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We've had a lot of requests to try out some alternate types of sales, and one of the reoccurring requests is for a "Seasonal Card upgrade" option. Meaning, you could trade a card for its seasonal version. Some other games offer the option to pay to "skin" your units, and seasonal cards are kind of the equivalent of that. So, as an experiment I thought we'd give it a try this week the old fashioned way, so we can judge interest and get a feel for how it would work in practice.
From now until May 6th, email email@example.com with SEASONAL in all caps in the subject line if you want to swap out one of your cards with the seasonal version. Be sure to indicate which seasonal you want if one card has multiple. The price will be as follows.
2-Star 250 Gran
3-Star 500 Gran
4-star 750 Gran
5-star or EX 1000 Gran
Your first swap per account is 50% off, except EX cards.
1-stars are not available for this offer, but I'm putting up the standard SEASONAL LOTTO during this event, which should land you all the 1-stars you could want.
NOTE: I realize that this won't work without a big gallery of seasonal art to look through, so Jazzock has volunteered (Okay, so I might have bribed him) to put one together. It should be ready tomorrow.


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Will You Be My (Financially Responsible) Valentine?
When Cupid slings his arrow, it can hit you right in the wallet. What's the economically challenged lovebird to do? Well, luckily, a sense of humor is still free. Here are some tips -- and some what-not-to-do's, including some of Ed Begley's ill-fated money-savers.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Universal Expert Toaster
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Coated stainless steel body and controls.


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Paramedics and sports club's doctors will have an opportunity to polish their knowledge at a Ruby Hall Clinic, its managing trustee Purvez Grant confirmed in Dar es Salaam yesterday.
Grant said the Ruby Clinic is available to provide further education in sports science and specialized training for those interested in the field.
Grant said his hospital has a special team of orthopedics who has been dealing with sports medicine for many years.
The trustee was addressing Dar es Salaam based medical doctors at the function organised by Shift Med Tanzania yesterday.
He said the Ruby Clinic provides medical services to India premier cricket side Pune Warriors that features in the country's Champions league.
The clinic is committed to help Tanzania orthopedics through providing specialised training to team doctors in sports related emergencies.
Grant said the clinic is also expected to partner with Dar hospitals to ease expenses to be incurred for the trip to India .
He went on to say that Tanzania like many other African country need a boost to train its paramedics and sports doctors to ensure safety improvement during sporting activities.
"We have a full department which deals with sports medicine and I hope Tanzania sports doctors will soon start travelling to India for specialised training", he said.
He declined to disclose when the project will start as his visit was initially aimed at discussing with medical practitioners on how best they can work together for the benefit of the two countries.
He said most injuries sustained by sports personalities are preventable, but poor facilities and expertise results in athletes and players to end their careers prematurely.
According to him the clinic has state of the art facilities having served several African countries through conducting surgeries in Nigeria, Kenya and South Africa.
Meanwhile, the Medical Association of Tanzania (MAT) chairman Namala Myopic said the country stands to benefit a lot if the partnership will be realized.
He said currently higher learning institutions do not offer special courses in sports medicine and only depend on people who did physical educations and others who have medical knowledge to work as team doctors.
Myopic said it will be difficult for the country to offer degrees in sports medicine as the Government has many other new degrees to introduce.
Alex Kobolyenda who is the managing partner of Shift Med Tanzania said the country needs to develop its medical professional by learning from well developed countries like India.
He described the project as ideal for the development of Tanzania and thanked the Indian clinic for accepting to pay the visit.


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"Disco Queen" Donna Summer Has Died
"Disco Queen" DONNA SUMMER passed away yesterday. She was 63.
--There's no official cause of death, but multiple reports say she was suffering from cancer. TMZ claims she had LUNG cancer . . . and "sources" told them Donna thought she got it by "inhaling toxic particles after the 9/11 attack in New York City."
--Her family released this statement: Quote, "While we grieve her passing, we're at peace celebrating her extraordinary life and continued legacy."
--Donna was once a backup singer for THREE DOG NIGHT, before releasing her first big hit, the racy "Love to Love You Baby", in 1975.
--Her other hits included: "I Feel Love", "MacArthur Park", "She Works Hard for the Money", "Hot Stuff", "Bad Girls", "No More Tears" with BARBRA STREISAND, and "Last Dance" from the "Thank God It's Friday" soundtrack.
--Donna won five Grammys, six American Music Awards and was the first African American woman to be nominated for an MTV Video Music Award, for "She Works Hard for the Money".
Facebook Could Make Bono the World's Richest Musician
For as long as we can remember, PAUL MCCARTNEY has been holding onto that title of WORLD'S RICHEST MUSICIAN. But his reign will probably come to an end TODAY, when Facebook becomes a publicly-traded company.
--You see, BONO has a nice little investment in Facebook. And when it goes public, his net worth is expected to shoot from about $900 million to $1.5 BILLION. McCartney is "only" worth about $1 billion.
Did Justin Bieber Post a Tweet Suggesting He Broke Up With Selena Gomez?
This may not be true, but it's out there in the celebrity gossip universe, so we better address it . . .
--JUSTIN BIEBER supposedly Tweeted a message yesterday that made it sound like he and SELENA GOMEZ had broken up.
--Here's what he ALLEGEDLY said . . . quote, "Thank you for the time I had with you but I have to move on now."
--Of course we can't PROVE this, because the Tweet was supposedly DELETED almost immediately.
--But a source says Justin and Selena haven't seen much of each other lately because she's in Bulgaria filming a movie, and he's here in the States working on his new album.
Jenny McCarthy Will Celebrate Her 40th Birthday . . . By Posing Nude for "Playboy"
JENNY MCCARTHY turns 40 in November . . . and she's marking the occasion by POSING NUDE FOR "PLAYBOY" again. You won't have to wait until November to see the pictures. They'll be in the July issue.
--Jenny has apparently gone back and forth on the issue of rejoining the "Playboy" family. In 2009, she flip-flopped pretty hard. In several interviews, she seemed dead-set against it.
