TheESP – Ep.#251 – 1st of the Next 250

This week we reflect a on the new vaccines that are coming. Annika sings(!) to celebrate the quiz performance of Pontus, Brian and Claire last week and then she tells us about a memorial for fallen aliens, announced ten years ago this week. Pontus Pokes the Pope for a whole lot of serious things and for liking a sexy butt on his Instagram account. Then we get into the news:

• Patriarch Irinej and his Darwin-Award worthy story
• New book out about teaching biology in schools with health education and skepticism
• The Debunking Handbook 2020 – German translation now available
• French debate about making covid-vaccination mandatory
• Darwin’s notebooks reported stolen from Cambridge University Library
• German Green Party no longer backs homeopathy
• World Wild Web – A new critical thinking game
• Spanish Government to decide what is harmful fake news
• Portuguese court rules based on misunderstanding science of covid tests
• Surprisingly, acupuncture is useless for people recovering from breast surgery
• No, Danish study doesn’t show masks are useless

Also, the stupid (and very expensive) “Qi-tech” devices get this week’s Really Wrong award.

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

0:00:52 GREETINGS

• New vaccine – vaccinations soon underway?
  • New Scientist: https://www.newscientist.com/article/2261092-do-oxford-astrazeneca-covid-19-vaccine-results-stand-up-to-scrutiny/
  • Euro News: https://www.euronews.com/2020/11/25/eu-commission-the-first-europeans-could-be-vaccinated-by-the-end-of-the-year

0:13:22 THIS WEEK IN SKEPTICISM

• On 2 December 2010 the Ukrainian newspaper “Бердичiв дiловий” (“Business Berdichev”) announced that group of UFOlogists decided to build a memorial to fallen aliens
  • Observatoire Zététique: http://zetetique.fr/memorial-to-fallen-aliens-2/

0:17:15 PONTUS POKES THE POPE

• FRANKIE CAUGHT WITH HIS PANTS DOWN
  • Washington Post: https://www.washingtonpost.com/religion/2020/11/20/vatican-mccarrick-report-sex-abuse-mother/
  • Washington Post: https://www.washingtonpost.com/context/read-the-full-vatican-report-on-former-cardinal-theodore-mccarrick/ebbae421-f0ee-46c4-81f2-27a7bfc03bae/
  • OKO: https://oko.press/jan-pawel-ii-pedofilia-kodeks/
  • Synod of Elvira (Wikipedia): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Synod_of_Elvira
  • Reuters: https://www.reuters.com/article/pope-cardinals/pope-installs-new-cardinals-including-first-african-american-idUSKBN2880K1
  • NY Times: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/26/opinion/pope-francis-covid.html
  • the Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/books/2020/nov/29/let-us-dream-by-pope-francis-review-the-holy-father-of-fraternity
  • LA Times: https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2020-11-23/pope-book-backs-george-floyd-protests-blasts-virus-skeptic
  • Uproxx: https://uproxx.com/viral/pope-liked-butt-instagram-vatican-investigation/

0:28:39 NEWS

• SERBIA/GREECE: Patriarch Irinej and his Darwin-Award worthy story
  • BBC: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-55029541
  • Snopes: https://www.snopes.com/ap/2020/11/19/greeces-archbishop-hospitalized-with-coronavirus-symptoms/
• GERMANY: New book out about teaching biology in schools with health education and skepticism
  • Amazon.de: https://www.amazon.de/Medizin-Wissenschaft-sachgerechte-Gesundheitsf%C3%B6rderung-Praxismaterialien/dp/3750487367
• GERMANY: The Debunking Handbook 2020 – German translation now available
  • Skeptical Science: https://skepticalscience.com/docs/DebunkingHandbook2020-German.pdf
• FRANCE: French debate about making covid-vaccination mandatory
  • Le Monde: https://www.lemonde.fr/m-le-mag/article/2020/11/21/antivaccination-la-premiere-fois-que-le-monde-l-a-ecrit_6060666_4500055.html
• UK: Darwin’s notebooks reported stolen from Cambridge University Library
  • the Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/education/2020/nov/24/charles-darwins-notebooks-reported-stolen-from-cambridge-university
• GERMANY: Green Party no longer backs homeopathy
  • Frankfurter Allgemeine: https://www.faz.net/aktuell/wirtschaft/parteitag-gruene-gehen-auf-distanz-zu-homoeopathie-17065254.html
  • Edzard Ernst: https://edzardernst.com/2020/11/the-german-green-party-longer-backs-homeopathy/
• SPAIN: World Wild Web – A new critical thinking game
  • World Wild Web: https://wildweb.tech/
• SPAIN: Spanish Government to decide what is harmful fake news
  • El País: https://english.elpais.com/politics/2020-11-09/spain-to-monitor-online-fake-news-and-give-a-political-response-to-disinformation-campaigns.html
• PORTUGAL: Court rules based on misunderstanding science of covid tests
  • The Portugal News: https://www.theportugalnews.com/news/2020-11-27/covid-pcr-test-reliability-doubtful-portugal-judges/56962
• UK: Surprisingly, acupuncture is useless for people recovering from breast surgery
  • Edzard Ernst: https://edzardernst.com/2020/11/acupuncture-is-more-than-useless-for-patients-recovering-from-breast-surgery/
• DENMARK: No, Danish study doesn’t show masks are useless
  • Full Fact: https://fullfact.org/health/danish-mask-wearing-spectator/

1:02:23 REALLY WRONG

• REALLY WRONG: QI TECHNOLOGY – ANOTHER BS TECH-SCAM
  • Edzard Ernst: https://edzardernst.com/2020/11/qi-technology-scientifically-proven-to-provide-emf-protection/

1:07:53 QUOTE AND FAREWELL
“False facts are highly injurious to the progress of science, for they often long endure; but false views, if supported by some evidence, do little harm, as every one takes a salutary pleasure in proving their falseness; and when this is done, one path towards error is closed and the road to truth is often at the same time opened.”
/ Charles Darwin (12 February 1809 – 19 April 1882), English naturalist, geologist and biologist /

1:09:50 OUTRO

1:11:04 OUT-TAKES