Ghosts, the CIA, and Dolphin Cartwheels

More Every Week is a collection of thought-provoking ideas, articles, and videos sent out on Sundays.

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More Ghost Sightings

Seeing ghosts is staggeringly common. 60% of widowers admit to having seen a ghost of their dead spouse. ~40% of UK and US citizens believe in ghosts. And about 18% of all Americans claim to have seen a ghost themselves, with even higher percentages in other cultures.

The obvious question arises: what is driving all of these ghost sightings?  

For widowers, the answer seems to be something called a "bereavement hallucination". It's a common way of dealing with grief, and ghosts in these hallucinations are generally extremely beneficial. By seeing the ghost, the widower is able to feel the presence of their loved one again, and reduce their overall suffering.

What about people who are not suffering from tragedy? Here the answer is even more interesting. Scientists believe one of the leading causes for seeing ghosts is low frequency sound, also known as infrasound.

This is sound from electrical machinery, severe weather, and other normal phenomena. These sounds are below our range of hearing, but they do affect another body part: our eyes. Infrasound will literally vibrate your eyeballs to create ghostly apparitions!

There are other useful explanations - electromagnetic fields, sleep paralysis, and carbon monoxide poisoning among them. But vibrating eyeballs is easily the coolest.

As you probably guessed, I don't believe in ghosts. But after learning about the causes of ghost sightings, I do believe other people when they say they've seen a "ghost".

More Disruptive Meetings

In 1944, the CIA created a field guide for their operatives to disrupt "communist" organizations. They'd infiltrate communist group meetings, and then follow the guide to ruin any chance of productivity.

Even if you're not trying to dismantle communist groups, you'll still find the list fascinating. It's an 8-point guide to ruining any professional meeting.

As you read, ask yourself how many of these you (or your teams) fall prey to.

"Change is disturbing when done to us but exhilarating when done by us." - Rosabeth Kanter

More Contemporary Art

As a side project, I run an Instagram page called "The Kash Collection" that curates my favorite contemporary artworks.

I recently did an interview with Art.Art that provides some background on my process and philosophy for running this new-age art gallery. Check it out for yourself here [~4 minute reading time].

If you're interested in contemporary art, join 70,000+ other people and follow the page on Instagram.

If you're not on Instagram or just really love art, sign up for the Kash Collection newsletter here. You'll immediately be sent the top 1% of artworks that I've ever posted along with 3-5 works every Sunday.

More Dolphin Flips

This gif of a dolphin having fun and doing flips with a zoo visitor brought a smile to my face. I hope it does the same for you.

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