Forensic Tales

A triangle is complete only when its three corners are intact. Our wellbeing similarly demands that three pillars work together in quiet harmony. The Australian Wellbeing Index is a 15-year-and-counting study with data from over 60,000 participants. Its results remain consistent year after year: optimal wellbeing hinges upon 3 essential intangibles. The good news? These three intangibles are entir...

Many people — and many societies, for that matter — rely on short-sighted quick wins as their go-to when managing oversized problems. But what works in the short-term likely isn't best in the long run; worse, such near-sightedness rarely considers its impacts on generations to come. Enter longpath thinking, a mindset that prioritizes future-conscious thinking and behavior. On today's episo...

#139 - On February 15th, 1991, windsurfers discovered the naked body of a young Jane Doe along US Highway 1 in Key West, Florida. She had been assaulted and strangled. For years, authorities tried to identify the woman and her killer. The only clue they had was that she wasn't from Key West because she didn't have tan lines and wore moccasin shoes. Without a name, she became Valentine Jane Doe bec...

Good cooks cook on gas, or so we've been told. Any realtor will likely tell you that a gas stove ranks high on homebuyers' lists of new home must-haves, but are they good for us? Are they good for the planet? Fellow Americans, it's time to end our love affair with gas stoves. On today's show, we discuss All. The. Things. the natural gas industry doesn't want you to know about g...

Have you ever bought an irresistibly on-trend outfit for a child in your life? If so, I'm willing to bet it was worn just a handful of times (or perhaps not at all). Gendered children's fashion is a twentieth century invention and — surprise!— it was invented by marketing pros hoping to sell more clothes. The sad truths are that while kids' fast fashion creates unnecessary clutter for...

#138 - On January 26, 1979, Las Vegas teenager, Kim Bryant, hung out in a Dairy Queen parking lot with a friend. But when it came time for Kim's boyfriend to pick her up and take her home, Kim was nowhere to be found. She had mysteriously disappeared from a busy Las Vegas street without a trace. Initially, the police treated Kim like a runaway. But her family and friends didn't think Kim would do...

In 1986, California passed Proposition 65. The legislation forced companies that sell products with chemicals linked to cancer and birth defects to label them as such. While the legislation was originally a gigantic win for environmentalists, these days it's a running joke. Cancer warnings adorn everything from organic soaps to steering wheel covers, bikinis, parking garages, Disney Land, and...

In eco-leaning circles, bamboo is hot, hot, hot. The grass (yep, it's a grass!) is touted as *the* solution to deforestation and these days bamboo is the main fiber in some paper products, textiles, bathroom necessities, furniture, flooring, and more. But as with any crop, there are plenty of problems associated with worldwide reliance on a monoculture. Are marketing claims that tout bamboo&#3...

#137 - In April 1993, 18-year-old British teenager Stephen Lawrence was murdered in a racially motived stabbing while waiting for a bus near London, England. Within days of the murder, the police received an anonymous letter naming five suspects. But the police failed to make any arrests despite the letter, and Stephen's murder turned cold. Stephen's unsolved murder led to public outcries for chan...

When it comes to trash bags, there's plenty of confusing verbiage. Compostable? Biodegradable? Bags with post-consumer recycled content? While one could certainly make the argument that biodegradable and compostable trash bags aren't worth the money since they're headed to the landfill anyway (those pits aren't gardens, after all); the more cynical amongst us could say there's...

Your pantry can be your friend or your foe. When it's well-stocked and organized it will support your health goals, but disorganized spaces will likely derail your long-term wellness objectives. The worst part? Pantry staples that are marketed as healthy (ahem ... bars, protein powders, and crackers) are oftentimes the main culprits contributing to brain fog, weight gain, and belly bloat. Toda...

#136 - In May 2003, three people were brutally murdered inside an upscale apartment in the Miracle Mile neighborhood of Los Angeles. The murders became an instant media sensation for their brutality and apparent lack of motive. Without any solid leads, the case turned cold until March 2009, when DNA evidence turned up a possible suspect.   Support My Work   If you love the show, the easiest way to...

