Grateful Dead</strong></a><strong><br></strong>And I have studied under the masters, including Arthur <em>and</em> André Aurich. This playlist consists of what are considered their most singular shows. Yes, that is saying something, and I'd love to hear from Arthur, André, or any other current or former Deadhead (offer not valid in North Carolina) if I've missed something obvious. <br><br><a href="https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4nlTk6GoI8iWeS52x4JqTt?si=751404af0df54bd9"><strong>KLUF: Jazz Guitar</strong></a><strong><br></strong>Not jazz. Jazz guitar. <strong><br><br></strong><a href="https://open.spotify.com/playlist/34MHMe5VwUppTe75ptZ3zF?si=d088c275a3f44f89"><strong>KLUF: Miles Davis</strong></a><strong><br></strong>Miles Davis is America's greatest contribution to music; I offer these 7 albums as evidence.<br><br>There you have it: 50+ years of music fanaticism, obsession, compulsion, and anal retentiveness captured in 15 playlists consisting of 6,163 tracks. They will take 20 days, 6 hours, 29 minutes, and 42 seconds to hear if you get started right now.<br><br>My apologies if you found this all a bit much, but music is my passion. <br><br>What's yours?<br><br></div><h1><strong>FROM THE UNWASHED MASSES</strong></h1><div>Their beautiful wedding invitation to us was hand-delivered, and that wasn't even the best part. No, we were so very flattered our close friends and neighbors Laura Gonzalez and Andrew Whistler have invited us to their rehearsal dinner, too. At Perry's on Union Street, which I have visited once or twice. <br><br>So, yes, I think Julie and I can make it. And maybe even Mr. Butler will be there.<br> <figure class="attachment attachment--preview attachment--lightboxable attachment--jpg">
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</figure><br>Thank you for reading this newsletter. <br><br></div><h1><strong>KLUF</strong></h1><div>I think you've got enough to tide you over until Wednesday.</div>
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Dean Cloughclough@hey.comtag:world.hey.com,2005:World::Post/347182024-01-26T13:53:24Z2024-01-26T15:31:23ZPortico Darwin: It Was the Warren Commission<div class="trix-content">
<h1><strong>TODAY'S RAMBLINGS</strong></h1><div> <figure class="attachment attachment--preview attachment--lightboxable attachment--jpeg">
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</figure></div><div>1 Minute Read + several podcasts<br><br>Disclaimer: I've touched on this subject <a href="https://world.hey.com/clough/portico-darwin-the-one-where-we-lost-belief-and-trust-90c25902">before</a>, but it was two years ago, and there's plenty of new information that's come out since. Plus, this subject is important.<br> <br>Because did you know there was a time - and it was just 60 years ago - that fully <strong><em>80 percent </em></strong>of American citizens trusted the US government? Not just Republicans or Democrats - but all Americans. Take a look.<br> <figure class="attachment attachment--preview attachment--lightboxable attachment--jpg">
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<img src="https://world.hey.com/clough/29bc2f0a/representations/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaHNLd2UxdllwYSIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoiYmxvYl9pZCJ9fQ==--835a9a555d5d562f330fab36a5277e7c65ce3674/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaDdDam9MWm05eWJXRjBTU0lJYW5CbkJqb0dSVlE2RkhKbGMybDZaVjkwYjE5c2FXMXBkRnNIYVFLQUIya0NBQVU2REhGMVlXeHBkSGxwU3pvTGJHOWhaR1Z5ZXdZNkNYQmhaMlV3T2cxamIyRnNaWE5qWlZRPSIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoidmFyaWF0aW9uIn19--0b5e092e6240e14fab357b4c1013c9a0c881ff87/trust.jpg" alt="trust.jpg" srcset="https://world.hey.com/clough/29bc2f0a/representations/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaHNLd2UxdllwYSIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoiYmxvYl9pZCJ9fQ==--835a9a555d5d562f330fab36a5277e7c65ce3674/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaDdDam9MWm05eWJXRjBTU0lJYW5CbkJqb0dSVlE2RkhKbGMybDZaVjkwYjE5c2FXMXBkRnNIYVFJQUQya0NBQW82REhGMVlXeHBkSGxwUVRvTGJHOWhaR1Z5ZXdZNkNYQmhaMlV3T2cxamIyRnNaWE5qWlZRPSIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoidmFyaWF0aW9uIn19--a8a2bb6a9884c661ef30854054544882621a1752/trust.jpg 2x, https://world.hey.com/clough/29bc2f0a/representations/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaHNLd2UxdllwYSIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoiYmxvYl9pZCJ9fQ==--835a9a555d5d562f330fab36a5277e7c65ce3674/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaDdDam9MWm05eWJXRjBTU0lJYW5CbkJqb0dSVlE2RkhKbGMybDZaVjkwYjE5c2FXMXBkRnNIYVFLQUZta0NBQTg2REhGMVlXeHBkSGxwUERvTGJHOWhaR1Z5ZXdZNkNYQmhaMlV3T2cxamIyRnNaWE5qWlZRPSIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoidmFyaWF0aW9uIn19--9b7ba00c32731d121dd7ff5706d31cc3652788dd/trust.jpg 3x" decoding="async" loading="lazy">
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</figure><br>But when did we begin to <em>stop believing</em> as citizens of the United States of America? <br><br>One can point to many events, as I did in my original post, but the chart makes it obvious: the wheels began falling off around the time of President Lyndon Johnson.<br><br>OK, his lies about Vietnam didn't help. But I believe - and now more than ever - it was the public's ability <strong>to see through the veil of lies and conspiracy surrounding JFK's assassination</strong> that sent us into a morass from which we've yet to escape. <br> <br>And it began with the group chartered to definitively answer the question of who shot our Camelot, the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warren_Commission">Warren Commission</a>. <br><br>Yet look at the expressions on the faces in the photo above - it reeks of bullshit. The more I learn about the woeful job these supposed stalwarts did, the more sick I become. Go look it up - I did. And while you're at it, dig deeper into <strong>Allen Dulles</strong>. <em>The Devil's Chessboard</em>, indeed. <br> <figure class="attachment attachment--preview attachment--lightboxable attachment--jpg">
<a download="devil.jpg" title="Download devil.jpg" data-click-proxy-target="lightbox_link_blob_1523224881" href="https://world.hey.com/clough/29bc2f0a/blobs/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaHNLd2N4a2NwYSIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoiYmxvYl9pZCJ9fQ==--fff1bdd1fbb628287e68e1d957f314d4c509db06/devil.jpg?disposition=attachment">
<img src="https://world.hey.com/clough/29bc2f0a/representations/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaHNLd2N4a2NwYSIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoiYmxvYl9pZCJ9fQ==--fff1bdd1fbb628287e68e1d957f314d4c509db06/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaDdDam9MWm05eWJXRjBTU0lJYW5CbkJqb0dSVlE2RkhKbGMybDZaVjkwYjE5c2FXMXBkRnNIYVFLQUIya0NBQVU2REhGMVlXeHBkSGxwU3pvTGJHOWhaR1Z5ZXdZNkNYQmhaMlV3T2cxamIyRnNaWE5qWlZRPSIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoidmFyaWF0aW9uIn19--0b5e092e6240e14fab357b4c1013c9a0c881ff87/devil.jpg" alt="devil.jpg" srcset="https://world.hey.com/clough/29bc2f0a/representations/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaHNLd2N4a2NwYSIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoiYmxvYl9pZCJ9fQ==--fff1bdd1fbb628287e68e1d957f314d4c509db06/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaDdDam9MWm05eWJXRjBTU0lJYW5CbkJqb0dSVlE2RkhKbGMybDZaVjkwYjE5c2FXMXBkRnNIYVFJQUQya0NBQW82REhGMVlXeHBkSGxwUVRvTGJHOWhaR1Z5ZXdZNkNYQmhaMlV3T2cxamIyRnNaWE5qWlZRPSIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoidmFyaWF0aW9uIn19--a8a2bb6a9884c661ef30854054544882621a1752/devil.jpg 2x, https://world.hey.com/clough/29bc2f0a/representations/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaHNLd2N4a2NwYSIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoiYmxvYl9pZCJ9fQ==--fff1bdd1fbb628287e68e1d957f314d4c509db06/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaDdDam9MWm05eWJXRjBTU0lJYW5CbkJqb0dSVlE2RkhKbGMybDZaVjkwYjE5c2FXMXBkRnNIYVFLQUZta0NBQTg2REhGMVlXeHBkSGxwUERvTGJHOWhaR1Z5ZXdZNkNYQmhaMlV3T2cxamIyRnNaWE5qWlZRPSIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoidmFyaWF0aW9uIn19--9b7ba00c32731d121dd7ff5706d31cc3652788dd/devil.jpg 3x" decoding="async" loading="lazy">
</a>
</figure><br>Next, and fast-forward to today. Did you know that the federal government is still withholding <strong><em>over 15,000 documents</em></strong> on the matter? Why? What could <strong><em>possibly</em></strong> be in those documents that the public couldn't handle learning?<br><br>Well, what if the documents revealed conclusively that the CIA arranged for the murder of a sitting President? <br><br>OK, OK - I can hear it now: "Portico, this is nutty stuff, even for you. From where do these conspiracy theories spring?"<br><br>To prove my sanity, I again turn to the world of podcasts, but this one is different. This is a series (vs. the news podcasts to which I typically listen) and it's from director Rob Reiner and the journalist Soledad O'Brien. How these two connected, I'll never know, but wow is this series <a href="https://world.hey.com/clough/portico-darwin-the-rating-system-d3b89335">Killer</a> (no pun intended).<br> <figure class="attachment attachment--preview attachment--lightboxable attachment--jpg">
<a download="pod.jpg" title="Download pod.jpg" data-click-proxy-target="lightbox_link_blob_1519145726" href="https://world.hey.com/clough/29bc2f0a/blobs/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaHNLd2YrVW94YSIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoiYmxvYl9pZCJ9fQ==--6de3d4f14acc15f090e787c1489a2e438fa7874c/pod.jpg?disposition=attachment">
