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In the story of Oliver Twist, a woman named Nancy, the girlfriend of the brutal Bill Sikes; was part of an inner group of petty thieves, clustered around the conniving Fagin, leader of that band of thieves. Nancy was a prostitute, who tried to protect Oliver from the life of crime planned for him by Fagin. However, here life was a tragedy – a fictional representation of the terrible, deadly impotence that can seize the soul and destroy all hope.
Easter sunrise service at Fanning
There will be an Easter Sunrise Service on Sunday, March 27 at 7 a.m. at Fort Fanning Historical Park on U.S. Highway 19 in Fanning Springs.
The service is open to the public. Please join us for Easter Sunrise Service as we celebrate the risen savior through worship music and message. Pastor Alan Harmon of Fanning Springs Community Church will speak.
Services at St. Alban's
Shirley Fusco of the Chiefland Assembly of God sought and won the support of the Chiefland City Commission for a March for Jesus on May 7 at 10 a.m.
The march will follow the usual parade route on U.S. Highway 19/Main Street from Chiefland Middle High School to the Trailhead/Old Depot Park.
Fusco said all churches are being asked to participate in the event.
Spend Valentine's
with people of faith
A call has been issued for people to do something different this Valentine's Day by attending a Back2 God Faith and Values Rally on Saturday, Feb. 14, at Flavet Field on the University of Florida Campus in Gainesville.
There will be free food and drinks, live music by recording artists Barry Wilson, Kristin Tucker, Jennifer Renee, and Rusty Jackson; a kids' area with bounce houses and dynamic speakers Dexter Sanders, Art Ally, Belinda Ford, and Jason Hoyt.
25th Annual Potato Pancake Supper
Peace Lutheran Church, "The Church On The Hill," will host their 25th annual Potato Pancake Supper on Tuesday, Feb. 9, from 4-7:00 p.m. The church is located 4 miles north of Dunnellon at 7201 South US Hwy. 41.
An incident happened this past week in which I am still scratching my head. Have you ever known you had something, but for the life of you, you could not find it? I will accede to the fact that occasionally, I do have a streak of absent-mindedness running through me. At times, I wish it would just walk.
All my life, sleep has been a most trusted companion. I never leave home without it. It does not matter where I am or what I am doing, I can sleep at the drop of a hat.
For years, I have heard of people who had problems sleeping at night. I have never been one of those people. I can sit down in a chair and in a few winks, the snoring machine begins. I can never understand people who could not sleep. I always thought they were kind of joking about the whole scenario. Then it happened to me this week.
I spent my last few days of this deer season in Alabama with Jonathon and Hubert (Hube). Jonathon brought Hube not only because they are friends but because it was Hube's 80th birthday and because Hube loves to hunt. He likes hunting deer and turkey but he is especially keen on bear hunting where he walks the mountains following his pack of dogs. His slender frame is strong and healthy. I ask him how he stayed that way. He replied, "Good livin' and good eatin'."
Copyright © 2017
The Chiefland Citizen is your source for local news, sports, events, and information in Levy County and Chiefland Florida, and the surrounding area.


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In her last two months, Gayla Caliva stargazed and savored Jamaican food. She enjoyed picnics and her book club, trips to the zoo, the aquarium and the beach.
Her bucket list overflowed with forbidden foods. "And why shouldn't it?" she reasoned.
She canceled her mammogram. "Teeth cleaning? Let it go!" she said.
How will you respond, when death calls your name?
Caliva chose comfort care over combat, rejecting life-prolonging dialysis for a life-affirming ending.
As a retired nurse, the free-spirited San Jose woman had seen plenty of bad deaths, and knew her failing kidneys would assure a more gentle demise, providing her the gift of time to say goodbye. How much time? Nobody could say.
But at 70, with no prospect of a cure, and influenced by her mother's six-year dependence on dialysis, she foresaw only exhaustion when doctors gave her a choice in July.
"I didn't have to think about it, because I already knew," she said. "I didn't want dialysis. Now I think, well now, I've signed my death sentence or something. I thought it would be scary. I can't believe how unperturbed I was, how easy that came."
She vowed to enjoy the dwindling days, savoring moments with her best friend and fellow nurse, Ann Raynor, and daughter, Diane Caliva.
The clarity of her decision also gave her loved ones the ability to celebrate her final days, more than suffer her death.
"It made you almost shift into those same gears," Diane Caliva said. "It was like, OK, I'm just going to go with her on this, because she's embraced it."
Her mother's one call for help was to Pathways Hospice, based in Sunnyvale. Like Caliva, 1.1 million Americans a year choose hospice care, in which nurses monitor patients and provide pain medication to ease them through life's final journey, often at home.
Others come to a different conclusion, seeking treatments to prolong life that can buy precious time: a family graduation or wedding, perhaps.
The hard part is getting the information to make the right choice. A recent national study, published in the Oct. 25 New England Journal of Medicine, found that patients often fail to understand the limitations of treatment. Chasing miracles can delay the transition to comfort care, the journal concluded.
Gayla's end in September was not, as she once dreamed, a romantic scene of winter sun streaming through the window, listening to the love duet from Puccini's "Madame Butterfly."
She slept a lot. She had trouble breathing, and there was confusion, with some agitation and pain. But her discomfort was brief and controlled. She was home, not hospitalized.
She died, like she lived, on her own terms.
"Live like a washrag? Weak as a kitten? All your food tastes like crap? That's not a quality life," she said. "I didn't want that. Nope, not for me."

subset: commoncrawl


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Snooki?s Team Invades Conseco!
Written by IndyHoya
Salutations, Area 55ers!* Hey, I know how you feel. Sometimes it isnt easy being a Pacers fan.* Like me, back when you debased and publicly humiliated yourself to get your free Area 55 tix from our benefactor, Big Roy, Im sure the sun was shining, birds were chirping, and your dispositions and demeanors were at their radiant zeniths.* Like me, you were probably thinking how fun and interesting it would be to go to Conseco, sit with a nest of other weirdos, and watch a renewed and promising team play a 41 game home-court schedule.. You didnt remember that thered be 6-game losing streaks and games like our gang had Wednesday against Orlando.
Nope, it isnt easy being in Area 55 some nights chanting Here We Go Pacers; *Lock Down De-Fense; *and Puh-Puh-Puh Pacers!, when youre down 17 points; when Dwight Howard is putting on an uncontested slamshow; when Hedo Turkolgu is dancing around high picks unmolested like a dervish and sticking daggers into every feeble attempt your team makes at a rally; when relative non-entities like J. J. Redick and Ryan Anderson are pouring in one three point shot after another into the home court hoops.
Like me, maybe youve come to learn that sometimes sitting in Area 55 is surreal absurdity. Sometimes, like Wednesday night, its not only not fun but actual pain.* You sit there in your seat chanting and cheering, screaming and praying for good things.* Yet, all the while, on-court realities are assaulting you. Its like wearing a smile when your tookus is suffering from the pain and itch of hemorrhoidal tissue.
Given all this, sometimes its hard to remember that the world really is round, that this too will all pass, and that there really is a tomorrow and that tomorrow really is another day.
Yeah, Orlando handed it to us big time on Wednesday.* I could try to describe it all again for you, analyze it, parse the nuances, go over the stats, critique the individual performances and rotations, or try to be* Panglossian and belch out rosy lines about a young teams growing pains, adversity building character, and how its all for the best. However, Im not going to do any of those things. *Its better to just move on.
Instead, tonight I bring you a tiny message of hope.
Friday, at 7:00 P.M. we play the New Jersey Nets.* We can beat New Jersey. And I can think of no better way of curing the Pacers present basketball blues than a game at Conseco with the Nets.
A brief word about our Friday night foes.* The Nets are 14-32.* They are in 4th place in the Eastern Division, 21 games behind Boston.* While 11-11 at home, they have a 3-21 road record.* They are just the tonic our ailing Pacers need in these horrific times..
Just the same, we should not take them too lightly.* Their young center, Brook Lopez, is erratic but capable of great things.* He gave Roy fits last year.* Their point guard Devin Harris is solid and needs to be contained. The Nets have also upgraded their shooting from last year with the acquisitions of starting shooting guard Anthony Morrow, starting small forward Travis Outlaw, and key sub Jordan Farmar.* However, like us, they have had a lot of questions at power forward.* Troy Murphy was expected to start for them but groin and back injuries sidelined him. Kris Humphries is expected to start in that position Friday, with raw rookie Derrick Favors a kid who supposedly has a lot of physicality and potential — backing him up.
I saw my first robin today.* A robin is always a good omen and a harbinger of spring.* Maybe spring starts tomorrow for the Pacers. Anyway, lets yellow ourselves up and get our boys back on a winning track. *Enough is enough.
PTO Doings! The Pacers Tailgating Organization was back in action Wednesday night before the Orlando game.* PTO President, the ever unflappable Aaron Brickyard Coleman, gave his mid-season State of the PTO speech.* It was lauded by partisans and hooted at by detractors. The basic message was that the state of the PTO was intoxicated.* There was general agreement on his analysis.
The PTOs amorous VP/GM Casey OBrien was also on hand at the festivities, taking a rare break from criminal court appearances and intense love-making with his sweetie.* OBrien incinerated numerous logs in the fire-pit and supervised the toasting of brats.* Yes, there was actually a grill present at the conclave for a change, and OBrien had it going and in action when I tooled into the Anthem lot a little after 6:00 P.M. The hot grub made Brickyards mid-season State of the PTO Speech a lot easier to take.
Yours truly supplemented the sizzling tube-steaks with a slab of sauce-slathered ribs purchased fresh from the Bar-B-Q Heaven oven at 25th & Martin Luther King.* As usual, Tony Duke Dynamite Laurenzana pounced on the ribs like a zoo lizard in a feeding frenzy.
All in all, the PTO was a rare show of organization and political unity something that bodes well for the second half of the season. *President Coleman, in his address, was optimistic.* In his speech he alluded to big things including the future possibility of paper plates, a larger grill, and even potato salad and cole slaw.* Hope springs eternal!
We can all dream!
Congratulations and Condolences. Congratulations to Area 55er Vikki Koontz, who won a free television in a Pacers sponsored promotion Wednesday night.* Vikki told me that this stroke of fortune makes hers a 4-TV household.* She is presently uncertain whether it will be placed in a lavatory or on a bedroom ceiling.* We are all extremely jealous!
Condolences are hereby conveyed to Brian Pacers4Ever Koller, whose beloved Bears lost in the NFC Playoffs to the Packers.* Koller reacted to the loss in his customary radical fashion scrapping his elvish Chicago Bears stocking cap for a Pacers ball cap and taking a scissors to most of underlying his top-hair. *We were all too polite to ask if his depilations ended there.
The always morose Koller was in an even *more depressed state than usual at the game Wednesday.* It was painful to watch a young shaver like him having to deal with the emotional double whammy of the Bears loss and the Pacers flatulent response to Orlando.
A hat is being passed around for Koller.* The hope is that a gift of an autographed picture of Jim OBrien will restore him to his usual cheerful spirits.
Secret Information on Area 55 Seating Revealed! The Area 55 Newsletter, turning to unnamed, but reliable sources positioned deeply within the bowels of the PS&E organization has learned the shocking secret of how Area 55s coveted game seating gets awarded!
Have you, like me, ever wondered how those strangers in Lakers or Celtic jerseys occasionally get seated in A55?* Have you noticed how, usually about 5 minutes into a game, a throng of dazed and confused strangers wanders into 101 and 102, then parks their rumps and then, if were lucky, sits their like Mount Rushmore for the rest of the game?
Well, according to our source it happens this way:* When Section 101 tix go unsold and the seats there are unoccupied at tipoff time, the Loud Crowd cruises the upper decks of Conseco and then offers a chosen few fans that are parked there the opportunity to move down into Area 55 and fill in the empty spots in 101 and 102.* Thats partially why we regulars always seem to see different faces every game in 101 and102; why some of the strangers spill beer on us or tell us regulars to sit down; and why we get occasional bandwagoning types wearing Celtic or Laker jerseys in 101 and 102.* True, sometimes these aliens have been the recipients of ticket largesse from Area 55 regulars. **Sometimes, however, they are strangers encouraged to migrate by the Loud Crowd.* Now you know!
Shared Thoughts on NBA Halftime Shows: Wednesdays brutal loss to Orlando pointed up to me the importance of some of the other diversions that make for a general NBA spectacle.* Lets face it.* Lots of times when you go to an NBA game, on-court excitement doesnt happen.* Your team may get blown out, leaving you miserable, angry or dyspeptic. Or, your team may blow the other team away, leaving you fairly euphoric, full of unused adrenalin, and generally bored.* Either way, when this happens, a true funseeker starts looking around for other avenues of entertainment.
Hence the importance of the NBA Halftime Show!
In the past, this Newsletter has tried to alert readers to some of the intriguing non-game aspects of the Conseco Fieldhouse Pacers game experience.* Weve supplied you with the results of the Dunkin Donut Races.* Weve reported Larry Bird sightings. Weve regaled you with Pacers4Evers informative explanations of the nuances of NBA esoterica.
However, our Newsletter has been sadly remiss in failing to provide critical reviews of the halftime entertainment at Pacer games. *Mostly, this deficiency is attributable to the authors halftime adjournments for nachos or hot dogs at the elite Blue Flame Grill.* However, henceforth this oversight will be addressed.
Anyway, by way of compensation, Ive provided below what I regard as a short *compendium of top NBA Halftime Spectacles.* Some of these acts have already found their way to Conseco for the amusement of the masses and some havent.* Vide!
#1 Escape Artists and Magicians Extraordinaire!
The woman's name is Kristen Johnson. She's a professional escape artist whose métier is bravely escaping — normally*without dying — from a giant tube of water after first being chained and handcuffed. In the video, she attempted this feat at the halftime of a Thunders-Pistons game that occurred on January 16, 2009 game in Oklahoma City.
Everything was going great — fans were cheering, children were laughing, puppies were frolicking — until Kristen took a little too long to, you know, to escape from the tube. She then suffered*cerebral hypoxia (the deprivation of oxygen supply to her brain tissue), went into a seizure, and had to be rescued from what would otherwise have been a watery demise.
I dont know if PS&E has booked Ridgeway & Johnson yet. If not, a cautionary word to the Suits:* Make sure you have an iron-clad liability waiver and plenty of insurance coverage.
#2 The Dancing Trombonist! What moves a bored basketball mob most when the home team is behind at halftime by 17 points?* Answer:* Music and dance!* And you get both with Jonathan Arons, the Dancing Trombonist!*
#3 Watch Girls Skipping Rope! If your teams threes arent going in, and your opponents are, maybe resigning yourself to a loss and looking for an alternative means of entertainment is the order of the day.* Apparently, a lot of people must think that watching a floor-full of otherwise ordinary women making nifty geometric patterns while simultaneously skipping ropes is good NBA family fun.* Different strokes for different folks.
#4 See the Human Slinkee! Now this act is intriguing!* All of us used to have a Slinkee, the mysterious coiled wire toy that would walk down stairs and that you could shift effortlessly from hand to hand.* Here we have the Human Halftime Slinkee that you can watch make strange caterpillar-like moves while chewing on your Blue Flame popcorn.* Pan et circenses, folks.* *Suits, listen up!* I for one want to see the Human Slinkee!
If the Romans had the Human Slinkee for amusement, they probably wouldnt have been throwing all those Christians to the lions in the Coliseum.
#5 -Victor the Wrestling Bear! When researching NBA halftime shows, I was sort of wondering what passed for amusement in days of yore when the Pacers used to be in the ABA and the need for entertainment draws to attract attendance for the infant league was really compelling.* Thats how I ran across Victor the Wrestling Bear.
In its old ABA days, the Indiana Pacers had a lot of interesting halftime events including, among others, fan sock hops and cow-milking contests. But maybe the Pacers most entertaining halftime feature came in April 1975, when Pacers unveiled a special halftime show featuring Victor the Wrestling Bear.* The game program stated:
"Victor will be at the game to take on such noted wrestlers as Chet Coppock, sports director at WISH-TV, Reb Porter at WIFE radio, and several other special opponents. If time permits, Victor will also wrestle a couple of fans."
Sadly, no video seems to exist memorializing this event.* I for one, however, would like to see it reprised. *How about a tag team with El Pacero and erstwhile Human Bowling Ball Mark Doyle in wrestling tights coming to grips with an ursine foe?
Alas, times have changed.* The Indiana Department of Natural Resources and PETA might have objections.* So much fun has gone out of life.
Meet Famous Jersey Celebs at Nets Game! One of the nice things about going to an NBA game are all the glamorous celebrities one is apt to encounter.* At a Nets game, youre liable to run into the likes of Kim Kardashian and Nicole Snooki Polizzi!* Both are apparently big Nets fans.* At least they were recently spotted together at the Nets most recent game with the Mavericks.* Heres a photo for your edification:
Of course, theres nothing more New Jersey than Snooki.* And Kims (like her sneaker-sniffing sister, Khloé whos married to Laker Lamar Odom) been dating Nets forward, Kris Humphries. It was almost foreordained that Kim and Kris would be a number.* Kris, it turns out, has two sisters, Krystal and Kaela. Like Kim Kardashian, Kris comes from a Family of Ks.* Kims mom is named Kris too and she has sisters Khloé, Kourtney, Kendall and Kylie, Humphries told People magazine that the letter 'K' plays an important role in his family, as well. "I think my parents thought that it was cool or trendy at the time, Parents try to distinguish their kids sometimes."** How Kute!
Humphries, by the way, is currently in his sixth NBA season.* He holds career averages of 4.3 ppg and 3.1 rpg in 313 games in prior seasons with Utah, Toronto and Dallas.*The Nets picked him up in January 2010.* Somehow, despite these awful stats, hes the guy that bumped Troy Murphy out of the Nets rotation after Murphy was first sidelined by his injuries.* If Troy let Kris bump him like that, Im with Pacers4Ever.* We do NOT want him back.* Pacers Chants, youre wrong.* Koller may be dyslexic, but he knows his basketball.
Meet Sly, the Nets Mascot! The Nets lovable mascot is Sly the Silver Fox (as in Sly Fox.* Get it?).* Why the Nets mascot is a silver fox is unexplained.* There is probably a reason, but it is lost in the antediluvian ABA Net past.
Sly also has a buddy (possibly a dancing midget) named Mini Sly.* You can see both cavorting and doing their lovable mascot things in this video. *Enjoy!
Before his Kim Kardashian days, Kris Humphries reportedly used Nets mascot Sly Fox to set him up with Nets Cheerleaders. I located his quote:
My ex-girlfriend is a Nets dancer, she looks VERY similar to Kim Kardashian, [Humphries] used Sly the Nets mascot to get her info and lastly his constant pursuit caused me to break up with her. I dont have any hard feelings towards her, so I dont want to get her in any trouble or cause her any bad attention, but thought you should know what kind of guy he is.
Kris is such a Kinky Kut-up!* I wonder if hes a Ku Klux Klan member?
For your prurient viewing I show here Sly with some of the New Jersey Dancers.* Can you pick the one that is VERY similar to Kim.:
A New Marketing Gimmick Reversible Jerseys! Many fans and corporate peers alike were startled last fall when the Nets began promoting their "Reversible Jersey" Plan.* *Per the Plan, fans willing to buy tickets to 10 Nets games could select a jersey bearing the name and number of *a featured superstar from an opposing team — such as the Cavaliers' LeBron James or the Lakers' Kobe Bryant. The reverse side of the jersey featured a Nets player's name and number.* Most takers of the offer were reportedly doing so to get the non-Nets jersey.* Nets Marketing Chief Bret Yormark was unapologetic:
"We cater to the casual fan," Yormark said. "It's very tough for a fan in Jersey to get truly invested in us right now, knowing that we're going to move [to Brooklyn]. We wanted to reach out to people who might never have been a Nets fan, or might never even have been to the arena. Fans that like those stars got the jersey, while at the same time we're promoting our players on the other side."
Diehard Nets fans were not amused at Yormarks Plan.* As one blogger noted:
It's just a marketing ploy, but it seems so disloyal. To get fans to buy 10-game packages, the Nets are offering five reversible NBA jerseys–one side is a Nets jersey, the other a team they'll be playing in those games. Devin Harris turns into Dwyane Wade, Courtney Lee into Kobe Bryant, Brook Lopez into Dwight Howard, etc. It's as if the Nets are saying: if our team is embarrassing you, just switch sides!
Yormark is known around the league for his zany marketing innovations.* When last year some fans showed up wearing paper bags over their heads as an expression of shame at the Nets dismal 2009-2010 record, Yormark offered any fan who put a paper bag on his head during a game a nylon Nets bag containing a poster, a pack of player trading cards and a printed note from Yormark that said: "Thanks for letting us see your face. We hope to see it more often at Nets' games."* Two people reportedly accepted the exchange offer.
Among Yormarks other promotions were giving away tickets to unemployed New Jersey workers along with free career advice.* Another was a tax-related promotion in which New Jersey residents 18 years or older who attended an Orlando game would get a coupon redeemable at a Roni Deutch Tax Center where they could get their New Jersey state income tax return prepared free.
Lets Listen to Avery Johnsons Cool Voice! Nets coach Avery Johnson is known for his high-pitched voice.* Because of its pitch, hes probably the most imitated coach in the NBA.
Heres Nets guard Devin Harris imitating his coach:
Heres the real Avery getting mad at a reporter at a post-game press conference:
Why I Like Avery Johnson. Ignore Averys cartoon-character voice.* Hes still a damned good coach.* Theres nothing subtle or diplomatic about him why some NBA teams have reportedly steered clear of him.* The major knock on him has always been that he comes on too strong, alienates too many people, wants to control everything, and doesn't listen to anybody. *However, these were the very reasons Nets management hired him to bring the Nets back from 2009-2010. The whole point was to cleanse the Nets of their mind-bogglingly awful ways.* Johnson hasnt accomplished this feat yet, but hes working on it.
"You obviously have too many guys who are soft-type players when you win 12 games," Nets GM Rod Thorn said when hiring Johnson for the 2009-2010 season. "You need somebody who will hold people accountable, and Avery holds people accountable."
Johnson inherited his abrasive style from Gregg Popovich, who won his first title in San Antonio with Johnson as his point guard. Popovich is another prickly personality, another last-place finisher in a Mr. Popularity contest, and another guy with a proven track record for winning NBA games.
Johnson got his first coaching gig at Dallas under Mark Cuban. He then grabbed the entertaining but Charmin-soft Mavericks by their throats, throttled them until they played defense, and then led them to a 2-0 lead in the 2006 NBA Finals before the whistles started blowing Dwyane Wade's way.
Johnson won 67 games the next season, only to be upset by Golden State in the first round of the playoffs. His Mavs lost another first-round series (to New Orleans) before Cuban decided to clean house and Johnson lost his job. He then spent some time with ESPN as an analyst before being hired by New Jersey.
At New Jersey, Johnson has been tasked with making the Nets a winner by the time they are due to move to Brooklyn in 2012 or 2013 (when they are slated to become the Brooklyn Nets). The franchise already has league approval for the move, a new arena being built, a lot of *salary cap space freed up, some draft picks in its coffers, and an engaged Russian zillionaire owner psyched to make winning happen.* In Johnson the Nets have a coach who demands excellence from players that are not inclined to reach for it and someone who isnt afraid to be a jerk when his team's effort requires him to be one.
Going into the 2010-2011 season, he owned the best regular-season winning percentage in NBA history at 194-70 (.735). *Squeaky voice or not, I like Avery Johnson.
Well, thats enough for tonight, 55ers.* Lets not let the Nets hang loss #7 on us.* Show up early and bring your lungs.* Maybe something good will happen Friday.* We certainly need a win.
Go Pacers!* Go Area 55!
Joe Murphy (Indy Hoya)


