…or “SCAM”, if you willThis week we have lots of catching up to do, with sad news from Hungarian Skeptics, but also good news regarding skeptical meetings and activism in Germany, Hungary and Sweden. In TWISH we remember the founding of the Jagiellonian University over six hundred years ago this week. Then we dig into the news:INTERNATIONAL: WHO declares pandemic to be no longer a threatGERMANY: Homeopathic cold medicine Meditonsin no longer allowed to advertise with certain statementsEUROPE: Russia behind anti-Ukraine and anti-Erdogan demonstrations all over EUUK: Propagator of SCAM now heads the Royal Medical HouseholdGERMANY: Association of Midwifery distances themselves from HomeopathyUK: Measles on the riseSWEDEN: Paranormal beliefs remarkably highA very sad Really Wrong this week as a 14 year-old girl dies in Austria due to alternative practitioners.We trust you still enjoy the episode!Segments: Intro; Greetings; TWISH; News; Really Wrong; Quote And Farewell; Outro; Out-Takes

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…BTW, there was not a single monkey at the Scopes Monkey trialBrian Eggo is back to save the day once again! as András and Annika couldn’t make it. But we hope that just like them and us, you will all make it to QED in Manchester on 23-24 of September. We will certainly be there! Tickets are now out and they’re selling like, well, QED-tickets after a pandemic. Get yours now!In TWISH we hear about the arrest of John Scopes of the Scopes Monkey trial fame. (No monkeys were hurt in the making of this episode). Then, it’s time for the news:GERMANY: Homeopathy company Heel reported to authorities for false advertising of productUK: On the power of objects, as the country is preparing for the coronation of The Alternative PrinceINTERNATIONAL: WHO pseudoscienceINTERNATIONAL: How medical decisions are really made?The Charité school in Berlin gets this weeks prize for being Really Wrong as they for no apparent reason pay for a professorship in anthroposophy.Enjoy!Segments: Intro; Greetings; TWISH; News; Really Wrong; Quote And Farewell; Outro; Out-Takes

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…we also have a ‘defrogging’ for Pope Francis to look intoWe have Claire Klingenberg onboard this week and it means a packed show! We talk about the new interview with Claudia Preis, European immunization week and the Hungarian Flat Earth Award. Claire gives us a report from the growing anti-abortions movement in Czechia and we hear about several upcoming skeptical events, among them that Pontus is going to give a talk in Prague next month. In TWISH we celebrate the birthday of Carl Friedrich Gauss and then we hear how pope John Paul II posthumously is in the news for possible misdeeds in the night. Then it’s time for the news:GERMANY: So-called alternative medicine in Bavarian hospitalsINTERNATIONAL: Cranky Uncle wins awardUKRAINE: Blinding flash over Kyiv was probably meteor, says Ukraine space agencyHUNGARY: More than 1 on 4 Hungarians have seen a UFO at least onceHUNGARY: UFOs – Investigating the Unknown to be released April 28POLAND: Special hospice for pregnancies with nonviable fetusesAUSTRIA / GERMANY: New book out by Florian AignerAUSTRIA / GERMANY: What the Fact by ZDFEnjoy!Segments: Intro; Greetings; TWISH; Pontus Pokes The Pope; News; Quote And Farewell; Outro; Out-Takes

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…and it’s easy to lose you perpective of Loss NessWe remind everyone to sign up for SkepKon in Frankfurt 18-20 May. In TWISH we revisit the story of “the Surgeon’s photograph”, which was supposed to convince us that the Loch Ness monster was a thing. The pope gets a poking for supporting exorcism which is in the news due to Russell Crowe‘s latest Hollywood venture, “The Pope’s Exorcist” – the Vatican is not amused… Then we have a look into the news:Vatican: New observatory created to investigate possible apparitions of the Virgin MaryItaly: Madonna of Trevignano Romano – the miracle statue with tears of bloodGermany: Acupuncture as new homeopathy? Podcast episode with Udo Endruscheit and Natalie GramsHungary: List of Flat Earth Awards finalists sparks debatesGermany: Dangerous nonsense healingSweden: The new nationwide census is not a censusThe Vienna Medical Association has lost its mind and want their doctors to get into nonsense homeopathy. That earns them a Really Wrong Award.Enjoy!Segments: Intro; Greetings; TWISH; Pontus Pokes The Pope; News; Really Wrong; Quote And Farewell; Outro; Out-Takes

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…but we do know that hyper-electrosensitivity is not a thingIn TWISH we hear about a Finnish UFO sighting and later Pope Francis get to answer some very tough questions in a new documentary. In the news this week we have:SWEDEN: Five years after saying it won’t retract Macchiarini paper, journal finally does soINTERNATIONAL: So, lab leak theory down the drain?AI: Bing easily tricked to repeat neo-Nazi talking points as if they were factsIRELAND: New research focusing on reducing belief in conspiracy theorySWEDEN: Researchers pessimistic about reaching climate goalsTwo German cities go all pseudoscience and switch off their WLAN to “protect the citizens” and for this they are Really Wrong.Enjoy!Segments: Intro; Greetings; TWISH; Pontus Pokes The Pope; News; Really Wrong; Quote And Farewell; Outro; Out-Takes

