inkbluesky

ashlee simpson shades of ink

Click= much bigger. I'm not especially a fan or detractor of M's Simpson, but I found a photo of her on the web that I thought was well composed though was a little plain for my tastes so I played around with Flaming Pears' India Ink plug-in and this was the result. 

Next: A Nonprofit IPO?

When former Goldman Sachs banker Chuck Harris stepped in temporarily two years ago as director of development for College Summit, he became the rare nonprofit executive to commute to work by private jet. But he also brought insights gleaned from a career raising capital for businesses. As College Summit, a 13-year-old organization that helps low-income students get into universities, contemplated an expansion plan, Harris asked, Why don't we structure this deal like a for-profit investment?

The resulting "private placement," completed in November 2005, netted College Summit $15 million total from 10 investors to fund a four-year growth plan. While the deal offered no equity or monetary return, it appealed to donors interested in helping a proven idea grow: They get to be the nonprofit equivalent of venture funders who made the right bet on the Palm Pilot. Says George Overholser, a former venture capitalist who is now an executive at NFF Capital Partners, an investment bank for nonprofits: "The opportunity here is helping build an organization that accomplishes an amazing amount of good in the world into a household name brand."

The private-placement concept is a breakthrough in funding nonprofit growth.

People and their talent as an investmant. Not a completely new idea, but that venture capitalists would start to see altruism in terms of both doing good and making a profit at this level is pretty inspiring, especially for those of us that are a little cynical about how the culture of business should work versus how it does work.

What do I mean by hinting that the system is a little broken down, Co-conspirator's possible links to prostitutes eyed

 Federal prosecutors are reviewing records of two Washington, D.C., hotels where Poway defense contractor Brent Wilkes rented suites as part of their investigation into whether prostitutes were involved as he tried to curry favor with lawmakers and CIA officials.

Wilkes, whom federal prosecutors have identified as a co-conspirator in the bribery case of former Rep. Randy “Duke” Cunningham, rented hospitality suites in the capital on behalf of his flagship company, ADCS Inc.

As The San Diego Union-Tribune  reported in December, the suites – first at the Watergate Hotel and then at the Westin Grand Hotel – had several bedrooms where lawmakers and other guests could relax.

Federal investigators are trying to determine whether Cunningham and other legislators brought prostitutes to the hotels or prostitutes were provided for them there, according to a report in yesterday's Wall Street Journal  and confirmed by the Union-Tribune.

A source close to the bribery case, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the ongoing investigation, told the Union-Tribune  that Mitchell Wade, who pleaded guilty in February to bribing Cunningham, told federal prosecutors that he periodically helped arrange for a prostitute for the then-congressman.

A limousine would pick up Cunningham and a prostitute and take them to the ADCS hospitality suite, Wade reportedly told investigators. Federal agents are investigating whether other legislators had similar arrangements with Wilkes or Wade, a business associate of Wilkes who ran his own defense contracting company, MZM Inc.

Josh Marshall has been following the story and the possible links to CIA administrators appointed by Porter Goss, who was a Bush appointee.