--Like when she said this . . . quote, "There was a time when I was happy to take off the bikini for guys, but I spent 14 years pleasing men, and now I'm focusing on doing something good for women.
--"I only really read 'Playboy' now to see what a [vagina] should look like. I need to know what kind of grooming patterns are popular nowadays."
--But that same year, she also said, quote, "I would absolutely pose for 'Playboy'. I would be so flattered if they asked me. It's probably not going to happen but I think I want to do it again."
Showbiz Tragedy! Three of the Wiggles Are Quitting!
THE WIGGLES are going through another lineup change . . . and this one's REALLY big. Because THREE of them are leaving at the end of the year. (!!!)
--Jeff Fatt, Murray Cook and Greg Page. . . the Purple, Red and Yellow Wiggles, respectively . . . are all quitting the group. That leaves Anthony Field, the Blue Wiggle, as the sole original member.
--Jeff, Murray and Greg will continue working with the Wiggles behind the scenes. They just wanted to step out of the spotlight and lead more normal lives. Their replacements have already been chosen.
Ashton Kutcher Is Returning to "Punk'd" for a Special Episode
ASHTON KUTCHER is returning to host a special episode of "Punk'd" on June 3rd, before the MTV Movie Awards. MTV says he's punking "two of the hottest celebrities in Hollywood," but there's no word who they are yet.
(--Of course, he hosted the show from 2003 to 2007, when it ended its first run. "Punk'd" started up again earlier this year without a regular host. Ashton is still onboard as an executive producer.)


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Förderverein für Solarkocher
Revision as of 01:31, October 20, 2013 by Tom Sponheim (Talk | contribs)
1,798pages on
this wiki
this wiki
The Förderverein für Solarkocher (Association for the Promotion of Solar Cookers) was founded in 1998 by Eduard Probst, who had built and developed box-type solar cookers for the past 20 years.
With the help of this ingenious yet simple technology, the Association encourages the use of inexhaustible solar energy by deploying solar cookers in sun-rich but economically poor regions of the earth.
By this means the organisation makes a contribution towards improving the lives of the suffering population, towards preserving forests threatened by deforestation, and towards reducing CO2 emissions.
[Text for this page was borrowed from http://www.solarkocher.ch/index.php?lang=en&modul=.]
See also
- See Roland Baumann.


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Farm Rattles
No longer available
Give your baby a set of soft farm friends to grasp and shake.
3.5" diameter
Designed to clip on to our Farmyard Activity Gym or use as individual toys.
Sewn of a soft velour and cotton with plush polyester fill.
Each animal chimes or rattles when shaken, grabbed or rolled.
Set of 3 includes a cow, pig and duck.
Ages newborn and up.
Internet / Retail only.


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Fort Wayne, Ind (www.incnow.tv) - Tommy Schoegler and Geoff King talk about where Tyler Eifert may go in the NFL Draft and the hopes of John Goodman and Austin Coleman hearing their names called.
What are your thoughts CLICK HERE to leave us a "QUESTION OF THE DAY" comment.
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One of the highlights early in a legislative session is the State of the Commonwealth address, a time when a governor has the full attention of the General Assembly and a statewide audience.This speech gives governors a chance to say where they think Kentucky stands, and what their vision for the future is. It paints a broad outline that is filled in later in the month in even-numbered years, when the governor's budget proposal is presented.On Monday last week, Gov.
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Climate change impacts on Indigenous peoples of the Russian North
This is Section 12.3.4 of the Arctic Climate Impact Assessment
Lead Author: Mark Nuttall; Contributing Authors: Fikret Berkes, Bruce Forbes, Gary Kofinas,Tatiana Vlassova, George Wenzel
This case study is based on the ongoing work of the Russian Association of Indigenous Peoples of the North (RAIPON), together with the NorthSet project of the Institute of Geography at the Russian Academy of Sciences. This work concerns the assessment of climate change impacts on the indigenous peoples of the Russian North within the context of broader social, economic, and political changes. This case study is based on the preliminary results of initial research, but is included here because it illustrates the tremendous challenges faced by indigenous peoples throughout the Russian North.
The indigenous peoples of the Russian North have depended on traditional hunting, fishing, and gathering for thousands of years and, for several hundred years, many groups have practiced nomadic reindeer breeding. Human impacts and environmental transformation in the Russian Arctic have intensified over the last few decades. Significant climate change is also becoming evident, as is the destructive impact of industry. The biggest sources of pollution are the oil and gas industries, as well as mineral extraction and processing, aggravated by poor purification facilities. The main negative impacts of industrial development threatening the livelihoods of indigenous peoples include:
- the destruction of reindeer pastures and widespread degradation of ecosystems, especially due to the construction of industrial infrastructures and industrial pollution;
- massive toxic pollution of marine and freshwater environments, affecting the habitats and spawning grounds of fish and causing the destruction of fisheries;
- deforestation due to the timber industry using concentrated methods of clear-cutting, leading to the destruction of the non-timber forest resources of high cultural and economic importance;
- large-scale landscape and soil destruction, erosion (especially thermokarst erosion), and the degradation of tundra and taiga vegetation as a result of air pollution from industrial emissions (especially emissions from the non-ferrous metal industry);
- flooding of valuable subsistence areas due to the construction of hydroelectric power dams; and
- forest fires, partly associated with poaching and partly with increased recreational pressure around the regions of industrial development.
These impacts have added to the tremendous problems faced by Russia's northern indigenous peoples, which can only be understood by reference to Soviet and post-Soviet transformations. During Soviet times, public policies resulted in the resettlement of the inhabitants of small settlements into large villages. This coercive resettlement of indigenous peoples signaled the beginning of the destruction of the social and ecological relationships that characterized their subsistence lifestyles. Resettlement, the separation of children from their parents in favor of education at boarding schools, preservation orders on vital grasslands and reindeer pastures, and the reduced possibilities for engaging in traditional activities, together with many other changes, led to a spiritual and social crisis among the indigenous peoples[1]. Since the 1970s, unemployment and alcoholism have become widespread, family structures are breaking down, and traditional culture is being destroyed.
