… 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; News; Really Wrong; Quote And Farewell; Outro; Out-Takes;

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

– 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 are not worthy of the label ‘religion’ – not a day too early.Enjoy!Segments: Intro; Greetings; TWISH; Pontus Pokes The Pope; News; Really Right; Quote And Farewell; Outro; Out-Takes;

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

... 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. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

... 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-Takes

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

– 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; Quote And Farewell; Outro; Out-Takes;

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

– 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; Outro; Out-Takes;

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

– 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 information.

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 the Reichsbürger movement for trying to overthrow the German government and trying to instate a king.

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