text:
'Lord, is this the way it ends?'
Published: Wednesday, November 27, 2013 at 7:00 p.m.
Last Modified: Wednesday, November 27, 2013 at 10:19 a.m.
I am happy and grateful to be able to write this letter to encourage everyone to be careful and cautious at all times. No matter how many times you do something, it takes only once to put your life or somebody else's life in jeopardy, and a joyful time could end up a tragedy.
A Thanksgiving Message
A lot of people know Kirby Verret of Dulac through his work as a Methodist minister, with local Indian education programs or as former chief of the United Houma Nation.
I've been fortunate to have known him for years, and I was happy to see him when he stopped by my office Tuesday. He said he had a letter to deliver, a message of thankfulness, and thought others might benefit from reading it.
I think so, too. Happy Thanksgiving, everyone.
— Keith Magill,
Executive Editor
I relearned that lesson Monday. It was a great day to get up early and go duck hunting. It was rather cold, which required a few more layers of clothing.
I got to the boat with my gun and B. Dozer Verret, my young Weimaraner, who has become an excellent retriever. I reached to put on my life jacket, but with all the extra clothing, I could hardly get it on me. I was about to just lay it in front of me in the boat, but I was finally able to latch, though only with one strap.
The boat started easily, and we headed east and passed under the Dulac Bridge. The wind was blowing nicely, and my anticipation was high on having a good duck hunt.
When I got in the very wide area of Bayou Dulac, around 5:15 a.m., the waves started to hit the boat and my engine started missing, and it seemed to me that the rough water either caused a wire to get loose or something got wet. So I turned around to feel the wires on the engine.
All I could think of was that instead of making it to the duck blind, I was going to end up stranded, working to start the engine again, but it kept running on one cylinder, and I did not have much power.
I checked the right side of the engine and started to slip overboard. I leaned back to try to get back into the seat, and it had folded and I ended up on top of it, going over the seat and into the water head first. I was able to catch the side of the boat, but I lost my grip.
The engine was still sputtering, and my first fear was the propellers. My boat, carrying my dog, kept drifting away slowly and was circling back to me. I knew if it got close, I had a rope on the side of the boat I could catch, but the engine stopped, and all I could do was watch my boat and dog disappear in the darkness.
With the wind blowing the boat away, I tried to follow it but I could not swim with all that wet clothing, and the water was really cold.
I realized that I was floating in the middle of the deepest part of Bayou Dulac, and my hope was that a boater would find me, but I had a fear that I also could get run over by a boater who would not see me in the darkness. I was able to pull out my waterproof light in my life jacket, but my cell phone was in my pants pocket, and it was not waterproof.
As I drifted, my thought was, "Lord, is this way it ends?" I knew I was in serious trouble. My life jacket was barely keeping me above water, and my next fear was hypothermia. My next thought was prayer, and I said, "Lord, if you lead me out of this, I know there are a lot of things I need to do, and I will finish the things I have been putting off."
I knew that if I kept drifting with the current, in time I would float up to the Dulac Bridge, but by that time I would either be unconscious or dead, and if I overexerted myself, I could end up with a heart attack.
As I floated, I suddenly could hear something moving among the waves, and, lo and behold, it was B. Dozer Verret. All I could think of is what the Rev. Spiller Milton said years ago, "God works in mysterious ways."
I grabbed his collar and said, "Let's go," and he headed north. Finally, after B. Dozer pulled me about 50 feet, my feet touched the soft bottom, but at least now I could move, and I had a chance to keep my blood circulating. I stayed in about three-and-a-half feet of water with B. Dozer circling me, and I was concerned that he might wear out or get into hyperthermia, so I would let him stand up against me for a while so he could get some rest.
We kept heading west, as the Dulac Bridge was about half a mile away, but not one boat was out. I was glad to remember that in any serious and dangerous situation, you have to stay calm.
With daylight, I figured someone was going to come on the east side of the Dulac Bridge. I could see the car traffic, but there simply were no boats moving in the bayou.
Then I saw the most unusual site of the morning: a man in a pirogue following the north bank of Bayou Dulac. He looked in our direction, but he seemed puzzled. After all, B. Dozer and I were standing in the water. I yelled at him and I told him what happened. He told me he could not figure out what he was seeing; he thought my dog was an otter, and I was a bunch of pelicans floating together.
When B. Dozer saw that pirogue, he headed straight for Mike Parfait, my new best friend. I had to crawl to get to Mike's pirogue and finally sat down.
We could see the excitement on the Bayou Dulac Bridge as our Grand Caillou Fire Department, Acadian Ambulance and many other concerned citizens gathered and waited to find out what happened.