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Cigar Shapes, Sizes and Colors
A primer on cigar shapes, sizes and colors.
(continued from page 3)
But that's not enough. Many people read our magazine who may never have thought about smoking a cigar. But the cigar coverage in our pages piques their curiosity, and some of these new readers may become new smokers. For these novice smokers, and for those who may not have yet discovered cigars, we offer Cigar 101, a crash course in the basics of cigar smoking. This primer will be continued over the course of the next several issues and will highlight a range of cigar topics, from shapes and colors to the proper cutting, lighting and storage for your smokes.
A cigar shape can vary greatly in size from brand to brand, so describing a cigar by its size as well as shape is important. Cigars are measured by two factors: length, which is given in inches, and "ring gauge," a designation of a cigar's diameter broken into 64ths of an inch. A cigar with a 42 ring gauge, for example, is 42/64 of an inch in diameter. There is no correlation between the size of a cigar and its strength. An 8-inch cigar made with mild tobaccos will be mellow, while a thin, short cigar rolled with powerful tobaccos will be full bodied. While a cigar's strength is determined by the tobacco it is rolled with, thin cigars have a tendency to burn hotter than fatter ones. Also important to note is that there is no consistency of strength from brand to brand: one company's corona is likely to taste very different from another's.
Parejos are straight-sided cigars; most have an open foot for lighting and need to be cut before smoking. They may be either round or box-pressed, meaning that the sides of the cigar were pressed square prior to packing or, in some cases, by pressure in the box.
1 Corona
This is the benchmark size against which all other sizes are measured. The traditional dimensions are 5 1/2 to 6 inches with a ring gauge of 42 to 44. Example: Montecristo No. 3
2 Petit Corona
Basically a miniature corona, this cigar generally measures about 4 1/2 inches, with a ring gauge of 40 to 42. Example: Montecristo No. 4
3 Churchill
A large corona format. The standard dimensions are 7 inches by 47 ring gauge. Example: Romeo y Julieta Churchill
4 Robusto
A short, fat cigar that has become the most popular cigar size in America. The size is generally 4 3/4 to 5 1/2 inches by 48 to 52 ring gauge. Example: Cohiba Robusto
5 Corona Gorda
Also called a toro, this cigar is steadily growing in popularity. The traditional measurements are 5 5/8 inches by 46 ring gauge, but cigars of 6 inches by 50 ring have also become popular. Example: Punch Punch
6 Double Corona
The standard dimensions are 7 1/2 to 8 1/2 inches by a 49 to 52 ring gauge. Example: Hoyo de Monterrey Double Corona
7 Panetela
Long, thin and elegant, this size's popularity has decreased in recent years. Still, it is an elegant size, with a wide length variation of 5 to 7 1/2 inches with a ring gauge of 34 to 38. Cigars longer than 7 inches in this category are often referred to as "gran panetelas." Example: Cohiba Lancero
8 Lonsdale
A lonsdale is generally longer than a corona but thicker than a panetela, with a classic size of 6 1/2 inches by 42 ring. Example: Montecristo No. 1
Although the majority of cigars are parejos, a growing number of cigar companies are broadening their portfolios with more creatively shaped smokes. These cigars are called figurados, and they include any cigar that is not a straight-sided cylinder. Although cigar-makers' interpretations of the shapes vary as widely as the flavors inside their cigars, the basic categories of figurados are as follows:
9 Pyramid
Pyramids are cigars with cut feet, like parejos, but with heads tapered to a point. Generally the cigars measure from 6 to 7 inches in length, with ring gauges of about 40 at the head widening to 52 to 54 at the foot. The pyramid is treasured because the tapered head allows the complex flavors of the cigar to meld in the mouth. Example: Montecristo No. 2
10 Belicoso
Traditional belicosos are short pyramids, often with a slightly rounded pyramid head. They often measure from 5 to 5 1/2 inches, with ring gauges of about 50. Today's belicosos, however, are often coronas or corona gordas with tapered heads. Recent years have also seen the production of mini-belicosos, short cigars with small ring gauges and tapered heads. Example: Bolivar Belicoso Fino
11 Torpedo
Although many companies include cigars called torpedos in their portfolios, the cigars are often pyramids. A true torpedo is a rare cigar today, a smoke with a closed foot, a head tapered to a point, and a bulge in the middle. Example: Cuaba Millennium
12 Perfecto
Like the torpedo, the perfecto has a closed foot and a bulge in the middle. Unlike torpedos, though, the head of a perfecto is rounded like the head of a parejo. Perfectos very greatly in length, from a diminutive 4 1/2 inches to unwieldy 9-inch cigars, with ring gauges from 38 to 48. Example: Partagas Presidente
13 Culebra
More popular in the past than it is today, the culebra is perhaps the most exotic shape of cigar made. It consists of three panetelas braided together and tied with string, sold as one cigar. The three parts are then unbraided and smoked separately. Usually 5 to 6 inches long, culebras most often have a 38 ring gauge. Since they are difficult to come by today, you might consider sharing the other two braids of the cigar with two friends, turning the smoking of a culebra into a special occasion. Example: Partagas Culebra
14 Diadema
Diademas are enormous, 8 1/2 inches or longer. The head is tapered, though often not to a complete point, usually with a 40 ring gauge. The cigar then tapers down to a foot that can be open like a parejo or closed like a perfecto, usually with a ring gauge of 52 or greater. This is a cigar to be enjoyed when time is no object. Example: Hoyo de Monterrey Diadema
Ratings & Reviews
Search our database of more than 17,000 cigar tasting notes by score, brand, country, size, price range, year, wrapper and more, plus add your favorites to your Personal Humidor.


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It is often said that the 5 aggregates should be directly perceived. Now, I was wondering how the aggregate of form could be perceived, since form is just a hypothesis, and no one, as far as I know, has been able to perceive it.
But maybe my understanding is wrong here.


