Are you one of the many people who have seen loved ones beyond the grave? These spectres are sometimes called ghosts, sometimes dismissed as grief hallucinations. But this kind of haunting is more common than you may think. Intrigued? Read on: thewalrus.ca/why-do-we-see-… 1/5
The first scientific survey that examined visions of the dead was conducted in the 1880s by founding members of London’s Society for Psychical Research, whose membership included Alfred Russel Wallace, co-inventor of the theory of evolution. More here: thewalrus.ca/why-do-we-see-… 2/5
Then came Freud and his concept of “wishful psychosis” in grief: the idea that you may see a loved one or feel their presence after they are gone. According to him, these were warning signs of lingering dependency and were best ignored and forgotten. thewalrus.ca/why-do-we-see-… 3/5
The experiences described by mourners are often dismissed or met with awkward silences. But, for many who see familiar ghosts, these paranormal encounters are not a problem. Research even suggests that they may lead to a greater acceptance of loss. thewalrus.ca/why-do-we-see-… 4/5
Almost 150 years after the first scientific studies on ghosts, experts still have no idea what, exactly, is happening in the brain of someone who sees a dead loved one. Can you relate? Want to know more? Read @pearsonspost’s full article here: thewalrus.ca/why-do-we-see-… 5/5
Have you seen a ghost or had some sort of spiritual encounter with a loved one? What happened? Share your story here in the thread 👇👇👇
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We’re failing our children’s mental health in more ways than one. Social media pressures, loneliness, and the climate crisis are weighing on today’s youth. The stress is taking its toll on a generation. Here’s what this looks like in Canada: thewalrus.ca/the-many-ways-… 1/5
Mental health professionals report children as young as seven or eight expressing a desire to take their own lives. It's a crisis that has overwhelmed the tenuous mental health supports available to most Canadians. More on the issue: thewalrus.ca/the-many-ways-…#MentalHealth 2/5
Periods of economic hardship or general anxiety are also contributing factors. During the pandemic, the number of adolescents reaching out to Kids Help Phone has been nearly double what it was over the same period last year. More here: thewalrus.ca/the-many-ways-… 3/5
@maxfawcett’s article on a controversial economic theory has been one of our most read articles this week, so we've invited him for a Twitter takeover to talk about why Canada won't go broke: thewalrus.ca/why-canada-won… 1/15
Hi everyone—this is @maxfawcett, the author of this week's piece on something called "modern monetary theory" (MMT). I know economics and monetary policy *might* sound boring, but I promise you it's anything but. Strap in. 2/15
It's no secret that governments around the world are racking up a lot of debt right now to pay the bill on COVID-19 supports. In Canada, the fiscal deficit for 2020/21 is projected to be $343 billion. That's the biggest deficit since World War II, and it’s not very close. 3/15
“The idea behind a hackathon is simple: dozens of people gather in conference centres or university campuses for a few sleepless nights . . . with the goal of building something new.” @_jgarfy on hacking #COVID19 More here: thewalrus.ca/hacking-covid-…
Back in April, the first three-day Hacking Health EasterHack took place. The idea? To create virtual tools to help people stay safe as the world braced itself for lockdown. thewalrus.ca/hacking-covid-…#COVID19
“From the start of the pandemic, I’d noticed that people around me all felt a need to do something in light of this unprecedented event,” @_jgarfy says in his latest piece: thewalrus.ca/hacking-covid-…#COVID19
The Walrus is now accepting applications for two one-year editorial fellowship positions. But hurry, because the deadline is tomorrow! thewalrus.ca/about/careers/… 1/13
The Fellowship program was introduced in 2014, and The Walrus has had thirty-five fellows since the program’s inception. Here is what some past fellows have had to say about their experience in the fellowship and what they are doing now. 2/13
@allybake (pictured left) was a fellow in 2017. 3/13
Hi, this is @kevinpatterson. I’m a critical care doctor; I work in an ICU on Vancouver Island, and in the Arctic on the west coast of Hudson Bay. I’ve been thinking a lot about the history of pandemics lately, for all the obvious reasons—and also, about February 15. 1/11
Only six weeks ago, in the last days of January, Wuhan, China was seeing thousands of new cases a day. The hospitals were overwhelmed, and 14% of nurses became infected. It got pretty Dantean. 2/11
On January 23, China imposed draconian public health measures to try and halt the spread. At that point, there had been 517 #COVIDー19 cases in Wuhan, and 17 deaths—on both counts, fewer than America has right now. 3/11
Hi, @genna_buck here. My profile of Tessa Virtue didn’t include much fodder for those who enjoy our national pastime—discussing her partnership with Scott Moir. So here’s a Twitter thread about it! 1/15 thewalrus.ca/the-olympics-a…
If you ask skating people what makes Virtue and Moir so magical, they’ll likely answer “everything,” then get into their perfect height difference, their musicality, the bend of their knees. But mostly, it’ is their CONNECTION 2/15
The connection is what makes them so watchable. But what is it, really? And could a future Canadian ice-dance team study and replicate it? 3/15