<img src="https://world.hey.com/clough/29bc2f0a/representations/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaHNLd2YrVW94YSIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoiYmxvYl9pZCJ9fQ==--6de3d4f14acc15f090e787c1489a2e438fa7874c/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaDdDam9MWm05eWJXRjBTU0lJYW5CbkJqb0dSVlE2RkhKbGMybDZaVjkwYjE5c2FXMXBkRnNIYVFLQUIya0NBQVU2REhGMVlXeHBkSGxwU3pvTGJHOWhaR1Z5ZXdZNkNYQmhaMlV3T2cxamIyRnNaWE5qWlZRPSIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoidmFyaWF0aW9uIn19--0b5e092e6240e14fab357b4c1013c9a0c881ff87/pod.jpg" alt="pod.jpg" srcset="https://world.hey.com/clough/29bc2f0a/representations/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaHNLd2YrVW94YSIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoiYmxvYl9pZCJ9fQ==--6de3d4f14acc15f090e787c1489a2e438fa7874c/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaDdDam9MWm05eWJXRjBTU0lJYW5CbkJqb0dSVlE2RkhKbGMybDZaVjkwYjE5c2FXMXBkRnNIYVFJQUQya0NBQW82REhGMVlXeHBkSGxwUVRvTGJHOWhaR1Z5ZXdZNkNYQmhaMlV3T2cxamIyRnNaWE5qWlZRPSIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoidmFyaWF0aW9uIn19--a8a2bb6a9884c661ef30854054544882621a1752/pod.jpg 2x, https://world.hey.com/clough/29bc2f0a/representations/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaHNLd2YrVW94YSIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoiYmxvYl9pZCJ9fQ==--6de3d4f14acc15f090e787c1489a2e438fa7874c/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaDdDam9MWm05eWJXRjBTU0lJYW5CbkJqb0dSVlE2RkhKbGMybDZaVjkwYjE5c2FXMXBkRnNIYVFLQUZta0NBQTg2REhGMVlXeHBkSGxwUERvTGJHOWhaR1Z5ZXdZNkNYQmhaMlV3T2cxamIyRnNaWE5qWlZRPSIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoidmFyaWF0aW9uIn19--9b7ba00c32731d121dd7ff5706d31cc3652788dd/pod.jpg 3x" decoding="async" loading="lazy">
</a>
</figure><br>Here is a link to all of the episodes. I found these hard to put down, if that makes sense, and they're just right for the weekend, at least when there's no football on.<br><br><a href="https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1119-who-killed-jfk-127000428/">Who Killed JFK?</a> <br><br>Do I think the general public has listened to Rob and Soledad, and know the CIA likely was involved in the murder of a president of the United States? No.<br><br>But most of us, at least of a certain age, know something is not right here.</div><div><br></div><h1><strong>FROM THE UNWASHED MASSES</strong></h1><div>Well, judging by the flood of responses to my <a href="https://world.hey.com/clough/portico-darwin-loungey-8fbbd786">Loungey</a> post, I can see I have attained my dream in life: to be an influencer! Who needs a job? After all, and by my count, I think I might have moved <em>TWO PAIR</em> of sweatpants!<br><br>From André Aurich, recovering nicely from some fairly serious neck surgery:<br><br></div><blockquote>Very timely blog. <br><br>As you are aware, I will be lounging around the house a bit more than usual the next few weeks, so Rikki has been looking for some comfortable pants for me (unlike you, I need help with my fashion choices). She also likes <em>Wirecutter</em>, so your review was not the only reason she ordered the same sweatpants that you recommended, but it definitely helped her in finalizing her decision. <br><br>Thanks again for sharing your valuable opinions with the blogosphere. Everyone (or at least one person) appreciates it.</blockquote><div><br>I like what he did there on that last bit.</div><div><br>And even the cool SoCal fashion maven Andy Jones is in.<br><br></div><blockquote>I expect your affiliate check is in the mail . . . I’m trying those fancy sweatpants you recommended. </blockquote><div><br>And, away from the world of athleisure, there was this: A reader who doesn't even know himself.<br><br></div><blockquote>Who is George Valiant Walker?</blockquote><div><br>Here's a reminder. <br> <figure class="attachment attachment--preview attachment--lightboxable attachment--jpg">
<a download="gvw.jpg" title="Download gvw.jpg" data-click-proxy-target="lightbox_link_blob_1521774359" href="https://world.hey.com/clough/29bc2f0a/blobs/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaHNLd2NYYjdSYSIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoiYmxvYl9pZCJ9fQ==--cde3cf798bb0a40bfd5f16e06870eff8e3374427/gvw.jpg?disposition=attachment">
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</figure><br>Warning: There will be some long, overly-detailed posts soon about the experiences that Randy Shmee, George, and I (and others) had during my stint in London. I feel a series coming on . . .<br><br></div><div>Thank you for reading this newsletter. And <strong>go Niners</strong>.<br><br></div><h1><strong>KLUF</strong></h1><div>When this subject was covered previously, it was <em>Trust</em>, by Elvis Costello, that was featured here on <strong>KLUF</strong>. Clever, but that was then. Nor am I up on the Dead Kennedys, so that won't work, either.<br><br>Hmm. I think the fear for a lot of Americans is that what's great about our country is largely an illusion. <br><br>A<em> </em><a href="https://open.spotify.com/album/6MFIBPVrZjHjP0pPkVF3IU?si=pZn00X_KTA6PP3kk_JAfsg"><em>Grand Illusion</em></a>, one might even say. <br> <figure class="attachment attachment--preview attachment--lightboxable attachment--png">
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Dean Cloughclough@hey.comtag:world.hey.com,2005:World::Post/346692024-01-24T13:26:04Z2024-01-24T15:31:27ZPortico Darwin: Loungey<div class="trix-content">
<h1><strong>TODAY'S RAMBLINGS</strong></h1><div> <figure class="attachment attachment--preview attachment--lightboxable attachment--jpg">
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</figure><br>1 Minute Read</div><div><br>Hello, and Happy Wednesday.<br><br>So many (fact check: none) have said, "Portico, your recent posts have been brilliant, as usual. But they've been a bit on the heavy side, and too political. And gee, I'm just dying to know if you are still wearing the same loungewear that you documented so wonderfully a while back!"<br><br>It was actually on <a href="https://world.hey.com/clough/portico-darwin-gq-edition-6f16ffe4">25 July 2022</a>, and, in fact, I have major changes to report. <br><br>Wearing the new items as I write this, I can say both are big upgrades and at least <a href="https://world.hey.com/clough/portico-darwin-the-rating-system-d3b89335">Killer</a>. And when I say <em>major changes </em>I f'ing mean it, because as a layabout aficionado, I say with authority that there ain't nothing more <em>major</em> than one's choice of sweatpants, and the top to don with them.<br><br>I wish I could say I discovered both, but I did not - only the second. The first I found on one of the few recommendation sites I find to have any credibility nowadays: <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/"><em>Wirecutter</em></a><em> </em>from <em>The New York Times</em>. I have no affiliation with them, and my typical disclaimer: I am not getting anything from anybody for making the following (or any) suggestions.<br><br>And I apologize if my picks aren't available in your size, or at all. Indeed, I went to <em>Wirecutter </em>for advice<em> </em>because my previous go-to sweatpants were unavailable at Uniqlo. There's a shocker. <em> </em> <em> </em> <br><br>Without further ado or supply chain quips, I give you my new sweatpants and hoodie. <br><br>Please try to remain calm.<br><br><a href="https://mackweldon.com/products/ace-sweatpant-sand-heather"><strong>Mack Weldon ACE Sweatpant</strong></a><br> <figure class="attachment attachment--preview attachment--lightboxable attachment--jpg">
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</a>
</figure><br>Wow - these are different, more akin to the fancy yoga pants I read about in magazines. Whereas my wife and no doubt others used to wonder if I had a load of poop in my sweatpants, now all there is to consider is my barely-there old-man ass. <br><br>But I digress - these are Diamond Certified, very well-made, loaded with pockets, and that fit? "Tailored" is appropriate, but let me be clear: They are supremely comfortable on the couch yet their looks make them fine sartorially for runs to the store for more Weissβier. <br><br>And as I write this, Mack Weldon still had some <a href="https://mackweldon.com/products/ace-sweatpant-coolant">on sale</a> - they're great at $78, a bargain at $54.<br><br><a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B097HQ1ZGJ"><strong>Amazon Aware Men's Fleece Hoodie</strong></a><br> <figure class="attachment attachment--preview attachment--lightboxable attachment--jpg">
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</figure><br>It pains me to deem any clothes from Amazon as Diamond Certified, but I find myself tempted again. As I've written about <a href="https://world.hey.com/clough/portico-darwin-the-best-value-in-men-s-clothing-90ba35c6">before</a>, their clothes are often great values, and this time it's no different. It's a cotton blend, which I normally revile and shun. But I bought two anyway, and they are, in a word, comfy. <br><br>The aforementioned blend is whipped up into a dreamy, downy fleece that lines the inside but is not too warm. The outside has a traditional sweatshirt finish, and it all sums to something much more luxurious than it should be for $34. Nice and long, too. While they're not for the warmer months and/or hotter climes, these are the cat's pajamas when the weather is like SF's. <br><br>There you have it: an update on what to wear whilst <a href="https://www.porticodarwin.com/">Enjoying Life</a> at home. For the record, I ordered both the sweatpants and hoodie in medium, and both fit my body perfectly. <br><br>Especially my barely-there old-man ass.<br> <figure class="attachment attachment--preview attachment--lightboxable attachment--jpg">
