The Most Important Question

Latest Episodes:

GOOD NEWS: So We Can’t Just Blow Up Asteroids, Then? Apr 20, 2020

Show notes

Our “Good News” series of replays begins today with Episode 66, when Quinn & Brian hosted a delightfully important discussion: Why, apparently, we shouldn’t just blow up asteroids.

Our guest is: Professor K.T. Ramesh, who is an absolute delight and may have the coolest job in the world. He is the founding director of the Hopkins Extreme Materials Institute (HEMI), which is pretty much a real-life Avengers, except every member is like Bruce Banner without all the Hulk-iness or Tony Stark if he was never kidnapped by terrorists. Every day, they’re working to protect people, structures, and the planet, exploring a number of topics that are both critically important and impenetrably complicated.

If, like us, you’ve always considered the seminal feature film Armageddon a blueprint for what to do in case of planetary disaster, Professor Ramesh is here to set the record straight about how we will have to deal with any incoming extraterrestrial projectiles.

This conversation is just so much fun, and we hope it provides a welcome distraction to everything else going on in the world right now.

Have feedback or questions? Tweet us, or send a message to questions@importantnotimportant.com

New here? Get started with our fan favorite episodes at podcast.importantnotimportant.com.

INI Book Club:

These Truths by Jill Lepore
https://www.amazon.com/registry/wishlist/3R5XF4WMZE0TV/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_ep_ws_2Gr8Ab6RS5WF3
INI Book Club: https://bookshop.org/lists/important-not-important-book-club

Links:

Learn more about Professor Ramesh & HEMI: https://hemi.jhu.edu/the-hemi-team/leadership/k-t-ramesh/
“If We Blow Up an Asteroid, It Might Put Itself Back Together”: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/08/science/asteroids-nuclear-weapons.html
Twitter: https://twitter.com/jhu_hemi
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HopkinsExtreme/
Listen to Radiolab’s Dinopocalypse ep: https://www.wnycstudios.org/story/dinopocalypse
Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) Mission: https://www.nasa.gov/planetarydefense/dart

Connect with us:

Subscribe to our newsletter at newsletter.importantnotimportant.com
Follow us on Twitter: twitter.com/ImportantNotImp
Follow Quinn: twitter.com/quinnemmett
Follow Brian: twitter.com/beansaight
Like and share us on Facebook: facebook.com/ImportantNotImportant
Intro/outro by Tim Blane: timblane.com
Artwork by Amrit Pal

Important, Not Important is produced by Crate Media

#90: What It’s Like to be a COVID-19 Lab Rat Apr 13, 2020

Show notes

In Episode 90, Quinn & Brian discuss: What it’s like to be a COVID-19 Lab Rat.

Our guest is: Allie Broas, an almost-MBA and one of Quinn’s many, many cousins.

We weren’t exactly planning to do more of these episodes right now — most of the people who are trying to change the world are quite busy at the moment — but then we had this unique opportunity to talk to someone who is not just a COVID-19 survivor but also, now, a COVID-19 test subject! So, we had to take it and learn more about how she contracted the virus, what her experience was like, and how she’s able to help doctors and scientists research it now.

Have feedback or questions? Tweet us, or send a message to questions@importantnotimportant.com

New here? Get started with our fan favorite episodes at podcast.importantnotimportant.com.

INI Book Club:

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
https://www.amazon.com/registry/wishlist/3R5XF4WMZE0TV/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_ep_ws_2Gr8Ab6RS5WF3

Links:

"How You Can Help (And Mostly Still Stay At Home)"
Twitter: twitter.com/alliebbroas
TikTok: @alafama

Connect with us:

Subscribe to our newsletter at newsletter.importantnotimportant.com
Follow us on Twitter: twitter.com/ImportantNotImp
Follow Quinn: twitter.com/quinnemmett
Follow Brian: twitter.com/beansaight
Like and share us on Facebook: facebook.com/ImportantNotImportant
Intro/outro by Tim Blane: timblane.com
Artwork by Amrit Pal

Important, Not Important is produced by Crate Media

BEST OF THE BEST: Air Pollution: The Low Hanging Fruit of Our Hellish Future Apr 07, 2020

Show notes

Cast your mind back to Episode 79, when Quinn & Brian discussed: Optimism in the air (can it be?).