In recent years, the destruction of traditional subsistence activities, especially reindeer herding – the most important activity for many indigenous groups – has continued apace. The difficult period of transition to a market economy in post-Soviet Russia has brought sharp changes to the economic and social conditions of the indigenous peoples of the Russian North, to which they have had to adapt quickly in order to survive. In the 1990s, when the formation of the market economy and democratization of society in the Russian Federation began, the situation in reindeer husbandry changed dramatically. This period of transition has seen a rapid decay of collective reindeer husbandry and a partial return to the private ownership of reindeer herds. This has occurred without the introduction of sufficient legal reforms, particularly affecting agricultural and traditional lands. One major trend has been a significant reduction in the population of domesticated reindeer. Combined with a lack of approaches for the development of an alternative program for sustainable development, and faced with increasing climate variability and change, the situation for the indigenous peoples of the Russian North is increasingly bleak.
The indigenous peoples of the Russian North comprise a mere 2% of the entire northern Russian population and number approximately 200,000 individuals belonging to forty different peoples. The most numerous are the Nenets, who comprise around 35,000 persons; the least numerous are the Enets with about 209 and the Orok with 109. The subsistence area of the indigenous peoples is roughly 60% of the overall territory of the Russian Federation and their traditional subsistence activities include reindeer herding, hunting (including marine mammals), fishing, gathering wild plants and, to a certain degree, craft-making and traditional art. The specific activities of the different peoples vary significantly from region to region.
The indigenous communities of Russia are the most endangered social group in the current period of transition to a market economy. Between 1990 and 2000, the number of indigenous people employed on northern livestock farms, as well as in hunting and fishing, fell by 37%. In these years of market reforms, the actual rate of unemployment in the indigenous settlements of the Russian North is, on average, not less than 40 to 50% of the economically active population. The situation is worse for young people in remote areas. Some small villages of autonomous okrugs (e.g., in the Koryak Autonomous Okrug) face an unemployment rate of 75 to 80%; in some districts of Habarov Kray the unemployment rate among the indigenous peoples increased six-fold during the 1990s.
Social ills associated with unemployment – poverty, disease, family breakdown, crime, suicide, and alcoholism – are increasing in indigenous settlements. Mortality among indigenous peoples increased by 35.5% in the 1990s[2]. The nature of mortality has changed over the last few decades: the main risk group is no longer children, but young adults, and the main cause of death is no longer sickness, but death as a result of injuries, accidents, and suicide. The main cause of this situation is the destruction of traditional lifestyles[3]. For Saami living in Lovozero on the Kola Peninsula, whose health and livelihoods have been affected by pollution and ecological degradation, environmental improvement is an even greater priority than the improvement of housing conditions, which are extremely poor[4]. According to the Saami, the climate is becoming less comfortable, and they articulate this in terms of their livelihoods and health. The environment is one in which they dwell and comfortable housing will not improve their health if the climate is changing. During a workshop organized by RAIPON in April 2003 many Saami participants expressed concerns about a link between rapid and frequent climate/weather changes and the increase in cases of high blood pressure. As they spoke, they connected health and illness directly to climate variability and change.
Significant shifts have occurred in unemployment structure. The indigenous share in municipal positions, and in the service, educational, and cultural sectors has increased considerably while the participation of indigenous peoples in the traditional economy has decreased sharply. The highest levels of unemployment are observed in the areas where indigenous peoples retain traditional livelihoods. In larger settlements with a developed service sector, employment within the indigenous population is slightly higher. Yet, an increasing reliance on service sector activities does not always mean that harvesting renewable resources and production of traditional food for the household has declined in importance. As in other arctic states, hunting, herding, gathering, and fishing still satisfy important cultural, social, and nutritional needs, as well as the economic needs of families, households, and communities.
In this changing social and economic climate, indigenous systems of traditional resource use are under threat. Traditional land use areas are mainly located within zones of political and economic interest, particularly those concerning oil, mineral, and timber production, and military complexes with nuclear test sites. From the initial results of the research being conducted by RAIPON, a majority of indigenous people consider poaching, forest fires caused by humans, industrial logging, and clearing of forests for firewood to be some of the most significant issues that affect the physical environments and well-being of their communities.
- Decreasing populations of animal and plant species are a serious concern and it may be that this is not due to climate and ecological changes alone, but is aggravated by poaching, which is a serious problem in several regions.
- Fires, the frequency and scale of which have recently increased, are either natural or manmade. In the Tyumen region alone, which is now being intensively explored for natural resources, over 1.5 million hectares of reindeer pasture have been destroyed by fire. One of the causes of escalation of fires in the tundra, the taiga–tundra zone, and the taiga might also be climate warming, especially summer droughts.
- In recent decades, commercial logging operations have advanced closer to the taiga–tundra zone across much of the boreal forest region. The transformation of the northern parts of the taiga zone into a taiga–tundra, or even tundra, as a result of human activity is occurring in Russia[5].
- The fuel deficit in remote communities is one reason for illegal logging. Serious ecological problems arise with cutting of forests for fuel in Kovran, Loveozero, and Kuumba.
One of the causes of the decrease in reindeer numbers is the degradation of the treeline (taiga–tundra) winter reindeer pastures caused by industrial forestry, clearing of forests for firewood, and industrial pollution. The traditional ways of life of indigenous peoples are characterized by high adaptability to seasonal as well as to spatial differences in the physical environment. Climate changes may interfere with the human–nature cycle of reindeer herding, where herders follow the paths of reindeer between summer grazing lands in the tundra and mountains and winter grazing lands in the treeline. Winter pastures are of great importance for reindeer herding. During the long arctic winter, reindeer depend upon access to pasture rich in ground lichens, which are their basic food. In the autumn, reindeer start to move to forested areas that provide layers of soft snow that they can dig through to find the ground lichens. Epiphytic lichens on old trees are important reserve fodder when the ground lichens can not be reached due to ice layers on or within the snow. The lichens almost exclusively provide these animals with the carbohydrates required to maintain their body temperature in winter[6].