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…and UK politicians orders police to go full on racistThere are several skeptical events to look forward to! In chronological order we recommend Skeptics in the Pub in Cologne, SkepKon in Frankfurt and QED in Manchester. No TWISH this week, but we look into Pope Francis‘ latest health problems and how the Vatican after more than five hundred years still refuses to own up on its role in the terrible conquest and enslavement of the Americas. Then, it’s time for the news:SWITZERLAND: Swiss court case ties human rights to climate changeINTERNATIONAL: People who lie use less details and that can reveal them, study saysUK: The trust in scientists has increased after the COVID-19 pandemicEUROPE: AI chatbots making it harder to spot phishing emails, expert saysGERMANY: Verdict coming up regarding the naturopath trial in IngolstadtSWEDEN: Pontus Pokes the Politicians: SD says that wind turbines are harmful for humansSuella Braverman and Rishi Sunak receive this week's Really Wrong Award for supporting that UK police should track ethnicity (read Pakistani background) in the fight against grooming gangs, although we know they mostly consist of white males.Enjoy!Segments: Intro; Greetings; Pontus Pokes The Pope; News; Really Wrong; Quote And Farewell; Outro; Out-Takes

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… please don’t eat like Gwyneth PaltrowThe IPCC is out, but of course we all new it would be bad. We have listener feedback about acupuncture, SkepKon 2023 is announced and both Pontus and András are out there talking to the public. In TWISH we hear about Ludwig Büchner and the Pope has trouble getting heard. After that, we look into the news:GERMANY: Reichsbürger extremist sentenced to 10 years in prisonRUSSIA: Russian whose daughter drew anti-war picture flees jail termPORTUGAL: Voting for the Flying Unicorn Award open until the end of the dayGERMANY: Edzard Ernst has a new book outUK: Genetic Technology Act now passed into lawRUSSIA: Does Putin have fake body doubles?After all that, we have our first Word of the Week segment and Gwyneth Paltrow gets yet another well deserved Really Wrong Award.Enjoy!Segments: Intro; Greetings; TWISH; Pontus Pokes The Pope; News; Really Wrong; Word Of The Week; Quote And Farewell; Outro; Out-Takes

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… also, Orgone energy is utter nonsenseFancy a coffee in Singapore with András? If you are quick you may get lucky! In TWISH this week we hear about Wilhelm Reich, infamous for his so-called “orgone theory“. No pope today, so we dive right into the news:INTERNATIONAL: New DNA find points to raccoon dogs as potential covid originNORWAY: Norwegian footballer gets her lung acu-puncturedGERMANY: Private TV channel tries to produce a show with an antisemitic Covid denier and failsSWEDEN: Confounderer of the year awarded €9000 compensation for being exposed in documentaryGERMANY: Trust in homeopathy is sinkingSWEDEN: Sales of organic food dropping fastTo finish off, we hand out a Really Wrong Award to Bishop John Sherrington who insists he has a right to harrass people at abortion clinics.Enjoy!Segments: Intro; Greetings; TWISH; News; Really Wrong; Quote And Farewell; Outro; Out-Takes

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… and it’s time to start planning your QED trip!We are in the latest issue of the Australian Skeptics Magazine – thanks again dear friends for inviting us to Skepticon last year! New adventures are waiting in the new year with QED dates just announced, so it’s time to start planning for a trip to Manchester in September. We renew our call for Word of the Week and Who’s Quacking, please send in your contributions. In addition we note that the ISS astronauts made it back OK to Earth and that popes absolutely have known about the sex abuse scandals for a long time but found it more important to cover it up than to stop it. Then it’s time for the news:FINLAND / DENMARK / NORWAY: Rumors of babies kidnapped by authorities now also in the other Nordic countriesGERMANY: Record low number of breastfed babiesINTERNATIONAL: Cochrane statement clarifies recent review on masksINTERNATIONAL: High Seas Treaty of the UNSWEDEN: New recommendations as of 1 March re covid vaccinationBelieve it or not but the Polish PiS party rakes in yet another Really Wrong Award which make it their sixth so far.Enjoy!Segments: Intro; Greetings; Pontus Pokes The Pope; News; Really Wrong; Quote And Farewell; Outro; Out-Takes

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… also, maybe “the Swedish Experiment” wasn’t such a bad idea after allThis week we start by acknowledging two skeptical initiatives: András is part of the new Hungarian podcast “Hogy is van ez?”, and SkepKon 2023 is coming up in Germany in May. Then we have two challenges for our listeners – please send in you contributions for the new segments “Word of the Week” and “Who’s Quacking?”. In TWISH we hear how “America” got its name via a cartographer born in 1451, and then Pontus wishes Pope Francis would put his money where his mouth is. After that, it’s time for the news:AUSTRIA: Politician’s move to selling snake-oilINTERNATIONAL: COVID-19 Origin still not knownUK: Prince Harry and Gábor Máté team up to promote weird shit togetherSWEDEN / EUROPE: Sweden had the lowest excess mortality in Europe during the pandemicSegments: Intro; Greetings; TWISH; Pontus Pokes The Pope; News; Really Right; Quote And Farewell; Outro; Out-Takes

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