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</a>
</figure><br><br></div><h1><strong>FROM THE UNWASHED MASSES</strong></h1><div>Another shout-out to Randy Shmee, who as I mentioned is a former colleague from my glorious days in London. He provided a wonderful update on his life in an email to me, and it brought back a flood of memories.<br><br>A cool part is that not one, not two, but three readers are a part of those memories. The second after Randy is George Valiant Walker. You see, without George and his efforts, the big IT program for which I was responsible and directed from London, would have failed, full stop. <br><br>And there was also new-ish reader Lara Mohair, who worked for my client, GE Capital. On the finance side, Lara probably saw our billings, especially for T&E. She still lived to tell about it.<br><br>Yet I've hesitated writing on the whole subject of my stint in London - there are almost too many highlights to document. But I'll start by reminding Randy, George, Lara, and anyone else interested (there must be someone?) that this is where we worked, Randy for years, and some of us for months.<br><br>This is <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sea_Containers_House">Sea Containers House</a>, on the Thames and in the heart of London. There was even a pub or seven nearby.<br> <figure class="attachment attachment--preview attachment--lightboxable attachment--jpg">
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</figure><br>10 Seconds of Seriousness: Holy shit, what an experience for a kid from Albany, NY. I was 33 when this program got rolling in the Fall of 1997.<br><br></div><div>Thank you for reading this newsletter. <br><br></div><h1><strong>KLUF</strong></h1><div>If I could stomach Frankie Goes to Hollywood, their smash "Relax" would be good for today, but I can't, so forget it. And we played my Diamond Certified <a href="https://world.hey.com/clough/portico-darwin-let-s-leave-the-rope-ladder-down-6917cf5c"><strong>Ultra Chill</strong> </a>mix here on <strong>KLUF</strong> fairly recently, so that's out, too.<br><br> Instead, here's something new, and something built from the ground up for lounging. <br><br>Here, on both <a href="https://tidal.com/browse/playlist/14192d44-c8b5-4a5c-b20e-0247af04b03d">TIDAL</a> and <a href="https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5mbWigLgg7ve0AtvXIrLd0?si=a71368ae4af24f42">Spotify</a>, is <strong>KLUF: Ambient</strong>. <br> <figure class="attachment attachment--preview attachment--lightboxable attachment--jpg">
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<img src="https://world.hey.com/clough/8fbbd786/representations/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaHNLd2NpSFlsYSIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoiYmxvYl9pZCJ9fQ==--48cc786f826975f99ded4033774b7b98c9e4cf8c/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaDdDam9MWm05eWJXRjBTU0lJYW5CbkJqb0dSVlE2RkhKbGMybDZaVjkwYjE5c2FXMXBkRnNIYVFLQUIya0NBQVU2REhGMVlXeHBkSGxwU3pvTGJHOWhaR1Z5ZXdZNkNYQmhaMlV3T2cxamIyRnNaWE5qWlZRPSIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoidmFyaWF0aW9uIn19--0b5e092e6240e14fab357b4c1013c9a0c881ff87/Amb.jpg" alt="Amb.jpg" srcset="https://world.hey.com/clough/8fbbd786/representations/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaHNLd2NpSFlsYSIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoiYmxvYl9pZCJ9fQ==--48cc786f826975f99ded4033774b7b98c9e4cf8c/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaDdDam9MWm05eWJXRjBTU0lJYW5CbkJqb0dSVlE2RkhKbGMybDZaVjkwYjE5c2FXMXBkRnNIYVFJQUQya0NBQW82REhGMVlXeHBkSGxwUVRvTGJHOWhaR1Z5ZXdZNkNYQmhaMlV3T2cxamIyRnNaWE5qWlZRPSIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoidmFyaWF0aW9uIn19--a8a2bb6a9884c661ef30854054544882621a1752/Amb.jpg 2x, https://world.hey.com/clough/8fbbd786/representations/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaHNLd2NpSFlsYSIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoiYmxvYl9pZCJ9fQ==--48cc786f826975f99ded4033774b7b98c9e4cf8c/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaDdDam9MWm05eWJXRjBTU0lJYW5CbkJqb0dSVlE2RkhKbGMybDZaVjkwYjE5c2FXMXBkRnNIYVFLQUZta0NBQTg2REhGMVlXeHBkSGxwUERvTGJHOWhaR1Z5ZXdZNkNYQmhaMlV3T2cxamIyRnNaWE5qWlZRPSIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoidmFyaWF0aW9uIn19--9b7ba00c32731d121dd7ff5706d31cc3652788dd/Amb.jpg 3x" decoding="async" loading="lazy">
</a>
</figure><br>For those not familiar with this type of music, it is nothing if not soothing. The 20 hours I've compiled here start with the granddaddy of them all, <strong>Brian Eno,</strong> and his literal invention of the genre, <em>Ambient 1: Music for Airports</em>. There's a ton from fellow old-guardian <strong>Liquid Mind</strong>, but also new music from last year.<br><br>I do hope you'll give it a listen. Assuming your loungewear is up to it.</div>
</div>
Dean Cloughclough@hey.comtag:world.hey.com,2005:World::Post/346132024-01-22T13:21:23Z2024-01-22T13:55:03ZPortico Darwin: More Than 10 Seconds of Seriousness<div class="trix-content">
<h1><strong>TODAY'S RAMBLINGS</strong></h1><div> <figure class="attachment attachment--preview attachment--lightboxable attachment--jpeg">
<a download="Lead.jpeg" title="Download Lead.jpeg" data-click-proxy-target="lightbox_link_blob_1516374741" href="https://world.hey.com/clough/d058a589/blobs/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaHNLd2ZWQ21KYSIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoiYmxvYl9pZCJ9fQ==--2a997cc63fa5a4e0ad4f06c71ae1e499921a15c0/Lead.jpeg?disposition=attachment">
<img src="https://world.hey.com/clough/d058a589/representations/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaHNLd2ZWQ21KYSIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoiYmxvYl9pZCJ9fQ==--2a997cc63fa5a4e0ad4f06c71ae1e499921a15c0/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaDdDam9MWm05eWJXRjBTU0lKYW5CbFp3WTZCa1ZVT2hSeVpYTnBlbVZmZEc5ZmJHbHRhWFJiQjJrQ2dBZHBBZ0FGT2d4eGRXRnNhWFI1YVVzNkMyeHZZV1JsY25zR09nbHdZV2RsTURvTlkyOWhiR1Z6WTJWVSIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoidmFyaWF0aW9uIn19--824130a6fd2f596d29a6d245cf773fab0beee210/Lead.jpeg" alt="Lead.jpeg" srcset="https://world.hey.com/clough/d058a589/representations/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaHNLd2ZWQ21KYSIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoiYmxvYl9pZCJ9fQ==--2a997cc63fa5a4e0ad4f06c71ae1e499921a15c0/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaDdDam9MWm05eWJXRjBTU0lKYW5CbFp3WTZCa1ZVT2hSeVpYTnBlbVZmZEc5ZmJHbHRhWFJiQjJrQ0FBOXBBZ0FLT2d4eGRXRnNhWFI1YVVFNkMyeHZZV1JsY25zR09nbHdZV2RsTURvTlkyOWhiR1Z6WTJWVSIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoidmFyaWF0aW9uIn19--f3f1b2037df56b6e7b02c335c36fe9999ab42b52/Lead.jpeg 2x, https://world.hey.com/clough/d058a589/representations/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaHNLd2ZWQ21KYSIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoiYmxvYl9pZCJ9fQ==--2a997cc63fa5a4e0ad4f06c71ae1e499921a15c0/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaDdDam9MWm05eWJXRjBTU0lKYW5CbFp3WTZCa1ZVT2hSeVpYTnBlbVZmZEc5ZmJHbHRhWFJiQjJrQ2dCWnBBZ0FQT2d4eGRXRnNhWFI1YVR3NkMyeHZZV1JsY25zR09nbHdZV2RsTURvTlkyOWhiR1Z6WTJWVSIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoidmFyaWF0aW9uIn19--6b62883c9596ea5ec874f8c026d734630c019ca2/Lead.jpeg 3x" decoding="async" loading="lazy">
</a>
</figure><br><1 Minute Read + 3 Hours of Podcasts<br><br>I know I've been heavy on the politics recently, and I apologize. Sadly, our week begins with a continuation, and worse, today I cover Israel, Islam, Hamas, Gaza, and more. <br><br>But it's not what you think. What follows aren't my opinions or thoughts; instead, I am sharing 4 podcasts with hosts and guests that succeeded in helping me better understand the many dimensions of the situation. <br><br>I share them here in the hope they do the same for you. <br><br>The people doing the talking - both hosts and guests - are eminently reasonable, eminently respectable, and also, all Jewish. This is important to remember, as there is plenty of criticism of Israeli policy, especially that of the thug Binyamin Netanyahu. But I doubt you'll find 4 bigger supporters of the country itself. <br><br>Those spending the ~ 3 hours listening to these gentlemen will be better informed, of course, but entertained, too. And moved. Also, stunned: We could have peace in the region literally tomorrow - the last podcast explains <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arab_Peace_Initiative">how</a>. <br><br>Here are <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ezra_Klein">Ezra Klein</a>, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sam_Harris">Sam Harris</a>, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Wolpe">Rabbi David Wolpe</a>, and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Friedman">Thomas Friedman</a>. Note you should not need any special podcast software or a subscription to listen to any of these. <br> <figure class="attachment attachment--preview attachment--lightboxable attachment--jpg">
<a download="podcasts.jpg" title="Download podcasts.jpg" data-click-proxy-target="lightbox_link_blob_1516046543" href="https://world.hey.com/clough/d058a589/blobs/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaHNLd2ZQQ0YxYSIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoiYmxvYl9pZCJ9fQ==--e8a7588cd7b5c25003abe9745bfb759aaeccb1ba/podcasts.jpg?disposition=attachment">
