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Who knew that Hungarian intellectuals where NUMEROLOGISTS – András reveals all! We have correction from last week and also reflect over the illness of PRINCESS KATE, naturally we wish her well. In this weeks TWISH we hear about PERCY SHELLEY and how his atheism ruined his academic career – to the benefit of mankind. Then, it’s time for the news: __ __ This week’s REALLY RIGHT goes to the EU PARLIAMENT though we until the last minute we thought they had messed up. Enjoy! SEGMENTS: Intro; Greetings; TWISH; News; Really Right; Quote and Farewell; Outro; Out-Takes * Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy https://acast.com/privacy for more information.
FLYING UNICORNS EXIST IN PORTUGAL and you can vote for your favorites on THE PORTUGUESE SKEPTICS’ web site (COMCEPT) before 1 APRIL. By coincidence this is also the deadline for getting the EARLY BIRD DISCOUNT for the European Skeptics Congress in Lyon https://www.ecso.org/esc2024/, so sign up in time! On a sadder note, ANNIKA WILL HAVE TO TAKE A FEW MONTHS OFF from the podcast, but she promises to return in June. But before that, we have a whole lot of news to go through: __ __ For a change we have a REALLY WEIRD AWARD to hand out – the man who got HUNDREDS OF COVID SHOTS just to be on the safe side (we suppose). Luckily he seems to be OK. ENJOY! SEGMENTS: Intro; Greetings; TWISH; News; Really Weird; Quote and Farewell; Outro; Out-Takes 0:00:27 Intro 0:00:52 Greetings 0:12:42 TWISH 0:22:23 News 0:49:49 Really Weird 0:56:34 Quote and Farewell 1:00:51 Outro 1:02:06 Out-takes * Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy https://acast.com/privacy for more information.
BRIAN EGGO is certainly bo no stranger to this podcast. Relentless in his quest to spread the skeptical world, he is known as the main force behind the GLASGOW SKEPTICS, one of the great people behind SKEPTICS IN THE PUB - ONLIN and a frequent speaker and guest on several podcasts. This week we interview him about the time when the big C came to his family and he decided to find out what the internet would have to recommend someone in his position. While a lot of the advice he got was likely given in good faith, it was nevertheless pretty bad. Hear him tell all about everything from TOTALLY INEFFECTIVE "CURES" like HOMEOPATHY to downright DANGEROUS MODALITIES like BLACK SALVE and MMS. ENJOY! (if that's the word) SEGMENTS: __ __ * Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy https://acast.com/privacy for more information.
We start with some LISTENER FEEDBACK and CORRECTIONS regarding TRIDENTINOSAURUS ANTIQUUS – the origin of its name was wrong and despite what we said, it wasn’t a a dinosaur. In TWISH we hear about GERARDUS MERCATOR, the man behind most world maps. Then we get to the news: __ __ The UK GOVERNMENT gets this week’s REALLY WRONG AWARD for covering up the statistics about the deaths of homeless people. Enjoy! SEGMENTS: Intro; Greetings; TWISH; News; Really Wrong; Quote and Farewell; Outro; Out-Takes * Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy https://acast.com/privacy for more information.
This week we have the great pleasure to interview our friend PROF. CHRIS FRENCH! We hear a lot about his research into the paranormal – or ANOMALISTIC PSYCHOLOGY as he prefers to call it. Chris has a NEW BOOK COMING OUT ON 19 MARCH. It’s called “THE SCIENCE OF WEIRD SHIT” and we cannot recommend it enough! (we were lucky enough to get a sneak peek) ENJOY! SEGMENTS: Intro; Greetings; Interview; Farewell; Outro; Out-Takes * Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy https://acast.com/privacy for more information.
This week we’ve had some feedback regarding AI – always glad to hear from our listeners! In TWISH we hear about Charles Clermont-Ganneau, famous French archeologist with a flare for spotting fake artifacts. Then we turn to the news: __ __ Good news for once! The French National Assembly has adopted a new law aimed at charlatans, and sects or sect leaders who tries to influence their followers to reject science based medicine. We think that is worth a Really Right Award! Enjoy! SEGMENTS: Intro; Greetings; TWISH; News; Really Right; Quote and Farewell; Outro; Out-Takes * Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy https://acast.com/privacy for more information.
