Rains as Easy to Explain as E=MC

So why the rains in May? El Nino? Perhaps. But Paul Barnes of Torrance came across a radical theory at a local preschool. Reversing an old saying, a 5-year-old scientist created a poster that proclaimed:

“April Flowers Bring May Showers.”

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SECRETS OF UCLA: Gaylord Ellison related a funny story about the construction of the university’s physics building some years ago.

“It was done in the modernistic mosaic style that was popular then,” said Ellison, a professor of psychology and neuroscience. “Around the top of the building are various designs in tile.”

Alas, someone involved in the design was weak in physics for one of the designs said, “E equals MC,” without the squared sign.

“For several years afterward, the physics professors were teased by visiting colleagues,” Ellison continued.

“Finally they got the university to have a guy on a long ladder go up and paint the ‘squared’ with a paintbrush. But it is so clearly a tack-on that many of us regularly point out this theoretically correct graffiti to visitors” (see photo).

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WRITE 100 TIMES ON THE BLACKBOARD . . . : Someone else needs to daub an extra letter on a sign spotted at a school by Lynne Walters of Inglewood (see photo). “Faulty,” indeed.

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WILL HE BEHAVE HIMSELF ON JAN. 1? A couple of readers wondered if I was joking when I mentioned the book “The Abominable Snowman of Pasadena,” by R. . Stine. So today, I’m including a portion of the book’s colorful cover by Tim Jacobus (see photo). I believe the monster is on the Rose Parade route, trying to stake out a good position.

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UNDERGROUND L.A.: An L.A. City Council aide received a call from a constituent who said that “because of the news reports about tornadoes coming into the L.A. area, she wanted us to tell her how she can get access to the city’s sewers--where the manhole covers are, and so on.

That way, when the tornadoes come, she can go into the sewer system to protect herself because we don’t have underground shelters like they do in the Midwest.”

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MIRACLE AT NEWPORT: As a Mother’s Day present, Beverly Van Lund of Covina was taken to Newport Beach for a champagne brunch and an ocean cruise.

In all the excitement, someone evidently left a door of the family Cadillac open after it was parked. Four hours later, when the family returned, the door was still open. And still inside the car were some binoculars, a pair of leather boots, a garage door opener and “several other expensive items.” Nothing was missing.

“All those people passing by and no one took anything,” Van Lund said. “Maybe they thought it was some sort of sting.”

miscelLAny:

Chris Hall of the rock group Stabbing Westward complained to the Daily News of L.A.: “L.A. is a very lonely place. It’s hard to meet anyone. You can hang out all day in a coffee shop and not have one conversation.” Especially if you keep telling people that you’re with a group called Stabbing Westward.

Steve Harvey can be reached by phone at (213) 237-7083, by fax at (213) 237-4712, by e-mail at steve.harvey@latimes.com and by mail at Metro, L.A. Times, Times Mirror Square, L.A. 90053.