TheESP – Ep. #317 – Doomscrolling

Don’t lose yourself in the bad news

Lots of bad news out there at the moment but try to not let it get to you. A Ukrainian drone flies all over Hungary undetected, some European leaders take the train to Kyiv and even in space, tension is mounting. This week is the celebration of the Hungarian revolution of 1848 but there’s a lot of misconceptions about it. Francis tries to do good but fails to impress. After that, we take a look at the news:

• INTERNATIONAL: Doomscrolling is becoming a serious concern
• RUSSIA: The power of state-controlled media
• RUSSIA: TV employee’s attempt to let people know the truth
• RUSSIA: Family members go head to head over different views on war against Ukraine
• RUSSIA: What do Russians think of the war?
• INTERNATIONAL: Estimating excess mortality from COVID-19
• UK: Homeopathy as protection from radioactivity?
• INTERNATIONAL: The biggest increase in CO2 emissions ever
• FRANCE: French skeptics’ questionnaire to presidential candidates answered

The Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill thinks “Ukrainian Nazis” deserve what they get because they do not discriminate enough, and for that he is Really Wrong.

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

0:00:52 GREETINGS

• Drone flying across three countries before crashing in Croatia
  • Snopes: https://www.snopes.com/ap/2022/03/11/drone-likely-flying-from-ukraine-war-zone-crashes-in-croatia-2/
• Some country leaders visiting Zelensky in Kyiv
  • Snopes: https://www.snopes.com/ap/2022/03/15/3-eu-nation-leaders-to-visit-kyiv-as-ukraine-refugees-top-3m/
• Tensions grow even in space
  • the Conversation: https://theconversation.com/ukraine-war-how-it-could-play-out-in-space-with-potentially-dangerous-consequences-178557
  • Live Science: https://www.livescience.com/russia-space-agency-head-did-not-threaten-to-abandon-american-astronaut
  • BBC: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-60749313

0:09:40 TWISH – THIS WEEK IN SKEPTICAL HISTORY

• 15 March 1848: The eve of the great revolution of Hungary (full of myths)
  • Kafkadesk: https://kafkadesk.org/2021/03/15/on-this-day-in-1848-the-hungarian-revolution-broke-out-against-habsburg-absolutism/amp/
  • Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hungarian_Revolution_of_1848

0:15:33 PONTUS POKES THE POPE

• Close but no cigar – Frankie tries, but cannot get it right
  • Employee Benefits UK: https://employeebenefits.co.uk/vatican-introduces-three-days-of-paternity-leave/
  • Crux: https://cruxnow.com/church-in-the-americas/2022/03/pope-removes-puerto-rican-bishop-from-office-after-he-refused-to-resign

0:21:29 NEWS

• INTERNATIONAL: Doomscrolling is becoming a serious concern
  • Science Alert: https://www.sciencealert.com/here-s-what-doomscrolling-is-doing-to-your-brain-and-how-to-fix-the-problem
• RUSSIA: The power of state-controlled media
  • the Conversation: https://theconversation.com/russia-the-west-underestimates-the-power-of-state-media-178582
  • the Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2022/mar/11/youtube-blocks-russian-state-funded-media
  • Snopes: https://www.snopes.com/news/2022/03/14/putins-manipulation-of-language-a-perfect-example-of-orwellian-doublespeak/
• RUSSIA: TV employee’s attempt to let people know the truth
  • the Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/mar/14/russian-tv-employee-interrupts-news-broadcast-marina-ovsyannikova
• RUSSIA: Family members go head to head over different views on war against Ukraine
  • BBC: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-60600487
• RUSSIA: What do Russians think of the war?
  • Gzero Media: https://www.gzeromedia.com/what-do-russians-really-think-of-the-war#toggle-gdpr
• INTERNATIONAL: Estimating excess mortality from COVID-19
  • the Lancet: https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(21)02796-3/fulltext
• UK: Homeopathy as protection from radioactivity?
  • Edzard Ernst: https://edzardernst.com/2022/03/homeopathy-against-radioactive-radiation-time-to-stop-this-dangerous-nonsense/
  • the Conversation: https://theconversation.com/chernobyl-and-zaporizhzhia-power-cuts-nervous-wait-as-ukraine-nuclear-power-plants-could-start-leaking-radiation-178975
• INTERNATIONAL: The biggest increase in CO2 emissions ever
  • Science Alert: https://www.sciencealert.com/humanity-just-produced-the-biggest-increase-in-global-co2-emissions-ever-recorded
• FRANCE: French skeptics’ questionnaire to presidential candidates answered
  • AFIS: https://www.afis.org/Election-presidentielle-2022-les-reponses-des-candidats-aux-questions-de-l-Afis

0:53:08 REALLY WRONG

• Really Wrong: Russia’s Patriarch Kirill supports the war on Ukraine
  • Oikoumene: https://www.oikoumene.org/resources/documents/response-by-hh-patriarch-kirill-of-moscow-to-rev-prof-dr-ioan-sauca-english-translation
  • AP News: https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-putin-religion-europe-moscow-0670305be2e010e02a4e195ced2b7523

0:56:09 QUOTE AND FAREWELL

“The eye sees only what the mind is prepared to comprehend.”
/ Henri Bergson (18 October 1859 – 4 January 1941), French philosopher who was influential in the tradition of analytic philosophy and continental philosophy. /

0:57:31 OUTRO

0:58:46 OUT-TAKES