Why? How?

Because my mind is a runaway train racing through a world I do not understand, I am eternally coming up with what to me are very logical questions for which there are apparently either no answers, or at least none that I can understand.

Here are just a very few. I would very much appreciate any answers you may be able to provide.

Why, if those "Not Sold In Stores" geegaw TV commercials are anywhere near as good as they say, do they have to double or quadruple the offer to get you to buy them?

Why have I never heard about all those things commercials assure me "everyone is talking about..."?

Why do nurses and doctors continue to smoke?

What the hell is a "well-qualified buyer"?

Why do those who demand you listen to them never want to listen to you?

How do they put a lid on those KFC buckets when the ads always show pieces piled up way beyond the rim? For that matter, why do the food photos shown in fast food restaurants bear absolutely no resemblance to what they serve you?

Why does the phrase "trust me" all but guarantee you shouldn't?

Why do the side effects of drugs often sound worse than what you're taking the drug for?

Why can we not sneeze without closing our eyes? (Just try not closing them once.)

Why do we applaud to show approval? (I at least have a theory on that one. I suspect it somehow relates to a child's wanting to grab ahold of something that pleases it. When we applaud, we're trying to hold onto what we're applauding for...plus it makes a pleasant noise.)

Why can we never remember the exact process of passing from being awake to being asleep?

Why is it so easy to give solid advice, and so difficult to take it?

Why do some birds "walk" while others hop?

Why do pigeons bob their heads when they walk?

Why do squirrels and rabbits hop?

What is the purpose of the slit at the base of a cat's ears?

Why are the irises of some animals (and all humans) round, while others are slitted? And why are some slitted irises vertical (reptiles and cats) while others are horizontal (i.e. sheep and goats)?

Why do all newborn babies have blue eyes?

Why isn't there a phonetic dictionary to help people look up words they don't know how to spell?

Why are there always more questions than there are answers?

Dorien's blogs are posted by 10 a.m. Central time every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Please take a moment to check out his website (http://www.doriengrey.com) and, if you enjoy these blogs, the recently-released Short Circuits: a Life in Blogs (http://bit.ly/m8CSO1 ).