TheESP – Ep. #427 – Beware the Trolls!

Meeting up with fellow skeptics is always a blast. We recommend reading the recent article in Skeptic UK about the history of European skepticism and ECSO – the ESC (European Skeptics Congress) is only two weeks away! Pontus reports from last week’s annual meeting with VoF (the Swedish Skeptics) and in TWISH we hear about Pierre Curie who, apart from being a brilliant scientist also was intrigued by spiritualism. Then, it’s time for the news:

• SWEDEN: Fake news during Eurovision Song Contest
• GERMANY: German Medical Association wants to ban homeopathy
• SWEDEN: SD and the troll factory
• UK: Whooping cough surging

Tadusz Wojda is the head of the Catholic Church in Poland, and he proves again that the Church has no morals. For that, he receives this week’s award for being Really Wrong.

Enjoy!

Segments: Intro; Greetings; TWISH; News; Really Wrong; Quote and Farewell; Outro; Out-Takes
 
0:00:27 INTRO

0:00:51 GREETINGS

• The history of European Skeptics
  • Skeptic UK: https://www.skeptic.org.uk/2024/05/the-history-of-the-european-council-of-skeptical-organisations-and-european-skeptics-congress/
  • ECSO: https://www.ecso.org/esc2024/
• From the annual meeting of the Swedish Skeptics
  • VoF: https://www.vof.se/blogg/arsmotet-2024-ar-avklarat/

0:12:55 TWISH – THIS WEEK IN SKEPTICAL HISTORY

• 15 May 1859: Pierre Curie was born (and he was intensely interested in spiritualism)
  • APS: https://www.aps.org/publications/apsnews/201403/physicshistory.cfm
  • Mental Floss: https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/651672/pierre-marie-curie-psychic-medium-investigation

0:20:15 NEWS

• SWEDEN: Fake news during Eurovision Song Contest
  • DN: https://www.dn.se/sverige/15-ar-gamla-kravallbilder-sprids-efter-demonstrationen-i-malmo/
• GERMANY: German Medical Association wants to ban homeopathy
  • Ärtzte Zeitung: https://www.aerztezeitung.de/Kongresse/Homoeopathie-soll-aus-der-GOAe-gestrichen-werden-449525.html
  • Apotheke Adhoc: https://www.apotheke-adhoc.de/nachrichten/detail/politik/aerztetag-keine-apothekenpflicht-fuer-homoeopathie/
• SWEDEN: SD and the troll factory
  • Sverige Radio: https://sverigesradio.se/artikel/jimmie-akesson-inhemsk-paverkansoperation
  • Sydsvenskan: https://www.sydsvenskan.se/2024-05-14/tv4-sd-massproducerar-vilseledande-information/
  • DN: https://www.dn.se/sverige/tv4-granskning-sd-ville-rekrytera-natkrigare/
  • Omni: https://omni.se/kalla-fakta-vita-krankta-kvinnor-styrs-av-sd/a/wgP4GP
• UK: Whooping cough surging
  • the Conversation: https://theconversation.com/why-is-whooping-cough-surging-in-the-uk-falling-vaccination-rates-may-be-answer-229851

0:37:46 REALLY WRONG

• Really Wrong: Tadusz Wojda, Head of Catholic church in Poland, accused of negligence in sex abuse case
  • Notes from Poland: https://notesfrompoland.com/2024/05/13/head-of-catholic-church-in-poland-accused-of-negligence-in-sex-abuse-case/

0:42:17 QUOTE AND FAREWELL

“In science men have discovered an activity of the very highest value in which they are no longer, as in art, dependent for progress upon the appearance of continually greater genius, for in science the successors stand upon the shoulders of their predecessors; where one man of supreme genius has invented a method, a thousand lesser men can apply it.”
/ Bertrand Russell (18 May 1872 – 2 February 1970), British mathematician, logician, philosopher, and public intellectual. /

0:44:04 OUTRO

0:45:19 OUT-TAKES