...to wish everybody happy holidays! It's dumping snow by the foot right now and finally feels like winter to me. I hope everybody is safe and warm and happy!

If anybody is looking for gift ideas or feeling generous over the holidays, please think about donating to FINCA, International at [link] No, I'm not cool enough to figure out how to make it a nice shiny link.

Anyway, it's a really good organization that works with communities in third-world areas to set up locally-run banks that do small, short-term loans. It usually goes into places that commercial banks won't touch because the people there have very little collateral and are mainly just at a subsistence level, and provides small loans of $50-$150 for them to get set up with what they need for a marketable trade, like livestock for farmers, a sewing machine for somebody who hand-sews clothes, or a refrigerator for somebody who sells fresh produce.

Historically, microlending works better than almost any other kind of charity because it creates income potential for the future. The community banks are run by members of the community, who start with a certain amount to lend, and actually set up institutions with interest-bearing accounts for people in their communities and can continue to make loans on their own as others are repaid. The repayment rate is as good or better than commercial banks, about 97%, even in war-torn areas like Haiti and Afghanistan.

If you know anybody socially-conscious who would appreciate a gift like this, I hope you'll look into it. Happy holidays!