The Colin McEnroe Show

What makes advice good or bad? When and why do we listen to what others have to say? It is human nature to turn to others for advice when the going gets tough; we seek the wisdom of loved ones, lawyers, doctors, therapists, and advice columnists. But even when presented with good advice, we don't always take it. This hour, we get down to business about advice.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In 2011, Anders Behring Breivik killed 77 people in Norway, most of them teenagers. He's serving a 21-year prison term, which can be extended. But in the meantime, he'll study political science at Oslo University from his prison cell. Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This hour, we'll talk about Ben Rothenberg's Serena-driven body image piece, and the stir it caused. Mark Leibovitch's peice on Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This hour, author Ben Yagoda joins us as we explore the rise, the fall, and the rebirth of the Great American Songbook. Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The history of gold is a history of beauty, bloodshed and obsession. Gold has been fought for, worn ornamentally, traded as tender and at times even worshiped. This hour, we continue to mine it, covet it, and find uses for it even King Midas himself would never have imagined.But why has the allure of this precious metal endured for so long? Investors will say its rarity ensures its worth. Numismatists will point to its ancient uses as currency to justify the appeal. And scientists may point to its uses in electronics and space travel as a means of explaining its value.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Joseph Stalin's only daughter grew up the beloved pet of a man responsible for a decades-long campaign to arrest, torture, execute or forcibly imprison millions of Soviet citizens, including children and members of his own family. That's what we know now.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, the long-awaited sequel to Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird hits bookshelves. Since it was announced, questions were raised about Lee's involvement in the release of this book. But now the conversation has changed to the content of the book. A New York Times review reveals the much beloved character of Atticus Finch was a racist during the Brown v. Board of Education era of the 1950s.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Univision and NBC cut ties to Donald Trump and he won't be returning to The Apprentice, his long-running television show, because of the inflammatory comments he made about Mexican immigrants last week. But, he doesn't seem to care. Despite the comments, or maybe because of them, his appeal seems to rise with his belligerence.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Podcasts weren't born last year with the arrival of Serial, the wildly successful story of an unsolved 1999 murder that you could hear solely on podcast.Serial likely provided the first encounter with podcasts for a lot of listeners, but podcasts first entered the consciousness and our iPods ten years ago last weekend, when early adopters saw in them the next great media revolution. The New Oxford American Dictionary even named "podcast" the word of the year in 2005. What wasn't to love?Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When I was a child in the 1960's, it was not uncommon to have friends with 5 or 6 siblings. I was one of 4.But, times have changed. For all sorts of reasons - economic, work, personal preference, religion - the majority of parents are having fewer children today than was common in the previous generation. And, as family size has decreased, societal attitudes about larger families have become increasingly negative.  The usual reaction goes something like this: "Why would you want to have so many kids?" Or, people might not ask at all and assume insanity or religious zealotry. Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.