TheESP – Ep. #223 – Conversation therapy in the time of Plandemic

On this week’s episode we start by the funny PA of Deutsche Bahn then turn towards the story of psychic Peter Hurkos who was born on this day.
The latest from the Catholic Church reveals conspiracy theories and Pope Benedict XVI. trying to influence current affairs.
We talk about how grounded aeroplanes mean less reliable weather forecasts, the Czech government trying to outrun COVID-19 by themselves under the leadership of a homeopath and how Stephen Lewandowsky’s team helps all of us identify and fight conspiracy theories.
In the news:
– Russia fails to provide measles vaccines during the COVID-19 crisis
– Sweden’s health minister admits failure to keep elderly citizens safe
– Hungarian government subsidises a TCM unit at Semmelweis University
– Multiple legal cases shaking European countries amid 5G concerns
– Good Magic Awards winners announced
– Germany bans conversion therapies for minors
– Homeopathy not found to be effective for psychiatric disorders
The Swedish company marketing the bogus product ‘Mendi’ gets this week’s Really Wrong prize.

Enjoy!

Segments:
Intro; Greetings; This Week in Skepticism; Pontus Pokes the Pope; COVID-19 Update; News; Really Wrong; Quote and Farewell; Outro; Out-takes

Events Calendar: https://theesp.eu/events_in_europe

0:00:27 INTRO

0:00:51 GREETINGS

• • German train crew using humour to convince people to wear masks: https://twitter.com/marcelsalathe/status/1261566040573648897

0:05:48 This Week in Skepticism
Peter Hurkos (born Peter van der Hurk, 21 May 1911 in Dordrecht, Netherlands)

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Hurkos
• https://www.nytimes.com/1988/06/02/obituaries/peter-hurkos-77-a-psychic-used-by-police.html
• https://www.huffpost.com/entry/who-was-the-boston-strang_b_10130720
• https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1988-06-02-mn-5822-story.html

0:12:56 PONTUS POKES THE POPE
Conspiracy Theory Petition signed by Cardinal Sarah. Benedict’s new Biography, Cardinal Pell definitely DID know that he covered up abuse and the Holy See is a financial mega loss.

• https://cruxnow.com/news-analysis/2020/05/applying-occams-razor-to-the-latest-he-said-he-said-vatican-contretemps/
• https://www.amazon.de/Benedikt-XVI-Leben-Peter-Seewald/dp/3426276925
• https://cruxnow.com/vatican/2020/05/in-new-biography-pope-benedict-says-world-threatened-by-humanism/
• https://www.pinknews.co.uk/2020/05/04/pope-benedict-xvi-same-sex-marriage-antichrist-catholic-church-lgbt-rights-biography/
• https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/may/04/ex-pope-benedict-xvi-accuses-opponents-of-wanting-to-silence-him
• https://www.news.com.au/national/courts-law/george-pell-inquiry-cardinal-was-not-deceived-about-abuse/news-story/6acc6c2daa49d960d2513dcc4529cf3e
• https://cruxnow.com/news-analysis/2020/05/down-the-barrel-of-158-million-gun-vatican-reform-is-coming-but-what-kind/

0:20:28 COVID-19 Update

• Less reliable weather forecasts due to grounded aircraft:
  • https://theconversation.com/grounded-aircraft-could-make-weather-forecasts-less-reliable-13806
• Czech vaccine development project and PlanDemic – the new craze  Czech Vaccine research project:
  • https://www.learned.cz/cz/co-je-noveho/aktuality/vyjadreni-k-rozhodnuti-investovat-do-vyvoje-ceske-vakciny.html
  • http://www.visegradgroup.eu/news/health-minister-rejects
  • https://www.sisyfos.cz/clanek/1319-zlaty-bludny-balvan-v-kategorii-druzstev-za-rok-2018-tomio-okamura-vera-adamkova-andrej-babis-a-dalsi-hvezdy-ceskeho-politickeho-nebe
• ‘Corona-dictatorships’ and protests
  • https://blog.gwup.net/2020/05/06/widerstand-2020-gegen-die-corona-diktatur/
• Plandemic rebuttals:
  • https://theness.com/neurologicablog/index.php/skeptical-of-plandemic/
  • https://sciencebasedmedicine.org/plandemic-judy-mikovits-covid-19/
  • https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/plandemic-mikovits-arrest/
  • https://sciencebasedmedicine.org/plandemic-judy-mikovits-and-the-mother-of-all-covid-19-conspiracy-theories/
• Plandemic and the seven traits of conspiratorial thinking
  • https://crankyuncle.com/plandemic-seven-traits-of-conspiratorial-thinking/

0:32:11 NEWS

1. RUSSIA: While the country jumps to 2nd place worldwide in COVID-19, measles cases are on the rise
   • http://outbreaknewstoday.com/russia-dozens-of-measles-cases-reported-in-st-petersburg-30445/
2. SWEDENE: Has the Swedish Covid19 Strategy Failed?
3. HUNGARY: Government spends 17 million euros on setting up new TCM unit at Medical University
   • https://hvg.hu/itthon/20200516_59_milliardot_ad_a_kormany_arra_hogy_Hagyomanyos_Kinai_Orvoslas_Reszleg_epulhessen_a_Semmelweis_Egyetemen
   • https://index.hu/tudomany/2017/07/19/az_egeszsegugy_romokban_de_kinai_kuruzslasra_vannak_milliardok/
4. EUROPE: Multiple legal cases against 5G in EU countries UK:
   1. UK
      • https://donotlink.it/6j207
      • https://tabttraad.home.blog/2020/05/15/stjerneadvokat-skal-foere-miljoeretssag-om-5g-i-england/
   2. Netherlands
      • https://www.dutchnews.nl/news/2020/05/anti-5g-activists-go-to-court-to-stop-gamble-with-public-health/
   3. France
      • https://donotlink.it/owVy1
   4. Denmark
      • https://donotlink.it/JG9jQ
   5. Norway
      • https://www.facebook.com/ingenlikerablilurt/posts/3193953380644450
      • https://donotlink.it/g4yR3
   6. https://www.forbes.com/sites/alexknapp/2020/05/15/the-original-plandemic-unmasking-the-eerily-parallel-conspiracy-theories-behind-the-russian-flu-of-1889/#62518a4750d5
5. UK: Good Magic Awards winners announced
   • https://goodthinkingsociety.org/projects/the-good-magic-awards/
   • https://goodthinkingsociety.org/good-magic-awards-winners-announced/
6. GERMANY: ‘Conversion therapy’ for minors now banned
   • https://www.dw.com/en/germany-bans-gay-conversion-therapy-for-minors/a-53367140
7. ITALY: Homeopathy not effective for psychiatric disorders
   • https://edzardernst.com/2020/05/homeopathy-is-not-effective-for-psychiatric-disorders-a-new-systematic-review-and-meta-analysis/

1:05:18 REALLY WRONG
Kickstarter for Bogus “brain trainer” Mendi

• • https://donotlink.it/VEkrN

1:14:10 QUOTE AND FAREWELL

“The aim of argument, or of discussion, should not be victory, but progress.”
/Joseph Joubert, French moralist and essayist/

1:15:10 OUTRO

1:16:24 OUT-TAKES