AASF is pleased to announce the “winners” of the Scammy Awards given to Self Help Gurus for their "excellence" in ripping off Americans with falsehoods, false hopes, myths & half-truths!

The intention of the awards is to ensure Self Help Gurus receive the attention they deserve. The general public picked the winners through an online survey and this year’s response shows that Americans do care about the negative impact that the highly profitable “Self Help-Industrial Complex" is having on America.

The results of this year’s awards are particularly timely in light of the increased number of desperate Americans being victimized by these gurus.

Awards are determined by the highest number of total votes and, in some cases, when the totals are close, a runner-up is also selected. The winners are as follows:

• DUMB SPEAK AWARD given for the most unintelligent thing uttered by a Self-Help Guru goes to Vianna Stibal, founder of ThetaHealing, who has made many outlandish claims such as...

1. having a cure for cancer,
2. healing her crashed automobile by commanding God to do it,
3. physically teleporting from one location to another,
4. changing the weather at will,
5. stretching pencils while you watch,
6. physically manifesting objects out of thin air instantly.

Best of all, to be able to teach how to do all these things for a mere $20,000, sorry no money back guarantee.

Runner-up is James Arthur Ray, who needs no introduction, just read the arrest records

• HYPOCRITE AWARD given to the Self-Help guru with the biggest gap between their professed values and how they actually behave goes to Vianna Stibal & runner-up James Arthur Ray

• DADDY BIG BUCKS AWARD given to the Self-Help Guru whose lifestyle shows that they are only in it for the money goes to Vianna Stibal & runner-up Joe Vitale 

• HOODWINKED AWARD given to the Self-Help Guru who did the best job of tricking celebrities into being their sponsor goes to Vianna Stibal & runner-up James Arthur Ray

• BI-POLAR AWARD given to the Self-Help Guru whose promises got the opposite results goes to James Arthur Ray
  

• BEST PERFORMANCE IN A MIS-LEADING ROLE AWARD given to the Self Help Guru who did the best job of deceiving the public goes to James Arthur Ray & runner-up Vianna Stibal

• BERNIE MADOFF LIFETIME MIS-ACHIEVEMENT AWARD given to the best, all around Self-Help Guru who did the most to diminish the human race goes to James Arthur Ray & Vianna Stibal who share this year's award

Be sure to join AASF now to participate in the 2011 Scammy Awards.