With the long thread still going strong re the poster looking for a freebie trip to Hawaii etc, I have located a nice site for current and future information about panhandling, begging etc. It gives tips on appearance, props (bandages, crutches, etc), location, location, location etc as well as comments from both the beggar and beggaee (wha?).

It is/was a research project and you can actually take a test allowing you to select your monetary "donation" for differing scenarios etc.

Point your favorite browser to: http://www.pbs.org/weblab/needcom to take the test or bypass it and learn a great deal about this exciting art at http://www.pbs.org/weblab/needcom/home2.html

I spent 2 hours fasinating (and more to go) on seeing how I have been scammed over the years. Be certain to click on the hyperlinks with people's names for background info.