"Extraneousness" - Commentary by Tony Seton

Extraneousness

Who knows where ideas come from? Sometimes the strangest thoughts fill our heads. Unless you’re brain dead. Just think about some of the contents of the dreams that you remember. People and places and things mingle in ways that just don’t make sense. Unless maybe you’re a Jungian on heavy meds.

But I’m talking about daylight synapsing, and what catches our attention. Consider that we only actually see about three-thousands of what we look at. And that’s just one sense. You put a spoonful of bouillabaisse in your mouth and your taste buds would have a challenge beyond reason separating out the different flavors. Or you listen the San Francisco Symphony playing Ma Vlost and how could you possibly parse all of the different instruments?

Which is a round-about way of saying that there really is no connection amongst the following items, except that they were attracted to the same informational magnet.

Item: One must wonder what kind of war movies the Iraqi insurgents-terrorist-rebels would make if they had a Hollywood. Would "Abu Ghraib" be their version of "Stalag 17" or would "Light Armor Humvee" play as well as there as "Top Gun" did here?

Item: Some Alabama Boy Scout troops are under investigation for padding their enrollment numbers, which got them increased funding. They should also have their IQs checked as well. They listed dozens of members with the same last name -- Doe -- no doubt jeopardizing their merit badge for imagination.

Item: HUD just announced grants to 4400 homeless programs. Does it make sense that there are 4400 homeless programs. Fifty would be a lot. Actually, wouldn’t just one make sense, locally operated?

Item: When the weathercasters say that the chance of rain is 50% and rainfall will be near a quarter of an inch, do they mean that there are even chances that there will be any rain at all but if there is it will be a quarter of an inch? Or that it will, in fact, rain but there’s only half a chance that it will rain that much?

Item: A veteran of the Second World War, my father wants to know why his tax dollars are paying to show movies 24 hours a day to our troops in Iraq. Well sure R&R is important but do you do that in the war zone, for troops who are actually on duty? Maybe the plan is just to keep them numb until they go home or are blown up.

And that’s SetonnoteS...I’m Tony Seton.