Another cause of the decrease in reindeer numbers is the overgrazing of tundra and taiga–tundra pastures. Increasingly fewer winter pastures are available for reindeer herding as large territories are being occupied by mining and petroleum industries. This increases the pressure by domesticated reindeer on the tundra and taiga–tundra ecosystems, and thus leads to further degradation. Ecosystems are completely overgrazed by reindeer in many areas. The overgrazing of reindeer pastures leads to deforestation of the taiga–tundra winter pastures, especially owing to the damage to trees and shrubs. This has the effect of pushing the treeline southward in many areas[7].
Fires are contributing to the degradation of reindeer pastures and to the decline in reindeer herding. Although their frequency and scale have increased, the interaction of fires with pastures and forest is complicated. For example, fires may play an important role in forest regeneration as they provide important minerals and free soils from leaf litter and ground vegetation cover, which under some conditions inhibit forest growth. Such interactions should be included in ecosystem management schemes. A decline in reindeer herding could also have a negative impact on reforestation as reindeer promote the removal of leaf litter and thereby the ability of new trees to become established.
It is within this extremely complex socio-economic and changing ecological situation that indigenous peoples in the Russian North must deal with climate change issues. RAIPON's initial work on climate change impacts suggests an important way forward: indigenous observations of climate change must be examined together with greater emphasis given to the concerns of indigenous peoples in terms of environmental degradation and habitat loss due to other factors. A broader understanding of change and discussions on how to deal with this must be included in environmental impact assessments, in environmental policy, and in the elaboration of local programs for sustainable development.
Chapter 12. Hunting, herding, fishing, and gathering: indigenous peoples and renewable resource use in the Arctic
12.1 Introduction
12.2 Present uses of living marine and terrestrial resources
12.2.1 Indigenous peoples, animals, and climate in the Arctic
12.2.2 Mixed economies
12.2.3 Renewable resource use, resource development, and global processes
12.2.4 Renewable resource use and climate change
12.2.5 Responding to climate change
12.3 Understanding climate change impacts through case studies
12.3.1 Canadian Western Arctic: the Inuvialuit of Sachs Harbour
12.3.2 Canadian Inuit in Nunavut
12.3.3 The Yamal Nenets of northwest Siberia
12.3.4 Indigenous peoples of the Russian North
12.3.5 Indigenous caribou systems of North America
- ^ Vlassova, T.K., 2002. Human impacts on the tundra - taiga zone dynamics: the case of the Russian Lesotundra. Ambio Special Report 12:30–36.
- ^ Abdulatipov, R., 1999. The Aboriginal Face of Russia. The Independent Newspaper – Scenario N5, p. 7.
- ^ Vlassova, T.K., 2002. Human impacts on the tundra - taiga zone dynamics: the case of the Russian Lesotundra. Ambio Special Report 12:30–36.
- ^ Afanasieva, N., 2002. The socio-economic and legal situation of the Saami in the Murmansk oblast – an example to take urgent measures. In:T. Kohler and K. Wessendorf (eds.). Towards a New Millennium. Ten Years of the Indigenous Movement in Russia, pp. 139–144. International Working Group on Indigenous Affairs, Copenhagen.
- ^ Vlassova, T.K., 2002. Human impacts on the tundra - taiga zone dynamics: the case of the Russian Lesotundra. Ambio Special Report 12:30–36.
- ^ Vlassova, T.K. and S.G. Volkov, 2001. Ecological condition of the reindeer pastures in Russia and abroad. Russian Academy of Agricultural Sciences Review, 2:101–117. (In Russian)
- ^ Vlassova, T.K. and S.G. Volkov, 2001. Ecological condition of the reindeer pastures in Russia and abroad. Russian Academy of Agricultural Sciences Review, 2:101–117. (In Russian)


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ACCESS for ELLs (Assessing Comprehension and Communication in English State-to-State
for English Language Learners) is a secure large-scale English language proficiency
assessment given to Kindergarten through 12th graders who have been identified as
English language learners (ELLs). It is given annually in WIDA Consortium member
states to monitor students' progress in acquiring academic English. ACCESS for ELLs is only available to Consortium member states.
ACCESS for ELLs test items are written from the model performance indicators of
WIDA's five English Language Development (ELD) standards:
Test forms are divided into five grade-level clusters:
Within each grade-level cluster (except Kindergarten), ACCESS for ELLs consists
of three forms: Tier A (beginning), Tier B (intermediate), and Tier C (advanced).
This keeps the test shorter and more appropriately targets each students' range
of language skills.
Each form of the test assesses the four language domains of Listening, Speaking,
Reading, and Writing.
ACCESS for ELLs:
The Sample Items publication is formatted to showcase how ACCESS for ELLs test items
relate directly to the WIDA English Language Proficiency Standards. Its intended
purpose is to foster an understanding of how the assessment operates among educators,
students, parents/guardians, and the general public. This document contains samples of Listening items, however, they do not incorporate the media-based Listening format.
Please note: The Grades 1-12 Sample Items are not in any way equivalent
to a test form and should not be used for assessing students.
Developed in partnership with the Center for Applied Linguistics (CAL) and as a
collaborative effort of consortium member states, ACCESS for ELLs is a standards-based
assessment. The WIDA ELD Standards express expectations for student performance
at each level of the language development continuum and serve as the basis of the
test's selected-response item and performance-based task specifications.
A new series of ACCESS for ELLs is published every year in order to allow for continuous
refinement of the assessment. Approximately one-third of the test's items are refreshed
annually, which means that many test items are administered for three years prior
to their permanent retirement from the test. Performance-based tasks are refreshed
more frequently, with several tasks being refreshed annually.
Strictly following its specifications, each selected-response item or performance-based
task on ACCESS for ELLs is carefully developed, reviewed, piloted, and field tested
to ensure that it allows students to demonstrate meeting the targeted model performance
indicator at the targeted performance level from the standards, according to the
process outlined below:
Every year, WIDA offers educators in the Consortium the opportunity to take its
Standards-based Test Item Writing and WIDA Teacher
Collaboration graduate course. By relying on such a course to generate test
items, ACCESS for ELLs is made relevant to students because the context for test
items is drawn from what teachers across the Consortium teach on a daily basis.
Test results are reviewed annually by WIDA's Technical Advisory
Committee (TAC).
The ACCESS for ELLs Technical Reports address
the validity and reliability of the assessment.
WIDA supports local trainers (facilitators, coordinators, or Test Administrators)
by offering free use of its training materials related to ELD Standards, ACCESS
for ELLs, and the W-APT. You may edit the PowerPoints, but do not post them publicly.
To download the various PowerPoint presentations offered, please
login with your ACCESS for ELLs personal training account.
This section is divided into three parts according to the various roles individuals
may have pertaining to ACCESS for ELLs test preparation. The State Test Coordinator,
District Test Coordinator, and Test Administrator roles are defined below:
The responsibilities of state test coordinators involve coordinating with WIDA and
MetriTech, scheduling the testing window, enrolling test administrators in the online
training course, providing face-to-face training (as needed), verifying the certification
of test administrators, and arranging for reporting and dissemination of testing
These individuals are responsible for receiving, securing, distributing, and returning
test materials. They will arrange and schedule test sessions and generally oversee
all aspects of test administration, in particular, making sure that test administration
is performed by properly trained test administrators.
The following information and resources may be useful to district and school test
coordinators as they prepare for ACCESS for ELLs administration:
The ACCESS for ELLs assessment is a state-mandated test that can only be administered
on the dates your state has selected as its testing window. Please visit
your state's page of this website to find the dates for your state's ordering
and testing windows.
District test coordinators will be contacted by MetriTech, Inc., the ACCESS for
ELLs printing distributing, scoring, and reporting vendor, shortly before the test
ordering window opens.
The total number of student test booklets needed for a district must be organized
by school and specify the number of tests needed for each grade level cluster and
tier. A 10% overage of student test booklets is automatically added to the order;
do not order extra booklets. It is possible to order additional rush materials in
the middle of the testing window if the overage runs out and new students arrive.
The Tier Placement Protocol
assists test coordinators and teachers in determining the appropriate tier of ACCESS
for ELLs (A, B, or C) for each student. Please review this document to become familiar
with the appropriate test forms for students with varying English language proficiency
levels. In summary,
If a tiered booklet is incorrectly ordered for a student, test administrators are
encouraged to use one of the extra booklets provided by MetriTech to test the student
with a more appropriate tier booklet. Once the student has been administered any
portion of ACCESS for ELLs, s/he must proceed to complete the entire test within
the same tier.
Check out a WIDA blog pertaining to tier placement!
MetriTech will provide instructions to states or districts who decide to order Pre-ID
labels that can be attached to test booklets instead of bubbling in student demographic
information on every test booklet.
A blank data file template to fill out information for Pre-ID labels is provided
after logging into the MetriTech website.
The Pre-ID labels do not show all of the information that is embedded in the bar
code on the label, but suppressed demographic information associated with each student
is stored in the district's database at MetriTech. This information can be updated
during the data correction window for your state.
If any errors are visible in the information that is printed on the label,
please discard the label and bubble in all demographic information for the student.
Changing a piece of information on the Pre-ID label will not change the
information in the database when the test booklet is processed. The booklets are
machine scanned and the machine only reads the bar code portion of the label.
The Listening, Reading, and Writing sections of ACCESS for ELLs can be group administered.
The Speaking section is individually administered. WIDA recommends the following
administration sessions:
In the Downloads & Products section (top right), you will find some planning
tools to use when scheduling test sessions at each school and assigning students
to those sessions.
For additional tips from a district coordinator on how she handles test scheduling, visit our blogsite
ACCESS for ELLs is a secure test. Test materials must be handled securely and carefully,
and kept in locked storage when not in use.
MetriTech has prepared UPS Return Shipping Instructions and test
booklet Return Packing Instructions for coordinators to use as
they receive, distribute, collect, and return test materials (see Downloads &
Products at top right). The following are specific guidelines for handling and returning
The following 7-minute video demonstrates how to pack test booklets for return shipping:
Watch Packing Video
Please see Sections 2 and 3 of the District and School Test Administration Manual
for more coordination details.
Always review and follow all state and local testing and security policies.
The Facilitator Toolkit contains a PowerPoint on ACCESS for ELLs Organization,
Online Training, and Testing Logistics to train district or school test coordinators.
Online and/or face-to-face training may be required by your state in order for you
to become a test administrator (TA) for the first time. Some states also require
annual training updates for certified TAs. Please view
your state's page to review any requirements that may apply to you.
You can separately train on one, two, or three different areas of ACCESS for ELLs
test administration:
Note: The training course has been significantly updated to reflect the 2013-14 media-delivered Listening Test.
The choice of which areas to train in should be determined by the responsibilities
you have been assigned for testing by your district or school coordinator. Upon
completing this online training, you will be certified as a TA of all areas for
which you have successfully completed a quiz with a score of 80% or higher.
The online training takes approximately two to four hours, depending on which areas
you must complete. The online training may be completed in one sitting, or in as
many sessions as necessary, ideally within one to two weeks of when you will be
administering the test.
A personal account is required to access the training course on this website. Only
educators in Consortium member states can create accounts to take the training.
Please note that member states have different policies for who can take the training
and how to access the Account Creator.
For general instructions on how to create accounts in the online training course,
please download the General Instructions on Creating Training Accounts
document (see Downloads & Products at top right).
Test administration training and certification is crucial for successful administration
of ACCESS for ELLs, and answers to many frequently asked questions about test administration
are answered in the training. Please see the
Test Administrator section of the Preparation tab for more information on
training requirements.
State and District Test Coordinators are responsible for ensuring prior to administration
of ACCESS for ELLs that all test administrators have been adequately trained
and have passed the applicable online quizzes.
Test Coordinators can monitor their district educators' training certification results
in the online course by clicking on "My Quizzes", followed by the "District
View" tab. If you are a District Test Coordinator and do not see this tab in
the training course, please call the WIDA Client Services Center at 1-866-276-7735 or email firstname.lastname@example.com to request it.
