We start with some reflections on COP29 and then we send our big congratulations to Richard Saunders on receiving his Lifetime Achievement Award from the Australian Skeptics. Well deserved indeed! Another well deserved but shameful award goes to King Charles who received the New Zealand Skeptics’ Bent Spoon Award. In TWISH we look back at the founding of the Royal Society all the way back in 1660. Then, it’s time for the news:

• INTERNATIONAL: Measles cases at a massive surge
• GERMANY: Court ruling states that informed consent is important when using SCAM
• NORWAY: Update: true con artists – the Princess and the Shaman have not paid the suppliers for their wedding
• AUSTRIA: Finalists of the Golden Board announced
• SWITZERLAND: Deus in machina: Swiss church installs AI-powered Jesus

This week’s Really Wrong Award goes to the Dutch minister of Education Eppo Bruins for his plans to slash education funding.

Enjoy!

Segments:

0:00:27 Intro

0:00:50 Greetings

0:11:56 TWISH

0:17:01 News

0:43:00 Really Wrong

0:46:48 Quote

0:48:32 Outro

0:49:47 Outtakes

https://theesp.eu/podcast_archive/theesp-ep-455.html

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As everyone else these days we are moving from X to Bluesky, any help in driving traffic our way is much appreciated. The Humanists UK has published a new exciting book called What I Believe, named after podcast by the same name. You should check it out! In TWISH we hear about how the (then) Prince of Wales got his favorite charity for SCAM (So-Called Alternative Medicine) struck from the UK Charity Commission. Then, we head for the news:

• INTERNATIONAL: 2024 will be the first year above 1.5°C
• INTERNATIONAL: Climate crisis to blame for dozens of ‘impossible’ heatwaves, studies reveal
• INTERNATIONAL: Retraction Watch is hiring!
• SPAIN: Video does not show ‘HAARP ship’ floating near Spain before floods
• INTERNATIONAL: WHO teams up with TikTok to combat misinformation on social media

The Really Wrong Award goes to the Vrije Universiteit in Amsterdam for making a chiropractor professor.

Enjoy!

https://theesp.eu/podcast_archive/theesp-ep-454.html

Segments:

0:00:27 Intro

0:00:50 Greetings

0:11:56 TWISH

0:16:37 News

0:36:14 Really Wrong

0:40:55 Quote

0:42:32 Outro

0:43:47 Outtakes

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It’s one election after another. The same day that the US voted orange, Germany decided on a snap election after the current coalition fell apart. Let’s hope people over here are better informed than the American voters. In TWISH we hear about ‘Doctor Universalis’ Albertus Magnus whose scientific mindset in the 13th century helped Europe begin its long and winding road out of the dark ages. Then we explore the news:

• ONLINE: ‘Akusoli’ is a typical example of woowoo products that are aggressively marketed online
• UK: Assisted dying bill’s ‘strict’ safeguards to include long jail terms for coercion
• SWEDEN: Warning regarding fake medicine online
• GERMANY: Who trusts science and who doesn’t?
• UK: The Archbishop of Canterbury resigns over Church abuse scandal

The Really Wrong Award is split between oil producer Shell and a Dutch court of appeals that overturned Shell’s requirement to reduce their emission goals.

Enjoy!

https://theesp.eu/podcast_archive/theesp-ep-453.html

Segments:

0:00:27 Intro

0:00:53 Greetings

0:04:54 TWISH

0:12:16 News

0:36:35 Really Wrong

0:40:13 Quote

0:42:08 Outro

0:43:23 Outtakes

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This is the first “regular episode” for a while and of course we cannot help to mourn the stupid results of the US elections. But since this is a European show we cannot let that stop us, so after a TWISH story of how Charles Darwin, 130 years after his death, gained over 4000 votes in the elections in the US state of Georgia, it’s time for the news:

• BULGARIA / NORTH MACEDONIA: Baba Vanga (баба Ванга), the Bulgarian psychic
• INTERNATIONAL: Wanna help out the Skeptical Science team?
• UK: King Charles and Queen Camilla on secret Bengaluru trip for woo treatment
• INTERNATIONAL: A little help to nurses in combatting vaccine misinformation
• NORWAY: Spouse of Norwegian princess, ‘shaman’ Durek Verrett, accused of sexual assault
• UK: Religious hate crimes at record high levels

The NHS in the UK has all but done away with homeopathy, but still funds a number of unproven nonsense treatments and for that the receive this week award for being Really Wrong. And then before we sign off, we go to Turkey for a Word of the Week.

Enjoy!

https://theesp.eu/podcast_archive/theesp-ep-452.html

Segments:

0:00:27 Intro

0:00:50 Greetings

0:06:01 TWISH

0:11:19 News

0:37:06 Really Wrong

0:39:58 Word of the Week

0:43:26 Quote

0:48:38 Outro

0:49:53 Outtakes

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A longer episode this week, jampacked with interviews from QED! One of the marvelous things with conferences (don’t forget about the upcoming Skepticon XL in Sydney!) is that you meet so many fantastic people. We tried to capture a little of that feeling by recording a bunch of interviews, so tune in to hear from Clio Bellenis, Diana Barbosa, João Monteiro, Igor Stroev, David Glass, and Hayley Stevens! As if that is not enough we also have a longer interview with the winner of this year’s Ockham Award, Dr Flint Dibble!

