The Economic Argument
by Jeff
Image text: Not to be confused with 'making money selling this stuff to OTHER people who think it works', which corporate accountants and actuaries have zero problems with.
Ok, let's see if I can get this one right.
1) Some people are arguing that the crazy phenomenon on the left exist.
Remote viewing - the ability to see far away things by the use of paranormal activity.
Dowsing - a type of divination that is used to find water, metals or gems underground.
Auras - the reading of some persons aura which gives some indication of his or her ailment or health based on the color, shape and clarity.
Homeopathy - the practice of diluting medicine for increased effect. There was a previous xkcd that made fun of this theory as well.
Remote prayer - the practice of lots of people getting together to pray for a person far away.
Astrology - the act of reading the stars and planets to predict the future.
Taurot - the act of reading cards to predict the future.
Crystal Energy - this is based on the theory that crystals produced energy when compressed.
Curses and hexes and relativity are pretty straightfoward, so I'm going to skip those two.
Quantum Electrodynamics - describes how light and matter interact and is the first theory where full agreement between quantum mechanics and special relativity is achieved.
2) If all the things on the right actually do exist, then capitalism is not totally ruthless because they are not taking advantage of all these potential money-making opportunities.
3) Some people are making money selling the things on the left, but not major corporations in America and abroad except where the box on the right is checked.
This begs a question if all the phenomenon on the left do not exist, then is capitalism is ruthless with all the things on the left that do actually exist?
Pore Strips
by Jeff
Image text: I'm sure they're a harmful tool of the cosmetics-industrial complex and all, but my goodness do those strips ever work to pull gunk out of your pores. I was shocked, disgusted, and vaguely fascinated by the result.
In this comic, Cueball uses the anti-acne deep cleaning strips that you are supposed to rub all over your face to get the dirt and sweat out of your pores. However, as the box in the comic explains, the pore strips are deep cleaning and in the case of the comic too deep. The pore strips used in the comic cleaned too deep and in the process of cleaning his face, Cueball pulled out his skull, which resides deep within his face. Whoops!
Worst-Case Scenario
by Jeff
Image text: To get serious analyses of hurricanes and oil slicks, see Jeff Masters' blog. To get serious discussions of worst-case scenario thinking, see Bruce Schneier's blog. To get enough Vitamin D, don't read any blogs and go outside instead.
This comic is about the massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico that is leaking from one of BP's oil rigs. Just in case you have been under a rock for weeks or are reading this from the past.
Michael Bay is the director of the Transformers series amongst other movies that are famous for explosions, explosions and even bigger explosions and of course impossible and improbable situations. Bay has been featured in xkcd before for his potential remake of Harriet the Spy.
James Carville is a CNN political commentator and Louisiana native. He has already said that the govermental response to the oil spill was "too lax and too slow".
Here's Jeff Masters' blog on Weather Underground and Bruce Schneier's blog.