Illuminati

I recently listened to a six part deep dive into the Illuminati by Behind the Bastards, the same historical podcast as was the source for my post about the cigarette industry's massive influence on modern society. This time though, it wasn't big tobacco leaving a lasting impact on modern societies. 

The Illuminati in question, at least for the first two episodes, were the Bavarian Illuminati, which sprung up as a consequence of a disillusioned Freemason, Adam Weishaupt. Apparently, he'd been hoping for more of a secret cabal, rather than the "AAA membership with discounts at local stores", roughly paraphrasing the host, Robert Evans. So, like any annoyed genius, he started his own secret organization. But because secret recruitment is difficult, he decided to cast his net where the fishing would be particularly good - within the Freemason community. After all, where better to seek members for a secretive organization than within the ranks of a secretive organization?

Nowadays, the Illuminati is almost entirely remembered as an opposition to the Church. And while Weishaupt was a staunch atheist, which did land him in quite a bit of hot water with the Jesuit university he taught at, there was more to the ideology of the Illuminati. He espoused a very liberal mindset, supporting elections, and a woman's freedom for abortions. Amazingly, the ridiculous modern stories actually have nothing on the truth about how the Bavarian Illuminati came to light - a messenger was struck by lightning and killed. When authorities found a note on his body, they searched his home, which was full of documents that were seen as problematic. Sure, elections were a radical idea, but authorities even found documents outlining a support network which helped perform abortions. Ultimately, this led to the banning of the Illuminati due to fears that they were a mighty organization capable of controlling society.

Unfortunately, the controversial opinions outlined by the Bavarian Illuminati are not the only connection to modern American politics. As conspiracies gained ground among more radical branches of American politics, particularly starting in the sixties, the idea of Illuminati and control percolated to the surface again. The "enemy" wasn't just the Reds, as the shadows apparently hid another huge threat. The Illuminati were still at it according to those folks. This undercurrent grew and now conspiracy theorists of all leanings have the tools needed to rapidly disseminate their ideas, polluting the minds of more and more folk. 

Ultimately, the podcast does an amazing job with the story - I really can't compete with a journalist and great storyteller and I just wanted to share some interesting information that I learned. So, next time you hear about the Illuminati running the world just know, those heinous people were started by a law professor and five students who supported elections and women's reproductive rights.

Grunt: The Curious Science of Humans at War

    My attention has a habit of wandering quite a bit, which can be both a blessing and a curse. It does, however, mean that I really like books that touch on a lot of subjects, as evidenced by my fascination by The Secret History of Food or Humble Pi. So any any time that I can sate this appetite for a diet of varied information, I eagerly do so. My latest satisfying bite of information comes from Grunt: The Curious Science of Humans at War by Mary Roach. 

    Science and the military have long been interconnected, one driving the other, then the second driving the first. There are famous cases, such as food canning being invented at Napoleon's behest, or, well, pretty much everything related to space. But those are older cases, and Mary Roach offers an insight into some new ones. Furthermore, what makes the work particularly interesting, is her concentration on the non-violent, even life-saving, technologies that play an integral, if noticed, role in the armed forces' capabilities. 

    Foremost in her mind are medical advances - both to reduce the risk of injury and to treat wounds. To explain the benefits of the research, Roach enlists the help of the scientists, adding a layer of validation to her words. Furthermore, rather than just interview and write about it, Roach tried to get involved, following audiologists into training exercises, personally meeting with maggots used to clean up decaying flesh in wounds... 

    Wait. Didn't I say advanced technologies? I thought leeching and stuff like that are a thing of the past? Well, maggots are actually a special case. Apparently, they are so good at cleaning up the dead flesh, that there is an FDA-permitted treatment that uses them. And even more shockingly, patients are reportedly on board with it, with only a small percentage requesting alternatives. Although, when you're at a state where your doctor recommends using maggots to help you heal, you might be getting a bit desperate. 

    Another of the more unusual discussions is the one about diarrhea. Soldiers are travelers. And so they get traveler's diarrhea. Except that when civilians get it, they aren't getting shot at. I'd never thought about it but it makes sense. The issue is also surprisingly prevalent. As Roach reports:

In that same survey, 77 percent of combatants in Iraq and 54 percent in Afghanistan came down with diarrhea. Forty percent of the cases were serious enough that the person sought medical help. (pg 142).

Fascinating. Who could have imagined? There are a lot of great tidbits like this, making the short, and easily readable, book worthy of recommendation.

A Few More Minds

True minds are everywhere at once

They're seen in every book.

Euler's made me seem a dunce

In every class I took.

He's not the only genius mind-

There are a couple others too:

Lagrange, Laplace, my buddy Gauss,

Are all in the core crew.

 

Euler touched on everything-

Rotation order, structural beams

Nothing was too hard for him

Or at least so it seems.

March 14, 2023

Becoming Trader Joe

    At the risk of sounding a little absurd, I must confess that Trader Joe's is associated with some very positive childhood memories. These range from the daily presence of its branding on the sunflower seeds added to my father's breakfast to the samples they offered in the back corner of the store. With the later, it's specifically the coffee - my father always got that sample, so my brother and I, in an attempt to be "grown up" did as well - a cup of the milk with a just enough coffee to make it slightly off-white.

    And I'm not the only person with positive feelings toward the grocery chain. I've seen many articles discussing passionate fans. This brand loyalty perennially makes Trader Joe one of the leading grocers in sales per square foot of stores. Many factors play into this, but an important one to me is the atmosphere. Joe Coulombe, the name sake Joe, has an autobiography titled Becoming Trader Joe: How I Did Business My Way and Still Beat the Big Guys. So of course, I read it.

     The bravado from the title really spills over into the work itself. As with any autobiography, one would expect a significant amount of tooting one's own horn. Mr. Coulombe's efforts in this regard are... extensive to say the least. It actually occasionally became grating. It's also vaguely condescending at times, approaching a holier-than-thou tone. For instance, he doesn't let more than a chapter or two pass between reminders that his company paid slightly above median wages in California. As such, I wasn't too huge a fan of the attitude or the writing style. 

    However, there are some redeeming qualities. Coloumbe relates many instances where he was able to find loopholes in laws or convention which gave him a sporting edge over his competitors. When ignoring the self-praise, it is an interesting insight into creative thinking. Smart moves like purchasing a old winery license for $10,000 over a new one for $300 are not initially obvious, but the older one has perks grandfathered in, like being able to provide tastings of other brands. The success of his business lies at the summation of a lot of such decisions, and it could be insightful for some future entrepreneurs. Otherwise, this book isn't particularly special and I wouldn't recommend going out of your way to track it down.

 

Fever Dreams

 I'm scared for my future.

I'm scared of my past.

That my hopes and dreams

Are too tough and too vast.

 

That I simply cannot

Live up to my goals.

The angels who guide me

Are spiteful trolls.

 

They whispered ideas

Encouraged me too.

I stepped past my comfort

As they pushed me to do.

 

But it was a trap.

I'm now out in the dark.

Climbing a mountain -

No walk in the park.

 

I fear that this climb

Might make me slip.

That I won't hold on,

That I'll lose my grip.

Feb. 15, 2023