Officer Larry "Chock" Phillips, from the Terrebonne Parish's Sheriff's Office Water Patrol, arrived and helped me aboard his boat. He had left in such a hurry he had not taken time to find his coat. We started to look for my boat, and we did find it against the bank, farther away than I had thought I had gone. B. Dozer and I got in the boat, the engine started with no problem, and we headed home.
I want to thank all of the people who have extended well wishes and who told me I still have a lot to do in life. Thank you, Mike Parfait, for having chosen to go fishing in all that bad weather and for telling me, "God was with you, Mr. Kirby." Thank you officer Larry Phillips, Fire Chief Shawn Bumm and everyone who shared their concerns for me. I want to let everyone know that we all have a lot to share in this life, and I did find out that a dog is man's best friend.
There were a lot of rumors floating around, and, of course, as Mark Twain said, "The rumors of my demise have been greatly exaggerated."
I was at the Dulac Bridge, headed for Houma to get a new phone, and one young lady got out of her car after looking at me through her side mirror asked, "Are you really alive?"
Yes, and may you all enjoy the blessedness of this season, and may you know the Lord is with all of us. Be safe, and enjoy all the people in your life. I know I will have a great Thanksgiving, and may you all have the same.
— Kirby Verret,
Reader comments posted to this article may be published in our print edition. All rights reserved. This copyrighted material may not be re-published without permission. Links are encouraged.


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Drive time
Some teens delay rite of passage
|Brandon Smith, 17, of Dunwoody, Georgia, is shown by a driver's education car at Taggart's Driving School in Tucker, Georgia, July 13, 2012. Smith is taking a week-long driver's education class at Taggart's Driving School. Smith is among a growing trend in teenage males who wait a few years to get their license. (Jason Getz/Atlanta Journal-Constitution/MCT)
That's still true, but more teens may be waiting long past their 16th birthday to get the once-coveted driver's license.
Brandon Smith of Dunwoody, Ga., waited. So did Anthony Acker and Zachary Neal, both of Stone Mountain, Ga. When they signed up for a class this summer at Taggart's Driving School, Smith was 17, Neal was 18, and Acker was 19.
According to the Federal Highway Administration, a decade ago, half of the 16-year-olds in the country got their license. Today only a third get them, it says.
Neal will be the last among his friends to get a driver's license.
Even though he had to endure much teasing from his friends, he said it was his decision to wait before he "took the big plunge." "Driving is one of those big responsibilities that you have to be ready for," Neal said.
And when he decided to take the driving class, his friends teased him even more.
"Dude, you're 18, you don't have to take the class," he said they told him. "But I needed to so I could learn what to do and what not to do." He's looking forward to driving himself to Georgia Perimeter College this fall.
"I cannot wait," Neal said. "It's going to be awesome." Under state law, once teens turn 17, they no longer are required to take a driving course to get a license and are under no restrictions stipulating who can ride with them while they're driving. But driver's education may entitle parents to a $150 tax credit and a reduction in insurance costs.
For those waiting, the reasons vary.
"Many parents feel that 16-year-olds are still too immature to operate a motor vehicle," said Ashley Nalley, vice president of Taggart's Driving School. Finding the time to master the skill is also a challenge, she said. "Between high school sports teams, traveling teams, school plays and other activities, teenagers simply cannot find the time to schedule their in-car driving lessons, much less 30 hours in the classroom." Rob Foss, director for the Center for the Study of Young Drivers at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, disagrees with the Federal Highway Administration's findings but said teens are getting licensed to drive unsupervised at a slightly older age. "There's no question about that," he said.
But he said it has more to do with changes in motor vehicle laws than anything else.
Teens can't get a license to drive without an adult in the car as early as they did 20 years ago. Now they are required to have at least six months of supervised driving before they can get a license to drive on their own.
No longer wanting to depend on his parents, Smith decided his time had finally come.
"I will be a senior next year," he said. "I don't want to have to worry about my parents' schedule."
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The orientation program for new international students entering the March session of Intensive English Program (IEP) will begin on Thursday, March 6. Students should report to 118 Whitesitt Hall. The orientation will conclude on Friday, March 7.
This orientation is mandatory for all new international students.
Airport pick-up is available from the Joplin Regional Airport (JLN) from March 3-5. New international students must complete the shuttle reservation form.
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The MLTF has issued a Know Your Rights guide for military protesters, whose First Amendment rights fall under unique restrictions.
212-679-5100, ext. 15
The National Lawyers Guild mourns the passing of its former president, Debra Evenson. One of the nation's foremost authorities on the legal system and institutions of Cuba, Ms. Evenson was Of Counsel with the law firm Rabinowitz, Boudin, Standard, Krinsky & Lieberman, P.C.
The National Lawyers Guild (NLG) provides legal defense and educational resources to activists who are being targeted as part of the 'Nerd Scare,' including individuals alleged to be affiliated with "Anonymous," LulzSec, and other activists and hacker collectives.
In a case with precedential value for internet free speech, three National Lawyers Guild members successfully defended several activists who received subpoenas from Mt. Hope Baptist Church demanding they turn over their internet account records
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As the struggle for freedom in the Middle East continues to demand the world's attention, a report issued today by a group of international lawyers and academics who recently visited Tunisia warns that the U.S. and other Western governments must respect Tunisian sovereignty and not interfere in that country's path to democracy.
The National Lawyers Guild mourns yesterday's passing of an extraordinary criminal defense and civil rights attorney, Leonard I. Weinglass. A long-time member of the Guild, he now joins the pantheon of great lawyers who have devoted their careers to making human rights more sacred than property interests.
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May 04, 2001.
This tutorial shows you how to create, send, and received messages using MSMQ from the .NET base class library (System.Messaging) and C#.
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May 05, 2001.
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Line Numbering Utility in C# and Java
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This is the first of the series of programs I wish to write to help myself get a handle on C#.
Regular Expressions Example
May 14, 2001.
The following example shows the use of Regular Expressions in C#.This program has basic validation scripts for validation easily useable in all programs.
Operator Overloading Example
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Jun 12, 2001.
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Time Ticker
Jun 26, 2001.
Graphics Class encapsulates a GDI+ drawing surface. The FromHWND method is used to create a new instance of the Graphics class from a window handle. Clear method fills the entire drawing surface with the specified RGB color by using Color class. DrawString method draws a string using Font and SolidBrush classes.
Creating Exe on the Fly
Jun 29, 2001.
You can create an Exe on the fly using .NET classes.
FTP Explorer in C# Version 2.0
Jul 10, 2001.
FTP Explorer is a GUI - FTP client application developed in C# using Visual Studio.NET Beta 1.
Sending Mail in ASP.NET using C#
Jul 13, 2001.
This article contains the listing for a simple web form to send email.
Mobile with Access Database
Jul 14, 2001.
Till now we had done the Programming using SQL Server and XML as Database.
Using/Debug Option During Compilation
Jul 15, 2001.
This source code below is an an example of how to use /debug option during compilation.
Tic Tac Toe
Jul 16, 2001.
TicTacToe is a demonstration of the AI game playing minimax algorithm. The game plays out every possible combination of moves from each position and consequently is unbeatable. This example uses .NET Beta 2 and was written using a text editor.
Developing Windows Applications
Jul 23, 2001.
This tutorial explains you step by step how to create your Windows Applications using Visual C#.
Difference Using Directive and Statement
Jul 26, 2001.
This article explains difference between using directive and using statement with sample example.
A Better Notepad using C#
Jul 30, 2001.
We can use windows registry for saving default setting of notepad. We can used notepad in C# easily.
Using WebRequest and WebResponse classes
Jul 31, 2001.
Downloading and uploading data from the web has been a very common programming practice these days.
About How-to-use-Inheritance-in-JSP
File APIs for .NET
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Yoga for All Seasons: Autumn
Fall is the season of transformation. We can see this all around us in nature: the leaves are falling, the air is changing and we are harvesting an entirely new crop of fruits and vegetables.
It is important that we change with the seasons — just as nature does — by adapting our daily habits, yoga practice and food choices.
Ironically, it is only through change that was can stay grounded during this shifting season.


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I have long used PS3MediaServer as daemon on my Ubuntu headless systems (from 10.04 to 11.10).
Recently I installed the program with deb package (thanks happy.neko) without any problem.
However I noticed that the start/stop procedure uses a very obsolete init script and new requirements from users may not be met.
Starting from the "skeleton initscript" of Debian as template, I therefore decided to fully rewrite the procedure to meet my requirements and those of other forum users.
The new procedure is suitable for both "deb package" and "traditional package" versions.
The difficult part was adapting procedure to java process management of PS3 Media Server, while sticking to the LSB standard and its related return codes.
The new init procedure has the following features and advantages:
- a very clear and simple structure of the two files (initscript and default);
- its full compatibility with the LSB standard (both Debian, Ubuntu and derivates);
- full PIDFILE support;
- the presence of the PIDFILE allows to identify the correct java daemon process of PS3 Media Server in order to avoid confusion with other instances of same program started from the GUI;
- full support of LSB "log_*" message functions;
- full support for the "start-stop-daemon" procedure (both in the start and stop of the daemon);
- high reliability in case of crash of java processes of PS3 Media Server.
