TheESP – Ep. #302 – Dangerous denial

Conspiracy theories are hazardous to your health

In this episode we first reflect a little over the new governments in Germany and Sweden. Pontus had Richard Saunders (of the Skeptic Zone fame) at a Swedish Skeptics in the Pub Online event this week and the talk is available on Youtube. In the newly renamed TWISH (This Week in Skeptical History) we celebrate the birth of Dutch atmospheric chemist Paul J. Crutzen. Pope (aka Primate) Francis is not happy with the Italian bishops and he forms a commission to keep them in line. Then we look into the news:

• AUSTRIA: Vaccination denier fails to cure himself of coronavirus
• AUSTRIA / INTERNATIONAL: The weird history of a photo shows how fake news spread
• SWITZERLAND: Swiss voters back law behind Covid vaccine certificate
• NETHERLANDS: Study shows conspiracy beliefs predict health behavior and well-being during the pandemic
• SWEDEN: Christian foundation not allowed to take over free school
• GERMANY: New study about Querdenker movement
• UK / RUSSIA: Empress Catherine the Great’s letter on smallpox vaccination up for auction

The Polish PiS Party get their fourth(!) Really Wrong award when their health minister Adam Niedzielski doesn’t want to implement any covid restrictions, because protests are bad for business.

Enjoy!

Segments: Intro; Greetings; TWISH; Pontus Pokes The Pope; News; Really Wrong; Quote And Farewell; Outro; Out-Takes;
 
0:00:27 INTRO

0:00:53 GREETINGS

• Germany finally forming a government?
  • BBC: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-59399702
  • the Conversation: https://theconversation.com/germanys-new-government-what-the-world-can-expect-in-a-post-merkel-era-172548
• Richard Saunders on Skeptics in the Pub Online (recorded)
  • VoF: https://www.vof.se/blogg/videos/skeptics-in-the-pub-online-the-adventures-of-richard-saunders/

0:07:19 TWISH – THIS WEEK IN SKEPTICAL HISTORY

• 3 December 1933 – birthday of Paul J. Crutzen, Dutch atmospheric chemist
  • Nobel Prize: https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/chemistry/1995/crutzen/facts/
  • Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_J._Crutzen

0:13:04 PONTUS POKES THE POPE

• A divorce by any other name
  • Crux: https://cruxnow.com/news-analysis/2021/11/popes-italian-crackdown-suggests-hes-more-irked-by-sloth-than-ideology

0:17:13 NEWS

• AUSTRIA: Vaccination denier fails to cure himself of coronavirus
  • Fucus: https://www.focus.de/gesundheit/coronavirus/chlordioxid-ist-weit-verbreitet-in-oesterreich-prominenter-impfgegner-wollte-covid-mit-bleichmittel-selbst-behandeln-und-stirbt-daraufhin_id_24463870.html
• AUSTRIA / INTERNATIONAL: The weird history of a photo shows how fake news spread
  • Full Fact: https://fullfact.org/online/vienna-protest-moscow/
• SWITZERLAND: Swiss voters back law behind Covid vaccine certificate
  • the Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/nov/28/tensions-swiss-vote-covid-vaccine-certificate-law
• NETHERLANDS: Study shows conspiracy beliefs predict health behavior and well-being during the pandemic
  • Edzard Ernst: https://edzardernst.com/2021/11/conspiracy-beliefs-predict-health-behavior-and-well-being-during-the-pandemic/
  • PMC: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8529348/
• SWEDEN: Christian foundation not allowed to take over free school
  • DN: https://www.dn.se/sverige/kristen-stiftelse-nekas-ta-over-skola-i-varberg/
• GERMANY: New study about Querdenker movement
  • GWUP: https://blog.gwup.net/2021/11/28/neue-studie-anthroposophie-und-alternativszene-als-triebfedern-der-querdenken-bewegung/
• UK / RUSSIA: Empress Catherine the Great’s letter on smallpox vaccination up for auction
  • Live Science: https://www.livescience.com/catherine-the-great-smallpox-letter
  • Science Alert: https://www.sciencealert.com/einstein-s-rare-relativity-papers-have-just-sold-for-an-extraordinary-sum-at-paris-auction

0:38:39 REALLY WRONG

• REALLY WRONG: Polish health minister says restrictions are not very effective at limiting pandemic
  • Notes from Poland: https://notesfrompoland.com/2021/11/25/restrictions-are-not-an-effective-means-of-limiting-the-pandemic-says-polish-health-minister/

0:43:39 QUOTE AND FAREWELL

“Imagine our descendants in the year 2200 or 2500. They might liken us to aliens who have treated the Earth as if it were a mere stopover for refueling, or even worse, characterize us as barbarians who would ransack their own home.”
/ Paul J. Crutzen (3 December 1933 – 28 January 2021), Dutch meteorologist and atmospheric chemist. /

0:44:49 OUTRO

0:46:04 OUT-TAKES