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Washington's 1st Congressional District race one of most evenly divided in nation
The 2010 United States Census resulted in a shift of 12 congressional seats across 18 states, including Washington. But the new 1st Congressional District, which includes Bothell, Kenmore, Kirkland and Redmond on the Eastside, is one of the most watched races in the country.
The race pits Republican John Koster, who is in his third term on the Snohomish County Council from Arlington, against Democrat Suzan DelBene, a former Microsoft executive who lives in Medina.
The district stretches from the Canadian border down to I-90 and Medina and covers 6,600 square miles. To put that into perspective, it is nearly as big as New Jersey at 8,722 square miles and bigger than Delaware, Rhode Island and the District of Columbia combined (4,245 square miles).
But it is not the size that has caught the eye of national news media such as the New York Times and political party leaders, such as former Democratic Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie.
The New York Times recently called the district one of the most evenly divided politically in the nation.
The old 1st District fell constantly into the Democrats column. But a SurveyUSA poll for KING 5 News in Seattle released Oct. 23, showed a dead heat with DelBene narrowly edging Koster 47-44 percent. But those numbers are within the margin of error.
With the race so close, some heavy hitters have visited the state in support of each candidate. United States Sen. Patty Murray attended a rally at DelBene's headquarters in the North Creek area of Bothell on Oct. 21.
"(The district) was designed to be 50-50 and this is a historic time for this district," said Murray, who grew up in Bothell. "But I predict that after the race it won't be considered a swing district."
Murray said that she knows how important it is to get voters to the polls.
"I remember a Bothell mayor race that was won by one or two votes," said Murray, who is the senior Senator from Washington first elected in 1992.
Along with Murray, DelBene has had national Democratic leaders such as Pelosi, Congressman Steny Hoyer, who has represented Maryland for 30 years and South Carolina Congressman Jim Cyburn on the campaign trail. Koster has had Christie, Georgia Congressman Tom Price, M.D., talk radio host and son of President Ronald Reagan, Michael Reagan, along with Congressman Dave Reichert campaigning for him.
"It really is one of the most evenly divided in the nation and that is great," said DelBene. "We need more districts like this one."
The Reporter did not receive any response to multiple interview requests and phone calls to the Koster campaign.
The campaign rally for DelBene also included the wife of former 1st Congressional District Rep. Jay Inslee, who vacated the seat to run for Governor. Inslee won re-election in 2010 with 57 percent of the vote against challenger James Watkins.
Because Inslee vacated the seat, 1st District voters will get to vote for DelBene or Koster twice during the general election on Nov. 6. The first is to fill the final few months of Inslee's term and the second is to fill the seat for the next congressional term.
This is the second time that both Koster and DelBene have run for Congress. Koster ran for the 2nd District seat in 2010 but lost to Rick Larsen 51.1-48.9 percent. DelBene ran against Reichert in 2010 but lost 52.1-47.9 percent.


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The Biggest Loser will have a run/walk marathon right here in Washington, DC on Sunday July 14th, 2013. Participants can choose between the 5k or the 10k marathons. Participants can register up until July 10, 2013 for the marathon. There will be a promotional event at The Gryphon the day before (July 13, 2013), which is at 1337 Connecticut Ave NW, Washington, DC 20036. The actual marathon will be on Sunday and participants will meet at the RFK Stadium which is at 2400 E Capitol Street, SE
Washington, DC 20003 – Parking Lot 8 (see website for up to date information as this information is subject to change).
Even if you are visiting Washington DC for the day, feel free to invite your friends or come and stop by and view our amazing Washington, DC lodging and hotel accommodations. Modeled after the late 19th century homes that are suited in the Historic Kalorama Triangle of Washington, DC, you are sure to feel a piece of history as you enjoy your stay with us.
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KEITH Pearson has been elected the new leader of the Conservative group on Stroud District Council.
Cllr Pearson, who represents the Upton St Leonards ward, was elected by fellow Tory district councillors at a behind-closed doors session on Monday, November 19.
The retired oil industry worker defeated the only other candidate in the running Cllr Dorcas Binns (Minchinhampton).
First elected to the council in 2007, Cllr Pearson takes over as leader from Cllr Frances Roden (Painswick) who opted to stand down after the Conservative group lost control of the council in May's local elections.
Speaking to the SNJ on Monday, Cllr Pearson said his foremost priority would be to retake the council from the rainbow alliance.
"I need to get my feet under the table and start to build the team so that we can once again become the administration of Stroud District Council," he said.
"We have not got the opportunity to do that until 2014 so in the mean time we will work to ensure that we are an effective opposition to the current alliance and that they are providing the best possible services for the district's residents."
He added: "We are still the largest represented party on the council so we do have a voice and we do have something to say.
"It will be our job to ensure that the public know what we stand for and that we can continue to do a good job for them."
Cllr Pearson's first full council meeting as leader will take place on Thursday November 29, where he will lead Conservative calls for the rainbow alliance to scrap its plans to move from an executive model of governance to a committee system.


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Tara Reid will apparently be topless in the latest issue of Playboy (above) in an effort to shut everyone up who keeps showing "old" pictures of her, according to a recent interview with WPIX:
"I've been OK now for the last five or six years but people only show old pictures which is so unfair and that's part of the reason why I did the Playboy shoot – to show the world this is me and this is what I look like."
I had no idea pictures from this summer really happened five to six years ago, but then again my stomach isn't botched to the point where it warps the very fabric of time. To put things in perspective, Tara Reid could've murdered someone this morning, yet to her it happened 50 years in the future while a brontosaurus watched. (Read: There's going to be a lot of airbrushing.)


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As a CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocate) Board member, I have attended Family Court on the docket where CASA advocates for children on cases involving dependency, abuse, and neglect. This was a true eye opener for me.
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There are about 10 posters who honestly believe they know everything there is to know about how to run a baseball team and eveyone else who has a different opinion is wrong.
Marty has been broadcasting Red's baseball for 30 years but according to the Red's Forum 10 he is as dumb as a broomstick.
George Foster played the game and was quite successful while wearing a Red's uniform but according to the Red's Forum 10 he is right there with Marty.
Hal McCoy has forgotten more about baseball than the Red's Forum 10 has ever known. Sadly, he is right there with Marty and George.
Over the last 30 years Marty, George, and Hal have watched, evaluated, and/or participated in over 10,000 Red's basball games. That doesn't count any other baseball games they may have watched.
About 10 wannabe's on this board will gladly tell everyone how stupid these people are and how smart and intellectual the Red's Forum 10 are. I even saw a post comparing something Ted Williams said with something Marty said. In Adma Dunn's case I vote with Marty. Ted Williams was talking about Ted Williams and not Adam Dunn.
I love the way Dunn plays. I do not like his selectivity when the Reds need him to hit the baseball. Dunn does not need a bunch of wannabe GM's defending him. He needs to drive in the runs and swing the bat.
I sure hope the 'wannabe 10' never buy my beloved Reds.


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So we are a year away from the end of the George W. Bush era. I'm sure there are a few people on this planet that will be sad to see him leave office. I am not one of them. Feel free to fight me in the comments of this post if you like!
As musicians are we more in tune with the world? It sure feels like it to me and it feels bad lately. I recently read watched this video which details how birds are disappearing from North America. What the? Birds are disappearing! We need some new leaders fast, especially in the United States.
So what to do? Well if your a sign maker then go make some signs. If your a web designer go make some websites. If your a chef bake a cake with your candidates face on it. If your reading this blog chances are your a musician so MAKE A SONG! I choose to believe in life that everything and anyone can make a difference.
I recorded two political songs in my life. The first song called Blood in the Sand was recorded after the first Iraq War. In it I go on about terrorists hitting US cities with a gas attack but as we all know it was airplanes in 2001. It is a free download and then later also was released on Sonic Groove Records, SGS0001 and the proceeds went to NYC Firefighters. I wrote another song after 9/11 called Wir Sind Angekommen (We Have Arrived) which was released on Acardipane Records, ACA 2017.002/12. It was later released on the bonus disc of my first album Manic Panic.
So what songs come to my mind when I think protest? What's Going On by Marvin Gaye, Youth Against Fascism by Sonic Youth, Where Have All The Flowers Gone by Pete Seeger, Get Up Stand Up by Bob Marley.
photo credit: dexter_mixwith


