And they’re already planning on giving it back:

The piece of pottery that turned up last month in the warehouse of Goodwill Industries of Western New York might be described as “primitive.”

Roughly 7 1/2 inches tall, the vessel features a fluted opening and wartlike protrusions.

But it arrived with a note inside suggesting that its provenance may be prehistoric.

“Found in a burial mound near Spiro Oklahoma in 1970,” said the note written in pencil on a faded strip of lined paper.

If that’s true — and there’s no reason to believe it’s not — the piece could be more than 1,000 years old, maybe even thousands. And soon it should be on its way back to Oklahoma.

The Spiro Mounds.

Caddo Nation website.

Caddo Indians for Kids.

Dinner #2: Lindell's Preschool Teacher

Wow, such a great idea:

When Sarah Smiley’s husband Navy Lt. Commander Dustin Smiley left for a year-long deployment in December 2011, she invited her community to step up and fill the empty seat at the family table. And step up they did. From school teachers, to a U.S. Senator – ordinary and extraordinary folks came by the Smiley house each week to keep the family dinner going until dad makes it home in December 2012.

Sarah Smiley documented her remarkable effort on Facebook, and on her own website. She also put together this video of the 52-week Smiley family dinner with the help of photographer Andrea Hand, and posted it on YouTube. (In case you’re wondering, the haunting song in the video is Josh Ritter’s “Change of Time.”)

Video, four months in:

Get the hankies out. We’re not kidding.

We warned ya.

From Boing Boing. And “Caine’s Arcade,” the song, written and performed by Juli Crockett and friends. More here.

And go on over to CainesArcade.com.

Good news like this is always tied to bad, but it sure is worth acknowledging:

Millennium development goal on safe drinking water reaches target early
UN tempers news that 89% of global population can access safe drinking water with warning that sanitation MDG is a long way off

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO) and Unicef joint monitoring programme for water supply and sanitation (JMP), between 1990 and 2010 more than 2 billion people gained access to improved drinking water sources, such as piped supplies and protected wells. Using data from household surveys and censuses, the JMP said at the end of 2010, 89% of the population – 6.1 billion people – now used improved drinking water sources, 1% more than the 88% target contained in millennium development goal (MDG) number seven, set in 2000.

2 billion without access to clean and safe drinking water now have it. That is truly an accomplishment. Well done, UN Millennium Development Goals team!

P.S. The photo up top is of a wonderful natural spring on the side of a mountain road not far from BRI headquarters in Southern Oregon. People of certain persuasion make the trip up there now and then and fill up a bunch of jugs for their home supply. Because that little spring has got the best, coolest, most refreshing water you ever tasted – honestly, it does something to the inside of your mouth that science will never figure out! – and reading stories like this, one realizes that a little ol’ well like that is easy to take for granted… (Thanks to longtime BRI pal, D for the pic!)