The first iPhone hit the market in 2007 and most of us jumped on the smartphone bandwagon without looking back. 15 years later, countless studies document the pitfalls associated with reliance on powerful tech at our (literal) fingertips: impaired cognitive functioning, loss of self-esteem, and increased depression and anxiety are just a few. The minimalist cell phone movement seeks to take back w...

Gas prices are through the roof and we're feeling the pinch at the gas station. Is now the right time to invest in an electric vehicle? There's no sugarcoating it: Automobiles leave a big footprint. Extracting petroleum products from the earth and shipping them around the planet is both energy-intensive and damaging (let's not forget about oil spills!). There's also the tailpipe em...

#135 - Replay Karina Vetrano went missing on August 2, 2016, after leaving the house to jog in Spring Creek Park, New York. A few hours later, her brutally murdered body was discovered along the running path. The NYPD and the Vetrano family are desperate to find the person responsible for murdering the beautiful, intelligent, 30-year-old Karina. Medical examiners recovered a DNA profile underneath...

Underneath all of life's burdens, many of us experience the triple losses of time, freedom, and mental space. Self-care is generally touted as burnout's antidote, and advocates argue that regular self-care routines lower stress, anxiety, and frustration while simultaneously improving energy, concentration, and overall life satisfaction. Sounds wonderful, right? But there's a problem wi...

All too often (and perhaps without even realizing it!) many of us live our lives by taking the path of least resistance. What's the easiest choice? What's most convenient? But there's cognitive dissonance to be felt when we sacrifice our values in the name of convenience, and experiencing such dissonance can be uncomfortable. Today I speak with author and social impact expert  Sharon S...

#134 - In July 1978, two middle-aged white men were gunned down in their Washington D.C neighborhood. A few weeks after their murders, two men were arrested in connection with the shootings, 17-year-old Santae Tribble and his friend, 20-year-old Cleveland Wright. Although both men denied involvement in the crimes, Washington D.C. police and prosecutors believed they had enough forensic evidence to...

Comedian Phyllis Diller famously once said, "Housework can't kill you, but why take the risk?" Our homes are for living, and living is a messy business. But warding off messes before they become unmanageable is indeed possible, and seasoned minimalists often rely on tried-and-true prevention techniques to reduce both housework and overwhelm. On today's show I offer 5 and a half tip...

Calorie counting, diet cycling, and heaps of food guilt. Sound familiar?  We have diet culture to thank for our body image woes, and that's because corporations first sell us unhealthy food that detracts from our health, and then we're sold the promise of yet another restrictive diet as the ultimate - and only - solution. Today my guest and I answer a listener's question about the fund...

#133 - In 1981, 17-year-old high school student, Mary London, was last seen alive getting off a city bus in downtown Sacramento, California. The following day her lifeless body was discovered off a remote road. Initially, the Sacramento police received countless tips and leads about who might be Mary's killer. But when the leads dried up, so did the investigation. For the next four decades, Mary L...

Materialistic, overly consumptive, and incredibly wasteful: The stereotype of the average American isn't flattering. And while being wasteful isn't a personality trait most of us aspire to have, for many US citizens, wasting enormous amounts of resources and money is simply our way of life. Fellow Americans, we can do better. On today's show I rank order 10 specific ways Americans wast...

Ah, game night. Something special happens when we put our phones away, sit around the table, and have fun with our loved ones. But if you have children, game night can be fraught with whines, groans, and tantrums. And after a long workweek? Game night can feel like another To-Do item. On today's show we discuss what research says about the benefits of game night. In Part 1 I offer 6 strategies...

#132 - In July 2005, 26-year-old George Smith IV and his new wife, Jennifer, boarded the Royal Caribbean International cruise ship Brilliance of the Seas to celebrate their honeymoon. They planned to cruise around the Mediterranean sea for the next two weeks. But only a few days into their honeymoon, tragedy struck. After a long night of drinking, gambling, and cruise ship fun, George mysteriously...

Perhaps you’ve seen buzzwords like upcycled, renewed, or repurposed on fashion websites and are confused. Perhaps, too, you've invested in natural fibers when purchasing clothes but doing so simply doesn't seem like you're doing enough. While the planet operates in a circular system in which everything is reused and repurposed, the fashion industry operates within a vastly different, l...