The WIDA Consortium encourages the
participation of all English language learners in the ACCESS for ELLs testing program
and feels that it is an appropriate assessment for all students except those with the most significant disabilities.
The ACCESS for ELLs has "built in" certain standard features of the test
that might lessen the need for accommodations. For example, the thematic orientation
of the test and the reliance on graphic support are features that should lend themselves
to enhanced comprehension, not only for ELLs in general, but for many students with
special needs. However, certain testing accommodations may be appropriate for some
Testing accommodations are changes in the way a student is given a test or asked
to respond to test questions. They are meant to offset the challenges caused by
a disability without changing what the test measures. Testing accommodations
strive to provide students with disabilities an equal opportunity to demonstrate
their English language proficiency. While decisions about which accommodations are
allowable ultimately fall on your state educational agency, WIDA provides
guidelines for appropriate accommodations for English Language Learners with disabilities.
Your state has determined when score reports will be sent to your district. To find
your state's window for shipment of score reports, please visit
your state's page of this website.
Student results are reported in three ways: as raw scores, scale scores, and English
language proficiency (ELP) levels.
Scores are reported for each of the four language domains and in several composites
as follows:
Learn about the process for scoring and reporting ACCESS for ELLs at our partner company, MetriTech, Inc.
Five different ACCESS for ELLs score reports are provided to districts:
For detailed information on how to interpret and apply ACCESS for ELLs scores and
proficiency levels, download the Interpretive Guide for Score Reports.
Part 1 of the Interpretive Guide describes the types of scores generated by ACCESS
for ELLs assessment and provides cut score tables for each grade level.
Part 2 describes each score report and offers information on the meaning and use
of data in the reports.
Within the Facilitator Toolkit, a PowerPoint on Score Interpretation
is available for local trainers looking to expand awareness about how to interpret
ACCESS for ELLs test results.
Translations of the Parent/Guardian Report and Sample Letters
to Accompany the Parent/Guardian Report (available under Downloads
& Products at top right) are provided to make ACCESS for ELLs testing information
and results more accessible to students' family members. Translated reports should
accompany (not replace) the official report in English.
Note: If you have not installed a particular language's
font on your computer, the Word file may be translated by your software into Latin
characters and a variety of symbols. You may be able to find free downloads of many
fonts on the Internet. However, we have provided the PDF file in case you do not
have the correct fonts in your word processing program.
Share with the Consortium! All sample letters, translated
letters, and Parent/Guardian Report translations were provided by consortium member
school districts and generously shared for the benefit of the whole Consortium.
If you translate letters or reports into additional languages, other districts and
states could probably benefit from your work. Please send new translations to email@example.com.
ACCESS for ELLs Growth Reports are intended to help educators identify district- and school-level patterns in language growth. They can be used along with other information as one source of data to help understand systems-level strengths and needs. These reports are available to districts and schools at an additional cost, and include:
The growth reports should not be used for:
View sample subscription site
Password: Preview
Download a sample report
To purchase reports for your district or school or get more information, contact MetriTech at 800-747-4868 and ask for WIDA support.
Cost: The price for an annual subscription per district or school is: $200 + 15 cents per student (based on the number of ELL students in the district or school for the most recent ACCESS for ELLs test administration calculated by MetriTech)
An annual subscription will last for one year from the date of purchase.
For detailed information on how to use the ACCESS for ELLs Growth Reports, download the ACCESS for ELLs Growth Reports User Guide.
The user guide explains each component of the growth reports. It describes language growth trajectories and WIDA-wide percentile growth. It also has detailed examples of how to use the information in the reports.
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text:
photo 1 of 371
Vitor Belfort
TRAINING: I love to train. Fighting is my passion. I have been doing this for 19 years. In October 1996, I had my first MMA fight and 19 years later I am still here. The key is to do what you love and do it with your heart. Even when I don't have a fight scheduled I go to the gym, because this is my work. I am a businessman that goes to his office every day. I have been working hard for this specific fight in all areas (BJJ, wrestling, boxing, Muay Thai, etc.) and I will be ready to fight all five round with all my heart.
When and why did you start training for fighting? I just liked the sport. It is challenging and I like to be challenged.
What ranks and titles have you held? Former UFC light heavyweight champion, UFC heavyweight tournament champion, been ranked top 10 in light heavyweight and middleweight divisions. TUF Brazil coach.
Do you have any heroes? Jesus
What does it mean for you to fight in the UFC? It's an honor. This is where I started and Dana and the Fertittas have done nothing but the best with this organization. I want to finish my career where I started it.
What was your job before you started fighting? Fighting has always been my job
Getty Images reserves the right to pursue unauthorized users of this image or clip. If you violate our intellectual property you may be liable for: actual damages, loss of income, and profits you derive from the use of this image or clip, and, where appropriate, the costs of collection and/or statutory damages up to $150,000 (USD).


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My Libby turned 11 today. She is doing well, hasn't had any reoccurrence of the growth we had removed a year ago. She definitely has slowed down some though, and has lost I think several pounds, maybe a little muscle mass in her hind quarters. She is still eating well, though, I think some of the weight loss might be from trying to keep up with Tugg. I'm giving her a little more food to eat, of course she likes that. She sleeps more now, but then, so do I. We are aging together I guess. I am a little freaked out, I lost her sister Tess a little over a month after her 11th birthday, she too was perfectly healthy on her 11th birthday, but then died from hemangio. I am so superstitious I won't probably breathe until we get Libby beyond that point. Tugg has the next birthday, he is still a baby and turns 1 on December 12. Then my sweet Raider turns 8 on December 26. He too is slowing down some, he knows he can't keep up with Tugg anymore so doesn't even try. Love all three of my doggies so much.
Jake, our first but not our last. Gone far too soon.
Rusty's Ranger,Rusty
4-1999 till 10-2011
Topbrass Ready To Rock, Tess
3-2000 till 4-2011
Topbrass Miss Liberty Belle, Libby
11-2001 till 2-2016
Morningstar Treasure Eye'L, Raider
Topbrass Tuggin On My Heart Strings, Tugg
|The Following 5 Users Say Thank You to my4goldens For This Useful Post:
Dallas Gold (11-29-2012), hotel4dogs (11-29-2012), Karen519 (11-29-2012), Mac'sdad (11-29-2012), Sweet Girl (11-29-2012)
Happy B-day Libby! I so know that feeling of watching a senior age. I adopted an 11yr old this past Spring, he's now almost totally deaf and is sleeping more. I'm scared to see him so sound asleep when I come home while the other 2 goldens are creating a ruckus--this boy is my heart and I have to remind myself to live in the moment with him as opposed to worrying about what may be lurking around the corner.
Last edited by SheetsSM; 11-29-2012 at 12:59 AM.
|The Following User Says Thank You to SheetsSM For This Useful Post:
Happy belated 11th to Libby! I can empathize with your feeling the way you do about her 11th birthday coming up, thinking about Tess' diagnosis just one month after her 11th and wanting that one month period after to pass. I hope Libby has a great and healthy year and eases that worry right out of your mind! Your description of Tugg tiring you all out makes me laugh!
|The Following User Says Thank You to Dallas Gold For This Useful Post:
Happy Birthday
Happy Birthday Girl
Mac & Gary
Happy Birthday
Happy Birthday Girl
Mac & Gary
Happy Birthday, sweet Libby!!
Your Mom loves you big time!
Have a great time!!
I know what you mean about worrying when they get older, but don't let your concern waste one single minute enjoying her!!
Tucker, Tonka, and Karen
SNOBEAR at the Bridge
Dec. 23, 1999-March 27, 2010
SMOOCH at the Bridge.
Feb. 14, 1999-Dec. 7, 2010
Happy Birthday Miss Liberty Belle! She is 11 going on 3....
CH Rosewood Little Giant, UDX VER RA MHU SH MXP MJP MFP T2BP DJ VCX WCX CCA CGC FFX-OG (born 3-10-2007), also UCH HR UH UUD UJJ URO1 UHIT a.k.a. "Tito" (the Tito Monster)
waiting at the bridge:
My first dog, and my most special girl
Gibson's Golden Girl, CD, CGC, TDI ( 3-20-1997 - 11-22-2013) a.k.a. "Tiny", "Queen B"
and my heart dog
Gibson's Golden Guy, CD, CGC, TDI ( 01-31-1998 - 01-02-2012) a.k.a. "Toby", "HRH"
run free my sweet, sweet loves, I will love you and miss you forever.
Happy belated barkday, Libby! Be sure to let your mom know that you're feeling spunky to set her mind at ease.
Golden retrievers think life is a party thrown especially for them
Happy Birthday, sweet Libby girl! I wish you have many birthdays to celebrate with your loving family.
9 & half short years in my life but forever in my heart http://www.goldenretrieverforum.com/...-my-buddy.html
"He took my heart and ran with it, and I hope he's running still, fast and strong, a piece of my heart bound up with his forever" - Patricia McConnell
Charlie could watch birds for hours and I could watch Charlie for hours too http://www.goldenretrieverforum.com/...n-morning.html
Happy Birthday one-day-late, Libby!
It is hard to watch the changes as they age, but I have found there is also something so moving about about a dog going into her later years. I hope that doesn't sound odd. It is heartwrenching to contemplate a day without them, but I have found the bond gets stronger as you help them through new challenges that come with age.
I do wish you both many more years together.
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Imation Apollo UX 500GB HD reviewTechRadar Pro
A pocket-sized hard drive that combines speed and portability
A pocket-sized hard drive that combines speed and portability
Is this SSD a wolf in sheep's clothing or a duck in a wooly hat?
The 160GB Imation Apollo hard drive works well, and has a strong build quality and a clean-looking caddy. It's smart enough to produce at a meeting.
We're not being unfair, here. It may seem like something of a cruel and unusual punishment to place a removable cartridge drive in among all of these internal hard drives, but 2.5in Odyssey is being pushed as the logical alternative to tape backup


text:
The National School Boards Association (NSBA) successfully supported language in the U.S. House of Reprepesentative's fiscal year 2015 funding bill for the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to grant flexibility and relief from certain requirements for school meals and competitive foods standards.
The bill, approved by subcommittee this week, would require USDA to establish a waiver process for schools that cannot comply with national nutrition standards without incurring a net loss in the food operation. NSBA is supporting additional flexibility provisions when the bill is considered by the Appropriations Committee next week.
"Students need healthy meals and adequate nutrition to achieve their potential in school, and school board members are committed to ensuring all students are prepared to learn," said NSBA Executive Director Thomas J. Gentzel. "However, school boards cannot ignore the higher costs and operational issues created by the rigid mandates of the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act."
In a May 19 letter to the Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies, NSBA urges revisions to federal requirements for school meals and competitive foods, including:
- Retaining the current requirement that 50 percent of grains offered for lunch and breakfast be whole grain rich rather than further increasing the requirement to 100 percent;
- Retaining the July 1, 2014, Target 1 sodium levels, and suspend implementation of further reductions of sodium levels unless and until scientific research supports such reductions for children;
- Eliminating the requirement that students must take a fruit or vegetable as part of a reimbursable breakfast and/or lunch, in order to reduce plate waste and program costs;
- Allowing any food item permitted to be served as part of a reimbursable meal to be sold at any time as a competitive food, in order to eliminate unnecessarily complex and duplicative standards for food items sold in schools.
NSBA also is supporting the Reducing Federal Mandates on School Lunch Act, HR 3663, sponsored by Rep. Kristi Noem of South Dakota. The legislation would provide options for school districts struggling to comply with some of the more problematic mandates of the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act.


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Giant Drill-Beaked Bird
this wiki
|editGiant Drill-Beaked Bird
|Volume #41, Naruto Chapter #375
|Naruto Shippūden Episode #131
|Naruto Shippūden: Ultimate Ninja Heroes 3
|Appears in
|Anime, Manga, Game
|Presumed Deceased
This summon is a large bird which has a number of body piercings and the Rinnegan, implying that it is being controlled by Pain.
The bird itself is unusual, as not only does it demonstrate a prominent and jagged beak, but it also features three distinct legs as well as wings. In the anime, however, it only has two wings.
This summon can move at an incredibly fast speed, and can use that velocity combined with its beak to form powerful dive attacks. In the anime, the bird had additional abilities where it could lay a large quantity of eggs that subsequently explode like bombs, and while flying low over Konoha produced dust clouds strewn with lightning in its wake.
Part II
Itachi Pursuit Arc
It is summoned briefly during Pain's fight with Jiraiya.
Invasion of Pain Arc
He is summoned again to attack Naruto after he uses his perfected Rasenshuriken.
Shinobi World War Arc
The bird was next summoned by the reincarnated Nagato alongside the Giant Multi-Headed Dog to provide a way for Nagato to move. Itachi soon retreats atop of the bird's head alongside Nagato. Later, after Itachi is freed from Kabuto's control, he used Amaterasu on both Nagato and the giant bird, incapacitating it and its summoner.
- This summon's three legs make it reminiscent of Yatagarasu, the three-legged crow of Amaterasu, the Shintō goddess of the sun. Ironically it was defeated by Itachi's Amaterasu technique.


text:
Cutter's Way - Trailer
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Cutter's Way
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Jeff Bridges, Matt Damon, and Josh Brolin star
Tron: Legacy - Trailer (2:20)
Jeff Bridges, Garrett Hedlund, and Olivia Wilde star
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Trailer for this film about a hard luck musician
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Trailer for this comedy about psychic soldiers
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Not your average adult movie - Now on DVD
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Richard Roeper reviews novel turned movie 'The Giver' with Jeff Bridges and Meryl Streep
True Grit - Richard Roeper's Review (2:13)
Richard Roeper reviews True Grit starring Jeff Bridges and Matt Damon
Pink 'Deadpool' outfit a possibility, 'Frozen 2' casting news, 'Tron 3' in the works (00:45)
Hollywood Happens Here
'Minions' movie is full of familiar voices, 'Seventh Son' promises a never-before-seen world (00:44)
Hollywood Happens Here.
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Take a look at the Oscar-winning stars who sung and danced their way to an award
Lebowski Reunion: Cast's Favorite Lines and More (2:32)
Jeff Bridges, Julianne Moore, and John Goodman look back at the Big Lebowski
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Richard Roeper predicts who will win the Oscar for Best Actor
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Jeff Bridges and the rest of the cast talk about resurrecting a classic with TRON Legacy
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Jeff Bridges, Robert Duvall, and Maggie Gyllenhaal hit the red carpet
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text:
Networking for the SDDC
NSX network virtualization is a transformative architecture from VMware that enables the full potential of a Software-Defined Data Center, making it possible to create and run entire networks in parallel on top of existing network hardware. This results in faster deployment of workloads, as well as greater agility in the face of increasingly dynamic data centers.
- Create a flexible pool of network capacity that can be allocated, utilized and repurposed on demand.
- Decouple the network from underlying hardware and apply virtualization principles to network infrastructure.
- Deploy networks in software that are fully isolated from each other, as well as from other changes in the data center.
NSX reproduces in software the entire networking environment, including L2, L3 and L4–L7 network services within each virtual network. NSX offers a distributed logical architecture for L2–L7 services, provisioning them programmatically when virtual machines are deployed and moving them with the virtual machines.
With NSX, you already have the physical network resources you need for a next-generation data center.
Agility and Streamlined Operations
You can deploy NSX non-disruptively on top of your existing physical infrastructure. Just as with server virtualization, NSX network virtualization lets you treat your physical network as a pool of transport capacity, with network and security services attached to workloads using a policy-driven approach.
- Reduce the time to provision multi-tier networking and security services from weeks to minutes by creating virtual networks. Each network is customizable for its supported workloads and isolated from all other virtual networks.
- Leverage a new operational approach to networking as you programmatically create, provision, snapshot, delete and restore complex software-based networks.
- Develop, test and deploy new applications faster by aligning network and security provisioning with compute and storage provisioning.
Security and Micro-segmentation
NSX brings an SDDC approach to network security. Its network virtualization capabilities enable the three key functions of micro-segmentation: isolation (no communication across unrelated networks); segmentation (controlled communication within a network); and security with advanced services (tight integration with leading third-party security solutions).
Key benefits with micro-segmentation:
- Network security inside the data center: Fine-grained policies enable firewall controls and advanced security down to the level of the virtual NIC.
- Automated security for speed and agility in the data center: Security policies are automatically applied when a virtual machine spins up, are moved when a virtual machine is migrated and are removed when a virtual machine is deprovisioned—eliminating the problem of stale firewall rules.
- Integration with the industry's leading security products: NSX provides a platform for technology partners to bring their solutions to the SDDC. With NSX security tags, these solutions can adapt to constantly changing conditions in the data center for enhanced security.
Platform for Advanced Networking and Security Services
Change in traditional networks can be slow and error-prone, making them poorly suited to the fluctuating demands of the data center. By contrast, you can configure virtual networks with NSX dynamically and automatically, adding new services—whether they are virtual or physical—as needed.
NSX is the networking foundation for the SDDC, giving you the tools to:
- Integrate advanced functionality from leading vendors: The industry's best providers of software and hardware for networking and security have integrated with NSX, making it possible to meet the demands of the most sophisticated data centers.
- Automate the delivery of network services: NSX allows cloud management platforms to automate the delivery of network services, eliminating the need to manually reconfigure physical network devices. You can then build advanced workflows to automate provisioning of networking and security, including switching, routing, firewalling, and load balancing.
- Bridge the physical and virtual parts of the data center: NSX enables you to connect your virtual networks to physical workloads and legacy VLANs. Products from VMware's technology partners extend this capability to physical switches as well.


text:
Falling in Love Online
Dr. Phil's guest, Nikki, has been madly in love for five years with a man she met on the Internet. The only problem — she has yet to meet him face to face. Several times they've planned to meet, and he never showed. Her parents are concerned that she's wasting her life, waiting for a man who isn't who he portrays himself to be. Dr. Phil offers some advice to consider if you're investing time with someone you've never met: