The Colin McEnroe Show

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. GUESTS:  Jay Owens - Geographer and research director at Pulsar Platform. She writes a newsletter about dust she calls, “Disturbances.” (@hautepop) Jolie Kerr - Cleaning expert and advice columnist for The Inventory and the host of the podcast “Ask a Clean Person.” She’s also the author of My Boyfriend Barfed in My Handbag...and Other Things You Can't Ask Martha. She’s the resident cleaning expert for the New York Times. (@joliekerr) Suzanne Proulx - Artist, sculpture and Assistant Professor, Edinboro University of Pennsylvania.  Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Scientists say humans don't know how to breathe very well. We don't breathe deep enough, we breathe too much, and we breathe through our mouths instead of our noses. Our bad breathing can lead to conditions that we don't typically associate with the way we breathe, such as asthma. We can't take all the blame. The tradeoff of humans evolving to have bigger brains hundreds of thousands of years ago, is that our brains squeezed our noses, sinuses, tongues, and jaws into smaller spaces. That's why humans are the only species of 5,400 mammals to have misaligned jaws, overbites, underbites, and crooked teeth. We inhale and exhale about 25,000 breaths per day, but we don't think about how we're breathing or how it makes us feel until COVID-19 and police brutality make it hard to breathe. We're finally paying attention. The science, art, and politics of breathing. GUESTS: James Nestor - A journalist and author; his most recent book is Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art Dahlia Lithwick - A senior editor for Slate and the host of Amicus 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.

We've done this show every year since 2013. We almost certainly didn't do it 2012. But we did in 2011. And there's good circumstantial evidence that we did it in 2010 too, but no actual record of that possibly inaugural episode survives. Point is: Our song of the summer show is a bit of a tradition. It's a tradition that... makes some people angry, we realize. It's a tradition that we're not sure has ever made anyone happy. And that all has to do with how we define the term. We use the Amanda Dobbins definition: Let's be clear about how this works: There is no such thing as a 'personal' song of summer. We do not anoint multiple songs of summer. There can only be one; the Song of Summer, by its very definition, is a consensus choice. It is the song that wrecks wedding dance floors. It is the song that you and your mother begrudgingly agree on (even though your mom has no idea what rhymes with 'hug me' and won't stop yelling it in public). It does not necessarily have to hit No. 1 on the charts, but it should probably be on the charts because it must be widely played. It must bring people together. It must be a shared enthusiasm. And so, our job here is to try to predict a thing that you and your mom will agree on like three months from now. Try not to get too annoyed with us. GUESTS: Abby Govindan - A standup comedian based in New York City Sam Hadelman - Host of The Sam Hadelman Show at Radio Free Brooklyn Brendan Jay Sullivan - A writer, producer, and DJ best known for his work with Lady Gaga 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.

Social structures, in almost all cases, are defined by some form of hierarchy. Whether in academics, sports, religion, business, or politics, there's usually someone at the top and others whose goal it is to get there. But while it's easy to think that we've designed our world to be this way, the truth may be that we had no choice. Among our primate ancestors and other social animals  we can see similar hierarchies in place: Alpha males dominating the troop while subordinates fall in line, pecking orders among various birds and dominance hierarchies among wolf packs. Even insects such as bees and termites form their own systems of social ranking.  Are hierarchies mandated by evolution? Is there something in nature -- in our genes, even -- which gives rise to the stratified society we live in? Though it sounds like a notion proposed by those with power in defense of their rank, the reality is that it may be a hard truth of human nature. Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. GUESTS: Melvyn Fein - Professor of Sociology at Kennesaw State University, editor of The Journal of Public and Professional Sociology, author of Human Hierarchies: A General Theory Christopher Boehm - Professor of Biological Sciences and Anthropology, former Director of The Goodall Research Center at The University of Southern California Dornsife, author of Hierarchy in the Forest: The Evolution of Egalitarian Behavior Steven A. Peterson - Director of the School of Public Affairs at Penn State Harrisburg, focusing on the intersection of biology and politics, co-author of Darwinism, Dominance and Democracy MUSIC: “Hierarchy” by The Noisettes “High School Hierarchy” by Alexander Tso “I’m In Charge” by Dee Jones Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

No one likes a cloudy sky. A cloud on the horizon is seen as a harbinger of doom. We feel like clouds need to have silver linings. But here's our thesis: Clouds are unfairly maligned. Consider this: From almost any vantage point (literally — any vantage point in the universe), clouds are planet Earth's defining characteristic. They're what changes, what moves. They're what's going on on our pale blue dot. Clouds are, after all, the vehicle that spreads the sun's energy across the planet, an "expression of the atmosphere's moods." This hour, an appreciation of clouds. GUESTS: Gavin Pretor-Pinney - Founder of The Cloud Appreciation Society, author of The Cloudspotter's Guide and The Cloud Collector's Handbook David Romps - Assistant professor of Earth & Planetary Science at the University of California, Berkeley; runs The Romps Group, which studies clouds and climate Karolina Sobecka - An interdisciplinary artist and designer whose work has focused repeatedly on clouds Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. Colin McEnroe and Betsy Kaplan contributed to this show, which originally aired on July 6, 2016.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

No Country for Old Men. Fargo. The Big Lebowski. Raising Arizona. Barton Fink. Miller's Crossing. Blood Simple. The Ballad of Buster Scruggs. Over the past 36 years, Joel and Ethan Coen have reliably been among the most recognizable voices in moviemaking. This hour: a Noseish look at the work of the Coen brothers. GUESTS: Tom Breen - Film critic and the host of WNHH radio's Deep Focus Skip Lievsay - Sound editor, mixer, and designer for film and television; he won the Academy Award for Best Achievement in Sound Mixing for Gravity, and he's done the sound on every Coen brothers picture Adam Nayman - The author of The Coen Brothers: This Book Really Ties the Films Together Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. Colin McEnroe, Eugene Amatruda, and Betsy Kaplan contributed to this show, which originally aired November 21, 2018.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It took two years for the word AIDS to get from coinage to dictionary. It took COVID-19 thirty-four days. The pandemic has inspired a thousand new or repurposed words, slang, nicknames, and neologisms. It has changed the way we speak.   We made technical medical language part of everyday conversation. We created new words to describe  emotions that had no words. We repurposed old words or combined two words to express a way of life we never expected. Lockdowns. WFH. Pancession. Doomscrolling. We made phrases to unite us, others to make us laugh, and some to explain our confusion. Workers became essential and advertisers made them heroes.    Do you speak Corona? GUESTS: Peter Sokolowski is a lexicographer and editor-at-large at Merriam-Webster; he's also a musician and public radio jazz host at NEPR, and he's the author of a chapter in The Whole World in a Book (@PeterSokowski)  Tony Horne is a linguist, lexicographer, and a language consultant in the faculty of Arts and Humanities, at King’s College, London (@tonythorne007)  Justin Peters is a correspondent for Slate and the author of  The Idealist: Aaron Swartz and the Rise of Free Culture on the Internet (@justintrevett) Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The leagues are working in earnest toward starting back up. The NBA has a plan. Major League Baseball can't seem to work one out. Major League Soccer might beat them both back onto the field. How is this all going to work? What are sports going to look like when they start playing games again? Should they start playing games again? Plus: One of the ways we've dealt with a sportsless world these last few months -- betting on esports. And, in case you didn't know there were multiple crises on at once: a look at sports in the time of protest. GUESTS: Marc Carig - Senior writer for The Athletic, where he covers Major League Baseball Ben Cohen - Sports reporter for The Wall Street Journal and the author of The Hot Hand: The Mystery and Science of Streaks Seth Schiesel A freelance writer for The New York Times and Protocol Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A group of health officials gathered in Geneva, Switzerland, to discuss infectious disease learn that forty-seven people at an internment camp in Indonesia have died from acute hemorrhagic fever. This is how Pulitzer Prize-winning author Lawrence Wright, begins his new novel that in many ways, predicts the pandemic we're currently experiencing. He joins us to talk about it.  Before we get to the fiction of pandemic, we speak with an epidemiologist about the reality of our current pandemic.  GUESTS:  Michael Mina is an assistant professor of epidemiology and faculty member at the Center for Communicable Disease Dynamics at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. (@michaelmina_lab) Lawrence Wright is an author, screenwriter, playwright, and a staff writer for The New Yorker. His book, The Looming Tower: Al-Qaeda and the Road to 9/11, was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for General Nonfiction in 2007. His most recent book is The End of October, a novel about a pandemic. (@lawrence_wright) Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We've all seen any number of emails and Tweets and Facebook posts this week from companies supporting protests and the like. Entertainment industry firms have jumped on that bandwagon too, but The Washington Post's Alyssa Rosenberg has a different idea about how those particular players might be able to help: by shutting down all the police movies and TV shows. And: Comedian Sarah Cooper has found an elegant, perhaps surprisingly effective way to lampoon the president. She just lip syncs to his own words. And finally: The Vast of Night is the feature film debut of writer and director Andrew Patterson. He financed its $700,000 budget himself, and after its premiere at last year's Slamdance Film Festival, Amazon acquired it. The Twilight Zone-style sci-fi mystery debuted on Amazon Prime last weekend. Some other stuff that happened this week, give or take: Christo, Artist Who Wrapped and Festooned on an Epic Scale, Dies at 84Mountains, museums, bridges and Central Park were just some of what he used to make astonishing and popular art with his wife and collaborator, Jeanne-Claude. Bruce Jay Friedman, 90, Author With a Darkly Comic Worldview, DiesAn unusual case in American letters, he moved easily between literature and pop culture, including movies like "Stir Crazy" and "Splash," to great acclaim. The Remaking of Steve BuscemiSteve Buscemi has seen it all. He was hit by a car and a bus as a kid, was once stabbed in a bar fight, volunteered as a firefighter during 9/11, and somewhere along the way became one of the most accomplished film actors of his generation. And then tragedy struck: In 2019, Buscemi lost his wife of over 30 years. In a rare interview, Hollywood's most beloved misfit opens up about anxiety, loss, and the hard work of getting through it all. Why Your Local Comics Shop Matters Now More Than Ever Feeling Lucky at 90: The Clint Eastwood Passion ProjectOne of Hollywood's most enduring icons enters his 10th decade on the planet this week. After more than 50 films, 38 directed by the man himself, what's left to say about Clint Eastwood? Two fans look at old favorites and a few less heralded works to paint a picture of sustained, often unpredictable artistry. Necco Wafers make their triumphant return 2 years after the factory that made them closed its doors HBO's 'Watchmen' Was Ahead of its Time -- By 9 Months GUESTS: Mercy Quaye - Founder and principal consultant for The Narrative Project and a columnist with Hearst Connecticut Media Group Brian Slattery - Arts editor for the New Haven Independent and a producer at WNHH radio 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.

In 2007, journalist Alan Weisman published The World Without Us. It was an international bestseller. The book tries to answer what is ultimately a simple question: What happens to the Earth if human beings disappear? Here's how Weisman puts it in the book: "Say a Homo sapiens-specific virus -- natural or diabolically nano-engineered -- picks us off but leaves everything else intact." Then what? And over these last few months, we've gotten maybe a fraction of a percentage point there. Temporarily. Maybe not directly because of coronavirus, but indirectly because of our absence and scarceness due to stay-at-home orders and the like. And so... then what? Well, goats "took over" a town in Wales. Wild boar "invaded" a town near Barcelona. Salamanders "own the road" in Maine. And the air got cleaner and the night sky got clearer. And so it follows: Now what? GUESTS: Beth Gardiner - Author of Choked: Life and Breath in the Age of Air Pollution Brandon Keim - A freelance journalist specializing in animals, nature, and science Alan Weisman - The author of six books including The World Without Us 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.

