Scientists have identified 50
individuals who are able to spot deception with great accuracy after testing
more than 15,000 people. Eyes for Lies is one of the 50 people.
More
Eyes has a 97.3%
accuracy rate (to date) after identifying truth and deception in 37/38 people
before the truth was known by watching media clips.
Eyes for Lies is not psychic.
48 Hours profiled the case of Doug Grant tonight. For those of you who have interest, this case was also featured on 20/20 and Dateline earlier this year. I wrote about it then.
Here is a link to my three posts/polls on the case.
Comment Policy: This blog is about understanding human behavior. You have the right to state your opinion if it is respectful. Disagreements are encouraged if they meet this standard. This blog is about deception and not about politics or religion--hence discussions on these topics will not be tolerated. Anyone who violates these general rules will be immediately banned. I have a zero tolerance for rude and disrespectful behavior.
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When I watch this video of Diena Thompson, Diena's behavior is instantly sending off alarms in my head. The entire video makes me cringe, personally. Diena is trying to act all sad and distressed, but none of it feels genuine to me.
Read moreDiena says, "I did her hair in the morning, uh, I put it up in a ponytail (gasp)."
Notice how Diena shrugs her shoulder? It's indicative of doubt. Also, her sobbing is unnatural to me. When people truly cry, they only gasp for air because they are crying so hard they can't breath, but Diena makes these little "cry gasps" all the time, yet she isn't crying hard enough to be winded. She isn't even crying tears, so why is she making these noises? Her cheeks are dry. That's three red flags in ten to twenty seconds of Diena speaking.
Next, Diena continues in her abnormally high-pitched tone, "I can't even remember if I told her I loved her." Her voice tone and inflection here, and in the first half of this video, are indicative of a whine rather than a genuine cry in my opinion. I also would expected to see fear or stress in Diena's eyebrows and forehead as well. I do not.
Notice that Diena continually gasps as she talks--like children do when they cry so hard they can't breath. Why is Diena doing this? We don't make noises without a reason. This makes her lack of tears all the more curious. People can absolutely cry out all their tears, but she shows no indications of a serious hard cry, which would be redness and notably puffiness.
Diena continues, "I went to work and told them to have a good day. She wasn't feeling well and I just told her to try to go to school, and if you need me, call me." Diena's behavior is very similar to that of William Walsh when he was interviewed about his missing wife. Take a look. It's eerie.
Did you see Diena wiping away non-existent tears with her handkerchief? Why on earth would anyone do this? It makes no sense whatsoever. It's a huge red flag for me. If you don't have tears, you don't wipe your eyes. I've actually never seen this one before!
When someone from off camera says to Diena, "Describe what she was wearing again" Diena's voice pitch changes dramatically and so does her demeanor. All of the sudden all of her crying and "sadness" dissipate. When people truly cry, their demeanor doesn't change this quickly. Their emotions and feeling remain, even though they may dissipate slightly upon focus, but Diena does a notable 180 here. I cringe when I see it.
Diena says, "It was a cranberry colored jumpsuit with a matching top to the bottom, up the sides of the legs and up the sides of the arm is a pink silky strip and then she had a black shirt on underneath, she had rainbow-colored tennis shoes, and she had gray and blue-striped ankle socks on, and her hair bow was red."
I would think for Diena or any mother to recall the details of what her precious daughter was last wearing, detail-by-detail, would be extremely painful, yet Diena oddly shows no emotions. She is completely disconnected where I would expect a connection the most! Then once Diena finishes, she tones down her voice again. Did she remember she needed to be "sad" again?
Notice Diena never gasped for air either during her daughter's clothing description? If she was truly winded, I wouldn't think it would dissipate that quickly, would you?
While I don't know what Diena is hiding, my opinion is that I do not believe she is being honest with us about how she is feeling here, which is very notable for me. I have also seen Diena smirk several times in other videos, which is notable cause for concern as well.
And with Diena's thank you to the community, I do find it odd that Diena is so thankful before the killer is found. It's almost as if she feels closure now that the funeral is behind her. Usually, until a killer is found, most victims don't feel peace. I was also taken by how much this thank you revolved around Diena and not Somer. There is nothing about how Somer would have liked or loved any part of it. It was all about Diena.
There are way too many red flags for my comfort in a video clip less than a minute long.
To read more thoughts of mine on Diena Thompson, click on the labels below.
Comment Policy: This blog is about understanding human behavior. You have the right to state your opinion if it is respectful. Disagreements are encouraged if they meet this standard. This blog is about deception and not about politics or religion--hence discussions on these topics will not be tolerated. Anyone who violates these general rules will be immediately banned. I have a zero tolerance for rude and disrespectful behavior.
Here are the results of the Diena Thompson poll as of 8:15 AM today. I don't think we've had another one so clearly divided. As the poll progressed yesterday, each category stood on top for a moment at some point and then the pendulum swung back the other direction as votes came in.
Comment Policy: This blog is about understanding human behavior. You have the right to state your opinion if it is respectful. Disagreements are encouraged if they meet this standard. This blog is about deception and not about politics or religion--hence discussions on these topics will not be tolerated. Anyone who violates these general rules will be immediately banned. I have a zero tolerance for rude and disrespectful behavior.
Comment Policy: This blog is about understanding human behavior. You have the right to state your opinion if it is respectful. Disagreements are encouraged if they meet this standard. This blog is about deception and not about politics or religion--hence discussions on these topics will not be tolerated. Anyone who violates these general rules will be immediately banned. I have a zero tolerance for rude and disrespectful behavior.
Rifqa Bary has been returned to Ohio Tuesday at the request of her parents, and is now in the custody of Franklin County Children Services. She will stay with a foster family under the care of the state for the time being, and she will have her phone and internet supervised. You can read more here and here.
Comment Policy: This blog is about understanding human behavior. You have the right to state your opinion if it is respectful. Disagreements are encouraged if they meet this standard. This blog is about deception and not about politics or religion--hence discussions on these topics will not be tolerated. Anyone who violates these general rules will be immediately banned. I have a zero tolerance for rude and disrespectful behavior.
This week marks two major milestones for me. It's my 5 year blog anniversary, and my 15th wedding anniversary. Where have the years gone?!
It's been an incredibly journey and an amazing experience writing this blog. I met the coolest people, and I have received some incredible invitations because of it. Thank you for all of you who have reached out to me.
Thanks to all of my readers who make this blog everything that it is. I so appreciate all the story suggestions, thoughts and ideas, and I love the free flow of information and sharing that goes on in our exchanges.
Comment Policy: This blog is about understanding human behavior. You have the right to state your opinion if it is respectful. Disagreements are encouraged if they meet this standard. This blog is about deception and not about politics or religion--hence discussions on these topics will not be tolerated. Anyone who violates these general rules will be immediately banned. I have a zero tolerance for rude and disrespectful behavior.
That pesky integral part of us that can scare us to safety, our emotions, can also scare us into silence and inaction. Like all humans, I am no exception to this rule and even though I am well aware of it, I, too still fall victim to it now and then myself. This is one such story.
Read more I went to a dentist a month ago who came highly, highly recommended by at least six people in our community. This wonderfully spoken-about dentist put a crown on my dad, and he has no problems with it. My dad was and still is pleased, and so were many other people I spoke to about him, so I decided I'd finally go for a checkup. In ten years, my family and I have been through three dentists with dismal results. I was finally hopeful. I knew I needed to see a dentist, as it had been three years and my wisdom teeth were giving me some indications things weren't right.
First my husband went to him for his checkup, and he came home with a $1,700 estimate. That immediately put me on alert. He didn't have cavities, either. He supposedly had cracks in his teeth from large amalgam fillings and the doctor told him to switch them to composite (which I know is less durable), but he told my husband composite is better, because it actually sticks to teeth and will prevent further cracking. I told my husband that he needed to get a second opinion, that I didn't feel right about it, but neither of us knew who to go to that we could trust, so we dropped the ball. I did read online that composite fillings do stick to teeth better, but they only last on average 7 years versus 20 or more for the traditional metal.
When I went, the dentist told me I needed $1,400 worth of work. I had nearly flawless teeth! I was suspicious of him, until he showed me a photo of one of my cavities. It shocking, to say the least, staring at me ten times its normal size. A black little devil moved into one of my wisdom teeth, and the appearance of it was horrifying. I felt dirty! It was gross. I got emotional. I turned away in disgust. I didn't want to see anymore. I convinced myself I was aging and that I needed to accept it.
This guy was really high-tech. Not only did he take x-rays, but he used a new tool that checks the density of your tooth to identify cavities. The tool, which looks like a pen and glides over your teeth, gives a number. The higher the number, the higher likelihood of decay. The dentist was all excited by this tool. As he went across my teeth, my numbers were not good. Most of molars scored in the 40s, 50s and 60s. I forget the ideal number, but it was supposed to be under 20 I think. My heart sank. I wanted to run away!
I kept watching the dentist, trying to make a determination of honesty, but I knew it doesn't take much for a dentist to say, "You have 8 cavities" when in reality you may only have 1 or 2 -- especially if he has a machine that whirled up a high score for him. He isn't likely to leak any clues. It isn't what I would consider high stakes. He could also say that is what his equipment said and he trusted it. Who could dispute that?
The only real way to get to the truth in dentistry, or any technical situation, is to do your homework. But after years of searching for a dentist, ending up in a crackpot's chair on a recommendation and ending up in a dirty office in another, and one that was an outright liar, I was at my wits end!
Upon my husband's request, however, I did asked the dentist to see my husband's photos of his cracked teeth. There was no denying there were cracks. With that, I told myself to stop worrying all the time, and I went in for my first appointment to fix three of my eight cavities. Out of fear of not knowing what else to do, I took a blind leap of faith.
I had this nagging feeling that I needed to investigate, but I didn't want the inconvenience of what I would find. I didn't want to have to meet more creepy dentists or ignore things another three years. That scared the hell out of me and gave me a pit in my stomach.
Don't do this!!!
After the work was complete, I went home and I noticed the dentist said I had a cavity in my front tooth for the next visit. That finally alarmed me into action. I suspected my wisdom teeth did have issues, but a front tooth? What the hell?!
Oh when I left, he said he hit the nerve in each wisdom tooth, and I might need a root canal on two of my three teeth. That bothered me! I had no pain, but the decay went to my nerve? That's sounded like crap!
Low and behold, my teeth started aching when I bit down, and when it didn't subside the next day, I called and the assistant said they were just closing the office because the doctor was going on vacation. I'd have to wait 10 days!! I once worked in a dental office before, and I knew this was unacceptable for someone who was in pain! Good dentists have a backup doctor to call in an event like this. This guy was too greedy! It was another alarm. A really good dentist would stay open an extra hour if he was going out of town to help a patient in need. Not this guy! I was mad.
I went in to get my x-rays yesterday as the dentist is out of town. I asked the secretary if she could spot decay on the x-rays and she piped up that she could. She said she had been working in the dental field for decades. She then looked at mine and couldn't find one! When I asked her for the x-rays for the wisdom teeth and the one molar he had just filled, she said he didn't have any! I was floored.
She quickly recovered by saying that the dentist didn't need them, they were visually obvious. Right. Not. His assistant took the x-rays of my teeth before he ever saw me, so that was likely a lie. I then asked the receptionist, who talked like a dutch uncle, to give me the name of that machine that checked the density of my teeth. She did. I finally learned its name and what I have read since turns my stomach.
I immediately found that this new tool, the DIAGNOdent, should only be used after a hygienist cleaning, because small food particles can cause false-positives. My dentist used this tool BEFORE my teeth were cleaned. Obviously, he likes false positives. He is no dumby and this was no accident. I am confident of that!
The machine also has a higher false positive reading than it should according to researchers/experts, and most expert studies that I read said that this tool should not be used alone to diagnose decay (that doing so is "unethical"). They say that it should only be used in conjunction with x-rays and visual inspection. According to the receptionist, he was relying on this tool to fill my other remaining cavities.
I came home and looked online what cavities look like on x-rays and for the most part, I should be able to see some of them. I can't find ONE.
And upon close inspection last night, my husband and I found that horrible cavity I saw in the chair a month ago was still there. I need to see today if I have an x-ray of that tooth. I probably don't! The dentist filled my other teeth first. Needless to say, the fear that stopped me from listening to the red flags I did see, to go see another dentist, wasn't avoided by my emotions. I still have to do it, I just may have paid a price for it instead! I will never do this again.
Here are some of the red flags I ignored because of fear of finding another dentist overwhelmed me:
When I asked my husband if they used the density tool on his teeth he said no. Instead of doing my homework, I thought that perhaps they can't use it on teeth with silver (amalgam) fillings. That is an incorrect assumption. They can still test the margins. The fact that this guy didn't, shows his inconsistency. It wasn't worth his time with my husband, but it was a huge money-maker for me with all of my perfect white teeth!
When I got my fillings, the assistant offered me a free paraffin wax treatment for my hands during the fillings. Why would they be doing this? Was it another sales tool to get people to "want to come to him"? To think he was a "nice guy"? At the time, I didn't like the idea. It bothered me.
When I left, the assistant said to me, "Tell all your friends about the paraffin wax treatment." I was thinking at that moment, "How does that equate to good dentistry?" It's a sale pitch thought. I said to her, "Is business that slow?" She denied it and looked away from me. I didn't buy it.
I had only two small fillings in my upper wisdom teeth prior to coming to this guy. When this guy told me I had 8 cavities, which were all perfectly lined up together -- all in the back of mouth, one next to another (top and bottom), outside of one on the front tooth, I should have responded immediately and asked for evidence. Instead I was overwhelmed by the one photo of my worst tooth and that blackness.
When I asked around to my friends and family if anyone ever had a cavity on their front teeth. They all answered no. That's a red flag for me because I never even had a cavity until I was 34. I am going to be real curious if I have a cavity there. The x-ray and visual inspect look good to me and my husband.
This dentist used a new tool I knew nothing about and was relying on it heavily. I should have immediately done my homework to see how reliable it was. I didn't!
I am oh-so human, and I am vulnerable at times, too. Those damn emotions of fear and stress!!!!
__________ Wholly crap. I just saw this video on YouTube about Diagnodent and I was never offered a "non-invasive" procedure that sandblasts off the decay. I'm even more outraged! Pardon me while I scream.
Comment Policy: This blog is about understanding human behavior. You have the right to state your opinion if it is respectful. Disagreements are encouraged if they meet this standard. This blog is about deception and not about politics or religion--hence discussions on these topics will not be tolerated. Anyone who violates these general rules will be immediately banned. I have a zero tolerance for rude and disrespectful behavior.
