text:
Building A Powerful Reading Program: From
Research to Practice
Over the last two years California has seen a decline in the reading test scores of its students and increased concern among educators and parents, along with renewed interest and accelerated research into the teaching of reading. In the Fall of 1995, the State Superintendent of Public Instruction issued a report from the Reading Task Force that called for balance in the way reading is taught. Since that report, many schools and districts have been attempting to design and implement comprehensive programs. This document lays out the current research base along with proven practices for effective literacy instruction, particularly in the early grades. In addition, recommendations are included for preservice and inservice education that will guarantee a well-prepared teaching force to tackle the complexities of literacy and teach all of our children to read well.
This report was prepared by Linda Diamond and Sheila Mandel
of theConsortium on Reading Excellence, a division of the Institute
for Policy Analysis and Research, 2200 Powell Street, Suite 250A, Emeryville,
In the Fall of 1995, California issued a report from the Reading Task Force appointed by State Superintendent of Public Instruction Delaine Eastin. The Task Force Report called for a return to balance in the way reading is taught. The Task Force also emphasized the importance of a comprehensive approach to reading that includes both direct skill instruction and the activities and strategies most often associated with effective whole language classrooms.
Teaching reading has never been easy. While oral language seems to develop naturally for most children, reading does not. In addition to the "unnaturalness" of reading for many children, reading instruction has often been at the center of philosophical and political debate. Teachers, administrators, and parents have watched the pendulum swing one way and then another for so long that they are weary. However, enough is now known about reading that the destructive and often rancorous debates about how best to teach it can and should be put to rest.
The research presented in this document draws on the entire field but especially highlights three respected practitioner/researchers: Hallie Yopp, Professor, Department of Elementary and Bilingual Education, California State University Fullerton; Marilyn Adams, Ph. D., Senior Scientist, Bolt Beranek and Newman, Inc.; and David Pearson, Professor at Michigan State University. All experts emphasize the importance of a systematic and research-based instructional approach aimed at giving students control as they learn to read. This systematic approach has two critical elements:
Such an approach is not a return to dull, repetitive drills in classrooms devoid of engaging literature; rather it is part of a broader language-rich program consistent with the best practices of whole language and the California Language Arts Framework. The implications, then, for teacher preparation arise out of understanding what is required to teach reading: teacher education should include an "understanding of how the English language system works, how students learn to read, and state-of-the-art best practices in both skill development and whole language activities" (Professor Gerald Treadway, California State University at San Diego).
This report builds on the Task Force Report by describing the clear research base for changing the way reading is taught and by providing practical ways for schools to implement such comprehensive reading programs. It covers three main topics:
Because of the convergence of research and best practice, it is now abundantly clear what it will take to enable children to become skilled readers. All successful early reading programs must:
In addition, direct instruction and practice comprehending the meaning of text must start early and build through the grades. Instruction in the upper grades must extend and build upon the skills developed earlier. All of these skills must be taught as part of a comprehensive approach that includes varied and abundant printed materials, active learning, and the development of written and spoken language through highly engaging activities.
Research Highlights
Hallie Kay Yopp, Ph.D, Professor, Dept. of Elementary and Bilingual Education,CSU Fullerton
Professor Yopp addresses the critical role of phonemic awareness in the early stages of reading acquisition. She defines phonemic awareness as "the awareness that phonemes exist as abstractable and manipulable components of spoken language. It is the ability to reflect on speech and experiment (play) with its smallest components (phonemes). Phonemic awareness is not phonics and not auditory discrimination."
The research outlines a progression of phonemic awareness development in pre-school, kindergarten, and early first grade that includes the ability:
Key Research Findings About Phonemic Awareness:
Phonemic awareness can be developed in children by providing them with rich language experiences that encourage active exploration and manipulation of sounds. These activities lead to significant gains in subsequent reading and spelling performance. Most children will learn basic phonemic awareness from these activities. Some children need more extensive assistance. Children should be diagnosed mid-kindergarten to see if they are adequately progressing, and if not, given more intensive phonemic awareness experiences. For all children, the more complex phonemic awareness abilities are learned in the context of learning letter/sound correspondences.
A close relationship exists between a child's control over sounds and his reading ability. Some quick test instruments that reliably assess development of phonemic awareness in about five minutes include the Rosner, the Yopp-Singer tests, and the Roswell-Chall.
In numerous studies, correlations between a kindergarten test of phonemic awareness and performance in reading years later are extremely high. Thus, phonemic awareness has been identified by researchers in replicated studies in many countries as a very potent predictor of success in reading and spelling achievement. In fact, Professor Yopp indicates that such high correlations remain even after controlling for intelligence and socio-economic status.
Marilyn Adams, Ph.d., Senior Scientist, Bolt Beranek and Newman, Inc.
Dr. Adams focuses on the need for children to develop automatic word recognition and the system to achieve this. Dr. Adams supports Dr. Yopp's conclusion that training in phonemic awareness is the foundation for learning to recognize words. Such training is necessary because most children enter kindergarten without the conscious awareness that words are made up of distinct sounds; rather they hear words as complete units. Dr. Adams discusses the value of whole language in encouraging flexible class organization, the use of quality literature, and the emphasis on early writing. However, she faults the methodology of whole language for operating under the mistaken assumption that skillful readers "skip, skim, and guess" instead of reading what's on the page.
Extensive eye movement research replicated by brain scans shows that skillful readers move their eyes from left to right, are "meticulously respectful of the words, and irrepressibly translate print to speech as they read line by line." The goal of reading instruction is to make the process of reading words effortless and automatic so that the mind can be free to reflect on meaning. In order to do this children must have "detailed knowledge of words, of how they are spelled, and of how they map onto speech." Both whole language and some conventional phonics programs are faulted for not teaching that speech can be broken down into sound (phonemic awareness) and for not providing detailed knowledge of the language system.
Research shows that IQ, mental age, perceptual styles, handedness, race,
or parents' education are all weak predictors of reading success.
The factors that contribute directly to reading ability are:
After phonemic awareness, the best predictor of first grade reading is a child's ability to recognize letters.
Dr. Adams emphasizes the importance of organized phonics instruction because it allows children to use the system of language rather than to guess. Research indicates that a direct and organized way of acquainting children with the major components of our alphabetic system is more effective than an indirect approach which lacks precision, order, and clarity. While some children will intuitively figure out the system, many will learn faster and better by receiving organized and explicit instruction. In addition to direct instruction, Dr. Adams states that students must be able to practice what they have been taught in decodable text mostly comprised of words that contain the sounds/symbols being taught. Dr. Adams' study of the research has shown clearly that students who do not develop basic phonemic awareness, letter recognition, and the ability to decode words quickly will have difficulty learning to read. Many of these children end up identified as dyslexic and require special education.
A major series of research studies directed by G. Reid Lyon of the National Institute of Child, Health, and Human Development (NICHD) in Bethesda, Maryland and others confirms this. These studies looked at the features that predispose children to having reading disabilities. The major problem appears to be phonological processing.
Three areas of phonological processing difficulty predispose children to reading disabilities:
For these students, without systematic and explicit instruction in the code system, reading becomes a probabilistic guessing game. The NICHD studies identify the best strategies to use with these children.
The following three strategies need to be in place for all successful interventions:
Furthermore, the NICHD research indicates that interventions must begin early. Research shows that if schools delay intervention until age seven for children experiencing difficulty, 75 percent will continue having difficulties. Professor Foorman of the University of Houston finds that dyslexic problems, if caught in first or second grade, may be remedied 82 percent of the time. Those caught in third to fifth grades may be improved 46 percent of the time, while those identified later may only be treated successfully 10-15 percent of the time. Robert Slavin's effective reading program, Success For All, which focuses on early intervention, has actually reduced special education populations more than 25 percent in schools using his approach.
In addition to organized phonics, Dr. Adams talks about the value of invented spelling because it serves as an excellent diagnostic tool and it engages children in the sounds of words. Professor Adams and others encourage this practice as a way for children to begin to express their ideas unconstrained by their limited orthographic knowledge. Adams (1990) points out that students who have ample experience with invented spelling improve in both reading fluency and spelling. She goes on, however, to indicate that direct instruction in word analysis and consonant blending is a necessary adjunct to children's spelling development. Furthermore, Professor Adams and others (Woloshyn and Pressley) urge an organized, spelling program starting around the middle to late first grade as a productive and often neglected strategy to help children learn to read.
Unlike the old phonics programs of the past which relied heavily on drill and rote memorization, Professor Adams and others, notably Stanford University Education Professor Robert Calfee, cite the importance of making decoding and spelling instruction active. Calfee encourages "word work", 10-20 minutes of daily word play during which small groups of students construct words. Such interactive lessons treat students as "budding cryptographers" and problem solvers and integrate decoding with spelling (Calfee and Moran, 1993).
Finally, Professor Adams indicates that in addition to the skills for decoding, children need to explore the language of books, hear texts read aloud, and read a large number of books.
David Pearson, Ph. D., Professor, Michigan State University
David Pearson focuses on the need to systematically develop students' comprehension skills. His comments are directed at helping students with text meaning, which requires teaching students to be good thinkers when they read by instructing them in metacognitional strategies, providing opportunities for in-depth discussions, encouraging extensive authentic reading and writing activities, and immersing them in literature. Professor Pearson finds that in many classrooms, students spend little time actually reading texts. Much of their instructional time is spent on workbook-type assignments. The skill/time ratio is typically the highest for children of the lowest reading ability (Allington, 1983). Furthermore, the research indicates that teachers are spending inadequate amounts of time on direct comprehension instruction. A study completed in 1979 (Durkin) concluded that teachers used either workbooks or textbook questions to determine a student's understanding of content, but rarely taught students "how to comprehend." In 1987, Dr. Pearson (and Dole) described the importance of "explicit instruction" for teaching comprehension.
Such instruction involves four phases:
Dr. Pearson emphasizes that comprehension instruction must be embedded in texts rather than taught in isolation through workbook pages.
Dr. Pearson describes what good comprehension instruction should include:
Recommendations for Schools and Classrooms
Given the extensive research into effective reading practices, schools will need all of the components described below to have comprehensive, balanced programs.
Early Literacy Program
Beginning in pre-school and continuing through the primary grades, schools must include language activities that develop listening and expressive skills. Such activities include:
These activities develop understanding of vocabulary, syntax, and story
structure in all children. They are especially important for English language
learners and for children who do not come from homes where literacy is nurtured.
Schools must build activities which teach children concepts about print and foster a love of reading. Children should be read to daily, using books with predictable patterns, repetition, and rhyme. The classroom needs to be full of print that is varied and meaningful to the children. This includes:
These activities support developing readers.
Starting in pre-school and continuing in kindergarten, phonemic awareness should be developed in linguistically-rich environments where children are encouraged to play with the sounds of language through developmentally appropriate activities. Phonemic awareness may include:
a general awareness ( that some words are longer than others, for example)
Activities that capitalize on children's natural curiosity and sense of playfulness would include (Yopp):
All of the activities above start through oral development. Children
"hear" the words and see pictures of the objects (e.g. a milk
bottle, a top, a man, a cup). These activities should be dynamic, not done
through drills and rote memorization.
Schools should assess students' phonemic awareness development and should intensify experiences for students who are not progressing.
Research has shown that about twenty minutes a day, three to four times a week, will result in dramatic improvement for students who need further development in phonemic awareness. Both formal and informal assessments should be conducted that will allow teachers to assess which phonemic insights need continued development in order to help students progress in decoding. Again, the school needs to have in place intensified intervention in phonemic awareness for any student in the primary grades who has not developed this ability.
Starting in pre-school and kindergarten, schools should help students learn the names and shapes of letters. Schools should make use of various fun strategies to familiarize children with the names of the letters thus giving them a "peg to which their visual perceptions can be attached" (Adams). Instruction in recognizing the shape that matches the letter name takes "time and practice and takes careful visual attention" (Adams). Research suggests important points to consider when teaching the alphabet:
By learning letter names through playful and engaging repetition, students
may be protected from confusing the sound of a letter with its name.
In late kindergarten and early first grade, schools must provide organized and systematic phonics instruction that is based on diagnostic information. Many children enter school with lots of prior print experience. For these children, the content of the phonics lessons will consist more of review and clarification than of new information, and sound/symbol lessons may proceed quite rapidly.
Other children, however, enter school with little prior print knowledge and will require more instruction. For these children, sufficient and repeated practice spread over time will be essential, along with frequent opportunities for evaluation. Instruction should be based on the following critical points:
Students must learn that the symbols of the alphabet are worth learning and discriminating because each stands for at least one of the sounds that occur in spoken words (the alphabetic principle).
Phonics instruction must be explicit and should include instruction in
blending letter sounds.
Explicit phonics provides children with the real relationships between letters and sounds, or at least the approximations of them (Juel).
Teachers need to provide instruction in word attack skills, including sounding out, syllabication, recognizing common letter patterns and generating alternative pronunciations that will enable children to start to read beginning materials independently.
Students need ample opportunities to practice in books they can read
independently, and teachers need to reinforce phonics instruction as they
share literature with students.
Without the right skills, children will over-rely on context rather than visually store words and letter patterns that will lead to automatic word recognition. Adams points out that a solid base of letter/sound correspondence knowledge supported by, rather than relying on, context will enable students to sound out and then identify any written word that is in their listening vocabulary (Adams).
The best instruction provides a strong relationship between what the children learn in phonics and the stories they read. There should be a "high proportion of the words in the earliest selections children read that conform to the phonics that they have already been taught" (Becoming a Nation of Readers). These selections also need enough high-frequency words so that the texts sound natural.
Reading predictable texts to children may help them develop syntactic awareness, semantic knowledge and vocabulary; however, predictable (when they are not decodable using grapho-phonic cues) texts do not support children's growing understanding of the alphabetic principles of English.
The best practice combines immersing children in rich language by reading
to them and providing access to a variety of texts, while explicitly and
systematically teaching them the sounds and their symbols and connecting
these to decodable texts.
Phonics instruction need not be tedious. Instead, activities which promote play with words in hands-on ways will contribute to children's growing understanding of the sound/symbol system. When children are able to decode automatically, they can concentrate on the meaning of text.
Although a formal spelling program need not begin until late first grade, schools should encourage and accept invented spelling as soon as children begin to write spontaneously. Invented spelling is a diagnostic tool that provides a window on children's developing knowledge of speech sounds and orthography and frees children to experiment with print. Research has shown that writing can precede and support reading. Students should be given regular opportunities to express themselves on paper. Below are some examples of early writing activities:
Direct spelling instruction is also necessary. Recent research has shown that children progress faster in both spelling and reading if they are taught how to analyze speech sounds in words and taught how to spell them by using sound/symbol correspondence. Moreover, Adams points out that "the process of copying new words strengthens students' memory for those words and does so rather enduringly" (Whittlesea, 1987).
A daily writing program beginning in kindergarten (for those who already have the necessary fine motor control) and in first grade is essential to help children learn phonics.
Encoding the sound/symbol correspondences in both directed and free writing sessions provides practice for the children and information for the teacher about how much each child knows about these correspondences.
Opportunities to write stories, letters, and reports, as well as instruction
in mechanics, grammar and usage, should all be part of the writing program.
Further, student-authored books contribute positively to a classroom library.
Schools should consider a number of different grouping strategies to reduce the span of skills so that instruction can be efficient and effective, and to avoid a lock-step curriculum that is too easy for some and too difficult for others. Some flexible grouping practices include:
Because of the critical nature of reading, sufficient time must be set aside for instruction. In kindergarten, it is recommended that at least one third of the day be devoted to language arts activities. In the early primary grades, at least two to three hours should be spent on language arts activities, including reading, writing, oral language and spelling. Language arts activities in general and reading in particular can and should also be linked to other areas of the curriculum.
Upper Elementary
Instruction in writing continues through the grades.
Children should have opportunities to practice the process of writing as well as to fine-tune and edit writing. Writing instruction needs to develop fluency as well as correctness.
Children should learn complex sentence structure, paragraphing, organization, and more advanced grammar and usage both directly and indirectly through daily writing that encourages them to write across the curriculum.
Children should be writing for a variety of purposes and to a variety
of audiences.
It is important to encourage oral reports, debates, and group discussions so that children continue to develop their oral skills. Learning to take turns and respond to questions should be part of this oral skill development.
Spelling lessons that are based on diagnostic information continue to be important.
For those children who continue to struggle with the sound-symbol system, spelling lists organized by sound themes remain critical.
In addition, irregular words, homonyms and high-utility morphemes should
be taught.
Research suggests that immediate self-correction of tests is critical to progress in spelling.
Decoding skills should continue through the elementary school years as needed. Students should be taught more advanced skills, including how to make use of complex letter/sound correspondences, word roots, prefixes and suffixes, and syllabication.
Vocabulary development continues through extensive reading opportunities, during oral discussions and explanations, and through strategies such as synonym building and semantic trees.
Advanced strategic reading skills such as summarizing, predicting, questioning, and visualizing should be modeled and directly taught in the context of reading varied materials. This presupposes regular time for reading and discussion in groups as well as independently.
Activities to foster "deep discussions" about books should be built into the school day. Such discussions should focus on important questions and extend and deepen children's understanding of texts.
All Grades
Parents should be enlisted to support the development of their child's reading skills by:
This home-school connection should be supported by schools and teachers
through regular communications with parents about classroom activities and
expectations. Materials should be sent home for parents to read with their
Because ongoing assessment is a critical part of successful reading programs, children who need more intense instruction should be identified beginning in mid-kindergarten. For these children, tutors should be made available on a daily basis. Children who transfer in to a school should be immediately assessed and provided tutoring assistance if the need is warranted.
Students should be given ample opportunity to read in order to put their skills to use. Children should be reading twenty-five to thirty-five grade-appropriate books each year from accepted fiction and non-fiction lists. Teachers should:
Flexible grouping should be used throughout the grades to ensure children are acquiring the skills they need.
Implications for Professional Development:
Preservice and Inservice
Teaching reading is a complex activity. Teachers must be equipped with the necessary practical skills and underlying linguistic understandings in order to have a repertoire of techniques that will enable all children to learn to read. So much has been learned about reading and literacy recently that both preservice educators and those already teaching will need up-to-date information on best practices. The key to improving literacy instruction in California is professional development and teacher preparation.
Marilyn Adams and Hallie Yopp both cite the need for teachers to have diagnostic-based professional training that includes a serious examination of language, literacy, and cognitive development. Professor Treadway reiterates this position, adding that good materials must also be available to support instruction, and that teachers need enough theory to be able to use the materials well. Preparation should include:
Beginning Teachers
Given the body of information to be learned and the practical experience to gain, many are now calling for five-year programs in teacher education, with reading and literacy preparation beginning prior to the fifth year. Beginning teachers need practical experience student teaching and observing in classrooms taught by veterans identified as effective teachers of literacy. These apprenticeships should be joined to a seminar that provides the research base and diagnostic information to reinforce what teachers are seeing and doing with children and which can serve as a vehicle for collegial learning and problem solving.
The linguistic system itself is a complex topic that will require in-depth
preparation. Louisa Cook Moats, director of Teacher Training at the Greenwood
Institute in Putney, Vermont and Adjunct Assistant Professor of Clinical
Psychiatry at Dartmouth Medical School, talks about the importance of teachers
understanding the phonological structure of words since so much research
now points to the importance of phonemic awareness as a predictor of a child's
reading success. In addition, she calls for instruction to beginning teachers
in the morphemic structure of words since poor readers and spellers
have limited structural awareness. Furthermore, she cites the lack of understanding
many teachers have of the basic alphabetic system and the importance
of "code-based instruction" for beginning and problem readers.
Informed teachers will be able to present linguistic concepts accurately and be better able to assess a student's stage of reading and spelling development. Such knowledge provides a solid foundation on which to base instructional practice.
Others in the field of teacher education stress the importance of clinical instruction for teachers in training. Professor John Shefelbine at California State University, Sacramento, has trained master teachers and then places his student teachers with those masters to work directly with students. By regularly reflecting upon and discussing the students' development, pre-service teachers are able to gain practical insights into the way children learn to read.
Because so much reading instruction will require teachers to diagnose students and group them for specific instruction, teacher education must arm teachers-in-training with a repertoire of effective diagnostic tools and with an understanding of how to manage a classroom in which students will be working at different levels in small groups.
Effective Beginning Teacher Programs:
Inservice Education
Many veteran teachers may not have been able to keep current with the growing body of research into reading. In addition, many new teachers have entered the profession without the background described above. Thus, inservice education needs to address the same topics and information as that of preservice education. Inservice professional development should include:
The training should be presented through workshops which include demonstrations, practice with children, and opportunities for discussion and problem solving.
Effective Inservice Education:
Such workshop training should be supported at the school sites by regular staff discussions about the research as well as about implementation issues. Furthermore, school staff should extend their knowledge by conducting case studies on individual students and/or controlled group studies to assess their own and the school's progress over time. Teachers will need school-based support through coaching and feedback as well as time to observe in classrooms where teachers are highly effective in teaching children to read.
Citations in this document are taken from Professor Adams' book identified in the resource list below and directly from presentations made during a February 29, 1996 seminar sponsored jointly by the California Education Policy Seminar and The California State University Institute for Education Reform. References in the section on Professor David Pearson are from his work cited below. The source documents for other citations are noted below in the Resources and Organizations list.
Resources and Organizations
Adams, M. Beginning to Read: Thinking and Learning About Print. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 1990.
Bear, D. R., Invernizzi, M., Templeton, S., and Johnston, F. Words Their Way: Word Study for Phonics, Vocabulary, and Spelling. Englewood Cliffs, NY: Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1996.
Calfee, R.C. and Moran, C. "Comprehending Orthography; Social Construction of Letter-Sound in Monolingual and Bilingual Programs". Reading and Writing: An Interdisciplinary Journal, Vol. 5, 205-225, 1993.
Calfee, R.C. "A Behind-the-Scenes Look at Reading Acquisition". Issues in Education, Vol.1, 77-82, 1995.
California Reading Task Force. Every Child A Reader. Sacramento, California: Department of Education, 1995.
Clay, M. M. Becoming Literate: The Construction of Inner Control. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann, 1991.
Consortium on Reading Excellence, 2200 Powell St. Suite 250-A, Emeryville, CA 94608, (510) 450-2555.
Cunningham, P. Phonics They Use: Words for Reading and Writing. New York: Harper Collins, 1991.
Delphit, L.D. Other People's Children. New York: New Press, 1995.
Foorman, B.R. "The Case for Early Reading Intervention". Foundations of Reading Acquisition. Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum, in press.
Graves, D. A Fresh Look at Writing. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann, 1994.
Honig, B. Teaching Our Children to Read. Thousand Oaks: Corwin Press, Inc., 1996.
Houghton Mifflin. Early Success: An Intervention Program, Grades 1 - 2. Boston, MA: 1995.
Johnston, F., Juel, C., and Invernizzi, M. Guidelines for Volunteer Tutors of Emergent and Early Readers. Charlottesville, VA: University of Virginia Bookstore, 1995.
Juel, C. Learning to Read and Write in One Elementary School. New York: Springer-Verlag, 1994.
Lindamood, C., and Lindamood, P. Lindamood Auditory Conceptualization Test, 2nd ed. Chicago: Riverside Publishing, 1979.
Lindamood, C., and Lindamood, P. The A.D.D. Program: Auditory Discrimination in Depth, 2nd ed. Columbus, OH: SRA Division, Macmillan/McGraw-Hill, 1975.
Lyon, G. R. Research in Learning Disabilities at the NICHD. Bethesda, MD:NICHD Technical Document/ Human Learning and Behavior Branch, 1994.
Moats, L. C. Spelling: Development, Disabilities, and Instruction.. Timonium, MD: York Press, Inc., 1995.
Modern Curriculum Press. Discovery Phonics: An Integrated Approach to Decoding Strategies. Columbus, OH.
Modern Curriculum Press. Poetry Works! The First Verse Complete Set. Columbus, OH.
Open Court Publishing Company. Phonemic Awareness and Phonics Kit. Peru, IL
Pearson, D. "Focus on Research: Teaching and Learning Reading: A Research Perspective". Language Arts, 70, 502-511, 1993.
Shefelbine, J. Learning and Using Phonics in Beginning Reading. New York: Scholastic, Inc., 1995.
Stahl, S.A. "Saying the 'P' Word: Nine Guidelines for Exemplary Phonics Instruction". The Reading Teacher, vol. 43, 618-625, 1992.
Stanovich, K.E. "Matthew Effects in Reading: Some Consequences of Individual Differences in the Acquisition of Literacy". Reading Research Quarterly, vol. 21, 360-407, 1986.
Success For All, Center for Research on Effective Schooling for Disadvantaged Students, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD.
The California Literature Projects, California Department of Education, Sacramento, CA.
The Learning Company, Meizner, Inc. Read, Write, and Type. Pelham, NY: 1995.
The Orton Dyslexia Society, Chester Building/Suite 382, 8600 LaSalle Road, Baltimore, MD 21286-2044
Torgeson, J. and Bryant, B. Phonological Awareness Training for Reading. Austin, TX: PRO-ED Publishing, 1994.
Torgeson, J. and Bryant, B. Test of Phonological Awareness. Austin, TX: PRO-ED Publishing, 1994.
Touchphonics Reading Systems. Touch Phonics: The Manipulative Multi-Sensory Phonics System. Newport Beach, CA.
Waterford Institute. Waterford Early Reading Program. Fremont, CA.
Yopp, H. K. "Developing Phonemic Awareness in Young Children". The Reading Teacher, 45, 696-703, 1992.
Institute for Education Reform
California State University, Sacramento
6000 J Street
Sacramento, CA 95819-6018
tel 916.278.4600
fax 916.278.5014
Sue Burr, co-director
Dustin Johnson, electronic support


