This week we have a very interesting catch up with Ovidiu Covaciu who attended the International Global Vaccination Summit organised by the European Commission and the WHO. But before that we celebrate that Jelena singlehandedly (well, not really) made sure that the new Center for Population Health in her home city of Seattle was dedicated to Dr. Hans Rosling, the Swedish professor and science communicator. We also talk about how Pope John Paul II this week in 1996 admitted that evolution probably has some merits to it after all. That doesn’t necessarily mean he liked it much.
After the interview we poke the pope with some more Amazon news and the hilarious innovations of the Vatican to make use of modern technology. Yes, it’s the eRosary™, that nifty device we’ve all been waiting for! It connects to your phone via Bluetooth and send those Hail Marys to the heavens above at the flick of the wrist (literally).
In the news we find another win for the Good Thinking Society against Peter Popoff, we anticipate the yearly ComceptCon skeptical event in Portugal and go through how the Swedish Skeptics was invited by the government to give their opinion on the coming CAM-regulations. Then we go to Spain where the Spanish Skeptics at ARP-SAPC join others to fight the dangerous idea of Bio-Neuro Emotion.
We finish off with handing out a Really Wrong award to the Polish ‘Law and Justice’ party that has passed a law that says sex education for kids is a form of paedophilia. Really, they said that.
Oh, and there’s a surprise coming for our most faithful patrons – you can join them if you want to!
Enjoy!
Segments:
Intro; Greetings; This Week; Interview; 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
0:00:51 Greetings
The University of Washington in Seattle, basically on Jelena’s backyard, has dedicated their new building for the Center of Population Health to Dr. Hans Rosling, and we couldn’t be happier about it.
- Washington University news: https://www.washington.edu/news/2019/10/10/personal-comments-from-hans-roslings-family-about-uws-new-hans-rosling-center-for-population-health/
0:04:29 This Week in Skepticism
Pope John Paul II famously admitted that evolution makes sense on 22 October 1996. Better late than never!
0:08:26 Interview with Ovidiu Covaciu
Ovidiu Covaciu, the great Romanian vaccination champion, made sure he was invited to the Global Vaccination Summit in Brussels, organised by the European Commission and the WHO. We get a first hand report on what he told them that they should do!
- Romanian Vaccination Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/vaccinuri/
- Ovidiu Covaciu blog: http://Cutt.ly/vaccingripal2019
- Laura Brennan Documentary: https://www.rte.ie/player/movie/laura-brennan–this-is-me/102220328261
0:28:29 Pontus Pokes the Pope – more on the Amazon, plus Praying via Bluetooth
The Vatican makes hilarious efforts to stay relevant in the age of ‘the Internets and all that’. Meet the eRosary, your hotline to God!
- Crux: https://cruxnow.com/amazon-synod/2019/10/19/smartphones-and-social-media-become-missionary-tools-in-the-amazon/
- Vatican News: https://www.vaticannews.va/en/vatican-city/news/2019-10/click-pray-rosary-smart-digital-device-world-peace.html 0
- CNET: https://www.cnet.com/news/vaticans-wearable-rosary-gets-fix-for-app-flaw-allowing-easy-hacks/
0:33:35 News
UK: Ofcom fines Ben TV £25,000 for Peter Popoff infomercials
- the Good Thinking Society: https://goodthinkingsociety.org/ofcom-fines-ben-tv-25000-for-peter-popoff-infomercials/
PORTUGAL: ComceptCon 2019
- COMCEPT: http://comcept.org/comceptcon-2019/
SWEDEN: As Requested by the Government, the Swedish Skeptics (aka VoF) Has Given Their Opinion on Suggested CAM Regulation Changes
- Swedish Government (the CAM Investigation): https://www.regeringen.se/remisser/2019/07/remiss-sou-201915-komlementar-och-alternativ-medicin-och-vard—sakerhet-kunskap-och-dialog-sou-201928-ny-lagstiftning/
- Swedish Government (VoF’s Opinion and Recommendations on the Investigation): https://www.regeringen.se/4a95f3/contentassets/f05608921696441fa02856f20da0a0c0/vetenskap-och-folkbildning.pdf
SPAIN: ARP-SAPC (Spanish Skeptics) joins the request that the College of Physicians of Murcia stop the activity entitled “A course of miracles”
- Spanish Skeptics: http://www.escepticos.es/node/6973
- El Altel: https://auditorioelbatel.es/?post_type=eventos&p=41347.html
- ComMurcia: https://commurcia.es/NOTICIA.asp?id=2768
00:49:09 Really Wrong: To the Polish ‘Law and Justice’ party for passing a law that criminalizes sex education for kids and says it is a form of paedophilia
00:52:16 Quote and Farewell
“The one real goal of education is to leave a person asking questions.”
/ Max Beerbohm, 24 August 1872 – 20 May 1956. English essayist, parodist and caricaturist /
00:53:59 Outro
00:55:14 Out-takes