Mansplaining

Send us a text [https://www.buzzsprout.com/twilio/text_messages/1361605/open_sms] What do the following household items have in common: A jar of aspirin; a tube of toothpaste; a clear plastic bottle; a package of KN-95 masks? Answer: they all expire on a certain date. Indeed, our homes are full of stuff we’re supposed to throw away long before we’re done with it. But do these products truly go bad, or are their producers planning their obsolescence so you’ll buy them again and again? Don’t mind Mark and Joe as they forage through your medicine cabinet, pantry, and hall closet to demystify expiration dates once and for all. (Recorded July 3, 2025.)

Send us a text [https://www.buzzsprout.com/twilio/text_messages/1361605/open_sms] For decades, American suburbia has resembled one continuous green lawn stretching across property boundaries in every direction. Indeed, lawns are part of the fabric of American life. When was it that we all decided to put grass around our homes, and why? Joe and Mark ramble through America’s iconic yardscape to dig up the history of grassy lawns, why they took hold here, and whether recent anti-lawn proclivities will eventually take root or be RoundedUp and killed like yesterday’s crabgrass. (Recorded June 13, 20025.)

Send us a text [https://www.buzzsprout.com/twilio/text_messages/1361605/open_sms] Bullet trains have been a major component of transit systems in places like Japan, China, and Europe for decades. Why hasn’t high-speed rail taken root in the supposedly forward-thinking United States? Mark and Joe set off on a journey of discovery through issues like inadequate infrastructure, population density, and the usual economic and political obstacles before reaching its terminus in America’s ongoing, dysfunctional love affair with cars.  Daunting as these challenges are, there’s still a way forward, if we have the will to get there (a big if). (Recorded May 30, 2025.)

Send us a text [https://www.buzzsprout.com/twilio/text_messages/1361605/open_sms] To meet the increased demand for carbon-free electricity that might mitigate the climate crisis that is already upon us, nations the world over are reconsidering nuclear energy.  Mansplaining listeners of a certain age remember the No Nukes movement that gained steam after frightening meltdowns at Three Mile Island and Chernobyl.  What they may not realize is that nuclear power remains an important piece of the world’s energy portfolio.  Joe and Mark assess nuclear’s risk profile to determine whether it’s part of the problem or part of the solution. (Recorded May 11, 2025.)

Send us a text [https://www.buzzsprout.com/twilio/text_messages/1361605/open_sms] Recent estimates are that the United States has a shortage of housing volume of 4-7 million homes. A problem of that scale doesn’t happen overnight and involves decades of neglect and inaction.  With the chronic lack of housing likely to be a major issue for the foreseeable future, public policy experts have been brainstorming about potential solutions, and a few have dusted off an idea that’s older than the Republic: a tax on the value of land without regard to the buildings and other property improvements on it.  Mark and Joe trace the history of the land-value tax, the difficulty of implementing it, and whether it can be part of the solution to our housing crisis. (Recorded April 18, 2025.)