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Our voice is our imprint on our world, our distinctive note, our pattern, our touch one to another. It may be spoken, written, sung, drawn, gestured or danced, even delivered on the still wings of silence or in the intimacy of eyes.

We've chosen several ways to begin to honor the human voice. First, since 1989, we have culled through thousands of commencement addresses, to find the most 

enduring sentiments, the wisest and wittiest speakers. We have posted the complete text of twenty-three, going back to 1936.

Second, after many false starts, built on premises that we eventually decided were too broad or condescending to the peoples involved, we have decided to base our folklore initiative on a few carefully selected tales on a specific subject. Our chosen subject is mermaids. After researching hundreds of possible myths, we selected ten tales from four continents. Each has been illustrated for us by a young American artist from Utah, Chloe Hedden.

Third, for the fun of it, we have begun to keep track of the many ways we celebrate the shared adventure of this solar go-around, be they traditional, inspirational, unpredictable, sober or sensational -- just like us! In fact, as an extension of that celebration, we invite you to share an anecdote about your own life with the rest of the world.

We also will collect, as part of adventuring abroad, new words of invitation and respect, evocative of our shared humanity and common dreams. The first is "ubuntu", a Zulu and Xhosa word from South Africa. The second is "wabi-sabi", from Japan.

- Tony Balis