Okay, a little background is needed in order to express our love for this video. In the following segment, you will see two men we hold in high regard.

Ed Begley, aside from being an environmental activist, has acted in two of our very favorite movies directed by Christopher Guest. For the latter and the former, we love him.

David Blume, permaculture guru and author of “Alcohol Can Be a Gas,” has been the topic of discussion here before. We are BIG fans.

Put them both together (converting a car to run on ethanol, no less) and it’s like heaven. Enjoy!

We’re lifting up the latest design in BiblioGifts to Support Literacy! Here are few disturbing facts, and some very good reasons for you to encourage reading among everyone you know…

44 million adults in the U.S. can’t read well enough to read a simple story to a child.
- National Adult Literacy Survey (1992) NCED, U.S. Department of Education

More than 20 percent of adults read at or below a fifth-grade level – far below the level needed to earn a living wage.
- National Institute for Literacy, Fast Facts on Literacy, 2001

Students who reported having all four types of reading materials (books, magazines, newspapers, encyclopedias) in their home scored, on average, higher than those who reporter having fewer reading materials.
- The Nation’s Report Card: Fourth-Grade Reading 2000, April 2001, The National Center for Education Statistics

In 1999, only 53 percent of children aged 3 to 5 were read to daily by a family member. Children in families with incomes below the poverty line are less likely to be read aloud to everyday than are children in families with incomes at or above the poverty line.
- The National Center for Education Statistics, NCES Fast Facts, Family Reading

So strong is the link between literacy and being a useful member of society that some states use grade-level reading statistics as a factor in projecting future prison construction.
- Bob Chase, President, National Education Association

Since 1983, more than 10 million Americans reached the 12th grade without having learned to read at a basic level.
- A Nation Still at Risk, U.S. Department of Education, 1999

Source: Get Caught Reading

There is a wealth of information regarding literacy trends worldwide at UNESCO, the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization.

A few other sites you may find interesting:

• First Book
• Reading is Fundamental
• National Institute for Literacy (US)

We found this short film a few years ago and recently revisited it. If you have a moment, you should check it out – but only if you’re willing to LISTEN.

Learn more at The Story of Stuff Project. Here’s to a less wasteful life!

Google is officially not supporting IE6! Yes, I know if you regularly visit the internet, you’ve most likely heard the news, but I had to express my elation. Reason being? I was just working on a web site and was reminded of the happy news.

Normally when I’m building a site, I try to get it as cross-browser compatible as possible, which often turns into a nightmare when checking my work in Internet Explorer – IE6 in particular. The fact that Google is backing me in my distaste for this loathsome Microsoft invention is like an extra olive in my salad. Complete bliss.

For those of you still using Internet Explorer: I beg you, please get yourself a quality browser like Moozilla’s Firefox or Google’s Chrome…they are lovely, stable, secure and above all, not IE! I’ll bet, after the very slight learning curve (it’s more of an adjustment, really), you’ll be right here with me singing the Hallelujah Choir.

My aunt sent this video to us and we thought it just had to be shared again…it came with the following message:

An elderly couple walked into the lobby of the Mayo Clinic for a checkup and spotted a piano.. They’ve been married for 62 years and he’ll be 90 this year.

Since it was a forwarded email we don’t know how accurate the details are, but it’s a grand thing (and a grand piano) regardless!

Happy Friday Everyone!