Feldman's Faves: November 13, 2023

GOOD MORNING EVERYONE

First, I want to wish all who celebrated a very Happy Diwali.

Second, I want to say that last week was outstanding and our recruit was an enormous success. People love Goodmans and love being part of our firm. A big thank you to everyone who participated in this resounding success. Our cocktail party validates how great it is to be back at the firm for recruiting and our culture in general.

Finally, I want to wish our good friend Christina a very happy birthday (from yesterday). I know the traditional way to celebrate one’s birthday is for others to bring that person a cake. However, given we are talking about Christina (i.e., Goodmans’ Top Chef) I think we can all agree that it would be way better if we celebrated with one of her creations…..

BONUS - For my shameless self-promotion of the week, if you are able please join us TOMORROW MORNING AT 8:30 am (in person only) for our session entitled “Shareholder Activism in Canada: Key Considerations for Both Boards and Activists in Preparation for the 2024 Proxy Season.” Our very own Michelle Vigod and Peter Kolla will be on the panel, which I can assure you will be enlightening and entertaining and possibly even better than CATS. Here is a link to the event for those who are interested in attending - https://www.goodmans.ca/insights/event-item/please-join-us-shareholder-activism-in-canada-key-considerations-for-both-boards-and-activists-in-preparation-for-the-2024-proxy-season

No theme this week – just random topics of interest.

THE DOOR By: Magda Szabo – Magda Szabo was one of Hungary’s most famous and celebrated authors. I read her book The Door many years ago and for some reason thought now was the time to give it another read. This explores a very complex relationship between two complex characters: Magda (the writer) and Emerence (her new housekeeper being tasked with taking care of her ailing husband). Szabo does an excellent job in creating tension among the characters and in revealing the story. Emerence is a very private person (and we learn why over time). The door of her house is a physical and metaphorical barrier that keeps the world out until it doesn’t and reveals a world to Magda that is disturbing, to say the least. As one reviewer notes, “A deeply affecting novel, first published in Hungary in 1987, from one of Europe’s most prominent modern writers. Szabó’s narrator, not coincidentally named Magda, recalls an emotionally fraught 20-year relationship with her housekeeper. As the book opens in postwar communist Hungary, a decade long political freeze on her writing career has been lifted and Magda seeks out a domestic helper to care for her and her husband’s new home in Budapest while she begins to write again. Through an old classmate’s recommendation, she meets Emerence Szeredás, an inscrutable older woman built like a “mythological hero” whose years of experience working in the neighborhood have rendered her a revered and almost iconic figure in town. Right off the bat, Magda learns that Emerence won’t just work for anybody: “This was the first time anyone had required references from us.” And after hijacking the interview, Emerence waits a whole week before appearing again to accept the job. Though beloved by many, Emerence keeps her complicated history private and lives alone in a flat—hermetically sealed off from the rest of the world—that even her closest friends are forbidden to enter. From the start of their relationship, Magda is perplexed by the enigmatic woman who is so unlike her—a peasant, “anti-intellectual,” and staunch atheist—but who moves and speaks with an inimitable elegance (“Emerence…was perfect in every respect; at times oppressively so”) and shows a resolute indifference toward Magda for the first five years of her employment. As the years wear on, though, an intimacy manifests between the two that can only be described as landing somewhere between an endearing mother-daughter relationship and that of a contemptuous love affair. Their story is utterly compelling and often unnerving. Magda turns to Emerence for affirmation, and Emerence doles out her affection for Magda in peculiar, sometimes volatile, acts, eventually making the grand gesture of inviting Magda into her apartment. But things take a turn for the worse and terror ensues when Magda’s career takes off and Emerence falls gravely ill. Szabó discerns the complex nature of human emotion with sensitivity and prowess in this hypnotizing work of art. A haunting exploration of age, class, love, and loss that demands to be read and read again.” There have been challenging times in human history that test the morality and good sense of every day people. The Door reminds us of one of those times and is a useful guide for what we are experiencing today. Here is a good review from The New Yorker - https://www.newyorker.com/books/page-turner/magda-szabos-the-door

Possible - Anne-Marie Slaughter on the Future of the Care Economy – We rarely here about the “care economy”, which in essence refers to the economic value associated (or not) to people caring for family members and friends. The basic premise is that most if not all of us will at some point be responsible for the care of others – a partner, child, parent or other friend/relative. Our economy fails to capture the value that is lost and could be created if we looked at things differently, which is what this discussion addresses. Here’s an excerpt from the PODCAST itself, “Can technology help us fulfill our potential as caring beings, as well as rational, calculating beings? Anne-Marie Slaughter is a scholar, public intellectual, and CEO of New America, a think tank that focuses on a wide range of public policy issues. She joins the podcast to talk about public interest technology, the care economy, and, ultimately, the ways technology can help make humans whole. Reid, Aria, and Anne-Marie discuss caring for our elders, the childcare crisis, and speculate on what new era humanity is entering — and how AI and other technologies are contributing to that shift. Plus, Inflection’s Pi joins to offer information on the care economy.” https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/possible/id1677184070?i=1000633326891

Thank you for your ongoing engagement and participation. And remember to stay safe, stay healthy and to docket daily.

Jon