Guess What? It’s Gonna Be No Mow May

Which side do you fall on when it comes to the Lawn Wars? Is your lawn pristine or do you make a home for the bumblebees?

Then we talk about the Correspondents Dinner and the problem posed by comedian and MC, Roy Wood Jr: how do we inform democracy from behind a paywall?

Check out this episode on Spotify and Apple Podcasts!

Lawn Wars

Are you a stickler who values curb appeal who will shell out $$ in the name of a pristine green lawn? Or do you embrace the growing environmental campaigns like  “No Mow May,” the “anti-lawn” movement, “Food Not Lawns” and “Climate Victory Gardens”?

In neighborhoods across the country, this debate is pitting property values, aesthetics, and “curb appeal” against concerns about drought, gas-powered mowers, and biodiversity. 

Did you know: Appleton, WI is the US birthplace of No Mow May? 

AND did you know: that the Lawrence University research paper that inspired the “No Mow May” movement was retracted, prompting debate this year in Appleton, Wisconsin over whether to continue letting people forgo mowing this May? The detractors were outvoted, and the city is continuing the program.

If you’re interested in exploring a more sustainable way to upkeep your yard, check out this article for Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: No mow May is a good time for Wisconsin homeowners to consider groundcover plants and Here’s how to register for No Mow May in Milwaukee

Paywalls: The Existential Technological and Political Problem of Our Time

Nerd prom – aka – The White House Correspondents Association’s Dinner on Saturday evening, headlined by President Biden and hosted by comedian Roy Wood, Jr., provided comedic relief from some of Washington’s most pressing and intense issues.  

The President had a couple of zingers:

• “Call me old. I call it being ‘seasoned.’ You say I’m ancient. I say I’m wise. You say I’m over the hill. Don Lemon would say that’s a man in his prime.”
• “I had a lot of Ron DeSantis jokes ready — but Mickey Mouse beat me to it.”
• “In many ways, this dinner sums up my first years in office: I’ll talk for 10 minutes, take zero questions and cheerfully walk away.”

But Roy Wood Jr, like other Daily Show alums before him, knocked it out of the park. He was of course hilarious – look no further than his bit on Clarence Thomas. But he also raised the existential technological and political problem of our time: paywalls. I highly recommend watching the whole thing: