This week Brian is back again and we look forward to the new year. One thing to note about 2020 is the Ratio conference in Sofia in Bulgaria in June and that the super early bird tickets already are released. Chris French is going, so why don’t you? Then Jelena tells us a ghost story from this week in 1762 that took place in Cock Lane, believe it or not.
In Pontus Pokes the Pope we hear about shady monetary shenanigans involving two sitting popes and how the Catholic church is now struggling to live up to the recent changes regarding so-called Papal Secrecy.
In the news we talk about the resignation of the Italian education minister, how the NHS in the UK is trying out ‘prehab’ for cancer patients and we check back on the Samoan measles emergency.
Further news takes us to Russia who has appealed the sanctions imposed because of doping scandals, and we go to Spain where homeopaths are trying to sue the government and then we are happy to hear that the charlatan John of God has been sentenced to 19 years in jail, albeit for rape rather than quackery.
We close the show by handing out a Really Wrong Award to the archbishop of Krakow who believes that Greta Thunberg is the Antichrist since she will not let him subdue the Earth.
Enjoy!
Segments:
Intro; Greetings; This Week; 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
Recorded just before New Year’s Eve, we hope that we are now heading for the new ‘roaring twenties’. There will be new opportunities to meet other skeptics in the coming year, including at the Ratio conference in Sofia on 13 June.
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- Ratio 2020, English website: https://ratio.bg/spring-en/
- Ratio Podcast: https://soundcloud.com/ratiobg
0:08:18 THIS WEEK IN SKEPTICISM
On the first week of 1762, events started in London that includes murder allegations, a ghost and a haunted house. Stay tuned for the Cock Lane Ghost mystery!
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- Cock Lane Ghost (Wikipedia): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cock_Lane_ghost
- Ian Visits website: https://www.ianvisits.co.uk/blog/2012/01/04/its-the-250th-anniversary-of-the-cock-lane-ghost/
0:14:47 PONTUS POKES THE POPE
Did Cardinal McCarrick Bribe Two Popes?
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- Washington Post (1): https://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/disgraced-former-cardinal-mccarrick-gave-more-than-600000-in-church-funds-to-powerful-clerics-records-show/2019/12/26/ac2b99ba-1c3a-11ea-9ddd-3e0321c180e7_story.html
- Washington Post (2): https://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/the-bransfield-report-post-publishes-secret-vatican-document-as-parishioners-demand-answers/2019/12/23/69f77f68-0007-11ea-9777-5cd51c6fec6f_story.html
- Pontifical Secret (Wikipedia): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pontifical_secret
0:21:08 NEWS
- ITALY: The Real Italian ‘Economic Crisis’: Italy’s Education Minister Resigns Over Funding
- UK: NHS to Offer Cancer Patients ‘Prehab’ Fitness Plan ‘to Boost Recovery’
- SAMOA: Measles Emergency Declared Over – Let’s Hope They are Right
- Samoa Government Official on Facebook (1): https://www.facebook.com/samoagovt/posts/2849724458391891
- Samoa Government Official on Facebook (2): https://www.facebook.com/samoagovt/posts/2851440981553572
- RUSSIA: Russia Appeals ‘Unfounded’ Ban from Major Sporting Competitions
- Spain: Homeopaths Fight Back
- BRAZIL: ‘John of God’ Gets 19 Years for Rapes
0:54:01 REALLY WRONG
Archbishop of Krakow, Poland, Thinks That Greta Thunberg is the Antichrist
0:59:15 QUOTE AND FAREWELL
“The only victories which leave no regret are those which are gained over ignorance.”
/ Napoléon Bonaparte, (15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), French statesman and military leader /
1:02:11 OUTRO
1:03:26 OUT-TAKES