Swift, named for Jonathan Swift, is the JREF's daily blog, featuring content from James Randi, the JREF staff, and other featured authors.
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Swift
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Written by Jamy Ian Swiss
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What’s it mean to be “an honest liar?”
The magician Karl Germain, a famous American stage performer at the turn of the 20th century, said that: “Conjuring is the only absolutely honest profession – the conjuror promises to deceive, and does.”
Germain nailed it. Once I use the word “magician,” I’m saying: I’m going to fool you. But that’s okay – it’s my job.
Whereas a self-proclaimed psychic who is aware of his own deceptions – and you can’t bend a spoon with sleight-of-hand without knowing that you are doing so – is being a dishonest liar. He’s lying about the fact that he’s lying. He’s saying: No, honest, I’m telling you the truth: It’s not a trick. I have supernatural powers.
Well I say: Screw that lying SOB and the unicorn he rode in on.
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Swift
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Written by Sharon Hill
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Here is a rundown of the top stories in scams, shams and outrageous claims from the past week courtesy of Doubtful News.
Skeptics were causing trouble this week. Well-informed and well-qualified science bloggers poked holes in a questionable acupuncture study. The main author didn't take too kindly to criticism.
A few people associated with the word "skeptic" caused a row over at TED, an organization that stages and promotes talks on new ideas, when they featured some less than rational talks, lately.
The Nigerian scam is still around because it works, even on law firms.
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Swift
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Written by Dr. Harriet Hall
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Here is a recap of the stories that appeared last week at Science-Based Medicine, a multi-author skeptical blog that separates the science from the woo-woo in medicine.
Three myths about Stanislaw Burzynski and The Skeptics (David Gorski) http://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/index.php/three-myths-about-stanislaw-burzynski-and-the-skeptics/ Supporters of Burzynski, the “antineoplaston” cancer doctor, are spreading myths. Three of the most flagrant ones: (1) a cabal of skeptics are conspiring to terrorize cancer patients and feed them misinformation, (2) Burzynski is a pioneer of gene-targeted cancer therapy, and (3) Eric Merola (who made the 2 movies about Burzynski) is an objective reporter with no agenda. Dr. Gorski sets the record straight.
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Swift
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Written by Dr. Steven Novella
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It must be tough to be an HIV denier these days. Back in the 1980s HIV was just being discovered and researched. The connection to the acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) quickly became clear, but the early treatments (remember AZT) were minimally effective.
One of the primary arguments of those who, for various reasons, decided to deny the connection between HIV and AIDS (or even the existence of HIV), was that anti-HIV treatment was ineffective in preventing or treating AIDS.
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Swift
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Written by D.J. Grothe
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The James Randi Educational Foundation (JREF) in association with the Philadelphia Association for Critical Thinking (PhACT) formally issues its $1 Million Challenge to any Therapeutic Touch Practitioner (TTP) who can detect the Human Energy Field (HEF).The test will be held April 20, 2013 in Philadelphia at the Franklin Institute, one of America's leading hands-on science centers.
 Randi at the Therapeutic Touch challenge in 1997.
A success in this simple, direct, test could provide evidence for and would justify the continued existence and promotion of both Therapeutic Touch (TT) and the Energy Field Disturbance Nursing Diagnosis (EFD).
The existence of the Human Energy Field (HEF) is the entire basis of the “energy based therapy” known as Therapeutic Touch (TT). TT was created, and has been promoted as science, by the Nursing profession since the 1970's, which has claimed it is supported by Quantum Mechanics and research published by the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM).
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