Enjoy!

Segments:

0:00:27 Intro

0:00:52 Greetings

0:11:57 Interviews:

0:12:00 Clio Bellenis

0:18:19 Diana Barbosa and João Monteiro

0:27:58 Igor Stroev and David Glass

0:31:51 Hayley Stevens

0:36:05 Dr Flint Dibble

1:09:04 Farewell

1:12:27 Outro

1:13:42 Outtakes

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We celebrate our 450th episode (wow!) live at QED 2024 (wow!!!) with the help of Brian and Claire! We also get special greetings from Annika and Jay Novella, who unfortunately could not attend. A slightly different format due to the occasion, but of course we have the news, which this time has the (not so) cheerful theme of Russian disinformation:

• SWEDEN: An apparent news site focusing on the 2026 election is in fact an AI-generated propaganda tool that mixes real stories with fake news (Pontus)
• RUSSIA / EUROPE: Heritage Foundation and the Congress of Families (Claire)
• UK: MI5 chief warns of Russian disinformation campaigns targeting UK as report warns Western support for Ukraine at risk (Brian)
• INTERNATIONAL: Doppelganger, the Russian disinformation agency and its recently revealed documents (András)
• 
  

We end the show with a one-question quiz to find this weeks’ “Who’s Quacking?” candidate.

Enjoy!

Segments:

0:00:00 Intro

0:01:49 Greetings

0:09:23 News

0:40:25 Who's Quacking?

0:43:07 Farewell

0:43:37 Outro

0:44:52 Outtakes

https://theesp.eu/podcast_archive/theesp-ep-450.html

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Lot’s of listener feedback in this episode which is delightful! Pontus explains whether there was a scandal concerning the Sami peoples at the Gothenburg Book Fair and we prepare for this weekend’s QED! Speaking of which, this is what we also talk about in TWISH this week. Then, as always, the news:

• THE NETHERLANDS: Meester Kackadorisprijs awarded to the Dutch-Flemish Accreditation Organization (NVAO)
• FRANCE: Minister of Education and Research seems to be at odds with science
• SPAIN: Health Minister denounces homeopathy
• GERMANY / AUSTRIA: Das Goldene Brett Nominations now open (until 11 November)

The Award for being Really Right goes to John Wiley & Sons for their decision to terminate the journal Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine, infamous for its terrible track record on retracted articles.

Enjoy!

https://theesp.eu/podcast_archive/theesp-ep-449.html

Segments:

0:00:27 Intro

0:00:51 Greetings

0:10:55 TWISH

0:16:18 News

0:36:03 Really Right

0:40:01 Who's Quacking?

0:46:55 Quote

0:49:08 Outro

0:50:23 Outtakes

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In both Annika's and Pontus' absence, this week András interviews the "Fairy Godmother" of the show, psychic investigator & debunket, "master puppeteer" and tireless leader of the Secret Cabal (and the About Time Project) that is the international Guerrilla Skepticism on Wikipedia Susan Gerbic. We talk about Mark Edward's legacy, how to start a SkeptiCamp in your local area, and what ways there are to help out the skeptical movement.

Enjoy!

Segments: Intro; Greetings & Interview; Outro; Outtakes

0:00:33 INTRO

0:01:02 GREETINGS & INTERVIEW

• Susan Gerbic
• the About Time Project: https://www.abouttimeproject.org/
• find Susan Gerbic on Facebook

0:41:03 OUTRO

0:42:18 OUT-TAKES

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András is back in good form and we start with a report from the Swedish Skeptics at the Gothenburg Book Fair – real life astronauts where involved! A little listener feed back and then we go to TWISH to hear about German R&B Singer and conspiracy theorist Xavier Naidoo. Then it’s time for the news:

• SWEDEN: Secret Service confirms State of Iran behind disinformation text messages re Quran burnings
• INTERNATIONAL: Social media moguls are a concern to most experts regarding misinformation
• BELGIUM: And the Pope is still a misogynist
• PORTUGAL: Public trust drives vaccine uptake regardless of age
• 
  

To round up we hand a Really Wrong Award to well-known homeopath Michael Frass, who keeps implying that homeopathy can treat cancer – but his arguments are based on falsified research…

Enjoy!

All show notes: https://theesp.eu/podcast_archive/theesp-ep-447.html

Segments:

0:00:27 Intro

0:00:50 Greetings

0:09:45 TWISH

0:16:00 News

0:45:10 Really Wrong

0:50:34 Quote

0:51:52 Outro

0:53:07 Outtakes

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week we interview good friend and podcast colleague Richard Saunders. We talk about skeptical activism in general and Richard’s podcast the Skeptic Zone. We also hear all about the upcoming Skepticon XL in Sydney 23 -24 November.

Enjoy!

Segments:

0:00:27 Intro

0:00:50 Greetings

0:00:53 Interview

0:27:25 Farewell

0:31:11 Outro

0:32:25 Outtakes

https://theesp.eu/podcast_archive/theesp-ep-446.html

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.