TheESP – Ep. #325 – Salmon in Space!

Covid death toll is more likely 15 million according to WHO

Annika is back! and after discussing stupid Putin and his failed war a little, we turn our focus to space. We look towards the black hole in the Milky Way to get as far away as possible and yes, Norway really has this very special space programme about fish in space. In TWISH (This Week in Skeptical History) we revisit the legend of the Apparitions of Our Lady of Fàtima since it all started this week in 1917. No pope today, so instead we travel on right into the news:

• INTERNATIONAL: European populism linked to vaccine hesitancy, but more research is needed
• INTERNATIONAL: Almost 15 million excess deaths due to covid
• HUNGARY / V4: Coordinated online troll activity detected in relation to the war in Ukraine
• HUNGARY: Fidesz supporters prefer Putin to western political leaders – Survey
• EUROPE: WHO to bring the Europe region closer to a cervical cancer-free future – with HPV vaccines
• UK: Why girls don’t necessarily choose to pursue studies into physics

This weeks Really Wrong Award goes to ‘Antroposophian’ Harald Matthes who went on television claiming to ‘prove’ severe risks with covid vaccines when in fact he is just a crank. The TV network MDR also gets a prize for giving him a platform.

Enjoy!

Segments: Intro; Greetings; TWISH; News; Really Wrong; Quote And Farewell; Outro; Out-Takes

0:00:27 INTRO

0:00:53 GREETINGS

• War didn’t end on 9th May
  • Snopes: https://www.snopes.com/ap/2022/05/09/no-end-in-sight-for-ukraine-war-as-putin-hails-victory-day/
• Exciting space news
  • Universe Today: https://www.universetoday.com/155696/this-is-it-on-may-12th-well-see-the-event-horizon-telescopes-image-of-the-milky-ways-supermassive-black-hole/
• Norwegian Fish In Space!
  • Romsenter: https://www.romsenter.no/Aktuelt/Siste-nytt/Kan-norsk-fisk-bli-mat-i-rommet

0:08:34 TWISH – THIS WEEK IN SKEPTICAL HISTORY

• 13 May 1917: Apparitions of Our Lady of Fàtima
  • Portugal Online: https://portugalonline.com/portugal/portugal-cities-towns/fatima/prophecies/apparitions

0:17:31 NEWS

• INTERNATIONAL: European populism linked to vaccine hesitancy, but more research is needed
  • European Journal of Public Health: https://academic.oup.com/eurpub/advance-article/doi/10.1093/eurpub/ckac041/6581964?rss=1
• INTERNATIONAL: Almost 15 million excess deaths due to covid
  • WHO: https://www.who.int/news/item/05-05-2022-14.9-million-excess-deaths-were-associated-with-the-covid-19-pandemic-in-2020-and-2021
  • the Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/may/08/sweden-japan-uk-debates-over-who-had-good-covid-wont-end
  • Omni: https://omni.se/svensk-overdodlighet-lag-i-europa-men-hog-i-norden/a/OrOXVq
• HUNGARY / V4: Coordinated online troll activity detected in relation to the war in Ukraine
  • Political Capital: https://www.politicalcapital.hu/pc-admin/source/documents/pc_v4_social_media_war_ukraine_20220505.pdf
  • the Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2022/may/10/russian-hackers-targeting-opponents-of-ukraine-invasion-warns-gchq-chief
• HUNGARY: Fidesz supporters prefer Putin to western political leaders – Survey
  • 444.hu: https://444.hu/2022/05/10/jobban-kedvelik-a-fideszesek-putyint-mint-a-nyugati-vezetoket
• EUROPE: WHO to bring the Europe region closer to a cervical cancer-free future – with HPV vaccines
  • WHO Europe: https://www.euro.who.int/en/health-topics/disease-prevention/vaccines-and-immunization/news/news/2022/4/hpv-vaccination-brings-the-who-european-region-closer-to-a-cervical-cancer-free-future
• UK: Why girls don’t necessarily choose to pursue studies into physics
  • the Conversation: https://theconversation.com/there-are-reasons-girls-dont-study-physics-and-they-dont-include-not-liking-maths-182382

0:40:04 REALLY WRONG

• Really Wrong: Professor of Anthroposophical Medicine, Harald Matthes, spreads covid vaccine misinformation on German TV
  • Edzard Ernst: https://edzardernst.com/2022/05/a-professor-for-integrative-and-anthroposophical-medicine-claims-that-severe-adverse-effects-of-covid-vaccinations-are-40-times-more-frequent-than-officially-recognized/

0:43:37 QUOTE AND FAREWELL

“How many discoveries are reserved for the ages to come when our memory shall be no more, for this world of ours contains matter for investigation for all generations.”
/ Lucius Annaeus Seneca, (c. 4 BC – 65 AD) Roman Stoic philosopher, statesman, dramatist, and, in one work, satirist, from the post-Augustan age of Latin literature. /

0:46:21 OUTRO

0:47:36 OUT-TAKES

CHARITIES FOR UKRAINE

• Ukraine Humanitarian Fund
  • Ukraine Humanitarian Fund: https://crisisrelief.un.org/t/ukraine
• Razom For Ukraine
  • Razom For Ukraine: https://razomforukraine.humanitru.com/donate
• The Kyiv Independent
  • The Kyiv Independent : https://kyivindependent.com/
• UNICEF
  • UNICEF: https://www.unicef.org/emergencies/conflict-ukraine-pose-immediate-threat-children
• Migration Aid
  • Migration Aid: https://migrationaid.org/