Last week, I made some comments about panhandlers and their techniques, and this occasioned a great deal of mail. I’ve already published a little of it. Two more letters, just for fun?

Dear Jay,
I lived in Charlottesville, Va., for a year going to Army school. Every day for the entire year, there was a woman standing on a busy corner with a sign that said, “Pregnant and Homeless.”

“Pregnant and Homeless” never goes out of style, as a technique. But perhaps some are, actually, pregnant and homeless? This letter continues,

Another favorite story involves a friend of mine from law school. Her father owned several businesses and a large ranch outside Oklahoma City. This was the early ’90s when the “Will Work for Food” signs first appeared. Her father made a point of stopping and offering a job to every person he saw who held such a sign. And he was serious. He owned enough businesses that he could always find at least a day or two of work for anyone. He never once had a taker.

Sad. Is the below amusing?

Last weekend, I was waiting at a stoplight at the top of a highway offramp where panhandlers like to hit up a captive audience. You can imagine my surprise when I noticed something in a panhandler’s ear: the familiar blinking light of a Bluetooth. Apparently business is good for panhandlers in Durham, N.C.!

Yes, but was it the latest Bluetooth?