kerouac,

this thread has reminded me of the heavily pregnant woman we saw begging outside the vatican, a few years ago. i still wonder what depths of misery had brought her to that situation.

to my eternal shame, I didn't give her anything. I wish that I had. even if it went straight to the villans who were using her, if it improved her life one jot it would have been worth it.

kerouac,

<i>You have a very bitter vision the world, spaarne.</i>
Thank you very much for your comment on my mental condition. This is an excellent way to sabotage a dialog when you have no answers to the points I made.

<i>but I find it far superior to stealing.</i>
The beggars are de facto stealing when they pretend to be something they are not and hold out their hand for a donation. The generic name for these professionals in the USA is *con man*.