Oh, my.

The Today Show and Oprah Winfrey have discovered my beloved Kiva.org. It seems that all loans currently on the site have been funded.

Wow. I don't think I had ever seen it go below 24, and there are usually far more loans than that.

Well. I was there before them and I am staying. So there.

But did it have to be Oprah? *sigh* I know she brings in many people, but, well she's Oprah. I think you have to work in a bookstore to really understand the massively mixed feelings I have about her.

I have previously mentioned my love for Kiva.org, and now I have another reason to loan.

For those of you who are not familiar with Kiva, it is a microlending organization. It's a way of lending money to people in the developing world to help them expand their businesses, make money - maybe even enough to make it out of poverty, and help develop the economy of their communities. They could be borrowing money for anything from a sewing machine to a goat to building supplies to soft drinks. These are small loans, and the individual lenders can loan as little as $25.

And now they are offering a few loans in Iraq. I have wished there was a way to actually accomplish something positive in Iraq, and now this is being waved in my face. *sigh* These people have to hide their faces because of a situation that my president is at fault for.

This website sure as hell knows how to get my money.

Edit: All of the Iraq loans have now been filled. However, I just saw a woman who makes bead jewelry who needed a loan to buy more beads and supplies. *sigh* There goes my budget for the week.

I am having a great deal of fun listening to Keith Olbermann's predictions for the end of the Harry Potter series. He has some points, and I wouldn't be surprised if he ends up being pretty close. His ending makes a lot of sense, and incorporates some aspects that I hadn't thought about before. OK, the redux of the Sopranos finale was a long shot, but the rest of it makes sense.

I still haven't filled up my icon allotment, but I'm working on it. I keep hoping to find the Perfect Icons. Yeah. Not going to happen. I should load icons from my GreatestJournal account and be done with it. I can replace them later. I certainly have enough icons there. No, I don't keep a journal there.

One more thing. I haven't said it before, but you should really check out Kiva.org. I love this website more than I can describe. You can loan people what it takes to help them earn a living for their families in some of the poorest parts of the world! At $25 at a time. And it's a loan, so you should get your money back - to loan again or put back in your pocket. This strikes me as one of the best ways to help the developing world. I'll stop pushing this now, but I would really appreciate it if you at least consider joining this effort. I have made five loans so far and it is a cheap mood improver. Do the research. These people are for real.