text:
If you prefer your theater in bite-size morsels, this weekend is your chance.
Orange Coast College is staging its 10 or Less Festival – six individual one-act plays, each 10 minutes or less in duration – today, Saturday and Sunday at the college.
OCC students are producing, directing and acting in the plays with minimal instructor support. Four of the plays are even student-written.
The goal is to give the students – all members of Orange Coast Repertory Theatre, and all enrolled in theater classes at Orange Coast – the full experience of producing a play.
Rick Golson, professor of theater arts, has taught theater for 23 years at Orange Coast and has been putting on the 10 or Less Festival for about seven years.
"We try to get the students involved in everything. It's not just an acting experience. It's all the things it takes to put on a season of plays, whether it's working on the set crew, or working on costumes or being an usher or acting in the play or directing the play," he said.
Students who stay with the repertory can advance to become officers of the company, such as technical director, publicity manager and house manager.
Brandon Khong, a freshman theater arts major, has learned from the festival some of the struggles of getting actors to push themselves in new ways. Khong is directing the final show of the festival, "Carmen Dick: Feminist Private Eye."
"It takes a lot of work to be able to get your actors to do things they're not comfortable with, and it takes a lot of effort to get them to commit to what they're doing," Khong said, adding that since the show is melodrama, he is often pushing the actors to run with whatever over-the-top performance ideas come to them.
Festivals like 10 or Less, and the theater program at Orange Coast in general, have given some students a place to grow. A decade ago, Jerron "Jay" Ponder suffered a debilitating car wreck when he was 18, leaving him partially immobilized for the next half-decade. But a nudge from his sister to get back into acting sent him to the Orange Coast Repertory.
A senior this year, Ponder has only a few credits left to graduate and has performed in close to 35 shows for the repertory during his five years there.
"My confidence came back to audition for shows and interact with people, because when you're at home alone in a hospital bed, all the people you talk to are your mom, the TV and the walls," said Ponder, who still sometimes uses a wheelchair because of other accidents.
For the 10 or Less Festival, Ponder is acting in a sci-fi melodrama "Damsel in Distress," while directing an Edgar Allen Poe adaptation of "The Pit and the Pendulum."
Those one-act plays will be easier for audiences to digest, said Golson, the instructor, and are easier to put on for students who are first-time directors.
For those just starting out, "it's a little less intimidating to direct a play that's a little shorter. It's a little easier," Golson said, adding that a shorter piece is especially helpful for students just starting college in the fall. "They all get a good experience and they all get a taste of the responsibility and the commitment it takes to put on a project like this."
Contact the writer: firstname.lastname@example.com

