This week before we get into the meat of the show, we talk Corona, Greta Thunberg and look forward to Adam Rutherford’s new book, “How to Argue with a Racist”. We also have two good news for our German friends: Natalie Grams have launched her podcast “Grams’ Sprechstunde” and we have a ticket raffle for SkepKon 2020 in Berlin. Tune in to find out how you can win a free ticket!
In this week in history we celebrate Charles Darwin who was born on 12 February 1809. Pontus Pokes the Pope for hypocritically telling others how to reduce poverty when he personally has misplaced tens of millions of Euro from the Peters’ Pence charity. Also Cardinal Barbarin get off scot-free for covering up a child molester.
In the news we report that the BBC launches “My World”, a show to teach young audiences to spot fake news, that the WHO fights the “Infodemic” of fake Coronavirus rumours and that they get help from Factcheck.org and Fullfact.org.
Climate change reaches new heights with the warmest January on record for Europe and Ryan Air hypocritically wants us to believe that their flights are carbon friendly (we don’t buy it).
We end by given a Really Wrong Award to the Swedish legal system which allows acupuncturists to ram needles into the hearts of cancer patients. That’s right, heart-o-puncture™ is apparently legal.
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
0:00:50 GREETINGS
We talk about Corona, Greta Thunberg and Adam Rutherford’s new book, “How to Argue with a Racist”. Good news for our German friends: Natalie Grams have launched her podcast “Grams’ Sprechstunde” and we have a ticket raffle for SkepKon 2020 in Berlin! You can win!.
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- WHO coronavirus update: https://www.who.int/docs/default-source/coronaviruse/situation-reports/20200210-sitrep-21-ncov.pdf?sfvrsn=947679ef_2
- WHO on Influenza: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/influenza-(seasonal)
- SKEPKON: https://www.skepkon.org/
- Snopes on Greta Thunberg: https://www.snopes.com/ap/2020/02/03/teenage-climate-activist-greta-thunberg-nominated-for-nobel-peace-prize/
- Grams’ Sprechstunde podcast: https://detektor.fm/serien/grams-sprechstunde
- The Guardian on Adam Rutherford: https://www.theguardian.com/books/2020/jan/30/how-to-argue-with-a-racist-adam-rutherford-review
0:18:43 THIS WEEK IN HISTORY
Charles Robert Darwin was born on 12 February 1809.
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- Encyclopedia Britannica: https://www.britannica.com/biography/Charles-Darwin
- The Quackometer: http://www.quackometer.net/blog/2007/08/charles-darwin-and-homeopathy.html
0:24:15 PONTUS POKES THE POPE – Holier than Thou – Should Francis Lecture Others on the Poverty Gap?
Francis takes on the issue of poverty with total lack of self-awareness and in other news, France’s top Catholic cleric, Cardinal Barbarin, gets cleared of abuse cover-up although he definitely knew what was going on.
0:29:22 NEWS
- UK / INTERNATIONAL: BBC Launches New Series Targeting Young People on How to Spot Fake News
- INTERNATIONAL: WHO Calls to Fight Coronavirus ‘Infodemic’
- INTERNATIONAL: Coronavirus issues and misinformation
- EUROPE: Warmest January Ever for Europe
- The Independent: https://www.independent.co.uk/environment/january-temperature-record-warmest-ever-winter-europe-norway-latest-a9320956.html
- The Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/feb/07/antarctica-logs-hottest-temperature-on-record-with-a-reading-of-183c
- NASA: https://climate.nasa.gov/climate_resources/189/graphic-temperature-vs-solar-activity/
- IRELAND: Ryanair Rapped Over Low Emissions Claims
0:51:17 REALLY WRONG
SWEDEN: Acupuncturist Freed of Manslaughter Charges
1:04:52 QUOTE AND FAREWELL
“I think that the appetite for mystery, the enthusiasm for that which we do not understand, is healthy and to be fostered. It is the same appetite which drives the best of true science, and it is an appetite which true science is best qualified to satisfy.”
/ Richard Dawkins, British evolutionary biologist, author, from “Science Delusion and the Appetite for Wonder”, John Brockman, Edge.org, 1.2.97 /
1:05:48 OUTRO
1:07:03 OUT-TAKES