Panhandler Offers a Prime Example That the Truth Isn’t Always Pretty

David Chan of L.A. was exiting the Harbor Freeway downtown when he saw a panhandler holding a sign that said:

HOMELESS

BROKE

& UGLY

Said Chan: “I can only attest to one of the three assertions.”

Safety goggles not included: Nick Tripodes, a Pasadena dentist, likes to shop in the downtown L.A. toy district for goodies to give his younger patients. But he decided not to share one toy he came across, titled “Eye Sight Challenge” (see photo).

Said Tripodes: “I’m sure it could be a ‘dental challenge,’ as well.”

Dueling signs: Mary Kennelly of Diamond Bar spotted a pair of signs that could prove a calorie challenge (see photo).

Hiring postal: There shouldn’t be any shortage of applicants for the well-paying jobs that Jane Rechtorik of Palm Desert noticed on an area flier (see accompanying).

Heck, for $16,000 an hour I’d tell them I wouldn’t need the 47 cents a mile.

And if you got the preceding job ... : You could probably afford to rent that pricey sofa in Pacific Palisades (see accompanying).

Good city! Long Beach was ranked No. 8 on the list of top cities for a dog to visit, according to the website DogFriendly.com.

Play dead: The crime blotter of the Seal Beach Sun reported a man lying in a grassy area who “barked at passersby.” The newspaper said that “police contacted the man, who was escorted to Long Beach by a friend.”

I’m sure the barker felt more at home in Long Beach.

Speaking of dogs: Hollywood has produced its share -- of bad movies, I mean. But occasionally a good one somehow emerges.

Don’t know if you heard, but the members of the Writers Guild of America just put out their list of the 101 greatest screenplays, with “Casablanca” voted No. 1.

My favorite is No. 3 “Chinatown,” in part because of the wisecrack that private eye Jake Gittes (Jack Nicholson) makes as he eyes a corpse in the L.A. River.

“Middle of a drought and the water commissioner drowns,” Gittes growls. “Only in L.A.”

I just love that last line.

miscelLAny: The Star News, a publication devoted to the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department, kidded one of its own for misspelling a doughnut shop in a crime report as “Whinchels.” Gasped the Star News: “A deputy that can’t spell Winchell’s?”

Steve Harvey can be reached at (800) LATIMES, Ext. 77083, by fax at (213) 237-4712, by mail at Metro, L.A. Times, 202 W. 1st St., L.A. 90012, and by e-mail at steve.harvey@latimes.com.