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Wil Anderson
Due to popular demand season extended until the 28th October.
For world class comedy that is intelligent, current and engaging you can't look past Wil Anderson.
When Wil's not hosting ABC TV's Gruen Transfer or Gruen Planet, he's touring both here and abroad, with headline shows in the UK, Ireland, NZ and the US last year alone.
2011 saw his AFI-award winning show The Gruen Transfer continue to dominate the ratings, but it was in the arena of his true love, stand-up comedy, where he really made his mark on the world stage.
In 2011 Wil shared the stage with Sarah Silverman, Patton Oswalt, Louis CK, Daniel Tosh, Stephen Fry and Alan Davies culminating with none other than John Cleese naming him as one of comedy's hottest acts.
Wil returns to the Sydney in 2012 with a brand new, razor sharp, suitably named show - Wilarious. This is his 17th offering and it's bound to be a ripper.
With a sold out 2011 tour across Australia (including seven weeks at the Sydney Comedy Store) this is one show not to miss.
'a man in black on a bare stage spinning every thought he has into comedy gold' ****1/2 Herald Sun 2012
'Anderson has developed into a maestro' The Age 2011
'simply extraordinary…unmissable' Daily Telegraph 2011


text:
Communication Manual
IDEA™ Programmable Stepper Motor Controller
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The IDEA™ Drive Stepper Motor Controller is a stepper motor drive and fully programmable control unit that uses an intuitive patent-pending Graphic User Interface (GUI). The IDEA Drive technology is available in several different configurations including an external programmable drive and controller, or integrated with a linear actuator to form a complete package of motor, actuator, and programmable drive package.
Features include:
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Programmable Linear Actuators
Max Force
Linear Travel Per Step
Max Linear Power
IDEA Drive software is simple to use with on-screen buttons and easy-to-understand programming guides.
The software program generates motion profiles directly into the system and also contains a "debug" utility allowing line-by-line execution of a motion program for easy troubleshooting.


