August 22, 2022
Portico Darwin: Nicki Vale Goes on Holiday
TODAY'S RAMBLINGS (Editor's Note: this is not an official Portico Darwin Travel Guide, as I must actually do the trip. But this one looks pretty f'ing good.) Our niece, the blossoming marcom empress Nicki Vale of Denver, is heading out for quite an adventure. As she was kind enough to share her plans with me, I thought I'd share them w...
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August 19, 2022
Portico Darwin: Giant Champions
TODAY'S RAMBLINGS This one might not mean much to a lot of you. As I say, you can always start writing your own blog, or go read a book. But if you like baseball, especially of the San Francisco Giants variety, this might bring a smile to your face. The recent anniversary of my 2012 Giants winning their second of three World Series cha...
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August 17, 2022
Portico Darwin: My Man, Barack Hussein Obama
TODAY'S RAMBLINGS I think for many, the real heartbreak over Trump being President and all that's come with that is not just what a complete slimeball of a person he is. Or that it may take us decades to recover from the damage he's wreaked. No, the heartbreak is because I thought we had really turned a corner as a nation in 2008, when...
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August 15, 2022
Portico Darwin: Arrive SF and A Taste of The Future
TODAY'S RAMBLINGS My Oceanside inspection complete, I winged it home yesterday. I would be remiss if I didn't thank my Killer hosts: suffice to say, you passed my rather stringent inspection with flying colors. And you're both so nice to invite me to come down each and every month from now on! And speaking of travel: now is the time I ...
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August 12, 2022
Portico Darwin: Arrive Oceanside and Are Republicans Even American Anymore?
TODAY'S RAMBLINGS Yesterday afternoon, I winged it to the SoCal suburban paradise of Andy and Libby Jones. Their little tyke Dean Andrew Jones, Jr. is coming up on his first birthday, so I hand-delivered a gift, and then proceeded to inspect the new pergola that Andy has gone on and on about. Indeed, everything is wonderful, including ...
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August 10, 2022
Portico Darwin: This Is How I Feel About Joe Biden
TODAY'S RAMBLINGS I frequently complain about a lack of nuance in our public discourse. Here is an example of how two things can be true at once: I mostly love and am proud of what President Biden has accomplished, yet he needs to be a one-term president. Here is some nuanced thinking, from me, as well as another concerned citizen, on ...
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August 9, 2022
Portico Darwin: The F Around & Find Out Special Edition
This is the FBI entering the South Florida mansion of Al Capone. It popped into my mind yesterday for some reason. Tomorrow, I will be balanced. Today, I bask in an American rebirth, and our greatness. We remain a country of laws. I believe Trump is headed for what he deserves: total and utter disgrace. I will further predict history w...
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August 8, 2022
Portico Darwin: Historically Good, Volume II
TODAY'S RAMBLINGS It would be hard to calculate, but I am not sure there's a place where I've ever spent more time in my life than in The Presidio, a part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, here in SF. Because since 2014, I've walked 5 miles most every day somewhere in its 1,500 acres of splendor. And before that, Julie and I...
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August 5, 2022
Portico Darwin: Historically Good
TODAY'S RAMBLINGS Last Friday, it was a history of concerts - at least my own. Today, I'm going to share some different history, yet keep the focus on my favorite subject: myself (shocker). Because I've found some great historical photos of my beloved SF, and specifically, our own neighborhood here, The Marina District. Sounds exciting...
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August 3, 2022
Portico Darwin: Is It Just Me?
TODAY'S RAMBLINGS RIP Vin Sculley. Almost as legendary as Bill Russell. An American Treasure. OK: I look back on the World Trade Center being knocked down on 9/11 as a pretty bad day in American history. A subject that should be respected with the utmost gravity. I also feel the death of a loved one is a serious matter, and likewise, o...
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August 1, 2022
Portico Darwin: The New Beyonce' Album Sucks
TODAY'S RAMBLINGS RIP Bill Russell, amongst the greatest athletic champions, and people, in history. There, I said it, right there in the subject line. I find it funny that anything Beyonce' puts out is automatically considered a monumental achievement in the recording arts. That is fucking bullshit. Yet, I can hear it now. "Oh, the ly...
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July 29, 2022
Portico Darwin: IT'S ALIVE - Volume II
TODAY'S RAMBLINGS (Editor's Note: this is easily the most graphic-intensive post I've made to date. Because of that, it might take a moment or two for all of the photos to load on your device - my apologies for any problems.) Of many, having the time to take on (self-absorbed) hobby-like projects is a big perk of being retired (or in h...
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July 27, 2022
Portico Darwin: Reality Bites
TODAY'S RAMBLINGS Sure, it's been fun focusing on what I wear at home, but I return us now to the real world. As you know, one of my biggest gripes with the Republican party is that they don't offer much in the way of policy proposals, but instead seek and retain power via division, gerrymandering, and name-calling. Lately, however, it...
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July 25, 2022
Portico Darwin: GQ Edition
TODAY'S RAMBLINGS "Oh, Portico - your recent blog posts have been so heavy. So political. Can we turn down the doom and have something fluffy and fun?" No problem. But you asked for it. As you may know already, I've pretty much shelved my quest for relevance and have really leaned in to retirement. (OMFG, I LOATHE the term "lean in", b...
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July 22, 2022
Portico Darwin: 187 Minutes And Some Want More?
TODAY'S RAMBLINGS Do you know how long 187 minutes is? Yes, a bit more than 3 hours, but it is also the amount of time that then-President Donald Trump did absolutely nothing on January 6, 2021. While our Capitol and elected officials and his own VP were under attack, Trump did not call anyone on his National Security team. You know, l...