Our guest is: Beth Gardiner, an environmental journalist and the author of Choked: Life and Breath in the Age of Air Pollution. The Guardian writes, “You couldn't ask for a better guide for ... concerned citizens,” which pretty much sums up our audience.

We’re replaying this fan favorite during this crisis for two timely reasons: 1) breathing in pollution creates underlying conditions that dramatically elevate the risk of complication from diseases like COVID-19 and, CONVENIENTLY, 2) Trump just rolled back Obama’s vehicle tailpipe rules.

This change should amount to “as much as 923 million more metric tons of carbon dioxide being emitted,” according to The Washington Post, which they report “is equivalent to the emissions from running 237 coal power plants for a year.”

SO ANYWAYS. This is one place where we can actually make a difference in reversing the climate crisis, so Gardiner’s tips for citizens who want to affect change are critically important right now.

Have feedback or questions? Tweet us, or send a message to questions@importantnotimportant.com

New here? Get started with our fan favorite episodes at podcast.importantnotimportant.com.

INI Book Club:

“Field Notes from a Catastrophe” by Elizabeth Kolbert
https://www.amazon.com/registry/wishlist/3R5XF4WMZE0TV/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_ep_ws_2Gr8Ab6RS5WF3
INI Book Club: https://bookshop.org/lists/important-not-important-book-club

Links:

Connect with us:

Subscribe to our newsletter at newsletter.importantnotimportant.com
Follow us on Twitter: twitter.com/ImportantNotImp
Follow Quinn: twitter.com/quinnemmett
Follow Brian: twitter.com/beansaight
Like and share us on Facebook: facebook.com/ImportantNotImportant
Intro/outro by Tim Blane: timblane.com
Artwork by Amrit Pal

Important, Not Important is produced by Crate Media

BEST OF THE BEST: Is COVID-19 America’s Chernobyl? Mar 31, 2020

Show notes

Way back in Episode 65, Quinn asked: Was Chernobyl a preventable and rare accident from the past, or a vivid picture of what happens when the government abandons its citizens during a crisis?

FUN STORY: turns out, it’s B!

We’re replaying one of our most listened to episodes ever, because, well, COVID-19. Or, more specifically, because of the American government’s response to COVID-19.

Which was to lie.

Our guest is: Craig Mazin, a screenwriter, podcaster, and the creator of the Emmy-award winning HBO mini-series Chernobyl.

This is the story of what happened in Chernobyl in 1986. And this is what’s happening in the USA right now. This moment, and how we choose to hold these people accountable, means everything.

Have feedback or questions? Tweet us, or send a message to questions@importantnotimportant.com

New here? Get started with our fan favorite episodes at podcast.importantnotimportant.com.

INI Book Club:

Final Exit by Derek Humphry
https://www.amazon.com/registry/wishlist/3R5XF4WMZE0TV/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_ep_ws_2Gr8Ab6RS5WF3
INI Book Club: https://bookshop.org/lists/important-not-important-book-club

Links:

Watch Chernobyl (2019): https://www.hbo.com/chernobyl
Chernobyl companion podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-chernobyl-podcast/id1459712981
Scriptnotes podcast: http://scriptnotes.net/
Ted Cruz’s Ex-Roommate (i.e. Craig) Shares ‘Misery’ Of Living With Him, After Porn Clip ‘Like’: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/ted-cruz-roommate-porn-craig-mazin_n_59b7cff4e4b031cc65cc995d

Connect with us:

Subscribe to our newsletter at newsletter.importantnotimportant.com
Follow us on Twitter: twitter.com/ImportantNotImp
Follow Quinn: twitter.com/quinnemmett
Follow Brian: twitter.com/beansaight
Like and share us on Facebook: facebook.com/ImportantNotImportant
Intro/outro by Tim Blane: timblane.com
Artwork by Amrit Pal

Important, Not Important is produced by Crate Media

Special Edition: How You Can Help — And (Mostly) Still Stay Home Mar 27, 2020

Show notes

If you've been wondering how else you can help fight coronavirus besides staying at home in sweatpants, this episode is for you. Please share widely. You can find links and additional details at importantnotimportant.com/blog/fight.

