TheESP – Ep. #214 – Don’t Panic!

The three of us finally reunite for yet another show featuring an update on the COVID-19 situation and the GWuP cancelling SkepKon 2020. Then, after an interview with Annabel Bligh of the Anthill Podcast, we return with Pontus poking the Pope again for worsening the pandemic with his irrational approach to church-going.

Our news segment covers all sorts of topics including a distant world where it’s raining iron, the Strasbourg Court rejecting case of anti-abortion midwives, homeopathy suggested as a valuable asset in times of crisis and Boiron closing down 13 sites, firing a quarter of their employees in the process.

If you want to help ongoing research into fighting SARS-CoV-2, you can try Folding@Home, then you can turn your eye towards Sweden where the acupuncturer who killed a client is back to court after having been acquitted. And finally, we mention a few social media awards that went to skepticism related contents in Germany.
Our Really Wrong award goes to Andrzej Dziega, Archbishop of Szczecin-Kamien for claiming that holy water and the holy communion can not spread the virus.

Enjoy!

Segments:
Intro; Greetings; Interview with Annabel Blight; Pontus Pokes the Pope; News; Really Wrong; Quote and Farewell; Outro; Out-takes

Events Calendar: https://theesp.eu/events_in_europe

0:00:33 INTRO

0:00:56 GREETINGS

Coronavirus update, plus sad news: SkepKon 2020 is now cancelled.

• • Covid 2019 tracker: https://vac-lshtm.shinyapps.io/ncov_tracker/
  • Worldometers website: https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/
  • The WHO news site: https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/events-as-they-happen
  • Useful information on Snopes.com: https://www.snopes.com/news/2020/03/05/what-really-works-to-keep-coronavirus-away/
  • SkepKon

0:15:45 INTERVIEW with Annabel Blight from The Conversation

• • The Conversation UK: http://theconversation.com/uk
  • The Anthill Podcast: https://theconversation.com/uk/topics/the-anthill-podcast-27460
  • The Anthill Podcast Twitter account: @AnthillPod

0:25:51 PONTUS POKES THE POPE – Since Religion is Irrational, Frankie Helps the Pandemic

• • https://cruxnow.com/vatican/2020/03/after-roman-churches-shuttered-pope-says-people-of-god-shouldnt-be-left-alone/
  • https://www.ncronline.org/news/world/rome-cardinal-closes-all-churches-then-modifies-decision

0:30:31 NEWS

1. INTERNATIONAL: European astronomers discover an even more hostile world than our own
   • Nature: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-020-2107-1_reference.pdf
2. SWEDEN: Anti-abortion Midwives Rejected by the Strasbourg Court
   • The Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/law/2020/mar/13/swedish-midwives-who-oppose-abortion-fail-in-rights-case/
3. INTERNATIONAL: Homeopathy suggested as a valuable asset in times of crisis?
   • Edzard Ernst: https://edzardernst.com/2020/03/manifesto-of-the-european-committee-for-homeopathy-ech-and-the-european-federation-of-homeopathic-patients-associations-efhpa/
4. FRANCE: Homeopathy Company Boiron Closes 13 Sites and Fires a Quarter of Employees
   • Le Monde: https://www.lemonde.fr/economie/article/2020/03/11/le-laboratoire-boiron-supprime-600-postes-un-quart-de-ses-effectifs-en-france_6032638_3234.html
5. INTERNATIONAL: How you can help in fighting COVID-19 and its virus – Folding@Home
   • Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/COVID-19_vaccine
   • Folding@Home: https://foldingathome.org/2020/02/27/foldinghome-takes-up-the-fight-against-covid-19-2019-ncov/
6. SWEDEN: Acupuncture Acquittal Verdict Appealed
   • SVT: https://www.svt.se/nyheter/lokalt/jonkoping/akupunktor-friades-nu-overklagas-domen
7. HUNGARY: Bogus electrosmog leaflet issued by local authorities
   • http://www.kormanyhivatal.hu/download/c/c3/a3000/Tájékoztató%20az%20elektromágneses%20terek%20egészségügyi%20hatásairól.pdf
8. SPAIN: Spanish Actor Acquitted of Blasphemy
   • EL PAIS: https://english.elpais.com/spanish_news/2020-03-02/spanish-actor-willy-toledo-acquitted-of-offending-religious-sentiment.html
9. GERMANY: Social media awards given to people dealing with topics relevant to skeptics
   • GWUP: https://blog.gwup.net/2020/03/10/der-goldene-blogger-2019-geht-an-den-volksverpetzer/

1:00:14 REALLY WRONG
POLAND: Andrzej Dziega, Archbishop of Szczecin-Kamien claiming Holy water and communion “cannot spread virus”

• • https://www.tygodnikpowszechny.pl/slowa-biskupa-bledne-i-grozne-162565

1:04:07 QUOTE AND FAREWELL

“Never let the future disturb you. You will meet it, if you have to, with the same weapons of reason which today arm you against the present.”

/Marcus Aurelius, Roman emperor/

1:06:18 OUTRO

1:07:33 OUT-TAKES