This week Annika is back! We hear that Pontus apparently is the new Confounderer of the Year and that UK Skeptics in the Pub Online is back after the holidays. Check out the calendar for the new events! We congratulate renowned skeptic and philosopher Massimo Pigliucci on his birthday, note that the Pope has misplaced billions of dollars and then we have a look at the news:College of Medicine and Integrated Health launches the Integrated Medicine AllianceNatalie Grams honoured with Prize for Civil CourageUpdate on warmest year contestVaccine hesitancy among medical staffPolio updatePSA suspends accreditation of Society of HomeopathsGuitar pedal circuit shared as COVID 5G chip diagram.Radiation protection stickers are useless, study findsWe finish with a Really Wrong Award going to the German health care system for using tax money to fund anthroposophical nonsense against Covid-19.Enjoy!Segments:Intro; Greetings; This Week; Pontus Pokes the Pope; Covid Update; News; Really Wrong; Quote and Farewell; Outro; Out-takesEvents Calendar: https://theesp.eu/events_in_europe

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This week we start the new year with an update on the Swedish pandemic laws and recommend you check out the speech that András gave at Monterrey Skepticamp 2021. In skeptical history we celebrate the birth of Alfred Russel Wallace and Pontus pokes the Pope for ‘firing’ a Cardinal and an Archbishop. We get a Covid vaccine update and then we look at the news:Swedish Skeptical Awards for 2020 – Enlightener and Confounderer of the yearLatest book by Edzard Ernst – in GermanEdzard Ernst’s challenge unanswered by homeopathsGerman pilot draws syringe on the map to remind everyone of the COVID-vaccineDramatic change in opinion – 71% of Swedes say they will vaccinate against covidEnjoy!Segments:Intro; Greetings; This Week; Covid Update; News; Really Wrong; Quote and Farewell; Outro; Out-takesEvents Calendar: https://theesp.eu/events_in_europe

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We are extremely happy to welcome the first ever ESP Skepti-baby! Annika and her newborn girl are doing very well and they send their regards to the listeners. Whoohoo!We spend the episode to look back at the very strange year of 2020. Lots of bad news of course and not just pandemic related, we will for one thing always miss the grandfather of modern skepticism, James the Amazing Randi.But there were good things too, like the many great people we had the fortune to interview and the 250th episode live stream with all our special friends. We and look forward to seeing the new year and there are reasons to be cautiously optimistic, like the new vaccines. We hope all our listeners are ready to follow us into 2021, and who knows, we may even get to meet some of you at QED, because this year it has to happen, right?And speaking of good news, we also hand out a Really Right Award for the Anti-vaxx Playbook.Happy New Year!Segments:Intro; Greetings; Covid Update; Ups and Downs of 2020; Really Right; Quote and Farewell; Outro; Out-takesEvents Calendar: https://theesp.eu/events_in_europe

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This week we start by recommending a German Podcast Christmas Special, we report that Sucharit Bhakdi won the Goldenes Brett award and talk about the Saturn / Jupiter planetary conjunction. Pontus reports that his book “the Dooma” is slightly delayed and then we get into the news:Our friend Martin Moder made a very good video about the safety of the new CoVid vaccineImproved trust in science within Swedish public during 2020Trust in media sources has risenComment by Swedish king about corona is so way off it’s not even wrongKaraoke bar from Berlin trying to sue virologist Professor Drosten – surely that will stop CoViD?ARP-SAPC publishes a monography on COVID-19 and critical thinkingHuge differences in Covid vaccine prizes, but all are cheaper than expected2020 on track to become one of three warmest years on recordSanta apparently is immune to CoViD! We are of course skeptical, not of WHO or CoViD, but of Santa – but the Christmas presents are safe!Enjoy!Segments:Intro; Greetings; This Week; Covid Update; News; Quote and Farewell; Outro; Out-takesEvents Calendar: https://theesp.eu/events_in_europe

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This week we talk about that alt-med and antivaxxers have been visible on TV and how a town in Austria had to change its rather unfortunate name. We celebrate the anniversary of the Hungarian Skeptics and then we get into the news:New Brexit craze – Vaccine approval sped up because no EU to hold us backBibliometric analysis of global research into SCAM and COVID-19Former space security chief goes mental about alleged aliensWhat’s with the phallic symbols everywhere?Swedish health regions have spent 28 MEUR on weighted blanketsJohn Maddox prizes announced TODAYDas Goldene Brett – finalists announcedFollow-up: Influencer selling fish oil as covid treatment found guiltyNew series of videos: A scientist in the supermarketThen the Really Wrong award goes to all the religious exemptions to covid restrictions.Enjoy!Segments:Intro; Greetings; This Week; Covid Update; News; Really Wrong; Quote and Farewell; Outro; Out-takesEvents Calendar: https://theesp.eu/events_in_europe

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This week we talk to Nikil Mukerji, a German author, philosopher and skeptic. He has a position at the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich and academic director of philosophy, politics and economy.He studied economy, philosophy and theory of science and wrote his PhD thesis about consequentialism. He is an academic instructor and teacher, as well as a researcher of philosophy and ethics.He is also a very active skeptic, as he is head of the scientific board of GWUP (the German Skeptics) and a regular speaker at SkepKon. He also often writes for the German skeptics magazine “Skeptiker”Enjoy!Segments:Intro; Greetings; Interview; Farewell; Outro; Out-takesEvents Calendar: http://theesp.eu/events_in_europe

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This week we reflect a on the new vaccines that are coming. Annika sings(!) to celebrate the quiz performance of Pontus, Brian and Claire last week and then she tells us about a memorial for fallen aliens, announced ten years ago this week. Pontus Pokes the Pope for a whole lot of serious things and for liking a sexy butt on his Instagram account. Then we get into the news:Patriarch Irinej and his Darwin-Award worthy storyNew book out about teaching biology in schools with health education and skepticismThe Debunking Handbook 2020 – German translation now availableFrench debate about making covid-vaccination mandatoryDarwin’s notebooks reported stolen from Cambridge University LibraryGerman Green Party no longer backs homeopathyWorld Wild Web – A new critical thinking gameSpanish Government to decide what is harmful fake newsPortuguese court rules based on misunderstanding science of covid testsSurprisingly, acupuncture is useless for people recovering from breast surgeryNo, Danish study doesn’t show masks are uselessAlso, the stupid (and very expensive) “Qi-tech” devices get this week’s Really Wrong award.Enjoy!Segments:Intro; Greetings; This Week; Pontus Pokes the Pope; News; Really Wrong; Quote and Farewell; Outro; Out-takesEvents Calendar: https://theesp.eu/events_in_europe

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This week we celebrate 250 episodes and five years on the road with the ESP. We invited all guest hosts who ever have sat in for a show and they all joined us for our first ever live stream episode! With us we had Brian Eggo, Deborah Hyde, Claire Kroulik-Klingenberg, Jelena Levin, Jay Novella, Richard Saunders and of course our normal(?) hosts, András, Annika and Pontus.There was also The Awesome Quiz of Europe, Skepticism and Everything Else, prepared by the one and only Annika Harrison!Enjoy!You can also enjoy the unedited live video version on our Youtube-channel at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fJH065e1lncSegments:Intro; Live stream; OutroEvents Calendar: https://theesp.eu/events_in_europe

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This week Pontus is a bit under the weather so András and Annika send him their “thoughts and prayers” (don’t worry, he is fine). Then we mention an interesting documentary about SCAM practitioners and give a heads up for next weeks jubilee episode 250. And five years ago this week the ESP made its debut! Then we give a Covid update before we get into the news:The new Pre-Bunking game: Breaking Harmony SquareAnother science communicator and journalist charged for speaking out against fraudsEdzard Ernst’s challenge to all homeopaths in the worldThermographic imaging – a risk to cancer patientsNewly emerging issues with climate change actionsMeasles cases in 2019 at a record high in 23 yearsTo round off the show, Victor Orbán gets a Really Wrong award for using the pandemic as an excuse for homophobic nonsense.Enjoy!Segments:Intro; Greetings; COVID Update; News; Really Wrong; Quote and Farewell; Outro; Out-takesEvents Calendar: https://theesp.eu/events_in_europe

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This week we first chat a bit about Trump, having covid in your family and an opportunity to talk to Swedish MPs. We also mention the Vienna terror attacks and the Hay Winter Festival. Annika has an exciting announcement regarding increasing the number of skeptics in the world.In history news we acknowledge the anniversary of the Night of Broken Glass and then Pontus Pokes the Pope for disciplining a Cardinal so old that he does not know what happened.After a Covid-update we then get into the actual news:Chiropractors don't like informed consentDoes article 61 of Magna Charta allow citizens to disobey COVID-19 regulations?Grandmothers sue government over climate challenge failureHow COVID-19 is reshaping the way people trust politiciansMedWatch wins federal Consumer Protection AwardUpdate on the last five years of RCTs about homeopathyEnjoy!

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