The Most Important Question

In Episode 67, Quinn & Brian ask: Is Climate Change "Flippable"?

Our guest is Catherine Vaughan, CEO and Co-Founder of Flippable, an organization dedicated to flipping state governments from red to blue. You may not be surprised that Catherine is, indeed, one of the people trying to make a positive change by getting states back on the light side of the Force.

So, when it comes to things like climate change, cancer, clean energy, (the Presidency,) artificial intelligence... are those things Flippable? The answer better be yes, or this is going to be a very depressing episode. So, pay attention today, because the answer just might help us get on the right track to an even better place – not to where we were or are, obviously, because that place was and is not great.

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Trump’s Book Club:

Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevsky: https://www.amazon.com/registry/wishlist/3R5XF4WMZE0TV/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_ep_ws_2Gr8Ab6RS5WF3

Links:

Learn more at https://flippable.org/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/flippableorg/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/flippableorg/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/cv0

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/catherine-vaughan-759a649/

One Person, No Vote: How Voter Suppression Is Destroying Our Democracy by Carol Anderson: https://www.amazon.com/One-Person-Vote-Suppression-Destroying/dp/1635571375

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Intro/outro by Tim Blane: timblane.com

Important, Not Important is produced by Crate Media

In Episode 66, Quinn & Brian want to know why the hell we can't -- and further -- shouldn’t just blow up asteroids. 

Our guest is the incredible Professor K.T. Ramesh, professor of mechanical engineering at John Hopkins, founding director of the Hopkins Extreme Materials Institute (HEMI), and our new hero.

You can think of HEMI as a real-life Avengers (no, we’re not just stuck on Endgame), 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.

One of their newest studies reveals that Hollywood and Atari may, in fact, have been incorrect when they repeatedly suggested that one viable way to defend the planet from an incoming asteroid would be blowing it up. We don’t know about you, but we certainly feel lied to – so it’s refreshing to have this conversation with Professor Ramesh to set the record straight.

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Important, Not Important Book Club: These Truths by Jill Lepore

Links: 

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In Episode 65, Quinn asks: Is Chernobyl a preventable and rare accident from the past or a vivid picture of our hellish nuclear future?

Our guest is Craig Mazin, a screenwriter, podcaster, and the creator of a new HBO mini-series called Chernobyl – which is debuting TODAY, May 6th. So, if you currently have an account just to watch Game of Thrones, you’re in luck!

We’ve had some accidents, but we’ve learned from them... right? We answer that question, talk about the how and why of nuclear power (and disaster), and take a gander into the future of energy.

Want to send us feedback? Tweet us, email us, or leave us a voice message!

Trump’s Book Club:

Final Exit by Derek Humphry

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 ImportantNotImportant.com!

Check out our Morning Show and other daily bite-size content on Instagram: instagram.com/ImportantNotImportant

Follow Quinn: twitter.com/quinnemmett

Follow Brian: twitter.com/briancolbertken

Follow us on Twitter: twitter.com/ImportantNotImp

Like and share us on Facebook: facebook.com/ImportantNotImportant

Pin us on Pinterest: pinterest.com/ImportantNotImportant

Tumble us or whatever the hell you do on Tumblr: importantnotimportant.tumblr.com

Intro/outro by Tim Blane: timblane.com

Important, Not Important is produced by Crate Media

In a very special Episode 64, Quinn & Brian discuss (live! Kind of): everything that’s good at the Sunrise Movement Tour (and everything that’s not-so-good in the local communities)! Our guests are politician and native Hawaiian Kaniela Ing, environmental activist Michelle Cerecerez, native activist Miguel Quimichipilli Bravo, and LA City Councilmember Nury Martinez. We make some new friends and have a lot of fun while we chat about the Green New Deal, supporting indigenous people, the scars of hyper gentrification, being surprised when you meet people with basic consideration for other human beings, environmental racism, and all of the important work that Sunrise Movement is doing here in California. Links: Join the Sunrise Movement Tour: https://www.sunrisemovement.org/tour Kaniela Ing: https://www.kanielaing.com/ Michelle Cerecerez: https://www.calfac.org/person/michelle-cerecerez Miguel Quimichipilli Bravo: https://twitter.com/ogBravo1 Nury Martinez: http://www.nury-martinez.com/ Connect with us: Subscribe to our newsletter at ImportantNotImportant.com! Check out our Morning Show and other daily bite-size content on Instagram: instagram.com/ImportantNotImportant Follow Quinn: twitter.com/quinnemmett Follow Brian: twitter.com/briancolbertken Follow us on Twitter: twitter.com/ImportantNotImp Like and share us on Facebook: facebook.com/ImportantNotImportant Pin us on Pinterest: pinterest.com/ImportantNotImportant Tumble us or whatever the hell you do on Tumblr: importantnotimportant.tumblr.com Intro/outro by Tim Blane: timblane.com Important, Not Important is produced by Crate Media

In Episode 63, Quinn & Brian discuss: Building a new pipeline of sustainable food growers.

Our guest is Dena Leibman, the Executive Director of the Future Harvest Chesapeake Alliance for Sustainable Agriculture (or Future Harvest for short), a non-profit that works to build a sustainable Chesapeake Foodshed from farm and fishery to table. But Dena is one to practice what she preaches – or a workaholic – so the Leibman family also started ZigBone Farm Retreat, a 100-acre sheep and goat farm in Maryland's Catoctin Mountains that they are slowly converting into a naturally built retreat center and event space.

And you know what’s really cool? Food without a bunch of shit in it, literally and figuratively; food that keeps us healthy instead of making us sick; food that makes us stronger, faster, and generally more like The Six Million Dollar Man. Today, we learn where our current food pipeline fails us – and what we can do to start supporting more sustainable farming and distribution practices today.

Trump’s Book Club:

He’s maybe not reachable by book, but we try: https://www.amazon.com/registry/wishlist/3R5XF4WMZE0TV/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_ep_ws_2Gr8Ab6RS5WF3

Links:

Future Harvest: https://www.futureharvestcasa.org/

Beginner Farmer Training Program: https://www.futureharvestcasa.org/new-farmers/how-apply

Foodshed Field School: https://www.futureharvestcasa.org/foodshed-field-school

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FHCASA/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fhcasa/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/

Find a local CSA: https://www.localharvest.org/csa/

Connect with us:

Subscribe to our newsletter at ImportantNotImportant.com!

Check out our Morning Show and other daily bite-size content on Instagram: instagram.com/ImportantNotImportant

Follow Quinn: twitter.com/quinnemmett

Follow Brian: twitter.com/briancolbertken

Follow us on Twitter: twitter.com/ImportantNotImp

Like and share us on Facebook: facebook.com/ImportantNotImportant

Pin us on Pinterest: pinterest.com/ImportantNotImportant

Tumble us or whatever the hell you do on Tumblr: importantnotimportant.tumblr.com

Intro/outro by Tim Blane: timblane.com

Important, Not Important is produced by Crate Media