TheESP – Ep. #501 – Of Swans and Carp

To begin with with remember Jane Goodall and we mark that the Dutch Master Kackadoris Award has been awarded to the VU University of Amsterdam – serves them right! In TWISH we hear about the adoption of the Gregorian calendar in 1582 (in some places much later!) and then, we dig into the news:

• INTERNATIONAL: Shingles vaccination associated with lower risk of dementia
• VATICAN: Pope Leo stands up for science and humanity
• GERMANY / DENMARK / SWEDEN / EU: Drones, drones, drones
• UK: Nigel F Farage spreads nonsense as hardcore as his American counterpart
• UK: Cut your energy bills by a third with a gadget?
• INTERNATIONAL: Here’s the Snopes app!

The Really Wrong Award goes to Meta and the EU for their inability to handle political ads.

Enjoy!

Segments: Intro; Greetings; TWISH; News; Really Wrong; Quote; Outro; Outtakes
 
0:00:26 INTRO

0:00:53 GREETINGS

• The death of Jane Goodall
  • the Conversation: https://theconversation.com/why-we-need-more-jane-goodalls-266709
• Master Kackadoris Prize 2025 goes to Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
  • VtdK: https://www.kwakzalverij.nl/nieuws/vrije-universiteit-krijgt-meester-kackadorisprijs-2025/

0:11:23 TWISH – THIS WEEK IN SKEPTICAL HISTORY

• 15 October 1582: Introduction of the Gregorian calendar
  • Educational Evidence: https://educationalevidence.com/en/the-ten-days-that-never-existed-the-gregorian-calendar/

0:20:12 NEWS

• INTERNATIONAL: Shingles vaccination associated with lower risk of dementia
  • Edzard Ernst: https://edzardernst.com/2025/10/shingles-vaccination-is-associated-with-a-powerful-reduction-of-the-risk-of-dementia/
• VATICAN: Pope Leo stands up for science and humanity
  • BBC: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cgl1pgr2zn8o
• GERMANY / DENMARK / SWEDEN / EU: Drones, drones, drones
  • Reuters: https://reuters.omni.se/munich-runways-closed-again-pilot-blames-drone-sightings/a/gwgaRB
  • DR: https://www.dr.dk/nyheder/indland/mystiske-droner-over-danmark-efterforskningen-har-afkraeftet-flere-droneobservationer
  • UFO.se: https://www.ufo.se/index.php/lulea
  • Reuters: https://www.reuters.com/world/eu-commission-modifies-eastern-drone-wall-plan-propose-broader-initiative-2025-10-14/
• UK: Nigel F Farage spreads nonsense as hardcore as his American counterpart
  • Snopes: https://www.snopes.com/news/2025/10/03/uk-migrants-swans-carp/
• UK: Cut your energy bills by a third with a gadget?
  • the Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/money/2025/oct/05/cut-your-energy-bills-by-a-third-no-these-energy-saving-plugs-will-cause-nothing-but-hassle
• INTERNATIONAL: Here’s the Snopes app!
  • Snopes: https://www.snopes.com/2025/10/14/snopes-app/

0:48:39 REALLY WRONG

• Really Wrong: Meta removes mammography posts as ‘political’; EU is also to blame
  • Sydsvenskan: https://etidning.sydsvenskan.se/shared/article/facebook-stoppar-mammografiannons/maJN__ip
  • Dagens Medicin: https://www.dagensmedicin.se/specialistomraden/cancer/cancerfondens-mammografiuppmaning-stoppas-av-facebook/

0:53:26 QUOTE AND FAREWELL

“Change happens by listening and then starting a dialogue with the people who are doing something you don’t believe is right.”
/ Jane Goodall (3 April 1934 – 1 October 2025), English primatologist and anthropologist. The quote is from Do Animals Have Rights? (2008), p. 23 by Yolanda Brooks. /

0:54:31 OUTRO

0:55:53 OUT-TAKES