Is this the norm?
Is this the norm?
Claim This Podcastby Rebecca, Heather and Lora
5.0(4 reviews)
24 episodes
Updated Daily
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Recent Episodes
June 24, 2026
Liar Liar Pants On Fire
This is an episode focused on the history and reliability of lie detection. Rebecca leads a deep dive into humanity's long history of attempting to detect deception — from ancient methods like China's dry rice test, India's sacred donkey test, and medieval Europe's trials by fire and water, to the invention of the modern polygraph by John Larson in 1921. The episode covers how the polygraph works, why its results are highly unreliable and largely inadmissible in court, and the real-world consequences of its failures, including wrongful convictions (Frank Sterling, Jeffrey Deskovic) and dangerous false negatives (Gary Ridgway, Aldrich Ames, Charles Cullen). Heather, an attorney, weighs in on the legal landscape around polygraph admissibility, explaining why it's considered more prejudicial than probative, while all three hosts agree that no one should ever voluntarily submit to one. The episode wraps up with a humorous tangent about polygraph countermeasures — specifically, the KGB-trained technique of clenching one's sphincter — before signing off. References American Psychological Association. (2020). Report by a government agency. https://apastyle.apa.org/style-grammar-guidelines/references/examples/report-government-agency-references Countway Library. (2020, February 18). The origins of the polygraph. https://countway.harvard.edu/news/origins-polygraph CVSA1. (n.d.). Killer passes polygraph, innocent man fails, killer goes on to kill again. cvsa1.com Department of Justice. (n.d.). 262. Polygraphs—Introduction at trial. justice.gov Grasso Defense. (n.d.). The questionable history and use of the polygraph. grassodefense.com Greghill Associates. (n.d.). When are polygraph (lie detectors) results admissible? greghillassociates.com History of Journalism. (2016, March 29). Ted Bundy. onmason.com Matte Polygraph. (n.d.). Legal admissibility of polygraph test results. mattepolygraph.com National Institutes of Health (NIH). (2015, August 20). Historical techniques of lie detection. PMC4873061. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4873061/ Polytest. (2025, March 26). Polygraph tests in criminal investigations: History & impact. https://www.polytest.org/why-are-polygraph-tests-used-in-criminal-investigations/ Scribd. (n.d.). Historical lie detection methods [PDF]. https://www.scribd.com/document/528610057/Module-in-FORENSIC-5 Smithsonian Magazine. (2025). Why the creator of one of the first ‘lie detectors’ lived to regret his invention. smithsonianmag.com TandfOnline. (2015, July 8). A review of the polygraph: History, methodology and current status. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/23744006.2015.1060080 Upstate Private Investigators. (n.d.). Are polygraph tests admissible evidence in court? upstateprivateinvestigators.com Report, Morning Call | Staff. “Cullen Showed Value of Polygraphs.” The Morning Call, 30 Dec. 2009, www.mcall.com/2009/12/30/cullen-showed-value-of-polygraphs-2/.
June 17, 2026
Assassin Whales
<p>Hosts Lora, Heather, and Rebecca dive deep into the world of orca, also known as killer whales. Lora explains that orca are technically the largest members of the dolphin family, and breaks down the different ecotypes found in the Pacific (resident, transient, offshore) and Antarctic. She highlights the matriarch-led social structure of resident orca, their remarkable intelligence, specialized hunting techniques (including the dangerous beaching method), and their highly specific diets.</p><p>The episode also covers two emotionally resonant stories: marine biologist Dr. Ingrid Visser, who swims alongside orca in New Zealand, and Tahlequah, the Salish Sea orca who carried her deceased calf for 17 days in mourning. The hosts passionately discuss the ethics of keeping orca in captivity, referencing the documentary Blackfish and the story of Keiko (the whale from Free Willy). The episode wraps up with a lighter story about Atlantic orca near the Strait of Gibraltar who have been sinking boats — apparently just for fun.</p>
June 10, 2026
How PG&E Became a Serial Killer
<p>Join Rebecca, Lora and Heather, Where Heather covers PG&E's (Pacific Gas & Electric) long history of negligence and criminal conduct in California.</p><p></p><p>Sources:</p><p></p><p>Timeline: PG&E’s Disasters since 2010 By ABC 10 News</p><p>https://www.abc10.com/article/news/local/wildfire/timeline-pges-disasters/103-980fbb37-</p><p>2675-4cc5-a99f-62f1d2e837d4</p><p>https://www.abc10.com/article/news/local/wildfire/run-to-failure-what-pge-knew-and-</p><p>when/103-e4654585-1036-47bb-9078-137893ac242d</p><p>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oGFh9vB0Nvg</p><p></p><p>Scenic America</p><p>https://www.scenic.org/take-action/resources/undergrounding-</p><p>resources/undergrounding-resources-and-white-papers/undergrounding-case-study-</p><p>pacific-gas-electric-pge/</p><p></p><p>California Public Utilities Commission</p><p>https://www.cpuc.ca.gov/regulatory-services/safety/gas-safety-and-reliability-</p><p>branch/san-bruno-incident</p><p></p><p>Out of Line</p><p>https://sma.nasa.gov/docs/default-source/safety-messages/safetymessage-2012-03-05-</p><p>sanbrunopipelineexplosion.pdf?sfvrsn=81ae1ef8_4</p>
24 total episodes available
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