Feldman's Faves: September 18, 2023

GOOD MORNING EVERYONE

Shana Tova to those of you celebrating the Jewish New Year. Let’s make this year a sweet one.

While I am not a huge Aaron Rodgers fan I feel awful for him and the long suffering Jets fans. This is not how the movie was supposed to end. A good life lesson and a reminder of John Lennon’s classic line that “life is what happens when you are busy making other plans”. Good luck Zach Wilson….

I want to take this opportunity to welcome Max to our section. He will be a fantastic addition to our amazing team. We will have an official welcome lunch for him on OCTOBER 5th after all of the training is done. So please make every effort to be there.

Finally, would like to wish Brian a very happy birthday – although he looks like he turned 12 years old yesterday….

This week’s theme is historical in nature.

BORN IN BLACKNESS By: Howard W. French – I have many blind spots when it comes to my understanding of history. One that is most glaring is my understanding of the role of Africa in the shaping of the history of the world. Our formal education in Canada focuses very little attention on this topic, which results in the possibility for a vast level of ignorance, which is me in a nutshell. Bill Gates feels the same way, which is why he recommends, in Gates Notes, Howard French’s incredible and in depth book, Born in Blackness, which in incredible detail outlines the history of mercantilism and the role of Portugal, Spain, Holland, Britain, France Brazil, the Caribbean and of course, the United States and their relationship with the various nations that make up the African continent today. French describes, how the quest for gold, for sugar, cotton and industrialization, and of course “labour” that took place from the 1450s until WWII centres the importance of Africa and its people. The injustices that took place are described in painful detail in a way I have not seen before. As Bill Gates notes, “I’m a student of Africa and its history. Because of all the work our foundation does with partners on the continent, over the years I’ve set out to learn from African experts, read lots of books about it, and studied many countries there while on visits for the foundation. But I now see Africa even more clearly thanks to Howard French’s new book, Born in Blackness. It’s a well written and thoroughly researched book that challenges the standard Western accounts of the continent. French, whose family comes from Africa, has been a professor in Côte D’Ivoire and the United States, and an Africa correspondent for The New York Times. He gives readers a new perspective on the African continent as well as a new perspective on this continent. French takes a hard look at the idea that Europe’s “Age of Discovery” was the natural outgrowth of its wealth, power, and technological achievements. In fact, he argues, at the dawn of the 16th century the warring and fractious nations of Europe were less powerful and innovative than other regions. The continent produced little of value to potential trading partners. Its voyages of discovery would not even have been possible without the profits that Europe’s royals earned from African gold. He writes: “The gigantic boost that [this gold] provided the [Portuguese] crown … made it possible for Lisbon to keep pace with Spain in their headlong course into ocean faring, discovery, conquest, crusading, and intercontinental trade.”

Another idea he sets out to correct is that Africa was stateless and primitive before the Europeans arrived. In reality, he explains, various African kingdoms had established city-states that rivaled Europe’s in terms of political organization, military power, commerce, art, and exploration. And at least one such kingdom, in present-day Mali, had much more wealth than any royal family in Europe. When the Malian Emperor Mansa Musa and his 60,000-person entourage crossed the African continent in 1342, they brought as much as 18 tons of pure gold along to use in trade and as gifts. Unfortunately, reports of Musa’s wealth eventually arrived in European capitals, which helped trigger Europeans’ pursuit of Africa’s riches.

French also argues against the idea that labor by enslaved people from Africa made only a marginal contribution to the rise of the West. For example, he writes, “The value derived from the trade and ownership of slaves in America alone [was] greater than that of all of the country’s factories, railroads, and canals combined.” And more generally: “Without Africa, and the slave plantation agriculture of the Caribbean that derived from it, there would never have been the kind of explosion of wealth that the West enjoyed … nor such early or rapid industrialization.” It's a sign of a good book when you finish it wanting to know more about one of its topics, and that was certainly true for me with Born in Blackness. I’m trying to learn more about how the value of goods like sugar and cotton has changed over time—French quotes some sources that say profits on these goods remained high throughout much of the history he covers, but it seems like competition should have driven profits down, since both crops grow in a lot of places. But that’s a rabbit hole I’m happy to go down. It’s a compliment, not a criticism, that French left me more curious. If you’re interested in learning more about the history of Africa, its central role in the world, and the ways in which both have been misunderstood in the West, I highly recommend Born in Blackness.” As per usual, I agree with Gates. This book opens a door to diminish ignorance, but at least for me, this is just step one on this learning adventure. Here is a good review from The Guardian- https://www.theguardian.com/books/2021/oct/26/born-in-blackness-howard-w-french-review-africa-africans-and-the-making-of-the-modern-world

TED Talks Daily - Is the US headed towards another civil war? | Barbara F. Walter – There a many smart people out there (including Ray Dalio, whose book I reviewed earlier this year) who believe there is a real chance that the United States could be heading into another civil war. Some of the obvious reasons for this view is the extreme polarization that is taking place in the political sphere, the extreme inequality in the economic sphere and the widening gap in the cultural domain. While all of these factors are potential preconditions for a civil war, many people believe there is ample opportunity to move away from these risks and “build a better future”. There are ways to stop what appears to be an inevitable outcome, but as Barbara F. Walter notes in this PODCAST there is a lot of work and self-reflecting (at an individual and national level) to do to get there. Here’ s an excerpt from the PODCAST itself, “Based on her work for a CIA task force aimed at predicting civil wars, political scientist Barbara F. Walter examines the rise in extremism and threats to democracies around the globe -- and paints an unsettling picture of the increasing likelihood of a second civil war in the United States”: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/ted-talks-daily/id160904630?i=1000624420917

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

Jon