How did ancient toilets work? The Maya toilet may have only worked because they ate tamales, a delicious Mesoamerican staple corn dish steamed in corn husks. Before the Maya could make a tamale, they had to soak corn kernels in a caustic alkaline solution to make them more elastic when pounded into a dough. What did they do with the toxic liquid? Evidence from ancient toilets suggests that they used it to flush their poop and prevent it from getting smelly, getting rid of two waste products in one go! Read full article here
Culture
The Priest in the Arena
The phrase “man in the arena” has been popularized in recent years, but a lesser known, more dangerous archetype is the “priest in the arena”. This figure is responsible for a process called theocratic capture, where an institution surrenders to a cult demanding unaccountable authority, fueled by claims to privileged knowledge. These cults often target powerful institutions and attempt to monopolize conversations with scaremongering tactics and hostile treatment of allies. It is important to identify and stop theocratic capture before it can gain control. Read full article here
Merv
May 29, 2023