Find links from this newsletter and more at importantnotimportant.com/newsletter
Got feedback? Email us at funtalk@importantnotimportant.com
Follow us on Twitter at @importantnotimp

Important, Not Important is produced by Crate Media

#89: Why Does It Require a PhD in Neuroscience Just to Support a Green New Deal? Mar 23, 2020

Show notes

In Episode 89, Quinn & Brian discuss: Taking down the white guy who politically stabbed you (and the planet) in the back.

Our guest is: Dr. Arati Kreibich. She gave us a call a couple weeks back to explain that she’s a freshman Councilmember in Glen Rock, a proud immigrant, a neuroscientist, a mother, and a grassroots organizer who is now running for Congress in New Jersey’s 5th Congressional District, because I GUESS THAT’S WHAT IT’S COME TO.

In the last congressional election, Dr. Kreibich campaigned (a lot) for the current representative, Josh Gottheimer. She saw Josh as an opportunity for the district to move forward, but she’s been disillusioned and disappointed by the decisions he’s made in the name of “bipartisanship.”

So, instead of backing another rich white man who doesn’t actually care, Dr. Kreibich decided to take Gottheimer down herself. WE'RE IN.

Have feedback or questions? Tweet us, or send a message to questions@importantnotimportant.com

New here? Get started with our fan favorite episodes at podcast.importantnotimportant.com.

INI Book Club:

The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein
Night by Elie Wiesel
INI Book Club: https://bookshop.org/lists/important-not-important-book-club

Links:

Twitter: twitter.com/Arati4Congress
www.aratiforcongress.com

Connect with us:

Subscribe to our newsletter at newsletter.importantnotimportant.com
Follow us on Twitter: twitter.com/ImportantNotImp
Follow Quinn: twitter.com/quinnemmett
Follow Brian: twitter.com/beansaight
Like and share us on Facebook: facebook.com/ImportantNotImportant
Intro/outro by Tim Blane: timblane.com
Artwork by Amrit Pal

Important, Not Important is produced by Crate Media

#88: You Voted for Clean Energy… So Where The Hell Is it? Mar 16, 2020

Show notes

In Episode 88, Quinn & Brian ask: You voted for clean energy… so why hasn’t it become a thing yet?

Our guest is: Dr. Leah Stokes, author of the new book Short Circuiting Policy: Interest Groups and the Battle Over Clean Energy and Climate Policy in the American States She’s like Captain Planet if Captain Planet was a powerful woman with a Ph.D. in kicking polluters’ asses AND public policy.

At the end of this episode, you’ll know exactly why your state is still building or spewing fossil fuels and how you can help burn it all down. The energy system in our country is functioning exactly as it was designed — poorly and toxically — but we do have the ability to reclaim our air, reclaim our water, and reclaim our health if we start working together now.

Have feedback or questions? Tweet us, or send a message to questions@importantnotimportant.com

New here? Get started with our fan favorite episodes at podcast.importantnotimportant.com.

