Which came first--the chicken or the Egg...

Which came first--the chicken or the Egg McMuffin?

Desiree Smith, age 5, was asked by her teacher at Stevenson Elementary School in Long Beach, “What do we call baby chickens?”

Desiree’s answer, according to the school district’s newsletter, was: “Chicken nuggets.”

SHE’LL BE AVAILABLE FOR INTERVIEWS ON FIGUEROA: Norm Sklarewitz saw her on the Avenue of the Stars in Century City and a couple days later Paul McCabe reported a similar sighting on Pacific Coast Highway--a smartly dressed young woman, standing next to a stack of papers while holding a sign that said, poetically:

Will Work for 40 K--

Please Take Resume

TURNING THE TRAFFIC RULES UPSIDE- DOWN: Dan Fink found an intersection in West L.A. where people evidently cross the street while walking on their hands.

THE SOUTHLAND DISSES ABE: We didn’t want to spoil Presidents Day, so we waited until today to tell you that when Abraham Lincoln ran for president in 1860, he finished third in the balloting in L.A. behind the candidates of the splintered Democratic Party, Stephen Douglas and John Breckenridge.

And we were alarmed to read on the Web site of some Disneyland buffs that an earlier version of the robot used in the Lincoln exhibit at Disneyland was later spotted portraying a pirate who auctions off wenches in the “Pirates of the Caribbean” attraction.

AT LEAST HE’S NOT A BRAIN SURGEON: Joseph Ellis of Woodland Hills noticed in a senior citizens newspaper that a television repairman seems to be learning on the job.

ROCK ‘N’ ROAD: L.A.’s car culture has played a big part in the history of rock ‘n’ roll, as some current research projects demonstrate.

Author Art Fein, who is revising his “L.A. Musical History Tour” book, wrote Only in L.A. to ask if anyone knew where singer Steven Stills noticed the Buffalo Springfield-model bulldozer that inspired him to form the rock group of that name.

Part-time musician Timmy McGreal phoned to say it was a steamroller, not a bulldozer. The way McGreal heard it, Stills and Neil Young were cruising somewhere in West L.A. in Young’s hearse when they spotted the historic piece of machinery. How romantic: Hearse meets steamroller.

Meanwhile, author Steve Propes, who is writing a book on rhythm and blues, is searching for information on Little Patrick and the SigAlerts, who recorded “Freeway Strut” in 1962. Specifically, Propes needs the names of the SigAlerts. Or at least their license numbers.

A SHAKY CLAIM: The book “Skyscraper” by Judith Dupre asserts that L.A.’s 73-story First Interstate World Center is the tallest building in the world standing in a major seismic area.

Which reminds us. It was just one year ago that the Smithsonian’s traveling exhibit opened at the L.A. Convention Center, displaying numerous historical treasures, including a hat that Lincoln wore. The chapeau was displayed in a case specifically prepared for Southern California--designed “to absorb the vibrations caused by an earthquake.” Good to see someone show some respect for Abe!

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We don’t know what surprised us more--that Madonna was denied a best actress nomination by Oscar voters for her performance in “Evita” or that she was denied a worst actress nomination for the same performance by members of the L.A.-based Golden Raspberry Foundation. Tough to imagine her just being ignored.