In the ninteen seventies, the Children's Television Workshop, (the cool folk that gave us Sesame Street) had a program aimed at 7-12 year olds, called "The Electric Company", and it picked up where Sesame Street leftr off, enhancing reading and math skills, with the focus on reading and comprehension.

A lot of now famous people got their start on the "Electric Company", most notably to me, was Morgan Freeman. He would wander through the streets of New York, as the Character "Easy Reader". Now, Easy Reader was a cool, cool, character. He dressed nicely and had a swagger to his walk, but, he took the time to read every sign he saw, whether it be a stop sign, a help wanted sign or a menu posted in a restaurant window. If it was in print, in public, he read it!

This charater encouraged me to read every printed sign I saw, everywhere I went! If my mom didn't point out something interesting for me to try and sound out on our many and various bus rides throughout Philadelphia, or Newark or Washington, I was pointing them out to her! "Mom, what's that sign for?"

Even now, I still read every sign I can focus on! (Although it's hard to focus on some signs while driving! Cars first, people second, signs third, on the highway! Although it's really hard to ignore the South of the Border ads on I-95 between Florida and North Carolina!)My mom tells me stories of how she taught her brothers and sisters how to read the old Burma Shave signs on the side of the road!

Anyhow, in the public library system in Jacksonville, Florida, there are several signs posted that detail how to gain access to the public computers at each library. Yet I see dozens of people,every day, stumped by the process required to gain access to a computer! They moan, groan, complain and in some cases just stomp away angry because they do not understand how to : sign up for a computer, wait for a computer to be assigned to them, log onto a computer, and the time limits!

I help out as much as I can, (it makes life easier for all involved...) it's a simple process, but man, I sure miss Easy Reader! I'm sure if most of these folks had seen him, they wouldn't be so confused, because they too would be reading every sign in sight, and not wandering around looking dazed, confused and angry!