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This game was classified by the community with the following category scores - Violence=0/3, Sex=0/3, Mature Content=0/3. MusicNow! is a music jukebox and the fastest way to access your music library on your XBOX. Utilizing the new SEMpick UI you can find a specific Artist, Ablum, or Song with fewer keystrokes than any other product available.
Buy Xbox content on Xbox.com. Your Xbox 360 console will automatically download the content next time you turn it on and connect to Xbox Live.Learn More


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Originally published on July 4, 2012 11:03 am
Gary Cha and his family came to the U.S. from South Korea in the 1970s. They opened Yes! Organic Markets in food deserts and other unlikely neighborhoods around Washington, D.C. and Maryland. Cha speaks with host Michel Martin about his heritage, his business and racial tension between some Asian store-owners and African-American residents.


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TEENAGERS from across the town battled it out to impress Olympic gold medallist Linford Christie as he brought his Street Athletics back to the town for its 10th year on Saturday.
The event was set up to encourage sport among disadvantaged children across the country and involves a series of 100 metre heats, reflecting Linford's event of choice.
Winners in the various age categories will go on to compete against their peers from around the country at the finals in Manchester.
Linford said he was surprised the event had become so popular it had lasted a decade, but was proud of the many success stories it has created.
"We have been going for 10 years now and it was set up to begin with just to try to give kids opportunities to take part in sport and get active," he said.
"The winners will go to Manchester and race all the other finalists from around the country.
"We got to about eight or nine places we go to around the country, and last week we were in Nottinghamshire.
"There have been so many success stories over the past 10 years, and we have had kids who have never run before going on to compete in national championships and doing really well there.
"We have had really naughty kids come through and change their lives around. For one girl we had to apply to the courts to get some leniency so she could run, and after that she turned her life around completely. There are so many wonderful stories."
Linford was coerced into pitting his skills against younger legs on more than one occasion, and often fell well short of his personal best. He said: "I do get involved but I only race the little ones myself, and they always beat me.
"It is all about trying to get the kids fit and give them something to do.
"We did it for one year and didn't realise how long it would go on or how successful it would become, so who knows how long it could keep going. Hopefully someone will come along and take over.
"People always say they need to be eating healthier, but eating well and exercise go hand in hand so we have got to get the kids to work."
Craig Oliver, 20, from Lower Stratton, qualified as a finalist and will be going to Manchester later this year.
He said: "This is the first time I have done this. I love sport and it is good experience, and you learn something new every day.
"You get communication skills and teamwork out of it, and even the kids you teach teach you something themselves.
"I am looking forward to Manchester at the end of this, because I will be going up against people from all over England in the finals.
"I do not see it as winning, I see it as meeting new people and just having a good time. I would definitely recommend it to anyone."


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A NEW litter of puppies have joined the Essex Police family.
Seven-week-old Tia, Tyson, Tex and Turbo have been paired with volunteers who will look after them until they are ready to begin training.
Essex Police dog Xena was bred with a male dog from a private breeder for her second litter.
All were given names beginning with T after PC Terry Collinson, one of the instructors.
A spokesman for Essex Police said: "Each of the puppies has been paired with a volunteer known as a puppy walker.
"They are members of the public who give up their time to help prepare the dogs for training by getting them used to as many environments as possible.
"They don't train the pups but introduce them to as many different people and places as possible from noisy train stations to crowded shopping centres so they become familiar with everything they might encounter in their working career."
When the puppies are 14-months-old they will team up with a police dog handler and could be walking the beat by 2016.


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Each of our parcs has its own individual personality, however one thing they all have in common is a first-rate standard of quality, style and atmosphere.
Some of these places are traditional campsites and some are large holiday villages or resorts, offering huge pool complexes and so much action that you never need to leave.
We call all these places our parcs, you might call them campsites or resorts, either way you can be sure that they offer top-notch facilities like restaurants with sea views, brilliant bars, shops for all those holiday essentials and bakeries for breakfast. Please note that some facilities are only available in high season.


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Christmas is just around the corner. Are you busy wrapping up your work to prepare for a week's worth of feasting and gifting? Well, for me, I have finished work for the year and aside from packing, tying up loose ends, spring cleaning and cooking for dinner parties, I'm mostly relaxing in the apartment, idling when I can and savouring some me-time and time with my husband.
For five years now, Christmas has mostly been rather quiet for us. If we're not back in Singapore to celebrate the season with our families, we spend the holidays all wrapped up in the freezing cold, with each other in our cosy home. The shops are almost always closed during Christmas Eve and Day in Europe, and unlike Singapore, there's nowhere to go during the holidays. At first, this came as a bit of a shock, because we didn't know where to get groceries, or even a bottle of mineral water if we happen to be travelling. Over the years, however, we have come to appreciate the quiet time that is Christmas.
When there is nothing else to distract us, we focus on being with people. I'm not just talking about merry-making, but we catch up, talk about hopes and dreams for the new year, learn more about each other or about our friends and families, and most importantly, we appreciate and give thanks for the wonderful people in our lives. It is afterall the season of Joy and Love.
What better way to spend quality time with people whom you love than to sit around on the floor, huddled together under thick duvets by the drafty windows, laughing over mugs of hot chocolate? What better way to say thank you to your loved ones with a cosy dinner at your home? And what better way to send them home with good memories of the night, each with a bag of warm cookies in hand? I honestly can't think of better ways to celebrate the season than with good food and good times together, but that's just me.
Wherever you are, whatever you do and whoever you are with, I hope you enjoy the holidays. And I wish that the new year will bring you love, happiness and good health.
Happy Christmas, everyone!
Here's the recipe for my Dark Chocolate & Coconut Cookies, if you're interested:
Dark Chocolate & Coconut Cookies:
(adapted from The Hummingbird Bakery Cookbook)
230g unsalted butter, room temperature
300g soft light brown sugar
50g liquid glucose
2 medium eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
400g plain flour, sifted
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 and 1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
200g 70% chocolate, roughly chopped (I used Lindt)
100g flaked coconut
1. Preheat oven to 170 degrees Celsius.
2. Beat butter, sugar and glucose on the stand mixer with a paddle attachment for about 8 minutes on medium speed till creamy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula.
3. Add eggs, one at a time, and beat at medium speed till combined (scrape down sides of bowl with rubber spatula after each addition to incorporate the unmixed parts). Turn the mixer down to low speed and add the vanilla extract.
4. Add flour, salt and bicarbonate of soda and mix until just incorporated. Stir in the roughly chopped chocolate chunks and flaked coconut.
5. Arrange 6 tablespoon-sized drops of cookie dough on a baking tray lined with baking parchment. Ensure that these drops are spaced well apart (more than 2 inches apart) to allow for expansion. Bake in the preheated oven for 8-9 minutes, or until golden brown around the edges. At this point, the cookies will be quite flat, and frighteningly soft and pliable. Leave the cookies to cool slightly on the tray before transferring the cookies onto the cooling rack.
6. You can choose to eat them while they are warm (not hot!) and wash them down with a glass of cold milk, or have them at room temperature. I like them warm. When the cookies have cooled completely, store them in an air-tight container. These cookies should remain slightly crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside.
*Updated: This post is featured on Foodgawker and Tastespotting. Check out my profiles on Foodgawker and Tastespotting to see my other featured posts!
Check out what I have been baking in my own kitchen.
Also check out my other food adventures.


