Couldn't agree more.

//well, not funny ha ha, but odd and strangely written.
But funny all the same:

Watch for the sidewalk artists with the huge chalked picture of the Mona Lisa at their knees. Notice their studied faces, how they hold the colored chalk just so. With great deliberation, they add a few strokes here, maybe just a touch there. Then they sit back and look at the work with what is clearly an artistic spirit. If any street performers deserve some of your money, surely it these people, the true and pained artists.

NOT

Of course this is by far the most common 'scam' that anyone's ever seen - guys lounging around in the sun all day - what a hard life! Poor things, I empathise, especially since the 'art' is normally rather rubbish anyway. They've got a lot of these scams all around Europe, though I've never seen them really in the states or anywhere in England. I've witnessed some of these in numerous cities in Europe - Paris, Madrid, Lyon, Berlin, Florence etc blah blah...
Street scams in Barcelona