What’s it mean to be “an honest liar?”

The magician Karl Germain, a famous American stage performer at the turn of the 20^th 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.

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. 

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.

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.