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CURT Class 2 Trailer Hitch with Ball Mount #123622
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This CURT class 2 trailer hitch with ball mount is made for light-duty towing, having a gross trailer weight capacity up to 3,500 lbs. and a tongue weight capacity of 350 lbs. This makes it an excellent choice for most smaller size trailers such as single-axle utility trailers, small boat trailers, popup campers and some recreational vehicle trailers. It is also perfect for adding cargo space with a hitch-mounted cargo carrier or bike rack (NOTE: Never exceed the lowest weight capacity of any towing component; i.e. the vehicle, hitch, trailer, etc).
CURT class 2 trailer hitches are generally used on full-size cars, crossover SUVs, compact SUVs, minivans and even some smaller pickup trucks. This particular hitch and ball mount combination is designed to be a custom-fit trailer hitch for certain years of the Plymouth Voyager van, Chrysler Town and Country van (except with Stow-n-Go and Sport) or Dodge Caravan (except with Stow-n-Go and Sport) (to verify your vehicle compatibility, see the CURT application guide at curtmfg.com). It features a square tube frame and comes with a hitch pin and clip and all hardware necessary for a complete installation. This class 2 hitch kit also comes with a Euro Mount ball mount, with a 2" diameter ball, to be a complete towing package.
CURT class 2 hitches are made with innovative engineering that takes shape in quality materials. Our engineers work with real vehicles and advanced programs to design each hitch to succeed. CURT trailer hitches are constructed with American steel by state-of-the-art machinery and our skilled fabricators, welders and technicians. We coat each hitch in a liquid Bonderite coating that provides long-lasting corrosion, chip and UV resistance, and then finish them in a high-gloss black powder coat. Our quality processes and construction give us the confidence to include a limited lifetime warranty and a one-year finish warranty on all of our class 2 hitches. Best of all, we are proud to say that every CURT hitch is manufactured in the USA.
- Made with a vehicle-specific design for a custom fit
- Tested for safety in accordance with SAE J684
- Precisely welded for superior strength and fit
- Protected by a durable high-gloss black powder coat finish
- Co-cured in a rust-resistant liquid Bonderite coating
- Strengthened with a cast, welded, seamless collar
- Equipped with an open-back receiver for easy cleaning
- Euro Mount installs with no tools or torque specifications required
- Chrome-plated trailer ball fits 2" couplers
- Permanently attached trailer ball cannot be loosened or stolen
- Backed by a limited lifetime warranty
- Receiver hitch made in USA
- Trailer hitch weight ratings are limited to vehicle manufacturer''s stated capacities
- Includes Euro Mount #45572, installation hardware, pin & clip
|Drilling Required
|Limited Lifetime
|Main Body
|Product Type Description
|Class 2 Trailer Hitch
|Shipping Weight
|Weight Carrying Capacity(WC)
|Tongue Weight(TW)
|Receiver Tube Size
|Weight Distribution Tongue Weight(WDTW)
|Weight Distribution(WD)


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FAYETTE CROSS COUNTRY: Fayette's cross country teams sailed through the district tournament Saturday to qualify for regional competition this weekend.
The girls and boys teams both placed second at the district run Saturday in Ottawa. This Saturday in Tiffin, the Div. III boys will start the day with an 11:05 a.m. run. The girls wait until the Div. I and II boys are finished and are scheduled to begin at 1:20 p.m.
Fayette coach Bryan Stambaugh was pleased with his runners' efforts, but he was shooting for first-place team finishes. The girls' second-place spot was even more of a surprise than the boys, he said, but noted that Liberty Center ran really well to earn first.
The Eagles' top runners both finished third individually.
Erica Goeltzenleuchter's 20:02 was good for third behind Pettisville's Tanner Hostetler (19:44) and Pandora-Gilboa's Ashley Sprunger (19:51). The run marked the best time of the season for the Fayette junior.
She'll face plenty of top-notch competition Saturday when five more girls join the race—all of whom ran under 20 minutes in other district runs.
Liberty Center finished first in the district with 67 points, followed by Fayette (76), Lima Central Catholic (87) and Pettisville (105).
Danni Wyse finished 11th at 21:01, trailed by Alexa Kessler (18th, 21:32), Hannah Schrock (19th, 22:00), Sarah Kovar (29th, 22:40), Mara Raker (46th, 24:04) and Olivia Molina (52nd, 24:59).
Kessler turned in her top time of the season while Schrock is still bothered by a shin problem. Freshman Sarah Kovar notched a personal best and beat the goal time set by her coach by nearly a minute.
From the other district run, Stryker qualifies for the regional meet race, along with Ottoville, Fairview and Montpelier.
Darrell Randall broke the 17-minute mark to place third at 16:56, behind Hilltop's Cody Livensparger (16:31) and Tinora's Gregg Gerken (16:51). Dakota Brooks's ninth-place finish (17:28) and Trevor Cox in 10th (17:30) gave the Eagles a solid second-place team finish with 61 points, behind Hilltop with 49.
Randall will be challenged this Saturday as 11 additional sub-17 minute runners join in for the regional run.
Other Eagle finishers were Logan Keefer (19th, 17:58), Dalton Goeltzenleucter (23rd, 18:08), Hunter Colegove (32nd, 18:16) and Ben Kovar (50th, 18:41).
Fayette's scorers—the top five runners—consist of two freshmen, two sophomores and one senior. The freshmen, Cox and Goeltzenleucter, both turned in season best times.
The other qualifying teams from Tiffin are Tinora and Ottoville from Fayette's district and Delta, Stryker, Lima Central Catholic and Pettisville from the other district race.
Lima's Jim Heider turned in the fastest Div. III boys time for the day at Lima, crossing the line at 16:18. For the girls, Ottoville's Shayla Siefker ran a 19:07.
"It's going to be pretty tough with the competition we've got," Coach Stambaugh said, "but the kids are still focussed even though the season is coming to an end."
The top four teams and top 16 individuals will advance to the state race.
MORENCI CROSS COUNTRY: Morenci's cross country runners competed in three invitational meets during the past week, with the best times posted Saturday at Whitmore Lake.
Zach Phillips was back under 17 minutes at Whitmore Lake for a fourth place 16:42. Micah Gillen came in 45th at 19:17, followed by David Brown (54th, 19:57) and Logan Drummond (80th, 21:37).
The girls team was led by Candi Evers's 33rd place finish at 24:07, tying her best. Jackie Paris was close behind, setting a personal record with a 36th place at 24:13, and Rachel Sodergren came in 61st at 27:35.
Monday at Sand Creek, Phillips crossed the line in third place at 17:34, followed by Gillen (23rd, 19:29), Brown (40th, 20:59) and Drummond (59th, 22:52).
The boys placed eighth with Jeff Nofziger still out of the lineup.
Evers led Morenci's girls with a 27th place finish at 24:56. She was followed by Paris (28th, 24:58), Sodergren (52nd, 29:38) and Ashley Clark (38:23).
Thursday at the Madison Invitational, Phillips was second overall at 17:02. Gillen came in 13th at 19:36, Brown was 17th at 20:15 and Drummond took 25th at 23:10.
Morenci finished fourth.
Evers was out of action and Paris was tops for the Bulldogs with an 11th-place 25:19. Sodergren placed 20th at 29:25 and Clark was 30th at 38:23.
The girls took fifth place.
• Morenci travels Saturday to Lake Erie Metropark near Rockwood for a Div. IV regional meet. Phillips will be running for a return invitation to the state meet Nov. 1 at MIS. Last year as a junior he turned in an all-state performance.
"With an outstanding performance, the boys could be third in our regional and qualify for the state meet," coach Brad Brown said. "It's going to take a true team effort but it's definitely within reason."
Brown believes Phillips is all but assured of qualifying individually, while Gillen and Jeff Nofziger could sneak into the top 15 with career-best performances.
MORENCI VOLLEYBALL: Morenci's volleyball squad won a league victory against Summerfield last week before dropping a non-conference contest Monday to Lenawee Christian School.
Everything clicked at home Oct. 14 when Summerfield fell in three games, 25-23, 25-13 and 25-16.
"Our serve reception was outstanding," coach Dennis Owens said. "We missed only three of their serves."
Kathleen Barron dug nine of nine serves, Chanler McCaskey missed one of 10 and Kate Joughin missed one of eight.
Passing was sharp overall, also, Owens said. Amy Gillman finished the night 12 for 12 and Barron went 11 for 11. Dana Joughin was good on 13 of 14 tries, McCaskey was good on but three of 23 tries and Mariah Bovee finished at 14 for 18.
Gillman came through with nine aces on a 19 for 21 serving night. She served 15 points. Tia Tompkins scored five aces on a 15-for-15 night.
Of 85 attacks, 28 were converted into kills. McCaskey led the way with 10 kills, followed by Bovee with seven and Tompkins with six kills and one kill block.
Gillman gave 12 assists, Dana Joughin gave eight and Tess Ramsey went 10 for 10 in setting with two assists.
The win raised the Bulldogs' league mark to 5-7 and the overall record to 8-11-1.
LCS—The Cougars ended the match in three games, winning 25-15, 25-12 and 25-21.
At the serving line, Tompkins had a perfect 14-for-14 night with five aces. Bovee missed one of 10 attempts and scored an ace.
Owens was impressed with the Cougars' outstanding digs that limited Morenci's offensive aggression.
Gillman gave eight assists and Dana Joughin finished with five. Barron was strong in the back row with eight digs and an 18/20 mark in serve reception. McCaskey finished with 13 digs, Bovee with 12 and Kate Joughin with seven.
McCaskey scored six kills and a kill block. Tompkins and Bovee each finished with three kills.
• The Bulldogs travel Thursday to Britton and entertain Whiteford for a rescheduled double-header Friday at 4 p.m.
JV VOLLEYBALL: Morenci JV volleyball squad improved to 11-15-3 after a win over Lenawee Christian School and eight games Saturday at the county tournament.
LCS was dropped in two close games, 25-21 and 26-24.
Chelsea Phillips was perfect at the serving line (14/14) and she scored two aces. She served 12 straight in the second game to help seal the win. Phoenix Duncan scored an ace on a 10/11 performance.
Naomi Hoffman and Meghan Smith both provided 18 playable passes and Duncan added 21.
At the net, Smith made four kills on 11 attacks and Phillips scored one kill. On defense, Duncan put down 19 attacks and she had one block kill. Mercedez McCaskey gave 15 assists.
COUNTY—Morenci went 5-3 at the county tournament.
The Bulldogs opened with a loss to Madison, 12-25 and 22-25, then came back to down Onsted 25-23 and 25-20. They split with Adrian, 16-25 and 25-24, and defeated Britton, 25-9 and 25-13.
Duncan provided 42 playable passes for the day, aided by Hoffman and Carolyn Blaker. This led to an impressive 18 assists by McCaskey, coach Kindra Baron said.
Matea Garcia missed only one of 35 serve attempts and scored 15 aces. Duncan missed two of 32 and scored nine aces.
Phillips continues to improve at the net, Baron said, finishing the day with 12 attacks, five kills and two block kills. Duncan added 23 hits and eight kills. Smith came through with 37 hits and 16 kills.
SUMMERFIELD—At home last week, Morenci fell to Summerfield 26-28, 28-26 and 7-15.
Duncan scored nine kills.
MORENCI FOOTBALL: More yards on the ground, more yards through the air. Morenci just fell short on that all-important category called points.
Sand Creek kept the Bulldogs out of the end zone all night here Friday, and thanks to a couple of costly Morenci errors, the Aggies went home with a 21-3 victory.
"We've out-gained opponents in seven of eight games this year, but we've only won three of them," coach Dan Hoffman said.
A little better passing game Friday, he said, and Morenci might have pulled off an upset.
The Bulldogs' defense didn't give up much—and came through with a pair of interceptions—but a couple crucial big plays that weren't correctly covered, Hoffman said, made the difference.
One of those came early in the contest when quarterback David Hillard covered 65-yards before being brought down at the 10-yard line. The Aggies scored, but they couldn't, but were stifled on their next few attempts.
Dustin Roller broke up a Sand Creek pass early in the second quarter and one player later intercepted and nearly scored. His long run was called back due to a penalty and the Bulldogs saw their chance to tie the game disappear.
On the Aggies' next possession, Josh Hauser intercepted to stop a Sand Creek threat, but with time running out before intermission, Morenci hurried a play and lost the ball on a fumble. Nick Wilt grabbed the ball and scored to put the Aggies on top 14-0.
Morenci threatened in the third quarter, taking the kickoff working the ball to Sand Creek's 23 on a 26-yard pass to Anthony Tompkins. They had to settle for a field goal by Nick Wilson to make it 14-3 with seven minutes to play in the third quarter.
The Aggies came right back for a third touchdown, first with a long kickoff return and finally with a pass for the score.
Graham kept his strong running game going to lead a Morenci drive to Sand Creek's 26-yard line, but the Bulldogs could get no further.
Morenci tried risky fourth down conversions twice in the fourth quarter while deep in their own territory. Both failed, but the Bulldogs' defense stiffened to keep Sand Creek from scoring again.
Morenci was out of synch due to injuries and a starter not playing for disciplinary reasons, Hoffman said, and his 19 players faced the large Sand Creek squad with 22 seniors.
His squad is still in good spirits, he said, and ready to tackle Clinton this week.
• The Bulldogs (3-5) end the season Friday at Clinton (4-4). The Redskins dropped a TCC contest last week to Whitmore Lake despite five lost fumbles by the Trojans.
"We're excited to be playing Clinton," Coach Hoffman said. "We're playing hard to the end of the season."
JV FOOTBALL: It almost went exactly as planned. Keep it close, capitalize on their mistakes, play it tough.
Morenci's JV football team was ahead of Sand Creek last week with a little more than two minutes to play. A touchdown pass at 1:07 put the Aggies on top 26-22.
The Bulldogs nearly came back to win it, but it was Sand Creek that claimed the victory.
"We were in a position to win the ball game," coach Mike McDowell said. "I was pleased with the way we played. Effort-wise, we gave everything we could."
On the first play of the game, Jacob Baker carried on a play the Bulldogs had practiced and he ran 80 yards for a touchdown.
After Sand Creek punted, Morenci drove from their own 17 for a second touchdown. Brett Bovee completed a swing pass to Andrew White from 15 yards for the score. White made his second PAT kick for a 14-0 lead.
The Bulldogs had their first defensive breakdown on the next series. Sand Creek scored on a pitch play for an 80-yard run.
Morenci was inside the Aggies' 30-yard line when a receiver in the open dropped a pass. Sand Creek came back for a second touchdown and Morenci was on top 14-13 at half-time.
After a Sand Creek fumble, Baker carried for a 24-yard touchdown on an inside trap to make it 20-13, but the Aggies answered with their own drive to tie the score.
Morenci added two points on a safety when a Sand Creek punt attempt resulted in a hike into the end zone. The score remained at 22-20 when the Aggies started a drive with 3:23 left in the game.
They ended up scoring on a pass with 1:07 to play. Bovee passed to Lucas Hollstein for a 34 yard gain at the Aggie 33. After a sack, Bovee spotted a wide-open receiver, but he was forced to throw off balance and the throw went over Baker's head.
Baker ended the night with 212 yards on 24 carries. Bovee completed four of 10 passes for 70 yards. Both teams finished with similar offensive yardage.
Mitch Schmucker led the Bulldogs' defensive efforts with 10 tackles (one for a loss) and a caused fumble. Jordan Bach finished with six tackles, two for losses.
Hollstein and Jay Howard each had fumble recoveries.
• The Bulldogs wrap up the season at home Thursday against Clinton. Coach McDowell expects another good contest.

subset: commoncrawl


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|Artist: Dawn
|Date Added: January 30, 2013
|Steps: 4
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|Tags: draw stamps
Description: So you say that you need to mail something but you have no stamp. Well you're in luck because I have just the lesson for you. Here is "how to draw a stamp", step by step. Now of course you can't literally use the stamp that you draw to send a letter to someone, but you can use the drawing to post a letter you drew. Drawing stamps is very simple because all you have to do is make a square inside of another square with notched edges, and color in a design of your choice. I can remember when it only cost ten cents to mail a letter and when books of stamps was only three fifty. Nowadays you have to scrounge up nearly ten dollars just for a book of stamps. I mean who can do that? That is a lot of money to be paying just to mail a piece of paper. But I guess you gotta do what you gotta do especially if you have family that lives far away, or if you have a pen-pal that you write to often. Let's not forget about you ladies out there that write to your loved ones that are behind bars, you know inmates need love through the mail too. Anyways, have fun folks and leave some feedback. Adios people and good luck.


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Microsoft will hire a law firm to conduct an independent investigation into whether its anti-piracy practices helped fuel the stifling of political dissent in Russia, and will create a new software license to protect non-government organizations "from falling victim to nefarious actions taken in the guise of anti-piracy enforcement," the company said Monday.
Microsoft is acting swiftly to repair public relations damages suffered in the wake of a New York Times report that said Russian security services are confiscating computers from advocacy groups and opposition newspapers "under the pretext of searching for pirated Microsoft software."
Microsoft: We love open source
The article goes on to say that Russian "authorities are receiving key assistance from an unexpected partner: Microsoft itself." Microsoft's lawyers "have staunchly backed the police" in these cases, the New York Times reported.
Microsoft will now "accept responsibility and assume accountability for our anti-piracy work, including the good and the bad," pledged Brad Smith, Microsoft's general counsel and senior vice president, in a post on the official Microsoft blog Monday morning.
Smith described the New York Times article as depicting "instances in which authorities had used piracy charges concerning Microsoft software to confiscate computers and harass non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and others engaged in public advocacy," including instances in which "our own counsel at law firms had failed to help clear things up and had made matters worse instead."
"We want to be clear that we unequivocally abhor any attempt to leverage intellectual property rights to stifle political advocacy or pursue improper personal gain," Smith writes. "We are moving swiftly to seek to remove any incentive or ability to engage in such behavior."
Microsoft's legal officials in Moscow, Paris, London and Seattle met via phone to discuss the Russian anti-piracy issues Sunday morning, and the company "will retain an international law firm that has not been involved in the anti-piracy work to conduct an independent investigation."
Regardless of the investigation's outcome, Microsoft has decided to take a few immediate steps.
"To prevent non-government organizations from falling victim to nefarious actions taken in the guise of anti-piracy enforcement, Microsoft will create a new unilateral software license for NGOs that will ensure they have free, legal copies of our products," Smith writes. This will "fully exonerate any qualifying NGO, by showing that it has a valid license to our software."
Microsoft will also create a legal assistance program for NGOs in Russia to help the organizations document to authorities that they have legal rights to use Microsoft software, and will take actions "against third parties pretending to represent Microsoft in order to extort money for illegal software use."
Microsoft devotes significant financial resources to fighting software piracy, but has sometimes been criticized for being overzealous in the quest to protect its intellectual property.
"Ultimately, our goals are straightforward," Smith writes. "We aim to reduce the piracy and counterfeiting of software, and we aim to do this in a manner that respects fundamental human rights."