<img src="https://world.hey.com/clough/d058a589/representations/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaHNLd2ZQQ0YxYSIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoiYmxvYl9pZCJ9fQ==--e8a7588cd7b5c25003abe9745bfb759aaeccb1ba/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaDdDam9MWm05eWJXRjBTU0lJYW5CbkJqb0dSVlE2RkhKbGMybDZaVjkwYjE5c2FXMXBkRnNIYVFLQUIya0NBQVU2REhGMVlXeHBkSGxwU3pvTGJHOWhaR1Z5ZXdZNkNYQmhaMlV3T2cxamIyRnNaWE5qWlZRPSIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoidmFyaWF0aW9uIn19--0b5e092e6240e14fab357b4c1013c9a0c881ff87/podcasts.jpg" alt="podcasts.jpg" srcset="https://world.hey.com/clough/d058a589/representations/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaHNLd2ZQQ0YxYSIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoiYmxvYl9pZCJ9fQ==--e8a7588cd7b5c25003abe9745bfb759aaeccb1ba/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaDdDam9MWm05eWJXRjBTU0lJYW5CbkJqb0dSVlE2RkhKbGMybDZaVjkwYjE5c2FXMXBkRnNIYVFJQUQya0NBQW82REhGMVlXeHBkSGxwUVRvTGJHOWhaR1Z5ZXdZNkNYQmhaMlV3T2cxamIyRnNaWE5qWlZRPSIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoidmFyaWF0aW9uIn19--a8a2bb6a9884c661ef30854054544882621a1752/podcasts.jpg 2x, https://world.hey.com/clough/d058a589/representations/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaHNLd2ZQQ0YxYSIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoiYmxvYl9pZCJ9fQ==--e8a7588cd7b5c25003abe9745bfb759aaeccb1ba/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaDdDam9MWm05eWJXRjBTU0lJYW5CbkJqb0dSVlE2RkhKbGMybDZaVjkwYjE5c2FXMXBkRnNIYVFLQUZta0NBQTg2REhGMVlXeHBkSGxwUERvTGJHOWhaR1Z5ZXdZNkNYQmhaMlV3T2cxamIyRnNaWE5qWlZRPSIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoidmFyaWF0aW9uIn19--9b7ba00c32731d121dd7ff5706d31cc3652788dd/podcasts.jpg 3x" decoding="async" loading="lazy">
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</figure><br><br><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/10/18/opinion/ezra-klein-podcast-israel-palestine.html">Ezra Klein's Reaction in the Aftermath of 7 October</a> (15 Minutes)<br><br><a href="https://samharris.org/episode/SE70C6B7CF5">Sam Harris on Islamophobia</a> (12 Minutes)<br><br><a href="https://samharris.org/episode/SE28A29BB1B">Sam Harris and Rabbi David Wolpe on Antisemitism</a> (1 Hour and 17 Minutes)<br><br><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/01/19/opinion/ezra-klein-podcast-tom-friedman.html">Ezra Klein and Thomas Friedman on Why the War in Gaza Must End</a> (1 Hour and 8 Minutes)<br><br></div><h1><strong>FROM THE UNWASHED MASSES</strong></h1><div>Thank you for reading this newsletter. <br><br></div><h1><strong>KLUF</strong></h1><div>This speaks for itself, and since it's just one song, it's attached. The song is the late Chris Cornell - arguably the greatest vocalist in hard rock history - performing live in Sweden the Elvis Costello masterpiece "Peace, Love, and Understanding."<br> <figure class="attachment attachment--preview attachment--lightboxable attachment--jpg">
<a download="CC.jpg" title="Download CC.jpg" data-click-proxy-target="lightbox_link_blob_1516387805" href="https://world.hey.com/clough/d058a589/blobs/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaHNLd2ZkUFdKYSIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoiYmxvYl9pZCJ9fQ==--2b928d10c8d0fcb6d7672d85cb52d140189c4f22/CC.jpg?disposition=attachment">
<img src="https://world.hey.com/clough/d058a589/representations/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaHNLd2ZkUFdKYSIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoiYmxvYl9pZCJ9fQ==--2b928d10c8d0fcb6d7672d85cb52d140189c4f22/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaDdDam9MWm05eWJXRjBTU0lJYW5CbkJqb0dSVlE2RkhKbGMybDZaVjkwYjE5c2FXMXBkRnNIYVFLQUIya0NBQVU2REhGMVlXeHBkSGxwU3pvTGJHOWhaR1Z5ZXdZNkNYQmhaMlV3T2cxamIyRnNaWE5qWlZRPSIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoidmFyaWF0aW9uIn19--0b5e092e6240e14fab357b4c1013c9a0c881ff87/CC.jpg" alt="CC.jpg" srcset="https://world.hey.com/clough/d058a589/representations/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaHNLd2ZkUFdKYSIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoiYmxvYl9pZCJ9fQ==--2b928d10c8d0fcb6d7672d85cb52d140189c4f22/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaDdDam9MWm05eWJXRjBTU0lJYW5CbkJqb0dSVlE2RkhKbGMybDZaVjkwYjE5c2FXMXBkRnNIYVFJQUQya0NBQW82REhGMVlXeHBkSGxwUVRvTGJHOWhaR1Z5ZXdZNkNYQmhaMlV3T2cxamIyRnNaWE5qWlZRPSIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoidmFyaWF0aW9uIn19--a8a2bb6a9884c661ef30854054544882621a1752/CC.jpg 2x, https://world.hey.com/clough/d058a589/representations/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaHNLd2ZkUFdKYSIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoiYmxvYl9pZCJ9fQ==--2b928d10c8d0fcb6d7672d85cb52d140189c4f22/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaDdDam9MWm05eWJXRjBTU0lJYW5CbkJqb0dSVlE2RkhKbGMybDZaVjkwYjE5c2FXMXBkRnNIYVFLQUZta0NBQTg2REhGMVlXeHBkSGxwUERvTGJHOWhaR1Z5ZXdZNkNYQmhaMlV3T2cxamIyRnNaWE5qWlZRPSIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoidmFyaWF0aW9uIn19--9b7ba00c32731d121dd7ff5706d31cc3652788dd/CC.jpg 3x" decoding="async" loading="lazy">
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<a class="attachment__file-link" download="09 - Peace, Love, And Understanding.mp3" title="Download 09 - Peace, Love, And Understanding.mp3" href="https://world.hey.com/clough/d058a589/blobs/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaHNLd2ZKTUdKYSIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoiYmxvYl9pZCJ9fQ==--948aad8441315976952242f9ca70cac090d6aa3a/09%20-%20Peace,%20Love,%20And%20Understanding.mp3?disposition=attachment">Download 09 - Peace, Love, And Understanding.mp3</a>
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<a download="09 - Peace, Love, And Understanding.mp3" title="Download 09 - Peace, Love, And Understanding.mp3" href="https://world.hey.com/clough/d058a589/blobs/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaHNLd2ZKTUdKYSIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoiYmxvYl9pZCJ9fQ==--948aad8441315976952242f9ca70cac090d6aa3a/09%20-%20Peace,%20Love,%20And%20Understanding.mp3?disposition=attachment">
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Dean Cloughclough@hey.comtag:world.hey.com,2005:World::Post/345122024-01-19T13:35:01Z2024-01-19T16:25:41ZPortico Darwin: World War WTF<div class="trix-content">
<h1><strong>TODAY'S RAMBLINGS</strong></h1><div> <figure class="attachment attachment--preview attachment--lightboxable attachment--jpg">
<a download="cover.jpg" title="Download cover.jpg" data-click-proxy-target="lightbox_link_blob_1514085066" href="https://world.hey.com/clough/4d44b247/blobs/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaHNLd2ZLR2o5YSIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoiYmxvYl9pZCJ9fQ==--b56e3cad00c38e330b2a466c6e5224816d17c314/cover.jpg?disposition=attachment">
<img src="https://world.hey.com/clough/4d44b247/representations/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaHNLd2ZLR2o5YSIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoiYmxvYl9pZCJ9fQ==--b56e3cad00c38e330b2a466c6e5224816d17c314/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaDdDam9MWm05eWJXRjBTU0lJYW5CbkJqb0dSVlE2RkhKbGMybDZaVjkwYjE5c2FXMXBkRnNIYVFLQUIya0NBQVU2REhGMVlXeHBkSGxwU3pvTGJHOWhaR1Z5ZXdZNkNYQmhaMlV3T2cxamIyRnNaWE5qWlZRPSIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoidmFyaWF0aW9uIn19--0b5e092e6240e14fab357b4c1013c9a0c881ff87/cover.jpg" alt="cover.jpg" srcset="https://world.hey.com/clough/4d44b247/representations/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaHNLd2ZLR2o5YSIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoiYmxvYl9pZCJ9fQ==--b56e3cad00c38e330b2a466c6e5224816d17c314/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaDdDam9MWm05eWJXRjBTU0lJYW5CbkJqb0dSVlE2RkhKbGMybDZaVjkwYjE5c2FXMXBkRnNIYVFJQUQya0NBQW82REhGMVlXeHBkSGxwUVRvTGJHOWhaR1Z5ZXdZNkNYQmhaMlV3T2cxamIyRnNaWE5qWlZRPSIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoidmFyaWF0aW9uIn19--a8a2bb6a9884c661ef30854054544882621a1752/cover.jpg 2x, https://world.hey.com/clough/4d44b247/representations/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaHNLd2ZLR2o5YSIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoiYmxvYl9pZCJ9fQ==--b56e3cad00c38e330b2a466c6e5224816d17c314/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaDdDam9MWm05eWJXRjBTU0lJYW5CbkJqb0dSVlE2RkhKbGMybDZaVjkwYjE5c2FXMXBkRnNIYVFLQUZta0NBQTg2REhGMVlXeHBkSGxwUERvTGJHOWhaR1Z5ZXdZNkNYQmhaMlV3T2cxamIyRnNaWE5qWlZRPSIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoidmFyaWF0aW9uIn19--9b7ba00c32731d121dd7ff5706d31cc3652788dd/cover.jpg 3x" decoding="async" loading="lazy">
