TheESP – Ep. #557 – Good COP, Bad COP?

We have some initial thoughts on COP31 (and more of that in the News-segment) and two reading tips from the Skeptic (UK), articles by friends of the show Sean Slater and Brian Eggo. In TWISH we hear about the Manises UFO-incident and the we head for the news:INTERNATIONAL: What is driving the slight fall in carbon emissions from fossil fuels?HUNGARY: Hungary opens Communist-era secret police archives – and immediately runs into troublePOLAND: Disinformation sparked by Krakow shootingRemedee Labs is a French startup who claims their glorified power balance bands can treat pain. They deservedly get our Really Wrong Award.Enjoy!https://theesp.eu/podcast_archive/theesp-ep-557.htmlSegments:0:00:27 Intro0:00:52 Greetings0:12:40 TWISH0:22:20 News0:39:05 Really Wrong0:47:22 Quote0:50:30 Outro0:51:53 Outtakes Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We start by Pontus correcting himself on numbers he uttered, then we contemplate whether the recent Russian election results hold water. In TWISH we celebrate the real giant of science Michael Faraday commemorating his brilliant method to prove the ideomotor phenomenon. Then we turn to the news:INTERNATIONAL: a 'Godzilla level' el Niño coming up?UK: Meta deepfake safeguards deemed “fundamentally inadequate” by own Oversight BoardUK: 'Blade runners': Conspiracy theorists are destroying traffic scannersThis week's Really Wrong Award goes to Kent Ekeroth of Sweden Democrats for blaming election defeat on 'voting cattle'Enjoy!https://theesp.eu/podcast_archive/theesp-ep-550.htmlSegments:0:00:27 Intro0:00:51 Greetings0:15:52 TWISH0:27:30 News0:44:02 Really Wrong0:51:32 Quote0:53:30 Outro0:54:45 Outtakes Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

For over a decade we have mispronounced a certain publisher’s name (duh!) but it’s never too late to learn… The Swedish election results are more or less in, and hopefully it’s a sign of reason that the party spreading the most disinformation lost almost 15% of their seats in parliament. In TWISH we hear the mesmerizing story about Jean Sylvain Bailly who was a French astronomer, mathematician, freemason, and political leader of the early part of the French Revolution.Then we turn to the news:SWEDEN: Measles outbreakAUSTRIA: Michael Frass gets his retracted article re-publishedINTERNATIONAL: New site has started to measure imbalance in mediaWe then have a Who’s Quacking? from AfD in Germany and hand out a Really Wrong Award to the UK parliament.Enjoy!https://theesp.eu/podcast_archive/theesp-ep-549.htmlSegments:0:00:27 Intro0:00:51 Greetings0:08:18 TWISH0:17:35 News0:36:33 Who's Quacking?0:41:14 Really Wrong0:46:00 Quote0:47:46 Outro0:49:09 Outtakes Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hurry up to get the early bird price for ESC Liverpool! You have until 14 September!Isar Aerospace achieves first launch to orbit from continental Europe and in TWISH we celebrate the 60th anniversary of Star Trek, a show that brought humanism into science fiction. Then, it’s time for the news:SWEDEN: General elections update plus early voting screwupGERMANY: AfD wins in Saxony-AnhaltINTERNATIONAL: IgNobel prizes of 2026UK: Discrepancy between public perception of crime rates and actual statisticsThis week’s Who’s Quacking? award goes to Fredrik Paulún, self-proclaimed Swedish health guru.Enjoy!https://theesp.eu/podcast_archive/theesp-ep-548.htmlSegments:0:00:27 Intro0:00:50 Greetings0:06:14 TWISH0:16:44 News0:47:25 Who's Quacking?0:54:01 Quote0:55:20 Outro0:56:43 Outtakes Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.