Andrzej_Duda

 
This week we we mention the Icelandic volcanic eruptions and then a bit randomly reflect upon languages and spelling. Pontus asks people to check out the VoF web site and András informs us about the Hungarian Skeptics’ Flat Earth-prize. In history Wilhelm Röntgen was born this week the pope gets poked for congratulating the Philippines for being so gloriously invaded and oppressed 500 years ago. We take a new look at the covid vaccine situation, before we check out the news:

• Middlesex University gets rid of homeopathy training
• Spain adopts euthanasia law despite conservative opposition
• Follow-up: Doctor who facilitated death may lose his license, although he was aquitted
• Russian scientists looking for the tiniest particles (from under Lake Baikal)
• Adverse effects of low level mm wave radiations could not be found (5G)
• Conspiracy theories in small print on soda bottles
• New lawsuit against Facebook for being a hub of misinformation
• New book (available online for free in Spanish): The Office of Doubt (about science and philosophy)

We also hand out both a Really Wrong and and a Really Right award this week, to Turkey and a Polish writer, respectively.

Enjoy!

Segments:
Intro; Greetings; This Week; Pontus Pokes the Pope; Covid-19 Update; News; Really Wrong / Really Right; Quote and Farewell; Outro; Out-takes

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

0:00:27 INTRO

0:00:52 GREETINGS

• Check out the Swedish Skeptics’ (VoF) online events (mostly in Swedish)
  • VoF.se: https://www.vof.se/vofkalendern/

0:07:18 THIS WEEK IN SKEPTICISM

• Wilhelm Röntgen was born on 27 March 1845
  • Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wilhelm_Röntgen
  • Wikipedia: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aluhut

0:12:20 PONTUS POKES THE POPE

• Francis faces push-back for the rule against blessing gay couples. He also cleans up after Cardinal Robert Sarah, and congratulates the Philippines on Twitter for being blessed by conquest 500 years ago.
  • Crux: https://cruxnow.com/vatican/2021/03/pope-requests-study-of-worship-congregation-before-naming-new-prefect/
  • Crux: https://cruxnow.com/church-in-europe/2021/03/germany-theology-professors-blast-vatican-gay-union-stance/
  • Crux: https://cruxnow.com/church-in-oceania/2021/03/same-sex-union-blessings-ban-upsets-gay-catholics-in-oceania/
  • Crux: https://cruxnow.com/church-in-the-usa/2021/03/cardinals-omalley-turkson-defend-vatican-same-sex-blessing-ban/

0:18:16 COVID-19 UPDATE

• AstraZeneca – reloaded
  • Snopes: https://www.snopes.com/ap/2021/03/23/us-astrazeneca-may-have-used-outdated-info-in-vaccine-trial/
  • Science Norway: https://sciencenorway.no/covid19/norwegian-experts-say-deadly-blood-clots-were-caused-by-the-astrazeneca-covid-vaccine/1830510
  • EMA: https://www.ema.europa.eu/en/news/covid-19-vaccine-astrazeneca-benefits-still-outweigh-risks-despite-possible-link-rare-blood-clots

0:29:10 NEWS

• UK: Middlesex University gets rid of homeopathy training
  • The Times UK: https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/middlesex-university-cuts-ties-over-homeopathic-covid-cures-t9lztglcl?shareToken=bc2ae09bd122a5e6d855044e5d2e91db
  • the Royal College of Physicians: https://www.rcpjournals.org/content/futurehosp/8/1/5
• SPAIN: Spain adopts euthanasia law despite conservative opposition
  • AP: https://apnews.com/article/europe-legislation-assisted-suicide-euthanasia-bills-49516fa35c6ae50b9be885df8506fa91
  • EuroNews: https://www.euronews.com/2021/03/18/spain-legalises-euthanasia-and-assisted-suicide-despite-conservative-opposition
  • the Olive Press: https://www.theolivepress.es/spain-news/2021/03/18/spain-set-to-become-fourth-country-in-eu-to-legalise-euthanasia-in-landmark-ruling/
• SWEDEN: Follow-up: Doctor who facilitated death may lose his license, although he was aquitted
  • DN: https://www.dn.se/sverige/ivo-dodshjalpslakaren-staffan-bergstrom-bor-forlora-legitimationen/
• RUSSIA: Russian scientists looking for the tiniest particles (from under Lake Baikal)
  • Live Science: https://www.livescience.com/russia-deploys-underwater-telescope-lake-baikal.html
• INTERNATIONAL: Adverse effects of low level mm wave radiations could not be found (5G)
  • Nature: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41370-021-00307-7
  • Retraction Watch: https://retractionwatch.com/2021/03/22/riddled-with-errors-study-of-cell-phones-and-breast-cancer-retracted/
• NORWAY: Conspiracy theories in small print on soda bottles
  • Net Avisen: https://www.nettavisen.no/nyheter/toyen-cola-vekker-kraftige-reaksjoner-sprer-konspirasjonsteorier-og-feilinformasjon/s/12-95-3424102796
• FRANCE: New lawsuit against Facebook for being a hub of misinformation
  • the Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2021/mar/23/facebook-lawsuit-deceptive-practices-disinformation
• SPAIN: New book (available online for free in Spanish): The Office of Doubt (about science and philosophy)
  • Jose Blanca: https://jblanca.net/
  • Escepticos: https://www.escepticos.es/node/7785

1:00:15 REALLY WRONG and REALLY RIGHT

• REALLY WRONG: Turkey quits women’s rights treaty
  • DW: https://www.dw.com/en/turkey-slammed-for-quitting-treaty-protecting-womens-rights/a-56941413
  • AP: https://apnews.com/article/world-news-turkey-europe-istanbul-violence-f096c185314cde20dce2504a70ee6889
• REALLY RIGHT: Polish writer Jakub Żulczyk calls out Duda for being a moron
  • the Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/mar/23/polish-writer-jakub-zulczyk-charged-for-calling-president-andrzej-duda-a-moron

1:05:11 QUOTE AND FAREWELL

“If you want to do evil, science provides the most powerful weapons to do evil; but equally, if you want to do good, science puts into your hands the most powerful tools to do so. The trick is to want the right things, then science will provide you with the most effective methods of achieving them.”
 
/ Richard Dawkins (born 26 March 1941), British ethologist, evolutionary biologist, atheist thinker, and author. /

1:06:51 OUTRO

1:08:06 OUT-TAKES