INI Book Club:

“The Education of an Idealist: A Memoir” by Samantha Power
https://www.amazon.com/registry/wishlist/3R5XF4WMZE0TV/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_ep_ws_2Gr8Ab6RS5WF3

Links:

Twitter: twitter.com/leahstokes
Website: www.leahstokes.com
Leah’s Book: www.leahstokes.com/book
NextGen America: nextgenamerica.org
Indow Window Inserts: indowwindows.com
Get the 5 Calls app: 5calls.org

Connect with us:

Subscribe to our newsletter at newsletter.importantnotimportant.com
Follow us on Twitter: twitter.com/ImportantNotImp
Follow Quinn: twitter.com/quinnemmett
Follow Brian: twitter.com/beansaight
Like and share us on Facebook: facebook.com/ImportantNotImportant
Intro/outro by Tim Blane: timblane.com
Artwork by Amrit Pal

Important, Not Important is produced by Crate Media

#87: What's In Your Moisturizer, Anyways? Mar 09, 2020

Show notes

In Episode 87, Quinn & Brian ask: What, exactly, are we putting on our bodies (and why aren’t more people asking questions about it)?

Our guest is: Gregg Renfrew. Gregg is a serial entrepreneur who most recently founded Beautycounter to increase transparency and safety in the personal care industry. She also actively lobbies for regulation in the cosmetics industry to limit the number of harmful chemicals included in products sold in America because, you know, less poison in and on our bodies is a good thing — a good thing that many other companies in the beauty industry fight vehemently against.

There are complicated ingredients in our cosmetics, moisturizers… well, pretty much everything we’re sold to put on our body to make it look or feel better. And these ingredients are increasingly obscured by labeling trickery, like the deceptive word “fragrance” that can hide dozens of potentially dangerous chemicals — and, holy hell, after what we learned in this episode, we are so on board with getting to the bottom of all of it.

Have feedback or questions? Tweet us, or send a message to questions@importantnotimportant.com

New here? Get started with our fan favorite episodes at podcast.importantnotimportant.com.

INI Book Club:

“Start with Why” by Simon Sinek

Links:

Instagram: www.instagram.com/greggrenfrew
Facebook: www.facebook.com/gregg.renfrew
www.beautycounter.com
The Never List: www.beautycounter.com/the-never-list
Want to take action now? Text #betterbeauty to 52886

Connect with us:

Subscribe to our newsletter at newsletter.importantnotimportant.com
Follow us on Twitter: twitter.com/ImportantNotImp
Follow Quinn: twitter.com/quinnemmett
Follow Brian: twitter.com/beansaight
Like and share us on Facebook: facebook.com/ImportantNotImportant
Intro/outro by Tim Blane: timblane.com
Artwork by Amrit Pal

Important, Not Important is produced by Crate Media

Special Edition: How to Survive the Coronavirus (With Your Sanity Intact) Mar 03, 2020

Show notes

In this special episode, Quinn (with some help from our friends at the CDC and elsewhere) talks you through everything you need to know about the coronavirus, what you can do to prepare, and — maybe most importantly — what you can’t.

Want to read or print or share with friends? The matching blog post is here: https://www.importantnotimportant.com/blog/2020/3/2/how-to-survive-the-coronavirus-with-your-sanity-intact.

#86: Farming While Black: The Past and The Future Mar 02, 2020

Show notes

In Episode 86, Quinn & Brian ask: What can we do to support the black farmers who have the ancient answers to rebuilding our soil, farms, and food system?

Our guest is: Leah Penniman, Co-Director and Farm Manager of Soul Fire Farm, a farm dedicated to ending racism and injustice in the food system. Leah is also the author of “Farming While Black: Soul Fire Farm’s Practical Guide to Liberation on the Land.”

In many ways, Soul Fire Farm represents a new start for American agriculture — a new start built on some very old roots, carrying on the legacy and wisdom of sustainable African farming traditions. We all benefit from the incredible work that Li and the others at Soul Fire Farm are doing, and this is a piece of historical and ecological education that everyone in the US, in particular, should be aware of.

Have feedback or questions? Tweet us, or send a message to questions@importantnotimportant.com

New here? Get started with our fan favorite episodes at podcast.importantnotimportant.com.

INI Book Club: https://bookshop.org/lists/important-not-important-book-club

Links: