It does get odd.

President Bush went to war in Afghanistan (and then Iraq) over September 11, which was caused by a man named Osama Bin Laden. Now Republicans face an extremely stiff challenge this presidential campaign by a candidate whose name -- Obama -- not only resonates eerily with the name "Osama" but who also bears the middle name of "Hussein."

"Odd." Just odd. It is not to impugn any of the candidates.

When Hurricane Ike hit, it was on the anniversary of "Katrina" -- which President Bush was roundly criticized for mishandling. The hurricane halted the president from speaking at the Republican convention. Is that the devil harassing President Bush, God sending a message, or a simple coincidence?

Clearer was Wall Street: the "black Monday" last week when stocks fell 777 points (in response to rejection of the "bailout")?

That very morning, the bell ringing in the start of the session at the New York Stock Exchange failed to ring.

It was an electrical glitch -- the first ever noted; the first time the bell did not sound.

Coincidence?

Perhaps.

Probably not.

The actuary starts to have problems configuring it.

Now, in the most jarring "coincidence," there is Orenthal James Simpson (better known as "O.J.") -- convicted of an extremely serious offense (armed robbery and kidnapping) in Las Vegas last week. He could get life, which is what so many believe he deserved for the murder of wife Nicole.

The Las Vegas verdict -- which was unanimous -- came on the anniversary of his acquittal for Nicole's murder.

You have to really want to disbelieve in order to write that off.

"Even Dostoyevsky would be confounded by the truly bizarre timing of this conviction on robbery and kidnapping charges on the very anniversary of Simpson's acquittal 13 years ago on double murder charges," said a newspaper. The jury deliberated, of course, for 13 hours.

Who orchestrates such matters? Is it simply God -- Who can create a galaxy with a twitch of the Finger? Or angels? Might it have been the deceased?

In Chicago, there is supposed to be a "curse" on the Cubs. They do lose an awful lot. But a curse?

Recently a woman gave birth to her fifth child. All have been born on the same date! That can be happenstance. There are billions of people! There are going to be very unusual confluences (it's called the "law of large numbers").

As for history: many point out eerie similarities between Lincoln and Kennedy. Lincoln was elected to Congress in 1846, Kennedy in 1946; Lincoln made it to president in 1860, Kennedy, 1960; both were shot on a Friday in the head; Kennedy's secretary was name Lincoln (and she warned him not to go to Dallas); the successors of both were named Johnson (one born in 1808, the other, Lyndon B. Johnson, in 1908). 

Once upon a time, there was gambling in Manhattan -- where Wall Street now stands.

What a mysterious world!

Many things are being said to us -- at least in some cases.

Are we listening?

[resources: Tower of Light and Sent To Earth]

[send your coincidences, with name, locale]

[see also: Does chaos make us 'see' things?]