When did the horrors that once seemed unthinkable become commonplace? We're in the throes of a global pandemic. People protesting a police officer who kept his knee on a black man's neck for over eight minutes, two minutes beyond when he lost consciousness, were tear gassed to make room for a photo op for President Trump. But relax. Nothing is wrong, or at least that's what we're told by a president who thinks this is a wonderful time to be alive. There is no climate change (even though we'll soon see water where there once was land). The pandemic will go away any minute now. There'll be a wonderful vaccine soon (different from all the others I pan). In the meantime, we can take a very (un)safe drug that works miracles if we get infected. The underlying economy is great (except for the 40 million currently unemployed), and I'm the most stable of geniuses. GUEST: Alexandra Petri - Columnist for The Washington Post; her new book is Nothing Is Wrong and Here Is Why: Essays (@petridishes) 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.

Something different is happening in America at this moment. Do you feel it? We want to hear from you. Call us during our live show Tuesday, from 1 to 2 p.m., at 888-720-9677 or 888-720-WNPR. People across America are protesting the same police brutality against black Americans that never seems to stop. America has suffered more deaths from COVID-19 than any other nation, and we still don't have a federal plan to deal with it, despite the efforts of health care workers and scientists. President Trump had threatened to deploy the military if the state officials he first felt the need to denigrate couldn't control the looting in their locales. He proceeded to order the police to use tear gas and flash grenades to disperse peaceful protesters so that he could pose in front of a burned church with a Bible in his hand. Let's not forget the President's efforts to disenfranchise the same voters he's gassing by trying to prevent them from voting in November. Are we finally at a turning point where we can no longer tolerate the lies and cruelty of the last three years? GUEST: Lawrence Douglas - Author of Will He Go? Trump and the Looming Electoral Meltdown in 2020 Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. Colin McEnroe, Cat Pastor, and Catie Talarski contributed to this show.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The pandemic has laid bare how racism in housing, education, employment, and access to health care, disproportionately hurts Black Americans more than White Americans and leads to police brutality against people the police are supposed to protect. The country is reacting against both the trauma and rage from sustained racism and frustration over a pandemic we can't control. Will the outcry finally lead to lasting change or will we focus on "riots" instead of the underlying problem? Most states have begun to reopen and many Americans shed their masks and social distancing and their concerns about the virus. Don't be lulled into a false sense of security. The virus hasn't gone away and there's no evidence that warm weather will make it disappear. GUESTS: Alan Dove is a science journalist with a Ph.D in microbiology, a podcaster, blogger, and a co-host of the podcast "This Week in Virology" (@alandove) Marcus Thompson II is a lead columnist at The Athletic and the author of the biography Golden: The Miraculous Rise of Steph Curry (@ThompsonScribe) Danielle Kilgo is an assistant professor of journalism in The Media School at Indiana University. She focuses on media coverage of social justice issues and protests. Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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.

In November, 2016, we did a show about all the problems presented by, well, a-holes. And so it seems only logical to expand our scope a bit and do a show about all the problems presented by, well, a hole. For instance: How many holes are there in a straw? Did you say one? Okay, cool. Then how many holes are there in a sock? (A relatively new sock, I mean.) You said one again, right? But how can both of those things be true at the same time? Or, put another way: What happens to the hole in the donut as you eat the donut around it? This gets into mereology, the theory of parthood relations -- for our purposes, the parts and wholes of holes and the wholes the holes are parts of. Your head hurts a little, right? And then there's trypophobia, an irrational fear of clusters of holes and cracks. And finally: We've just found a black hole right in our cosmic backyard. GUESTS: Chrissie Giles - A science writer and the global health editor at The Bureau of Investigative Journalism Marina Koren - Staff writer at The Atlantic Achille Varzi - Professor of philosophy at Columbia University and the coauthor of Holes and Other Superficialities Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We can observe how economic inequality in America plays out during this pandemic by watching who gets help and who gets ignored. Two America's live side by side, often in the same community. Nowhere is it on display more than in Greenwich, Conn., where hedge fund managers in gilded mansions live across town from minimum wage workers in local service jobs. The inequality on display today is the byproduct of decades of policy choices that benefit the wealthy. Also this hour: We help you make sense of the sometimes conflicting news about COVID-19 with the host of the podcast This Week In Virology. GUESTS: Evan Osnos - Staff writer for The New Yorker and the author of Age of Ambition: Chasing Fortune, Truth, and Faith in the New China Vincent Racaniello - Professor of microbiology & immunology in the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Columbia University and the host of the podcast This Week in Virology 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.

23 Hours To Kill is Jerry Seinfeld's fourth-ever standup comedy special and his second for Netflix. It hit the streaming service on Tuesday, and The Nose thinks it's great. And also that it sucks. And then: Waco is a six-part miniseries that tells exactly the story you'd guess it tells. Taylor Kitsch plays David Koresh. Waco was the big, original launch title for the Paramount Network when it rebranded from SpikeTV in January, 2018. So why is it relevant now? One wonders, but it was recently added to Netflix, and it's been trending there for weeks. Some other stuff that happened this week, give or take: 'Murder Hornets' in the U.S.: The Rush to Stop the Asian Giant HornetSightings of the Asian giant hornet have prompted fears that the vicious insect could establish itself in the United States and devastate bee populations. A 5-year-old boy was pulled over in Utah on his way to California to try to buy a Lamborghini What will Connecticut restaurants look like after coronavirus? Owners expect an entirely different dining experience from the past The Red Sox are exploring 'changes' to their uniform Was Donald Trump Good at Baseball?The president has long claimed he could have gone pro. We looked into it. TV Ratings: Remote 'Voice' Slips to Monday Season Lows Grimes & Elon Musk Have A Baby Boy Named X Æ A-12 Turns Out Elon Musk and Grimes Can't Actually Name Their Baby X Æ A-12 Due To California LawsWell, they tried. Risky Business? NASA and Tom Cruise Talk Movie Shoot in SpaceThe head of NASA said the agency is working with the "Mission: Impossible" star on a new film aboard the International Space Station. Drive-Thru Strip Club Serves Up Sexy (And Safe) Solution For Coronavirus BluesLucky Devil Lounge in Oregon has come up with yet another innovative, fun and sexy idea to keep income -- and customers -- coming during the pandemic. What Is Demon Time? Instagram's 'After Dark' Craze, Explained Twitter Asks Users to Reconsider Before Sending Vulgar Tweets Drive-in concerts could provide coronavirus workaround An Unhappy Ending For Movie Theater Chains AMC And Cineworld Adele's new birthday photo thanking frontline workers sparks debate on body image TV Writers Wrestle With How (and When) to Work COVID-19 Into Series What Happened to Val Kilmer? He’s Just Starting to Figure It Out. GUESTS: Jim Chapdelaine - An Emmy-winning musician, producer, composer, and recording engineer, and a patient advocate for people with rare cancers Taneisha Duggan - Producing associate at TheaterWorks 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.

"It is the rare person who doesn't own a pair of sweatpants." I am, it turns out, that rare person. Sweatpants are just too warm, is my take. But I do own a number of pairs of cotton pajama pants. They're my sweatpants proxy. Back before the pandemic became the central preoccupation of our existence, back when we made our radio show in, ya know, a radio studio, I would always get a little dressed up on my show days. I'd wear a jacket. Or a tie. Or a jacket and a tie. Now that we're all working from home all the time, I spend the great majority of my work hours in pajama pants and stocking feet and a bathrobe. But when it comes time for one of my shows -- like this one, for instance -- I change out of my PJ pants into jeans or chinos. That's what "a little dressed up" means these days: putting real pants on. (Or even "hard pants," as they're now known.) For we are living in the age of sweatpants. Question is: Are we ever going back? Or should we go back right now and start dressing like grownups again? What if we got, like, some fancy pants sweatpants? Would that be grown up enough? This hour, from The Bad Ideas Dept.: a show about sweatpants. GUESTS: Tim Chan - Lifestyle and market editor at Rolling Stone Rebecca Jennings - A reporter covering pop and internet culture at The Goods by Vox Rachel Tashjian - Style writer for GQ Adam Tschorn - Deputy fashion editor at the Los Angeles Times 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.

Joni Mitchell is a singer-songwriter from Alberta, Canada. In 1968, her debut album, Song to a Seagull, was released and since then, Mitchell has become one of the most influential and greatest recording artists. Mitchell has won nine Grammys, including a Lifetime Achievement Award, and countless music awards, and her albums are considered among the best ever made. We're big fans. It turns out we're not alone. This hour, we talk to a few friends of the show to discuss Mitchell's influence on them while listening to their favorite Joni songs. Plus, we chat David Yaffe, the author of Reckless Daughter: A Portrait of Joni Mitchell. GUESTS: David Yaffe - Assistant professor of Humanities at Syracuse University and the author of Reckless Daughter: A Portrait of Joni Mitchell Taneisha Duggan - Producing associate at TheaterWorks Brendan J. Sullivan - Producer and author of Rivington Was Ours: Lady Gaga, the Lower East Side, and the Prime of Our Lives Lee Newton - Director of program promotion at Connecticut Public Jim Chapdelaine - Musician, producer, recording engineer, and Emmy-winning composer Steve Metcalf - Music critic, arts consultant, composer, director of the University of Hartford's Presidents' College Noah Baerman - Jazz pianist and composer Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. Colin McEnroe, Betsy Kaplan, Carlos Mejia, and Chion Wolf contributed to this show, which originally aired April 4, 2019.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's hard to fathom the idea that more people have to die from COVID-19 before we come out on the other end of this pandemic. Is it time for political leaders of both parties to have an honest conversation about the moral trade-offs of this pandemic and how to balance them toward the public interest? The world is rushing to produce a vaccine against COVID-19. We talk about the trade-offs of shortening a process that typically takes 10-15 years to complete and the ethical challenges of manufacturing one or more vaccines and how we choose to distribute them. The Asian giant hornet has arrived in the U.S. for the first time -- and it doesn't bode well for honeybees. What are scientists doing to eradicate it? GUESTS: John Harris - Founding editor of Politico Carl Zimmer - The author of 13 books about science; his latest is She Has Her Mother's Laugh: The Power, Perversions, and Potential of Heredity Mike Baker - Seattle bureau chief for The New York Times 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.

There are plenty of questions about what the future of live performance looks like right now, and, in certain ways, no form seems more displaced by social distancing and everything else than does standup comedy. As such, people are just going to have to try new things, right? New York club comedian Ted Alexandro's YouTube comedy special is one of the first such experiments. And: Do you feel like you're running out of movies to watch? Have you crossed just about everything off of your must-see list? The Nose has compiled its own list of semi-obscure, semi-forgotten, semi-overlooked movies to help get you through this time. Nothing too artsy-fartsy, nothing too oddball. Just some titles you might've missed that are worth your time. (Here's the full list in handy Twitter-thread form. It runs fully 43 titles.) Some other stuff that happened this week, give or take: G.I. Joe Artist Hector Garrido Passes Away At Age 92 For Graduation, Cal Students Build 'Blockeley University' in Minecraft SNL Promotes Kate McKinnon's Cat to Featured Player Someone Edited Every Star Wars Movie To Play At Once, And I Can't Look Away Pentagon officially releases UFO videos Comedy Community Mourns The 'End Of An Era' As UCB Closes New York Locations Academy Alters Oscars Rules: Streaming Films Eligible, Sound Categories Combined, and More AMC Theatres Refuses to Play Universal Films in Wake of 'Trolls World Tour' Museums Challenge Each Other to Show their Creepiest Object Have Serena Williams And Roger Federer Won Their Last Grand Slams? FAA looking into a runway incident involving Harrison Ford Coffin Floats Are Real And You Can Bury Yourself In One This Summer The Erotic Chaos and Suspense of a Zoom Orgy Little League Cancels 2020 World Series and Region Tournaments GUESTS: Susan Bigelow - A librarian, a columnist for CT News Junkie, and a science fiction/fantasy novelist Shawn Murray - A standup comedian and writer 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.