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In this week's installment of Game of Thrones, Daenerys Targaryen finds refuge in the far-flung city of Qarth, Tyrion Lannister hires a pair of prostitutes, and Davos Seaworth watches in horror during an unusual birth.
The hit HBO show, based on the epic fantasy series A Song of Ice and Fire by George R. R. Martin, tends to be at its best when it sticks close to its very strong source material (which I'm extremely familiar with).
(Spoiler alert: Minor plot points follow.)
For example, the scene in which Tyrion castigates Prince Joffrey for abusing Sansa Stark was very effective in this week's episode, titled "Garden of Bones." I also really enjoyed the scene in which Melisandre of Asshai gives birth to a shadow baby, which was suitably dark and unsettling, and the shot in which the gates of Qarth are thrown open, which evoked a genuine sense of wonder.
But, as always, the show gets a little wobbly when it strays too far from its source material, and "Garden of Bones" diverged more from the books than other recent episodes.
Here are a few of the most significant deviations in this week's episode:
1) Why does Robb have a foot fetish?
In A Clash of Kings (the second book in Martin's series), once Catelyn Stark journeys to the camp of Renly Baratheon, she's no longer around to witness the military campaign of her son Robb, The King in the North. Much of what we learn about Robb's exploits comes to us secondhand, so it's inevitable that the show will have to invent a lot of dialog in order to dramatize Robb's adventures.
But still, who the heck is Talisa?
"Garden of Bones" opens with a battle in which Lannister forces are slaughtered, and in the aftermath Robb spots a pretty young medic sawing off a man's foot. He's instantly smitten. Unfortunately, this young lady turns out to be a bit of a hippie, and lectures Robb on his warmongering ways. I wasn't thrilled with this scene for several reasons. One, Talisa isn't mentioned in the books, or even hinted at. Two, she sort of struck me as another Shae — a character whose combative attitude I'm expected to find appealing and spunky, but who actually proves kind of annoying.
More importantly, commoners just should not be talking this way to a king. One of Martin's chief criticisms of epic fantasy is that so much of it is set in a Disney-fied version of feudal society, where there are knights and kings and peasants, but all the characters pretty much think and act like modern-day Americans.
In actual feudal societies, it was the unquestioned prerogative of nobles to rape and murder commoners.
In actual feudal societies, it was the unquestioned prerogative of nobles to rape and murder commoners. That's something people tend not to think of when we picture "knights in shining armor," but it's something that A Song of Ice and Fire never lets you forget. The books are full of encounters between nobles and commoners in which the commoners are justly terrified of what might happen if they step out of line, and so they're silent and submissive in the extreme. Martin specifically lists peasants being sassy to princes as the sort of thing that irks him about most fantasies. Of course, there will be some exceptions, but this scene with Talisa just struck me as way too curt and casual given the power imbalance involved.
I'm also not really sure what point the scene served. Maybe this is just a bit of foreshadowing that the Young Wolf is on the prowl for some female companionship, but I have a sinking feeling that we'll be seeing Talisa again, which makes me worry that she'll turn into another Ros the prostitute. Which brings us to …
2) Didn't we hate Joffrey enough already?
As a reader of A Song of Ice and Fire, I hate Joffrey Baratheon. I mean I really, really hate him. I probably hate him more than any other fictional character I can think of. You really can't get much more loathsome than a whiny, spoiled, psychopathic prince.
"Garden of Bones" features two scenes with Joffrey. The first is straight out of A Clash of Kings — Joffrey threatens his unwilling fiancee Sansa Stark with a crossbow, then orders his bodyguard Meryn Trant to beat her and tear at her clothes. The vile proceedings are interrupted by Tyrion Lannister, who chastises Joffrey, threatens Ser Meryn, and escorts Sansa to safety. It's a tense, effective scene, and if our hatred-of-Joffrey levels weren't already maxed out (unlikely), they certainly are now.
Unfortunately this scene is followed by another pornified TV interpolation featuring — who else? — Ros. In this scene, Tyrion hires Ros and a friend to double-team Joffrey, in the hopes that getting Joffrey laid will make him chill out a bit. But things don't go according to plan, as Joffrey holds a crossbow on Ros and orders her to lash her companion with some sort of stag-headed scepter.
Joffrey is a bit older on the show than he is in the books, so it's not unreasonable to show his psychopathic tendencies taking a slightly more adult turn. But especially coming where it does, this scene feels completely redundant. In the preceding scene we watched Joffrey order that a helpless girl be beaten, so watching that sort of thing again, only with less clothing and less dramatic import, feels superfluous.
3) Why is Littlefinger acting like such a putz?
In A Clash of Kings, Petyr Baelish, called Littlefinger, never journeys to Renly's camp, and based on his presence there in this episode, that was definitely for the best. Littlefinger is presented in the novels as a master manipulator, a man of modest means who maneuvered his way into a high position at court through ruthless cunning. In the show, however, he often appears pretty hapless, and seems to divide his time between aimless conversations with naked women and putting his foot in his mouth while talking to powerful political figures.
In "Garden of Bones," he seems to be continuing his systematic effort to alienate every powerful woman in Westeros. First he ticks off Margaery Tyrell by tactlessly engaging her on the subject of her husband's sexuality; then he enrages Catelyn Stark so much that she actually draws a knife on him. Granted, that conversation was probably not destined to go smoothly, given that whole thing about her husband being betrayed and murdered, but a master of human psychology like Littlefinger probably could have handled the situation better than by professing his love while trying to grab her. ("I've always loved you. I'm sorry, is this a bad time? It's just, you know, I heard you were single again, so …")
Imagine how much more creepy and effective it would have been if we'd watched Littlefinger really manipulate Catelyn and get under her skin, and make her second-guess his role in Ned's death. That sort of scheming seems totally beyond the reach of the TV character, though. In fact, between his pissing off Margaery, pissing off Catelyn, and pissing off Cersei Lannister a few episodes back, I'm half expecting him to show up in Qarth next episode to tell Daenerys Targaryen a bunch of jokes about dumb blondes.
4) Why won't Dany show off her dragons?
In A Clash of Kings, when Daenerys Targaryen's scout reaches Qarth, the city sends messengers to greet the legendary Mother of Dragons, and Dany is welcomed into the city. But in the show, there's an odd standoff outside the gates, in which the ruling delegation of Qarth refuses to admit Dany's khalasar (tribe) until they see her dragons — and she refuses show off the creatures.
Is "show us your dragons" some crude innuendo or something?
This made no sense to me. Why is she so bent out of shape about it? Is "show us your dragons" some crude innuendo or something? I don't get it.
If I had some dragons, you can bet I'd be showing them off to everyone. Especially if the alternative was dying of thirst.
Maybe there were budgetary factors. Dany's khalasar here suffers from a conspicuous lack of extras, and looks less like the remnants of a nomadic tribe and more like a medium-size pop star entourage. When the Qartheen demand to see Dany's dragons, I half expected her to say, "Geez, look at my khalasar, will you? You think we have the CGI budget for dragons?"
5) Why is Lancel so weird-looking?
In A Song of Ice and Fire, Lancel Lannister is described as looking like a younger version of Jaime — tall, blond and handsome. He possesses the customary Lannister arrogance, and has been squire to Robert Baratheon; there's nothing to suggest he's less than competent with a sword. There's also nothing to suggest that he looks like a mime who borrows outfits from Jacqueline Onassis, which is how he comes across on the show.
Lancel's odd appearance was distracting enough in Season 1, when he was mostly in the background, but it was a million times worse in "Garden of Bones," in which he has a drawn-out confrontation with Tyrion. When Lancel confesses that he's been sleeping with his cousin Cersei, it's absolutely shocking — not because she's his cousin, just because he's so weird-looking. In fact, even though I've read the books and know full well about this relationship, while watching this scene play out on TV I found it impossible to believe that Cersei could have possibly gone to bed with this guy, and therefore I was convinced that Tyrion must be getting conned somehow. Come on, there's just no reason why a character's appearance should be this much of a distraction.
Lancel is the most obvious example of a character from the books who's been made less imposing on the show, but there are definitely others. Littlefinger, as I mentioned above, is much less formidable on TV, as is Renly. Most of all, Sandor Clegane, aka the Hound, has gone from a seething cauldron of rage to acting like a bored mall cop. Lancel's obviously a lost cause, but I'm still holding out hope that Game of Thrones can make a course correction on Littlefinger and the Hound and make them significantly more badass than they've been so far. And speaking of Renly …
6) No peach?!?
"The Garden of Bones" features a confrontation between Renly and Stannis Baratheon, brothers of the dead king Robert. Since Robert left no true heirs, the crown by rights should pass to Stannis, a grouchy old killjoy with few allies. His popular younger brother Renly seeks to claim the throne for himself, backed by his powerful allies in House Tyrell.
In A Clash of Kings, when Stannis and Renly meet to discuss their differences, Renly refuses to deal seriously with Stannis, instead launching into a mocking disquisition on the virtues of a peach that he happens to be eating. This greatly unsettles Stannis, a stern, literal-minded man with no great grasp of wit and irony. This is probably Renly's defining moment as a character. (For example, this fan portrait depicts him holding a peach.)
In the TV adaptation, there's no peach. It's probably the sort of thing that's hard to translate to film, as you would have to get the tone just right or it could easily come across as absurd or nonsensical. And it would make a lot more sense coming from book-Renly — a tall, confident man who jokes constantly — than it would from TV-Renly, a small, insecure man who rarely jokes.
Deciding to film A Clash of Kings without Renly's peach is understandable, but lamentable. I mean, what's next? Go ahead and film Hamlet without Yorick's skull, why don't you?
What's Your Take on Season 2 of Game of Thrones?
Give us your spin on Sunday's episode of Game of Thrones, and/or your take on the HBO series so far, in the comments below.Go Back to Top. Skip To: Start of Article.


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Tony Hawk Skater Profile
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Harmony's Resident Witch Honored with Emmy Nod
When Juliet Mills was nominated for a Daytime Emmy Award for Best Actress this year for her role as witch Tabitha Lenox on Passions, she became the second cast member (after the late Josh Ryan Evans) in the show's six year history to receive an Emmy nomination. For anyone who has followed Mills' illustrious career which spans six decades and dozens of film and television roles, the nomination doesn't come as a surprise. In fact, it's long overdue.
Understandably, Mills herself was thrilled to learn of her nomination. Mills tells Soapdom that she first heard the news from the show's publicist. "My dear friend Eva, who is the publicist for Passions, called me at 6:00 am. It was a wonderful and unexpected call. I was absolutely astonished and delighted."
Mills couldn't wait to share her happiness, and immediately left home to tell her husband, actor Maxwell Caulfield. "He'd gone for a master swimming class that he goes to three times a week," Mills explained. "It's held at a local park that is within walking distance from our house. I rushed over to the park in my trainers and waited for him to come out. Once I saw him, I flung myself at him and told him the good news!"
Mills is quick to point out that she didn't secure her nomination alone. The scene she submitted to judges of the Blue Ribbon Emmy Panel was the Thanksgiving episode, where Tabitha's home is overrun with giant turkeys while various family members argue, and secrets are revealed. "I chose it because it was one of the best shows I've done, as well as one of the best written, best directed, best edited shows we've done. It all came together for me, and it was just a very obvious choice." Mills also credits everyone in the scene with helping her performance. "A lot of the cast was in that show, and they all react wonderfully to Tabitha. Since it was Thanksgiving, Tabitha needed those people there at her dinner table to make things really awful for them."
Now that Mills can relax in the knowledge that she is one of the lucky eight actresses nominated for Best Actress this year, it's back to work. There's an old adage in Hollywood that it's career suicide to act with animals and babies, because they always steal the scene. Mills isn't afraid to break the stereotype, and her Emmy nomination only proves that talented acting will always shine through. As Passion fans know, Mills' current co-star is toddler Nicole Cox (Endora). Mills is very enthusiastic about "her baby." "I love working with Nicole. I adore her. The biggest challenge I have with her is keeping her attention, so that I usually feel I've got just one shot at a scene. This means I won't rehearse with her, but rehearse with a doll instead. If we do a scene too many times, she gets bored. But she's a joy, and I'm happy to be working with her."
Maybe Cox will be on Mills' Emmy reel next year!
Lesleyann Coker is a contributing columnist for Soapdom.com, and co-author of Boob Tube, a satirical novel currently being shopped to publishers that examines what really goes on behind the scenes of the soap opera industry. She is a former reporter for Soap Opera Weekly magazine, and has interviewed over 200 daytime and primetime actors during her career.
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To register to vote in the State of Idaho an individual must meet the following qualifications:
- Be a United States Citizen
- Be at least 18 years of age by Election Day
- Have resided in Idaho and in the county for 30 days prior to the day of election
- Not have been convicted of a felony without civil rights having been restored
- Not be serving any sentence imposed by the conviction of a criminal offense
By mail, a person must register to vote at least 25 days before the election. Any person who is eligible to vote may register on Election Day by appearing in person at the polling place for the precinct in which he/she maintains residence and:
- By completing a registration card
- Making an oath in the form prescribed by the Secretary of State
- Providing any document which contains a valid address in the precinct
- Providing a photo ID card
Can select party affiliation at the polls.
Can register to vote in person or obtain a mail-in application from:
- County election office
- Division of motor vehicles
- Health and welfare offices
- State agencies
- Medicaid offices
You can also obtain an online voter registration application.
Absentee Voting:
Request an application for an absentee ballot by:
- Contacting the County Clerk's office
- Downloading and printing a copy from the Secretary of State's website
- Submitting a written request with the required information (name of elector, residence address in Idaho and mailing address to which such registration or ballot is to be forwarded) signed by the applicant
If you wish to have an absentee ballot mailed to you, the request must be received by the county clerk's office by the 6th day prior to the election. You can still cast an absentee ballot in person at the absent elector's polling place (usually the county clerk's office) up until 5 p.m. the day before the election.
In order to be counted, the completed absentee ballot must be received by the County Clerk by 5:00 p.m. on the day before the election. The ballot may be mailed or hand-delivered.
For more election and voter information you can contact the Idaho Secretary of State's Office or visit Idaho Votes.


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Andrew Whitis receives service award from the Ohio Private Academic Libraries group
Andrew Whitis, head of user services at the Muskingum College library, has received the 2008 service award from the Ohio Private Academic Libraries (OPAL) consortium.
Whitis received the award in recognition of his service to the 24-member consortium of private college and university libraries that make up the OPAL group, which includes Muskingum College's library.
For the last four years, Whitis has been an active member of OPAL's User Services Committee, as well as serving as its chairperson. Since 2005, he has been invited to present at each of OPAL's annual conferences. In addition, he has represented OPAL as an elected member of the OhioLINK Cooperative Information Resource Committee for a three-year term.
Whitis, a resident of Zanesville, joined the library staff in 2004. He received his bachelor's degree from The Ohio State University and earned his master of library and information science degree from the University of Pittsburgh.
Dr. Sheila Ellenberger, director of the library and media center at Muskingum, commented on Whitis's recognition by saying, "All of us on the library staff are proud of Andrew for the way he integrates the newest technological advancements into academic library services, and the 24 OPAL-member institutions have shown their appreciation and respect for his outstanding accomplishments by giving him this award."
This is the second time that the Muskingum College library staff has earned the recognition from its fellow academic libraries. In 2006, both Circulation Supervisor Zelda Patterson and the entire Muskingum College library staff were recognized to their service to the consortium.
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Naturipe Farms, Salinas, Calif., has hired Donna Lynn Johnson as the director of food safety and social responsibility.
Johnson will monitor the company's products in social responsibility, food quality, food safety, food security, good agricultural practices and food safety compliance, according to a news release.
"Donna Lynn brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to the entire Naturipe Farms organization," said Dwight Ferguson, chief executive officer of Naturipe Farms, in the release. "She has a keen understanding and appreciation for the complexities, challenges and systems that we manage in order to deliver safe, healthy and great tasting berries."
Previously, Johnson has worked at Safeway, Dole and Greenline Foods. Recently she was an independent food safety consultant to clients including Taylor Farms, River Point Farms and HerbThyme Farms, according to the release.
She will be based in Salinas.
"I am truly excited to work for a company that authentically cares about being on the forefront of food safety and social responsibility," Johnson said. "I am looking forward to working with all the growers worldwide and helping them, or I should say us, be the best we can be."


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Sony is throwing a curveball into the HDTV game.
Its new 65-inch curved screen HDTV, about to hit stores, isn't the first concave display to hit the market -- LG and Samsung brought curved OLED HDTVs, available for $10,000 and $9,000 respectively, to market this summer.
But Sony's new display is the first curved LCD HDTV -- with contrast-enhancing LED backlighting -- bringing a cinematic vision in at lower price ($4,000). "A lot of times people see the curve and think it's a gimmick," says Sony TV training manager Philip Jones. "But this TV is designed to be more immersive."
The set produces richer 3-D video and has a wider viewing angle, he says. And Sony researched the proper curvature for the set to make TV watching more natural. "Your brain has to do less work and it's more comfortable to watch," he says.
TV shoppers need an information caddy to keep track of all the new display technologies available. The new OLED (organic light-emitting diode) displays have been coveted for years because the super-thin displays reproduce super-saturated colors, ultra-distinct blacks and whites and virtually no motion blur.
The first Ultra HD or 4K TVs, which began arriving last fall, provide four times the resolution of current HDTV. Since launching its 84-inch Ultra HD set ($25,000), Sony has brought out two new smaller displays, a a 55-inch set for $3,500 and 65-inch sets starting at $5,000. Other makers with Ultra HD sets available include LG, Samsung, Sharp and Toshiba.
Ultra HD, "is about detail, whether you are watching (Ultra HD) or HD content," Sony's Jones says. "This (curved HDTV) is designed to provide more immersion." That immersive effect carries over into sound, too, as the curved display also has a multi-angle surround sound array of eight speakers, he says.
Consumers at retail have stated a preference for curved sets because, says Richard Doherty, director of tech consulting firm The Envisioneering Group, "it feels like you are in the center of the action."
Despite the curved Sony HDTV set's higher price, compared to other 65-inch HDTVs that can be found for less than $1,500, some consumers may opt for the new look as "a style decision," Doherty says. "It may be a reason to sell it to your spouse or to impress your neighbors."
When the new Sony displays begin selling today at Video & Audio Center in Santa Monica -- priced at $3,998 with sales tax included -- the retailer will have the curved display next to other top-of-the-line displays.
Customers in the hundreds regularly turn out for the retailer's events showing off new OLED and Ultra HD 4K sets, says Video & Audio Center's Tom Campbell. "The consumer is hungry and has an appetite for these new technologies," he says. "Not everyone is coming to buy but they are coming to see (new products). They are very curious."
The set is also available for pre-order on Sony's online retail store with estimated availability of Oct. 27.
The big selling point of the new curved set is that "you get depth like never before," Campbell says. "It used to be that 'thin is in' and 'flat is where it's at' but not any more. Curved is where it is at."


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SWINDON Town striker Nile Ranger will appear at Swindon Magistrates Court today having been charged with criminal damage following an incident at his Gordon Gardens home at the weekend.
It's the latest in a line of brushes with authority for the 23-year-old. Here we look back at the controversial footballer's roll of dishonour...
2007: Ranger, 15, is sentenced to 11 weeks in a Young Offenders' Institute following an armed robbery in London.
May 2011: The striker is pictured posing with a gun, said to be a replica, sparking criticism from the FA and fans. His club at the time, Newcastle, say: "Nile regrets posing for the photograph, which was taken by his girlfriend at home."
August 2011: Ranger is arrested on suspicion of assault after a 33-year-old man was left unconscious following an attack.
October 2011: The front man is arrested and charged with being drunk and disorderly just days after being picked up on suspicion of drink driving in Newcastle.
March 2012: Ranger is fined £6,000 and warned of his future conduct by the FA after posting homophobic comments on Twitter.
September 2012: Ranger is arrested and charged with criminal damage after kicking down a door at the London home of his then girlfriend. He claimed he believed she was being kidnapped. The court accepted the reason and the case was dropped.
October 2012: The forward is handed a conditional discharge by Newcastle Crown Court after admitting to assaulting two police officers during a night out in the city. Two more serious charges of attacking two members of the public were dropped after prosecutors reviewed the case.
January 2013: Ranger is arrested on suspicion of rape at his home on Tyneside. He is taken to Wallsend Police Station for questioning and released on bail.
April 2013: Ranger is given a 12 months community order after admitting common assault. The striker pulled the hair of his girlfriend at the time: Shakire Bicar: in a street row. He was ordered to do 120 hours' unpaid work.
February 2014: Ranger is arrested in Newcastle on suspicion of breaking the conditions of his bail. He was later cleared.
February 2014: Ranger misses a court date in south Wales on a drink drive charge.
March 2014: Ranger is found not guilty of rape by a jury at Newcastle Crown Court.
March 2014: The former Southampton trainee pleads not guilty to drink driving at a Newport court.
March 2014: Ranger is arrested by police on suspicion of criminal damage on a Liverpool taxi. The 23-year-old was questioned by officers after allegedly damaging the vehicle following a row with the driver at around 6am in the city.
April 2014: Wiltshire Police say they want to speak with the striker after he is allegedly caught on CCTV slapping and punching a woman and breaking down the door to his Swindon flat. He is charged with criminal damage.


