We start with some follow up from last week – Edward Bach is pronounced [batch], and we have some more thoughts on if plants can really appreciate music. In TWISH we celebrate(?) the birthday of Sally Morgan (‘Psychic Sally’) and find her neither convincing nor a nice person. Then we dig into the news:

• INTERNATIONAL: Ig Nobel prize winners 2024
• FRANCE: Brigitte Macron wins lawsuit against fortune-teller and journalist claimins she’s trans-gender
• FRANCE: Map Shows All French Churches ‘Set on Fire, Vandalized or Attacked in Recent Years’?
• GERMANY: Dubious homeopathy research funded by manufacturer

The Really Wrong Award this week goes to an old ‘friend’, pope Frankie himself.

Enjoy!

https://theesp.eu/podcast_archive/theesp-ep-445.html

Segments:

0:00:26 Intro

0:00:51 Greetings

0:07:28 TWISH

0:16:43 News

0:36:00 Really Wrong

0:42:53 Quote

0:45:11 Outro

0:46:26 Outtakes

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

With an episode number like this, we have to start out with some numerology. Annika will be more off than on for a while and the promised record heat in Sweden actually delivered. In TWISH we hear about the sci-fi / philosophical writer Stanisław Lem who was born this week in 1921. Then we head for the news:

• SWEDEN: Music makes cucumbers happy
• UK: Hereditary seats to be removed from Lords
• INTERNATIONAL: No link between mobile phones and brain tumours
• UK / INTERNATIONAL: Bach Flower Remedies for perceived stress of nurses

We hand out a Really Wrong Award to the Carl and Veronica Carstens Foundation for funding dubious research, and that should be the end – but wait! Brian Eggo crashes the party! He tells all about the upcoming Skepticamp at QED. Don’t miss out!

Enjoy!

Segments:

0:00:28 Intro

0:00:51 Greetings

0:06:43 TWISH

0:13:07 News

0:34:09 Really Wrong

0:39:47 Quote

0:40:53 Interview

0:46:23 Outro

0:47:38 Outtakes

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

In TWISH this week we hear about August Kekulé, the French organic chemist who redefined his disciplin in the mid 1800s. The we go into the news:

• INTERNATIONAL: Scammers in the Moonlight – Real vs. fake Tarot readers on social media
• FRANCE: Imane Khelif files lawsuit over cyber-harassment, names JK Rowling and Elon Musk
• AUSTRIA / THE NETHERLANDS: Climate communication works!
• ITALY: Shroud of Turin reloaded

The Award for being Really Wrong this week goes to Fleur Agema, Dutch Minister of Health and Deputy Prime Minister, who refuses to donate vaccines against mpox. We also follow up last week’s interview a Word of the Week in both Lithuanian and Russian.

Enjoy!

https://theesp.eu/podcast_archive/theesp-ep-443.html

Segments:

0:00:27 Intro

0:00:51 Greetings

0:05:23 TWISH

0:16:33 News

0:39:05 Really Wrong

0:43:28 Word of the Week

0:48:33 Quote

0:50:01 Outro

0:51:16 Outtakes

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

Before we go into today’s interview, we elaborate a little on last week’s TWISH about the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius, adding a bit more details.

Then we have a great chat with Algimantas Kvecys who is the chair of Lietuvos skeptikų draugija, the Society of Lithuanian Skeptics.

Enjoy!

https://theesp.eu/podcast_archive/theesp-ep-442.html

Segments:

0:00:31 Intro

0:00:55 Greetings

0:10:16 Interview

0:44:33 Farewell

0:47:04 Outro

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

QED is getting a little bit closer and a really good idea is to sign up as a volunteer! Not only will you help creating the skeptical event of the year, it is also a great way to make new friends and become a little “VIP” at the same time.

This week saw a “full true blue supermoon” – check out which part of this is nonsense and which parts that are real astronomy. In TWISH we go all the way back to the eruption of Mount Vesuvius and why it may not have happened when everyone says it happened. Then, it’s time for the news:

• GERMANY / US: Link between right-wing politics and vaccine hesitancy
• UK: Druidic Stonehenge altar stone came from Scotland
• INTERNATIONAL: Pointless vitamin infusions are on the rise while there is a worldwide shortage av IV fluids
• UK: Humour is allowed to be factual or wrong, but shouldn’t hurt people

If you’re thinking about donating to the QED fund, or have already done so, you get to share this week’s Really Right Award. You will also have the satisfaction of knowing that you have helped getting some people to join, who otherwise would not have had the possibility to do so.

Enjoy!

Link: https://theesp.eu/podcast_archive/theesp-ep-441.html

Segments:

0:00:26 Intro

0:00:51 Greetings

0:08:22 TWISH

0:19:04 News

0:35:39 Really Right

0:37:16 Quote

0:39:35 Outro

0:40:50 Outtakes

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

We start with a follow-up on the UK riots and the disinformation that triggered them. Regardless of this we look forward to going to QED where the Ockham Awards will be announced. The nominations are now open! See link in the show notes.