Three years ago, we did a show where we asked which fictional dystopian future we were actually already living in. Now that we've arrived at, ya know, this present moment, that show has been on our minds. But we've realized we've got a new set of questions now too. After all the dystopian and apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction there's been over the past couple decades -- and there's been KIND OF A LOT, right? -- has any of it actually prepared us for our very present, very current, actual nonfiction dystopia? Well, mostly no. But some of it just may have. And then: What exactly is dystopian fiction going to look like after this is all over? GUESTS: Naomi Kritzer - A science fiction and fantasy writer; she wrote "So Much Cooking" in 2015, and her novel Catfishing on CatNet just won the Edgar Award for Best Young Adult Novel Laurie Penny - An author, columnist, journalist, and screenwriter Ben Winters - The author of ten novels; his new collection of short stories, Inside Jobs: Tales from a Time of Quarantine, is out tomorrow as an Audible original 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.

Humans typically make enough collective noise to keep the earth vibrating at a steady hum. But the pandemic has quieted that hum enough to let seismologists study the vibrations that can be hard to detect in the din of our noise. The world is eerily silent now, showing us how accustomed we have become to cacophony of loud sound in our lives. We're hardwired to focus on the sounds we need to hear and tune out those we don't. It's hard to notice what we miss when cars and horns and other noisemakers compete for our sonic attention. And we don't always notice how loud it is until it's quiet. Today, an ode to the sound we take for granted, including the soothing sound of another human voice on the telephone. Yep, that's what I said. The telephone.   GUESTS: David Owen is a staff writer for The New Yorker and the author of more than a dozen books. His newest book is Volume Control: Hearing in a Deafening World Chris Hoff is a sound engineer and co-creator with Sam Harnett, of the podcast, "The World According to Sound." (@chrisjameshoff) Sam Harnett is a reporter and co-creator with Chris Hoff, of the podcast, "The World According to Sound." (@samwharnett) Heather Radke is a writer and critic. Her work has appeared in The Believer, The Paris Review Daily, and RadioLab, among others. Her book, BUTTS, will be published in 2021. (@hradke) Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This show originally aired on July 25, 2018. Two years ago, Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security ran an intricate simulation of a rapidly spreading pandemic with government leaders to talk about the difficult ethical questions that arise in the event of a pandemic and the same questions we are confronting today.     They learned what had to be done in the event of a real "Clade X". We haven't done it.  The CDC said another pandemic was coming and that there was a good chance it President Trump would be confronted with it just as the two presidents before him. Yet, he cut funding for pandemic preparedness that has helped curb prior deadly global outbreaks and rid his administration of scientific advisors.  Just under 150 million died globallyby the end of the Johns Hopkins simulation. It doesn't have to end this way or when the next pandemic hits. But the threat won't go away simply because we choose to ignore it.  GUESTS: Ed Yong - Science writer for The Atlantic and is the author of I Contain Multitudes: The Microbes Within Us and a Grander View of Life. (@edyong209) Eric Toner - Senior Scholar with the John Hopkins Center for Health Security and Senior Scientist for John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Environmental Health and Engineering. (@JHSPH_CHS) Laura Spinney - Science journalist and the author of most recently, Pale Rider: The Spanish Flu of 1918 and How It Changed The World. (@lfspinney) Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

People in several states came together last weekend to protest against stay-at-home orders. Their actions followed President Trump tweets of support to "liberate" their states and start reopening the economy. Dr. David Grew makes the case that resuming "normal" business activity in the absence of testing and credible messaging will do more economic harm than good.  Also this hour: What would President Selina Meyer do in a pandemic? How about Logan Roy? We talk to Frank Rich, the Executive Producer of HBO's VEEP and Succession. Could even they do a better job?   Lastly, we talk trash with an essential worker.  GUESTS:  Dr. David Grew is a radiation oncologist, co-chair of the Cancer Committee at St. Francis Hospital, and a public health messenger. You can find him on Instagram @davidgrew. Frank Rich is Writer-at-Large for New York magazine and Executive Producer for the HBO series, VEEP and Succession. (@frankrichny) Mike Paine is the president of Paine's Incorporated.  Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Fiona Apple's new album, Fetch the Bolt Cutters, is currently the best-reviewed album, um, ever, according to Metacritic. Bon Iver has a new benefit single out that seems to have been written specifically for the present moment. Norah Jones has a new tune. Bob Dylan has kind of randomly put out two new songs, one of which charted in the U.K. despite being very nearly 17 minutes long. And then, here's a trivia question: There are five artists who have charted singles in the Top 40 in each of the last four decades, Michael Jackson, Madonna, U2, Kenny G... and who's the fifth? Would you believe it's this guy? Some other stuff that happened this week, give or take: Paul Schrader Does Not Have Much Hope for the Future of Movies Randall Beach: Small CT theaters in a new fight for survival MLB might not be back to normal until 2023So says one high-ranking executive. Plus, other thoughts about what might happen with baseball in 2020. A 2020 Minor League Baseball Season Grows More And More Unlikely The Wire Forever: David Simon on the Quarantine Favorite and His Equally Pissed-Off New Show, The Plot Against America Social-distancing detecting 'pandemic drones' dumped over privacy concerns Craving the Roar of a Crowd? Online Reruns of Concerts, Sports Provide Solace for SomeWith gatherings at theaters and arenas banned, videos of prepandemic events have become a source of humanity; 'That's what people are yearning for' Put on your sad clown face: The Gathering Of The Juggalos has been canceled A Seaside Irish Village Adopts Matt DamonBut don't you dare ask what it's like living under lockdown with Matt O'Damon. Ben Affleck won't let face mask stop him from smoking GUESTS: Rebecca Castellani - A music writer for the Red Hook Star Revue Eric Danton - A reporter and 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.