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When we think about pests, bugs and mice are the first things that typically come to mind. But what if larger critters such as squirrels, bats, woodchucks, deer, or pigeons become troublesome? IPM works for them too. You must, however, be aware of laws that apply to nuisance wildlife and how they might affect your IPM plan.
In New York, the regulatory players involved are the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation (all species) and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (migratory birds and federally endangered and threatened species). Through these agencies, every wildlife species in the state has a legal classification. What is of upmost concern is determining whether your nuisance is classified as "unprotected" or "protected."
Legal Classification: Unprotected
Unprotected mammals include shrews, moles, bats (except Indiana bats, which are federally protected), chipmunks, woodchucks, red squirrels, flying squirrels, voles, mice, and Norway rats. Unprotected bird species include rock doves (feral pigeons), house sparrows, and European starlings.
An unprotected species can legally be taken by the property owner at any time of year and by any means as long as other laws (i.e., pesticide regulations, firearm discharge ordinances, trespassing laws, etc.) are not violated. The DEC defines taking as pursuing, shooting, hunting, killing, capturing, trapping, snaring or netting wildlife and game, or performing acts that disturb or worry wildlife.
Some might consider it too cruel to take an animal and decide that capturing your nuisance pest with a live trap is best. Before heading to the hardware store, recognize that you cannot release an animal off your property without a permit. An unprotected animal can be released on the same property where it was captured or must be killed and buried or cremated.
Legal Classification: Protected
For some protected species, if an individual animal is causing damage (not merely being a nuisance), it can be taken by the property owner. Mammals that fall under this category include opossums, raccoons, weasels, and gray squirrels. (Skunks may legally be taken if they are only a nuisance, even if they are not causing damage.) But the animal, dead or alive, cannot be transported off the landowner's property without a nuisance wildlife control permit obtained from the DEC.
A few mammals (including bear, beaver, deer, mink, and muskrat), most birds, and (currently) all reptiles and amphibians are not only protected but cannot be captured or removed from the property without special case-by-case permits.
Animals with a legal hunting or fur trapping season can be taken as long as the proper hunting or trapping license has been obtained.
Nuisance Wildlife Control Permits
Nuisance wildlife control permits are issued to people who have gone through the prescribed application process. These permits allow protected species to be taken in any number, at any time, and from any location — with permission of the landowner — within the state. Permits must be renewed annually. Private nuisance wildlife control operators, pest control operators dealing with nuisance wildlife, municipal animal control officers, and some wildlife rehabilitators must obtain the proper permits.
Laws change, so if you have a question concerning the legal status of a species or contemplated action, contact the Wildlife section of the regional office of the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation.
For information on IPM for nuisance wildlife, refer to Beasts Begone!: A Practitioner's Guide to IPM in Buildings and Best Practices for Nuisance Wildlife Control Operators.
(Adapted from Legal Framework for Nuisance Wildlife Control in New York State by Lynn Braband, NYS Community IPM Program at Cornell University)


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Rules To Ponder
You can't hardly watch television without seeing some kind of ad for the latest smart phone, and everyone HAS to have it. I'll admit, I don't have one on my phone, I can talk on it and send and receive texts that's about all I need. But, there are folks who want more out of their phones, hence the ongoing demand for smart phones. Add in the natural rush to get the latest and greatest in the industry, like people standing in lines to get iPhones, and sometimes, one has to wonder.
But, this week, I came across this story on social media about one parent who gave her son the latest and greatest but with a little catch. Here's the story.
Greg Hoffman is a kid who just got an iPhone from his parents. His mom, Janell Hoffman, wrote these rules for its use and young Greg agrees to abide by them:
1. It is my phone. I bought it. I pay for it. I am loaning it to you. Aren't I the greatest?
2. I will always know the password.
3. If it rings, answer it. It is a phone. Say "Hello" – Use your manners. Do not ever ignore a phone call if the screen reads "Mom" or "Dad". Not ever.
4. Hand the phone to one of your parents promptly at 7:30pm every school night & every weekend night at 9:00pm. It will be shut off for the night and turned on again at 7:30am. If you would not make a call to someone's land line, wherein their parents may answer first, then do not call or text. Listen to those instincts and respect other families like we would like to be respected.
5. It does not go to school with you. Have a conversation with the people you text in person. It's a life skill.
6. If it falls into the toilet, smashes on the ground, or vanishes into thin air, you are responsible for the replacement costs or repairs.
7. Do not use this technology to lie, fool, or deceive another human being. Do not involve yourself in conversations that are hurtful to others. Be a good friend first or stay the hell out of the crossfire.
8. Do not text, email, or say anything with this phone that you would not say face to face.
9. No porn.
10. Turn it off, silence it, put it away in public. Especially in church, a restaurant, at the movies, or while speaking with another human being. You are not a rude person; do not allow the iPhone to change that.
11. Do not send or receive pictures of your private parts or anyone else's private parts. Don't laugh. Someday you will be tempted to do this. It is risky and could ruin your teenage/college/adult life. It is always a bad idea. Cyberspace is vast and more powerful than you. And it is hard to make anything of this magnitude disappear – including a bad reputation.
12. Don't take a zillion pictures and videos. There is no need to document everything. Live your experiences. They will be stored in your memory for eternity.
13. Leave your phone home sometimes and feel safe and secure in that decision. It is not alive or an extension of you. Learn to live without it.
14. Download music that is new or classic or different than the millions of your peers that listen to the same exact stuff. Your generation has access to music like never before in history. Take advantage of that gift. Expand your horizons.
15. Play a game with words or puzzles or brain teasers every now and then.
16. Keep your eyes up. See the world happening around you. Stare out a window. Listen to the birds. Take a walk. Talk to a stranger. There is more to the world than Googling.
17. You will mess up. I will take away your phone. We will sit down and talk about it. We will start over again. You & I, we are always learning. I am on your team. We are in this together.
To me, these rules are a great example of common-sense thinking. It's a shame that Common Sense isn't embraced a little more in our society today.


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Cellphones a distraction in class
BRIDGEPORT -- Shawn Mitchell, for one, said he is not going to fight the future.
When the Central High School English teacher is at the front of his lecture-style classroom, often one can see students sitting in the back rows, heads down, engrossed in whatever is on their cellphone screen.
School board policy dictates that cellphones be turned off and put away during class, but Mitchell embraces cellphones as part of today's culture and encourages their use in the classroom at the right time.
"We live in an age of instant knowledge and part of our responsibility as teachers should be to encourage appropriate use of digital tools in the classroom," Mitchell said. "There is a time and a place for them -- now we need to just figure when those times are."
It is something the city school board is trying to figure out as well.
The board's process committee, which deals with policies, is looking at how to make cellphone policy better.
Committee Chairman Howard Gardner said he has gotten calls from teachers who say cellphone use is one of the biggest deterrents to learning in the classroom. He said he knows trying to ban them altogether in school is a losing battle, but wants to find a way to at least keep them out of the classroom.
Others say that might be shortsighted, for a number of reasons.
Once totally banned from schools -- in Bridgeport, and elsewhere -- cellphones are now in the hands of many more students -- as young as third grade. More parents want students to have them, for both logistical and safety reasons. And the growing technology of smart phones potentially make the devices legitimate tools for learning.
"I would like to see if there is a way to incorporate the use of personal devices into our system," said Board Chairwoman Sauda Baraka. "Like at Fairchild Wheeler, there is Google Docs. If all students could log into that system using their student ID, they could do their work, send it to their teacher, all on their phone."
The trick would be taking away the ability of the phones to play music, text and get onto social media sites while logged on, she admitted.
Part of the districtwide Student Code of Conduct, the policy says students can't use a cellphone or electronic communication device while in school. Period. Breaking the rule is considered a minor disciplinary offense that could result in confiscation of the device for the day, detention, denial of a school privilege or a call home.
Students, parents, teachers and school officials all acknowledge enforcement of the rule is sporadic at best.
"Some teachers will just take it away til the end of class. Some do nothing," said Ricardo Green, 17, a senior at Central Magnet School who himself is bothered when the student next to him is texting away.
Tevin Kelly, 17, a Central High junior, agreed.
"Students need to know they have limits," Kelly said.
At the same time, he said, confiscating a phone in class often leads to a "fuss" that is more disruptive than a distracted student.
As for himself, Kelly said he has the ability to use his phone and still do his work.
Interim Schools Superintendent Fran Rabinowitz said she has taken away her share of cellphones and is even tempted to do it at staff meetings.
"What we need is a small committee to figure this out," said Rabinowitz. "I am all for it not being a deterrent, but I also don't want a policy no one is going to follow .... The truth of the matter is they are going to use them anyway."
Tammy Boyle, president of the District Parent Advisory Council, said she is torn.
"As a parent she can understand why parents would want their kids to have cellphones," Boyle said. "But I see how many (students) use them in school for recreation when they should be in school learning."
She has also witnessed cellphones used at school to plan a lunch time fight. Boyle saw the posts on Facebook and said she alerted the principal before the incident could occur.
Her sons, ages 14 and 12, don't have cellphones. Boyle said she knows if they had them, they would be on them.
"I wish enforcement was stronger," Boyle said.
Jacqueline Kelleher, a school board member, parent and college professor does too. She sees the interference with teaching and learning even among her graduate level students who come into her classroom at Sacred Heart University with devices stuck in their hands.
"I tell them I expect them to be on sites relevant to the content at hand, `I don't want you on Farmville.' I know the Facebook click. They just can't help it," she said.
At the same time, Kelleher said teachers and professor need to get better about incorporating the wise use of technology in their teaching.
It's what Mitchell, the Central High teacher, tries to do.
"Obviously during instruction I ask them to be put away," Mitchell said. "But when working on assignments and tasks, if it is convenient for a student to Google something on their phone I can't in good conscience fight them on that."


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The Chicago Fire (5-4-3, 18 points) gave a hard fought performance in front of 600 traveling supporters, but Austin Berry's 72nd minute goal was not enough to overcome goals from Eddie Gaven and Emilio Renteria giving the Columbus Crew (5-4-3, 18 points) a 2-1 victory at Crew Stadium Saturday night. It was the first time that the Fire had lost to an Eastern Conference opponent since May 21, 2011, a 2-1 loss at Philadelphia.
The Crew took an early lead as defender Shaun Francis squared a ball to Gaven at the top of the 18-yard box. Gaven took two touches before unleashing a low driven shot that beat Sean Johnson to the near post in the 9th minute.
The Fire nearly equalized in the 41st minute as Patrick Nyarko intercepted a Francis pass and took it in on goal. With only Crew 'keeper Andy Gruenebaum to beat the crafty Ghanaian pushed his shot on goal just wide left of frame.
Moments later, Emilio Renteria doubled the lead for the home side just before halftime. Francis once against started the buildup on the left side of the field, feeding Gaven up the flank. Gaven slotted a ball to Renteria with his back to goal where the sizable Venezuelan shucked Fire defender Austin Berry before blasting a shot past Johnson at the far post to give the Crew a 2-0 lead on 43 minutes.
Frank Klopas made two changes to infuse the Fire offense to start the second half bringing Dominic Oduro and Orr Barouch on for Marco Pappa and Federico Puppo, respectively. The change almost played immediate dividends as Rafael Robayo played Oduro into space in the Crew box. The Fire forward measured his shot on goal but Gruenebaum came off his line to parry Oduro's shot in the 46th minute.
The Fire pulled one back in the 71st minute when Daniel Paladini collected a Crew clearance on the left side before whipping in a cross that Berry elevated to meet and head the ball past Gruenebaum to cut the Crew's lead in half.
The Men in Red, playing in their third match in seven days, continued to push the game in search of the tying goal. In the 85th minute Fire defender Dan Gargan sent in a driven cross that Orr Barouch headed wide right of goal. The pressure lasted well into added time, but the Crew held on as the Fire fell to their Eastern Conference rivals.
- For the second consecutive season the club covered the cost of travel for over 600 supporters to board 10 buses and make the seven hour journey to invade Crew Stadium.
- The Fire – Crew match aired live on NBC5 Chicago marking the first time in club history that the Fire appeared on a major local network.
- The Fire's last loss to an Eastern Conference opponent came on May 21, 2011 when the Men in Red lost to the Philadelphia Union 2-1.
- Playing in their third match in seven days, Fire head coach Frank Klopas rested midfielder Sebastian Grazzini.
- Fire rookie Austin Berry tallied his second career goal.
- The Men in Red outshot the Crew 6-2 in the second half.
- Daniel Paladini recorded his second career assist.
Chicago Fire 1 – 2 Columbus Crew
Chicago Fire: Sean Johnson; Dan Gargan, Jalil Anibaba, Austin Berry, Gonzalo Segares; Logan Pause © (Daniel Paladini, 60'), Pavel Pardo; Patrick Nyarko, Rafael Robayo, Marco Pappa (Dominic Oduro, 46'); Federico Puppo (Orr Barouch, 46')
Substitutes not used: Paolo Tornaghi, Hunter Jumper, Corben Bone, Michael Videira
Columbus Crew: Andy Gruenebaum; Sebastian Miranda, Carlos Mendes (Eric Gehrig, 54'), Josh Williams, Shaun Francis (Nemanja Vukovic, 50'); Dilly Duka (Chris Birchall, 66'), Kevan George, Tony Tchani, Bernardo Anor; Eddie Gaven ©, Emilio Renteria
Substitutes not used: Matt Lampson, Cole Grossman, Justin Meram, Olman Vargas
Scoring Summary
CLB – Eddie Gaven (Shaun Francis) 9'
CLB – Emilio Renteria (Eddie Gaven, Shaun Francis) 43'
CHI – Austin Berry (Daniel Paladini) 72'
Misconduct Summary
CLB – Bernardo Anor (caution) 67'
Referee: Allen Chapman
Assistants: Greg Barkey, Jeff Muschik
Fourth Official: Jose Carlos Rivero
Attendance: 16,024


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I think I've finally discovered the sinister plot underlying Mad Catz's visually and functionally striking line of Cyborg gaming products: They're preparing to build an actual cyborg, and the newly announced F.R.E.Q. 5 Pro Gaming Headset is the ears.
Mad Catz already has the eyes, the hands, the legs, and the neural interface (fudging it a bit). Now they're preparing to unleash the F.R.E.Q. 5 Stereo Gaming Headset, all the better to hear you with, my dear.
This Cyborg's ears come outfitted with precision-balanced, extra large 50mm drivers with neodymium magnets; a detachable microphone; and convenient on-ear controls for volume and muting. You can even swap out the USB plug for a 3.5mm audio cable and use it as the world's most noticeable iPhone headset.
The latest bit of Cyborg kit is due to hit stores within a few months. Hit up the official product page for more info on what everyone will be wearing once the Cybermen have their way.


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ROCHESTER — Lilac City Estates is under new ownership.
The former owner of the mobile home park, Next Wave Home Estates, LLC, sold the property to Lilac Community Limited Partnership, which is part of the Hynes Group.
According to a deed signed on Dec. 31, the property, consisting of roughly 215 acres, was sold for a price of $20,330,000.
Gary Beers, transitional park manager for Lilac Community LP, the Hynes Group owns about 19 mobile home parks across the United States, but more recently, the group has been focusing on investing in mobile home parks throughout New England.
He said that in other parts of the country, mobile homes tend to be rented, whereas in New England, the parcels of land are typically rented while the homes are owned by the residents.
As a result of homeownership, there tends to be a more stable residential environment, more resident concern for the appearance of the property, and less maintenance cost for property management, said Beers.
He said that since the Hynes Group acquired Lilac City Estates, Beers has already met many park residents who have lived there for more than 20 years.
"They enjoy the community, they appreciate the cost of living," he said.
Kevin Grondin, co-manager of Next Wave Home Estates, confirmed that most of the mobile homes at Lilac City Estates are owned, while the land is rented.
He said the Lilac City Estates property has been under agreement since December 2011, although the deed wasn't signed until recently.
"It's a very large piece of property," he said.
Next Wave Home Estates, managed by Grondin and David Jacobs, has owned Lilac City Estates for almost 30 years.
"It was a mean amount of work and we wanted other angles, other business opportunities," said Grondin, who would not specify which business opportunities he would like to pursue, for the time being. "It was time to try something else."
For Grondin, selling Lilac City Estates came with mixed feelings.
"Thirty years is a long time to do anything, so obviously you'll have reservations about jumping off the cliff and doing something different," said Grondin. "We put many years of efforts and sweat and tears into it ... We and our families certainly wish to thank all the people who made the whole thing possible for 30 odd years. We had such an extremely great company that we even had residents work and help us do things for no pay, and we in turn helped them in their business endeavors."
He recalled that at times, it was difficult to make decisions such as raising rent on residents, many of whom he considered as friends.
"It was a heartfelt, compassionate view for us that we were trying to do the job right without being greedy," said Grondin.
One of the harder times came about 10 years ago, when, after property reassessment, Next Wave Home Estates had to pay a tax bill that was about $100,000 more than the year prior, resulting in higher rent for Lilac City Estates residents.
Next Wave Home Estates still owns Peaceful Pines in Farmington and a portion of Chestnut Hill Park in Rochester. When asked about any plans to sell Peaceful Pines, Grondin said, "There will be a time and a place, but certainly not anytime soon."
Grondin said that the new owner of Lilac City Estates is "a real professional property management group, and (the residents) will certainly be way better off than other two or three potential buyers."
In particular, he said he believes Lilac Community LP will do a great job in keeping the property well-maintained.
According to Concord attorney James Bianco, who oversaw the land transaction for Lilac City Estates, the Hynes Group owns about five properties in New Hampshire, including ones in Conway, Concord and Keene.
Lilac City Estates has 491 residential lots, of which 469 are occupied and five are for sale, according to Beers.
In 2010, Tara Estates LLC, a Hynes Group company, also acquired Tara Estates, in Rochester.
Julie Brown, School Board member and resident of Lilac City Estates, said she felt Tara Estates residents were happy when the Hynes Group company became owner of that park.
"I look forward to great things with these new owners. They seem very caring of the people here and considerate of the elderly," said Brown.
According to Beers, in the next couple of months the Lilac Community LP will survey residents about what kind of activities they would like to have at the park. Beers said he envisions making improvements at the existing club house, but not before getting feedback from the residents.
Lilac Community LP is currently seeking a new park manager for Lilac City Estates. The selection and interview process will begin shortly.
In a welcoming letter recently sent to park residents, Beers wrote, "All regular Lilac City Estates business practices, procedures, and requirements will continue for some time. As we get up to speed, we don't anticipate any great change to what was a well-run successful operation, and we'll certainly work to communicate anything necessary in advance."
The letter continues, "The Hynes Group philosophy is to maintain and operate Parks as outstanding residential communities; to promote the character of the Parks as peaceful, attractive and enjoyable (to) all residents, and to promote order, safety, and harmony in the Park."


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Call: 424-252-2771
Your business relies on SEO techniques to bring customers to your website. The website itself is a massive source of passive income that you can use, or the website can be the place where most of your customers shop. Working with an SEO agency helps your business gain the exposure that it needs.
Your local SEO agency will edit all the content on your website for SEO purposes. Every article, description and biography your website displays must have proper keywords and phrases to attract readers. The best SEO agency checks every paragraph for content compliance. These changes are fluid, and your SEO agency may alter these keywords from time to time.
Your SEO marketing agency does research to choose the proper keywords for your industry. You are competing with other companies in your industry, and your website must rise above the competition after web searches are completed. Every top SEO agency ensures that you are using the proper keywords. You must trust the judgment of the agency, and you should allow them to change these key phrases at will.
A proper organic SEO agency offers marketing solutions beyond SEO. You may commission digital ads for your business, or you can hand over your ad revenue controls to the agency. You will make passive income from your website with these ads, but you must ask for management of these services before they will improve. The agency understands how to create proper ads to improve traffic on the site.
The best B2B SEO agency provides link building services between your site and other sites. Links are embedded in guest posts, digital ads and cross promotions. Your business may advertise for a partner in exchange for similar advertisement on their website. Ask your SEO company to set up these relationships to improve your presence online.
Every business with a website needs assistance from an SEO company that understands how to work out the items above. You do not have time to manage these aspects of your business alone. Pay the SEO service to put together an online presence that increases your revenues overall.


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Voting began on Friday for the 2012 AT&T MLS All-Star Game, a matchup of the MLS All-Stars and European Champions Chelsea on July 25 in Philadelphia.
Who do you think should be on the All-Star team this year? Six Dynamo players are on the ballot: Goalkeeper Tally Hall; defenders Bobby Boswell, Geoff Cameron and Andre Hainault; midfielder Brad Davis and forward Will Bruin.
A panel of media members nominated a total of 114 players – the top six per team – to the fan ballot. Fans can also vote by sending a player's first and last name via text message to 22442. Twitter voting will occur June 21-22.
The players with the highest combined votes from these three voting methods will become the first 11 All-Stars – known as the All-Star First XI.
MLSSoccer.com editor in chief Greg Lalas offers his selections for defenders in the video below, including Dynamo center back Geoff Cameron.


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Because serious bug was found which has been fixed:
https://github.com/Wohlhabend-Networks/PGE-Projec ... 8da25a7cd881f68ace238657401e30,
I was updated all published packages just now.
This bug has been reported by Sednaiur. This bug causes wrong blocks order while you saving LVL file. In result, NPC's will miss some blocks in the SMBX and will fall through them. Ordering of blocks is required because collision detection algorithm is based on nearest by index. Those files are can be fixed with re-saving in the SMBX (before updating of editor, and if you kept your file in SMBX64 standard without workarounds to extend internal limits) or take fixed PGE Editor and re-save files by them.
You have to retrieve entire update for PGE, or just take those fixed EXE-s for Windows:
and ELF's for Linux:
and overwrite with them your current binaries in your actual PGE folder.
This update also adds:
- Vertical wrap section property (will be greyed for SMBX LVL files, but you can use it with LVLX files)
- WIP features of npc.txt:
grid, gridoffsetx, gridoffsety, gridalign tags to modify grid properties without modifying of lvl_npc.ini, but I wasn't added GUI elements into NPC.txt editor to modify those tags, therefore you will need to edit those tags in the notepad before next update.
Code: Select all
grid - align grid size
gridoffsetx - X offset relative to grid border
gridoffsetx - Y offset relative to grid border
gridalign - 0 align at center of grid cell (most of regular NPC's), 1 align relative to vertical border between grid cells (like thwomps)
Configuration packages are updated too:
- Applied latest updates of devkit to A2XT Configuration package
- Most of OGG musics are been replaced into SPC's in the SMBX 1.3 Compatible configuration package. Now instead of 80 MB it has 53 MB!
- Added dummy NPC slots from 293 to 300 (those NPC slots are been reserved internally but there are was found by h2643 and later confirmed by Kevsoft via LunaLUA with giving actual settings values).
Good luck


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Discover for free which first names would suit you or your baby !
Meaning of name Lucetta
Etymology : Diminutive of LUCIA
Saint :
Origin : English
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Gender : girl
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Numbers :
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Who is she?
Lucetta ´s personality is influenced by the rather peculiar alchemy of 5 and 7. She is a secretive and mysterious woman who tends to internalize a lot, and is fascinated by the mind´s speculations. She is active, energetic, resourceful, freedom-loving and adventurous all at once. She seeks to cultivate her mind, and this inclination to cogitate can result in a certain amount of worry and anxiety. Her reserved and tetchy manner could easily give one the impression that she is somewhat asocial. She could even seem to detached, or somehow different from everybody else. This could be because she has assumed the role of the sceptical, critical, independent and innovative «outsider», or perhaps because she prefers to keep herself to herself and doesn´t really feel comfortable being part of the mainstream. Either way, she craves movement and action, and is capable of introspection and objectivity, when necessary. She could easily have been one of those intellectuals in the '7O´s who dropped everything to go and live in the hills and raise sheep... Her active number 32 is the culprit for this electric and eclectic climate, as well as the bumpy road that she travels - with its intermittent obstacles along the way, however fret not, because the result will be positive, in the long term. It may be hard to keep up with this disconcerting character, and her moods are as changeable as her motivation levels, which are as changeable as the weather. On an island. In Scotland. Freedom is as essential to her as oxygen and she isn´t cut out for constraints and restrictions, but luckily, loneliness doesn´t bother her much. As a child, Lucetta could appear undisciplined, fidgety, impatient and highly-strung: plagued by an almost pathological instability, especially if she was born on a 5th, 14th, 23rd, in May, or if she has a life Path Number of 5. Otherwise, she could appear more introverted and not particularly communicative, anxious and tormented, especially if her birthday falls on a 4th, 7th, 13th, 16th, 22nd, 25th, 31st, in April or July, or if her life Path Number is 4 or 7. Her parents should provide reassurance by establishing an open channel of communication and responding to all of her questions. If the more agitated and precocious tendency prevails, it is imperative that she is well informed, notably where her sexuality is concerned.
What does she like?
Lucetta likes to venture off the beaten track and is attracted to anything that is original or cutting-edge. She could oscillate between a rational, Cartesian side, and its opposite: irrational, mystical and attracted to all that is weird and wonderful (karmic 7). She enjoys peace and quiet, and dreams of living in a secluded place - but with all the benefits of civilization... Likewise, her emotional life could be punctuated with opposing situations, possibly in succession: nonconformist thrills following a period of celibacy, following a passionate relationship; anything is possible. Either way, she tends to constantly question herself and is no stranger to introspection. She tends to fall in love faster than you can say "a love that can last a lifetime only takes a second to come about", but unfortunately the same applies to break-ups!
Get your free Personality test card now !!
What does she do?
Two different types of career are possible for this complex young woman: professions involving reflection or research, or in a quiet environment (retirement homes, libraries...), scientific or technical occupations. But she could also be attracted to the more mobile professionals, in connection with travel, sales, advertising, transportation or sport, as well as those related to religion and the irrational.
Discover others girls first names : Luana Luann Luanna
*To note: :
It sometimes happens that two different first names have the same meaning. This has nothing surprising: both first names have the same figures of numerology. It is as in astrology: two persons belonging to the same sign present the same characteristic...
Names compatibility
Test the compatibility of your names to know if your love relation is lucky to succeed. Friendship, love or passion?
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Your Name Horoscope !
Thanks to the numerology, we propose you daily a horoscope personalized for your first name. Love, money , Shape: discover what waits for you for today. In Bonus every day find your daily lucky figure .. Horoscope of the first names
Love :Couples: The complicity between the two of you will be reinforced. Singles: An admirer will make themselves known.
Money :You are trying to decide whether or not to make a property investment. Take your time.
Health:You won't see any results without some effort Lucetta .
Your Lucky number : 80


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i have a beard and an awesome girlfriend who loves me.
like half mexican and half spanish, I'm a semi-pro taco eating warrior and bullfighting hater.
i'm licensed to design anything exept underwear (don't ask)
graduated at the iuem entitled by uaem university in méxico,
and a master in web engineering at the university of oviedo spain.
you cand find me almost everywhere as "melolonta".
my life so far has been like...
and that's the story of me....


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Blahblah is not a tag
Blahblah is not a tag
Wasn't this posted already?
He has changed some of the hand writing to typed font. If you look at the top under the word Art Meme it says "EDIT! BECAUSE I REALISED I WAS BEING STUPID"
Yes timni15... yes you were...
Im a girl...
huuummmmm............ hai im new here nice to meet you
I like but is an effort


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This page has been archived and is being provided for reference purposes only. The page is no longer being updated, and therefore, links on the page may be invalid.
|Read the magazine story to find out more.
Epigenetics Mechanism May Help Explain Effects of Mom's Nutrition on Her Children's HealthBy Marcia Wood
March 11, 2013
Pioneering studies by U. S. Department of Agriculture-funded research molecular geneticist Robert A. Waterland are helping explain how the foods that soon-to-be-moms eat in the days and weeks around the time of conception—or what's known as periconceptional nutrition–may affect the way genes function in her children, and her children's health.
In an early study, Waterland and co-investigators examined gene function of 50 healthy children living in rural villages in the West African nation of The Gambia. The study has shaped some of Waterland's current research into the effects of nutrition on what geneticists refer to as epigenetic mechanisms. Those mechanisms can impact, for example, the levels at which an everyday biochemical process, DNA methylation, occurs at regions of certain genes. DNA methylation is essential for cell development and for stabilizing cell function.
In the West Africa study, Waterland and co-researchers found that levels of DNA methylation were higher at regions of five genes in children conceived during the peak rainy season months of August and September, when food would typically have been less available to their mothers.
According to Waterland, two of the five genes in which elevated DNA methylation occurred warrant further study because they are associated with risk of disease. Specifically, the SLITRK1 gene is associated with Tourette's syndrome, and the PAX8 gene is linked to hypothyroidism.
In a scientific article in PLoS Genetics, the researchers attributed the epigenetic variation to dramatic seasonal differences in the kinds and amounts of foods available in the three subsistence-farming villages that were the focus of the study.
An article in the March 2013 issue of Agricultural Research magazine tells more.
Waterland works at the Children's Nutrition Research Center in Houston, Texas, which is managed by the Agricultural Research Service, USDA's chief in-house scientific research agency, and by the Houston-based Texas Children's Hospital and Baylor College of Medicine, where Waterland is an associate professor of pediatrics and of molecular and human genetics. This research supports the USDA priority of improving children's health and nutrition.


