Word: snake-oil
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...between them topping out at about 56° (Fahrenheit, sadly), but we never get vested in the romance. Eckhart's best moments are the ones in which we see Burke psyching himself up to glad-hand his fans. But problematically, even after we've seen the "real" Burke, the snake-oil salesman with the sharky grin is more convincing. So it's far more satisfying to focus on the supporting actors, the people who try their hardest to make this cutely maudlin movie bearable...
...even if the moisture comes from something as toxin-free as distilled water. "There is no science behind these detoxification services," says Dr. Christine Laine, deputy editor of the Annals of Internal Medicine. Says Dr. Bennett Roth, chief of gastroenterology at UCLA: "This is the 2009 version of the snake-oil salesman...
...beat poet," says Goran Kojic, the editor of the Belgrade magazine Healthy Life, for which "Dr. Dabic" wrote a column. The endless, often vile dilations on the dangers of Islam and the suffering of the Serbs that Karadzic peddled during the war seem to have segued into a snake-oil sales pitch for "personal auras" and "vital energies...
...Hong Kong, glycemic-index researcher and shark diver, among other things--to convince readers that luxury and excitement are within anyone's reach. The upshot of his advice? Outsource all your menial work to someone else and think up a clever Web-based business to bankroll the fun stuff. Snake-oil salesman or guru? Try working just four hours a week, and you'll soon find...
Proceed with caution here, of course. Every religion is full of doctrines and beliefs that may seem nutty to outsiders. Jesus could be seen as a snake-oil salesman if you don't buy the snake oil. Weisberg says Mormonism is different because it is so "recent," involving miraculous events in the 19th century in upstate New York. Well, I dunno. The patina of age may explain why Jesus' walking on water is easier to believe than Smith's golden plates and magic glasses. But it doesn't go far in justifying the distinction. For me, any candidate who believes...