The Noah Baerman Resonance Ensemble's The Rock & the Redemption is a jazz concept album of sorts that recasts the Sisyphus myth around the heroism of perseverance and persistence. Keyboardist and composer Noah Baerman joins us for the hour. To purchase The Rock & the Redemption (including the full-length concert video), visit Noah Baerman's Bandcamp. All proceeds from the album go to Claire's Continuum, an initiative of Resonant Motion, Inc., to commission socially conscious musical and interdisciplinary work by first-time collaborators. GUEST: Noah Baerman - Jazz pianist and composer Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. Colin McEnroe contributed to this show, which originally aired August 31, 2018.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In March, President Trump blamed our global pandemic on China. When that didn't work, he blamed the World Health Organization (WHO) for not responding quickly enough to the virus. When that didn't work, he blamed governors for not getting their own supplies. Now, he says immigrants will take away American jobs. The Bible defines a scapegoat as one of two kid goats. One goat was sacrificed and the living “scapegoat” was supposed to absorb the sins of the community and carry them into the wilderness. Is that what's happening here? Are the president's scapegoats supposed to carry away the sins of Mr. Trump? Also this hour: Politics and our human need for a scapegoat has defined the way we name diseases almost as much as the goal of accurately describing a threat to public health.  And, the story of one of our earliest scapegoats, the sin-eater.  GUESTS: Graeme Wood is a staff writer at The Atlantic and the author of The Way of the Strangers: Encounters With the Islamic State (@gcaw) Lili Loofbourow writes about culture, gender, and politics for Slate (@Millicentsomer) Laura Spinney is a science journalist and author who has been published in National Geographic, Nature and The Economist, among others. Her latest book is Pale Rider: The Spanish Flu of 1918 and How it Changed the World.  (@lfspinney)   Thomas Lynch is a poet and author of five collections of poems and four books of essays, including The Sin-Eater: A Breviary. His latest book of essays is The Deposition: New and Selected Essays On Being and Ceasing To Be. He has been a funeral director since 1974. Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

That headline is just a direct quote from James Poniewozik's Audience of One: Donald Trump, Television, and the Fracturing of America. I was torn between that line from the book and this one: Donald Trump is not a person. Poniewozik's take is that "Donald Trump" is really a character that Donald Trump has been playing on television since at least the early 1980s. "Television has entertained America, television has ensorcelled America, and with the election of Donald J. Trump, television has conquered America," Poniewozik writes. Audience of One is a cultural history of television and a television history of Donald Trump. Poniewozik joins us for the hour. GUEST: James Poniewozik - Chief television critic for The New York Times and the author of Audience of One: Donald Trump, Television, and the Fracturing of America Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. Colin McEnroe and Chion Wolf contributed to this show, which originally aired October 24, 2019.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

One can't help but wonder if the President understands that getting through this pandemic will not be a quick sprint.  On Thursday, the Trump Administration announced guidelines for states to begin reopening the economy, with a goal to begin by May 1. On Friday, the President personally encouraged protesters in Michigan, Minnesota, and Virginia, to "liberate" their states from onerous social-distancing guidelines imposed by their Democratic governors.  On Saturday, protesters from other states joined the fray.  Social distancing seems to be flattening the curve but we haven’t yet turned a corner. The U.S. averaged 30,000 new cases of Covid-19 during the five days leading up to Friday, April 17.  Yet, there’s a good chance the Trump Administration will encourage a partial reopening before we’ve significantly increased testing or set up the infrastructure needed to trace the contacts of the infected.   How do we continue in the shadow of Coronavirus?  We want to hear from you. Call us at (888)-720-9677 or (888)-720-WNPR. What have you learned you can live without? How has your life changed?  What do you envision life will be like this time next year? GUEST: Ed Yong covers science for The Atlantic. He’s that author of I Contain Multitudes: The Microbes Within Us and a Grander Way of Life (@edyong209) Martha Gulati is the Chief of Cardiology and Physician Executive Director, Banner Health Institute, at the University of Arizona-Phoenix. She is the Editor-in-Chief of CardioSmart, a patient education website by the American College of Cardiology. @DrMarthaGulati Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Last weekend, Saturday Night Live aired a prerecorded special, "Saturday Night Live at Home." Tom Hanks hosted from his kitchen. Michael Che and Colin Jost did Weekend Update from their living rooms and by Zoom or something similar. Chris Martin covered a Bob Dylan song in front of handwritten "ENTRANCE TO TRAIN" signs. All of the late night shows are operating in some similar way right now. Jimmy Kimmel hosts from his living room and has people like Jason Bateman on by Skype or whatever. John Oliver sits at his desk in front of a mysterious white wall. Samantha Bee hosts from the woods. And: The original one-woman stage version of Fleabag just hit Amazon Prime. The Nose missed the TV show, and so now this gives us an excuse to finally get on the Fleabag bandwagon a little bit. Some other stuff that happened this week, give or take: Brian Dennehy Dies; Tony Award-Winning Actor Was 81The versatile actor, whose career spanned more than 50 years in theater, movies and television, won two Tony Awards, including for his performance in "Death of a Salesman." Danny Goldman, voice of Brainy Smurf and 'Young Frankenstein' actor, dies at 80 Hank Steinbrenner, Yankees co-owner and eldest son of George Steinbrenner, dead at 63 Allen Garfield, character actor in 'Nashville' and 'The Conversation,' dies at 80 of coronavirus Online dating amid coronavirus: Longer conversations and a 'pivot' to video dates"She said, 'Do I have to change out of sweats?' and I said, 'Of course not, I haven't worn adult pants in weeks anyway.' " Sex Work Comes HomeMore of us are making and watching sexual performances online now. Fewer of us are paying. In 1918, as a pandemic ripped through Hartford, Babe Ruth drew big crowds at the worst possible time The Forgotten Art of AssemblyOr, Why Theatre Makers Should Stop Making How much TV should your children be watching right now? Burning Cell Towers, Out of Baseless Fear They Spread the VirusA conspiracy theory linking the spread of the coronavirus to 5G wireless technology has spurred more than 100 incidents this month, British officials said. Here's How Those Hot Jigsaw Puzzles Are MadeThe coronavirus has sent businesses racing as demand surges past levels seen at Christmas. 'Who Wants to Be a Millionaire' Wants to Be a Megahit AgainABC has rolled out a celebrity edition of what was once the most popular program on television, this time helmed by Jimmy Kimmel. Can the game show become a hit again? Trump Wanted a Radio Show, but He Didn't Want to Compete With Limbaugh MLB players, team employees participating in coronavirus study Coyotes, bobcats and bears: Wildlife is reclaiming Yosemite National Park Living in Sim: We made a team of 26 Mike Trouts. It lost 50 straight games GUESTS: Carolyn Paine - An actress, comedian, and dancer; founder, director, and choreographer of CONNetic Dance 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.