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</figure></div><div>1 Minute Read</div><div><br>I think it was the daytime and <a href="https://world.hey.com/clough/portico-darwin-the-rating-system-d3b89335">Textbook</a> Daiquiris he made for us that did it. Because Wednesday afternoon found Arthur and I pondering the potential of a third World War. We even went further: <br><br><em>Maybe we're in one already? But a new kind?</em> <br><br>That's crazy - it had to be the rum, right?<br><br>You tell me. But you may want to pour your own drink as you peruse these lists. They are in no particular order, apart from the first having real shooting amongst the various players. Most of these conflicts are so f'ing complicated that I have no comment (yes, a shocker, I know). <br><br>The links will take you to a <strong>Council on Foreign Relations</strong> page regarding the organization in question; I parenthetically note who is generally accepted to be behind the sides.<br><br>1. <a href="https://www.cfr.org/interview/who-are-yemens-houthis"><strong>Houthis</strong></a><strong> </strong>(Iran)<strong> v Global Shipping </strong>(Israel/United States/Great Britain)<strong><br></strong> <br>2. <a href="https://www.cfr.org/backgrounder/what-hamas"><strong>Hamas</strong></a><strong> </strong>(Palestine)<strong> v Israel<br><br></strong>3. <strong>Russia v Ukraine</strong></div><div><br>4. <strong>Iran v Pakistan<br> </strong></div><div>5. <a href="https://www.cfr.org/in-brief/how-hezbollah-sees-war-gaza"><strong>Hezbollah</strong></a><strong> </strong>(Iran)<strong> v Israel<br> <br></strong>And, as you consider the above, please keep these tidbits in mind.<strong><br></strong><br></div><ul><li><strong>Pakistan has nuclear weapons, and Iran has (at least) dirty ones</strong></li></ul><div><br></div><ul><li><strong>Saudi Arabia is normalizing relations with Israel, adding an interesting dynamic to a forever war, Sunni (Saudi Arabia) v Shia (Iran) Muslims</strong></li></ul><div><br></div><ul><li><strong>China v Taiwan; oh, yeah, that</strong></li></ul><div><br></div><ul><li><strong>North Korea v Civilized World; that too</strong></li></ul><div><br></div><ul><li>From <em>The Economist</em>: <strong>"Binyamin Netanyahu said he has told America that he opposes a Palestinian state after the war (with Hamas). 'Israel needs security control over all territory west of the Jordan (River),' he said." </strong></li></ul><div><br></div><ul><li><strong>Ouch - officially stating what's been your obvious goal for years doesn't help things presently</strong></li></ul><div><br></div><ul><li><strong>Isn't it right about now that some Muslim crazies activate a wild terrorist plot?</strong></li></ul><div><br>And the kicker:<br><br></div><ul><li><strong>The United States might add Donald Trump to the mix</strong></li></ul><div><br>World War What The Fuck, indeed.</div><div><br></div><h1><strong>FROM THE UNWASHED MASSES</strong></h1><div><strong>OMFG, STOP THE PRESSES! </strong> What follows blew my mind and I hope it does the same for yours. No kidding, and this came in response to my <a href="https://world.hey.com/clough/portico-darwin-here-comes-more-trump-5bd1c991">Here Comes More Trump</a> post.<br><br></div><blockquote>Well put, strong, logical, heartfelt and honest. Here in the UK we have felt the thoughtless scourge of rising popularism. Parts of the media, clickbait headlines and politicians looking for re-election on the 4-5 year cycle are the reason. <br><br>There is a reaction to it in the UK, but politics in the USA seems so entrenched. Are there many USA “floating voters” who wait to review and consider the local and national issues before deciding who to endorse? Worrying times in the US and with global consequences. <br><br>Would you allow me to forward your missive to a couple of UK political podcasts I subscribe to? They would be very interested in the balanced views of a US citizen I’m sure. The pods are ‘The Rest is Politics’ and ‘The News Agents’.<br><br>Aside from that I hope you are bearing up old chap!</blockquote><div><br>Mind-blowing? What's so exceptional about this response is not that it came out of nowhere, from someone in the United Kingdom. Nor is it even because the respondent thinks a real, live podcast might be interested in my thoughts on Trump.<br><br>No, it is mind-blowing because its author, Randy Shmee, ran telecommunications for my client, Sea Containers, when I worked and lived in London in 1997 and 1998. We worked very closely together then, but I have not seen him since. <br><br>Well, except for once, in early 2000, on one of the most special nights of my life: a surprise party thrown for Julie and myself while we were on vacation in London. It was attended by all of my Sea Containers colleagues, Randy included.<br><br>Wow: <em>there's</em> a blog post (or seven). I can sense the anticipation already.<br><br>But for now, I'll let DreamStudio (which also created the lead graphic) capture me (albeit with better hair) reading his note and thinking about Randy, Sea Containers, and my time in London.<br> <figure class="attachment attachment--preview attachment--lightboxable attachment--png">
<a download="seaco.png" title="Download seaco.png" data-click-proxy-target="lightbox_link_blob_1514662521" href="https://world.hey.com/clough/4d44b247/blobs/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaHNLd2Q1NmtkYSIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoiYmxvYl9pZCJ9fQ==--6af22f9393373fc58612f2557b203d24aca8452f/seaco.png?disposition=attachment">
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</figure></div><div>Thank you for reading this newsletter - especially, today, one particular Limey.<br><br></div><h1><strong>KLUF</strong></h1><div>Randy and I debated music often while working together at Sea Containers House, in London's South Bank. Indeed, he could do an imitation second to none of me going on about such-and-such album or band. <br><br>So no, Hunter Deuce, you are not the first to comment upon my jazz hands.<br><br>And I am happy to give them both some fresh material.<br><br>This is a (both hands karate-chopping) Killer album, released in 2023, and I bet Randy (and Hunter and probably many of you) will like it - it's jazzy, chill, and fun. <a href="https://open.spotify.com/album/27VCTA2nCe7ulozoaMTV2Y?si=11XyDi4HQx-eFzDaV59euQ">Here</a> is Isolde Lasoen and <em>Oh Dear</em>.<br> <figure class="attachment attachment--preview attachment--lightboxable attachment--jpeg">
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</figure><br>The artist is also Belgian: Perhaps the esteemed Mr. Shmee will recall Antwerp was the first deployment location in the massive 35 site IT program we crushed together? Oh, the blog posts that are coming . . .</div>
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Dean Cloughclough@hey.comtag:world.hey.com,2005:World::Post/344542024-01-17T14:30:24Z2024-01-18T17:01:16ZPortico Darwin: Here Comes More Trump<div class="trix-content">
<h1><strong>TODAY'S RAMBLINGS</strong></h1><div><3 Minute Read<br><br>Don't thank me, thank Republicans. Or at least those in Iowa. <br><br>Because to the surprise of no one, Trump won the Republican caucus in Iowa on Monday and barring a mass awakening, is destined to appear - again - in a presidential election as the Republican candidate. <br><br>It's almost February of 2024, and this frightens me, more than ever, for two reasons.<br><br><strong>It's a Cult of Personality<br></strong>I think apart from all else, I can't bring myself to understand the appeal of Trump today. To anyone, including the most ignorant, Psycho Woke- and liberal-despising redneck. <br><br>Look at the lying. The cheating. The sexism. The bullying. Trashing others, often those in his own party, or those he used to praise. Inciting an insurrection. Taking top secret files and sharing them, as a way of showing off. And the 91 felony indictments, in 4 different jurisdictions, related to all of that. <br><br>None of these are the actions of a real American, nor an example we want set for our children.<br><br>So rightly, a candidate (let alone president!) doing any of that was gone forever. <br><br>And in the past, I could clearly understand why the opposition chose who they did. Ronald Reagan. Bob Dole. George W. Bush (at least in the 2000 election), John McCain, Mitt Romney, and yes, I could even understand (albeit barely) the Republicans tapping the disgusting Trump in 2016. And I think Republicans can say the same about Carter, Clinton, and Obama. <br><br>Now? I am completely baffled. I get that some (many, even) don't like me, and people like me. I also know they like that Trump likes <em>them </em>(or lies and says he does), and doesn't dismiss every Republican as a Fox News-brainwashed racist moron.<br><br>Fine - but that simply is not a good enough reason to support Trump, knowing what is known now. Not if you love and understand what America is about.<br><br><strong><em>Especially when it should be obvious to anyone that Nikki Haley </em></strong>(and any reasonable, non-Sarah Palin-type running mate she could choose)<strong><em> would CRUSH Biden/Harris in the upcoming election. Whereas with Trump, it's going to be far too close for comfort. <br><br></em></strong>For either party.<br><br>But the Republicans are apparently blind to that. Isn't that a <strong>Cult of Personality</strong>, and can't that lead to very bad outcomes?<br> <figure class="attachment attachment--preview attachment--lightboxable attachment--jpg">
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</figure><br>Please don't dismiss my comparison until you visit Munich's <a href="https://www.nsdoku.de/en/"><strong>NS-Dokumentationszentrum</strong></a> and study the rise of Adolf Hitler, as I have. The parallels are objectively obvious and the fact that doesn't scare the shit out of more people . . . scares the shit out of me.<br><br><strong>It's Enabling Awful Behavior<br></strong>Also frightening is the real coarsening of our society, one not all that polished to begin with. That became clear while reading <a href="https://www.northcountrypublicradio.org/news/story/49046/20240115/far-right-extremism-is-thriving-in-rural-areas-here-s-what-it-looks-like-in-upstate-ny">this awful account</a> of what far-right extremism looks like in rural America now. Gosh, I hope you'll read it, if only as an eye-opener. <br><br>Example: do you think gay shop owners should be intimidated? Ever? By anyone and why? <br><br>In the article, something that caught my eye was the image below of the Proud Boys' flag. If you'll recall, this charming group considers themselves "Trump's Army". <br><br>Is this the banner you want to march under, and the America in which you wish to live? <br> <figure class="attachment attachment--preview attachment--lightboxable attachment--jpg">
