Assassin Whales

Assassin Whales

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. 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.

How PG&E Became a Serial Killer

Join Rebecca, Lora and Heather, Where Heather covers PG&E's (Pacific Gas & Electric) long history of negligence and criminal conduct in California. Sources: Timeline: PG&E’s Disasters since 2010 By ABC 10 News https://www.abc10.com/article/news/local/wildfire/timeline-pges-disasters/103-980fbb37- 2675-4cc5-a99f-62f1d2e837d4 https://www.abc10.com/article/news/local/wildfire/run-to-failure-what-pge-knew-and- when/103-e4654585-1036-47bb-9078-137893ac242d https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oGFh9vB0Nvg Scenic America https://www.scenic.org/take-action/resources/undergrounding- resources/undergrounding-resources-and-white-papers/undergrounding-case-study- pacific-gas-electric-pge/ California Public Utilities Commission https://www.cpuc.ca.gov/regulatory-services/safety/gas-safety-and-reliability- branch/san-bruno-incident Out of Line https://sma.nasa.gov/docs/default-source/safety-messages/safetymessage-2012-03-05- sanbrunopipelineexplosion.pdf?sfvrsn=81ae1ef8_4

The Citrini Scenario

In this episode, Rebecca dives into the Citrini Scenario — a macro research report by Citrini Research and economist Alap Shah titled The 2028 Global Intelligence Crisis — which examines the possibility of an AI-driven economic collapse. Rebecca leads a detailed breakdown of the report, explaining how the rapid rise of agentic AI is poised to automate a large portion of white-collar work within years, threatening to eliminate far more jobs than any previous technological revolution while creating comparatively few new ones. The hosts discuss the downstream economic risks — including a potential housing crisis worse than 2008 — as white-collar workers, who drive roughly half of U.S. consumer spending, could face widespread unemployment. Heather weighs in from a legal perspective on AI's current limitations, while Rebecca argues those limitations are temporary given AI's exponential rate of self-improvement. The episode blends research-driven analysis with candid personal reactions, framing the Citrini Scenario not as alarmism but as a serious economic warning worth understanding. Works Cited Citrini Research, and Alap Shah. “THE 2028 GLOBAL INTELLIGENCE CRISIS.” Citriniresearch.com, Citrini Research, 22 Feb. 2026, www.citriniresearch.com/p/2028gic. Lichtenberg, Nick. “Citadel Securities Demolishes Viral AI Doomsday Essay, Arguing the Real “Global Intelligence Crisis” Is Ignorance of Macro Fundamentals.” Fortune, 26 Feb. 2026, fortune.com/2026/02/26/citadel-demolishes-viral-doomsday-ai-essay-citrini-macro-fundamentals-engels-pause/. Shah, Alap. “The Global Intelligence Crisis · Part Three.” Substack.com, Alap Shah, 25 Mar. 2026, substack.com/home/post/p-192091667. Accessed 18 May 2026. Substack. “The Global Intelligence Crisis.” Substack.com, 2025, substack.com/home/post/p-188812384.

Hamburgers From a Petri Dish

Lora, Rebecca and Heather are cautiously open-minded — hopeful about the technology's potential but concerned about the FBS issue, safety unknowns, and whether lab-grown meat can replicate the taste of traditionally raised animals. The conversation drifts into food waste, preservatives, Impossible Meat, black bean burgers, and cooking habits.

How Coke Killed the Refillable Bottle

Join Rebecca, Lora, and Heather, where Heather discusses how Coca-Cola and the broader beverage industry deliberately dismantled the environmentally superior refillable glass bottle system in favor of single-use plastic.  References: Why Coke Stopped Using Glass Bottles By Susan Messer Environmental historian Bart Elmore from Ohio State University. Story of Stuff website