TheESP – Ep. #217 – Online skepticism vs politics and miracles

ECSO President Claire Kraulik-Klingenberg joins us for this week’s episode to bring you news and topics from all over the continent.
Skeptics in the Pub Online is now a thing, popping up everywhere, while power grabbing by authoritarian governments seems to be the new, concerning trend.
We talk about whether Alfred Nobel read his own premature obituary, prompting him to start the awards named after him.
Then poor Pope Francis’ struggles are discussed while more Covid-19 magic is coming from Turin.
In the news, religious bullshit spread by the government in Israel, President Lukashenko of Belarus claiming a vodka a day keeps the virus away, Prince Charles not using homeopathy as a cure against COVID-19, Sense About Science calling upon the government for more transparency in their actions against the pandemic, extra caution needed in times of increased online activities, plus the Portugese skeptics’ Flying Unicorn Award categories explained. Also, conspiracy theories linking 5G to COVID-19 on the rise, while the German skeptics launch a page explaining COVID-related myths.
The alt-right website Samhällsnytt gets this week’s Really Wrong prize for claiming the Swedish health authorities are implementing “death forms”.

Enjoy!

Segments:
Intro; Greetings; This Week in Skepticism; Pontus Pokes the Pope; News; Really Wrong; Quote and Farewell; Outro; Out-takes

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

0:00:27 INTRO

0:00:51 GREETINGS

• Skeptics in the Pub online with Jim Al-Khalili on 9th April: “The World According to Physics”
  • https://www.twitch.tv/sitp
• Power grabbing by authoritarian governments
  • https://theconversation.com/hungarys-viktor-orban-now-rules-by-decree-in-troubling-example-of-how-coronavirus-fear-enables-authoritarians-to-tighten-their-grip-135328

0:14:02 THIS WEEK IN SKEPTICISM
On 12 April 1888, a French newspaper allegedly published an obituary for Albert Nobel, inventor of dynamite, calling him “”a merchant of death.”, prompting Mr Nobel to launch his esteemed award.

• • https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/blame-sloppy-journalism-for-the-nobel-prizes-1172688/

0:21:20 PONTUS POKES THE POPE
The War on Pope Francis, plus more Covid-19 Magic 

• • https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/apr/05/book-lifts-lid-on-guerrilla-warfare-against-pope-francis
  • https://cruxnow.com/covid-19/2020/04/shroud-of-turin-to-be-shown-via-tv-and-social-media-for-coronavirus-outbreak/

0:27:40 NEWS

1. INTERNATIONAL: COVID-19 update
   • Statistics from Italy
     • http://www.salute.gov.it/portale/nuovocoronavirus/dettaglioContenutiNuovoCoronavirus.jsp?lingua=italiano&id=5351&area=nuovoCoronavirus&menu=vuoto
     • https://www.ilpost.it/2020/03/24/morti-per-coronavirus/
     • https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/images/b/bd/Population_age_structure_by_major_age_groups%2C_2008_and_2018_%28%25_of_the_total_population%29.png
   • Moving patients to other countries, Germany in the lead
     • https://www.dw.com/en/coronavirus-treating-european-patients-in-germany/a-52943695
   • Should we wear face masks?
     • https://www.snopes.com/ap/2020/03/31/should-you-wear-a-mask-in-public-if-not-sick-with-coronavirus/
     • https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-52126735
     • https://theconversation.com/should-we-wear-masks-or-not-an-expert-sorts-through-the-confusion-135135
     • http://outbreaknewstoday.com/wearing-surgical-masks-in-public-could-help-slow-covid-19-pandemics-advance-study-35682/
     • https://theconversation.com/why-wear-face-masks-in-public-heres-what-the-research-shows-135623
2. ISRAEL: Religious bullshit spread by the government 
   • https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/.premium-israel-coronavirus-health-cure-1.8703719
3. BELARUS: President Lukashenko Claims Ice Hockey and Vodka Keeps covid-19 Away
   • https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/coronavirus-belarus-alexander-lukashenko-vodka-sauna-countryside-tractors-a9434426.html
4. UK: Prince Charles’ office refutes AYUSH minister Naik’s Ayurveda curing Covid-19 claims
   • https://theprint.in/world/prince-charles-office-refutes-ayush-minister-naiks-ayurveda-curing-covid-19-claims/395329/
5. UK: Sense About Science calls upon the government for transparency and an evidence-based approach
   • https://senseaboutscience.org/activities/call-for-transparency-on-evolving-testing-plans/
   • https://theconversation.com/coronavirus-do-governments-ever-truly-listen-to-the-science-134308
6. INTERNATIONAL: The rise of opportunistic actions online
   • https://theconversation.com/coronavirus-pandemic-has-unleashed-a-wave-of-cyber-attacks-heres-how-to-protect-yourself-135057
   • https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2020/apr/02/zoom-technology-security-coronavirus-video-conferencing
7. PORTUGAL: The Flying Unicorn Award
   • http://comcept.org/2020/04/01/premio-unicornio-voador-2019/
   • http://comcept.org/2020/04/03/nomeacoes-premio-unicornio-voador-2020/
8. UK: Conspiracy Theories Linking 5G with Covid-19
   • https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2020/apr/03/broadband-engineers-threatened-due-to-5g-coronavirus-conspiracies
   • https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/ee-phone-mast-goes-up-21810890
9. GERMANY: The GWUP website now features a list of COVID-19 myths
   • https://www.gwup.org/coronavirus/mythen-a-z

1:05:52 REALLY WRONG
Alt-right web site claims Swedish health authorities are implementing “death forms”

• • https://kallkritikbyran.se/nej-sjukvarden-har-inte-infort-dodsblanketter/

1:15:05 QUOTE AND FAREWELL

“I have always strenuously supported the right of every man to his own opinion, however different that opinion might be to mine. He who denies to another this right, makes a slave of himself to his present opinion, because he precludes himself the right of changing it.”
/Thomas Paine, English-born American political activist, philosopher, political theorist, and revolutionary./

1:17:58 OUTRO

1:19:13 OUT-TAKES