1) Record harvest estimate – 750 million pounds
Published 12:00 am PDT Wednesday, September 17, 2008
"This year's harvest of California walnuts will be the biggest ever, according to a forecast by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
"Farmers are likely to gather about 750 million pounds of walnuts this fall, beating the 2005 record by more than 5 percent. Walnuts are one of the top three crops in the Sacramento Valley.
"The state's walnut harvest has grown roughly 80 percent in the past 20 years, according to the USDA figures."
– Jim Downing
2) Like any good business plan, the art of panhandling is developing marketing tools to advance its cause and is using technology to further communicate those tools, as this post indicates.
An excerpt.
“Tips for panhandlers, from panhandlers
“Currently, the direct, humorous approach is in vogue. That's why in many cities today you'll hear some version of: "I won't lie to you, I need a drink." Panhandlers also report that asking for specific amounts of money lends credibility to pitches. "I need 43 more cents to get a cup of coffee," a panhandler will declare; some people will give exactly that much, while others will simply hand over a buck.
“Oddly, the tips are offered on-line:
“If it seems unlikely that a homeless person would surf the Web for advice on how to panhandle, that's exactly the point: many aren't homeless and are lying about their circumstances.”
