This morning's list of ponderings includes...

why I broke one of my own rules yesterday.  I have a rule.  I don't give money to panhandlers, people holding signs and so on.  Oh, I might give someone a quarter in a store when they're a little short of being able to buy what they are there to buy, but when it comes to those who ask for money on the street or outside of stores; I have that hard and fast rule.  I don't give, although I will say "sorry, no" when asked.

Today as I was stopped at a 7/11, a man approached me and asked me for money.  I looked at him and saw that he had a VA patient ID card on a string around his neck.  I told him that I had this rule but that I was going to break my rule for him and handed him a single dollar bill.  He asked me why I was breaking my rule.  I told him, because I knew he really was a veteran.  Usually when people on the street claim to be veterans, a large number of them aren't being honest.  I'm sure some are, however, if I ask them a few questions, often it becomes clear they weren't telling the truth.

Why we seem to stop following "current" music as closely when we reach a certain age.  I know the music of the 1950s well even though I was never more than 4 months old between 1950 and 1959.  I know the music of the 1960s, 70s and 80s even better than I know the 1950s, and less so with music of the 1990s and even less so since then.  My musical tastes haven't changed, and the music of today that fits the formats I prefer still has little appeal to me...with rare exceptions.

Why in the world would the morons that run the City of Los Angeles want to save only $3.2 million annually when the trade-off would be 20% to 40% fewer fire dispatchers answering 911 calls on certain shifts?  That seems like a no-brainer.  Find the money and preserve public safety.

Why is it the FBI stats show that overall hate crimes were down by 6% in 2011, but the number of crimes based on sexual orientation was higher than the year before?  Those are hate crimes.  So are we now a nation that has less racism but more anti-gay bigotry?  Is it possible that there are more hate crimes that simply go unreported or improperly labelled?  That old adage about lies, damn lies and statistics comes to mind.

Did I really watch a woman crossing Wilshire Boulevard fall off of her high heels?  Sure seemed like it to me.  Fortunately her false eyelashes apparently broke her fall.  Okay, the eyelash thing is made up but she really did take a tumble as she was crossing the street.

Why is it that La Cienega between Olympic and Pico is always jammed, no matter what time of day or night it is?

It is sad when anyone's pet dies.  It's been a long time since my dog Scooter had to be put to sleep (he had incurable cancer) and I still miss him.  But I just don't get why the death of Kim Kardashian's cat would be one of the top ten trending items on Yahoo.  I get celebrity and the interest of people who are fascinated by the famous.  But is the death of a famous pet that important?  When Socks, the Clinton's former cat (it went to live with his secretary after they left the White House) was put to sleep in 2009 I don't remember any major publicity or interest in his passing.

Why did it take 55 years to solve the murder of a 7 year old?  It's great that the man responsible has finally been convicted but it seems like it took just a little too long.

Ben Affleck is 40.  Kristen Stewart is 22.  What genius thought they'd make a good couple in a romantic comedy that will begin filming next year?  She looks younger than her age.  He looks roughly his age.  He's old enough to be her father.  Is this going to be an incest-type rom-com?

Why is anyone thinking that Brooke Mueller's 19th time in rehab will have any more success than the 18 times she's already been there?  Is the new adage 19th time is the charm?  I know addiction is a serious problem and we should have some compassion for those struggling with it...but you reach a point where the person is clearly not interested in dealing with their problem.  She passed that around the 11th time she went into rehab.

Is it weird that sometimes when I'm watching an older film I ponder which of the actors are still alive?  I saw two older movies today, "Victor/Victoria" from 1982 and "The Magnificent Seven" from 1960.  Almost all of the "seven" are gone.  Two of the main supporting actors from "Victor/Victoria", Alex Karras and Robert Preston are gone.  I don't always wonder about it, just sometimes.

Fun With Classified Ads

"Femail Babysitter Needed" - Does this include tutoring your kids in spelling?

"We are a married couple looking for a Hispanic woman under 36 years old to be our Gestational Surrogate." - Okay, I'll bite.  Why would the race of a gestational surrogate matter?

"RESTAURANT MANAGER - (8736 S. SEPULVEDA)" - Why would you give out the address without giving out the name of the place?  (actually there are several restaurants at that address).

"Floor Manager- Japanese Cuisine" - I wasn't aware that the floors in Japanese cuisine restaurants required management (sorry, bad pun).

This Date in History:

On this date in 361, Julian the Apostate enters Constantinople as sole Emperor of the Roman Empire.
On this date in 1281, Llyweln the Last, last native Prince of Wales is killed.
On this date in 1789, the University of North Carolina is charted by the state's general assembly.
On this date in 1792, King Louis XVI is put on trial for treason.  As part of the effort to improve the This Date in History segment, here is a recreation of the French Revolution:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sN6fp2gUS68
On this date in 1816, Indiana becomes the 19th U.S. state.
On this date in 1934, Bill Wilson takes his last drink.  Today he is known as "Bill W." co-founder of Alcoholics Anonymous.  Someday, history will look back upon Lindsay Lohan as the co-founder of Alcoholics Unanimous.
On this date in 1936, the abdication of King Edward VIII takes effect.
On this date in 1937, Italy leaves the League of Nations.
On this date in 1941, Germany and Italy declare war on the United States.  The U.S. turns around and declares war on them.
On this date in 1962, Canada carried out its last execution of a convicted criminal.
On this date in 1964, Che Guevara speaks at the U.N. General Assembly in New York City.
On this date in 1972, Apollo 17 made the last manned landing on the moon (so far).