Luna sits in for András(!) and we talk about CONSPIRACY THEORIES regarding the EARTHQUAKE IN TURKEY last year, a new study about peoples worldview and in TWISH we get into THE CURSE OF TUTANKHAMUN – what really was going on? Then we have a look at the news: __ __ The GERMAN FEDERAL MINISTRY is funding the SCAM institute ARCIM and for that they are REALLY WRONG. Enjoy! SEGMENTS: Intro; Greetings; TWISH; News; Really Wrong; Quote and Farewell; Outro; Out-Takes * Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy https://acast.com/privacy for more information.
KING CHARLES III is ill and although we seldom agrees with him we still whish him a speedy recovery. MARCUS WANDT, the Swedish astronaut, took time off his busy schedule and gave a called via link with students at a Swedish school – the teacher setting it up is active in VOF, THE SWEDISH SKEPTICS. Well done, Philippe! Marcus has been stuck on the ISS for several days but as this episode comes out he is finally on his way back to Earth. We remind everyone to sign up for the European Skeptics Congress in Lyon https://www.ecso.org/esc2024/, France, 30 May – 3 June! Speakers include MASSIMO POLIDORO, KAROLINA LISSLÖ GYLFE and EDZARD ERNST! In TWISH we hear about PETER THE GREAT who despite obvious flaws also happened to be quite a fan on the enlightenment. Then, it’s time for the news: __ __ The NHS IN KENT is supporting UNSCIENTIFIC ALTERNATIVE TREATMENTS and gets this week’s award for being REALLY WRONG, and to round up the episode we go to ICELAND for the WORD OF THE WEEK. Who can guess what ‘BÓLUEFNI’ means? Tune in to find out! Enjoy! SEGMENTS: Intro; Greetings; TWISH; News; Really Wrong; Word of the Week; Quote and Farewell; Outro; Out-Takes * Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy https://acast.com/privacy for more information.
We start with some LISTENER FEEDBACK and ponder the wonders of EUROPEAN LANGUAGES before we turn to TWISH, where we hear about BERTRAND RUSSELL AND HIS TEAPOT. Then we go into the news: __ __ SCOTLAND keeps burning as much peat as ever despite THE CLIMATE CRISES, and for that they receive this week’s Award for being REALLY WRONG. ENJOY! SEGMENTS: Intro; Greetings; TWISH; News; Really Wrong; Quote and Farewell; Outro; Out-Takes * Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy https://acast.com/privacy for more information.
This week we interview the fabulous ANJA HARRISON (no relation to any of the hosts) about a great initiative – THE COLLABORATIVE LIBRARY. Having met Anja at QED last year, we decided we just had to get her on the show. The ambitious plan of the Collaborative Library is to make scientific research much more accessible for the public, by making sure that there is a lay summary of as many papers as possible. ENJOY! SEGMENTS: Intro; Greetings; Interview; Farewell; Outro * Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy https://acast.com/privacy for more information.
By the time this episode comes out, SWEDEN hopefully has its THIRD AND LATEST ASTRONAUT IN SPACE! MARCUS WANDT is schedule for launch on Wednesday, (nope) Thursday evening, European time. For a little more down-to-Earth skeptical fun, sign up for the EUROPEAN SKEPTICS CONGRESS, 30 May – 2 June, in Lyon, France. Registrations https://www.ecso.org/esc2024/ are now open! No TWISH today in this slightly shorter than usual episode, but we still take a look at the news: __ __ KARL LAUTERBACH, the GERMAN HEALTH MINISTER, seems finally to ramp up for WITHDRAWING HOMEOPATHY from state funded health care, and for that he is REALLY RIGHT! Enjoy! SEGMENTS: Intro; Greetings; News; Really Right; Quote and Farewell; Outro; Out-Takes https://theesp.eu/podcast_archive/theesp-ep-410.html * Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy https://acast.com/privacy for more information.
Sorry for the delay guys, but we’re back! We have a host of TIPS FOR OUR LISTENERS to get engaged in in the new year. In this week’s TWISH we hear about THE BASEL MASSACRE in 1349, gruesome stuff. Then we look at the news: __ __ The Really Wrong aware goes to so-called “Energy Healer” Jean-Maurice Latsague, not just an alt-med scammer but also a sex abuser. Happy new year! SEGMENTS: Intro; Greetings; TWISH; News; Really Wrong; Quote and Farewell; Outro; Out-Takes * Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy https://acast.com/privacy for more information.
Suddenly Poland emerges as a possible example against POPULISM IN EUROPE – strange times indeed. In TWISH we hear about MARCONI‘s groundbreaking RADIO TRANSMISSION OVER THE ATLANTIC – not very long ago when you think about it, and pretty cool since he didn’t really know how radio waves work! In the news this week we look at these items: __ __ ENJOY! SEGMENTS: Intro; Greetings; TWISH; News; Really Wrong / Really Right; Quote and Farewell; Outro; Out-Takes * Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy https://acast.com/privacy for more information.
First we mention that the prestigious HEINZ OBERHUMMER AWARD has just been given to DIE SENDUNG MIT DER MAUS which we recently called out for being REALLY WRONG. Annika puts that into perspective for us. It is time to plan the trip to next year’s European Skeptics Congress https://www.ecso.org/esc2024/, this time IN LYON FRANCE, 30 MAY TO 2 JUNE. We then ask if POPE FRANKIE is planning his ‘Endgame’; some things point in that direction. After that we take a look at the news: __ __ RUSSIA’S SUPREME COURT is rewarded with this week’s REALLY WRONG AWARD for classifying the ‘International LGBT movement’ and an extremist ‘organisation’. The WORD OF THE WEEK is ‘VRĂJITOARE’. Tune in to find out what it means! Enjoy! SEGMENTS: Intro; Greetings; Pontus Pokes the Pope; News; Really Wrong; Word of the Week; Quote and Farewell; Outro; Out-Takes * Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy https://acast.com/privacy for more information.
In TWISH this week we hear about CLAUDE LÉVI-STRAUSS who put together a structuralist theory to analyze myths. We also hear that POPE FRANKIE IS SICK but still plans to attend the COP-28 MEETING IN DUBAI – we cannot help wondering why. Then it’s time for the news: __ __ The WORD OF THE WEEK is DOBHAR-CHÚ. No spoilers! You’ll have to listen to find out what on Earth that means! ENJOY! SEGMENTS: Intro; Greetings; TWISH; Pontus Pokes the Pope; News; Word of the Week; Quote and Farewell; Outro; Out-Takes * Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy https://acast.com/privacy for more information.
In this week’s TWISH we hear about TROFIM LYSENKO before we look into the news: __ __ Naturopaths selling MIRACLE MINERAL SUPPLEMENTS (MMS) are promoting a life threatening substance with no possible benefit. This came to a class call recently when a toddler coudl have died as a result. We hand out a REALLY WRONG AWARD for this completely irresponsible action. In WORD OF THE WEEK we looking into how to talk about SCAMS AND FRAUDS IN FINNISH. ENJOY! SEGMENTS: Intro; Greetings; TWISH; News; Really Wrong; Word of the Week; Quote and Farewell; Outro; Out-Takes * Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy https://acast.com/privacy for more information.
Despite the numerology, this episode CAN be found wherever you get your podcasts. We will give you tips about THE CONSPIRACY TEST, THE HUMANIST UK 2024 CONVENTION, the latest SKEPTICAL INQUIRER INTERVIEW and SKEPTICON 2023 IN AUSTRALIA – all good things to check out! In TWISH we hear about one of Darwin’s buddies, the groundbreaking (pun intended) geologist CHARLES LYELL, born this week in 1797. POPE FRANKIE has been given a free pass for too long and therefore gets poked before we get to the news: __ __ The ANTIVAXX MOVEMENT gets a REALLY WRONG AWARD for trying to exploit the tragic death of MATTHEW PERRY and in WHO’S QUACKING? we hear about NORBERT SCHOBERT, Hungarian spreader of disinformation. ENJOY! SEGMENTS: Intro; Greetings; TWISH; Pontus Pokes The Pope; News; Really Wrong; Who’s Quacking?; Quote And Farewell; Outro; Out-Takes Show notes here: https://theesp.eu/podcast_archive/theesp-ep-404.html * Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy https://acast.com/privacy for more information.
After the normal meet and greet, we have an interview with NORBERT AUST – German skeptic and one of the initiators of INH, INFORMATION NETWORK HOMEOPATHY. He brings us up to date on what’s going on and reports on the fight to get FRAUDULENT AND INCORRECT ‘SCIENTIFIC’ PAPERS retracted. We later get a ‘TWISH’ about the ‘FESTIVAL OF REASON’, a failed and misguided attempt to get rid of religion DURING THE FRENCH REVOLUTION. Then, it’s time for the news: __ __ This week’s REALLY WRONG AWARD goes to THE BBC and to MICHAEL MOSELY for spreading nonsense on the ‘JUST ONE THING’ TV show. ENJOY! SEGMENTS: Intro; Greetings; Interview; TWISH; News; Really Wrong; Quote And Farewell; Outro; Out-Takes * Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy https://acast.com/privacy for more information.
– with Paula DahlbergFull length episode, plus an interesting interview this week. We first note that science has discovered the “Pontus plate” (much to our liking) and also that if you are quick you can still apply to give a talk at SkepKon in Augsburg in May. Then we hear about the sad passing of Peter Olausson, prominent skeptic and former president of VoF.After that we have our interview with Paula Dahlberg who takes us through the most common myths about the legal system. Then, we take a look at the news:SWITZERLAND: SCAM doesn’t work against diabetesWALES: Cancer patient dead after taking herbal mixture containing mistletoeFRANCE: Negative correlations between conspiracy beliefs and the use of conventional medicineTo round off we present Apple TV (of all services) with this week’s Really Right Award for putting out a factual documentary about the Enfield Poltergeist. We also have a tongue twisting Word of the week from the Netherlands.Enjoy!Segments: Intro; Greetings; Interview; TWISH; Pontus Pokes The Pope; News; Really Right; Word Of The Week; Quote And Farewell; Outro; Out-Takes * Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy https://acast.com/privacy for more information.
Starting off our next 400 episodes, we interview the amazing Cara Santa Maria of Talk Nerdy and Skeptic Guide to the Universe fame. We get into things about her that you may not be aware of – how she rebelled against her Mormon upbringing, her passion for social injustices, and why she cannot always be allowed to speak her mind on the Skeptics Guide. A brilliant science communicator with a background in television, podcasting, and more, Cara is also a clinical psychologist and recently received her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology with a concentration in Social Justice and Diversity. Enjoy! Segments: Intro; Greetings; Interview; Farewell; Outro; Out-Takes
The band is back together for episode 400! Watch out for Gerson therapy, confusing Synods and of course, this week’s news: UK: Phones in schools POLAND: End of the PiS party reign(?) BELGIUM: Catholic University of Leuven stops UFO ‘conference’ SWITZERLAND: Another tumor ‘treated naturally’ UK: ‘Relaxed’ climate change policies in the UK, but also elsewhere UK: University of Exeter offers degree in Magic and the occult The Reichsbürger movement get (another!) Really Wrong Award for creating fake Jewish communities to get government funding and hide their terrible agenda. Then we have the Word of the Week, in which we try to take the confusion out of the word ‘Synod’. Enjoy! Segments: Intro; Greetings; TWISH; Pontus Pokes The Pope; News; Really Wrong; Word Of The Week; Quote And Farewell; Outro; Out-Takes
SkepKon 2024 is coming up in May 2024! It will be held in Augsburg and there is a call for papers out, see link in the show notes. This episode comes out on Friday the 13th, so in TWISH we explore where this superstition comes from. We have an interview with Dr Holm Hümmler who tells us what really went down at the presentation of Das Goldene Brett Award in Vienna last week, and then we take a look at the news: SWEDEN: Macchiarini found guilty of falsified research – again! GERMANY: Raids with Reichsbürger SWEDEN / ESTONIA: Estonia disaster – renewed interest in conspiracy theories due to new documentary and coming TV drama GERMANY: New video by Janos Hegedüs about Sucharit Bhakdi UKRAINE: Does Ukraine supply Hamas with American weapons? – New conspiracy theory from US Republicans The German children’s TV-show ‘Sendung mit der Maus’ gets this week s Really Wrong Award for promoting homeopathy and anthroposophy to kids. Enjoy! Segments: Intro; Greetings; Interview; TWISH; News; Really Wrong; Quote And Farewell; Outro; Out-Takes
This is the second part of our reporting from QED 2023. Before we get into the interviews we comment on the brand new Nobel Prizes in Medicine, Physics and Chemistry, all awarded for fascinating progress in science! Then we have four new interviews to share from QED. Enjoy! Segments: Intro; Greetings; Interview; Additional Interviews; Farewell; Outro; Out-Takes
…and Nessie goes ‘gloop’ We’re happy to announce that the ESP Shop is now available in the US, Canada and Australia. We also want you to know that nominations for Das Goldene Brett is still open. In TWISH we hear about an encounter of the third kind and Frankie insists India don’t look the congregation in the eye more than half of the time. Then we get into the news: SCOTLAND: Nessie hunters hear sounds but fail to record them UK: Full Fact study – Hundreds of hoax posts circulating in Facebook groups INTERNATIONAL: Scientific journal retracts article that claimed there is no evidence of climate crisis INTERNATIONAL: Study reveals connection between support for SCAM and vaccine hesitancy among physicians in four European countries We award Swedish activist Ia Anstoot a Really Right for calling out the unscientific stance of Greenpeace when it comes to nuclear power. Enjoy! Segments: Intro; Greetings; TWISH; Pontus Pokes The Pope; News; Really Right; Quote And Farewell; Outro; Out-Takes
