The European Skeptics Podcast

We start this episode with talking about why earthquakes can not be predicted then ponder on the issues of resigning female leaders, before we move on to TWISH where this week we commemorate the 152nd anniversary of the publication of Darwin's The Descent of Man.Because Pontus is away, Pàpa Francesco (AKA Frankie) gets another week off the hook.On the news this week:UK - The first woman appointed the government's chief science adviserUK - Treasury takes back £ 1.6 billion previously promised for scienceGERMANY - INH publishes new article on "the memory of water"INTERNATIONAL - Cranky Uncle translation project calls for contributors in various languagesAUSTRIA - Massive HPV vaccination campaign on the wayINTERNATIONAL - EDMO report "From the Pandemic to the War in Ukraine: One Year and a Half of Disinformation" comes outGERMANY - The Münster Circle publishes memorandum with call for pharmacies to drop HomeopathyISRAEL - Disinformation squad revealed by international group of undercover investigative journalist

… and religious zealot insists he’s needed at schoolThis week we have some listener feedback and hear about Annika’s WTF project before we dive into the history of planet X. No pope today, so then we get into news:INTERNATIONAL: Macchiarini earns “expressions of concern” from the LancetTURKEY: False images of the earthquake shared onlineSWEDEN: No FOIA for free schoolsGERMANY: Money is more important than science communicationEnoch Burke, aka the Irish school teacher zealot, comes back from prison and gets his second Really Wrong Award. Will it be his last? Stay tuned!Enjoy!Segments: Intro; Greetings; TWISH; News; Really Wrong; Quote And Farewell; Outro; Out-Takes; Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

… and Francis strikes against the rebel nuns of RavelloThis week Brian and Pontus takes the lead and talks about the Turkish-Syrian earthquake as well as looking forward to Annika’s new WTF adventure (stay tuned!). In TWISH we look at the shenanigans of Elizabeth Holmes who was born this week in 1984, while pope Frankie is busy fighting rebels nuns(!). Then we also have the news:FRANCE: Naturopathy under fireTURKEY: Did someone on Twitter predict the earthquake?INTERNATIONAL: Do face masks work?AUSTRALIA / UK: Vitamin IV drips is an expensive SCAMUK: Brexit causes collapse in European research funding for OxbridgeTURKEY: Lausanne treaty conspiracyLots of news outlets (Euronews, Skynews, and even CNN) reported that the Earth’s core has stopped spinning and for that they share this week’s the Really Wrong Award.Enjoy!Segments: Intro; Greetings; TWISH; Pontus Pokes The Pope; News; Really Wrong; Quote And Farewell; Outro; Out-Takes; Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

… and Frankie stands firm: no sex for gay peopleThis week the three hosts are finally back together. We start by congratulating Edzard Ernst on his 75th birthday, yippie! In TWISH we hear about the first tele-evangelist / remote healer of Hungary before diving into pope Francis’ terrible take on gay sex which for some reason is being hailed as very progressive (it is not). Then we get into the news:UK: Medical tribunal ends with 9 months ban from practicing for doctor Sarah Myhill spreading falsehoods about COVID-19UK: Hocus Pocus – Richard Wiseman‘s new book outSWEDEN / FINLAND: Different takes on burning the QuranINTERNATIONAL: Nominations for the John Maddox Prize 2023 now openINTERNATIONAL: Transparency International finds Hungary worst for corruption in all of EU, Denmark world’s bestThe Bnois Jerusalem Girls School in North London gets this week’s Really Wrong award for teaching creationism(!) and at the same time no sex education to its students.Segments: Intro; Greetings; TWISH; Pontus Pokes The Pope;

– but all’s well that ends PellThis week we start by recommending that you check out Annika’s Skeptical Inquirer’s article about our trip down under, we hear about the Swedish Skeptic’s annual awards, the Hungarian Skeptics appearance on radio and a little bit about the fascinating art of art forensics. In TWISH it’s all about the high flying ancestors of Jean Luc Piccard – August and Jean Felix Piccard and the invention of the bathyscaphe and then Pontus catches up with the state of affairs in the Vatican, including the death of Cardinal Pell. After all that, it’s time for the news:POLAND: Internet hoax suggests country’s territorial claims live onSWEDEN: Dangerous trend of unassisted home births (aka. “freebirthing”)UK: An institution in Oxford (?) starts veterinary chiropractic courseSWEDEN: Linda Karlström, antivaxxer and Confounderer of the Year 2019, sues the Swedish GovernmentA Really Right award goes out this week to the Norwegian Authorities that very sensibly declares that the Jehovah’s Witnesses ar

