[Rick Lee]

I this country I've only ever seen panhandlers who were either mentally ill or just lazy. Plenty of the just lazy ones I've even seen talking on their cell phones and wearing nice new sneakers. In other countries I've seen beggars with deformed or no legs, dragging themselves on the pavement. Even giving to them can be dangerous as a lot of them are begging for a "pimp" who keeps a close eye on them and the first sign of a donation brings more beggars out of the woodwork. It's even worse with the kids. In China they'd grab onto my legs and simply not let go. Giving money is sure t make things worse and the kids don't keep any of it anyway. The one time I almost broke down in tears was in Chongqing when I saw a girl with a head the size of two basketballs and a slouch from all that weight. I made a very inconspicuous brush pass and gave her five one yuan notes (about $.50). Anymore than that would have surely been stolen from her pail and that was easily enough to feed her for a week. She had one of those dog chew toys with the squeaker thing in it and squeezed it twice as if to say "xie xie" or thank you. That was a tough one. Usually, I ignore them and don't give a second thought.