Office supplies make my heart skip a beat more than most things in life. I'm reminded of this every time I walk into a book store. Cute guy at the cashier? Oh cool. Cute planners and sticky notes at ...

Pencils roll around classroom floors, forgotten in drawers and backpacks and wedged between car seats — unused, discarded, wasted. Yet elsewhere in the world, one pencil is a rare and treasured thing.

Asingle pencil can write 45,000 words, or draw a line that stretches 35 miles. It’s a basic classroom tool, but one most people take for granted. John Mika did, at least until the day when as a ...