... and nobody puts Greta in the corner!We start this week by commemorating Harriet Hall AKA "The SkepDoc" and talk about what a great loss her passing is for the international skeptic movement.On TWISH András talks about the London Institution, a major body for the public understanding of science in the 19th century, then with the Pope remaining un-poked this week, we are turning over to the news:- In the UK the British False Memory Society not to be dissolved after all- In HUNGARY, Hungarian-Canadian physician and author Gábor Máté spreads his dubious claims regarding cancer and autoimmune disease allegedly caused by childhood trauma and oppressed memories- In GERMANY a (mostly) peaceful demonstration at a coal mine site near Lützerath leads to police arrests (including Greta Thunberg) and violence, likely in coordination with energy giant RWE.This week's Really Wrong Price goes to Tory MP Andrew Bridgen who got expelled from the party for likening covid vaccinations to the Holocaust.Enjoy! Hosted on Acast.

... and someone please tell Prince Harry to act more responsibly.This week we start by lamenting over the launch failure of Virgin Orbit from Cornwall Spaceport, then praise Wikipedia that soon turns 22 and we also have a lot to thank Susan Gerbic, the "Wikipediatrician" for.Then in Pontus' absence we leave the pope alone and turn to the News:NETHERLANDS: Alleged nazi treasure map keeps people excitedHUNGARY: Far right MP appears on the pseudodocumentary 'Died Suddenly' and antivaxers promote the movie ferociouslyUK: Information about weird shaped waves could be yet another nail in Nessie's coffinSPAIN: Researches find correlation between conspiratorial thinking and weird myths about the causes of cancerThis weeks Really Wrong Prize goes to Prince Harry for actively promoting a questionable psychotherapy and consulting a psychic to help him cope with the loss of his mother, then advertising it on his autobiography.Enjoy!Segments: Intro; Greetings; TWISH; News; Really Wrong; Quote And Farewell; Outro; Out-Take

– also, never think with your royal penis!This week start with some listener feedback regarding the new Swedish Spaceport Esrange, look at the value of New Year’s resolutions and discuss the crazy weather situation. In this week in Skepticism we celebrate the birth of Isaac Asimov who was born on 2 January 1920 (or was he?) and then Pontus reflects on the life and death of Joseph Ratzinger, aka. Pope Benedict XVI, aka, Senator Palpatine. Then we go through the news:INTERNATIONAL: European Humanist Federation merges into Humanists InternationalSWEDEN: The spread of rumors of Swedish authorities kidnapping babies from all over the worldRUSSIA: Russia is afraid of western psychic attacksDENMARK / RUSSIA: Danish military intelligence suggests drug-induced megalomania may have influenced Putin to invade UkraineThe Swedish King, Gustav XVI Gustaf, gets a well earned Really Wrong Award for thinking that monarchs shall have a penis.Enjoy!Segments: Intro; Greetings; TWISH; Pontus Pokes The Pope; News; Really Wrong; Qu

– also be prepared for next year’s Christmas!We start by reflecting on Putin’s “war” against Ukraine now that he (by accident?) admitted that that is what it is. In TWISH we hear about Vlad the Impaler (aka Vlad III or Dracula) and to what extent Bram Stoker used him as inspiration for his famous book. Also, some recent pseudohistory is making the rounds about Vlad III “Dragulya”. Pope Frankie has a new legal issue now that the Italian Senate has grown tired of his lack of action in the Orlandi case. Then we take a look at the news:NETHERLANDS: No ritual satanic abuse in NLSWEDEN: Svante Pääbo gets strange criticismINTERNATIONAL: After Christmas is before Christmas: tips for recyclingSWEDEN: The King to inaugurate Europe’s first launchpad for satellitesWe end the year by issuing a big Really Right and our deep thanks to all our listeners, patrons and supporters on Paypal.A very happy new year to you all!Enjoy!Segments: Intro; Greetings; TWISH; Pontus Pokes The Pope; News; Really Right; Quote And Farewell; Out

– however, the other 1063 predictions failedThis week all the hosts are back from their adventures in foreign lands to record just before Christmas. We revisit the topic of Twitter and we hear about Pontus’ trip to New Zealand. After a few short interviews with skeptics in Australia we go to TWISH for the birth of Uri Geller and to the Vatican for the latest mishaps of pope Frankie. Then we turn to the news:GERMANY: Fortune teller was right – the Queen passed awaySWEDEN: Woman suffers paralysis and brain damage after seeing alternative quack masseurHUNGARY: Shops of health guru closing downSWEDEN: Prison for inventor of heater that supposedly generated more energy than was put inBritish politicians are notoriously nuts these days, and to illustrate this fact MP Andrew Bridgen receives this week’s Really Wrong Award for his covid vaccine denial.Enjoy!Segments: Intro; Greetings; Interviews; TWISH; Pontus Pokes The Pope; News; Really Wrong; Quote; Outro; Out-Takes; Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more