- management and correct use of the "PMS_PROFILE" environment variable – this is read by PS3 Media Server when it starts (variable "P3MS_PROFILE" in the old initscript was wrong);
- shift of all PS3 Media Servers specific variables to "/etc/default/ps3mediaserver" file with full detailed instructions;
- opportunity to run the daemon with a different user in only three simple steps (described in file "/etc/default/ps3mediaserver");
- in accordance with the Debian standard, configuration files of daemons necessarily need to be placed in /etc subfolder. So in the new procedure files of system profile ("PMS.conf" and WEB.conf") are now read as default directly from folder "/etc/ps3mediaserver" (that is suitables for happy.neko deb package);
- Variables values are based on files structure of happy.neko deb package. If user want change location (e.g. "/opt/ps3mediaserver" - to use the initscript with downloaded linux package from PS3MS web site), it has to change only three variables: "PMS_PROFILE" variable in "/etc/default/ps3mediaserver" file; "NAME" and "DAEMON" variables in "/etc/init.d/ps3mediaserver" file; if you change the variable "NAME" please be careful to rename "/etc/default/ps3mediaserver" file also;
- for headless mode (daemon need this) now it uses "JAVA_OPT" variable with value "-Djava.awt.headless=true" that, based on my experience, in presence of some particular graphical environment, is more reliable than "DAEMON_OPTS" variable with value "console".
For one month or so, I have been testing this procedure on my Ubuntu 11.10 (64bit) headless system in all possible instances (start, stop, status, restart, "restart" in case of daemon crash, "stop" in case of running a multimedia stream) without any problem having been found.
It would be necessary to test the procedure on other systems: Debian 6, older and new (12.04) versions of Ubuntu and some derivates.
As my personal contribution to forum, please find attached in "ps3ms_init.zip" the two files I rewrote entirely:
- "ps3mediaserver.init" to be renamed as "/etc/init.d/ps3mediaserver";
- "ps3mediaserver.default" to be renamed as "/etc/default/ps3mediaserver".
I hope that my work will be instrumental in the improvement of PS3 Media Server project.
Waiting for your test results and opinions


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Nicol leads Wolcott in many different ways
WOLCOTT — Jim Nelson is a three-year starting left offensive guard for Wolcott High, so he knows a thing or two about his team's quarterback, Mike Nicol.
He looks to Nicol to lead the way.
"Mike is really calm and collected all of the time," said Nelson. "He never lets things bother him. Mike always thinks he can make a play, and he's always giving praise to the linemen and the other players around him. That makes us all of us feel pretty good."
Nicol said he values Nelson's impact immeasurably.
"Jim is the one who gets everyone quiet in the huddle, and if someone has a question in practice, I tell them, 'Go to Jim Nelson.' He's the one."
Nicol and Nelson will lead the Eagles against Kennedy in the season opener Saturday at 11 a.m. at Municipal Stadium.
Nicol should feel good about himself after his first season as a starting quarterback.
Nicol led the Eagles to eight wins, the first state playoffs appearance in school history and their first playoff win with a 32-26 decision at Ellington last season.
As a passer, Nicol tossed for 1,652 yards and 17 touchdowns, completing 105 of 197 attempts. But a more telling number was only six interceptions, a mark he hopes to reduce even more this year.
"I've really worked on my mental mistakes and have been able to slow the game down in my reads," he said.
In the Eagles' season-ending 35-0 semifinal loss to Ledyard, Nicol was limited to 12 rushing yards and 101 yards passing with an interception. He was also sacked five times. It was a learning game for Nicol, who noted, "What was crystal clear is that there are always teams better than you."
Wolcott's regular-season losses were to Torrington (66-28), Ansonia (48-14) and Holy Cross (35-20).
"We got lucky to get into the playoffs with three losses," said Nicol. "I'm not going to complain about our season."
As Nicol looks to this season, he knows the Eagles are capable of repeating as a playoff team, but it won't be easy with many new players in the mix.
Personally, he said he'll keep his goals to himself, but is more concerned about making his team better.
"I want the ball in my hands on every play, but whatever works for the team is fine with me," said Nicol.
That's a trait Wolcott coach Jason Pace likes from his signal-caller. He gave the job to Nicol after seeing the progress he made in the offseason between his sophomore and junior year.
"Mike plays with a lot of confidence and has improved as a quarterback and has become a better overall player," said Pace.
Last year, Nicol played outside linebacker, but will move to free safety this year. "On the defensive side, Mike will be a part of our team," said Pace.
He's heeded the advice of his older brother, Kevin, a former quarterback at Wolcott and now a junior wide receiver at Westfield (Mass.) State.
"Kevin has helped me tremendously in every aspect of the game,' said Nicol. "The biggest thing he taught me is top go out and play hard and just have fun."
Reader Comments
The following are comments from online readers like you. In no way do they represent the view of The Republican-American.