text: Regional Jail Authority wants to hire 100 new full-time workers By Phil Kabler January 24, 2013 Story Share CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- State Regional Jail Authority members Thursday endorsed a novel plan for reducing personnel costs -- by hiring 100 new full-time employees.Salaries for 100 new correctional officers for the state's 10 regional jails will cost about $2.4 million annually, but should reduce the authority's overtime pay costs by at least $3.6 million a year, executive director Joe DeLong told the authority."We pay out enough money in overtime that it equates with 185 full-time positions," he said.In the 2011-12 budget year, Regional Jails had a total of $31.8 million in employee compensation, but nearly one-fourth of that amount, $7.2 million, was for overtime pay, usually at time-and-a-half.DeLong said that when staffing plans were originally designed for the regional jails, the plans failed to account for employees being off for holidays, vacation days or sick leave.That means the current 648 correctional officers have to make up the difference through overtime -- often with mandatory overtime built into their schedules."They're getting their schedules, and they're already scheduled for 48- or 48-plus hours a week," DeLong said. Besides the overtime costs, the understaffing contributes to burnout and high turnover rates, and to liability suits and Workers' Compensation claims for incidents and accidents that occur because employees are overworked, he said."Our people are worn out. They're tired, and they're leaving their guard down," DeLong said.Because of the overall cost savings, the additional employees will not affect the per-diem rates counties pay to house prisoners, and ultimately could reduce those rates, he said.Vivian Parsons, with the state County Commissioners' Association, and Patti Hamilton, with the state Association of Counties, said their members support the proposal. "While it seems a little counterintuitive that adding employees would bring a cost savings, we have discussed it enough to be quite comfortable with it," Hamilton said.The staffing plan would not be affected if the recommendations of the Council of State Government's Justice Center, which are meant to alleviate prison overcrowding, are adopted and successful in reducing the number of state prison inmates, DeLong said.All of the overcrowding in the regional jails is attributable to Division of Corrections inmates being housed in the jails because state prisons are full, he said. If the recommendations are successful, the jail populations will drop back to the original design capacities for the facilities."If the Council of State Governments' work is all enacted, and is highly successful ... it's only going to relieve the overpopulation of inmates that weren't intended to be here," he said. The jails require a certain minimum staffing level, regardless of the number of inmates, DeLong said."If you have one person in the tower, whether they're watching 130 people or 170 people, you still need that person in the tower," he said.The hiring plan will have to be signed off on by the Department of Military Affairs and Public Safety and the Division of Personnel.DeLong said there should be no problem finding applicants to fill the new positions at most of the regional jails."In eight of our 10 facilities, we are not having problems getting applicants," he said.He said the exceptions are at two of the more rural locations, the Tygarts Valley Regional Jail in Barbour County and the North Central Regional Jail in Doddridge County. Reach Phil Kabler at firstname.lastname@example.com or 304-348-1220. Story Share Story Share Trending Now 1 Facebook founder visits Cabin Creek Health Systems 2 Safety shutoff disabled prior to June coal-mining death, report says 3 Huggins, WVU tap South Florida hoops talent 4 Teen pleads guilty to voluntary manslaughter in Oakes Field shooting 5 WVU hopes to get injured defenders back for TCU Body armor to be required for Kanawha sheriff's employees Previous Story Manchin, Rockefeller talk about congressional priorities Next Story


text:
Goa Ikat Comforter + Sham, Gray
No longer available
- Overview
Wake up your room with our vibrant take on an exotic ikat dyed on the Indian seaside state of Goa.
- Made of 100% cotton percale.
- Filled with polyester batting.
- Quilt and sham reverse to tulip block print design in light grey.
- Quilted sham has an envelope closure.
- Twin-sized quilt fits both standard twin and twin XL dorm mattresses.
- Quilt, sham and insert sold separately.
- Machine wash.
- Imported.
- Dimensions + Care
- Twin: 68" x 91"
- Full/Queen: 86" square
- Standard: 20 x 26"
- Euro: 26" square
- A percale weave is noticeably denser and wears well over time.
- Quilt is filled with 200-gram-weight polyester batting.
- Sham is filled with 100-gram-weight polyester batting.
- Oeko-Tex certified, the definitive mark of excellence for products that are healthy for your children and healthy for the environment.
- Machine wash in warm water; gentle cycle.
- Use only nonchlorine bleach, if needed.
- Tumble dry on low heat; remove promptly.
- Warm iron as needed.
- Shipping Info
This item will arrive in 3-5 business days. Please proceed to the Payment & Review page of Checkout for a precise delivery estimate.
No longer available
Sham (Sold Separately)
No longer available
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$18 – $29


text:
As a nurse in training, however, the president of IPFW Students for Life figures women can point to plenty of legitimate accomplishments with "celebrating" something she says has degraded – not liberated – women.
"(Some supporters) of abortion say the unborn are human, but unless the mother gives consent they have no rights," said Michelle Landrigan, 20, a junior. "With increases in science and technology, we know that the unborn are human from the moment of conception. Their DNA is intact."
IPFW's Women's Studies Program said it chose this month's theme – "Women's Reproductive Rights: A Historical and Global Perspective" to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the Supreme Court's Roe vs. Wade decision, which discovered a long-overlooked right to abortion lurking in constitutional penumbras. But it's one thing to insist, as many supporters have, that abortion should be "safe, legal and rare." It's quite another to "celebrate" a dubious legal decision that continues to divide the country and has created the kind of ghoulish conditions that allegedly existed in the Philadelphia clinic run by "Dr." Kermit Gosnell.
In court last week, medical assistant Adrienne Moton admitted she had cut the necks of at least 10 babies after they had been delivered at Gosnell's instruction. One baby – believed to be at least 30 weeks old – was so big Gosnell joked he could have walked to the bus stop, a sobbing Moton testified.
All causes have their extremists. But the National Rifle Association does not celebrate Americans who abuse their Second Amendment rights. Tea party groups do not celebrate the likes of Tim McVeigh, whose alleged patriotism and aversion to big government caused him to murder 168 people in Oklahoma City in 1995. Nor do legitimate pro-life groups celebrate zealots who resort to deadly violence.
On the contrary, those and other movements disavow such extremists precisely because their deeds undermine the very causes they were supposedly intended to promote.
But if supporters of abortion rights are not openly celebrating Gosnell, neither are they vocally condemning him. The website of NARAL, formerly the National Abortion Rights Action League, does not even mention his name and in fact reiterates the organization's opposition to any law seeking to limit abortion without making allowances for "women's health" – a loophole big enough to drive a 30-week-old baby through.
Even President Obama has seemed ambivalent when it comes to late-term (or "partial birth") abortions. According to the University of Pennsylvania's Annenberg Public Policy Center, which bills itself as non-partisan, Obama opposed bills as an Illinois state senator that would have given legal protection to any fetus that survived abortion. Obama claimed he did so because the bills could have undermined Roe vs. Wade but would have supported a bill that explicitly protected abortion rights, as the 2002 federal late-term-abortion bill did. But in 2003 Obama voted against such a bill in committee.
Landrigan insists the "Women's Studies Program could have easily found prominent accomplishments of women to celebrate. Modern history alone has given us female trailblazers like suffragist Susan B. Anthony, who once warned women that having an abortion would "burden her conscience in life (and) her soul in death. But oh, thrice guilty is he who drove her to the desperation which impelled her to the crime."
Today, irresponsible men applaud abortion perhaps loudest of all. And with a few exceptions, the act is no longer a crime but something to celebrated by anyone who does not want to be accused of waging a "war on women."
Landrigan, who said 80 percent of her group's members are women, disagrees. So does Allen County Right to Life Executive Director Cathie Humbarger. "Nothing is more of a 'war on women' than abortion," she said, noting that sex-selection abortions targeting girls are on the rise worldwide.
Of course, the very decision IPFW is lauding this month was in fact based on a fabrication. Only after the court announced its Roe decision did it become known that Norma McCorvey had lied about becoming pregnant through a rape, hoping to qualify for an abortion under Texas law. She later converted to Christianity and the pro-life cause.
IPFW is apparently not celebrating that.


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Orlando, Fla. • The Jazz will have a different D-League affiliate for the third time in three years after the Reno Bighorns entered into a single-team affiliation with the Sacramento Kings on Thursday.
The Tribune has learned that the Jazz will be affiliated with the Bakersfield Jam, although according to a release from the D-League, affiliates for the Jazz and Memphis Grizzlies, who were also partnered with Reno last season, will not be announced until later this summer.
The Bighorns became the 14th D-League team to enter an exclusive partnership with an NBA team. Commissioner David Stern has said he would like to see 30 D-League affiliates for each NBA team. Last season, the Atlanta Hawks, Los Angeles Clippers, Phoenix Suns and Toronto Raptors were affiliated with Bakersfield.


