The Most Important Question

By Important, Not ImportantSociety & Culture Science Technology

The Most Important Question episodes

April 16, 2019 #62: Where Does Ebola Go From Here?
In Episode 62, Quinn & Brian ask: Where does Ebola go from here?

Our guest is Karin Huster, a Field Coordinator at Doctors Without Borders, where she is currently bouncing between the Democratic Republic of Congo and Mozambique. She spent a decade in the trauma ICU before flinging herself head first into humanitarian efforts across the globe. She’s sorta the Forest Gump of humanitarian field nurses; if there’s a health-related outbreak, or a storm-related outbreak that turns into a health-related outbreak, she’s there – and she’s inspiring as hell!

The latest Ebola outbreak started in the Democratic Republic of Congo in August 2018, which is the worst on record for the DRC and the second largest Ebola outbreak in recorded history. Ebola is a beast of a disease, the kind of thing Hollywood uses as a go-to when they need a horrible disease outbreak. However, we do actually have some experimental drugs for treatment and a promising vaccine, thanks to recent medical advancements, but they don’t seem to be doing a lot to slow the spread of this disease. But why? We get into it in this episode, and Karin explains in further detail in a beautifully written New York Times opinion piece, “Why Couldn’t My Ebola Treatment Center Save This Baby?”

Trump’s Book Club:

Long Walk to Freedom by Nelson Mandela: https://www.amazon.com/registry/wishlist/3R5XF4WMZE0TV/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_ep_ws_2Gr8Ab6RS5WF3

Links:

Support: http://doctorswithoutborders.org

“Why Couldn’t My Ebola Treatment Center Save This Baby?”: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/30/opinion/ebola-treatment-democratic-republic-of-congo.html

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/karin-huster-a225352/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/reunionislagirl

Read all of Karin’s articles: https://muckrack.com/karin-huster/articles

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Intro/outro by Tim Blane: timblane.com

Important, Not Important is produced by Crate Media
1 hr 16 min
April 12, 2019 Fun Talk: Marry, F***, Kill: The Guys in The Avengers
Quinn & Brian chat about getting nominated for a Webby (check our more deets below), Quinn’s mean Slack messages, what Brian should do when his friend visits town, Marry/Fuck/Kill The Avengers, being excited for a new Star Wars coming out in December, meeting Dan Gordon & all of the awesome things that Dan is doing to create a more progressive future, and our short-lived improv careers.
If you didn’t hear in our last episode, we have some BIG news: we have been nominated as Best Podcast Host in the 2019 Webbys! You can show us your support by going to importantnotimportant.com/vote!
Links:
Have feedback or questions? Send a message to [email protected]
Watch Brian’s morning show on IGS: https://www.instagram.com/importantnotimportant
Listen to Schmolitics: http://www.schmoliticsshow.com
Run For Something: https://runforsomething.net
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
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Intro/outro by Tim Blane: timblane.com
Important, Not Important is produced by Crate Media
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43 min
April 09, 2019 #61: How Do We Atone for Poisoning Generations of American Minorities?
In Episode 61, Quinn & Brian ask: How do we atone for poisoning generations of American minorities?

Our guest is Dr. Michael Dorsey, a recognized expert on global energy, finance and sustainability matters. Dr. Dorsey holds Rotary International’s highest honor, The Paul Harris Medal for Distinguished Service to Humanity, and is a “full member” of the Club of Rome. A graduate of the University of Michigan, Yale, and Johns Hopkins University, he is currently Senior Program Officer for Sustainability at the US National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine.

Dr. Dorsey is out there making change wherever he goes – which is just about everywhere, really – and today, he’s going to hold our hands and walk us through the history of environmental injustice in the United States (and beyond) – and how, ultimately, we can work together to make things better for future generations.

We also have some BIG news to announce: we have been nominated as Best Podcast Host in the 2019 Webbys! We are so incredibly honored to be nominated with the likes of Serial, Conversations With People Who Hate Me, Ear Biscuits, and Pod Save The People. We’re the only independent podcast on the list, and with your help, maybe we won’t come in last! (Just kidding... kinda.) You can show us your support by going to importantnotimportant.com/vote!

Trump’s Book Club:

The Book of Embraces by Eduardo Galeano: https://www.amazon.com/registry/wishlist/3R5XF4WMZE0TV/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_ep_ws_2Gr8Ab6RS5WF3

Links:

Dr. Dorsey on Twitter: https://twitter.com/GreenHejira

Detroit XPAC: Detroitxpac.org

Watch Michael K. Dorsey discuss innovations in the energy sector: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ta46deJf1Nc

Climate Working Group: http://apa.nyu.edu/climate-working-group/

Vote for us in the Webbys! importantnotimportant.com/vote

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Intro/outro by Tim Blane: timblane.com

Important, Not Important is produced by Crate Media
1 hr 17 min
April 05, 2019 Fun Talk: I Can Be Quiet & Calm (But Rage is Consuming Me on the Inside)
In today’s Fun Talk, Quinn & Brian chat about why Quinn enjoys this job but Brian does not, baseball’s opening day, Presidential candidates Andrew Yang & Cory Booker, the no fossil fuels pledge, offsetting your carbon emissions, why the best thing you can do about climate change is talk about climate change, Brian being late to work (but not too late), Denver!, this Brexit stuff, and Brian being sad because he hasn’t made the gym a priority.
***ALERT ALERT ALERT: We've been nominated for Best Podcast Host in the Webby's! Vote for us right here and help save the planet!***
Links:
Have feedback or questions? Send a message to [email protected]
Watch Brian’s morning show on IGS: https://www.instagram.com/importantnotimportant/
Venture for America: https://ventureforamerica.org/
Calculate your carbon footprint: https://www.terrapass.com/carbon-footprint-calculator
Buy carbon offsets: https://www.terrapass.com/
https://www.carbonfootprint.com
“If your carbon footprint makes you feel guilty, there’s an easy way out”: https://qz.com/974463/buying-carbon-credits-is-the-easiest-way-to-offset-your-carbon-footprint/
“Should You Buy Carbon Offsets?”: https://www.nrdc.org/stories/should-you-buy-carbon-offsets
“Stop Worrying About Buying Carbon Offsets for Your Flights”: https://www.wired.com/story/airline-emissions-carbon-offsets-travel/
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
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Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/important-not-important/message
46 min
April 02, 2019 #60: Why You Should Run For Something in 2020
In Episode 60, Quinn & Brian discuss: Why YOU should run for something in 2020!

Our guest is Amanda Litman, the co-founder and Executive Director of Run For Something, a PAC that helps recruit and support young diverse progressives to run for down-ballot races in order to build a bench for the future. They aim to lower the barriers to entry for these candidates – which could and should be you, unless you’re a white guy (because we have plenty of those) – by helping them with seed money, organization building, and access to training.

According to Run For Something’s strategic plan, their mission is to change the face of progressive politics, quite literally, by encouraging and supporting local candidates who can improve lives today, and who may be able to run for office on a national level in the future. They will never merge with the Democratic Party, and they never plan to support candidates in federal races – they are just here to create a much-needed, long-lasting infrastructure for regular people who just want to solve problems in their communities, but who have trouble finding resources because they’re not already part of the existing political system.

Trump’s Book Club:

What Happened by Hillary Clinton: https://www.amazon.com/registry/wishlist/3R5XF4WMZE0TV/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_ep_ws_2Gr8Ab6RS5WF3

Links:

Learn more at https://runforsomething.net/

Run For Something’s strategic plan: https://medium.com/@runforsomething/run-for-somethings-2019-2020-strategic-plan-a272e5633849

Amanda on Twitter: https://twitter.com/amandalitman

Run for Something: A Real-Talk Guide to Fixing the System Yourself by Amanda Litman & HIllary Rodham Clinton: https://runforsomething.net/book/

“Improving Building Codes to Prepare for Climate Impacts”: https://www.mapc.org/resource-library/building-codes-climate/

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
1 hr 3 min
March 29, 2019 Fun Talk: Woke Bois
In Fun Talk Version 13.00, Quinn & Brian chat about Brian’s black eye, being an interrogatee, filming a web video, how terrible it is that craft beer took off when Quinn started to get stuffy, making money on March Madness, other basketball things, being a Woke Boi, the new Apollo 11 documentary, living with a lot of Shoulds, and why L.A. (and especially Quinn) Loves Alex’s Lemonade Stand.
Links:
“White Male Feminist” | Woke Bois | Casual Sketch”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pYpbvCf3lrY
“Joy To The Universe | Woke Bois | Casual Sketch”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=1&v=wj-NGLx44UE
L.A. Loves Alex's Lemonade 2019: https://www.alexslemonade.org/event/279/register
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
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Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/important-not-important/message
42 min
March 26, 2019 #59: Is Florida the Harbinger of Doom? (Probably)
In Episode 59, Quinn & Brian ask: Is Florida the harbinger of doom? (Probably)

Our guest is Dr. Salvador Almagro-Moreno, an Assistant Professor of Medicine at the Burnett School of Biomedical Sciences at the University of Central Florida. His lab, The Moreno Lab, lies at the interface between ecology and pathogenesis, studying the emergence and evolution of bacterial pathogens. From what we can tell, this means they’re focusing on how and why bacteria want to eat and/or kill us.

This episode contains what has to be some of the most scientifically-laden potty talk you’ve ever heard as we learn more about the good, the bad, and the ugly awaiting us in our poop and the water. But don’t get us wrong, this is some serious shit.

We’ll also spoil one big takeaway from this episode now, and we hope you take it to heart: do NOT retire to Florida.

Trump’s Book Club: Thank You for Being Late: An Optimist's Guide to Thriving in the Age of Accelerations by Thomas Friedman: https://www.amazon.com/registry/wishlist/3R5XF4WMZE0TV/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_ep_ws_2Gr8Ab6RS5WF3

Links:

Learn more at http://vibriocholerae.org/

Florida Man: https://floridaman.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/bioetry

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

The toxic consequences of polluting our coasts | Salvador Almagro-Moreno | TEDxOrlando: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iXqJO5IJFQc The Darwin Awards: https://darwinawards.com/ “The Midwest flooding has killed livestock, ruined harvests and has farmers worried for their future”: https://www.cnn.com/2019/03/21/us/floods-nebraska-iowa-agriculture-farm-loss/index.html

Connect with us:

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Intro/outro by Tim Blane: timblane.com

Important, Not Important is produced by Podcast Masters
1 hr 17 min
March 21, 2019 Fun Talk: Today’s the Day, Teddy – We Have to Go Find His Body in the Street
In this week’s Fun Talk, Quinn & Brian discuss episode numbers, celebrating Saint Patrick’s Day, hitting a wall with your face, Teddy’s life on the streets of LA, (not) reading A Clockwork Orange, bringing your own milk to a coffee shop, nutritious pea milk, the fun ride of Captain Marvel, getting exciting for Chuck to be Shazam, how we handle grief over time (fun, right?), the joy of jury duty, having an all-the-time cold, and growth mindset parenting.
Links:
Have feedback or questions? Send a message to [email protected]
Watch Brian’s morning show on IGS: https://www.instagram.com/importantnotimportant/
Pea Milk: https://www.ripplefoods.com/
Read Quinn’s post about his friend Andy: https://www.instagram.com/p/Bu-bVjGAspI/
Connect with us:
Subscribe to our newsletter at ImportantNotImportant.com!
Intro/outro by Tim Blane: timblane.com
Follow Quinn: twitter.com/quinnemmett
Follow Brian: twitter.com/briancolbertken
Like and share us on Facebook: facebook.com/ImportantNotImportant
Check us on Instagram: instagram.com/ImportantNotImportant
Follow us on Twitter: twitter.com/ImportantNotImp
Pin us on Pinterest: pinterest.com/ImportantNotImportant
Tumble us or whatever the hell you do on Tumblr: importantnotimportant.tumblr.com
Important, Not Important is produced by Podcast Masters
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45 min
March 19, 2019 #58: Is Faith Sustainable?
In Episode 58, Quinn & Brian ask: Is faith sustainable?

