TheESP – Ep. #476 – The Last Poke

It’s time for the last Poking of Francis but before we get into that and the other news, we go to TWISH to hear about this week’s birthday boy, Guglielmo Marconi, the pioneer of radio transmissions and his wireless telegraph system.

The news list contains the following:

• INTERNATIONAL: Medical cannabis shows potential to fight cancer, largest-ever study finds – or does it…?
• HUNGARY: Antivaxx nutjob gets Flat Earth Award
• VATICAN: So Frankie died… one last chance to poke the pope (at least this one)
• EUROPE: RFK Jr having a devastating effect on Europe’s vaccine acceptance

The Dutch ultra-Christian Civitas Christiania foundation gets this week’s Really Wrong Award for taking their bigoted anti-LGBTQ stance to unacceptable levels.

Enjoy!

Segments: Intro; Greetings; TWISH; News; Really Wrong; Quote; Outro; Outtakes
 
0:00:27 INTRO

0:00:53 GREETINGS

0:03:24 TWISH – THIS WEEK IN SKEPTICAL HISTORY

• 25 April 1874: Guglielmo Marconi was born… And later so were the myths
  • Eclectic: https://commons.trincoll.edu/eclectic/mystifying-marconi/
  • Northumbria University: https://researchportal.northumbria.ac.uk/files/131223674/The_Spirits_of_Radio_Remediated_Spiritualism_the_Ghost_Box_and_Paranormal_Reality_TV.pdf

0:15:18 NEWS

• INTERNATIONAL: Medical cannabis shows potential to fight cancer, largest-ever study finds – or does it…?
  • the Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/apr/18/medical-cannabis-cancer-study
• HUNGARY: Antivaxx nutjob gets Flat Earth Award
  • Hungarian Skeptics: https://szkeptikus.hu/940-oltas-es-tudomanyellenes-uegyvednonek-iteltek-a-2025-evi-laposfoeld-dijat
• VATICAN: So Frankie died… one last chance to poke the pope (at least this one)
  • Washington Post: https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/interactive/2025/pope-francis-photos-videos-defining-moments/
  • Washington Post: https://www.washingtonpost.com/religion/2025/04/21/next-pope-after-francis-conclave-contenders/
  • Washington Post: https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2025/04/21/pope-francis-age/
  • CNN: https://edition.cnn.com/world/live-news/pope-francis-death-vatican-conclave-04-22-25#cm9s0phq8002x3b6q9o9y4te3
• EUROPE: RFK Jr having a devastating effect on Europe’s vaccine acceptance
  • Euro News: https://www.euronews.com/2025/04/16/rfk-jrs-appointment-boosts-europes-anti-vax-movements-researchers-claim

0:48:19 REALLY WRONG

• Really Wrong: Civitas Christiania is a Dutch ultra-Christian anti-LGBTQ+ hate group
  • NL Times: https://nltimes.nl/2025/04/17/court-bars-christian-group-accusing-sex-ed-center-promoting-pedophilia
  • NL Times: https://nltimes.nl/2023/02/20/police-investigating-several-suspects-threatening-author-pim-lammers

0:54:48 QUOTE AND FAREWELL

“Reason has built the modern world. It is a precious but also a fragile thing, which can be corroded by apparently harmless irrationality. We must favor verifiable evidence over private feeling. Otherwise we leave ourselves vulnerable to those who would obscure the truth.”
/ Richard Dawkins (26 March 1941 – ), British evolutionary biologist, zoologist, science communicator, and author. /

0:56:01 OUTRO

0:57:23 OUT-TAKES