This week in Pontus' absence we lament overt the possible future of Twitter and the stupidity behind the Reichsbürger movement before being joint by Ralf Neugebauer who enlightens us about the legal situation of homeopathic remedies in Germany with special regard to Meditonsin.We commemorate the birthday of the late British star astrologer (pun intended)Jonathan Cainer before moving on to the news:SWITZERLAND/UK: Springer publishes Edzard Ernst's new book that lists 202 modalities of SCAM.FRANCE: A large chunk of Didier Raoult's scientific work marked with expression of concern by the publisher PLOS.INTERNATIONAL: Fact-checkers in USA, UK, Germany and Australia under scrutiny over assessing climate-related claims.EU: Terrible mess around vaccination schedules and how health ministers and the WHO try to solve the problem.AUSTRIA: Survey shows osteopaths don't seem to be bothered by legal and ethical considerations.EU: Dengue vaccine approved for use by European Commission.This week's Really Wrong prize goes to

- with the Bent Spoon Award & a happy birthday to VoF!We start by exploring the anthroposophic connections of the Griffins, the founders of Canberra, then move on to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the founding of the Swedish skeptical organisation Vetenskap och Folkbildning.Then Pontus Pokes the Pope for all the mess his minions like Becciu have caused in the Vatican Bank before we turn to the news:GERMANY: Court prohibits homeopathic manufacturer from advertising product with false health claimsRUSSIA: The Duma passes law banning ‘LGBT propaganda’ among adultsINTERNATIONAL: Witchcraft beliefs in Europe (and around the world) surprisingly highUK: Graham Hancock rages war against the whole field of archaeologyINTERNATIONAL: With Twitter's end of enforcing policy against misinformation, EU raises prospect of big fines or banINTERNATIONAL:Measles is ‘imminent threat’ globally, WHO and CDC warnThis week's Really Wrong prize goes to the NHS in the UK for supporting quackery in midwifery.Finally, you can lis

– Brisbane Skeptics in the Pub!Our two-week long tour to Australia is soon coming to an end, but we have been lucky enough to be welcomed by lovely people in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Gold Coast.On this week’s episode we are releasing a recording we made before a lovely audience in Brisbane, where we had a panel discussion about our thoughts on the present and future of the skeptic movement, based on our experiences and actives as skeptics in our respective countries.Enjoy!Segments: Intro; Greetings; Brisbane Skeptics; Farewell; Outro; Out-Takes; Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

– Sydney Skeptics in the Pub!Our two-week long tour to Australia has begun, the main event of which will be the Australian Skeptics National Convention (SkeptiCon) in Canberra between 3rd and 4th December. But beforehand, we will have a few stops along the way where local branches organised events for us that we can’t wait to attend.The first event of our tour has now concluded. It was a Skeptics in the Pub event in Sydney, with short talks as well as an interview with Australia’s most popular science communicator, Dr Karl, and host of The Skeptic Zone, Richard Saunders. This week, instead of a regular show, we are releasing a special recording of the whole evening.Enjoy! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

– plus, the Princess who will never be Queen – and why that’s a good thingShould we all abandon Twitter and move to Mastodon? Call us contrarians, but we’ll wait and see! Preparing for our Australian trip to Skepticon we may need an umbrella or two due to the severe weather, but if you are based in Europe and like to go to a great conference, why not head down to Leiria in Portugal for ComceptCon 2022 that opens this weekend! In TWISH we hear about another great Hungarian skeptic, Mihály Beck, born this week in 1929. Pope Frankie is worried about those porn watching nuns, while we just move on to take a look at the news:INTERNATIONAL: How screwed are we – any results on COP27?GERMANY: The Golden Aluminium Hat awards ceremony now onlineNORWAY: The Shaman’s Princess leaves all her royal commitmentsLISTENBURG: How a fictive country was born and became viralSWITZERLAND: Nathalie wasn’t a victim of ritual satanic abuseSWEDEN: Pontus Pokes the Politicians: Environment budget a disasterThe Russian TV host Andrei Nor