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July 21, 2022
Portico Darwin: Special Wake-Up Call Edition For Democrats
Tonight's January 6th Committee hearing may be yet another nail in the coffin for Trump and his enablers. Until then, I came across a couple of items that I think merit your special attention. They provide some balance and perspective, something welcome as the drumbeat for Trump being jailed continues. First, here is the cover and lead...
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July 20, 2022
Portico Darwin: I've Been Grinding On The Railroads
TODAY'S RAMBLINGS It's been a while, so how about a trip around the world to see how other countries are doing on major infrastructure projects? First, let's visit Asia and see what our Chinese friends are up to. Hint: 400 MPH trains is what they're up to. China Just Unveiled the World’s Fastest Train That means a trip from downtown Ch...
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July 18, 2022
Portico Darwin: SF Gets . . . Better?
TODAY'S RAMBLINGS Homeless? Everywhere. Car window smash-and-grabs? Naturally. Open-air drug markets? Of course. Yes, my beloved SF has it all. And, it's really expensive! In all seriousness, despite its flaws - and those are only some of them - SF is amongst the best cities in the world. And when you take into account its proximity to...
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July 15, 2022
Portico Darwin: The Hustling Clough(s)
TODAY'S RAMBLINGS If you spend any time around me - any time at all - it won't be long before I start going on (and on) about Casa Integration, a company I started from scratch in late 2001. Suffice to say I take a lot of pride in what I accomplished, including winning over and successfully selling to rich people. And I don't mean just...
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July 13, 2022
Portico Darwin: Jumping The Shark
TODAY'S RAMBLINGS Perhaps the older among you will remember when Fonzie went water skiing on "Happy Days" and jumped over a shark? That is where the term "Jumped the Shark" originated: it is the point where something or someone goes too far. I think many today have jumped the shark. We've done so by forgetting how much of what we take ...
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July 11, 2022
Portico Darwin: Memories Monday
TODAY'S RAMBLINGS My recent recent (very) political posts garnered very little reaction. OK, zero reaction. As I always say, I really don't care: I write this blog because I love writing. And I honestly enjoy putting my near-infinite opinions and thoughts out there. You're so very welcome. But still, I know I've been pretty heavy recen...
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July 8, 2022
Portico Darwin: Dollars and Sense
TODAY'S RAMBLINGS Breaking Opinion About Breaking News: how long will it take after the assassination of Japan's former prime minister Shinzo Abe for a gun cheerleader in America to say "See? They have the strictest gun laws in the world in Japan, and yet this still happened. More guns!" For the record, Japan has about 126 million peop...
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July 6, 2022
Portico Darwin: 20 Questions
TODAY'S RAMBLINGS Wow. It seems like it was only a couple of weeks ago we had a mass shooting that shocked the nation. Oh. Why can't we do better? On guns or anything? Ask yourself the following questions, and consider which of our two major parties is best aligned with your own beliefs. Seriously. I will publish, without any comment o...
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July 4, 2022
Portico Darwin: Tom Hansen Would Not Have Done This
TODAY'S RAMBLINGS Even when I want to keep it light for a holiday, it's difficult. Even the diversionary world of sports brings another sign of what seems our irreversible decline as a nation. Because USC and UCLA are leaving the Pac 12 conference, for the Big 10. Bogus doesn't begin to describe it. What, may you ask, would drive these...
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July 1, 2022
Portico Darwin: From Russia With Love
TODAY'S RAMBLINGS Happy weekend. I guess I should say happy 4th of July weekend, but I'm just not in the mood, at least not yet. To wit: an illegitimate and corrupted Supreme Court gutting our country, now including our efforts to tackle the only problem that really matters, climate change. One-half of our political system completely o...
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June 29, 2022
Portico Darwin: Our Butterfield Moment
TODAY'S RAMBLINGS Do any of you old cranks out there remember the name Alexander Butterfield? He was Cassidy Hutchinson before there was a Cassidy Hutchinson. On July 13, 1973, he revealed to a congressional committee the existence of the taping system in then-President Richard Nixon's criminal lair, A.K.A. the Oval Office. That was th...
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June 27, 2022
Portico Darwin: Courting Disaster
TODAY'S RAMBLINGS You know, at least for today, it is America that needs support. In addition to Ukraine. That is because the highest court in our country, The Supreme Court, has been compromised. We now have to face the likely reality of a biased, partisan referee - for decades. The court's radical right wing is the direct result of: ...
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June 24, 2022
Portico Darwin: Daryl and Daryl
TODAY'S RAMBLINGS We all can use a break. A break from my nearly constant political drum banging here. A break from the bottomless font of shitty news (Supreme Court: more guns are what we need! Matt Gaetz: a lifetime pardon is what I need!). So a content-free blog post is clearly in order. And it's a short post, so there's that, too. ...
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June 22, 2022
Portico Darwin: Honor, Code, Loyalty
TODAY'S RAMBLINGS This will be a short-ish blog post, because I am mostly in a state of shock having watched yesterday the highlights of the 4th hearing by the January 6 Committee. Shock again that our country came THIS close to a successful coup. And in a state of shock over people like "Senator" Ron Johnson of Wisconsin. Because it a...
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June 20, 2022
Portico Darwin: Your Recession Guide!
TODAY'S RAMBLINGS It was quite a weekend. After sending the lovely artist Jennifer Michaels and her studly beau - let's call him Doctor Hope - on their way after a great Thursday night visit, we moved on to Andre Aurich's 65th birthday party, held in Tiburon on Saturday. It can be rough there - I almost got hit by 6 different Range Rov...
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