a crisis of language

" 'False statements' were useful but mostly superfluous because a peculiar system of regulation left much of the actual regulation to market participants. Rules about 'disclosure,' which specified that an investor be kept informed of any 'material' information having to do with a company's finances, meant that disclosures in a financial report could be buried in the footnotes and, with some clever wording, made sufficiently dull to ensure that they would rarely be seen as red flags . . . All this would merit the word 'monstrous,' except the adjective implies an element of excitement and drama, whereas this is a system that thrives on abstraction and boredom. According to the conventions of this system, the footnotes are more important than the main body of the text. Sentences are crafted so as not to be read. Language should confound rather than communicate. These conventions operate completely counter to those of narrative as we know it. To fixate on 'human nature,' . . . is a sentimental fallacy; it presumes that the problem is not structural dysfunction, the truly tangled web of politics and money, but individual hubris – villains who threaten an established order, a benign status quo."

– Jennifer Szalai, "The Banality of Avarice: Why the financial industry never had to lie," Harper's, February 2012

smokin' in the boys room

Just the name – Good Ol' Girls – made me laugh. It's pretty straight forward:

"Progressive women on the rise like you are busy: You are a professional, an activist, a friend, a lover and maybe a mother. How do you get connected without your calendar self-destructing in protest? 

You join Good Ol’ Girls — where you can meet women you would never meet just by joining a professional association or volunteering. Good Ol’ Girls is where savvy, progressive women, across sectors and backgrounds, open doors professionally and socially for each other. 

With member-driven educational and social opportunities and a vibrant listserv, Good Ol’ Girls is how women get in the know."

Amen, sister. And as long as we're talking about women supporting each other, let's throw in a plug for WIN-WIN. (Yes, that's the Women INvesting in Women INitiative. Cute names today, I know.) Again, they do exactly what you'd expect them to do, with a name like that. A project of the Calvert Foundation, they "evaluate prospective borrowers for their suitability for an investment based on a number of criteria, including their financial performance and operating history. Calvert Foundation has developed flexible criteria targeting prospective borrowers that engage in women’s economic development. WIN-WIN portfolio organizations and projects will offer products and services that primarily serve and/or empower women; will invest in women-owned or women-led businesses; and will support women entrepreneurs and female-headed households." Don't worry, fellas: They'll take your money, too.

What kinds of projects do they fund? According to the site, "[e]xamples include organizations that provide health care and child care to low-income women; women-run non-profit businesses that have a mission to serve other women; loan funds that invest in women’s entrepreneurship and small businesses; and women-oriented cooperatives."


Pretty cool stuff!

ladies who ink

The hard data seems hard to come by, but all the anecdotal evidence strongly suggests that the tattoo world is pretty seriously male dominated. The women tattoo artists interviewed in this New York Times article have pretty mixed feelings as to how pervasive sexism in is in the industry, as well as the value of a tattoo artist convention solely for female artists. (Marked for Life is an annual conference that gets women tattoo artists together.) Which reminds me that I'd really like to do some extended thinking on female separatism soon. But probably not right now, because I'm sleepy.

Meanwhile, here in the Bay Area, we've got Diving Swallow, Black and Blue Tattoo, and Sacred Rose Tattoo, for starters. There may be more, but it's a weirdly hard search to do. P.S. Hey Yelp: What's up with that? Why can't I search for "women-owned business"? Thanks. Actually, that's a great point. I just searched for "women-owned businesses" on Google and came across this helpful site for women who'd like to open a business, brought to us by the Small Business Administration, who also maintain this (warning: glaringly ugly!) directory of women-owned businesses around the country. It's impressively long and the index isn't even alphabetized, so I can't believe I haven't used it before. Right. This information should be free and friendly, people. No reason why not.

Want to know more? The SBA also maintains this handy page of recent studies and research on women owned businesses. Neato!

woah! nominate an awesome woman you know!

Ok, so I just found out that Good Magazine is having a contest to honor awesome local women. And today is the last day to nominate someone. You should totally enter one of the incredible women in your life! What is the contest and who can win? According to the website, they want to "celebrate the women in your local community who make a difference in the fight against hunger and poverty— someone whose efforts make a difference and inspire others." (Presumably, they're focusing on hunger and poverty because the contest is underwritten by Oxfam.)

More suggestions: "Some possibilities include:

• The founder of a local charity or nonprofit
• A chef or farmer who helps promote sustainable food choices
• A journalist or blogger who writes about poverty or social justice
• A friend or relative who volunteers her time and expertise
• An entrepreneur or small business owner who gives back to the community
• A professor who educates others on these issues"

And then the winner gets $1,000 from Oxfam America. Super cool! More info and contest submission tips here. Shed some light on a rad lady in your life.

that money is just sitting in your bank account anyway

People, I am late. As a matter of fact, I am very late. But I am not so late that I won't start. 

It's March, my friends, and that means it's Women's History Month. Loyal readers may recall that two years ago, I ran a "lesser-known-but-exceedingly-awesome-woman-of-the-day" feature. Other loyal readers may recall that last year I did nothing. This year, I've decided, will be based on action. Everyday for the rest of the month, I'm going to tell you about an awesome organization that's doing rad things that empower women, fight the patriarchal hegemony, etc. You will have the opportunity to Take Action. And so, without further ado, I present:

Kiva.org
You may already be familiar with this microlending site. After all, it's been around since 2005. Their mission statement is pretty straightforward, "We are a non-profit organization with a mission to connect people through lending to alleviate poverty. Leveraging the internet and a worldwide network of microfinance institutions, Kiva lets individuals lend as little as $25 to help create opportunity around the world." What does that have to do with women? Well, investing in women in developing countries is generally a good idea (there are so many articles on this, you guys, check it out). Women don't have access to the same opportunities or education. But they're damn good at running businesses, at investing back in their community, and at raising up their society right along with them. You don't have to take my word for it; in addition to reading the above, spend five seconds on google.

What I especially like about Kiva is how easy it is to loan someone your money. It is $25 (min.) to you, but that money goes a lot further in poorer parts of the world. And you'll get it back. And maybe then you'll be so inspired, you'll loan it again. That's my plan, anyway. In January I made a loan to Yadira, a baker in Nicaragua looking to buy a refrigerator to expand her business. My $25 just covered a small part of the expense, of course, but she's already started to pay it back. And once it's paid back in full, I intend to loan it to someone else. Because how much interest was $25 collecting in my bank account, anyway? Next to none. I don't have a lot of money. But I can use just a little bit of what I have to do some good for struggling women in the world, and I urge you to do the same.

Cheers to March!