I haven't been grocery shopping in 21 days. The last time I went, March 26, was a harrowing experience. It was before this particular grocery store, at least, had started limiting the number of customers in the building at a time, before it had made aisles one-way, before it started wiping down carts after each use and providing sanitizing wipes for customers to use. Staff and customers alike didn't seem to understand just how far six feet is, and the aisles were too narrow to afford that sort of distancing anyway. Fresh meats were in short supply, cleaning products were nowhere to be found, and canned and frozen foods were few and far between. And so I haven't been back. This hour, a look at all the things that have upended our expectations of the grocery shopping experience in the time of COVID: Can you really go two or three weeks without getting groceries? Just how nervous should you be about that trip to the grocery store? And finally: Where did all the toilet paper really go, anyway? GUESTS: Joseph G. Allen - An assistant professor of exposure and assessment science and director of the Healthy Buildings Program at Harvard Marc Fisher - Senior editor at The Washington Post Robert LaBonne Jr. - President and CEO of LaBonne's Markets Ann Maloney - Food reporter and editor at The Washington Post 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.

Before the pandemic, most of us craved of a little solitude away from the hustle of life. Now, we've been  been thrust into a form of solitude far from the idleness of the lazy summer afternoon we imagined. Our minds are restless with uncertainty and fear and without the usual distractions we turn toward when being alone with ourselves becomes too painful to confront.  Today, we learn there is more to solitude than being alone. It can provide the time and space needed to silence the voices in our head. Poet Marianne Moore said, "the cure for loneliness is solitude."  GUESTS:  Stephen Batchelor is a Buddhist teacher and writer. He’s the author of several books including Buddhism Without Beliefs: A Contemporary Guide To Awakening and most recently, The Art of Solitude. He’s the co-founder of Bodhi College.  Dr. Lucinda Mosher is a faculty associate in Interfaith Studies at the Hartford Seminary Karen Karper Fredette lived as a hermit for six years in a cabin in West Virginia. She’s the author of several books including, Consider the Ravens: On Contemporary Hermit Life. She and her husband Paul run Raven's Bread Ministries.  Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Health experts have released multiple plans that all call for some version of the same thing. We need to conduct widespread testing, trace contacts of the infected, and quarantine those contacts, BEFORE we can ease social distancing measures.  Despite the many task forces the President Trump has formed to deal with the crisis, it's governors, former government officials, disease specialists, nonprofits, and even Apple, Google, and Bill Gates have taken charge in the absence of federal leadership.  Lastly, what role can the humanities play in a crisis? GUESTS: Dr. Alison Buttenheim is an Associate Professor at the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing, and an Associate Director of Penn's Center for Health Incentives and Behavioral Economics.  Yasmeen Abutaleb reports on health policy for The Washington Post  Agnes Callard  is an associate professor of Philosophy at the University of Chicago and a monthly columnist for The Point Magazine and a contributor to The New York Times. Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We've entered a moment where the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases is a celebrity. You can buy donuts with his face on them. A petition to make him People's Sexiest Man Alive has more than 13,000 signatures. And, yes, sales of Dr. Anthony Fauci bobblehead dolls have raised more than $100,000. At the same time, how do we find community in this time of COVID and quarantine and social distance? And then: The Plot Against America is HBO's miniseries based on Philip Roth's novel. It's an alternative history written 16 years ago -- and set 80 years ago -- with undeniable echos of our present politics. Some other stuff that happened this week, give or take: Al Kaline, Detroit Tigers legend, dies at age 85 John Prine, Hero Of 'New' Nashville, Dies After Developing COVID-19 Symptoms Mort Drucker, Master of the Mad Caricature, Is Dead at 91His illustrations of celebrities for Mad magazine's movie and television satires inspired countless cartoonists. Actors, politicians and others knew they had made it when he drew them. Lee Fierro, 'Jaws' Actor, Dies of Coronavirus at 91 David Driskell, 88, Pivotal Champion of African-American Art, DiesAn artist himself, Professor Driskell recognized the role of black artists in the broader story of American art. He died of the coronavirus. Hal Willner, 'SNL' Staple And Acclaimed Music Producer, Has Died Thank god for the internetWhat the hell would be happening now without it? When All the Zingers Were Fit To PrintIn 1978, a mischievous band of writers that included George Plimpton and Nora Ephron teamed up to create a spoof of The New York Times. Turns out, Times journalists were among them. Rules for Using the Sidewalk During the CoronavirusGoing outside is still a joy. But we all need to do more to walk and run while social distancing. What to Stream: Forty of the Best Movies on Netflix Right Now Why Animal Crossing Is the Game for the Coronavirus MomentWith the world in the grip of a pandemic, the wildly popular game is a conveniently timed piece of whimsy, particularly for millennials. Trump order encourages US to mine the moonExecutive order says US will oppose any international effort to bar it from removing chunks of moon, Mars or elsewhere in space Radiohead to Stream Classic Concert Films on YouTube During Quarantine GUESTS: Rich Hollant - Principal at CO:LAB, founder of Free Center, and commissioner on cultural affairs for the city of Hartford 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.

My son, Simon, is a year old. His mother and his grandmother are both librarians. His father is, well, me. Simon is, predictably, obsessed with books. Back before everything changed, we'd gotten into a pretty good reading routine. Every morning before Simon went to his grandparents', we'd read a big pile of books. Every evening when I got home from work, we'd read a big pile of books. We'd read Goodnight Moon. We'd read The Little Blue Truck. We'd read Peek-a Who? and Peek-a Moo! and Peek-a Zoo! We'd read Who Hoots? and Who Hops? We'd read Dear Zoo and Mr. Brown Can Moo! Can You? and Each Peach Pear Plum and Spooky, Spooky, Little Bat and Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? And then we'd probably read them all again. Now that our whole family stays home all day every day, we still do all the reading. What's lost is the routine. What's lost is any sort of limit at all. From Simon's point of view, there's nothing to stop us from reading all day every day, from when he jams me in the back with his copy of The Mixed-Up Chameleon too early in the morning until he falls asleep wearing one sock and with a clump of Cheerios somehow stuck in his diaper too late at night. If you've got smallish kids and you're staying home these days, children's literature has undoubtedly become a much larger part of your life than you'd ever bargained for. This hour, a look at what it's like reading kids' books as an adult. GUESTS: Bruce Handy - The author of Wild Things: The Joy of Reading Children's Literature as an Adult Julia Pistell - Managing director of Sea Tea Improv and cohost of the Literary Disco podcast 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.

Your sex life doesn't have to suffer just because you're cooped up at home every day. Researchers say that sex is a healthy way to calm the anxiety of pandemic, even if you live alone. Virtual dating, masturbation, and coronavirus-related porn are more popular than ever. Some sex researchers think our desire for sex in the middle of a pandemic is one way we cope with the prospect of our own mortality. But not everyone reacts in the same way. Some lose their desire for sex, especially when you pile on added stressors like losing a job, having kids home from school, or working in a higher-risk job. Also this hour: How will coronavirus change the way we think about touching others? We take a look at sex, dating, and relationships in the shadow of coronavirus. GUESTS: Justin Lehmiller - A research fellow at the Kinsey Institute, the founder and editor of the Sex and Psychology blog, and the author of Tell Me What You Want: The Science of Sexual Desire and How It Can Help You Improve Your Sex Life Lisa Bonos- Writes about dating and relationships for the Washington Post Amy Weissfeld - A somatic sex educator and masturbation coach Cathrine Jansson-Boyd - A consumer psychologist at Anglia Ruskin University Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. Colin McEnroe, Cat Pastor, Catie Talarski, Gene Amatruda, TJ Coppola, and Joe Coss contributed to this show.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ocean Vuong emigrated to Hartford from Vietnam when he was two years old. His family brought with them the trauma of an American-led war that ravaged their people and their culture. How do they retain their culture and assimilate into one that doesn't want them? His family struggled in a Hartford very different from the city that many of us experience. It's a place that still exists in the shadows. Ocean’s family is a snapshot into a bigger and more pervasive picture of the problems in America that many choose to hide -- the toll of low-wage work, poverty, drugs, violence, and the erasure of histories and ways of living life that don't fit neatly into the American myth. Ocean's first novel, On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous, is an American story, albeit one about the failure of America. This is an excerpt. GUEST: Ocean Vuong - A poet and the author of the novel On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. Colin McEnroe and Chion Wolf contributed to this show, which originally aired July 17, 2019.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The pandemic is making us reflect on what we value as people and a country. We don't yet know how much COVID-19 will change life as we knew it before the pandemic. We do know that it must change. We're learning to respect each other's space. The internet is becoming a kinder place. And we shouldn't accept political leaders who can't lead. GUESTS: Gia Kourlas - Dance critic for The New York Times Tanya Basu - Senior reporter for MIT Technology Review covering the intersection of technology and humans Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. Colin McEnroe, Cat Pastor, Gene Amatruda, Joe Coss, and Catie Talarski contributed to this show.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The novel coronavirus has started to take its toll on figures from our popular culture. Adam Schlesinger, who founded Fountains of Wayne and wrote songs for Crazy Ex-Girlfriend among other things, died on Wednesday. The great playwright Terrence McNally died last week. The list goes on: songwriter Alan Merrill, country music star Joe Diffie, fashion designer Jenny Polanco, college basketball star Dave Edwards, actor Mark Blum, soccer star Lorenzo Sanz. And it seems like the jazz community has been especially vulnerable: guitarist Bucky Pizzarelli, pianists Ellis Marsalis and Mike Longo, and trumpeter Wallace Roney have all died. And then: Dave is an FXX comedy series that tells a fictionalized version of the rise of rapper Lil Dicky, and John Mulaney & The Sack Lunch Bunch is a Netflix children's special that Mulaney made "on purpose." Some other stuff that happened this week, give or take: 'Lean On Me,' 'Lovely Day' singer Bill Withers dies at 81 The Stupidest [...] Movies Guaranteed To Make You Laugh During This CatastropheWho needs a plot right now? Let’s just slap some jokes in our faces instead You Can Watch the First 8 Minutes of 'Sonic the Hedgehog' Online Now April fools' day is canceled, you monstersDon't you dare, brands Joe Buck: Stop Sending Me Your Sex Tapes ... I'm Not Gonna Narrate Them!!! Llandudno marauders: the herd of goats running riot through a Welsh townTaking advantage of the town’s deserted streets because of the coronavirus lockdown, the goats have been branded vandals for munching through gardens Companies Avoid Advertising Next to Coronavirus NewsThe name of the virus overtakes 'Trump' as the keyword blocked by the most brands, a problem for digital news publishers New York is one of the world's great cities for the arts -- but the damage from the pandemic is proving to be catastrophic Ina Garten Made A Giant Cocktail For Herself At 9:30 A.M. And Now She's My Quaranqueen Tom Perrotta's 'The Leftovers' imagined 2 percent of the population disappearing. That could be our reality. Shudder Subscriptions Are Surging During the Coronavirus Pandemic HBO's #StayHomeBoxOffice Campaign Is Offering Hundreds of Hours of Programming for Free Uranus blasted a gas bubble 22,000 times bigger than EarthIt happened back in 1986 -- but it could happen again. GUESTS: Stosh Mikita - A stand-up comedian and writer based in New Haven Mercy Quaye - Founder and principal consultant for The Narrative Project and a columnist with Hearst Connecticut Media Group Brian Slattery - Arts editor for the New Haven Independent and a producer at WNHH radio 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.