Vaccinations

We received some listener feedback regarding Ricky Gervais, and the Hungarian state media apologizes(!) for the lies during Orbán. In TWISH we hear about Robert Chambers, the anonymous publisher who helped pave the way for Darwin.

Then, it’s time for the news:

• SWEDEN / NORWAY: Resurgence of JW in Sweden and Norway
• AUSTRIA: Austrians seem to have lost confidence in homeopathy
• INTERNATIONAL: Quackery round-up: misused Alzheimer’s test, cancer treatment with bleach, and fake diabetes supplement
• GERMANY: Couple on trial for mistreatment of child’s illness

Self-appointed (is there any other kind?) psychic Christoffer Norén receives this week’s award for being Really Wrong, while Susan Gerbic gets the Really Right Award for her ‘Psychics Explained’ Youtube channel.

Enjoy!

Segments: Intro; Greetings; TWISH; News; Really Wrong / Really Right; Quote; Outro; Outtakes
 
0:00:27 INTRO

0:00:51 GREETINGS

• About Ricky Gervais and his views
• Hungarian state media apologizes for lies during Orbán years

0:15:49 TWISH – THIS WEEK IN SKEPTICAL HISTORY

• 10 July 1802: Robert Chambers, the Anonymous Evolutionist was born
  • Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Chambers_(publisher,_born_1802)

0:22:16 NEWS

• SWEDEN / NORWAY: Resurgence of JW in Sweden and Norway
  • DN: https://www.dn.se/sverige/tidigare-jehovas-vittne-demonstrerar-vid-mote-for-30-000-tarar-i-ogonen/
  • JW.org: https://www.jw.org/sv/nyheter/omr%C3%A5de/sverige/F%C3%B6rvaltningsr%C3%A4tten-i-Stockholm-f%C3%B6rsvarar-Jehovas-vittnens-religionsfrihet-i-Sverige/
  • JW.org: https://www.jw.org/sv/bibliotek/programblad/sammankomstprogram-2026/
  • Norwegian Surpreme Court: https://www.domstol.no/en/supremecourt/rulings/rulings-2026/supreme-court—civil-cases/HR-2026-1009-A/
  • ETC: https://www.etc.se/inrikes/jehovas-vittnen-vinner-i-raetten-faar-statsbidrag
• AUSTRIA: Austrians seem to have lost confidence in homeopathy
  • OGM: https://www.ogm.at/2026/07/02/das-vertrauen-der-osterreicher-in-homoopathie-ist-seit-2010-deutlich-gesunken/
• INTERNATIONAL: Quackery round-up: misused Alzheimer’s test, cancer treatment with bleach, and fake diabetes supplement
  • TT: https://tt.omni.se/friska-erbjuds-alzheimertest-lakare-varnar/a/7pBl0W
  • Gizmodo: https://gizmodo.com/this-fake-cancer-cure-has-people-go-naked-into-a-big-plastic-bag-then-gasses-them-with-industrial-bleach-2000774830
  • Läkartidningen: https://lakartidningen.se/nyheter/notiser/varnar-for-diabetesreklam-potentiellt-livsfarligt-kosttillskott/
• GERMANY: Couple on trial for mistreatment of child’s illness
  • SWR: https://www.swr.de/swraktuell/baden-wuerttemberg/tuebingen/prozess-in-horb-eltern-angeklagt-wegen-fahrlaessiger-toetung-100.html

0:41:06 REALLY WRONG / REALLY RIGHT

• Really Wrong: Swedish psychic Christoffer Norén draws 800 people to a “grand séance”
  • Expressen: https://www.expressen.se/nyheter/sverige/han-pastar-sig-tala-med-publikens-doda-anhoriga/
  • VoF: https://www.vof.se/blogg/storseanser/
• Really Right: Susan Gerbic and her ‘Psychics Explained’ Youtube channel
  • Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@PsychicsExplained

0:46:17 QUOTE AND FAREWELL

“The sciences do not try to explain, they hardly even try to interpret, they mainly make models. By a model is meant a mathematical construct which, with the addition of certain verbal interpretations, describes observed phenomena. The justification of such a mathematical construct is solely and precisely that it is expected to work.”
/ John von Neumann (28 December 1903 – 8 February 1957), Hungarian and American mathematician, physicist, computer scientist and engineer. The quote is from The Unity of Knowledge (1955), ed. L. G. Leary (Doubleday & Co., New York), p. 157 /

0:47:41 OUTRO

0:49:04 OUT-TAKES