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</figure><br><em>Venerate the housewife? Reinstate the spirit of Western Chauvinism? </em>And they want to close our borders (to everyone? Canadians?) when they (or certainly their families) were immigrants themselves? Yet <em>anti-racism</em> is there, too? <br><br>And the idiocy of <em>Minimal Government </em>is obvious: From where do they think their First and Second Amendment rights come, and what entity guarantees them? <br><br>I think instead of "Law & Order" their banner should read "Rocket Scientists Aren't Us".<br><br>And no, <strong>Antifa</strong> is not the same on the left. If you believe they they are, please send me evidence and I will publish it here without comment. Because they have essentially zero influence on the Democratic party. Indeed, I dream of a day when Trump has as little power over the Republicans as Antifa has over the Dems. <br><br>(The Psycho Woke <em>does</em> have too much influence over Democratic politics, but that's <a href="https://world.hey.com/clough/portico-darwin-i-love-this-solution-for-democrats-37bdf43c">a post from a different day</a>.)<br><br>But I get it - many don't like Biden. I like him, although have said often he's too old and shouldn't be running for a second term. Yet he's no threat to anything and certainly not "the American way of life."<br><br>But can anyone objectively assure me a second Trump presidency isn't a threat to our Republic? How could it not be, given the above and what we now know?<br><br>I honestly can't believe we're going to do this again. </div><div><br></div><h1><strong>FROM THE UNWASHED MASSES</strong></h1><div>Fresh from a fairly recent blow-out dinner at SF's badass <strong>Rich Table</strong>, here is Lara Mohair, heaping on the praise for Monday's <a href="https://world.hey.com/clough/portico-darwin-the-travel-issue-930b34db"><em>The Travel Issue</em></a>.<br><br>Which is a great way to get published here in <strong>UNWASHED MASSES</strong>.<br><br></div><blockquote>More is more in the <strong>Travel Guides</strong> - I like new places and previously reviewed places with links so I can read or refresh my memory. When one day I go to the Dolomites! Or maybe back to Rome. Or to the Andersen Valley! <br><br>So fun. Thanks for sharing your experience. And the photos! </blockquote><div><br>Wow - I am humbled. Well, almost.<br><br>Thank you for reading this newsletter. </div><div><br></div><h1><strong>KLUF</strong></h1><div>Yes, I know, when confronted with still another Trump cycle: Calm. Stoic. In the moment. Try <a href="https://open.spotify.com/album/2bF9vZG92EocmLQdS1M1Ro?si=tghG5HpdSxyq3JuGdFbgDA">this</a> with that - it is f'ing <a href="https://world.hey.com/clough/portico-darwin-the-rating-system-d3b89335">Killer</a>. <br> <figure class="attachment attachment--preview attachment--lightboxable attachment--jpeg">
<a download="by.jpeg" title="Download by.jpeg" data-click-proxy-target="lightbox_link_blob_1511933535" href="https://world.hey.com/clough/5bd1c991/blobs/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaHNLd2RmUmg1YSIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoiYmxvYl9pZCJ9fQ==--52dcb8e1581415fe274a0c565486ee0c9db739e1/by.jpeg?disposition=attachment">
<img src="https://world.hey.com/clough/5bd1c991/representations/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaHNLd2RmUmg1YSIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoiYmxvYl9pZCJ9fQ==--52dcb8e1581415fe274a0c565486ee0c9db739e1/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaDdDam9MWm05eWJXRjBTU0lKYW5CbFp3WTZCa1ZVT2hSeVpYTnBlbVZmZEc5ZmJHbHRhWFJiQjJrQ2dBZHBBZ0FGT2d4eGRXRnNhWFI1YVVzNkMyeHZZV1JsY25zR09nbHdZV2RsTURvTlkyOWhiR1Z6WTJWVSIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoidmFyaWF0aW9uIn19--824130a6fd2f596d29a6d245cf773fab0beee210/by.jpeg" alt="by.jpeg" srcset="https://world.hey.com/clough/5bd1c991/representations/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaHNLd2RmUmg1YSIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoiYmxvYl9pZCJ9fQ==--52dcb8e1581415fe274a0c565486ee0c9db739e1/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaDdDam9MWm05eWJXRjBTU0lKYW5CbFp3WTZCa1ZVT2hSeVpYTnBlbVZmZEc5ZmJHbHRhWFJiQjJrQ0FBOXBBZ0FLT2d4eGRXRnNhWFI1YVVFNkMyeHZZV1JsY25zR09nbHdZV2RsTURvTlkyOWhiR1Z6WTJWVSIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoidmFyaWF0aW9uIn19--f3f1b2037df56b6e7b02c335c36fe9999ab42b52/by.jpeg 2x, https://world.hey.com/clough/5bd1c991/representations/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaHNLd2RmUmg1YSIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoiYmxvYl9pZCJ9fQ==--52dcb8e1581415fe274a0c565486ee0c9db739e1/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaDdDam9MWm05eWJXRjBTU0lKYW5CbFp3WTZCa1ZVT2hSeVpYTnBlbVZmZEc5ZmJHbHRhWFJiQjJrQ2dCWnBBZ0FQT2d4eGRXRnNhWFI1YVR3NkMyeHZZV1JsY25zR09nbHdZV2RsTURvTlkyOWhiR1Z6WTJWVSIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoidmFyaWF0aW9uIn19--6b62883c9596ea5ec874f8c026d734630c019ca2/by.jpeg 3x" decoding="async" loading="lazy">
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</figure><br>And: What could piss MAGA nation off more (musically, at least) than an album of jazz harp?</div>
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Dean Cloughclough@hey.comtag:world.hey.com,2005:World::Post/343892024-01-15T13:25:44Z2024-01-15T17:36:15ZPortico Darwin: The Travel Issue<div class="trix-content">
<h1><strong>TODAY'S RAMBLINGS</strong></h1><div><3 Minute Read</div><div><br>Before beginning the normal nonsense, a reminder that today is a national holiday, honoring the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. <br> <figure class="attachment attachment--preview attachment--lightboxable attachment--jpg">
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</figure><br>I say this every year around this time, but what would America look like today if JFK, MLK, Malcolm X, and RFK had lived out their full lives?<br><br>On to that normal nonsense I mentioned.<br><br>In what will be a shocker to no one, rather than simply send out an announcement that <a href="https://porticodarwin.com/2023travelguide"><strong>Travel Guide 2023</strong></a> is now available, I decided to make it a thing. <br><br>Of course I did, and I even had DreamStudio whip up some new art for the occasion.<br> <figure class="attachment attachment--preview attachment--lightboxable attachment--png">
<a download="Travel.png" title="Download Travel.png" data-click-proxy-target="lightbox_link_blob_1506886821" href="https://world.hey.com/clough/930b34db/blobs/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaHNLd2VsUk5GWiIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoiYmxvYl9pZCJ9fQ==--85834de63628adbca75f6a6b12bb4dbc23bbe2d0/Travel.png?disposition=attachment">
<img src="https://world.hey.com/clough/930b34db/representations/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaHNLd2VsUk5GWiIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoiYmxvYl9pZCJ9fQ==--85834de63628adbca75f6a6b12bb4dbc23bbe2d0/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaDdDam9MWm05eWJXRjBTU0lJY0c1bkJqb0dSVlE2RkhKbGMybDZaVjkwYjE5c2FXMXBkRnNIYVFLQUIya0NBQVU2REhGMVlXeHBkSGxwU3pvTGJHOWhaR1Z5ZXdZNkNYQmhaMlV3T2cxamIyRnNaWE5qWlZRPSIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoidmFyaWF0aW9uIn19--946116ea0c454412635aa7309bd9472bf633014c/Travel.png" alt="Travel.png" srcset="https://world.hey.com/clough/930b34db/representations/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaHNLd2VsUk5GWiIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoiYmxvYl9pZCJ9fQ==--85834de63628adbca75f6a6b12bb4dbc23bbe2d0/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaDdDam9MWm05eWJXRjBTU0lJY0c1bkJqb0dSVlE2RkhKbGMybDZaVjkwYjE5c2FXMXBkRnNIYVFJQUQya0NBQW82REhGMVlXeHBkSGxwUVRvTGJHOWhaR1Z5ZXdZNkNYQmhaMlV3T2cxamIyRnNaWE5qWlZRPSIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoidmFyaWF0aW9uIn19--8c0bbbd8bfe72a73b222ec1c20265f8631973dc9/Travel.png 2x, https://world.hey.com/clough/930b34db/representations/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaHNLd2VsUk5GWiIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoiYmxvYl9pZCJ9fQ==--85834de63628adbca75f6a6b12bb4dbc23bbe2d0/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaDdDam9MWm05eWJXRjBTU0lJY0c1bkJqb0dSVlE2RkhKbGMybDZaVjkwYjE5c2FXMXBkRnNIYVFLQUZta0NBQTg2REhGMVlXeHBkSGxwUERvTGJHOWhaR1Z5ZXdZNkNYQmhaMlV3T2cxamIyRnNaWE5qWlZRPSIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoidmFyaWF0aW9uIn19--d2fed6b5089e475a3013538949ec7f311ac6e345/Travel.png 3x" decoding="async" loading="lazy">
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</figure><br>Today, I look back at 2023's destinations, share some juicy stories and/or photos from them, and also preview where we're heading this year.<br> <br>Bragging? Of course. But perhaps my narcissism will motivate you to go somewhere? <br><br>New or old, it doesn't matter, as long as it's travel. Or does it? <br><br>To help you dig deeper:<br><br><strong>* = </strong><a href="https://porticodarwin.com/2023travelguide"><strong>Travel Guide 2023</strong></a><strong><br>** = </strong><a href="https://www.porticodarwin.com/2022travelguide"><strong>Travel Guide 2022</strong></a><strong><br>*** = </strong><a href="https://www.porticodarwin.com/2021travelguide"><strong>Travel Guide 2021</strong></a><br><br><strong>2023 Destinations and Links<br></strong>This list includes every meaningful trip I took during the year, including repeat visits.<strong><br></strong> </div><ul><li>Downtown Sonoma*</li><li>Houston<ul><li>Re-living my Casa Integration glory days with my initial work at Dr. Shelly Murphy's new high-rise</li></ul></li><li>Houston<ul><li>Rodeo, and also the beginning of the end of us and a particular husband</li></ul></li><li>Tamalpais Valley<ul><li>Our anniversary - this <em>seemed</em> like a good idea to overnight here; it was fun, but we wouldn't return</li></ul></li></ul><div> <figure class="attachment attachment--preview attachment--lightboxable attachment--jpg">
