Spotted a panhandler with the following scralwed on a cardboard placard at First & Pike this morning: “My father was killed by ninjas. Need money for karate lessons.” My reaction to this? Laughter. As with any profession — and in Seattle, panhandling is most definitely a competitive occupation — creativity and originality sells. Had I been walking on his side of the street as this chap, I probably would have given him whatever loose change was in my pocket.I went to UW back when the Ave. was even grittier than it is today. There, you had to have a threshold for whom to kick money to if you wanted to make it from one end of the Ave. to another without emptying your wallet. My threshold was simple: stree folks who sought money via performance — musical or otherwise — got my dough. Those who didn’t, didn’t. I’m wondering what other people’s criteria is for what panhandlers to give money to. Do clever schticks turn you on or off? Does a skinny looking animal with a red kerchief on its neck help seal the deal? The floor’s yours.