Feldman's Faves: August 23, 2021

Happy Monday BL5 – It was good seeing everyone on Friday. As I mentioned, we will reconvene our “weekly” gatherings in September.

I am planning to be in the office on Wednesday so if anyone wants to grab lunch that day just shoot me an email.

Most importantly, I want to congratulate our good friend Tara on her engagement.

No theme this week – just good content.

Grant By: Ron Chernow – Lin Manuel Miranda was inspired to write the musical Hamilton after reading Ron Chernow’s biography about Alexander Hamilton. I’m not sure that there will be a musical any time soon about Ulysses S. Grant, but maybe there should be. I could see our own John Connon in the staring role and I might have Julian play Lincoln – but we can discuss that another time. Grant was, in a way, the Michael Jordan of his time. Grant was one of the greatest military thinkers and strategists in US history (and possibly world history). He also became the first President elected following the Civil War. Prior to the Civil War Grant showed remarkable ability as a General and was considered one of the all time greats. Before he was recruited back by Lincoln to help win the Civil War, Grant tried his hand in other areas, including business, and was an abject failure (think Jordan, the “White Sox Years”). As Steve Halperin told me, he also made some questionable decisions during his life (including some very anti-Semitic orders, that he later in life acknowledged were wrong). In any case, history really just remembers Grant as the military hero that he was and the President who started Reconstruction following the war. Chernow does a great job describing Grant’s origin story, his relationship with his wife Julia as well as his humanity (he was a big drinker). He also describes in great detail some of his most famous military victories including, the Battle of Shiloh and of course the Vicksburg and Overland campaigns. Grant is one of those people that is sometime overlooked and Chernow does a great job in showing his place in history. Here is a good review of the book from the New Yorker - https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2017/10/02/pour-one-out-for-ulysses-s-grant

The Next Big Idea - DRUNK: Why Alcohol Makes Us More Creative, Sociable, and Attractive

Do we have alcohol to thank for civilization? The answer, according to Edward Slingerland’s new book, “Drunk: How We Sipped, Danced, and Stumbled Our Way to Civilization,” is a resounding yes. Edward, who’s a professor at the University of British Columbia and self-proclaimed “philosophical hedonist,” says that far from being an evolutionary fluke, our taste for alcohol is an evolutionary advantage — one that we’ve relied on for millennia to help us lead more social, creative, and pleasurable lives“: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/the-next-big-idea/id1482067226?i=1000530377176

Thank you for your ongoing engagement and participation.

And remember to stay safe, stay healthy and to docket daily.

Jon