Our guest is Dekila Chungyalpa, a trained scientist and Buddhist operating at the intersection of science, faith, and the environment. She is the director of The Loka Initiative, a new and innovative education and outreach program at the University of Wisconsin–Madison for faith leaders and religious institutions. Its mission is to support faith-led environmental efforts locally and around the world through collaborations with faith leaders and religious institutions on environmental protection, sustainable development, and global health issues.

Dekila believes that science and religion can be sympathetic, rather than adversarial, in their commitment to solving environmental and social problems compassionately and effectively. We are all different, in oh so very many ways, but there’s one thing that that every single human being has in common: if we destroy the planet through our own negligence, there will be nowhere left for us to argue about (and kill each other over) religion and politics.

Trump’s Book Club: The Joy of Living: Unlocking the Secret and Science of Happiness by Eric T. Swanson and Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche: https://www.amazon.com/registry/wishlist/3R5XF4WMZE0TV/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_ep_ws_2Gr8Ab6RS5WF3

Links:

Loka Initiative: https://centerhealthyminds.org/loka-initiative

Twitter: https://twitter.com/dchungyalpa

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dekilachungyalpa/

Episode #4: What does the bible say about climate change?: https://www.importantnotimportant.com/podcast/2018/2/13/e-4-what-does-the-bible-say-about-climate-change-

Episode #29: The Pope Has Decided to Fix Climate Change With His Own Bare Hands: https://www.importantnotimportant.com/podcast/2018/08/07-e-29-the-pope-has-decided-to-fix-climate-change-with-his-own-bare-hands Being

Peace by Thich Nhat Hanh: https://www.amazon.com/Being-Peace-Thich-Nhat-Hanh/dp/188837540X

Connect with us:

Subscribe to our newsletter at ImportantNotImportant.com!

Intro/outro by Tim Blane: timblane.com

Follow Quinn: twitter.com/quinnemmett

Follow Brian: twitter.com/briancolbertken

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

Check us on Instagram: instagram.com/ImportantNotImportant

Follow us on Twitter: twitter.com/ImportantNotImp

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

Important, Not Important is produced by Podcast Masters
1 hr 19 min
March 15, 2019 Fun Talk: My Asshole Cat Jumped In
In today’s Fun Talk, Quinn & Brian chat about the things children take for granted, fighting cancer with our sweat (and mixed drinks), famous drug kingpins, existential questions, Brian’s asshole cat, Brian’s best angry Christian Bale impression, watching (and not watching) Too Many Cooks, Quinn’s (futile?) efforts to keep kids out of his room, and doing team stuff.
Links:
Have feedback or questions? Send a message to [email protected]
Watch Brian’s morning show on IGS: https://www.instagram.com/importantnotimportant/
Cycle for Survival: https://www.cycleforsurvival.org/
Alex’s Lemonade Stand: https://www.alexslemonade.org
Listen to Tim Blaine’s music: https://soundcloud.com/timblane/magnetic
Too Many Cooks: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QrGrOK8oZG8
Connect with us:
Subscribe to our newsletter at ImportantNotImportant.com!
Intro/outro by Tim Blane: timblane.com
Follow Quinn: twitter.com/quinnemmett
Follow Brian: twitter.com/briancolbertken
Like and share us on Facebook: facebook.com/ImportantNotImportant
Check us on Instagram: instagram.com/ImportantNotImportant
Follow us on Twitter: twitter.com/ImportantNotImp
Pin us on Pinterest: pinterest.com/ImportantNotImportant
Tumble us or whatever the hell you do on Tumblr: importantnotimportant.tumblr.com
Important, Not Important is produced by Podcast Masters
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Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/important-not-important/message
31 min

About The Most Important Question

From the publisher's feed

The most important question in today's world of climate chaos, AI psychosis, and crumbling democracy is: what can I do? Your host, Quinn Emmett is completely unqualified to answer it, so he's calling the people that already are.