Going through my own tooth dilemma and getting some red flags from my new dentist that I need to work out, I did some reading online hoping to get some answers before I get my x-rays and head out the door for a second opinion. What I found was, well, very unsettling.
I found an article in Reader's Digest (Canada) about a woman who decided to randomly visit 45 dentists with x-rays and ask for an opinion. You'd think she'd get the same recommendations, overall, wouldn't you? She didn't. This is a must read.
In today's times, with a difficult economy, I think we need to be even more cautious. I've done some studying online and plan to read my own x-rays as best I can, and where I have questions, I will ask them!
Comment Policy: This blog is about understanding human behavior. You have the right to state your opinion if it is respectful. Disagreements are encouraged if they meet this standard. This blog is about deception and not about politics or religion--hence discussions on these topics will not be tolerated. Anyone who violates these general rules will be immediately banned. I have a zero tolerance for rude and disrespectful behavior.
Things are certainly clear at this point. There are no doubts about it: My original observations were off. I missed the clues, even if I wasn't conclusive. This was a good learning experience for me. Thanks to everyone who has been so understanding.
Researchers say that one person cannot read everyone and there is definitely truth in that statement (not that I ever disagreed).
Comment Policy: This blog is about understanding human behavior. You have the right to state your opinion if it is respectful. Disagreements are encouraged if they meet this standard. This blog is about deception and not about politics or religion--hence discussions on these topics will not be tolerated. Anyone who violates these general rules will be immediately banned. I have a zero tolerance for rude and disrespectful behavior.
Somer Thompson's body was found this week, sadly. News reports are saying that Somer was walking home with her twin brother and sister, when she got in an argument with them and ran ahead. They say Somer never made it home.
Here is her mother, Diena Thompson, talking about the last time she saw Somer. What do you think?
Comment Policy: This blog is about understanding human behavior. You have the right to state your opinion if it is respectful. Disagreements are encouraged if they meet this standard. This blog is about deception and not about politics or religion--hence discussions on these topics will not be tolerated. Anyone who violates these general rules will be immediately banned. I have a zero tolerance for rude and disrespectful behavior.
This is a case posted on my Topic Suggestion Page. Please note that I am taking some time off, away from cases for the next week or so, to regroup, so I won't be sharing my thoughts or opinions. But in the meantime, I will post cases and you guys can feel free to banter your thoughts amongst each other!
Comment Policy: This blog is about understanding human behavior. You have the right to state your opinion if it is respectful. Disagreements are encouraged if they meet this standard. This blog is about deception and not about politics or religion--hence discussions on these topics will not be tolerated. Anyone who violates these general rules will be immediately banned. I have a zero tolerance for rude and disrespectful behavior.
I was watching "Lie to Me" last night (Monday's episode) and I couldn't help but notice that the actors were missing something. Did anyone else notice? It was driving me crazy.
Read moreIt was tension. When the gunman was on the scene, they managed to acted stressed within reason, but as soon as any of the actors did a scene that didn't involve the gun, they were acting like it was a casual average day. Their tension notably dissipated! When the scenes would switch from Cal and the gunman to any other scene, I noticed it immediately. It kept taking me out of the moment. Repeatedly. Argh. I wanted to say something LOL.
Did you notice?
If any of us had a colleague who was being held at gunpoint, I can be confident we would be so incredibly nervous/fearful/afraid/tense until the hostage situation was over safely that we wouldn't be able to contain it, but the actors seemed to keep forgetting that aspect when they were acting. There was absolutely no tension when there should have been.
Silly stuff, I know. I can't help it!
The Dentist
I went to the dentist this week. I got bad news about my once show-stopping pearlies. I wasn't happy. Cavities. Too many to mention after never having any until my mid-30s. Well anyway, I went to get them fixed and it was the first time I had Novocaine since my last visit. The last time I saw a different dentist and it was really scary! He really freaked me out. He didn't have an assistant. He and I were alone in the office (outside of his secretary in another area) which was a bad sign, he was socially very awkward and "off". My intuition was screaming at me to get up and run in the middle of filling. Yet, I ignored it. I was extremely afraid and I could not rationalize it so I sat there ignoring my intuition.
I felt trapped because I didn't know how extricate myself out of there without upsetting him and I didn't know where else I was going to go to get my teeth fixed. The stress caused me to stay. Later, after thinking about it all, I had an ah-ha moment. Never let fear or stress stop you from reacting to your intuition. It was stupid of me.
There was one point when he was working behind me where the flight response was strong and my heart was racing at an incredible rate that I almost bolted. I still wonder if he was thinking of doing something to me! I was a dead duck at that point--a perfect victim.
I wrote about it on my blog several years ago, and at that time people told me it might have been the result of the Novocaine, as it can cause a flight or fight reaction. I never had it before with Novocaine and on Monday, when I got three fillings, I didn't get that response at all.
It just cemented for me that my intuition on this other dentist was right on the money. I will never let my fear stop me from reacting to that feeling again. I can still feel my skin crawl when I think back to that guy! You would know his name involved a variation of the world "cruel"! Freak me out! Thank god, I have a new, safe dentist.
Comment Policy: This blog is about understanding human behavior. You have the right to state your opinion if it is respectful. Disagreements are encouraged if they meet this standard. This blog is about deception and not about politics or religion--hence discussions on these topics will not be tolerated. Anyone who violates these general rules will be immediately banned. I have a zero tolerance for rude and disrespectful behavior.
Comment Policy: This blog is about understanding human behavior. You have the right to state your opinion if it is respectful. Disagreements are encouraged if they meet this standard. This blog is about deception and not about politics or religion--hence discussions on these topics will not be tolerated. Anyone who violates these general rules will be immediately banned. I have a zero tolerance for rude and disrespectful behavior.
Do you find music is connected to your emotional memory? I sure do. Songs often mark a spot of time in life and every time I hear a specific song, I am taken back to a specific memory.
Comment Policy: This blog is about understanding human behavior. You have the right to state your opinion if it is respectful. Disagreements are encouraged if they meet this standard. This blog is about deception and not about politics or religion--hence discussions on these topics will not be tolerated. Anyone who violates these general rules will be immediately banned. I have a zero tolerance for rude and disrespectful behavior.
See on the column on the right for the changes to "Cases I got Wrong" (on the blog for those on Facebook). I think that's fair for now. How about you? I'm ready to move on :) New topics coming soon...maybe after I take a few days break to clear my head LOL. What a story!
Comment Policy: This blog is about understanding human behavior. You have the right to state your opinion if it is respectful. Disagreements are encouraged if they meet this standard. This blog is about deception and not about politics or religion--hence discussions on these topics will not be tolerated. Anyone who violates these general rules will be immediately banned. I have a zero tolerance for rude and disrespectful behavior.
Mayumi does a horrible acting job here, if you want my opinion. After seeing her here, I don't trust her. Remember emotional memories that I speak about? Well, Mayumi doesn't have any, and if you thought your child was missing and could possible be killed because of a mistake you or your husband made, let me tell you (well, you all know!), you'd be as emotional as heck. Mayumi? Not at all. Notice she has no recollection memories of what the "terror" was like? She says lots of people helped her, but she can't say who outside of the police? Her lack of emotional memory here is a gigantic red flag. Add that to what the little boy said, and to the fact he was throwing up, and I really think this was a hoax. The question is when did they decide to go with this hoax? After they accidentally released the balloon? Or before?
Two people have pointed out that I spoke prematurely for myself (Ruth on Facebook and Sarah). I originally wrote in my first post, "So at this point, I tend towards the fact that this was an accident, and not a hoax, but I sure would like to see the boy speak more and ask questions to probe why he said it. That needs to be looked at further so we can understand it, and then and only then can a final determination be made." At least I was never conclusive.
What a mess this has been!
Some people have been writing me with theories. Is it possible that Richard accidentally released the balloon without a plan, and really did think for an instant that his son might have been in it, but then realized that he wasn't. I saw Richard make expressions that showed he was distraught over Falcon, but Mayumi doesn't. Would that explain that aspect? Then they decided to take their "media stunt" and run with it, so they hide Falcon in the attic? I could really believe this is the truth. Everything for me would then make sense.
Update 10-20-2009: I must say after this whole debacle, my brain is mush and I need to walk away for a while to get clarity. I don't trust myself at this point to read this case at all right now.
Comment Policy: This blog is about understanding human behavior. You have the right to state your opinion if it is respectful. Disagreements are encouraged if they meet this standard. This blog is about deception and not about politics or religion--hence discussions on these topics will not be tolerated. Anyone who violates these general rules will be immediately banned. I have a zero tolerance for rude and disrespectful behavior.
Comment Policy: This blog is about understanding human behavior. You have the right to state your opinion if it is respectful. Disagreements are encouraged if they meet this standard. This blog is about deception and not about politics or religion--hence discussions on these topics will not be tolerated. Anyone who violates these general rules will be immediately banned. I have a zero tolerance for rude and disrespectful behavior.
I missed it. No doubt. I sure picked a notorious case, though, to miss, didn't I? That makes me laugh. What a case to be remembered for!
In five years (my anniversary is less than 10 days), my score is 25/1. I never expected to be perfect and have said that all along. Many of you wrote me over the years, if would be good if I miss a case, as it would give me more credibility. It's not something I controlled (LOL). I couldn't change that, but now it has happened and it is what it is. I have nothing to hide.
I am still quite proud of my track record. I think it speaks for itself. I just wish this wasn't the case I missed! Now I need to learn from it. I do have to also say I am glad I believed a guilty man rather than distrusting an honest man. Whew! That would weigh heavily on my conscience. Now I don't feel bad at all for being hesitant to disbelieve a total goofball.
Thanks to all of you who have been so supportive!! It really means the world to me. I feared people's responses much more than I did getting something wrong. I knew I got things wrong now and then offline. That was never a secret.
I hope I get another five year run (well, if I chose to blog that long. I don't think I will, but who knows).
----- Now this is interesting, the sheriff said he isn't going to do any more interviews until or "IF" the suspects are charges. What? Do they have evidence or not? I'm perplexed. He also said they had 18 months to lay the charges. This is fascinating. What a case. It will be interesting to watch it develop.
Comment Policy: This blog is about understanding human behavior. You have the right to state your opinion if it is respectful. Disagreements are encouraged if they meet this standard. This blog is about deception and not about politics or religion--hence discussions on these topics will not be tolerated. Anyone who violates these general rules will be immediately banned. I have a zero tolerance for rude and disrespectful behavior.
It looks like I may have missed something or misread the Heene family. I really believed the anger in the video tape was real. I'll be curious to see what evolves, but I never claimed to be infallible. I am human.
Comment Policy: This blog is about understanding human behavior. You have the right to state your opinion if it is respectful. Disagreements are encouraged if they meet this standard. This blog is about deception and not about politics or religion--hence discussions on these topics will not be tolerated. Anyone who violates these general rules will be immediately banned. I have a zero tolerance for rude and disrespectful behavior.
No doubt, this guy loves the media and is milking this here. Sad behavior, but not surprising from this guy. I think he's decided to use this to his benefit now, which I think will backfire on him big time.
I still lean toward the fact Richard's anger, and the response of his son and wife were too hard to fake when the balloon lifted off untethered, if it was a planned prank. But after that, I can't be certain what this man's thought were until I see him (and the boy) talk about this in detail more and he is asked/answers direct questions. I said that yesterday and I still stand by that today.
Crazy people do crazy things, but it doesn't necessarily mean they are liars.
Comment Policy: This blog is about understanding human behavior. You have the right to state your opinion if it is respectful. Disagreements are encouraged if they meet this standard. This blog is about deception and not about politics or religion--hence discussions on these topics will not be tolerated. Anyone who violates these general rules will be immediately banned. I have a zero tolerance for rude and disrespectful behavior.
What an interesting story to say the least: Crazy scientist dad builds helium balloon in backyard, attempts to release it to 20 feet to test it, but never checks his safety tethers? The balloon takes off. Then he is told by his eldest son that his youngest son might be inside once it has lifted off. NORAD gets called in. Planes are diverted. The world watched as a balloon containing what most believe is a a 6-year old little boy sails across the sky on a free course with impending danger.
Who could dream this stuff up?
Read moreYet when the balloon gently lands, there is no boy! He has been missing for four hours. Did he fall out? No. It appears the boy was at home hiding in the attic for four hours!
Is this a true story, or is this a hoax? Did the father, Richard Heene, dream up this story for publicity? He is known to like media attention as he was on Wife Swap and other accounts say that he was shopping for his own reality TV show.
Last night on Larry King, the little runaway boy, Falcon, said when asked why he didn't come when called and he said, "...we did this for a show". Then today the poor child is seen throwing up on TV twice when this was discussed.
What?
To not question if this was a hoax is to be ignorant--especially after the boy said this. His words are hard to explain. When Falcon says this, he hesitates, like he knows he is not suppose to say it, or was he just thinking on his feet as he spoke? Children are usually very honest, yet can do the darnedest things!
Yet when I watch the footage shot of the helium balloon release, filmed by Falcon's older brother who is 10, I am surprised by the anger I see in his father Richard, and the fear I see in Richard's wife, Mayumi. If they set this balloon off as a hoax, I wouldn't expect to see this unless they are award winning actors. Instead, I would expect to see hints of excitement and joy, or at least no fear or reaction from Mayumi or the boy shooting the video, but they both react negatively at the father as well. That's hard to do so well, if they are all acting. They didn't know Falcon was inside at this point. So the only conclusion one could dreamed up at this point is that dad, Richard, created this scheme after he lost his balloon, which seems far-fetched. It would be quite lucky that Falcon wasn't in the home video then, wouldn't it? What would be the odds? They'd have to dream up that story quickly.
I then listened to the 911 call, and the emotions I hear on it are genuine and do not raise any alarm bells. And when I watch the father in this video here, I suspect the first video after the incident, I do not see anything suspicious. Many people will find it odd that he looks down as he talks, but I don't see it as unusual for his personality type.
Clearly, the father, Richard Heene has a big enough temper to scare his kid into the attic for four hours, there is no doubt about that. We witnessed it firsthand as he yelled when he realized his balloon wasn't tethered. Hello!
So at this point, I tend towards the fact that this was an accident, and not a hoax, but I sure would like to see the boy speak more and ask questions to probe why he said it. That needs to be looked at further so we can understand it, and then and only then can a final determination be made.
Comment Policy: This blog is about understanding human behavior. You have the right to state your opinion if it is respectful. Disagreements are encouraged if they meet this standard. This blog is about deception and not about politics or religion--hence discussions on these topics will not be tolerated. Anyone who violates these general rules will be immediately banned. I have a zero tolerance for rude and disrespectful behavior.
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Comment Policy: This blog is about understanding human behavior. You have the right to state your opinion if it is respectful. Disagreements are encouraged if they meet this standard. This blog is about deception and not about politics or religion--hence discussions on these topics will not be tolerated. Anyone who violates these general rules will be immediately banned. I have a zero tolerance for rude and disrespectful behavior.
Police said William Hurley, 24, called his girlfriend for a ride home after Thursday night's game, but never met up with her and didn’t show up for work on Friday morning... Read more here.
A reader put this video up on my topic suggestion page and asked for my opinion on the girlfriend, Claire Mahoney.
In this video, Mahoney doesn't really say anything worry of deception, so I can't speak for things she is not saying, but I can say that she is genuinely upset and distraught here.
Comment Policy: This blog is about understanding human behavior. You have the right to state your opinion if it is respectful. Disagreements are encouraged if they meet this standard. This blog is about deception and not about politics or religion--hence discussions on these topics will not be tolerated. Anyone who violates these general rules will be immediately banned. I have a zero tolerance for rude and disrespectful behavior.
Click on the reader demographic label below and answer all of my questionnaires on readership, if you haven't already. I love to know more about you, my readers. Any other questions we should ask that would interest you? It's official. We have readers on ALL 7 CONTINENTS! Wohoo!
Comment Policy: This blog is about understanding human behavior. You have the right to state your opinion if it is respectful. Disagreements are encouraged if they meet this standard. This blog is about deception and not about politics or religion--hence discussions on these topics will not be tolerated. Anyone who violates these general rules will be immediately banned. I have a zero tolerance for rude and disrespectful behavior.
Forgive me for writing off topic today, but there this is a topic weighing heavily on my mind. My husband works for a Fortune 500 company and yesterday he got the details of our new health insurance plan that we are forced to accept.
The nice and luxurious HMO that we use to have is now gone. Instead, it is being replaced by a stingy new plan, where we pay not only higher monthly payments, but now we have to pay a multi-thousand dollar deductible each year before we are fully covered, and until that deductible is met, we have to pay 20% of expenses after we reach several thousand dollars of costs.
Our health insurance costs will now increase more than $1500 -$2000 a year, when we are healthy and much worse, if we are not. My husband's co-workers who have spouses or children who are sick, will get hard hit by this change. It's cruel, if you ask me.
Read moreAt company meetings, employees found out if they had cancer before and were cured, but did annual cancer screens, those screens were not covered as "preventative care". I find that unbelievable.
More than that, we found out there is a lifetime CAP on what they will cover us for now--though it is nowhere in the literature they have sent us to date. Have you ever heard of this in company sponsored health insurance plans? In private (self-employment) plans I have, but never with employer sponsored plans. Our lifetime cap on benefits is 3 million dollars. After that, we will be uninsured. I am assuming that total is for the both of us.
Anyone knows if you get cancer or any other serious, life-threatening diagnosis, that 1.5 million could dissipate quickly with a year or more of coverage and multiple hospitals stays. What would we do after that? Go homeless on the streets?
People better hope beyond hope they don't suffer from a long, drawn out illness, because they will likely face bankruptcy and homelessness. What are our alternatives? I can't believe this!
I am really sickened by this change. It could devastate our financial future, and I am curious if others out there have seen similar things. If so, it will help me make a decision. It will mean a change in employers because this, to me, is flat unacceptable.
I'm sorry it is consuming my thoughts today and I'd really like to know if this is a trend, or just my husband's company is just getting greedy at our expense!!
Comment Policy: This blog is about understanding human behavior. You have the right to state your opinion if it is respectful. Disagreements are encouraged if they meet this standard. This blog is about deception and not about politics or religion--hence discussions on these topics will not be tolerated. Anyone who violates these general rules will be immediately banned. I have a zero tolerance for rude and disrespectful behavior.
Jon Gosselin has been ordered by a judge to return the $180,000 dollars Kate said he took. Read more here. Now that is justice--if Jon actually returns it. That's the key. He may have already spent it!!
Jon Gosselin is a time bomb waiting to implode, if you ask me.
Thanks to "bolted" at Twitter for the @EyesForLies update!
Comment Policy: This blog is about understanding human behavior. You have the right to state your opinion if it is respectful. Disagreements are encouraged if they meet this standard. This blog is about deception and not about politics or religion--hence discussions on these topics will not be tolerated. Anyone who violates these general rules will be immediately banned. I have a zero tolerance for rude and disrespectful behavior.
A couple of months ago, I attended a dog training class. It was the first night, and as my husband and I walked in from the parking lot, I saw a round faced, older gray-haired gentleman who I did not think was very friendly looking. He greeted us by saying "Hi" and directing us into a building as he continued to talk with some of his friends. I was hoping like heck he wasn't the trainer, because if he was, I wasn't very confident he knew how to train dogs with anything other than force and fear. I knew his personality type well.
Read moreWe went into the building and sat on a bench, along with the other participants. A young brunette, probably in her 30s, approached us and asked us to fill out a form. She also asked for payment for the class. She was friendly.
