The Colin McEnroe Show

Who would have thought that a book on grammar would be #5 on Amazon's best-seller list? (Should that be "whom" would have thought? Should I write out the number five? Should it be "bestseller?" Ugh. I can't remember if the exclamation goes inside or outside the quotation mark in the sentence I just asked myself.) Benjamin Dreyer says we're all writers. Or, we can channel our best writers if we choose our words more carefully, (try not writing the words very, rather, really, quite, surely, and actually for the next week) check our spelling, and quiet our sudden impulse to use two words where one will do. (Oops. I mean, quiet your impulse to use two words where one will do.) Most of all, break those rules you were taught to obey. Language is about more than grammar. It's about artistry, voice, style. Sentences ending with a preposition shouldn't be hard to put up with. And start your sentence with an "and" or "but." Embrace the fragment. Channel your passive voice. (but only if it makes your sentence stronger) I feel freer already.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dust is a fascinating substance. Our bodies are always shedding dust from our skin, hair, and nails, leaving little bits of DNA wherever we roam. Dust floats unseen through the air around us. It's light. It's hard to see unless it lands on a contrasting surface or crosses the path of a ray of sunshine. It can travel far and wide. Earth collects more than 100 tons of cosmic dust a day. A speck of it might be in your rug. The unseen dust deeply embedded in our homes over many years becomes an archive of every "geochemical" substance that's ever entered our home. All of history is recorded in the dust we create: the pollution we make, the fires we start, the chemicals we use, the volcanos that erupt. Scientists can learn about the Roman Empire through the dust that has been compressed each year for thousands of years into layers of ice sheets in Greenland. Today, we talk about the science and politics of dust. We also talk to a cleaning expert who will take your questions about dust and an artist who makes dust bunnies--bunnies sculptures from dust.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We want to hear from you. It's just Colin and your calls. Twenty Democratic presidential contenders are in the race for 2020. Are you suffering from choice overload? Is electability your primary criteria? If so, it probably shouldn't be. Who we consider electable usually leaves out women and minorities. Do we even know what makes someone electable?  You're not alone if you're having trouble keeping up with who believes what. Give us a call. Also this hour: Sunday's shooting at Chabad Poway is more evidence in the rise of anti-semitic violence across Europe and the U.S. The nearly 2,000 incidents fueled by social media and provacative language by politicians coincide with what the Anti-Defamation League calls the biggest jump in violence since it began tracking events forty years ago. Yet, as violence against Jews surge, there is a concurrent denial that anti-Semitism exists, including by way of ignorance. Here's how both topics come together. We have an opportunity before the 2020 election to demand plans on how candidates from both parties plan to deal with the rise of white nationalist violence.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

To say Beyoncé's performance at Coachella was historic feels like an understatement. In about the span of a week, Queen Bey released a two hour Netflix exclusive film (part one of her deal with the streamer) of the entire concert, a 40-track live album from the same show, which was released unexpectedly, and just for fun, she released her 2016 pop culture smash album “Lemonade” on all streaming platforms, which was originally exclusive to just Tidal. Let’s not forget Bey’s Coachella set was months in the making, required about 200 people including dancers, musicians, and backup-singers, surprise appearances from Jay-Z, Destiny’s Child, and Solange, and it marked the first time an African American female headlined the 20-year old festival. So, yeah, it’s beyond historic. Today, the Nose gets into Homecoming. Plus, is Jeopardy broken? Average joe, James Holzhauer, has set all types of record-setting feats on the game show, and he’s currently on the verge of winning the biggest cash prize in show history. How?  Finally, are podcasts just wasting our time?Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Fyre Festival, Theranos, Anna Delvey, the college admissions scandal... the list goes on. And whether explored on the news or as a book, podcast, documentary or feature film, consumers can't seem to get enough of this 'scamtent.' This hour, we'll talk about scams and scammers, and discuss why we as a culture can't seem to look away.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Most of us know what Kafkaesque means even if we've never read a word Kafka wrote. For example, it's Kafkaesque when your smart home turns on you. It's not Kafkaesque when you wait in line for two hours at DMV and they close the line when you get to the front. (Well, it's a little Kafkaesque.) Franz Kafka, the man whose absurdly dark stories inspired the adjective of the same name, was an ascetic and introspective man. He was given to self-doubt, concerned over his health and obsessed with writing. He said his need to write "left empty all those abilities which were directed toward the joys of sex, eating, drinking, philosophical reflection, and above all music." Today, we talk about the man behind the adjective and the truly Kafkaesque trial to determine who owned his papers.  Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The number of Americans who identify as 'spiritual but not religious' is growing, especially among millennials who may not be finding what they need in the religious institutions of their parents generation. While some of the "Nones" have never affiliated with a particular religion, those who have some connection to faith yearn to find meaning they can't find in traditional churches, synagogues and mosques. We look at why people -- especially millennials -- are becoming disaffected with religion, how mainstream institutions are responding (or not) to their departure, and how others are finding that the path to religion often goes through the arts much like it did centuries ago.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We’re exploring the world of Barbershop Harmony; from its roots in the African American community to its influence in other genres, Barbershop is an important piece of the puzzle in the American music scene. For many, Barbershop calls to mind old people, singing old songs - but ask any Barbershopper and they’ll tell you nothing can be further from the truth. For them, there is a youthful joy, a sense of family, a love for the music and the performance in a dynamic and empowering setting. And if you let them, they’ll gladly share it with you. So sit back and enjoy the sounds of Barbershop. Hopefully, we’ll ring a few chords along the way.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, the long awaited final season of Game of Thrones launched on HBO. As more than 17 million viewers dig in for one last round, some of the Nose's most dedicated fans gather to discuss what's made this series such a hit, and what they're thinking about as the show marches toward its end. GUESTS:  Rebecca Castellani - Director of operations at We Save Music. Jim Chapdelaine - Musician, producer, composer, and recording engineer Theresa Cramer - Writer and the editor of E Content Magazine Taneisha Duggan - Producing associate at Theater Works. Jacques Lamarre - Playwright and director of client services at Buzz Engine. Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter.  Colin McEnroe and Betsy Kaplan contributed to this show.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Engineers at Ford are working hard toward a breakthrough: A car that runs on tears! Okay, maybe not, but they really should be. Why? Because people cry in cars, a lot! Whether it's a sad song playing on the radio, passing a cemetary where a loved one is buried, or simply releasing the stress of a long, hard day, the car is one of the few places that offer the privacy and intimacy necessary for a good cry. And it's not just crying that happens in cars. Awkward, sometimes difficult conversations of all manner happen in cars every day. From bad first dates, to couples breaking up, to parents talking birds and bees with their kids, cars seem somehow perfectly designed to be emotional spaces. So what is it about cars that allow us to be so vulnerable? How, while surrounded by windows on all sides, do we manage to shroud ourselves in the illusion of privacy? On today's show we talk with psychologists and self professed car-cryers to explore this very phenomenon.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.