Webcasts Draw Donors to 'Pimp This Bum'

An online plea to "Pimp this bum" is upsetting advocates for the homeless and inspiring hope in one man on the streets, the AP reports. Tim Edwards, who lives under a Houston underpass, is the star attraction on pimpthisbum.com—a site devoted to funding his recovery. A marketing specialist and his son started the project to promote their business and do a good turn.

On regular webcasts, Edwards fields questions about his descent from alcoholic office manager to outcast. "I'm the world's first online bum," quips Edwards, 37. "I'm the pioneer, but I've got friends behind me." Not everyone is amused. "He is a person. His name is Tim," said one advocate for the homeless. "And to pimp anyone is not something I would endorse." (More webcast stories.)