This week we talk about some great April Fools’ pranks, we look at the Vatican’s new child abuse law, mumps outbreak in Madrid, climate change models being validated in new observations. We get a first report on why the fake cancer cure Rigvir is being banned (look out for more Rigvir news in the future), we look at how Catholic priests are burning books in Poland, how there’s a battle between Russian homeopaths and skeptics and whether the recent Swedish CAM inquiry is good news or not. The French academies of Medicine and Pharmacy have suddenly discovered that homeopathy is not a thing, Portuguese Skeptics COMCEPT has presented this year’s Unicorn Awards and the new Italian government again demonstrates that they are anti-science.
Segments:
Intro; Greetings; This Week in Skepticism; Pontus Pokes the Pope; News; Really Wrong; Quote; Outro; Out-takes
Events Calendar: https://theesp.eu/events_in_europe
00:00:27 Intro
00:00:51 Greetings
More dodgy research on homeopathy for Dengue Fever; Elections in Ukraine; Does health matter in the European Parliament elections?; COMCEPT Manifesto; Debating Anthroposophs in Sweden; Reminder of the SkepKon raffle – Send an email to us and you can win a ticket!
- https://edzardernst.com/2019/03/more-dodgy-research-on-homeopathy-for-dengue-fever/
- https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-47767440
- https://epha.org/does-health-matter-in-the-european-parliament-elections/
- http://comcept.org/2019/03/26/manifesto-saude/
00:15:36 This Week in Skepticism
April Fools’ 2019: Internet Pranks
00:22:07 Pontus Pokes the Pope
New Vatican law against abuse – not going far enough
- https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/29/world/europe/pope-sexual-abuse-law-vatican.html
- https://www.cbsnews.com/news/pope-francis-sexual-abuse-new-laws-require-reporting-vatican-holy-see-29-03-2019/
00:26:09 Skeptical News
SPAIN: Mumps outbreak in Madrid: Dozens of cases reported at Pontifical University of Comillas
- http://outbreaknewstoday.com/mumps-outbreak-madrid-dozens-cases-reported-pontifical-university-comillas-94459/
- https://www.que.es/ultimas-noticias/sanidad-confirma-33-casos-en-el-brote-de-paperas-en-madrid.html
UKRAINE: Rate of measles in Ukraine is rising again: 35K cases reported year-to-date
SWEDEN: Climate change: Average temps in the north rising faster than global temps
- https://www.smhi.se/nyhetsarkiv/temperaturen-i-sverige-stiger-mer-an-for-jorden-som-helhet-1.146120
- https://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/canada-warming-at-twice-the-global-rate-leaked-report-finds-1.5079765
LATVIA / WORLD: Fake cancer drug Rigvir banned
- https://eng.lsm.lv/article/society/health/rigvir-cancer-treatment-at-center-of-fresh-controversy.a313826/
- http://rigvirfacts.com/2019/03/30/rigvir-will-no-longer-rip-off-cancer-patients-what-happens-next/
POLAND: PONTUS: Catholic Priests in Poland Burn Harry Potter Books to Eradicate Evil
- https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-47771706
- https://twitter.com/jk_rowling/status/826407039861653504
RUSSIA: Russian homeopaths strike again (twice) in virology journal — and a skeptic strikes right back
SWEDEN: Government Inquiry about CAM
FRANCE: The French Academies of Medicine and Pharmacy have just ousted homeopathy
- https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2019/mar/29/homeopathy-french-healthcare-system
- http://www.academie-medecine.fr/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/CP-homéopathie-ANM-ANP.pdf
PORTUGAL: Prémio Unicórnio Voador 2018 (Unicorn Awards)
00:59:59 Really Wrong
Italian Government to stop issuing vaccination certificates
01:03:19 Quote and Goodbye
“The public have an insatiable curiosity to know everything, except what is worth knowing.”
/ Oscar wilde, Irish poet and playwright /
01:04:32 Outro
01:05:47 Out-takes