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Subscribe to the Montana AIM Mailing List
To see the collection of prior postings to the list, subscribe to our RSS Feed, AIM Archives.
Achievement in Montana (AIM)
AIM Data Collection Guides
AIM User Guides by Topic or Function
- Appendix A Enrollment Start Status
- Appendix B Enrollment End Status
- Appendix C Dropout Reason Codes
- Appendix D Enrollment Service Type
- Appendix F Name Suffix
- Appendix G Grade Level
- Appendix H Language of Impact
- Appendix I Aggregate Hours of Instruction
- Appendix J Homeless Night Time Residence
- Appendix K Diploma Type
- Appendix L Diploma Period
- Appendix M Area of Concentration
- Appendix N Career Pathways
- Appendix O Post Grad Status
- Appendix P Home Primary Language
- Appendix Q Title I Part D Delinquent
- Appendix S Meal Status
- Appendix T Record Types
- Appendix V Race and Ethnicity
- Appendix W Race Ethnicity Determination
- Appendix X Military Connected `Status
- AIM and MAEFAIRS Verification Guide
- Day Treatment - Reporting Students in AIM
- Enrolling Student in Two Schools
- Entry Scenerios
- Exit Scenerios
- Kindergarten Students Not 5
- MAEFAIRS Student Count for ANB Reporting Instructions
- Military Connected Student Data Items in AIM
- Name Changes
- Pre-K Students
- Re-Enrolling Students
- Student Locator
- Summer Transfers
- Setup – Initial MT Edition Value Added
- Setup – Managing Attendance
- Setup – Entering Grades
- Setup – Managing Student Schedules
- Setup – Creating Report Cards
- Setup – 21st Century & Other After School Courses
- Course Setup for Electronic Transcript
- Enrolling Student in Two Schools
- State Published Ad Hoc Reports
- Teacher Tool Rights for Campus Instruction
- TEAMS in the MT Edition
AIM File Upload Templates
Average Daily Attendance Template
CTE Career and Technical Education Template
Fall Attendance Template
FRAM Import Template
LEP Template
Program Participation Template
Spring Count Template
Student Demographic Template
Student Enrollment Template
Test Window Attendance Template
AIM General Information
The purpose of this page is to provide general information about the OPI AIM student information system along with its purpose and processes.
At any time, should you have questions, suggestions or need further information, please call or email the OPI AIM Help Desk: 1-877-424-6681 firstname.lastname@example.com
The AIM system is designed to collect demographic, enrollment, program participation, and assessment data for each student. The program also tracks special education students IEP data and all students' movement from school to school and district to district within Montana. It allows for timely reporting and data accuracy through standardized reporting capabilities. This system allows school districts to submit the required student information electronically. The AIM system provides the OPI, the State of Montana, federal entities, and the education community timely and accurate data about the progress of our students, schools, school districts and the state.
Please see the AIM Policy References webpage (gray buttons listed on the left of each page) for pertinent State and Federal laws that apply to AIM.
The state of Montana Office of Public Instruction (OPI) adopted the Infinite Campus software application as its statewide student information system (SIS) in 2006 through an RFP process. The OPI calls the state level SIS 'Achievement In Montana' (AIM). The name of the company who owns the Infinite Campus software is also called Infinite Campus. The company is located in Minnesota, has been in business for over 22 years and is the one of the largest student information systems in the country. There are multiple editions of the software based on the use of the application. The 'State Edition' of Infinite Campus is used by the OPI staff and contains the state-reported student data from all Montana districts. The OPI pays an annual fee for this system that is based on a 'per student' cost. The current contract between the OPI and Infinite Campus runs through June 30, 2021.
In order to accommodate all the various SIS' throughout Montana, the OPI built, along with our State Edition of Infinite Campus, a Montana Edition. This Montana Edition is provided to the districts at no cost, so that the schools who didn't use Infinite Campus as their local SIS could submit their data into our Infinite Campus statewide system for state reporting. It contains the same basic student data as the state edition, including the Special Education student data.
The 'Montana Edition – Valued Added' is typically used by small districts as their main local student information system. Districts use it to maintain their basic set of enrollment, demographic, programs and special education IEP data. The 'value added' feature of this edition also allows districts to maintain students' daily attendance and marks data.
The 'District Edition' of Infinite Campus is the edition that can be used by the districts as their complete local SIS with a wide range of features. Districts that use this 'District Edition of Infinite Campus as their local SIS receive a discount on the cost of their annual contract. Because the OPI chose Infinite Campus State Edition for the statewide student data collection and management system, the OPI was able to negotiate a lower cost for any district that opts to use the full 'District Edition' of Infinite Campus with cloud hosting. This cost negotiation provides a significant savings to the districts and taxpayers of Montana. Currently, approximately a third of the districts in Montana use this edition.
Reduce financial cost: It is more cost effective with the discount allowed through the negotiations between the OPI and Infinite Campus. Also, for smaller districts, there is not minimum pricing associated with enrollment counts on the district's license and support fees.
Reduce verification time: One of the main advantages for a district who uses Infinite Campus as a local SIS is less time involved with verifying data in multiple systems.
Eliminate programmer scripting time: For larger districts, another advantage is eliminating the time/work it takes to create and maintain the programming scripts to export the data and match file upload templates.
Eliminate upload time: It eliminates the wait time for the data to upload and get copied to the state.
Eliminate dual entry: For some districts it eliminates duplicate entry into two systems (local SIS and Infinite Campus Montana Edition).
The data originates at the district level and gets copied to the state level of Infinite Campus by a syncing process. The syncing process happens automatically when data is manually entered and 'saved' in Infinite Campus or when the district executes a mass syncing process to get the data copied to the state level.
If the local district data is housed in a different local student information system (other than Infinite Campus), for larger districts it goes through a mass export and then an upload process to get into the Montana Edition of AIM. The smaller districts can choose to hand enter their data into the Montana Edition. It then goes through a final nightly syncing process to get copied into the State Edition of AIM.
Once the data is at the state level it is ready to be reviewed and validated by the OPI staff for reporting purposes. The OPI utilizes state level data snapshots processes for some of the federal reporting which affects district funding. The districts utilize import processes to copy their district's state level data into other OPI subsystems that also affect school funding (such as MAEFAIRS, Reporting Center and Special Education). There are multiple other systems that pull data from the State level AIM system data such as (Child Nutrition Program) CNP for Free and Reduced lunch funding.
AIM Data Dictionary
AIM Data Dictionary
This Data Dictionary is intended to assist local education agencies (LEA) staff and their student information system vendors in understanding the specific data elements and codes that must be populated for state reporting through AIM. It is intended to improve the accuracy and integrity of collected data by maintaining consistency in data elements. It relies and builds on previous data definitions, used throughout the agency, that meet state and federal guidelines for collecting and reporting purposes.
Infinite Campus Version Update Schedule
|2016-17 School Year:
|Scheduled Update (weekend of)
|Feb. 24, 2017
|1649, 1701
|Mar. 17, 2017
|April 29, 2017
|1709, 1713
|July 7, 2017
|2017-18 School Year:
|Scheduled Update (weekend of)
|Aug. 4, 2017
|1721, 1725, 1729
|Oct. 27, 2017
|Dec. 29, 2017
|1737, 1741
|Feb. 23, 2018
|1745, 1749
|Apr. 27, 2018
How to Find Information on Updates to Infinite Campus
NOTE: You will need to be logged in to Campus Community in order to use the following hyperlinks and resources. Should you need to setup an account please refer to the OPI AIM user guide Creating a Campus Community Account.
Infinite Campus Release Notes Page - This is the page in Campus Community with links to each version's Release Notes.
New Release Lunch & Learn Webinars - Infinite Campus conducts and records these monthly webinars that provide an overview of what the update will cover. They occur on either the first or second Thursday of each month at 12:00 Noon Central Time. To sign up for the live webinar, go to the Campus Community News Page and in the right column under Upcoming Events you will find these webinars listed, among others from ICU. These are free to all and you don't have to have an ICU account. You can find the archive of prerecorded Lunch & Learn webinars by scrolling down to the bottom of the FREE ICU Recorded Webinars page.
Technical References
- Creating a Campus Community Account
- Recommended Browser Settings
- Supported Platforms
- Firewall and Web-Filter Rules – Email OPI AIM Helpdesk or call 877-424-6681 to request the latest version of this document.
AIM Policy References
- Student Records Confidentiality Policy
- AIM Record Series Profile
- FERPA Parent Overview
- FERPA SEA LEA Overview
- OPI Student Data Security Presentation
- OPI Student Records Confidentiality & Security
- School District Responsibilities and Features of AIM
- Technology and Infrastructure for AIM
- ARM Title 10 Education
- ARM 10.15.101 School Funding Definitions (Please note specifically, (3) "Average daily attendance" or "ADA")
- ARM 10.20.102 Calculation of Average Number Belonging (ANB)
- MCA Title 20 Education
- MCA 20-1-230 Interstate Compact on Educational Opportunity for Military Children
- MCA 20-9-309 Basic system of free quality public elementary and secondary schools defined
- MCA 20-9-311 Calculation of average number belonging (ANB) -- 3-year averaging
- Dear Colleague letter from Bill Evers Assistant Secretary, OPEPD
- US Department of Education Race and Ethnicity Policy Questions/Answers
- Office of Planning, Evaluation and Policy Development
- Race and Ethnicity Guidance for the Collection of Federal Education Data
The U.S. Department of Education has finalized changes to the collection and reporting of race and ethnicity. Starting with the 2010-2011 school year, the new standards will require all students to be identified using a new two-part race/ethnicity question. The federal government has established the two-part question to recognize Hispanic ethnicity and race as two separate and distinct concepts. Additionally, the change allows the reporting of multiple races (American Indian or Alaska Native, Asian, Black or African American, Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander, and White).
The OPI has developed the following guidance and resource materials for district use as they transition to the new standards.
- District Information
Race and Ethnicity Guidance to Schools
Race and Ethnicity Reporting Form Detailed
Race and Ethnicity Reporting Form Short
Suggestions for Conducting Observer Identification
- Parent Information
Sample Letter to Parents for Re-identification
Reporting Race and Ethnicity Brochure for Parents
- Resources
NCES Forum Guide to Implementing New Federal Race and Ethnicity Categories
Additional Resources
The OPI Reporting Center Website
Growth and Enhancement of Montana Students (GEMS) Website
School Staffing Project/TEAMS Website
School Finance & Grants>Student Count for Average Number Belonging (ANB) Guides Website
Montana Early Warning System (EWS)
The Montana EWS model uses readily available school, student, and other live data to identify students who are at risk of dropping out of school before they drop out. Students are identified early on so that action can be taken by school officials to help keep the student in school. The Montana EWS is a logistic regression model that uses attendance, behavior, grades, mobility, and other data to determine if a student is at risk. The model will identify students in grades 6-12 that are at risk and also provide indicators for why each student is at risk.
Since the Montana EWS uses live data it can be run at any time during the school year or summer. What this does is allow educators to see how a student is progressing or regressing over time. Tracking over time also allows educators to track any interventions they are administering with students to determine if the interventions are in fact working.
School reports are also available on the Montana EWS that allow educators to track their school-wide EWS results over time. The school reports also allow schools to compare their results to the statewide average results to get an idea of where their school is at.
EWS User Guide: Montana Early Warning system – Required Data Setup 12/16. This is a link to documentation inside Campus Community* and is for districts using the District Edition of Infinite Campus as their primary student information system. Please refer to the "Required Data Setup" section by clicking on that hyperlink at the top of the page, just under the title.
*A Campus Community account is no longer required for most hyperlinks to Campus Community documentation. However, if you want to sign up, we have a user guide for that: Creating a Campus Community Account.
If you have further EWS questions please contact: Eric Meredith Education Data Analyst Office of Public Instruction firstname.lastname@example.com 406-444-3642.