Football Fan wrote on Sep 14, 2012 11:46 AM:
" Nicol and Nelson are class acts on and off the field. They deserve everything they earned last year, and will continue to earn this season. Everyone in the community should be proud to have these young men represent them. They will be sorely missed, but hopefully can give us another year of excitement on the hill!! "
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Speed Download
Developed exclusively for Mac OS X Tiger and later, Speed Download 4 marks the next generation of powerful and reliable, time-saving download managers. Faster and more secure, more features, easier to use and sporting a new look, this latest Speed Download release sets a new standard for download manager innovation, and is designed to be your central, unified hub for almost all the downloading and file transfer activities you do online.
Some of the new features include the following:
- a gorgeous new interface, thanks to the great job done by IconDrawer.
- a re-engineered 'universal' download engine optimized for maximum performance,
- a powerful database to manage all your downloads, uploads, and file transfers,
- a FTP client (with SSL) that satisfies the basic FTP needs of most users,
- a secure, high performance P2P file sharing utility (with encryption),
- a high performance utility for downloading web content for offline viewing,
- .Mac iDisk integration,
- auto-resuming file transfers all the time,
- unlimited UNDOs throughout the entire application,
- smart folder technology,
- and much more!
Required OS: not specified
Tags: download , internet , downloads , ftp
27 Opinions
It works really well and does exactly what it says it does. Saved me so much time and effort. Strongly recommended.
Lovely interface with more user options than iGetter (for instance, the option to have it close once a download has completed).
I also seem to get v slightly faster downloads than I can on iGetter.
However, it doesn't like Snow Leopard (keeps randomly crashing, usually in the middle of a download). This isn't catastrophic as it will resume any broken downloads on relaunch, but it IS very very annoying. I hope the devs release a bug fix (they haven't replied to e-mails yet).
Speed Download 5 is, in my opinion, the best download manager for the Macintosh
Well I seem to have no problems with it and it sped up my downloads a lot. I told the app to not upgrade itself, so I have been fine so far, I got version five and I love it! By the way, look at the other comments before buying!
this didn't seem to do anything for my machine...
I used this for several years, but the thing that finally killed it for me was that you can't have 2 copies running on 2 different computers at the same time, even if each is exclusively your computer; iGetter is similar in that regard. If you go out somewhere with your laptop, you'd better make sure you don't have Speed Download still open on your desktop unit or it will refuse to launch on the laptop.
As far as the non-free upgrades go, I wouldn't mind paying for one again if they finally gave the interface a major streamlining. SD5 seems to have a "simple" mini-iTunes controller mode now, but I'm more concerned about the clutter and relative lack of intuitiveness of the main queue window: some things that take one step in browser download windows take several in SD, and the list of suggested apps to open files with never seems to jive with what appears in the Finder or Path Finder (I'm talking about 4, but 5's regular window seems to be fairly similar to 4's in screenshots?).
Right now I'm trying out CocoaWget (free) for longer downloads, but I miss having a browser-independent app that can grab downloads from browsers via an internet plugin.
I wouldn't buy products from this company, because they screwed some users, changed their upgrade policies and charge for almost every minor upgrade (they say it's minor, but one of the biggest changes is the version number).
Yazsoft screwed MacHeist users, AND changed their upgrade policy without notice. They state anyone who bought Speed Download 4 within Jan and Feb would get a free upgrade to Speed Download 5.
Later, they added a sentence stating the upgrade doesn't apply to MacHeist users, who were told they got "FULL LICENSES", and they purchased them within that time period. This is stupid.
Yazsoft is a shady company, and I wouldn't buy anything from them. Oh, and Speed Download seems a bit overpriced.
If you've installed Speed Download and would like to remove it, consider using the Speed Download Uninstaller (by Yazsoft), on iusethis: http://osx.iusethis.com/app/speeddownloaduninstaller
Don't buy YazSoft products without thinking about it VERY carefully.
They have changed their upgrade policy AFTER many customers purchased their software.
I encourage you to be very wary of YazSoft and if there is another company that produces a similar package to a YazSoft package, go there. YazSoft has proven they have no problem with adjusting their agreements after the fact. This is bad news for the customer.
My copy of SD seems to have updated to 5 without confirmation! I'm not ready to upgrade and now have to uninstall this DEMO and reinstall v4 (Not sure if i like this kind of behavior, maybe I should just uninstall it and leave it at that).
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Last summer "Gangnam Style" became a viral sensation.
This summer that sensation might have been a "Monkey Style" burger -- if only it existed.
An Internet hoax targeting devotees of In-N-Out Burger fooled more than a few customers and even mainstream news outlets this week, despite the restaurant's insistence that there is no such thing as "Monkey Style" -- a burger jammed with grilled onions and french fries.
The hoax, which first appeared on Foodbeast, got mentioned on some blogs, on a newspaper website and even garnered a tweet and photograph from an ESPN and ABC News reporter who declared that the fictional burger appears on In-N-Out's "secret menu."
"In-N-Out new secret menu order: Monkey Style (animal style fries in a burger pic.twitter.com/Kqbok4WL6i (H/T @jordynhall4, @foodbeast)," reporter Darren Rovell wrote.
But, there's no such thing.
So how does one cook up a media frenzy?
It began at 8:51 a.m. on Friday. Foodbeast's Elie Ayrouth wrote a short blog and included a YouTube video of him ordering the burger, which he claimed to have heard about on Twitter.
"Our particular quest to In-N-Out was fruitful," he wrote.
It took off from there. Soon tweets, retweets, blog entries and Facebook posts proclaimed the fictional concoction a sensation. Some even added photos of the non-existent product.
Then, stories about the fabled "Monkey Style" burger -- and links to Ayrouth's video -- appeared on the Huffington Post and the Los Angeles Times' websites. The Times has since corrected its original report.
"The Los Angeles Times prizes accuracy and its responsibility to its readers," said spokeswoman Nancy Sullivan. "Once we realized a mistake had been made, it was corrected."
Had it been real, Ayrouth's "Monkey Style" was essentially a burger injected with a fistful of fries, extra spread, cheese and grilled onions.
By Tuesday a spokesman for the chain denied any such creation existed -- secret or otherwise.
"There is no such thing," said Carl Van Fleet, In-N-Out's vice president of planning and development. "For a variety of reasons, we're unable to prepare burgers in the manner that a few websites have described as 'Monkey Style.'"
But his words didn't stop a flood of stories, proof to some that new media creates a highly competitive environment on the web and in social networks like YouTube, Twitter and Facebook, said Mike Ananny, an assistant professor at USC's Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism.
"Journalists know that they're competing with social media," Ananny said. "If a story is already circulating on Twitter -- getting what journalists think is many retweets and replies -- a news organization might publish prematurely so they don't appear out of the loop or inattentive. They (might) think that readers will debunk false reporting for themselves or will tell the news organization when they got it wrong."
Scott B. Anderson, an assistant professor at Medill School at Northwestern University, added another layer to the problem: the changing nature of news organizations themselves.
"There are now clearly fewer safety nets in place," Anderson said. "Many veteran journalists who once held the 'institutional knowledge' for the newsroom are gone. Online operations in many cases have a lighter pre-publication review process than print and, in some cases, only one set of eyes is all that a piece of content gets -- and those eyes are the person who did the reporting or aggregation."
The ruse worked because it incorporated an element of truth, In-N-Out's "Not So Secret Menu," which the company posts on its website.
Van Fleet noted the menu includes "Grilled Cheese," "Animal Style" (lettuce, tomato, mustard-cooked patty, extra pickles and spread, and grilled onions), "4x4" (four beef patties and four slices of American cheese stuffed into a bun) and "Protein Style" (burger wrapped in lettuce instead of a bun).
"We only serve burgers, fries and drinks, and we've always made each burger exactly the way a customer orders it," he said. "Over the years many of those variations were given names, usually by the customers who frequently ordered their burger that way. We never set out to create or pioneer a 'secret menu.' Some of the names for those variations just stuck."
An employee at In-N-Out in Alhambra said she probably will have to give the bad news to eager customers for a while.
About six people tried to order "Monkey Style" burgers on Monday and Tuesday, the employee said.
"We don't have 'Monkey Style,'" she said to a customer who tried to order it. "Are you talking about 'Animal Style' fries in a burger? There's been a rumor going around. We have 'Animal Style' -- grilled onions, spread, mustard and pickle -- but we don't have 'Monkey Style.'"


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There are certain things that some people tend to associate most with sports like football: Long lines to get in, competitors from around the world, live broadcasts that draw millions of viewers, huge cash prizes, big crowds that hold signs and cheer for their favorite players ... All this and more can be seen at the Dallas Convention Center this weekend, but the athletes aren't playing basketball or even poker. They're playing League of Legends.
Tons of screens and even more machines filled a large area of the convention center, with different game tournaments running in tandem in different corners. Attendees who want to keep up with as much of the action as possible to attempt to divide their attention between multiple large projectors, though it can be hard if not impossible to keep up with more than one commentary as the games progress. Viewers at home, who can stream matches for free in standard definition online (or stream in HD for a fee), can switch between different live videos at will. I got a peak backstage where the five separate streams were being run simultaneously -- not a small feat by any measure.
It's serious business. Players have flown in from across the globe for this tournament, bringing their own mice and keyboards with them. More than $180,000 is up for grabs.
Competitive gaming is something that I am admittedly out of my element in discussing. I know all the individual games, having played a fair share of games StarCraft II and Mortal Kombat, but watching professionals play is like seeing a whole different game. There are depths of strategy in StarCraft that you don't even come close to scratching by just playing the Wings of Liberty campaign, for instance. I might know what different units do and how different systems work, but I could never use them all as effectively (or as quickly) as these players.
But the attendees around me knew much more than me when I visited the MLG tournaments during the opening ceremonies and first matches on Friday night. They knew the names and faces of many of the people playing. They knew stories and stats and trivia. After matches, some fans would rush up to players for autographs. It really did feel like a sporting event in that way.
A friend and fellow game critic told me I should be sure to catch a StarCraft II match between Grubby and Flash (no, those aren't their birth names). Grubby is a skilled 26 year-old player from the Netherlands, while Flash is a storied Korean champion of the original StarCraft's expansion, Brood War, who is relatively new to play StarCraft II competitively. Those kinds of background details make for a good story, and the crowd was definitely into the drama. There was a lot of excited screaming and cheering during intense moments.
And don't buy into the stereotype that is was all guys watching or playing, either. While the majority of attendees were young adult males, there were plenty of women in the crowd as well, and I saw at least one pro female win her StarCraft II match. This is not a boy's only club.
It's not all sitting and watching games, though. If you pay for a spectator pass to get into the event you can also occupy yourself with a variety of booths and games stations. While professional matches went on, non-professionals like myself played games like ShootMania and try out unreleased games like God of War: Ascension and Far Cry 3. This MLG event is also one of the first times anybody is seeing an in-depth look at Halo 4's multiplayer before the game hits store shelves next week. This is the first time the game is being played competitively.
Heck, it's not even all about the video games all the time. While walking around I spotted a Dr. Pepper representative challenging attendees to do various tricky yoga poses in a competition to win a prize. (I later found out she is a yoga instructor while she's not giving out free soft drinks, which somehow made the whole spectacle even more awesome.)
It's not really an event for those who don't want to watch some high-level video game matches, though. While this other stuff does exist to occupy your time, it is not the main draw, and not worth the price of admission on its own. Only pay for a spectator pass if you truly care to see a huge crowd go crazy after a close League of Legends match.
But let me tell you: That's something to see. Yes, you can watch the match for free online, just like you can watch a Cowboys game in your living room. But there's a sort of infectious energy in the crowd that you only really get in person. If you care a lot about games, and you want to be a part of the rapidly growing eSports phenomenon, you should check out some of the MLG Fall Championship while it's still in town. Tickets will be available at the door all weekend for $35, or can be bought online at store.majorleaguegaming.com. You can also stream the entire event online at majorleaguegaming.com. The Fall Championship runs November 2-4.


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Family and friends
I feel like the woman in the movies who is tied to a railroad track and the train is barreling down the track, getting closer and closer.
- Josephine, whose husband was being treated for pancreatic cancer
There's an elephant sitting in the room and nobody's talking about it.
- Roberto whose elderly mother tried to protect her children by not talking about her colon cancer
People call all day long asking how Debbie is doing. Nobody ever calls to ask how I'm doing.
- Jane, Debbie's partner of fifteen years
In a way, it is hard to talk about the specific ways cancer impacts on the family because there are so many different constellations of families with differing relationships. You may be the spouse or life partner of a loved one who is seriously ill; you may be the child, parent, sibling, or close friend. Sometimes, a grandchild, niece or nephew, or daughter-in-law becomes the primary caregiver for the person who is ill. Each of these relationships raises unique issues. For example, older parents caring for their ill adult child fear the loss of their child. A life-threatening illness in a child triggers an overwhelming sense of injustice in the parents. The well spouses or partners now must juggle most or all of the family responsibilities-household, finances, child care, work, etc. while caring for their ill loved one. Adult children may find it hard to put their own lives on hold while taking care of an ailing parent.
Discussing family issues that apply broadly is further compounded by the need to take into account a family's ethnic origin, cultural values, religion, and attitudes toward illness. This requires careful and sensitive attention. In today's world, there is greater diversity in the makeup of the nuclear family. Gay and lesbian couples represent an increasing number of households. Also, it is important to keep in mind that not everyone has a family when illness strikes, especially not older people, for whom friends may become surrogate families.
Despite these acknowledged differences, some universals still apply. The overriding question is: How do you deal emotionally and physically as a caregiver, not only performing your usual tasks in the family, but shouldering new responsibilities that are strange and unfamiliar? As caregiver you have multiple roles to assume in relation to supporting the patient. In a large study sponsored by the United Hospital Fund In New York, Carole Levine used focus groups to obtain data from a range of caregivers. Her report gives credence to the importance of caregivers. Information in the following sections is based, in part, on this report.