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Bergsma, Plum, Brenner earn All-American honors
EUGENE - After helping the University of Oregon volleyball team to its greatest season ever, redshirt senior Alaina Bergsma, junior Lauren Plum and sophomore Liz Brenner were rewarded with All-America honors Wednesday by the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA).
Becoming the first Duck trio to stake same-season honors, Bergsma and Plum picked up first-team All-America laurels for the first time in their careers, as did Brenner on the national second team.
Bergsma received her second career honor overall after she was tabbed to the national third team in 2011, and became the third Duck to repeat honors. Other UO players with consecutive nods include middle blocker Neticia Enesi (2008-2nd; 2009-3rd) and outside hitter Gorana Maricic (2007-2nd, '08-2nd).
Bergsma and Plum joined former Duck great Sue Harbour (1984) as the program's lone first-team selections, while Brenner is the team's first-ever underclass honoree.
Bergsma, a 6-3 outside hitter from Chandler, Ariz., ranks fourth nationally in kills (4.93 per set) and fifth in points (5.43 p/s) this week, and leads the Pac-12 in both categories. In hitting, she stands eighth in the league (.340), and has 25 + .300 hitting totals (and 11 +.400). Her top two kill totals of the season vs. Washington State (32) and Washington (31) also top the Pac-12 this season.
Plum, a 5-9 setter from Poway, Calif., ranks first in NCAA rankings in 2012 in assists per set (13.39), and her 1,526 assists is third-most in Duck history. She has posted the Pac-12's first-, third- and fourth-highest total match totals for 2012 (75 / 68 / 66). Under her guidance, UO ranks first nationally team-wise in kills (15.97 per set) and fifth in hitting (.296) - and the latter is a school record.
Brenner, a 6-1 outside hitter from Portland, ranks 73rd nationally in kills (3.89 p/s) and points (4.36), and ninth and 10th in the Pac-12, respectively. Among her 13 +.300 hitting totals on the season, seven have been +.500, including a season high at USC (.577, 16 kills). Overall in 2012, she has led the team in hitting in 11 matches, and points and kills eight times.
All three players were All-Pac-12 and All-Region honorees in recent weeks, and Bergsma and Plum scored the program's first Pac-12 Player and Setter of the Year honors, respectively.
Overall, Wednesday's AVCA honors raised the program's tally to nine the last six seasons and 10 all-time.
The Ducks scored multiple honors for the third time the last six years, and achieved the feat in 2008 (Enesi, 2nd; Maricic, 3rd) and '09 (Newcombe, 2nd; Enesi, 3rd).
Looking ahead to the final weekend of the season, 5-seeded UO (29-4, 16-4) will make its first-ever NCAA Final Four appearance Thursday vs. top-ranked Penn State (33-2, 19-1) at approximately 6 p.m. PT
In Thursday's other semifinal, #3 seed Texas (27-4) will play unseeded Michigan (27-11) immediately before at 4 p.m. PT.
The winner of those two matches will play for the NCAA Championship on Saturday at 4 p.m. PT.
All three matches will be televised live by ESPN2 and www.ESPN3.com
With its second-place Pac-12 finish, Oregon celebrated its best-ever league placing in 27 years of Pac-12 play. The Ducks' regular-season win tally (29) eclipsed its former best (27-12, 1984) since the start of the NCAA volleyball era in 1981.
Alaina Bergsma - AVCA All-America First Team
Lauren Plum - AVCA All-America First Team
Liz Brenner - AVCA All-America Second Team
Alaina Bergsma - AVCA All-America Third Team
Lauren Plum - AVCA All-America Honorable Mention
Sonja Newcombe - AVCA All-America Second Team
Neticia Enesi - AVCA All-America Third Team
Neticia Enesi - AVCA All-America Second Team
Gorana Maricic - AVCA All-America Second Team
Sonja Newcombe - AVCA All-America Honorable Mention
Gorana Maricic - AVCA All-America Second Team
Sue Harbour - All-America First Team CVCA
Sue Harbour - All-America First Team ASICS Tiger
Sue Harbour - All-America Honorable Mention
Name, School, Position, Year, Height, Hometown
Alaina Bergsma#, Oregon, OH, SR, 6'3, Chandler, AZ
Lauren, Cook, Nebraska, S, SR, 5'8, Lincoln, NE
Haley Eckerman^, Texas, OH, SO, 6'3, Waterloo, IA
Natalie Hagglund*, Southern California, L/DS, JR, 5'9, Encinitas, CA
Jennifer Hamson, Brigham Young, RS/Opp., JR, 6'7, Lindon, UT
Micha Hancock, Penn State, S, SO, 5'11, Edmond, OK
Katherine Harms, Minnesota, RS/Opp., SR, 6'2, Albertville, MN
Emily Hartong^, Hawaii, OH, JR, 6'2, Los Alamitos, CA
Tabi Love, UCLA, OH, SR, 6'5, Dauphin, MN
Chloe Mann, Florida, MB, JR, 6'2, Gainesville, FL
Lauren Plum, Oregon, S, JR, 5'9, Poway, CA
Ariel Scott#, Penn State, RS/Opp., JR, 6'4, Ridgewood, NJ
Bailey Webster*, Texas, OH, JR, 6'3, Baltimore, MD
Carly Wopat, Stanford, MB, JR, 6'2, Santa Barbara, CA
Name, School, Position, Year, Height, Hometown
Lola Arslanbekova#, Louisville, OH, SR, 5'11, Tashkent, Uzbekistan
Whitney Billings, Kentucky, RS/Opp., JR, 6'2, Helena, AL
Liz Brenner, Oregon, OH, SO, 6'1, Portland, OR
Tori Dixon, Minnesota, MB, JR, 6'3, Burnsville, MN
Kristen Hahn, Iowa State, L/DS, JR, 5'6, Cedar Rapids, IA
Tyler Henderson^@, Tulsa, OH, SR, 5'11, Oklahoma City, OK
Caroline Jarmoc, Kansas, MB, JR, 6'2, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Gina Mancuso*, Nebraska, OH, SR, 6'1, Omaha, NE
Samantha Selsky Dayton, S, SR, 5'10, Manhattan Beach, CA
Katie Slay@, Penn State, MB, JR, 6'6, Raleigh, NC
Ariel Turner*, Purdue, OH, SR, 6'1, Highlands Ranch, CO
Krista Vansant, Washington, OH, SO, 6'2, Redlands, CA
Hannah Werth@, Nebraska, OH, SR, 6'1, Springfield, IL
Lauren Wicinski#, Michigan State, OH, JR, 6'1, Geneva, IL
Name, School, Position, Year, Height, Hometown
Dana Cranston, Colorado State, OH, SR, 6'3, Fort St. John, BC
Jennifer Cross, Michigan, MB, JR, 6'4, Scarborough, Ontario
Katie Fuller, Southern California, RS/Opp., SR, 6'2, Olivehain, CA
Lisa Henning#, Missouri, RS/Opp., JR, 6'1, Blue Springs, MO
Mari Hole, The Ohio State, OH, SR, 6'0, Oslo, Norway
Stephanie Holthus, Northwestern, OH, JR, 5'11, Burlington, IL
Alison Landwehr*, Iowa State, S, SR, 6'0, St. Louis, MO
Deja McClendon^@, Penn State, OH, JR, 6'1, Louisville, KY
Sallie McLaurin, Oklahoma, MB, JR, 6'2, Midwest City, OK
Monique Mead, Georgia Tech, RS/Opp., SR, 5'10, Newnan, GA
Ashley Neff, Florida State, MB, JR, 6'3, Kennesaw, GA
Gwen Rucker, Louisville, MB, SR, 6'2, Lexington, KY
Emani Sims, Miami, MB, SO, 5'11, Glenview, IL
Kellie Woolever, Pepperdine, S, JR, 6'0, Long Beach, CA
* indicates 2011 AVCA First-Team All-America selection
^ indicates 2011 AVCA Second-Team All-America selection
# indicates 2011 AVCA Third-Team All-America selection
$ indicates 2010 AVCA First-Team All-America selection
@ indicates 2010 AVCA Second-Team All-America selection
% indicates 2010 AVCA Third-Team All-America selection
! indicates 2009 AVCA First-Team All-America selection
+ indicates 2009 AVCA Third-Team All-America selection
2012 Division I AVCA Freshman of the Year: Ziva Recek, Florida, OH
2012 Division I AVCA Player of the Year: Announced at AVCA All-America/Players of the Year Banquet on Dec. 14, 2012.
2012 AVCA Division I Honorable Mention All-America
Name, School, Position, Year
Roslandy Acosta, Arkansas, OH, SR
Jessica Adams, Tulsa, L/DS, SR
McKenzie Adams, Texas-San Antonio, OH, JR
Sandra Adeleye, Clemson, MB, SR
Emily Adney, Wichita State, OH, SR
Inky Ajanaku, Stanford, MB, FR
Toni Alugbue, Notre Dame, OH, SO
Kelly Bacon, Northeastern, OH, JR
Khat Bell, Texas, MB, SO
Megan Bober, Creighton, S, SR
Taylor Brauneis, Florida, S, JR
Samantha Bricio, Southern California, OH, FR
Kelli Browning, Creighton, MB, SO
Megan Campbell, Dayton, MB, JR
Danielle Carlson, Marquette, MB, SR
Nancy Cole, Rice, MB, SR
Ashleigh Crutcher, Maryland, OH, SO
Megan Cyr, North Carolina State, S, SR
Darcy Dorton, College of Charleston, OH, JR
Lexi Eriwin, Michigan, OH, JR
Chelsey Feekin, Wichita State, S, JR
Taylor Formico, UC Santa Barbara, L/DS, FR
Johnna Fouch, San Diego State, S, JR
Marie Frease, Cleveland State, MB, SR
Sareea Freeman, Florida State, MB, SR
Alexa Gray, Brigham Young, OH, FR
Brittany Groth, Wisconsin-Green Bay, L/DS, SR
Meghan Haggerty, Nebraska, MB, FR
Andrea Hannasch, San Diego State, MB, SR
Heather Hanneman, Brigham Young, S, SR
Liz Harden, Boise State, RS/Opp., SR
Christine Hartmann, Kentucky, S, SR
Xitlali Herrera, Texas-El Paso, MB, JR
Casey Hinger, CSU-Northridge, MB, SO
Jeane Horton, Texas-El Paso, OH, JR
Jeni Houser, Notre Dame, RS/Opp., SO
Victoria Hurtt, Iowa State, OH, SO
Alex Johnson, Miami, RS/Opp., JR
Brynn Joki, North Dakota State, OH, SR
Alisia Kastmo, Texas A&M, RS/Opp., SR
Rachael Kidder, UCLA, OH, SR
Stephanie Klefot, Kentucky, L/DS, SR
Elizabeth Koberstein, Marquette, S, JR
Kara Koch, Cleveland State, OH, SR
Rachel Krabacher, Dayton, OH, SR
Ali McCurdy, Duke, L/DS, JR
Emily McGee, North Carolina , OH, SR
Sha'Dare McNeal, Texas, RS/Opp., SR
Holly Mertens, Marquette, RS/Opp., SR
Lindsey Miller, Texas A&M, MB, SR
Kori Moster, Michigan State, L/DS, SO
Alexis Mourning, Miami, MB, SO
Ellen Mullins, Tennessee, L/DS, JR
Megan Murphy, Rice, S, JR
Kayla Neto, CSU-Fullerton, OH, SR
Paige Neuenfeldt, North Carolina , MB, FR
Jasmine Norton, Arkansas, OH, SR
Chisom Okpala, Long Beach State, MB, SO
Jazmine Orozco, Pepperdine, OH, JR
Brieon Paige, Colorado State, MB, SR
Kaitlynn Pelger, Kansas State, MB, JR
Megan Plourde, Colorado State, MB, SR
Kendall Polan, Yale, S/H, JR
Jodi Purdy, Wyoming, OH, SR
Ziva Recek, Florida, OH, FR
Chantale Riddle, New Mexico, RS/Opp., SO
Ellie Roberson, Morehead State, RS/Opp., SR
Kelsey Robinson, Tennessee, OH, JR
Taylor Root, Valparaiso, L/DS, SR
Martina Samadan, Virginia Commonwealth, MB, FR
DeLaina Sarden, Central Florida, MB, SO
Allie Sawatzky, Texas A&M, S, JR
Jordanne Scott, Cincinnati, OH, SR
Sam Serley, Alabama at Birmingham, MB, SR
Dani Shepherd, Pennsylvania, L/DS, JR
Jordyn Skinner, Western Kentucky, OH, SR
Melanie Stutsman, Western Kentucky, S, JR
Nrithya Sundarararman, Miami, S, SR
Mita Uiato, Hawaii, S, JR
Stephanie Vorherr, Xavier, L/DS, SR
Nicole Warner, Brigham Young, MB, SR
Caitlin Welch, Louisville, L/DS, JR
Tangerine Wiggs, Florida, RS/Opp., SR
Kristin Winkler, UC Irvine, L/DS, SR
Ashley Wittman, Minnesota, OH, JR
Fatma Yildirim, Florida State, OH, SR
Caroline Young, Southern Methodist, RS/Opp., SO


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vinasp wrote:1. What is the background to these questions, and how should they be understood?
The cosmologist (lokayata) schools of thought reasoned from what they saw as the basic principles of the physical cosmos in formulating their teachings on how life should be lived. In modern times, they would correspond to those who base their philosophies on principles drawn from the physical sciences, such as evolutionary biology or quantum physics. Although the cosmologists of India in the Buddha's time differed on first principles, they tended to be more unanimous in using their first principles — whatever they were — to argue for hedonism as the best approach to life.
vinasp wrote:2. What is meant by "all"?
vinasp wrote:3. What is meant by:"without veering towards either of these extremes"?
"By & large, Kaccayana, this world is supported by (takes as its object) a polarity, that of existence & non-existence. But when one sees the origination of the world as it actually is with right discernment, 'non-existence' with reference to the world does not occur to one. When one sees the cessation of the world as it actually is with right discernment, 'existence' with reference to the world does not occur to one.
"By & large, Kaccayana, this world is in bondage to attachments, clingings (sustenances), & biases. But one such as this does not get involved with or cling to these attachments, clingings, fixations of awareness, biases, or obsessions; nor is he resolved on 'my self.' He has no uncertainty or doubt that just stress, when arising, is arising; stress, when passing away, is passing away. In this, his knowledge is independent of others. It's to this extent, Kaccayana, that there is right view.
vinasp wrote:4. In what way does Dependent Origination represent an answer to the questions posed?
"'Everything exists': That is one extreme. 'Everything doesn't exist': That is a second extreme. Avoiding these two extremes, the Tathagata teaches the Dhamma via the middle: From ignorance as a requisite condition come fabrications. etc.
Amaro wrote:The evidence for 'being' (the arising of things) is seen and seen through, the
evidence for 'non-being' (the cessation of things) is seen and seen through; both are
thus let go of through perfect understanding, and the heart experiences release.
Another of the highly significant expressions of this same balancing point of
the Middle Way comes in the Collection on Causation in the Saμyutta Nikaya:
[SN 12.15 Kaccaayanagotto Sutta]
Nanananda wrote:It is clear from this declaration that in this context the law of
dependent arising itself is called the middle path. Some prefer
to call this the Buddha's metaphysical middle path, as it avoids
both extremes of `is' and `is not'. The philosophical implica-
tions of the above passage lead to the conclusion that the law
of dependent arising enshrines a certain pragmatic principle,
which dissolves the antinomian conflict in the world.
Passano wrote:... there are other instances where the Buddha defines the Middle Way as a
precise approach that cuts through the continuum entirely. This is especially apparent
in passages where he discusses the Middle Way in terms, not of behavior or
motivation, but of Right View.
Bodhi wrote:Dependent origination offers a radically different perspective that transcends the two extremes. It shows that individual existence is constituted by a current of conditioned phenomena devoid of metaphysical self yet continuing on from birth to birth as long as the causes that sustain it remain effective. Dependent origination thereby offers a cogent explanation of the problem of suffering that on the one hand avoids the philosophical dilemmas posed by the hypothesis of a permanent self, and on the other avoids the dangers of ethical anarchy to which annihilationism eventually leads. As long as ignorance and craving remain, the process of rebirth continues; kamma yields its pleasant and painful fruit, and the great mass of suffering accumulates. When ignorance and craving are destroyed, the inner mechanism of karmic causation is deactivated, and one reaches the end of suffering in samsara. Perhaps the most elegant exposition of dependent origination as the "middle teaching" is the famous Kaccanogotta sutta.
Lastly, in the culmination of the process, there is the remainderless relinquishment of all experience. There is a complete acceptance of all that
arises and no confusion about the fact that all patterns of experience are of
the same dependent, insubstantial nature.
[What do they mean by: "the relinquishment of all experience"? "... a complete
acceptance of all that arises .."? or "... that all patterns of experience
are of the same dependent, insubstantial nature"?
How can one relinquish all experience? None of the things in DO arise
any more - they have ceased. There is nothing dependent about experience,
the Buddha still sees forms with the eye, even after all DO links have
vinasp wrote: 4. Perhaps some other option.
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Alaska Airlines started using precision required navigation performance (RNP) approaches into Juneau, Alaska, in 1996, and RNP has been used extensively by other airlines since that time. RNP is a subset of the broader, performance-based navigation (PBN) concept considered a key enabler of airspace modernization efforts in the U.S., Europe and elsewhere. In September 2007, the assembly of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) resolved that satellite-based approach procedures with vertical guidance be implemented "for all instrument runway ends" by 2016.
With acknowledged benefits of reducing track miles, mitigating noise and lowering fuel burn and emissions, you'd think RNP is off and running as a global standard. But at the PBN summit sponsored by GE Aviation in Seattle in late September and at other recent forums there was a current of frustration with the plodding pace of RNP implementation.
Most production airliners and business aircraft can fly performance-based area navigation (Rnav) flight paths using ground navaids or GPS position for reference, and many can fly the tight tolerances of RNP, which differs in requiring on-board performance monitoring and alerting. The kicker is that procedures to accommodate PBN-capable aircraft haven't been widely developed or aren't being used.
Steve Fulton, technical fellow with GE Aviation PBN Services, helped develop the first RNP approaches into Juneau and southeast Alaska in the 1990s as a technical pilot with Alaska Airlines (as did Hal Andersen, also with GE). He opened the fifth annual PBN summit with a progress report on ICAO assembly resolution A36-23 to implement approach procedures with vertical guidance (APV) as the primary approach or backup for all instrument runway ends by 2016.
The 2007 resolution was superseded in October 2010 by A37-11, which calls on member states to complete PBN implementation plans "as a matter of urgency," and adds straight-in lateral navigation (Lnav)-only procedures as an exception for aircraft without Vnav capability, or for airports without local altimeter settings. The first milestone was to achieve 30 percent global deployment of PBN procedures by 2010. One year later, the deployment is half that. "It's not enough to have resolutions," Fulton said, "we have to have other activities to support this if we're truly going to be successful with this goal of 100 percent (deployment) by 2016."
U.S. Is Top Performer
The U.S. is a top performer in PBN deployment, although the FAA has been criticized for simply overlaying RNP procedures on existing routes to show progress. Fulton used a shading graphic indicating the greatest concentration of PBN approaches–from 21 percent to 50 percent of instrument runways–is in North America, followed by Central and South America with 11 to 20 percent deployment. Europe, Asia, the Middle East and Africa show faintly at 0 to 10 percent deployment.
By ICAO's definition, there are 1,523 runways in the U.S. that are candidates for APV, of which 30 percent support vertical guidance through a ground-based GPS augmentation system, or Waas. "We have to acknowledge that there is value here," said Fulton. "But the operators, particularly in the United States, are communicating a certain level of disappointment."
Indeed, representatives of major operator groups expressed frustrations over RNP deployment in an October 5 hearing before the U.S. House aviation subcommittee to discuss progress toward the Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen). Thomas Hendricks, vice president for operations and safety with the Air Transport Association, said 90 percent of the U.S. airline fleet is capable of Rnav operations and 45 percent of RNP.
"Most of the aircraft have advanced flight management computers that allow very optimized cruise altitude and descent planning, and we're unable to take advantage of that. And that technology has been around for a couple of decades," said Hendricks, a former Delta Air Lines pilot and director of line operations. "I've flown RNP approaches myself. One of the (approaches) we've gained great benefit from is in Quito, Ecuador, where we improved the safety and reliability of the operation. We need to do the same thing at Chicago Midway."
Costly Procedures
NBAA president and CEO Edward Bolen said highly accurate RNP authorization required (AR) approaches require operators to go through a costly set of approvals, with little current benefit for the GA community. "Investment in NextGen has already been made by the private sector," he said. "The frustration is, at this point, we don't feel we are freely, consistently and ubiquitously operating with those types of approaches."
Lack of PBN approaches is one consideration; use of approaches that do exist is another. Much of the discussion in Seattle focused on the training and tools FAA makes available to air traffic controllers to manage mixed fleets of RNP-capable and other aircraft. The takeaway is that more work needs to be done. "A whole generation of controllers has no idea," said Dennis Kelly, national Rnav representative with the National Air Traffic Controllers Association. Kelly said an effort is under way by US Airways in Philadelphia to have controllers observe pilots flying RNP approaches in a simulator–something Qantas has done in Australia. "When you get the controllers and pilots involved, it's a thing of beauty," he said.
Southwest Airlines offers a case study in the ragged implementation of RNP procedures. In 2008 the low fare carrier announced an ambitious program to equip its fleet of more than 500 Boeing 737 classics and NGs for RNP. The six-year, $175 million effort involves training 6,000 pilots to fly precision approaches and designing new procedures at the 73 airports in Southwest's network. The network grew by 30 more airports with Southwest's acquisition of AirTran Airways in May.
Southwest started RNP operations on January 11, and as of late September had flown 5,807 RNP AR approaches. "The bad news is those RNP AR operations are approximately one percent of our daily operations," said Capt. David Newton, Southwest senior manager of airspace. "We have 3,400 flights a day." The airline had developed RNP approaches at just 16 airports, 15 percent of the network.
In post-flight reports filed at the gate after shutdown, Southwest asks pilots if they have flown an RNP approach. If not, they are asked to explain why. "The vast majority of time when pilots unsuccessfully fly an RNP AR approach is because ATC takes them off the procedure or gives them a vector or reassigns them something else," Newton said.
The airspace is designed around instrument landing system (ILS) approaches, he said, noting that "ILS" is mentioned 159 times in FAA's ATC manual (Order 7110.65), and Rnav with respect to approaches just eight times. "RNP is just not the cultural norm," Newton said. "The future of U.S. airspace is based primarily on NextGen. NextGen is a satellite-based navigation system and yet today, right now, it's all about ILS (and) visual approaches."
The situation in the U.S. is evolving. The NextGen advisory committee advising the FAA on NextGen implementation has recommended a baseline navigation capability for Part 121 carriers of RNP 0.3–the ability to stay within 0.3 nm of center line–including curved radius-to-fix (RF) flight legs. On October 4 Boeing announced a $3.1 million research task order award from the FAA for the "Greener Skies Initiative 2" to evaluate RNP procedures at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport and Boeing Field in Seattle for future application at capacity-constrained airports. The initiative builds on the Greener Skies Over Seattle project, which demonstrated Alaska Airlines's ability to reduce emissions by 35 percent compared to conventional landings using RNP.
Fulton sees RNP playing a role in gate-to-gate air traffic management, not just as an efficient way to land a plane at a discrete airport. "Sometimes the conversations are around only the part of flight from 10 to 15 miles from the (airport), with a continuous descent approach to the runway," he said. "That's not the complete opportunity we have. We want to connect the cruise segment of flight with a defined, uninterrupted vertical path all the way to the runway." With the first RNP procedures in Alaska, "that's actually the concept we had in mind. We were cleared for approach at cruise altitude. We had an uninterrupted, ideal, optimized path all the way to the runway."
Gary Church (not verified)
November 2, 2011 - 11:47am
The operational use of RNP procedures is a air traffic control option. Controllers will not reliably use RNP procedures when it pejoratively affects their workload or contributes to the complexity within their sector of responsibility. All of the approaches in the world are of little value if ATC does not say, "cleared for the approach".
Some very preliminary work has been done to create controller tools on both STARS and ARTS terminal automation systems that allow phantom targets on an extended runway centerline that represent the position of aircraft flying an RNP approach not on an ILS final. This "ghosting" or "relative position indicator" tool is a controller aid that allows them to accurately merge aircraft on different approach procedures at or near a final approach fix. Until such tools are fully developed or all aircraft are flying RNP procedures (i.e., common path, RNP use will never be fully achieved.
Dave (not verified)
November 8, 2011 - 7:42pm
you would enjoy this
Freddy (not verified)
November 17, 2011 - 8:27am
RNP has some advantages such as the capability of RF turns in final, but the reality is that of all of the 3 dimensional approach types such as ILS, LPV, VNAV it normally generates the worse minimums. A standard 0.3 RNP final is incapable of minimums less than a 270 foot height above threshold, and this is before evaluation of obstacles is ever done. Additionally, RNP has to add a buffer for obstacle accuracy that the other procedure types do not use to ensure adequate safety above obstacles.
Some want to promote the "State of the Art" capability of RNP, but the reality is that the vertical guidance is using Barometric Altimetry which is technology based off 1920's or 30's?
NATCA should be concerned about this, because once these people get done complaining about there not being enough RNP procedures, they are going to complain about the controllers not clearing aircraft for these procedures. Then you can remove the "C" from ATC, because you will have none!


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Related stories: Rose Bowl scoring summary | VINCENT BONSIGNORE: Third time not the charm for Wisconsin's Rose Bowl aspirations | JILL PAINTER: Stanford's Rose Bowl victory helps restore Pac-12's good name
Photo gallery: 2013 Rose Bowl photo gallery
PASADENA - What might have been a blowout turned into a thriller. And then the whole thing got kind of dull.
But that's the way Stanford likes it, and the Cardinal rode their bruising defense to a 20-14 victory Tuesday in the 99 th Rose Bowl.
That's excitement enough for Stanford, which completed its season with a 12-2 record, its first Rose Bowl title in 41 years and the first under David Shaw, who improved to 23-5 in two seasons since replacing Jim Harbaugh.
Not to mention doing it without Andrew Luck, the quarterback who has taken the Indianapolis Colts to the NFL playoffs as a rookie. The Cardinal, as it turned out, would miss Luck, but not the way it was seen from the outside.
"It was understandable," Shaw said. "We weren't upset about it at all. It was understandable. Andrew Luck deserved and deserves a lot of credit and a lot of attention for what he has done with us and what he's doing now in the NFL.
"But the thing that we knew is that we had a good team. The thing that Andrew knew was he had a good team around him. Andrew was as excited about this year coming up as anybody that we have. That is one thing we kept talking about.
"But nobody was talking about our running game. Nobody was talking about our offensive line. Nobody was talking about our front seven and how special those guys were, last year and this year. Our guys knew if we played smart, and played together and played hard, we'd give ourselves a chance to be right here."
It was another wrenching West Coast moment for the Badgers (8-6), who lost in Pasadena for the third consecutive year.
Wisconsin had rolled up 70 points against Nebraska in the Big Ten championship game to erase the sting of a series of close losses, but coach Bret Bielema then decided to take the open job at Arkansas.
That meant athletic director Barry Alvarez, who had guided Wisconsin to a 3-0 record in the school's three previous trips to the Rose Bowl, would take over on a one-game basis. Alvarez could have tied Woody Hayes' Big Ten Conference record of four Rose Bowl victories.
"Every season stands on its own merit," Alvarez said. "We've played three very good games. These guys played hard, they played to win, the coaches coached to win, but it's a different team.
"In fact, most people would like to get here once. We just didn't get it done. The only thing that's different than the other teams that I coached ... somehow we found a way to win, and we weren't fortunate enough to get a win today."
The Badgers ran into a wall in the form of the Stanford defense, which did as well as a team could to defend a pounding running game led by Montee Ball, who scored his 83 rd career touchdown. He also ran for 100 yards, but Wisconsin crossed midfield only once in the second half.
Then came nickel back Usua Amanam's interception at the Wisconsin 44-yard line with 2:03 left, and the Cardinal had their victory.
"It was a max drop, so I was basically just playing the quarterback," Amanam said. "I happened to see him go to the middle of the field and I just pedaled to the right, and I think a D-lineman got his hand on the ball and fortunately the ball just fell in my hands.
"I don't think any one play wins any game. I just happened to be in the right place at the right time and we were able to kind of seal the game with that one."
It all started breathlessly enough, with Stanford marching 80 yards and then 79 to score touchdowns on its first two possessions.
When Wisconsin awakened, the Badgers banged their way back into the game by halftime. Then came a second-half stalemate of cautious runs, a lot of punts and only one score.
Jordan Williamson's second field goal of the game, a 22-yarder with 4:23 left, provided the final margin and capped Stanford's longest possession, a bludgeoning 66-yard drive in 12 plays that took more than six minutes off the clock.
Stanford took a 7-0 lead on a 16-yard reverse by receiver Kelsey Young. That came one play after Stanford caught Wisconsin off guard when receiver Drew Terrell connected with Jamal Rashad-Patterson for a 34-yard pass down the middle.
The Cardinal came right back on their next drive and got into scoring position with quarterback Kevin Hogan's 43-yard pass over the middle to tight end Zach Ertz. On the next play, running back Stepfan Taylor scored on a 3-yard run to make it 14-0.
The Badgers thought - twice - they were back in it at the outset of the second quarter. But Ball's 8-yard scoring run was erased by a holding penalty on first-and-goal. Then quarterback Curt Phillips' apparent 10-yard scoring pass to Jacob Pederson was reviewed and he was ruled to be down at the 1-yard line.
Instead of Ball going in on fourth-and-goal, backup running back James White was stopped short of the goal line, trying to get through the teeth of the Stanford line.
"Well, I'm always upset I'm not in the game," Ball said. "It's just the competitive nature that I have. We have a lot of faith in our offensive coordinator, coach (Matt) Canada.
"That play has been working leading up to this game and we were very confident it was going to work. But the D-line did a great job clogging the holes, submarining our linemen and not leaving any gaps for James to find."
Wisconsin did break through on its next drive with Ball's 11-yard touchdown run, but the Cardinal answered with Williamson's 47-yard field goal that made it 17-7.
Phillips' 38-yard scramble helped Wisconsin pull off a two-minute drill, which was capped by Phillips' 4-yard scoring pass to Jordan Fredrick.
Stanford outgained Wisconsin 344 yards to 301, and Amanam's interception was the game's only turnover.
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Ideal for beginning students. These blue pants feature very lightweight material from a durable cotton/polyester blend. The result is gi bottoms that feel close to regular clothing while still providing that unique martial arts fit and feedback.
These pants utilize a triangular crotch insert which allows for more comfortable kicking. The waistband is conveniently outfitted with elastic, making it easy to wear and appropriate for a wider range of waist sizes.
For your convenience, we have also listed the average uniform sizes by age for both boys and girls.
For Boys
For Girls


