The Colin McEnroe Show

Hannah Gadsby has been a prominent comedian in Australia for going on 15 years. In America, though, she arrived seemingly from nowhere in 2018 with a Netflix special called Nanette, which won a Peabody and an Emmy. Douglas is Gadsby's follow-up Netflix special. It's, as she calls it, her "difficult second album that is also [her] tenth and some people's first." And: I Know This Much Is True is a six-part HBO miniseries set in Connecticut and based on the Wally Lamb novel of the same name. Mark Ruffalo plays two twin brothers, one who suffers from paranoid schizophrenia and one who doesn't. Three episodes have aired so far. Some other stuff that happened this week, give or take: Top Sheets Are The LITERAL [...] WORST — Here's WhyOh sheet. Crocs Are Back In Style. And Not Just Because of Coronavirus.Stay-at-home adults are wearing the comfy shoes. So are young shoppers who want to be seen. 'They are the Nickelback of footwear.' Yankee Stadium Is Being Turned Into a Drive-in Concert and Movie Venue This SummerEnjoy the fun of a festival from the safety of your car. The fate of the summer movie season rests on one Christopher Nolan filmHis new film 'Tenet' is seen as a test of whether, and how, Americans can return to movie theaters after the coronavirus shutdowns end The game that ate the world: 40 facts on Pac-Man's 40th birthdayThe iconic maze chase has been played billions of times, created one of the 80s' strangest sex symbols, stupefied Martin Amis -- and is now enshrined in a leading art museum Will the coronavirus pandemic open the door to a four-day workweek?When New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern floated the idea of a four-day workweek, an audience outside the country took notice. GUESTS: Cara McDonough - A freelance writer; you can read her blog at caramcduna.com Bill Yousman - Professor of Media Studies at Sacred Heart University Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. Colin McEnroe and Cat Pastor contributed to this show.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As the world waits for an end to Covid-19, billions of people find themselves betwixt and between two realities: The pre-pandemic reality we knew, and the post-pandemic reality that is yet to come. As author and Professor of Theology Shelly Rambo wrote in the wake of hurricane Katrina, "Life as it once was cannot be retrieved,... life ahead cannot be envisioned." On today's show we'll explore the concept of crisis liminality and examine ways in which people are trying to cope with the unknown. We'll also speak with experts about the myriad of possible changes that may arise from this liminal state. We will emerge from this crisis changed; for the better or worse remains to be seen. GUESTS: Blanka Domagalska - Lecturer at Otis College of Art and Design teaching courses on product Design, with expertise in art history, media and cultural theory, philosophy and aesthetic liminality  Leysia Palen - Professor of Computer Science, as well as Professor and Founding Chair of the Department of Information Science at the University of Colorado Boulder. She’s also a leader in the field of crisis informatics Gerd Leonhard - Futurist, speaker and author of several books including Technology vs. Humanity: The Coming Clash Between Man and Machine Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Shortly after the pandemic shifted our weekday work scenario from one of shared space and bursts of spontaneous conversation, to one hour-long weekly Zoom meeting, Colin shared his urge to sit down with a few old friends to talk about life in the shadow of a pandemic.  We take for granted the small connections we make every day, including how good it can feel to talk to a stranger, let alone friends and colleagues. Today, Susan Campbell and Colin get together (by Zoom) to talk about life, pain, and keeping faith amid the successive shockwaves of 9/11, the 2016 election, and a global pandemic. (and some fun stuff too) GUESTS: Susan Campbell is a journalist, columnist, and a distinguished lecturer at the University of New Haven. She’s the author of Dating Jesus: A Story of Fundamentalism, Feminism and the American Girl; Tempest-Tossed: The Spirit of Isabella Beecher Hooker; and, most recently, Frog Hollow: Stories from an American Neighborhood. (@campbellsl) Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The U.S. is on track to reach 100,000 deaths from COVID-19 this week. Yet, most states began reopening last week using data that may be undercounting how many people are currently infected.  The reopening of some businesses and activities is a step that can lull us to believe that this pandemic is almost behind us. That would be a mistake. The only thing that's changed since March is that we have isolated ourselves from each other enough to let the sick get well before more well people get sick. The virus will continue to infect us - and we'll infect each other - faster than we can control it if we stop wearing masks or socially distancing. A vaccine may not emerge for a long time. We can't jump over the scientific obstacles to getting one, no matter how much the President promotes "Operation Warp Speed."  