TheESP – Ep. #526 – Fat Banished!

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 pressure FRANCE: A landmark legal victory for medical science and skepticism UKRAINE: Ukraine still uses polygraph machines DENMARK: Can you tell a real photograph from an AI-generated image? New research suggests you probably can’t. GERMANY: When conspiracy theories turn dangerous The 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.html Segments: 0:00:27 Intro 0:00:51 Greetings 0:15:28 Interview 0:25:53 News 0:52:13 Really Wrong 0:54:19 Word of the Week 0:57:27 Quote 0:58:41 Outro 1:00:04 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!

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 media RUSSIA / UKRAINE / GERMANY: Russian disinformation campaigns are getting more sophisticated SWEDEN: 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.html Segments: 0:00:27 Intro 0:00:51 Greetings 0:12:04 TWISH 0:23:57 News 0:41:11 Really Wrong 0:45:19 Quote 0:47:28 Outro 0:48:51 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 autism NORTHERN 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.

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: