Various things that I wonder about . . .

1) So why is it that every laundry and dry cleaning store seems to be owned and operated by individuals from East Asia. Now, I am Asian myself, so please do not take this as me being at all racist, but ever since I was a wee lad in Virginia, all of the dry cleaning establishments have been run (quite well, mind you) by individuals from East Asia. What gives? And on the same subject, why are all the Dunkin' Donuts here (and, it seems, elsewhere) run by individuals who are, like me, South Asian. I man, I can laugh about Apu Nahasapeemapetilon, he of the PhD in Engineering, owning and operating a convenience store. It is funny 'cause its true. But why?

2) The other day, a homeless man approached me and asked for change. This happens almost on a daily basis here in Chicago, and I would not have given it another thought but for the specificity of the request. You see, most of the time, I will get the generic "spare change?" query, and as I rarely carry cash around anymore, I can say with conviction "I'm sorry, but I have no cash." On this occasion, the individual asked: "Excuse me, but do you have 41 cents?" I kind of did a double take, for the request was so darned specific. Not a dollar, not 50 cents, but 41 cents. Now granted, this may have been the amount that the guy needed to get on a bus, buy a sandwich, or secure a 40 for the night, but I was taken aback (and a bit impressed) by the request for 41 cents. I had to give him that exact amount and count it out, and he was happy. Has anyone else run into awfully specific requests for spare change?

3) Do sirens on the city streets REALLY NEED to be as loud as they are? I can here them on the 32nd floor of my building. When I am street level, it is even worse.