Last week was QED, and boy did we enjoy it! Fantastic talks, great happenings and wonderful people! This episode is part 1 of our interviews with some of the people we met. Enjoy! Segments: Intro; Greetings; Interview; About Qed; Additional Interviews; Farewell; Outro; Out-Takes
…science communicator extraordinaire! This week we are talking to Florian Aigner, an Austrian physicist, science editor, author, science communicator and skeptic. He lives in Austria and works at the TU Vienna (Technical University). He is also on the jury of Das goldene Brett. He has written three popular science books and held the keynote speech at the European Skeptics Congress in 2022 in Vienna titled “Why we can trust in science”. He is also a member of GWUP (the German Skeptics) where he was a board member from 2012 to 2016. Enjoy! Segments: Intro; Greetings; Interview; Outro; Out-Takes
Annika has been to the esoteric fair gives a report and dowsing is apparently used by employees at Scottish Water. In TWISH we celebrate the International Day of Democracy, and boy do we need it. And then there is the news: INTERNATIONAL: Toddlers can reason! SWEDEN / UK: Believing in personal gut feelings and falling for conspiracy theories GERMANY: New developments regarding Satanic Panic SWEDEN: Pontus Pokes the Politicians: Thousands marching against mandatory reporting of paperless persons CrossRef and Retraction Watch do great work and for that they share this week’s award for being Really Right. Enjoy! Segments: Intro; Greetings; TWISH; News; Really Right; Quote And Farewell; Outro; Out-Takes
Several awards and gatherings to be on the look-out for: the Ockham Award, the Rusty Razor, the Bent Spoon and Das Goldene Brett. The feast of Santa Rosalia is the topic for TWISH and Pope Frankie is nostalgic about the Mongolian invasion (wtf?). Then, we have this week’s news: GERMANY: Follow-up on the Reichsbürger movement INTERNATIONAL: Prediction of 1 billion+ deaths related to climate change by 2100 SCOTLAND: Issues with science publishing – Researcher finds his name on editorial boards of journals he hasn’t even heard of SWEDEN / INTERNATIONAL: New measles cases in Stockholm UK: Country can no longer be considered christian Swedish science journalist Maria Gunther gets the award for being Really Right and in Word of the Week Carl Sagan get translated to Norwegian: ‘påstander’ means ‘claims and ‘bevis’ means ‘evidence’. Enjoy! Segments: Intro; Greetings; TWISH; Pontus Pokes The Pope; News; Really Right; Word Of The Week; Quote And Farewell; Outro; Out-Takes
…sleep restriction for insomnia? A lot of great talks are coming up for Skepticamp at QED in September – with András, Pontus and Claire among the speakers! In TWISH we hear about an almost 200 year old fake news about the moon and then we take a look at the news: UK: Asparagus fails to predict the future SCOTLAND: Loch Ness might be ‘home to spirit entity’ that can be disturbed by search UK: Meghan Markle wears ‘miracle antistress patch’ INTERNATIONAL: WHO promotes alternative medicine (again!) INTERNATIONAL: Where skeptics go wrong Medical journal the Lancet gets this week Award for being Really Wrong a new article about insomnia. Word of the Week is the Danish word vrøvl. Enjoy! Segments: Intro; Greetings; TWISH; News; Really Wrong; Word Of The Week; Quote And Farewell; Outro; Out-Takes
…Uri Geller strikes again… There are now streaming tickets for QED! In TWISH we hear about the three wise guys, sorry, the three wise men, and how they ended up in Cologne in Germany. No pope this week, so we head right in for the news: UK: Voter databank hacked and according to experts can potentially be used to target voters with disinformation INTERNATIONAL: YouTube starts mass takedowns of videos promoting ‘harmful or ineffective’ cancer cures UK: Classroom environmental education doesn’t seem to change attitudes… UK: Infertility clinics exploiting patients with SCAM SWEDEN: MD who helped patient to end his life wants his license back INTERNATIONAL: BBC broadcast – the terrible abusive practices of spiritual healers INTERNATIONAL: Uri Geller shares ‘proof’ that aliens exist – a photo from X-Files HUNGARY: Government spends taxpayer’s money on a catholic educational centre The Italian Prime minister of Italy, Giorgia Meloni, wants to commemorate fascists and for that she receives this week’s prize for being Really Wrong. Enjoy! Segments: Intro; Greetings; TWISH; News; Really Wrong; Quote And Farewell; Outro; Out-Takes