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Boletín médico del Hospital Infantil de México
versión impresa ISSN 1665-1146
Bol. Med. Hosp. Infant. Mex. vol.69 no.2 México mar./abr. 2012
Artículo de investigación
Direct medical costs of treating Mexican children under 2 years of age with respiratory syncytial virus
Joaquín F. Mould-Quevedo,1 Iris Contreras-Hernández,2 Silvia Martínez-Valverde,3 Miguel A. Villasis-Keever,4 Víctor M. Granados-García,5 Guillermo Salinas-Escudero,3 Onofre Muñoz-Hernández3
1 Health Economics and Outcomes Research Director, Latin America and Primary Care Products, Pfizer Laboratories, Mexico, D.F., Mexico
2 Hospital General de Zona 1-A Venados, Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social (IMSS), Mexico, D.F., Mexico
3 Centro de Estudios Económicos y Sociales en Salud (CEESES), Hospital Infantil de México Federico Gómez, Mexico, D.F., Mexico
4 Unidad en Investigación en Epidemiología Clínica, Hospital de Pediatría, Centro Médico Nacional Siglo XXI, IMSS, Mexico, D.F., Mexico
5 Unidad de Investigación de Economía de la Salud, IMSS, México, D.F., México
Corresponding author:
Mtro. Guillermo Salinas Escudero
CEESES, Hospital Infantil de México Federico Gómez,
Dr. Márquez 162, segundo piso, Col. Doctores,
Delegación Cuauhtémoc, 06720 México, D.F., México.
Tel: 52289917, ext. 3001.
E-mail: email@example.com
Received for publication: 3-16-12.
Accepted for publication: 4-4-12.
Background. Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is the most frequent etiologic agent causing lower respiratory tract infection in children <2 years of age. Between 0.5 and 3% of patients will require hospitalization. The aim of this study was to estimate the direct medical cost of treating children <2 years old with suspicion of RSV at the Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social (IMSS).
Methods. Direct medical costs were estimated from an institutional perspective. Medical records were reviewed from patients <2 years of age who attended emergency services in second-level hospitals including subjects who required hospitalization. Estimated costs were obtained with the microcosting technique using the institutional costs from IMSS (year 2010). Costs were reported in USD (year 2011).
Results. When analyzing total medical costs, outpatient management yielded a cost of $230.0 ± $10.30 U.S. dollars (USD), whereas hospitalized patients exhibited an average cost of $8,313.20 ± $595.30 USD. The main components of outpatient management costs were emergency visits, specialist consultations and diagnostic testing (41.6%, 32.7% and 10.7% of the total cost, respectively). In the case of hospitalized patients, intensive care unit cost (89.3%) and overall hospitalization cost (6.5%) represented 95.7% of the total cost.
Conclusions. RSV is a disease that represents a significant economic burden for health care institutions, although most patients are treated on an outpatient basis.
Key words: direct medical costs, respiratory syncytial virus, microcosting.
Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is the most frequent etiologic agent that causes lower respiratory tract infection in children <2 years of age.1 It is generally a benign disease; however, between 0.5 and 3% of patients will require hospitalization.2 Between 30% and 40% of children will have a lower respiratory tract infection,2-5 and it is considered to be the principal cause of bronchiolitis (60-80%) and pneumonia (20-40%) in infants, which represent the most common clinical presentations.6
There are reports of epidemiological surveillance in Mexico that make it possible to determine that circulation of respiratory viruses during winter months is similar to that of other countries.7 Etiologically, studies by Muraira et al. and Noyola et al. in patients hospitalized for lower respiratory infections with viral infections (30.7-47.2%) place RSV as the most frequent viral agent with (61.3-85.6%).8,9 The epidemiological burden of RSV is estimated at 64 million cases and 160,000 deaths each year.10 In the U.S., direct medical costs of RSV associated with hospitalizations for children between 1997 and 2000 had an average annual cost of $750 million U.S. dollars (USD).11 In Canada, these costs are quantified in the amount of $18 million USD12 where hospitalization (62%) was the most important component of direct medical costs followed by outpatient follow-up (38%).13 At the international level there are striking differences in terms of direct medical costs in the care of patients with RSV. Costs of medical care corresponding to hospitalization in patients <36 months of age were reported for Germany as $1,832 USD ($99.20 USD in the case of outpatient care, using an exchange rate of $1.64 euros to $1 USD),14 followed by those reported in Holland and Spain where the same hospital costs were $2,200 USD15 and $2,750 USD, respectively.16 Finally, the highest costs were those reported in the U.S. where the costs per hospital admission for RSV ranged from $3,799 USD to $9,000 USD.17,18
In Mexico there is no information regarding the costs involved in the care of patients with RSV; therefore, its impact on health institutions and society is unknown. Even with a high incidence of disease, the majority of RSV infections do not require medical care (ambulatory and/ or hospital). However, taking into consideration the high impact of this disease and its impact on high-risk groups (such as patients with heart disease who do require medical attention), carrying out a study that provides information to assist decision-makers in regard to resource allocation and planning within health institutions for management of RSV and its complications in Mexico is warranted.
In this regard, the objective of this study was to identify the management pattern of those patients who receive medical care for suspicion of RSV infection (with hospital and/or ambulatory management) within the public health system and the estimated direct medical costs associated with patient management.
Given that the public health institutions cover more than two-thirds of the Mexican population, the analysis was conducted from the perspective of the public health institutions where information from Hospital General Regional of the Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social (IMSS) located in Mexico City was used. This hospital is representative of a second-level care facility within the IMSS. To reference the importance of the IMSS, this institution covers 80.8% of the social security services in Mexico.19
A descriptive, cross-sectional, retrospective study was performed and included all patients who were seen from January 2006 to December 2009 in the emergency room and/or were hospitalized with suspicion of bronchiolitis or pneumonia. All patients with gastroesophageal reflux disease, patients with lipoidic pneumonia or with airway malformations were excluded.
A review of medical records was done using a survey that identified the principal demographic and clinical characteristics of the patients (gender, age, weight, height) as well as resources utilized for their management (dose, frequency, duration, quantities, etc.). This review covered information up to 1 year of patient follow-up from the initial contact in case the patient returned to the hospital due to a complication related to the first encounter. The survey used was previously validated in a pilot study by a group of medical experts within the hospital.
Cost analysis was carried out using a case-mix technique. In the case of services used, unit costs were determined, whereas for estimation of drug costs, the microcosting technique was used (adjusting the calcu lation according to the presentation and corresponding unit price).
Sources of information used were costs of institutional care (IMSS 2010)20 and unit costs for purchasing drugs by the IMSS during 2010.21 Due to the duration of the study, no discount rate in the costs is used.
Total costs were divided according to the principal cost components and according to whether they corresponded to ambulatory and/or hospital medical care. For each component percentage of utilization, average values of the monetary equivalent expressed in Mexican pesos (year 2010) were presented as well as its standard deviation (SD) and/or resource utilization rates. To generate more robust estimates in the estimation of the SD of the costs, adjustment by means of the bootstrap technique was used.22 For statistical analysis, Excel 2007 and Stata v.10 software were used. Results are reported in USD where an exchange rate of $12 Mexican pesos to $1 USD was used.23
A total of 74 patients who were treated during the study period were analyzed; 46% (n = 34) were managed as outpatients and 54% (n = 40) required hospitalization. Among the principal characteristics of the patients, females represented 52.7% of the sample. Average age of the patients was 10.78 (±8.2) months. Average weight was 8.23 (±2.5) kg and average height was 68.0 (±10.0) cm (Table 1).
For patients who received outpatient treatment, the average length of stay was 5.89 ± 1.82 h. With regard to the resources used, a consistent pattern was found for these patients. Among these averages were included interconsultations (inhalation therapy and, to a lesser degree, cardiology) and chest x-ray; 50% had venous infusion as part of their treatment (Table 2). Of the hospitalized patients, 100% were admitted through the emergency room. In order to calculate the total resources utilized for these patients, it is necessary to add the resources previously reported for outpatient management. The resources detailed here correspond to hospital management (Table 3).