In TWISH we hear about how it wasn’t that long ago that Joseph Lister performed the first antiseptic surgery – we sure are lucky that we we were not born back then. Then it is time for the news:

• RUSSIA: Russian textbook claims that Trump lost in 2020 due to election fraud
• INTERNATIONAL: Pseudoscientific answers to a medical and environmental mishap at the 2024 Summer Olympic Games
• EUROPE: Heat Caused Over 47,000 Deaths in Europe in 2023 – but it could have been much worse
• INTERNATIONAL: Alleged transgender issue stirs up controversy at the Olympics
• INTERNATIONAL: Chemtrails or not, aviation contrails contribute to the climate crises

Enjoy!

Show notes: https://theesp.eu/podcast_archive/theesp-ep-440.html

Segments:

0:00:27 Intro

0:00:50 Greetings

0:12:36 TWISH

0:21:14 News

0:57:03 Quote

0:58:25 Outro

0:59:40 Outtakes

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

We start out with the sad news that Mark Edward has passed away. Mark was a mentalist, an author, and an active skeptic. Mark, sometimes with with his partner (and good friend of the show) Susan Gerbic, investigated many paranormal claims and exposed psychic frauds. He will be long remembered and missed by the skeptics movement.

After some listener feedback and catching up, we go to TWISH, where we hear about Louis Leakey and his important, but often controversial, contributions to our understanding of ancient hominids. Then we turn to the news:

• GERMANY: New book about long COVID and ME/CFS by Dr. Natalie Grams
• SWEDEN: More fertility nonsense
• UK: The role of misinformation in the riots following the Southport stabbings
• UK: Practitioner of ‘slapping therapy’ guilty of manslaughter
• INTERNATIONAL: Reducing the number of AI ‘hallucinations’

The Baden-Württemberg Medical Association in Germany has taken the long-overdue, but very welcome decision to exclude homeopathy from any medical training going forward, and for that they receive this weeks award for being Really Right.

Enjoy!

Link: https://theesp.eu/podcast_archive/theesp-ep-439.html

Segments:

0:00:26 Intro

0:00:51 Greetings

0:09:41 TWISH

0:19:37 News

0:45:29 Really Right

0:51:32 Quote

0:52:46 Outro

0:54:01 Outtakes

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

The three of us are (sort of) together again, so after the customary greetings, András joins us with Adrienne Hill all the way from Canada (Sparky studios?!) for a prerecorded chat. In TWISH we hear about how Adolf Hitler secured his position as Führer, which is scary since the tactics of modern would-be-dictators have not changed that much. Then we take a look at the news:

• INTERNATIONAL: Science and fairytales
• FRANCE: BS and pseudoscience at the Olympics
• INTERNATIONAL: Long term use of multivitamins has no effect on mortality

A Swedish clinic calls itself Infertility Aid and promises 90% success rate for people who struggle with getting pregnant. Their “methods” are based on Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), all of which is obvious bogus and superstition. For that they are deservedly receive this week’s award for being Really Wrong.

Enjoy!

Link: https://theesp.eu/podcast_archive/theesp-ep-438.html

Segments:

0:00:26 Intro

0:00:52 Greetings

0:05:19 Interview

0:16:52 TWISH

0:25:55 News

0:44:48 Really Wrong

0:53:50 Quote

0:56:43 Outro

0:57:58 Outtakes

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

Thirty-two years ago this week the Vatican tried to explain why discrimination against gay people is not reallydiscrimination. That's basically still their position today, which we hear about in this week's TWISH. Then we have quite a few news items to go through:

• SWEDEN: Swedish telecom companies have blocked more than 50 million scam calls in 2024
• INTERNATIONAL: Global SCAM markets on the rise
• INTERNATIONAL: UV index apps used to get MORE sunburns
• DENMARK: Widespread practice among athletes might be truly harmful
• INTERNATIONAL: ‘Paleodiets’ can be harmful
• INTERNATIONAL: Snopes launches AI-based fact-checking tool

The UK ASA (Advertising Standards Authority) shows a bit of teeth and bans ads for supplement that claim to treat autism and other conditions. For that, they receive this week's award for being Really Right. From the Netherlands we get a Who's Quacking? segment about George van Houts, actor and comedian turned conspiracy nut.

Enjoy!

Segments:

00:00:25 Intro

00:00:50 Greetings

00:05:22 TWISH

00:12:03 News

00:33:51 Really Wrong/Right

00:36:59 Who’s Quacking?

00:41:34 Quote & Farewell

00:44:49 Outro

00:46:04 Out-takes

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

Just the boys this week and we have a lot to talk about – climate change (András needs a new job), Türkiye vs. Turkey, Dutch vacations, homeopathy, Skeptical Science, and even some politics. In TWISH we hear about the skeptical priest Giuseppe Piazzi who discovered Ceres, the first asteroid ever detected. Also, if you catch this in time here is the link to the 19 July Global Skeptics in the Pub Zoom meeting. Then we have the news:

• UK: Are UK adolescents eating too much ultra processed foods?
• EU: Two major GMO corn crops approved for import as food and animal feed

Not that we know how it will all end, but the new UK Labour government is off to a good start from a skeptical point of view and therefore receives this week’s award for being Really Right.

Enjoy!

Segments:

0:00:27 Intro

0:00:49 Greetings

0:18:33 TWISH

0:31:15 News

0:49:06 Really Right

0:57:05 Quote and Farewell

0:59:36 Outro

1:00:51 Outtakes

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