TheESP – Ep. #339 – Papal bull through the ages

– nepotism, bribes and orgies in the Vatican!

We start the episode with some listener feedback that led us to look a bit deeper into Mindfulness and find that it’s worse than we thought. We share the sad news that the great Italian science communicator and skeptic super hero, Piero Angela, has passed away at the respectable age of 93. In TWISH we take a look at pope Alexander VI who was an intriguing figure and who also has a legacy that pope Francis has to deal with to this day. Speaking of Frankie, he really demonstrates appalling lack of leadership when it comes to the ongoing scandal in the Archdiocese of Cologne. Then we have the news:

• UK / US: Polio in London (and New York)
• POLAND / CZECHIA / GERMANY: What is killing the fish in river Oder?
• SWEDEN: Sweden Democrats wants to rename The Prison and Probation Service to “the Agency for Punishment”
• FRANCE: Homeopathy in France is in steep decline

Anthroposophs in Germany gets today Prize for being Really Wrong after trying to sue critics and taking them to court.

Enjoy!

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

• Listener feedback: the harm of mindfulness and meditation
  • Psygology Today: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-science-behind-behavior/201604/the-little-known-downsides-mindfulness-practice
  • McMindfulness: https://www.amazon.com/McMindfulness-Ronald-Purser/dp/191224831X
• Piero Angela in memoriam
  • Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piero_Angela

0:09:48 TWISH – THIS WEEK IN SKEPTICAL HISTORY

• 18 August 1503: Death of Pope Alexander VI – no stranger to bribery and the occassional orgy
  • Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Alexander_VI
  • RV Bey: http://rvbeypublications.com/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderfiles/bullintercaetera.pub.pdf

0:17:17 PONTUS POKES THE POPE

• Cardinal Rainer Maria Woelki of Cologne keeps messing up Cologne – whikle Frankie… abides
  • RP Online: https://rp-online.de/thema/rainer-maria-woelki/
  • Katholisch: https://www.katholisch.de/artikel/40559-kritik-an-pr-strategie-im-erzbistum-koeln-haelt-an

0:22:56 NEWS

• UK / US: Polio in London (and New York)
  • UK Health security agency: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/polio-booster-campaign-resources/have-your-polio-vaccine-now-information-for-parents
  • Washington Post: https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2022/08/12/polio-wastewater-nyc-rockland-orange-county/
• POLAND / CZECHIA / GERMANY: What is killing the fish in river Oder?
  • AP News: https://apnews.com/article/fish-die-off-europe-oder-river-poland-germany-czechia-0890248f3c2b2e0ef47c93ce93817a6c
• SWEDEN: Sweden Democrats wants to rename The Prison and Probation Service to “the Agency for Punishment”
  • Nyheter 24: https://www.google.com/amp/s/nyheter24.se/amp/nyheter/inrikes/1051894-sd-dop-om-kriminalvarden-till-straffverket
  • US Dept. of Justice: https://www.ojp.gov/pdffiles1/nij/247350.pdf
• FRANCE: Homeopathy in France is in steep decline
  • Edzard Ernst: https://edzardernst.com/2022/08/homeopathy-in-france-going-going-gone

0:40:58 REALLY WRONG

• Really Wrong: To anthroposophs in Germany for trying to sue critics and taking them to court:
  • GWUP: https://blog.gwup.net/2022/08/15/die-anthroposophen-starten-eine-akzeptanz-offensive-mit-prozessen-gegen-kritiker/

0:44:12 QUOTE AND FAREWELL

“The learned ignore the evidence of their senses to preserve the coherence of the ideas of their imagination.”
/ Adam Smith, (5 June 1723 – 17 July 1790), Scottish economist and philosopher. /

0:46:03 OUTRO

0:47:18 OUT-TAKES