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</figure></div><ul><li>Oceanside**</li><li>Sonoma Coast*</li><li>Belen</li></ul><div> <figure class="attachment attachment--preview attachment--lightboxable attachment--jpg">
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</a>
</figure></div><ul><li>Las Cruces***</li><li>Houston<ul><li>This visit was to finish the install at Shelly's swank new high-rise condo</li><li><a href="https://world.hey.com/clough/portico-darwin-depart-houston-someone-needed-a-refresher-04b1a419">But it was also the final straw</a></li><li>Here are <a href="https://www.trulia.com/home/4553-bellaire-blvd-bellaire-tx-77401-80573565?mid=0#lil-mediaTab">some fairly amazing photos</a> of an empty Murphy Villa, now listed for sale at almost $4 million; many, many memories here, like this, from 2007, with Bulleit Bob, in the bar</li></ul></li></ul><div> <figure class="attachment attachment--preview attachment--lightboxable attachment--jpg">
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</a>
</figure></div><ul><li>Mendocino/Andersen Valley***</li><li>Paso Robles*</li><li>Cabo Pulmo*</li><li>Mt. Davidson Manor <ul><li>A neighborhood in SF, sure, but we housesit for Byron Browne IV and Louise Lederhosen whenever we can, for good reason; the house isn't bad, either</li></ul></li></ul><div> <figure class="attachment attachment--preview attachment--lightboxable attachment--jpg">
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</a>
</figure></div><ul><li>Metro NYC*/**<ul><li>It is safe to say nobody - and I mean f'ing nobody - wants to see or hear any more from me on this subject; but just in case, <a href="https://world.hey.com/clough/portico-darwin-metro-nyc-travel-guide-2cfd8b23">here</a> is the original <strong>Travel Guide </strong>and <a href="https://world.hey.com/clough/portico-darwin-metro-nyc-travel-guide-2023-addendum-495780b9">its<strong> Addendum</strong></a><strong> </strong>- together, they hopefully offer a useful - if massive - missive on how to have fun in New York City</li></ul></li></ul><div><br><strong>2024<br></strong>Déjà vu, all over again. I've written about this, the quandary about whether to travel to new places, or return to old favorites. That is why the post today is called <em>The Travel Issue</em>.<br><br>And guess which we've chosen for this year? These are already booked, or they might as well be.<br><br></div><ul><li>Downtown Sonoma*</li><li>Tupper Lake**/***<ul><li>Another solo winter trip and following in my father's footsteps, although a visit to the hunting camp this year is doubtful</li><li>And because of the story above, I've been relegated from Murphy Manor to the heretofore unmentioned <strong>Murphy Meadows</strong>, which is <a href="https://www.magesticadk.com/en/bridgeview-in-the-adirondacks#gallery">more than fine</a>; it is her original (and human-scaled!) home on the water in Tupper Lake</li></ul></li></ul><div> <figure class="attachment attachment--preview attachment--lightboxable attachment--jpg">
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</a>
</figure></div><div><br></div><ul><li>Tupper Lake**/***<ul><li>Another spring trip, and again it'll be Murphy Meadows, and it will again be more than fine </li></ul></li></ul><div> <figure class="attachment attachment--preview attachment--lightboxable attachment--jpg">
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</a>
</figure></div><ul><li>Belen/Las Cruces***</li><li>Mt. Davidson Manor<ul><li>While they're on their gee-whiz and über fatcat African safari this July, we'll be running the show at their luxe home for three whole weeks<ul><li>#hookersandblow</li></ul></li></ul></li><li>Breckenridge<ul><li>The Nikki Vale - Baron Belgium nuptials! In the Rockies in the summer - can you say <a href="https://world.hey.com/clough/portico-darwin-the-rating-system-d3b89335">Diamond Certified</a>? </li></ul></li><li>Lake Garda**<ul><li>It's only 2 years after our last visit, but it will be OK</li><li>We've invited another couple to join us, but they probably wouldn't like it</li></ul></li></ul><div> <figure class="attachment attachment--preview attachment--lightboxable attachment--jpg">
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</figure></div><ul><li>Dolomites**<ul><li>See <em>Garda, Lake</em></li></ul></li><li>Rome</li></ul><div><br>Ho, hum! Been there, done that . . . and so glad we did, and will again.<br><br>What's your theory on the travel issue? Only new places, only old, or a mix? <br><br>Us? Well, let's just say we have a hard time not going back to places like Rome, our favorite city of them all.<br> <figure class="attachment attachment--preview attachment--lightboxable attachment--jpg">
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</figure><br>I can feel a <strong>Travel Guide </strong>for the Eternal City coming on already . . .<br><br></div><h1><strong>FROM THE UNWASHED MASSES</strong></h1><div>Thank you for reading this newsletter.<br><br></div><h1><strong>KLUF</strong></h1><div>Let's go full <em>OK, Boomer</em> and while the title of the album itself is a lie (see above), the song "Do it Again" is perfect for today. <a href="https://open.spotify.com/album/6DlSUW5gmq6Byc3osKDJ2p?si=2XjjA21BRzWf2a33-0EAlw">Here</a> is Steely Dan and the Textbook <em>Can't Buy a Thrill</em>.<br> <figure class="attachment attachment--preview attachment--lightboxable attachment--jpeg">
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</figure><br>Fun Fact: This one is such a dinosaur (it was released over 50 years ago, in 1972) that ABC still was in the record business at the time. Fast forward 5 decades and now they're barely in the TV business . . .<br><br><br></div>
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Dean Cloughclough@hey.comtag:world.hey.com,2005:World::Post/342912024-01-12T12:48:38Z2024-01-12T15:06:41ZPortico Darwin: Heavy Duty<div class="trix-content">
<h1><strong>TODAY'S RAMBLINGS</strong></h1><div><3 Minute Read<br><br>It's Friday, so how about a post on obesity in America? <br><br>No, wait a moment. Better to let my quasi-hero Scott Galloway do it for me. <br> <figure class="attachment attachment--preview attachment--lightboxable attachment--jpeg">
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</figure><br>The <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/02/style/scott-galloway.html?unlocked_article_code=1.M00.5Bi0.uuwFm-9aMtuy&smid=url-share">relatively brilliant Professor Galloway</a> annually makes predictions regarding the upcoming year in technology and business. This year, and on several of his media platforms, he was very bold on one topic in particular, and stated:<br><br></div><blockquote><strong>GLP-1 drugs will have a bigger impact in 2024 than Artificial Intelligence.</strong></blockquote><div><strong><br></strong><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glucagon-like_peptide-1">GLP-1</a> drugs, originally developed to treat type 2 diabetes, are now being used to tame obesity. You've heard the names: <em>Ozempic</em>. <em>Mounjaro</em>. <em>Saxenda</em>. <em>Wegovy</em>. No doubt, they are a big deal, but that big?<br><br>I don't know. <br><br>But I did find Mr. Galloway's various takes on the subject interesting and provocative. I thought others might, too, so here's my summary of his comments. What follows is mostly sourced from his podcasts and newsletter; the research and the quoted opinions expressed are not mine. <br> <br>Although I may agree with some of them.<strong><br></strong><br></div><blockquote><strong>OBESITY AND ITS COSTS</strong><ul><li>Of the 260 million adults in America, 70% are either overweight or obese</li></ul><br><ul><li>Obesity kills far more than any pandemic has or will and is the #1 preventable source of death</li></ul><br><ul><li>The overweight are 2x likely to be depressed</li></ul><br><ul><li>This fuels a sector of the economy worth $1.7 trillion, comprising the Food Industrial Complex, hospitals, insurance, Big Pharma, diabetes treatment centers, etc. </li></ul><br><ul><li>It is built around the expectation that people will continue to be obese</li></ul><br><ul><li>As obesity has increased from 30% of Americans to 40%, the stock in companies like General Mills, Coca-Cola, and McDonalds have gone up between 7 - 10X</li></ul></blockquote><div><br>Curious, <em>I did my own research</em> and found this, at the indispensable <a href="https://usafacts.org">usafacts.org</a>. Yep, Galloway's right: the problem was bad and is now awful.<br> <figure class="attachment attachment--preview attachment--lightboxable attachment--jpg">