We talk with an epidemiologist and a former musician turned physician, who will talk about his shift from artist to healer. They're not that different.     GUESTS:  Gregg Gonsalves is the codirector of the Global Health Justice Partnership at Yale Law School and an assistant professor of epidemiology at the Yale School of Public Health. He also writes a weekly series for The Nation. (@gregggonsalves) Hugh Blumenfeld is a ​family physician in Hartford. He's also a ​singer/songwriter,  a former English professor, and Connecticut's 7th State Troubadour.  Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today, in lieu of The Nose, an hour with America's Greatest Living Film Critic, David Edelstein. GUEST: David Edelstein - America's Greatest Living Film Critic Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. Colin McEnroe and Cat Pastor contributed to this show.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Who would have guessed a face mask would become the latest cultural symbol of our identity, one more way to express our politics, our sense of style, and our deepest beliefs in what it means to be American. Whether you wear a mask might depend less on the science behind the advice, and more on how you view society - are we in this together or is it each (wo)man for him or herself.  The mask has become a fashion statement, a staple of our daily attire as we adapt to the reality masks are likely here to stay. We may as well look good while we're going through it. Unless, you're a member of Congress. Fashion designers and DIY sewers are upping the style, many directing surplus to areas of shortage.  Masks are even part of the politics of religion. In one case, ancient mummy masks were destroyed as part of a scam to try and rewrite the history of Christianity. We'll explain. We have bogged down the once simple face mask with the weight of our human frailties. I hope they don't split at the seams.  GUESTS:  Ryan Lizza is Chief Washington Correspondent for Politico and a senior political analyst at CNN. He’s writing a book about 2020 with Olivia Nuzzi. (@RyanLizza)  Robin Givhan is fashion critic for The Washington Post. She’s the author of The Battle of Versailles: The Night American Fashion Stumbled into the Spotlight and Made History. (@RobinGivhan)   Ariel Sabar is an award-winning journalist and author. His work has appeared in The Atlantic, The New York Times, and Smithsonian Magazine. His latest book is Veritas: A Harvard Professor, A Con Man, And the Gospel of Jesus’s Wife. (@arielsabar) Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Nyctophiliacs rejoice! The color you know and love (black) is now blacker than ever before. And never mind that black is not technically a color. The point is that as you were traipsing through graveyards and reveling under the night sky, scientists were busy inventing two new shades which are so dark they'd make Wednesday Adams reach for a flashlight. But while Vanta black and Black 3.2 are undoubtedly achievements to be celebrated, they did not come without controversy. Indeed, the feud over who could use the blackest substance on Earth soon had the tempers of some artists running red hot. Can a color even be owned? As it turns out, yes! This hour, we speak with a historian of the color black as well as the creator of one of these remarkable new shades. We'll also speak with a scientist on the other end of the color-creating spectrum about a brand new ultra-white that'll soon be brightening our lives in strange new ways. GUESTS: Stuart Semple - Contemporary British artist and creator of several unique colors including PINK, the world's pinkest pink paint, and most recently Black 3.2, the world's blackest paint John Harvey - Life fellow and former director of studies in English at Emmanuel College at Cambridge University; art critic and author of many books, including Men In Black, The Story of Black, and the 2020 U.K. Booker prize-nominated Pax Silvia Vignolini - Associate professor at the University of Cambridge in chemistry and bio-inspired materials; lead researcher and creator of a new, ultra-white coating modeled on the scales of the Cyphochilus beetle Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. Colin McEnroe and Chion Wolf contributed to this show, which originally aired February 19, 2020.