The Colin McEnroe Show

Women scientists and inventors have been making ground-breaking discoveries since Agnodike pretended to be a man in order to become the first female anatomist in ancient Greece. Yet, women's scientific contributions have historically been hidden in the footnotes of the work men claimed as their own.  It's 2019. Things are better, right?  Not really. Men still hold the majority of patents, and systemic biases still lead to lower pay, less authorship for scientific papers, and overt and subtle forms of harassment. Women scientists of color and those in the LGBTQ community feel it the most. Yet, women scientists are banding together to call out bias and give credit where it's due -- one Wikipedia page at a time.  Today, we talk to four of them.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This episode is really going to be the cat’s pajamas. Or is it pyjamas? Do cats even wear pajamas? Why would they? Why do we? Should any of us wear pajamas at all? And if we do don a pair, are they only for bed? Or should pajamas have their day in the sun? If our PJs are making a fashion statement just what exactly are they saying? We’re talking today about what we wear to bed, but who knows? Does not wearing pajamas to bed have health and other benefits once we settle in under the covers?  Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Since 1989, more than 2,000 people have been identified as victims of wrongful convictions in the U.S. In 2015 and 2016, the wrongfully convicted were exonerated at a rate of about three per week. This hour, a look at the reality of, psychology behind, and institutionalized pressures toward wrongful convictions in America.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, Will Leitch, from New York Magazine, wrote that "The Era of the Old Athlete is Over." Is it? And what does this mean for the future of sports?    And, what's so bad about slicing your bagel like bread? You may have heard of "Bagelgate." We'll discuss the ins and outs of slicing your bagel in half, or into slices.    And finally: Tim Burton has directed a live action re-make of Dumbo. Our panel gives their take on the new film, and it's relationship to the original. 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, countless musical awards, and her albums are considered as among the best ever made. We’re big fans. It turns out we’re not alone. Today, 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 with Mitchell biographer David Yaffe who recently wrote Reckless Daughter: A Portrait of Joni Mitchell. Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There are a group of Connecticut parents who feel they must relinquish custody of  their “high needs” children in order to get them into residential treatment programs when in-home services are inadequate to meet their needs. Many years ago, the Connecticut Department of Children and Families chose to move children out of residential treatment centers and back to their families or foster care. Most agree it was a good move; residential care is expensive and many kids do better at home. Some wonder if we've gone too far. The combined effect of the closing of residential centers, budget restrictions, and lack of available community resources to fill the void have led to a perfect storm.  Connecticut is not the only state to use the 'custody-for-care' loophole. It still happens in 44 states, even though 26 of those states have statutes or policies to prevent it. Connecticut has significantly decreased its use over the last decade, but not enough. No one is a bad actor in this story. Parents do the best they can under difficult and stressful circumstances. DCF does the best they can within the reality of political and budgetary pressures. And there are systemic problems with the way insurance, hospitals, and schools are set-up to deal with the expensive and complex needs of some children.   Today, we take a look. Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today's theme is about truth. Roger Cohen asks us to look inward at our complicity -- the media included -- when he laments our obsession to follow seductive, yet empty leaders down a primrose path. Truth no longer seems to have meaning in our social-media-driven democracy. Before assuming that Trump supporters and conspiracy theorists are to blame for our current condition, ask yourself whether leaders like our President Trump are the antithesis of our values or a reflection of them. The attorneys representing the Sandy Hook families who sued Alex Jones for repeatedly and falsely claiming the killings were staged, released the deposition to the public last week. It's funny how powerless and silly Jones looked when he could no longer control the narrative. Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The sophomore film from any new director is oftentimes held to a harsher critique than their debut movie. It’s unfair. But Jordan Peele’s directorial debut was such a profound moment in 2017 culture, that anything he created after couldn’t live to the success of Get Out. And then there was Us. Not only did Us gross a lot of money, but it’s (mostly) universally praised by critics and audiences just like Get Out. Is the film a commentary on race? A commentary on class? Was it just a giant bait-and-switch? Did you even notice all of the references? The Nose attempts to go underground with Us. But that’s not all. Since 2016, Amy Schumer has been one of the most successful comedians in entertainment. Last week, she released her second Netflix stand-up special, Growing, where she talks personally about her husband’s autism, her difficult pregnancy with hyperemesis, and, well about other things we just can’t say here. But is it funny? The Nose weighs in.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

During his remarkable career with the Boston Red Sox, Ted Williams earned many nicknames: The Kid, The Splendid Splinter, Teddy Ballgame... but the only nickname that he ever wanted was "the greatest hitter who ever lived." And maybe he really was? He's baseball's all-time leader in on-base percentage, and he's second behind only Babe Ruth in both slugging and on-base plus slugging percentages. He's the last guy to hit .400, and that was 77 years ago. And on top of all that, he lost close to five full seasons (and three of them in the prime of his career) to serve in two different wars. This hour, a look at the man, the hitter, and the pitchman (you see what I did there) that was Ted Williams.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The annual U.N. World Happiness Report was released last week on World Happiness Day. (I'm a little unhappy that we missed it.)  It may be no surprise that the happiest countries have a few traits in common: people in happy countries value social and cultural connections, trust their government to work for them, and like to help others more than people in less happy countries. They also vote in greater numbers and donate more time and money to causes important to them. America didn't make the top ten. Leo Canty took a 44,000-mile trip through 2018's ten happiest countries. We talk with Leo about what he discovered in his talks with people who live in those places.   Also this hour: The comic strip "Cathy" resonated with a generation of young women when it first appeared in the comic pages in 1976. It gave voice to women's confusion and grief that their newfound 'liberation' remained stubbornly tethered to the expectations of a still dominant patriarchy. The strip ran for 34 years and in almost 1,400 newspapers before ending its run in 2010.  For Cathy Guisewite, creator of the eponymous comic strip, happiness has always been a step out of reach for her and her namesake.  We talk with Cathy and Leo about the search for happiness. Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.