Patients managed in the hospital had an average hospital stay of 4.35 ± 2.6 days; 98% of patients required ventilatory therapy support, 90% required an additional consultation and a new battery of diagnostic and laboratory studies. Total average cost for patients who received out- patient management was $230.0 ± $10.35 USD, whereas for patients admitted to the hospital the average cost was $8,313.2 ± $595.36 USD (Table 4).
In patients with outpatient management, a percentage of the total costs were for emergency room consultation (41.6%), interconsultation (32.7%), diagnostic/imaging studies (10.7%), costs for venous infusion (7.1%), laboratory tests (5.9%) and, finally, medications and solutions, which together represent 1.9%.
In those patients requiring hospital management, the principal component of the total cost was represented by hospitalization (95.7% of the total cost, intensive care 89.3% and general hospitalization 6.5%), placement of central venous catheter (CVC) 2.0%, interconsultations 0.7%, and ventilatory support and diagnostic/imaging studies 0.5%. The remainder of the resources used represented 0.2%.
Emergency services in the IMSS hospitals have a specified length of stay in the emergency room as a maximum of 3 h. One of the important findings in this study was that 20% of the patients exceeded the specified waiting times. Another important finding in the review of the medical records and which was widely discussed with the physicians was the existing problem of lack of rapid diagnostic tests to confirm the etiology of the cases treated in the emergency department, which leads to the following three problems:
1) Without a supportive diagnosis, an increased length of stay in the emergency department is generated in order to assess patient progress.
2) Lack of accurate diagnosis implies that, in some cases, antibacterial coverage was administered to the patient with this type of infection.
3) Increase in wait time in the emergency room generates a saturation of service and high costs for other patients who arrive for such services.
These three factors increase the actual cost of treatment of patients with RSV within the institution.
When comparing the costs obtained per episode of outpatient management of $230 USD in this study with those costs reported in Germany by Ehlken et al. ($99.20 USD),13 we find that the cost obtained in our study is almost 2.3 times greater. Similarly, we found that our corresponding costs for hospital management reported in our study ($8,313 USD) were greater than those reported by Miedema et al.15 ($2,200 USD) and Diez Domingo et al.16 ($2750 USD) for various European countries; however, these were found to be within the range of those reported for the U.S. Health System by Stewart et al.17 and Pelletier, et al.18 of $3,800 USD-$9,000 USD.
Information reported in this study may be valuable in terms of management for decision-makers because it identifies two main aspects: 1) to obtain costs associated with management of patients presenting to medical services with RSV and 2) to identify a niche of opportunity to improve patient management with the use of rapid diagnostic tests and to improve utilization of resources within emergency services of the institution. Performance of these tests does not necessarily establish the best alternative; however, it provokes an opportunity for possible further studies including patient characteristics, cost-effectiveness or cost-benefit for the patient and/or institution.
One of the limitations of this study is that the corresponding information regarding patient severity was not included, which may provide additional information to explain the somewhat prolonged observation of patients.
Finally, we are aware that the use of medical records as a source of information to determine resource utilization may be a limitation due to underreporting of information normally associated with these types of clinical records.
Estimating the management of patients <2 years of age who seek public health services with suspicion of RSV represented an average direct medical cost of $275 USD in the case of patients managed on an outpatient basis and $7,739 USD in the case of patients requiring hospitalization.
1. Levy BT, Graber MA. Respiratory syncytial virus infection in infants and young children. J Fam Pract 1997;45:473-481. [ Links ]
2. Meissner HC, Welliver RC, Chartrand SA, Law BJ, Weisman LE, Dorkin HL, et al. Immunoprophylaxis with palivizumab, a humanized respiratory syncytial virus monoclonal antibody, for prevention of respiratory syncytial virus infection in high risk infants: a consensus opinion. Pediatr Infect Dis J 1999;18:223-231. [ Links ]
3. Wright AL, Taussig LM, Ray CG, Harrison HR, Holberg CJ. The Tucson Children's Respiratory Study. II. Lower respiratory tract illness in the first year of life. Am J Epidemiol 1989;129:1232-1246. [ Links ]
4. Darville T, Yamauchi T. Respiratory syncytial virus. Pediatr Rev 1998;19:55-61. doi: 10.1542/pir.19-2-55. [ Links ]
5. Dubois B, Ray G. Viral infections of the lower respiratory tract. In: Taussig LM, Landau LI, eds. Pediatric Respiratory Medicine: New York: Elsevier; 1999. pp. 573-579. [ Links ]
6. Murtagh P, Cerqueiro C, Halac A, Avila M, Salomón H, Wissenbacher M. Acute lower respiratory infection in Argentinian children: a 40 month clinical and epidemiological study. Pediatr Pulmonol 1993;16:1-8. [ Links ]
7. Miranda-Novales G, Solórzano-Santos F, Leaños-Miranda B, Vázquez-Rosales G, Palafox-Torres M, Guiscafre-Gallardo H. Blood culture and respiratory syncytial virus identification in acute lower respiratory tract infection. Indian J Pediatr 1999;66:831-836. doi:10.1007/BF02723847. [ Links ]
8. Muraira GA, Villareal CE, Quiroga GA, Ábrego MV, Duran RAG, Cárdenas CBG, et al. Agentes virales en niños hospitalizados por infecciones respiratorias bajas. Rev Mex Pediatr 2002; 69;185-189. [ Links ]
9. Noyola DE, Rodríguez-Moreno G, Sánchez-Alvarado J, Martínez-Wagner R, Ochoa-Zavala JR. Viral etiology of lower respiratory tract infections in hospitalized children in Mexico. Pediatr Infect Dis J 2004;23:118-123. [ Links ]
10. World Health Organization. Acute respiratory infections (update September 2009). Respiratory syncytial virus and parainfluenza viruses. Available at: http://www.who.int/vaccine_research/diseases/ari/en/index2.html [ Links ]
11. Leader S, Kohlhase K. Recent trends in severe respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) among US infants, 1997 to 2000. J Pediatr 2003;143(suppl 5):S127-S132. [ Links ]
12. Langley JM, Wang EE, Law BJ, Stephens D, Boucher FD, Dobson S, et al. Economic evaluation of respiratory syncytial virus infection in Canadian children: a Pediatric Investigators Collaborative Network on Infections in Canada (PICNIC) study. J Pediatr 1997;131:113-117. [ Links ]
13. Ehlken B, Ihorst G, Lippert B, Rohwedder A, Petersen G, Schumacher M, et al. PRIDE Study Group. Economic impact of community-acquired and nosocomial lower respiratory tract infections in young children in Germany. Eur J Pediatr 2005;164:607-615. [ Links ]
14. Banco Nacional de México. Tipo de cambio EUA. Tipo de cambio promedio Dólar/Euro 2005. Available at: http://www.banamex.com/esp/finanzas/historicos/economia_int/ei_eua_cambio.jsp?init=2005&offset=7 [ Links ]
15. Miedema CJ, Kors AW, Tjon A Ten WE, Kimpen JL. Medical consumption and socioeconomic effects of infection with respiratory syncytial virus in The Netherlands. Pediatr Infect Dis J 2001;20:160-163. [ Links ]
16. Díez Domingo J, Ridao López M, Úbeda Sansano I, Ballester Sanz A. [Incidence and cost of hospitalizations for bronchiolitis and respiratory syncytial virus infections in the Autonomous Community of Valencia in Spain (2001 and 2002)]. An Pediatr (Barc) 2006;65:325-330. [ Links ]
17. Stewart DL, Romero JR, Buysman EK, Fernandes AW, Mahadevia PJ. Total healthcare costs in the US for preterm infants with respiratory syncytial virus lower respiratory infection in the first year of life requiring medical attention. Curr Med Res Opin 2009;25:2795-2804. [ Links ]
18. Pelletier AJ, Mansbach JM, Camargo CA Jr. Direct medical costs of bronchiolitis hospitalizations in the United States. Pediatrics 2006;118:2418-2423. [ Links ]
19. Secretaría de Gobernación. Anexo Estadístico Tercer Informe de Gobierno, Felipe Calderón Hinojosa. Estadísticas Nacionales. México; 2009. pp. 251-270. [ Links ]
20. Diario Oficial de la Federación. Instituto Mexicano Seguro Social. Costos Unitarios de Atención Médica. May 18, 2010. Available at: http://dof.gob.mx/nota_detalle.php?codigo=5143097&fecha=18/05/2010 [ Links ]
21. Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social. Portal de Transparencia México. IMSS va a comprar. IMSS compró. January-December 2010. Available at: http://www.imss.gob.mx/transparencia/Pages/index.aspx. [ Links ]
22. Glick HA, Doschi JA, Sonnad SS, Polsky D. Economic Evaluation in Clinical Trials. Handbooks in Health Economic Evaluation. Great Britain: Oxford University Press; 2007. pp. 89-113. [ Links ]
23. Diario Oficial de la Federación. Banco de México. Tipo de cambio para solventar obligaciones denominadas en moneda extrajera pagaderas en la República Mexicana. March 24, 2011. Available at: http://www.notasfiscales.com.mx/indicadores.html [ Links ]


text:
Surely there must be some budding smartphone auteur out there who needs to invest deeply in the feature-length film they're shooting on their iPhone 4. For anyone else, Zacuto's Z-Grip iPhone Cinema Kit might be a bit excessive.
The kit builds on Zacuto's $300 Z-Grip iPhone Pro Stabilizer by tacking on a $199 articulating arm, which itself is handy for attaching the $395 Z-Finder Pro. But before you say "for that kind of money, I could just go and buy myself a real camera," listen closely to the nice men in the video: it also works with model trains. SOLD! [Zacuto via Buzzfeed]


text:
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UNIDO Emerging Technologies Series, UNIDO, Vienna, 1998.21 cm X 30 cm, 122 pages, Paper Cover, Price $30.00.Price $30.00 per copy (postage and handling included).IAHE Members and Booksellers receive a discount of 30%
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text:
My Soul to Keep
- Davis Bunn Author
- 2007 15 Sep
Brent Stark liked a lot of things about Austin. He liked the washed Texas sky at dawn, china blue and so big he could lie on a fresh-cut lawn and fly away forever. He liked waking up sober and free. Two huge words for a man who had once lost sight of both. He liked the life he had carved for himself since coming out of those big steel gates, walking under the razor wire that last time, taking that first breath of freedom. He liked having the last of his three penitentiaries a stone's throw away, close enough to remind him whenever that hunger started gnawing at his gut. Which happened less and less these days. But still.
Brent raised his head with the others. Giving thanks was a big part of these dawn AA meetings. All AA meetings followed a similar course, but each held a different makeup. This particular one was unreservedly Christian. Folks who wanted their higher power in more liberal doses were directed elsewhere. This particular meeting was led by the same man who had mentored Brent ever since he had arrived at the Texas federal pen. Stanley Allcott was a former convict himself, and a former pastor. He spoke a con's language, but with a Bible in his hand.
Brent Stark liked this place just fine.
After the closing prayer, Brent was moving down the central aisle when it happened. A woman Brent hadn't noticed before planted herself in his way and declared, "You're him."
Stanley glided over with remarkable swiftness for such a big man. "And you're new, aren't you, ma'am."
"But it's him. The movie star!" She had an alcoholic's ability to laser-focus on what she wanted. She ignored entirely the pastor blocking her path. "Oh, oh, what's your name, it's right hereon the tip of my tongue."
Stanley had a Texan's inbred courtesy. And a pastor's ability to criticize gently. "We don't talk about lives we once had, ma'am. Not unless the other members—""Oh, I know all that." She scrabbled through her purse. "All I want is his autograph."
The group leader inserted himself more completely between Brent and the woman.
"We are glad to have you join us. But if you ever want to come again, you'll have to abide by our rules."
"But—""There are no exceptions. Each of us comes in here with a past, and whatever that past may contain, it's confidential unless we choose to share." Stanley displayed his ability to command gently but firmly. "Your only choices are coffee and doughnuts, or the door. Take your pick."
Brent slipped around them and headed for his truck. These days, getting sideswiped by fans mostly happened after they aired one of his films on cable. But his guard was down in the meetings. Especially this morning.
The parking lot was typical for AA, with everything from heaps like his truck to a hundred-thousand-dollar status-on-wheels. Brent rolled down his window in a slow steady motion, his mind caught by recollections of the glory days. Back when he really was what that lady had called him.
A star.
The image flashed then. Of that last night, the last drive, and a woman whose hair shone like spun moonlight. That night Celia Breach had laughed from the seat beside him. She laughed a great deal back then, a beckoning sound that gunned his heart rate up to redline and beyond.
In these recollections, Brent always thought she told him to slow down. To pay attention to the road and not to her. Offering advice he had been too stoned to either remember clearly or obey.
Brent shut his eyes and shuddered through the rest of the memory—a flash of red from an oncoming car, a scream, the wheel spinning from his hands as they jumped the curb and smashed through a picket fence. Suddenly a stucco wall loomed before them, followed by an explosive impact. Then shattering glass, crushing metal, pain ...
"You okay there?" The pastor waited for Brent to open his eyes to continue,
"Today of all days."
"I'm fine."
Stanley leaned one elbow on Brent's open window. "We could pack up and leave for the hill country right now."
Two years previously, Brent had been out four months and three days, with six weeks left on his parole. Stanley had displayed a telepath's ability and known Brent stood on the abyss. So he'd packed Brent up and taken him into the most beautiful region of Texas and walked him until Brent had forgotten what day it was. Almost.
Stanley went on, "I've been begging God for a reason to get back up there where a man can breathe easy."
That was a good day," Brent replied.
"The kind of day we're supposed to focus on." Stanley gave his friend a piercing inspection. "Instead of the regrets, the if-onlys, and the thoughts that stab us in the night."
Stanley Allcott had been out for seven years. He had recently been promoted to associate pastor of the church where this AA meeting took place. He was back in the pulpit again, leading the Wednesday evening services almost against his will. The services were packed.
Brent said, "Thanks, but Liz Courtney invited me to a get-together tonight with some friends."
"What kind of friends?"
"From the amateur theater group. They know who I am, and they know what I've done, and they know I'm clean."
"You sure about that?"
"I'll be fine, Stanley."
His friend patted the truck's side, like he was gentling a restless steer. "You get that itch, I'm five minutes away." Brent started his truck, waved his thanks, and eased his rig out of the lot. He saw his friend standing there still and knew Stanley was praying him away. Brent waved his arm in a Texan farewell, a lazy drift up and back, showing an ease he did not feel. The day ahead was anything but easy. There were too many memories eager to batter him into oblivion.
Five years ago tonight, Brent had stood at the back of a crowd of cons hooting at a television screen housed in a wire cage. He'd watched as his former producer and drinking buddy had walked forward and accepted Brent Stark's Oscar for best supporting actor. On behalf of the pal who was in San Quentin, doing three to ten.
* * *
Liz Courtney was, among other things, a mover and shaker in the Austin business scene. She was also Texan to the core, a sophisticated lady who had hunted first with her daddy and then with her husband, and still stalked birds and wild boar with her grown sons. When her husband died from a massive coronary five years back, Liz had inherited the family bank. Trained as an accountant, Liz had already worked for years in her husband's office. To the astonishment of many and the dismay of some, Liz had refused to sell out, but instead led the bank through successive years of steady growth. She was fanatic about her church, her family, her bank, her town, the local theater, and her friends.
Brent had met her soon after his arrival in Austin. Brent's parole officer had found him work with a tree trimmer who drank. One Saturday morning, Liz had watched Brent work around her house while his boss sat in the truck and nipped from a bottle. Liz had a talk with Brent and liked what she heard enough to set Brent up in business for himself. Liz had treated it like it was the most natural thing in the world to give an ex-con a fresh start. As though a felon's friendship was the only thanks she'd ever want.
Her home was modest by the standards of Texas rich, a low-slung ranch set on nineteen fenced acres. When Brent arrived, the house was already jammed with people, many of whom Brent recognized from the local theater. He stopped to say hello to his latest leading lady and shook hands with her bored-looking teenaged son. Helping himself to a soft drink, Brent left the crowd and stepped out into the backyard. A giant television played on the patio by the barbecue pit. The screen flickered with pre-show commentators and fashion naysayers. Brent did his best to tune it all out. He picked up a Frisbee and tossed it to Liz's Irish setter. The teenager came out and joined them.
About a half hour later, Brent was witness to a very strange event. His AA mentor, Stanley Allcott, arrived with two strangers in tow. Liz saw them through the rear glass doors and came close to launching herself through them in her haste to get there. "Stanley!"
"Hello, Liz."
"You don't know what it meant to get your call." Liz took the oversized man in a fierce embrace. When they finally let go, both of them swiped at tears. Liz's voice was a half inch from breaking as she said, "Hearing your voice after all this time was as close to heaven as I've been in a long time."
"I'm glad I had a reason to call."
"You don't need a reason. Not now, not ever." Which was good for another hard
A few minutes later Liz pried Brent away from his Frisbee game. "Stanley says to tell you his being here is a last-minute thing."
"Why doesn't he come tell me himself?"
"There's some big mystery about the two men he came with." Liz walked him down to where the cottonwoods anchored the riverbank. Some of the trees were older than the state. Liz stared out at the meadows and the rushing water with a tragic expression.
"What's the matter?"
She hugged both arms tightly around her middle. "Stanley was pastor of our church. The year I was appointed church treasurer, I discovered he was stealing to support a secret gambling habit."
"Oh boy."
"I didn't know about the gambling, of course. Just the missing funds."
"You turned him in?"
"I didn't have to, which I still count as a tragic blessing. I had to testify at his trial, though. That was the only time in my entire life I ever took sleeping pills, making it through that week. I went to the prison afterward and asked his forgiveness." Liz swallowed hard. "He came by the office once, you know, doing that AA thing."
Brent nodded. "Making a list of the ones we've wronged and meeting them face-to-face."
"It was about three years ago. I hadn't laid eyes on him since." Liz shook her head. "My husband and I thought the world of Stanley. It was good seeing him walk through my door tonight. Real good."
Brent wished he could focus entirely on what she was sharing. But he had an ex-con's fear of trouble. "Did he say anything about those men?"
"Only that the request came from somebody he couldn't say no to, and they've been asking questions around town about you."
"Are they cops?"
"Stanley didn't say. They claimed they're here to observe you, whatever that
"That doesn't make any sense. What do they think I've done now?"
Liz shook her head. You want my advice?"
Above him, the bare winter branches trembled. "Always."
"Don't let them get you alone."
* * *
Soon after his release, Brent had made the rounds of Austin's regional theaters. The early roles had been unpaid walk-ons, with theaters that wanted him for the scandal value of showcasing a genuine Hollywood has-been. For some people, it might have been a bitter humiliation. For Brent, it was acting.
Later, Brent appeared in Romeo and Juliet at the Austin Playhouse. He did Copenhagen at the University of Texas. Music Man at the Austin Musical Theater. He did two commercials. He did one-liners. He held no hope of ever making it back to Hollywood. As his former agent told him the one time they spoke after his release, Hollywood studios were not in the business of second chances.
He took what he could get because he loved acting. Going to prison had not quenched his thirst for the lights.
Brent's favorite stage was the Zachary Scott Theater on Toomey Road. The place might have less history than some of the others, but it was a wide-open house with room for newcomers' explosive enthusiasm. They had treated him oddly at first—some with resentment, others awe. Brent took two small one-line roles and thanked them sincerely for the chance. He was respectful of a first-time director in well over her head. He made no suggestions unless asked. He stayed sober. He refused liaison offers from both women and men and ignored how some labeled him the village eunuch. Slowly but surely, he earned his place as one of the gang.
Liz and her late husband had shared a passion for the theater. Every other month they had flown to New York and gorged on Broadway. Since losing her husband, Liz fought her solitude by actively supporting all the local theater groups. She nurtured talent wherever it arose. Even in the heart of a former felon.
* * *
By the time the pre-shows ended and the commentators worked the red-carpet crowd, Liz's Oscar party was in full Texas swing. Caterers flitted about as though on Rollerblades. People with heaping plates clustered around the screen on the patio and another in the oversized den. The largest crowd occupied the living room, which had been transformed into a theater with room to sit or sprawl before a wall-size screen. The crowd hooted as the lights dimmed. Stanley and the two men he'd brought remained in the back corner. They neither approached nor spoke. But they also did not let Brent out of their sight.
He drank his share of ginger ale and laughed at the banter. When friends asked him about the ceremonies and the parties, he did his best to respond. But his fears would not let him alone. There might come a time when he could be easy around cops, when he did not constantly fear the wrong step that might land him back inside. But he wasn't there yet.
After a half-dozen awards, Brent finally gave up and left by the side door. The crowd's noise followed him as he crunched down the drive to where he'd left his truck. His isolation bit hard. He knew twelve of those up for the top slots, had acted with two of the leading ladies, and had performed under three of the directors. There was an exquisite agony to seeing their faces painted and smiling on a night he yearned for and knew would never be his again.
But something even stronger than memories drove him away from the house, stronger even than his fear. He had been acting back there. Playing the role for the two sets of eyes at the back of the room. Honesty was one of those vital components of his new life. If he couldn't be honest, he had to leave. There was no going back on certain promises.
A lingering image chased him down the drive, of a woman with white blond hair, gemlike gaze, and the finest smile Brent had ever known. As he drove into the night, Brent could not say which was worse—not seeing Celia Breach among the glittering Oscar crowd or knowing she was absent because of him.
* * *
Celia Breach sat in the dark house and winced at the television's flickering images. Aiming her remote at the screen, she pushed the channel button as though shooting a fatal bullet. The awards show vanished, only to be replaced by the image of her own face, a closeup in a cable rebroadcast of one of her films. The image filled the screen with painful perfection. She snapped off the TV altogether.
Setting her wine glass on the coffee table, she rose and crossed the room on shaky legs. She halted before the gilded hall mirror. She should have asked Manuela to take this thing down long ago. A crack snaked down one corner, a souvenir of her rage after his last visit. She traced a finger along the scar that snaked down from her hairline, its pattern eerily similar to the crack in the mirror.
When she saw the tear reflected in the glass, she angrily swiped it away. "No." She spoke aloud, the single word echoing in the empty house. I will not let you do this to me. Never again. ...
Excerpted from My Soul to Keep by Davis Bunn; Copyright © 2007; ISBN 9780764204357; Published by Bethany House Publishers. Used by permission. Unauthorized duplication prohibited.