Forensic Tales

#251 - In November 1984, 13-year-old Candace Derksen went missing on her way home from school. Her sudden disappearance sparked one of Winnipeg's most extensive searches for a missing person, lasting six and a half weeks. Twenty-two years later, a man was finally arrested for her murder. However, justice is still far from being served after concerns arose over the integrity of the forensic evidenc...

Many people — and many societies, for that matter — rely on short-sighted quick wins as their Number One go-tos 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 e...

These days, dry cleaners press shirts, industrialized farms grow monocrops, and factories churn out single-use varieties of (nearly) everything. And when a possession looks a little worn or a little torn? Many Americans trash it and buy new without a second thought. Life can be simpler, more affordable, and downright sweeter when you do things yourself and maintain what you already own. On today&#...

Clothing swaps (or toy swaps, or book swaps, or home goods swaps) are a low-stakes way to declutter your closet and acquire new-to-you clothes. These events also happen to be the epitome of communal care and can fundamentally change how others view secondhand items. Share resources with your neighbors, reduce waste, and get socializing without exchanging money! On today's show 4-time clothing...

#250 - It’s a story often referred to in the media as “The Fitbit Murder.” In 2015, 39-year-old Connie Dabate was found shot to death inside her Connecticut basement. Her husband, 40-year-old Richard Dabata, says a masked intruder was to blame. But when the authorities examined Connie’s wearable fitness device, they suspected he was lying.   Support If you love the show, the easiest way to show yo...

Since the dawn of the chemical era more than 300,000 chemicals have been invented, and many are made from oil and natural gas. While some manufactured chemicals have indeed provided benefit (Disinfectants! Antibiotics!), they have also caused great harm. Manufactured chemicals pollute every corner of the planet. They kill bees, fish, and mammals. They nearly destroyed the ozone and, yes, they give...

Our To-Do lists are never-ending, sure. But it's neither realistic nor fair to assume we can excel in every arena.  Enter selective mediocrity, a.k.a. that conscious choice to let some stuff go.  We simply can't do it all, and selective mediocrity enables us to give our whole selves to the tasks and goals that really matter. On today's show: A conversation with Dr. Whitney Casares abou...

A recent study finds Americans are spending notably more time at home, and it's not wholly the pandemic's fault. Thank technology: For the last 20 years Americans have slowly traded their social institutions — like churches and clubs — for isolation. Have we forgotten how to be social creatures? On today's show: A conversation with journalist Rosie Spinks about concrete ways to rebuild...

#249 - On September 24, 2024, Marcellus Williams was executed by lethal injection in Missouri after the U.S. Supreme Court denied a stay despite prosecutors and the victim’s family asking that he be spared. Marcellus Williams was charged and convicted of murdering a St. Louis woman inside her home in August 1998 despite zero forensic evidence linking him to the brutal murder. His execution just ov...

Life is noisier, messier, and more complicated than ever. In our quest to keep up, we can try to do it all—with mixed results. Instead of life passively happening TO us, we each have the power to create the life we want to live. On today's show: A conversation with author  Elisabeth Sharp McKetta  about figuring out what matters most and hitting delete on what doesn’t.   Here's a preview:...

The US hails consumption as a patriotic duty. But refraining from buying isn't a punishment, and practicing a bit of self-control both resets our hedonistic baseline and re-centers our behaviors around moderation.  It's paradoxical but true: Imposing temporary limits ultimately sets you free. On today's show author John Oakes discusses the numerous benefits associated with fasting from...

#248 - In 2017, a bright and fun 21-year-old Libby was found dead in a motel room in Independence, Missouri, with her boyfriend’s belt tied around her neck. Her death was ruled a tragic suicide, but her family disagrees and is seeking answers to the many unanswered questions surrounding her death. Was this actually a case of a young woman who took her own life? Or was this the outcome of an abusiv...

Big tech trains kids to become consumers from … well, birth. Child-targeted marketing is cringe-worthy at best and unethical at worst. It also undermines children’s healthy development because it robs them of opportunities to play, imagine, and learn freely without manipulation. Today I speak with  Dr. Susan Linn  about the ways in which technology exploits children (and what we can do about it at...