– Czech / Slovak Skeptical TV-series ‘Investigátori’ renewed for second season!The gang is reunited and there’s so much to talk about – memories of QED, the Ockham Award, the Rusty Razor and our upcoming Australian Tour. With sadness we note the passing of Kendrick Frazier and then we talk to Claire Klingenberg and Peter Pokorný regarding the second season(!) of their skeptical TV series ‘Investigátori‘ (‘The Investogators’). In TWISH we remember the Hungarian scientific communicator and TV personality József Öveges and then Frankie gets a poking for the latest Cardinal scandal.Then it’s time for the news:INTERNATIONAL: COP27 now on!UK: Earthshot Prize announcedINTERNATIONAL: Is Google funding climate change disinformation?INTERNATIONAL: Public more likely to support climate action if other countries commit as wellEUROPE: Europe’s unvaccinated childrenGERMANY: INH press ReleaseSWEDEN: New book out by Greta ThunbergFINLAND: Change to abortion laws in FinlandPOLAND: Tomasz Witkowski’s new bookQueen Consort Cami

– Claire and Brian joins us, while Luna fills in for AndrásAs we are joined by Claire Kroulik-Klingenberg and Brian Eggo, Luna steps up to fill the shoes of András who to everyone’s deep disappointment had to cancel at the last minute. To celebrate our 350th show and enjoy our live recording at QED in Manchester, we take some liberty with the normal format.So, brace yourself for mythical tales of papal pasts as well as the long awaited Eurovision WRONG Contest:GERMANY: Annika – ‘Riceburger lady’, 75, plots to kidnap Karl LauterbachSCOTLAND: Brian – Scottish archbishop: Euthanasia pushes message that some lives ‘aren’t worth living’RUSSIA: Pontus – Patriarch Kirill: Love for the Fatherland is what keeps the global apocalypse at bayCZECH REPUBLIC: Claire – Charter 2020 – National propaganda hijacking Charter 77HUNGARY: Luna – All good things done by Orbán this weekA big thank you to all who came to see us and said hello at QED!Enjoy!Segments: Intro; Greetings; Pontus Pokes The Pope; TWICH; Eurovision Wrong Cont

– and BTW, Elvis really has left the building – no matter what psychic mediums sayThis week we first chat about a “psychic medium” who is friendly with Elvis and touch on the Tories in the UK who apparently is friendly with no one, not even themselves. Then Kevin Davies of the Canberra Skeptics joins us and tells all about the Australian Skeptics National Convention 2022 where we will be in December! In TWISH we hear about Tycho Brahe and his achievements and Pope Frankie is still infallible and does not take kindly to criticism. Then it’s time for the news:INTERNATIONAL: Edzard Ernst‘s blog just turned 10 years oldGERMANY: Cybersecurity chief turns out to have Russian tiesSWEDEN: Pontus Pokes the Politicians:– What the experts say would solve the murder cases– Danish warning about prison places abroad: Don’t!Swedish MD Elsa Widding of the Sweden Democrats is an antivaxxer (and not a little stupid) so she gets the prize for being Really Wrong.Enjoy!Segments: Intro; Greetings; Interview; TWISH; Pontus Pokes Th

– and get your flu shot, people!This week the full crew is back and we urge you to take the flu seriously. We recommend a video of a presentation by Germany skeptic Amardeo Sarma about critical thinking, find out how to pronounce ‘that town’ in the Netherlands and feel sad that Robbie ‘Hagrid’ Coltrane passed away. In TWISH we celebrate 100 years with the BBC, and then it’s time for the news:RUSSIA: The online guide Russians use to escape Putin’s warGERMANY: 75-year-old conspiracy theorist woman planned to kidnap LauterbachSWEDEN: Pontus pokes the politicians – New Government lets Sweden Democrats dictate immigrationSWEDEN: Study of media use and trust during the COVID-19 pandemic shows consistency of messages is keyINTERNATIONAL: Survey shows even thought threat is getting worse, concern about climate change is shrinkingRUSSIA / SWEDEN: Chamber of commerce bombarded with fake Russian mailsTo round off, Dutch MP Thierry Baudet gets a Really Wrong Award.Enjoy!Segments: Intro; Greetings; TWISH; News; Really Wro

– Lauterbach takes on pseudoscienceBrian Eggo steps in to save the day as he covers for both András and Annika this week. We talk about listener reactions to last week’s episode and the Nobel Prize in Chemistry, the last of this year’s Nobel prizes in the natural sciences. In TWISH we reminisce about QED 2018 as we prepare attending the next one. Pontus Pokes the Pope for his failure to handle the relations to Russia but give’s him a broken clock award for taking a stand for refugees. Then it is time to look at the news:EUROPE: ECDC gets extended mandate to tackle emerging future epidemicsNETHERLANDS: Court rules that Twitter has done enough to stop conspiracy theory about satanic paedophilesSPAIN: No matter what social media giants promised, Spanish disinformation is rampantRUSSIA: Russia’s financial monitoring agency adds Meta to list ‘terrorists and extremists’GERMANY: Münster Circle issues Memorandum Integrative MedicineGerman Health Minister Karl Lauterbach gets a Really Right Award together with Edzard