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Year-end is fast approaching, and based on web traffic it seems like the question of converting traditional IRA savings to Roth savings looms large. Congress has added to the buzz by allowing the conversion of certain pre-tax 401(k) money into Roth money (though few plans will offer this option in 2010).
Before you jump on the conversion bandwagon, I want to raise a critical question: What if tax rates don't go up?
Conversion to Roth makes sense generally if you believe future tax rates in retirement will be higher than today's. With looming fiscal challenges facing the U.S. government (as I've blogged about previously), the dominant assumption is that federal income tax rates will most certainly rise. But here's another scenario. What if taxes go up—but tax rates fall?
Consider tax reform ideas from the President's commission on deficit reduction. Those proposals envision a lower set of tax rates than today, although they raise tax dollars by phasing out various preferences. Other tax reformers have suggested raising revenues in other ways, such as a VAT tax, to close the fiscal gap, which leaves rates unaffected. Under these scenarios, taxes to the government might rise—but the marginal tax rate on retirement dollars might still be lower in retirement.
I'm not trying to dissuade investors worried about tax rate increases from converting today. But Roth advocates need to be cognizant that there is some risk, almost impossible to assess, that the conventional wisdom on taxes—higher marginal tax rates will be needed to address federal deficits—may be wrong. Your taxes can go up even while tax rates are lower. Or taxes can be increased in other ways. And it is the marginal income tax rate you pay that will dictate whether pre-tax or Roth savings make sense in the long run.
Our advice, in the face of this uncertainty, is tax diversification: maintain pools of pre-tax savings to hedge against falling rates, and Roth savings to hedge against rising rates.
A final thought: Roth conversions are complicated, so be sure to consult our content on vanguard.com, as well as your tax or financial adviser, to help think through the issue.
Note: If you take withdrawals from an IRA before age 59½, you may have to pay ordinary income tax plus a 10% federal penalty tax on withdrawals. The amount you convert to a Roth IRA is not subject to the 10% penalty.


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So why musicology hostel?
Because we are first of all travelers and then business owners
Because we know that it's the little things that make the difference like a good morning and a smile
Because we are aware that we cannot only take but also give (social projects)
Because we are VERY ecological aware (all wood used in the hostel is from demolition, including the bunk beds. We recycle. Everything. we are a paper free hostel - no check in forms.....)
And mainly because we, the owners Musicology hostel, are long time backpackers from various countries that in between us we have visited more than 100 countries and slept in hostels in all of them.
In Musicology we tried to create our dream hostel. A hostel just the way we would like to find when we travel, implementing "wisdoms" we picked along the way but mainly avoiding the things we learnt not to do from other hostels we stayed in.
Our beautifully restored colonial house has 2 patios, a garden and hammocks to chill out on. We have a fully equipped bar, ALL staff speak fluent English, hot water with strong pressure 24h, blankets like your mama will leave on your bed at home, extra wide bed, best mattresses in the market and private bathrooms in most our dorms.
The room price includes FREE breakfast, FREE DINNER (yes, it's not a printing mistake),FREE bed sheets and towel, FREE internet, FREE WiFi, FREE local calls, FREE safe deposit boxes in all dorms with electricity plugs in them to safely charge your electric toys, FREE use of the guest kitchen, FREE smiles, FREE Salsa classes every Thursday, FREE exchange library, FREE luggage storage, FREE and complete travel info. about Bogota and the area, FREE use of the hostel after checkout until 23:00, including showers and internet, Free games and playing cards and much much more.
Here are some more services you can enjoy in our hostel, and forgive us if some of them are not as free. Yet....:-))
Bar with all night happy hour (why limit happiness to 2 hours a night?), Same day laundry service, IPod and MP3 docking stations in the toilets, Charging corner for all king of cell phones, media players, heart pacers….., Currency exchange, Sunday BBQ, 24h reception, Night guard, Airport pickup (25,000 COP), No curfew or lockout, In hostel Spanish teacher, Restaurant with a wide vegetarian selection and most important our SATURDAY NIGHT CRAZY TURTLE BAR HOPPING PARTY BUS!!!!!!
Let the music rock your soul!!!
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text: ‹ Return to Events Calendar Christy Sports Powder Daze Sale Saturday, August 30, 2014 Visit us at the Christy Sports Powder Daze sale in Denver August 22-24 and Labor Day Weekend August 29-September 2. Location: 8601 West Cross Dr. Littleton, Co 81123 Suite L Times:10:00am-8:00pm Christy Sports Powder Daze Show Special! Elevation 4 Pass plus a Free Ski Day For A Friend Ticket - $129! Get FOUR days of skiing or riding at the lowest price of the season plus a free ski day for a friend. No blackout dates, no restrictions. Must be purchased at the Christy Sports Powder Daze sale in Denver August 22-24 2014 or August 29-September 2 2014 only. We will also be selling our 4-pack and passes. What is a 4-Pack? A 4-pack is a set of 4 fully transferable lift tickets valid any day of the 14/15 season. A 4-pack can be used on 4 different days or all 4 can be used on one day. They can be shared with family and friends and give you direct-to-lift access. Price: $149


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SHEPHERDSVILLE - With the holiday season in full force, Sherman Tinnell thought it would be a good idea to use the time at his monthly Mayor's Night In to talk about safety in the community.
And he brought along experts from the fire and police departments to share their advice.
Johnny Smothers, a veteran police officer in Shepherdsville, said there are many people during the holidays looking to steal more than holiday cheer from others.
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Discounted Muni-Bond Funds Rally
Prices are rallying this morning among 16 nicely-discounted, income-focused closed-end funds highlighted in a Barron's column this weekend.
Municipal-bond funds are among the best performers from our short list, up more than 2% this morning:
- Nuveen Preferred Income Opportunities (JPC)
- Nuveen Municipal Value Fund (NUV) the largest municipal-bond closed-end fund by assets.)
- BlackRock Muni Intermediate Duration Fund (MUI)
- Cohen & Steers Infrastructure Fund (UTF)
The Invesco California Value Municipal Income Trust (VCV) is up nearly 2%.
Colleague Andrew Bary said in a piece over the weekend that "the allure of the closed-end muni funds is 6% to 7% yields, above the 4.5% yields on high-grade long-term munis. The higher yields reflect both the discount and the use of leverage." Such funds, he added, "are drawing fans ranging from Bill Gross, the bond king at Pimco, to Doug Kass of Seabreeze Partners." See "The Case For Closed-End Funds," (subscription required), and the accompanying table of 16 funds here.
Muni-bond funds have been on an upswing in light of last week's taper news from the Federal Reserve (more here).


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First HorseTrivia brain teasers have some element of trivia in them, but they are not just pure trivia questions.
It was a beautiful day, and Mary had just gotten home with her new horse, so she decided to go for a ride. She had spent several days, before purchasing the horse, riding and getting to know him and felt confident of his stability. When Mary went to saddle him, he reared back on his halter rope, broke loose and ran away. Mary was startled and surprised. Even though she had never saddled a horse on her own, she had seen it done many times at the riding stable.
What happened?
HintWhat does the horse see?
AnswerMary tried to saddle her horse from the wrong side. Most horses are trained for the left, and Mary had gone to the right side. Horses are binocular, meaning they see independently with each eye. If they are not trained to accept things from both sides they can easily become frightened when approached with something that eye may see as new.
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Calvin Finch: Leave the leaves
Published 12:10 pm, Friday, April 12, 2013
If you have live oak trees, the leaves are probably covering your lawn now. Rather than bagging the leaves and sending them to the landfill, consider them a valuable addition to your garden.
Whether you let them decompose on the lawn or in the compost pile, or use them for mulch, live oak leaves are reusable as a source of organic material.
If the leaves are not too deep on the lawn, you can let them lay and they will decompose over the next few weeks. Speed the process by mowing the leaves into smaller pieces that will break down faster.
They also can be added to the compost pile or used for mulch in flower beds or vegetable gardens.
Fresh grass
Lifestyle Channel
Sod can be applied anytime for a new lawn or to repair areas in an existing lawn. Wait until about May 1 to put out Bermuda. The soil and air temperature are warm enough for it to germinate at that time.
If the drought continues and we move into Stage 3 water restrictions, 2013 may not be the best time to establish a new lawn.
Visit the San Antonio Water System website, www.saws.org, to review the watering rules for lawns.
Calvin R. Finch is a horticulturist and director of the Texas A&M Water Conservation and Technology Center. Contact him at firstname.lastname@example.com.
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