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Connecticut will reopen some businesses on May 20, as coronavirus-related hospitalizations continue to decrease. This may be good news for business owners and unemployed workers, and for those looking for a glimmer of light at the end of a long tunnel. It may be scary for people with greater risk for having severe illness from COVID-19 and front-line workers with greater exposure. The bottom line is that we still don't fully understand this virus. And, not all of the 40 states set to reopen are prepared to scale up the testing, tracing, and isolating necessary to prevent a spike in the curve. We must remain vigilant in the absence of a vaccine, and the lag time it will take for a spike to emerge. We talk with a virologist about the search for a vaccine and an emergency doctor about the risks of reopening too early. We want to hear from you too. Call us at 888-720-9677 or 888-720-WNPR. GUESTS: Brianne Barker - Associate professor of biology at Drew University and a co-host of the podcast This Week in Virology (@bioprofbarker) Leana Wen - An emergency physician and public health professor at George Washington University; she previously served as Baltimore's health commissioner and is a contributing columnist for The Washington Post (@DrLeanaWen) Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. Colin McEnroe and Cat Pastor contributed to this show.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Twitter announced on Tuesday that its employees who can work from home can continue to work from home -- for forever, if they want. One wonders how many companies will follow suit -- and how employees will feel about such an arrangement. And: Ryan Murphy is the showrunner behind things like Nip/Tuck, Glee, American Horror Story, 9-1-1, and The Politician. In 2018, Murphy signed the largest development deal in the history of television with Netflix. His new miniseries, Hollywood, is the second project to come out of that deal. Some other stuff that happened this week, give or take: Little Richard, Founding Father of Rock Who Broke Musical Barriers, Dead at 87Pianist-singer behind "Tutti Frutti," "Good Golly Miss Molly," and "Long Tall Sally" set the template that a generation of musicians would follow Column: Will the new coronavirus kill spitting in sports? The pandemic has reminded us: We don't need more sports in our lives -- we need less Robot dogs are patrolling Singapore parks telling people to socially distance How Analog Clocks Can Give Us More by Giving Us Less Nearly Half of Men Say They Do Most of the Home Schooling. 3 Percent of Women Agree. New Banksy art unveiled at hospital to thank doctors, nurses Contact-Free Movie Theaters Being Tested in South Korea Solstice Studios' Russell Crowe Road Rage Thriller 'Unhinged' To Be First Film Back In Movie Theaters July 1 'Hamilton' Movie Will Stream on Disney Plus on July 3In a surprise move, the film of the original Broadway production is being released 15 months early. Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1 and 2 are being remastered for PS4, Xbox One, and PCTwo classics in one package A million people are pretending to be ants on Facebook -- and it could be therapeuticMore than 18,000 Facebook users responded to a post of ants on ice cream, writing comments like, "NOM," "SLURP" and "LIFT.TO.THE.QUEEN." Ex-Tigers pitcher Armando Galarraga wants MLB to recognize 2010 perfect game, overturn blown call Bob Dylan Cancels U.S. Summer Tour in 'Interest of Public Health and Safety'"We hope to be back out on the road at the earliest possible time," he says Inside HBO Max, the $4 Billion Bet to Stand Out in the Streaming Wars GUESTS: Carolyn Paine - An actress, comedian, and dancer; she is founder, director, and choreographer of CONNetic Dance Irene Papoulis - Teaches writing at Trinity College Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. Colin McEnroe and Cat Pastor contributed to this show.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Bats get a bad rap. People are afraid of animals that tap into our deepest fears and revulsions. Bats aren't cuddly, they fly at night, have big eyes that can’t see, and conjure creepy images of vampires who steal the  blood of the unsuspecting as they sleep.  Their role in the pandemic hasn’t made them more popular. Most scientists who study the genomes of bat viruses believe the horseshoe bat played a role in transmitting the virus from an animal to a human host. People encroaching on animal habitats and handling wildlife they shouldn't touch is way more likely to cause a pandemic than the animal who was minding its own business. But fear of bats and disease has led to violence and destruction of bat colonies worldwide. They're vital for pest control, pollination, and seed dispersal. Bats also live a long time, have highly efficient immune systems, and are social creatures that share blood with "friends" and adopt orphans.  Bats once impressed one dentist so much that he got the U.S. government to support a plan to use bats to bomb Japan during World War II.  GUESTS:  Jonathan Epstein is a veterinarian, disease ecologist and the Vice President for Science and Outreach for EcoHealth Alliance. His work has been published in Science, Nature, and Emerging Infectious Diseases, among others. (@epsteinjon) Merlin Tuttle is an ecologist, wildlife photographer, and bat conservationist. He’s the founder of Merlin Tuttle’s Bat Conservation and a research fellow at the University of Texas.  Cara Giaimo is a freelance writer. She spent three years as a staff writer at Atlas Obscura, and now writes for the New York Times, Grist, Anthropocene Magazine, and elsewhere (@cjgiaimo) Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.