It's official -- the UK consulate doesn't understand gift-economy.  My long-time "unemployment" status and lack of a formidable bank balance  meant that I was denied a 5-day visa to speak at an event put on by the Prime Minister's office!  It was so perfect. :)

The last-minute change meant that the sold-out, 1000 person, international, Chain Reaction event -- featuring speakers like Gordon Brown and Richard Branson -- would have a new speaker: Trishna Shah!  And boy, was that an upgrade. :)

Trishna totally rocked the house, and after her panel -- which included the founder of Comic Relief and UK's Secretary of State -- let's just say they just might appreciate my visa application next time around. :) Word on the street was that 75% of the questions and comments after the panel were about CharityFocus! With an elegant balance of impact and transformation, Trishna brought CharityFocus values to London ... all in a British accent. :)

While Trishna was hoping not to get this on tape, our posse (thanks Madhu and Meghna!) got a hold of this bootleg version: