This week we first have a look to see if it was really the President of Finland who said he preferred reindeer to Trump before we congratulate the Spanish Skeptics for ceasing the opportunity of the Nobel week to point out what the ‘Nobel disease’ is in the mainstream media. We also remember the mockumentary ‘Dark Side of the Moon’ that premiered this week 17 years ago.
Social media is tough to handle, as pope Francis discovered when accidentally tagging an NFL football team on Twitter, much to the delight of all the fans. Meanwhile his synod on the Amazon is fully underway, and we report on the latest developments.
In the news, we report on the Global Vaccination Summit on-line, discuss the anti-gay sentiments in France, Flat Earthers in the Netherlands and the rising homeopathy resistance in Germany. We also discuss illegal circumcisions in Sweden, a new skeptical book from CICAP in Italy and the start of a huge medical lawsuit in France.
We end by handing yet another Really Wrong for covering up sex abuse in the Catholic Church, this time to Swedish Cardinal Anders Arborelius.
Give it a listen!
Segments:
Intro; Greetings; Pontus Pokes the Pope; News; Really Wrong; Quote and Farewell; Outro; Out-takes
Events Calendar: https://theesp.eu/events_in_europe
0:00:27 Intro
0:00:50 Greetings
Do the President of Finland really prefer reindeer and snowballs to Trump? We would not blame him if that was the case, but in fact he did not say so in a video circulated on-line. The Spanish Skeptics ARP-SAPC and Círculo Escéptico took the opportunity apropos Nobel week to spread some knowledge about the ‘Nobel Disease’ in the Spanish newspaper ABC. Well done!
- Snopes regarding ‘the President of Finland’: https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/president-finland-wh-video/
- Spanish Skeptics in ‘ABC’: https://www.abc.es/ciencia/abci-enfermedad-nobel-cuando-premiados-abrazan-racismo-pseudociencia-o-aliens-201910130135_noticia.html
0:10:00 This Week in Skepticism
The ‘Dark Side of the Moon’ mockumentary was released on October 16, 2002.
0:15:20 Pontus Pokes the Pope – the Synod for the Amazon is in full swing
Why stop at married priests, why not women too. At least if they all stay celibate…
- Crux (1): https://cruxnow.com/amazon-synod/2019/10/07/chair-of-popes-amazon-summit-puts-married-priests-women-squarely-on-the-table/
- Crux (2): https://cruxnow.com/amazon-synod/2019/10/11/synod-member-weary-of-married-priest-debate-rues-getting-stuck-in-70s/
0:19:50 News
INTERNATIONAL: Global Vaccination Summit to fight vaccine hesitancy
- Outbreaks News Today: http://outbreaknewstoday.com/global-vaccination-summit-begins-monday-to-fight-vaccine-hesitancy-11639/
- Global Vaccination Summit: https://www.globalvaccinationsummit.com/registration
- On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/2083750575267700/
FRANCE: Anti-gay demonstrations against new IVF law
THE NETHERLANDS: 0.9 per cent of Dutch people believe the Earth is flat
- Pepijn van Erp: http://www.pepijnvanerp.nl/2019/10/dutch-poll-flat-earth/
GERMANY: Homeopathy – even the SPD now supports defunding homeopathy
- GWUP (1): https://blog.gwup.net/2019/10/09/homoeopathie-auch-in-der-spd-regt-sich-widerstand-gegen-die-kostenerstattung/
- GWUP (2): https://blog.gwup.net/2019/09/05/jetzt-im-wortlaut-antrag-gegen-die-bevorteilung-der-homoeopathie-fuer-den-gruenen-bundesparteitag/
SWEDEN: Illegal Circumcisions in Sweden
- Svenska Dagbladet: https://www.svd.se/pojkar-utsatts-for-illegal-omskarelse-i-svenska-hem-ordnar-resor-varje-dag
- OMNI: https://omni.se/barnkirurgsprofessor-han-ar-olamplig-som-operator/a/3J7qkL
ITALY: New book by Berti & Garlaschelli: The detective of the incredible
- CICAP (1): https://www.cicap.org/new/prodotto.php?id=3901
- CICAP (2): https://www.cicap.org/n/articolo.php?id=279004
FRANCE: Mammoth trial begins for Mediator scandal
- France24: https://www.france24.com/en/20190923-france-pharmaceutical-mediator-mammoth-trial-drugmaker-servier-regulator-scandal
- Mediator (Benfluorex) scandal on Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benfluorex
00:37:51 Really Wrong: Swedish Cardinal Arborelius admits to having covered up sex abuse
- SVT (1): https://www.svt.se/nyheter/inrikes/katolska-kyrkan-i-sverige-tog-emot-pedofilanklagade-praster
- SVT (2): https://www.svt.se/nyheter/inrikes/arborelius-om-pedofilmisstankta-prasterna-vi-behover-skarpa-oss
- SVT (3): https://www.svt.se/nyheter/inrikes/pedofilanklagade-prasterna-jobbade-i-skolor-utreds-for-fler-overgrepp
00:41:34 Quote and Goodbye
“Most often people seek in life occasions for persisting in their opinions rather than for educating themselves.”
/ André Paul Guillaume Gide, 22 November 1896 – 19 February 1951. French author and winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature /
00:42:51 Outro
00:44:06 Out-takes