BBC News carries a story about a beggar from Calcutta who has recently opened a bank account with the coins (weighing 200 pounds) she has amassed over 40+ years. She began begging as a child on account of an attack of polio.

This raises the interesting issue of how to deal with people who ask for money.

How do you think we should respond? Do you have any advice for how to approach the situation?

Do you think begging in America — or any first-world country — is different than begging in Calcutta?