The Japanese argue that we each have three faces. The first is your idealized, near-perfect version; it's also the mask you present to the world. You reveal your second face selectively to very close friends and family, and you keep your third face — your true self — hidden from everyone (including, perhaps, yourself). Our first mask conveys self-assuredness. Of being happy, put together, and...

Want to be "up to date" with your wardrobe choices? Fashion forwardness understands that the textile industry is incredibly polluting; having your finger on the fashion pulse, then, is about consciously choosing not to participate in trends. And yet we somehow must dress ourselves. While fast fashion is quite literally made to fall apart, wearing what we wore decades ago isn't a good l...

#247 - Part 2. If you haven't listened to Part 1, please do so before listening to this one. In 2011, fictional romance author Nancy Brophy wrote a book called “How to Murder Your Huband.” She seemed to have a knack for writing about these things: murder and criminal investigations. But seven years later, in 2022, she found herself being accused of the very things she wrote about in her novels: Pr...

More free time and less stress. Extra money in the bank. While minimalists often report such benefits of the lifestyle over and over, for many of us, it goes deeper. Indeed, a minimalist lifestyle may fundamentally change the way we interact with the world. As this podcast approaches its 500th episode I find myself curious about the ways in which adopting a minimalist or minimal-ish outlook has al...

Just because a product is marketed to babies or kids doesn't mean it's safe, and new research published just last week has alarming things to say about the presence of phthalates in personal care products for children.  While minimalists know that excess stuff harms our emotional well-being and mental loads, *sustainable* minimalists understand that products can harm our physical health. O...

#246 - Part 1. In 2011, fictional romance author Nancy Brophy wrote a book called “How to Murder Your Huband.” She seemed to have a knack for writing about these things: murder and criminal investigations. But seven years later, in 2022, she found herself being accused of the very things she wrote about in her novels: Prosecutors put her on trial for killing her own husband of over 25 years. Suppo...

Meal planning and prepping, laundry, and taking out the trash: These non-negotiable household tasks are never truly "done". And because it's impossible to get ahead of these mundane chores, they are likely the reason you feel like you’re always busy but never accomplish anything. The bad news? Non-negotiables are a part of adulting. The good news? Streamlining such chores with a reduce...

#245 - Rebecca Zahau was found dead, hanging naked, bound, and gagged, in the courtyard of her billionaire boyfriend's Coronado mansion on July 13, 2011, just two days after his six-year-old son suffered a fatal accident while under her care. Her mysterious death was ultimately ruled a suicide, but her family doesn’t believe that’s possible. In this episode, we revisit all the key forensic evidenc...

American culture is heavily influenced by a “rise and grind” reverence for hustling, and many of us have adopted the belief that sleep is a waste of time. When we dismiss the importance of sleep, we have more time to work harder and longer. And when we have more money in our pockets, what we are really doing is keeping our capitalist engines turning. Contrary to what you've been told, sleep is...

We humans are evolutionarily primed to live in concert with the natural world, but these days Americans spend over 92% of time either indoors or inside a vehicle. The result? Stress, inflammation and — for some of us — a pervasive sense of malaise.  American culture is designed to keep us indoors because capitalist engines make money when we are distracted, and yet cutting-edge science supports th...

#244 - It’s a story that’s been called by the media: “The Black Swan Murder.” In September 2020, Ashley Benefield, a former ballerina and swimsuit model, walked to her neighbor's house in Lakewood Ranch, Florida, and said she shot her husband, Doug Benefield, in self-defense. But prosecutors disagreed, and four years later, she was put on trial for his murder. What does the forensic evidence say a...

A product needs to fit into someone’s life seamlessly in order for it to be bought, and it’s the job of the advertiser to show exactly how the item in question will fit into a life. On today's show: 5 crucial insights advertisers know about us (that we perhaps don't know about ourselves).   Here's a preview: [1:00] Examining our clutter problem through metaphor (bathtub, baby!) [9:00]...