Jesse, Miss Non-Profit Lady, what's your read on this article about the Gates Foundation's investments? Are they an easy target because they're so big, or are they actually worse than the average? Also, is the seemingly obvious way around the issue (monitoring which investments are made to bulk up the endowment) too simplistic to work?

While I'm on the LA Times site, meteorite hits house! Kinda eek. A little.

Wow, that's fascinating. It sounds like they are worse than average, at least among the big players the article names. I'm sure the theory is, more money to give is better, but it does seem like they could use their muscle to do more good across the board. I guess I'm still of the old-school liberal foundation school.

It looks like not only are they investing in "bad" companies, they're investing right against their grants, in companies that sicken the people they're trying to heal.

Yeah, and they're hiding behind the firewall to do it -- the same people making the philanthropic decisions are not making the investing decisions, theoretically, although I don't quite get how separating out a Trust would work.

I do think the framing of that article was a little overwrought.

I'm watching Dirty Jobs. Mike Rowe is funny. And hot.

He's on my tv right now, cleaning out a hurricane barrier. Unfortunately, he's decked out in full coveralls, but when he's in the middle of changing clothes or in swim gear? Mmmmm, me likey that hairy, muscle-y chest!

Also, he has the best voiceover voice since Morgan Freeman.

ION, has anyone else seen some ad with the old Star Trek cast members? First of all, what's wrong with Shatner's face? Second of all, isn't the it TNG theme they play at the end?

Second of all, isn't the it TNG theme they play at the end?

I think it is. DH thinks it's the original ST movie music. They may be basically the same, I can't say I've watched either recently.

Intriguing.

Ah, yeah, they're apparently the same: Wikipedia