The European Skeptics Podcast - The ESP

We start by saying farewell to the good Captain Picard, Sir Patrick Stewart. In TWISH it’s about the founding (and funding) of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences. Then we get to the news:CLIMATE CRISIS: 1.5-degree target blown, European heatwave death toll, and COP31 coming up next weekSERBIA: Election results – people had enough of Russian influence?INTERNATIONAL: Computerized clairvoyance – who saw that coming?AUSTRIA: Das Goldene Brett finalists revealedRFK jr. gets his second Really Wrong Award for spreading misinformation about cellphones and clearly not knowing how science works.Enjoy!https://theesp.eu/podcast_archive/theesp-ep-556.htmlSegments:0:00:27 Intro0:00:51 Greetings0:13:51 TWISH0:23:13 News0:46:38 Really Wrong0:53:33 Quote0:54:55 Outro0:56:17 Outtakes

And it’s a rare revisit by Annika! We catch up on Luna and on Skeptival, and announce a special Patreon bonus. In the interview segment Annika interviews… Pontus(!) who has taken on another new role, as if he had the time to do so. In TWISH we hear about German TV-personality Peter Lustig and then, we turn to the news:GERMANY: Satanic ritual murder in Germany?FRANCE: Despite media reports, cancer rates are not skyrocketingThe Really Wrong Award goes to Polish douche bag and political far-right leader Grzegorz Braun and then we have Kiwi phrase to explain in Word of the Week.Enjoy!https://theesp.eu/podcast_archive/theesp-ep-555.htmlSegments:0:00:27 Intro0:00:54 Greetings0:08:26 Interview0:22:30 TWISH0:30:13 News0:38:51 Really Wrong0:45:11 Word of the Week0:49:28 Quote0:51:21 Outro0:52:43 Outtakes

We’re back from ESC Liverpool and have a lot to catch up on! We report about the winners of the Ockham Award and the Rusty Razor and debunk some disinformation about the unrest in France. Instead of a TWISH we have a short interview with Lizzi Collinge, a skeptic and a UK MP(!). Then, we tackle the news:UKRAINE / RUSSIA: Did Ukraine’s strikes lead to a decline in Russian disinformation?EUROPE: European governments withdraw support for disinformation conference following US pressureFRANCE: A landmark legal victory for medical science and skepticismUKRAINE: Ukraine still uses polygraph machinesDENMARK: Can you tell a real photograph from an AI-generated image? New research suggests you probably can’t.GERMANY: When conspiracy theories turn dangerousThe Really Wrong Award for this week goes to all religious schools that cannot stop indoctrinating their students. We also have a fun Word of the Week: ‘Escroc’.Enjoy!https://theesp.eu/podcast_archive/theesp-ep-554.htmlSegments:0:00:27 Intro0:00:51 Greetings0:15:28 Interview0:25:53 News0:52:13 Really Wrong0:54:19 Word of the Week0:57:27 Quote0:58:41 Outro1:00:04 Outtakes

Andrew Copson is the Chief Executive of Humanists UK, a former President and current Ambassador of Humanists International, and author of a number of books on humanism and secularism.In this episode we have him back on the show to talk about his upcoming book: How to be a Happy Human: Seven Humanist Foundations for a Better Life. Not a self-help book, it still guides you on how to find meaning in life and come to terms with the fact that this is the one chance we get – and that that is good thing.Enjoy!https://theesp.eu/podcast_archive/theesp-ep-553.htmlSegments:0:00:27 Intro0:00:54 Greetings0:06:33 Interview0:42:10 Farewell0:45:01 Outro0:46:23 Outtakes

The number curse is getting worse! The Dutch Meester Kakadoris Award has been awarded, Patreon is changing its rules (but please still subscribe!) and next week sees two big Skeptical events: Global Skeptics in the Pub and ESC Liverpool. Join one of them or both! In TWISH we hear about Henry Cavendish (no relation to bananas) and then we get to the news:ISRAEL / INTERNATIONAL: Conspiracy theories about Flydubai attack spread across social mediaRUSSIA / UKRAINE / GERMANY: Russian disinformation campaigns are getting more sophisticatedSWEDEN: Reports of election fraud – are they real?The Really Wrong Award goes to Barbara O’Neill, the Australian quack who is currently touring Europe (and the world).Enjoy!https://theesp.eu/podcast_archive/theesp-ep-552.htmlSegments:0:00:27 Intro0:00:51 Greetings0:12:04 TWISH0:23:57 News0:41:11 Really Wrong0:45:19 Quote0:47:28 Outro0:48:51 Outtakes

Pontus report back from the bookfair and András has apparently also been struck by the numbers curse. In TWISH we look back at the first TAM London conference in 2009 and find that it can been seen as a milestone for European Skepticism.Then we take a look at the news:INTERNATIONAL: Rare pregnancy infections may triple the risk of autismNORTHERN IRELAND: What do 16-year-olds believe?UK: UK will set up a new agency to fight ‘information warfare’Supplements for menopause are unreasonably expensive as well as ineffective and for that they deserve the Really Wrong Award.Enjoy!https://theesp.eu/podcast_archive/theesp-ep-551.htmlSegments:0:00:27 Intro0:00:51 Greetings0:08:07 TWISH0:17:15 News0:35:03 Really Wrong0:40:30 Quote0:41:53 Outro0:43:16 Outtakes