I was on edge at this point wondering if she was going to train the dogs, or if this other guys was, because if was him, I wasn't very confident that we would get along.
As other people walked in, the woman introduced her dog "Champ" to everyone. Since it was the first night, no one brought their dog, but strangely Champ wasn't allowed to greet us. She had Champ on a mat in the arena, about 20 feet away from everyone. He had on a leash (I couldn't tell if he was tied down or not), and had a prong collar on. He was very uptight and nervous. He was also whimpering and whining. He was clearly unhappy.
I asked how long she had Champ. She told me he was 5 years old and that she took him through this training several years ago and liked it, and so she decided to teach here as well. She then said that Champ wasn't happy that he had to stay on his mat. That was very obvious.
I was perplexed why she didn't let him socialize, if he was well trained. Well trained dogs should respond to commands immediately, if needed, and should be good with people. The goal of training is to give dogs and their owners freedom, after all.
I thought back to another training class I went to where the dogs were sociable and friendly, and were allowed off the leash almost exclusively because the instructors loved to show the magic of their commands. I started wishing I still lived nearby that facility.
I then overheard Champ's owner, the young brunette, talk about their approach to training, because someone was talking about a difficult issue and I heard her say, "Dean will get them to do what is required, if that is what he has to do. Sometimes that is what it takes." My ears perked up, but I couldn't hear anymore. I had called and asked about this training before coming, and the woman on the phone didn't seem to know much now that I was at the facility. I must have gotten a secretary as they were a big boarding facility in the area. I had asked about prong collars and she said they didn't use them. I asked about dominant methods and she assured me they only used positive reinforcement. Clearly, she had not attended training or she knew if she said that their clientele for a class would drop in half.
I looked at my husband at this point and looked at Champ. "Do you feel good about this class?" I asked my husband. He always depends on me for a good read and he just said, "If you are uncomfortable, we can leave." I whispered in his ear, "I have bad feelings, but I want to give it a couple more minutes."
I didn't want to react to what I had seen so far. I wanted to make sure I gave this place fair consideration.
I was getting nervous and edgy just watching Champ whimper and moan. It wasn't helping things. Champ was actually talking me out of this class the more I sat there. He was miserable and he was making me miserable.
The man who greeted us then walked through the door. I could see by the responses and his words spoken to others, he was the trainer. He had a very nervous dog by his side, too. It was a black dog with hair like a golden retriever, probably a year old. This dog also had a prong collar on and was clearly not happy either. The dog didn't know what to do and this man held him in tight. The dog was on edge and very unsure. It was another bad sign. It was the tipping point for me.
I started thinking: These are the dogs they trained? They are miserable dogs, unable to socialize without a leash. What type of training is this? I remembered thinking of my original impression of the guy who greeted me: fear and force.
Both dogs have prong collars on -- is this what this guy needs to get his dogs to listen? If this is the type of training this guy teaches, I'm out of here! His dogs are his examples, and I realized they were not what I was looking to achieve.
I stood up in front of 25 people, walked up to the young woman and said loudly for everyone to hear, "If these two dogs here are what your trained dogs are like, stressed, insecure and unhappy, this is not the type of training I care to participate it. I'm sorry. I want a happy, socialized dog when I finish training, who listens to commands without a leash and a prong collar. Can I have my money back?"
You could feel the room gasp as I said that. It became silent. The woman was tense and didn't know what to do, and then decided to give me my money back. Sure, my reaction was socially out of the norm--perhaps shocking to those around me, but I was annoyed that other people weren't questioning the body language of the "trained dogs". It spoke volumes to me. It was getting me angry the more I thought about it.
I have since found an amazing class and haven't regretted my decision one minute. My goal of speaking out was to get others to question what they saw. I hope I succeeded in helping other dogs find a much better solution!
Comment Policy: This blog is about understanding human behavior. You have the right to state your opinion if it is respectful. Disagreements are encouraged if they meet this standard. This blog is about deception and not about politics or religion--hence discussions on these topics will not be tolerated. Anyone who violates these general rules will be immediately banned. I have a zero tolerance for rude and disrespectful behavior.
If anyone sees Tabbutt speak out about this in the next few days, please let me know! Right now, from what I see, I don't see any red flags, but until I see Tabutt speak about this, I won't draw any final conclusions.
Comment Policy: This blog is about understanding human behavior. You have the right to state your opinion if it is respectful. Disagreements are encouraged if they meet this standard. This blog is about deception and not about politics or religion--hence discussions on these topics will not be tolerated. Anyone who violates these general rules will be immediately banned. I have a zero tolerance for rude and disrespectful behavior.
Comment Policy: This blog is about understanding human behavior. You have the right to state your opinion if it is respectful. Disagreements are encouraged if they meet this standard. This blog is about deception and not about politics or religion--hence discussions on these topics will not be tolerated. Anyone who violates these general rules will be immediately banned. I have a zero tolerance for rude and disrespectful behavior.
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