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</figure><br>Professor Galloway is quite blunt about the interests many, many companies have in keeping Americans fat and unhealthy. But he also blames those who enable bad decisions.<br><br></div><blockquote><strong>Yet despite the provable negatives of the American diet and lifestyle, the far left is encouraging people to find </strong><strong><em>their truth</em></strong><strong> in their obesity. No, they're finding their diabetes in their obesity.</strong></blockquote><div><br>Galloway fervently believes that's reality, not fat-shaming, and that while there are different body types, some people are simply not in shape and don't take care of themselves. Paging Bill Maher!<br><br>But he's just as adamant there is hope, because an earthquake is coming, one Mr. Galloway believes will disrupt the entire obesity racket, because:<br><br></div><blockquote><strong>GLP-1 drugs change the human relationship to food and our cravings for it.</strong></blockquote><div><br>If that proves to be true at scale, Galloway's at-times fantastical summary of what happens next might not be <em>that</em> crazy.</div><div><br></div><blockquote><strong>IMPACT OF GLP-1 DRUGS</strong><ul><li>Users of GLP-1 drugs not only get thinner:<ul><li>they drink less alcohol</li><li>they bite their nails less</li><li>they gamble less </li><li>they could drive a new baby boom: lose weight -> feel more confident -> date more -> have a baby</li></ul></li></ul><br><ul><li>Businesses will be impacted - everywhere:<ul><li>It will wreck a bunch of stocks - potentially anything in that $1.7 trillion industry dependent upon people being overweight or obese: Big Food, Big Alcohol, hospitals, pharma, medical supplies, Weight Watchers, etc.</li><li>Airlines will save real money: fuel is a huge expense and lighter people onboard means less will be required (Editor's Note: <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/us-fat-fliers-swell-fuel-costs/">it's true</a>)</li><li>Clothing firms will benefit - as people lose weight, they'll buy new stuff</li></ul></li></ul></blockquote><div><br>OK, that's how Professor Galloway sees it. <br><br>But where will these GLP-1 drugs <em>actually</em> take us, economically, and as a society? <br><br>Well, I think it's telling that, to date, these drugs have been prescribed the most in the Upper East Side of Manhattan. As Galloway correctly interprets, that means it's "ladies that lunch" seeking to lose that last 10 pounds taking these drugs now - because they can afford it.<br><br>Versus the unhealthy and impoverished living in food ghettos, who perhaps would benefit more, but can't possibly come up with <strong><em>the ten to fifteen grand per year </em></strong>these drugs cost? <br><br>People who are overweight are far more likely to develop diabetes, which, of course, brings on all kinds of other problems.</div><div> <figure class="attachment attachment--preview attachment--lightboxable attachment--jpg">
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<img src="https://world.hey.com/clough/627c8c42/representations/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaHNLd2ZQSmJ0WiIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoiYmxvYl9pZCJ9fQ==--6bee2a9dc7f306e55e6aa21d9060d3094ee6dacd/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaDdDam9MWm05eWJXRjBTU0lJYW5CbkJqb0dSVlE2RkhKbGMybDZaVjkwYjE5c2FXMXBkRnNIYVFLQUIya0NBQVU2REhGMVlXeHBkSGxwU3pvTGJHOWhaR1Z5ZXdZNkNYQmhaMlV3T2cxamIyRnNaWE5qWlZRPSIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoidmFyaWF0aW9uIn19--0b5e092e6240e14fab357b4c1013c9a0c881ff87/Diabetes.jpg" alt="Diabetes.jpg" srcset="https://world.hey.com/clough/627c8c42/representations/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaHNLd2ZQSmJ0WiIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoiYmxvYl9pZCJ9fQ==--6bee2a9dc7f306e55e6aa21d9060d3094ee6dacd/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaDdDam9MWm05eWJXRjBTU0lJYW5CbkJqb0dSVlE2RkhKbGMybDZaVjkwYjE5c2FXMXBkRnNIYVFJQUQya0NBQW82REhGMVlXeHBkSGxwUVRvTGJHOWhaR1Z5ZXdZNkNYQmhaMlV3T2cxamIyRnNaWE5qWlZRPSIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoidmFyaWF0aW9uIn19--a8a2bb6a9884c661ef30854054544882621a1752/Diabetes.jpg 2x, https://world.hey.com/clough/627c8c42/representations/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaHNLd2ZQSmJ0WiIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoiYmxvYl9pZCJ9fQ==--6bee2a9dc7f306e55e6aa21d9060d3094ee6dacd/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaDdDam9MWm05eWJXRjBTU0lJYW5CbkJqb0dSVlE2RkhKbGMybDZaVjkwYjE5c2FXMXBkRnNIYVFLQUZta0NBQTg2REhGMVlXeHBkSGxwUERvTGJHOWhaR1Z5ZXdZNkNYQmhaMlV3T2cxamIyRnNaWE5qWlZRPSIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoidmFyaWF0aW9uIn19--9b7ba00c32731d121dd7ff5706d31cc3652788dd/Diabetes.jpg 3x" decoding="async" loading="lazy">
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</figure><br>Especially if you don't have any money. Here are the 10 poorest states, in terms of GDP per capita. <br> <figure class="attachment attachment--preview attachment--lightboxable attachment--jpg">
<a download="money.jpg" title="Download money.jpg" data-click-proxy-target="lightbox_link_blob_1505437137" href="https://world.hey.com/clough/627c8c42/blobs/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaHNLd2ZSSmJ0WiIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoiYmxvYl9pZCJ9fQ==--22f9ccd13044983c22d9bab9aac3d7920c7ea83e/money.jpg?disposition=attachment">
<img src="https://world.hey.com/clough/627c8c42/representations/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaHNLd2ZSSmJ0WiIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoiYmxvYl9pZCJ9fQ==--22f9ccd13044983c22d9bab9aac3d7920c7ea83e/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaDdDam9MWm05eWJXRjBTU0lJYW5CbkJqb0dSVlE2RkhKbGMybDZaVjkwYjE5c2FXMXBkRnNIYVFLQUIya0NBQVU2REhGMVlXeHBkSGxwU3pvTGJHOWhaR1Z5ZXdZNkNYQmhaMlV3T2cxamIyRnNaWE5qWlZRPSIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoidmFyaWF0aW9uIn19--0b5e092e6240e14fab357b4c1013c9a0c881ff87/money.jpg" alt="money.jpg" srcset="https://world.hey.com/clough/627c8c42/representations/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaHNLd2ZSSmJ0WiIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoiYmxvYl9pZCJ9fQ==--22f9ccd13044983c22d9bab9aac3d7920c7ea83e/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaDdDam9MWm05eWJXRjBTU0lJYW5CbkJqb0dSVlE2RkhKbGMybDZaVjkwYjE5c2FXMXBkRnNIYVFJQUQya0NBQW82REhGMVlXeHBkSGxwUVRvTGJHOWhaR1Z5ZXdZNkNYQmhaMlV3T2cxamIyRnNaWE5qWlZRPSIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoidmFyaWF0aW9uIn19--a8a2bb6a9884c661ef30854054544882621a1752/money.jpg 2x, https://world.hey.com/clough/627c8c42/representations/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaHNLd2ZSSmJ0WiIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoiYmxvYl9pZCJ9fQ==--22f9ccd13044983c22d9bab9aac3d7920c7ea83e/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaDdDam9MWm05eWJXRjBTU0lJYW5CbkJqb0dSVlE2RkhKbGMybDZaVjkwYjE5c2FXMXBkRnNIYVFLQUZta0NBQTg2REhGMVlXeHBkSGxwUERvTGJHOWhaR1Z5ZXdZNkNYQmhaMlV3T2cxamIyRnNaWE5qWlZRPSIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoidmFyaWF0aW9uIn19--9b7ba00c32731d121dd7ff5706d31cc3652788dd/money.jpg 3x" decoding="async" loading="lazy">
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</figure><br>But will the poor get access to drugs that could make them healthier, but also less valuable, to a $1.7 million industry?<br><br>We're about to find out and I'll now make my own prediction: Access to these drugs, not the drugs themselves, becomes the story.<br><br>Or at least it should.</div><div><br></div><h1><strong>FROM THE UNWASHED MASSES</strong></h1><div>Thank you for reading this newsletter. <br><br></div><h1><strong>KLUF</strong></h1><div><a href="https://open.spotify.com/album/058fujhOImFn47bQgl1u4Y?si=fvKP4ZrNSNWJjgc8biOyQA">Here's</a> something heavy and new (and <a href="https://world.hey.com/clough/portico-darwin-the-rating-system-d3b89335">Killer</a>): Ozric Tentacles and <em>Lotus Unfolding</em>. <br> <figure class="attachment attachment--preview attachment--lightboxable attachment--jpeg">
<a download="lotus.jpeg" title="Download lotus.jpeg" data-click-proxy-target="lightbox_link_blob_1505476135" href="https://world.hey.com/clough/627c8c42/blobs/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaHNLd2NudnJ0WiIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoiYmxvYl9pZCJ9fQ==--8b69d69c7e96fc7a2e9d8238bec056f5cdf68eee/lotus.jpeg?disposition=attachment">
<img src="https://world.hey.com/clough/627c8c42/representations/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaHNLd2NudnJ0WiIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoiYmxvYl9pZCJ9fQ==--8b69d69c7e96fc7a2e9d8238bec056f5cdf68eee/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaDdDam9MWm05eWJXRjBTU0lKYW5CbFp3WTZCa1ZVT2hSeVpYTnBlbVZmZEc5ZmJHbHRhWFJiQjJrQ2dBZHBBZ0FGT2d4eGRXRnNhWFI1YVVzNkMyeHZZV1JsY25zR09nbHdZV2RsTURvTlkyOWhiR1Z6WTJWVSIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoidmFyaWF0aW9uIn19--824130a6fd2f596d29a6d245cf773fab0beee210/lotus.jpeg" alt="lotus.jpeg" srcset="https://world.hey.com/clough/627c8c42/representations/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaHNLd2NudnJ0WiIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoiYmxvYl9pZCJ9fQ==--8b69d69c7e96fc7a2e9d8238bec056f5cdf68eee/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaDdDam9MWm05eWJXRjBTU0lKYW5CbFp3WTZCa1ZVT2hSeVpYTnBlbVZmZEc5ZmJHbHRhWFJiQjJrQ0FBOXBBZ0FLT2d4eGRXRnNhWFI1YVVFNkMyeHZZV1JsY25zR09nbHdZV2RsTURvTlkyOWhiR1Z6WTJWVSIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoidmFyaWF0aW9uIn19--f3f1b2037df56b6e7b02c335c36fe9999ab42b52/lotus.jpeg 2x, https://world.hey.com/clough/627c8c42/representations/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaHNLd2NudnJ0WiIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoiYmxvYl9pZCJ9fQ==--8b69d69c7e96fc7a2e9d8238bec056f5cdf68eee/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaDdDam9MWm05eWJXRjBTU0lKYW5CbFp3WTZCa1ZVT2hSeVpYTnBlbVZmZEc5ZmJHbHRhWFJiQjJrQ2dCWnBBZ0FQT2d4eGRXRnNhWFI1YVR3NkMyeHZZV1JsY25zR09nbHdZV2RsTURvTlkyOWhiR1Z6WTJWVSIsImV4cCI6bnVsbCwicHVyIjoidmFyaWF0aW9uIn19--6b62883c9596ea5ec874f8c026d734630c019ca2/lotus.jpeg 3x" decoding="async" loading="lazy">
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</figure><br>OK, OK, not that new: the album was released late in 2023, but the new-to-me (and oddly named) band Ozric Tentacles date to the 1980s. But this all-instrumental album still completely kicks-ass.<br><br><br></div>
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Dean Cloughclough@hey.com