The caregiver as trusted companion
Little thought is given by the health care team to how hard it is to assume the role of trusted companion for an ill loved one. You must be outwardly empathic and supportive of the patient, while inside you are feeling heartbroken, having trouble controlling your emotional pain and despair. In studies of caregivers, about a third have significant distress, believing that they should have help for their own symptoms. For example, mothers of children who have gone through bone marrow transplants continue to have anxiety, depressed mood, vivid recall of the treatment, and dread that it could be needed again. These worries continue long after the child has recovered physically.
So it is important, as you set out to help your loved one along the cancer journey, to build in your own support system, which will ultimately benefit you both. Asking family members and friends to pitch in to give you a breather goes a long way and prevents you from becoming overwhelmed. You must feel able to cope yourself, to be able to support your loved one. Counselors are available who are familiar with the patient's illness, for example social workers on the oncologist's team. Inquire at visits to the oncologist about resources for yourself. If the social worker is unable to help you, he or she will refer you to someone who can.
A forgotten participant in the illness may well be the child or children at home. They need to be monitored for how they are coping and, if needed, referred for counseling. Nowadays, more groups exist for kids who have an ill parent.
Like many caregivers, you may be part of the cancer journey "from the beginning," starting with the concern about a physical symptom that may be cancer and the office visit, when the diagnosis and treatment plan are presented by the doctor. It is important to listen carefully to be able to reflect later on what was said and to help the patient make important decisions. It is crucial to be there to give support and comfort if the news is bad. Your presence alone can make it easier for your loved one to hear bad news. Telling this special person in your life that "you don't have to face this alone; I'll be with you every step of the way" can be reassuring to the point of making the "impossible" seem possible. The simple task of accompanying the patient to treatment means driving or arranging transportation or missing work or personal appointments, but because it is absolutely necessary, it gets done.
Caregiving is often a balancing act between the psychological and the logistical. Besides giving emotional support, you may need to schedule appointments, pay medical bills, handle insurance, keep track of medications, and keep family and friends informed of the status of the treatment. It can be helpful to appoint another family member or friend to serve as an information clearinghouse for family and friends. You keep that one person informed, and everyone calls her or him. This simple arrangement frees you up to deal with the person who needs you most at this critical time. Your exact role will likely depend on how you and your loved one work together on problems. Couples who work together as a team will find it a frequent occurrence to turn to each other, asking "What should I do?"
Decisions about embarking on or changing a treatment plan need input from another person. The trusted companion role means reflecting on the options, considering them, and helping a loved one come to a decision. The more serious the decision, the harder this is. You must determine whether more information is needed, such as a second or third opinion. You as companion often must explore Internet resources, or call the National Cancer Institute (1-800-4-CANCER). Your loved one is likely to be upset, and too much information may increase his or her anxiety. You can serve as a helpful filter for the raw information, which is part of being the trusted companion.
This role can cause conflict with some doctors, who respect the patient's autonomy and may be suspicious of the trusted companion as an intruder in the dialogue. Yet the reality is that few of us make important decisions totally alone. In our focus groups with doctors, they noted that patients often consulted their families when considering treatment on a clinical trial: "If the families are positive about a trial, it is likely the patient will agree. The families' and friends' influence on the decision is unquestionably very strong."
Your role as companion becomes more difficult when your loved one is admitted to the hospital. "Being there" becomes critical to maintaining your loved one's morale and providing a familiar presence. Levine points out that the family feels the need to be present out of a sense of loyalty and feels guilty if not present, which may not be understood by the medical staff. Intensive care units can be trying for the trusted companion, since the level of illness is high and visiting hours are severely limited. Staff can be supportive of the caregiver, but their attitude can turn sour when they feel pressed too much by a caregiver who insists on remaining at the bedside. Some staff aren't comfortable with the family watching the mechanics of care in the intensive care unit, genuinely felling it only adds to the patient's distress and to the family's as well.
It is practical, during care in the intensive care unit, to appoint one family member to deal with the doctor and nursing staff, if possible. Large families should try to take turns visiting to avoid overwhelming the hospital staff and exhausting the patient.
When the patient is a child and the caregiver is a parent, the need to "be there" becomes even greater. We normally want to protect children from harm, and when illness strikes we feel the pain and guilt (even if irrational) of not having been able to protect them. As Karen Swymer, the lawyer, who was treated for sarcoma at the age of eleven, recalls her mother saying, "If I could do this for you I would." One parent usually has to give up working when a child is treated for leukemia or one of the other serious childhood cancers. Being present as a buffer to the world of hospitals and clinics is a major role that provides reassurance and security to the child. Disruptions at home, including having less attention to give to siblings, cause additional guilt and problems. The need for the parent to control his or her emotions and be able to give emotional support to the child is a tall order: managing pain medicines and being watchful for changes that foretell worsening, while thinking about whether the child will survive or not: "Can I stand it? What can I do? How do I best comfort him?"
The caregiver as advocate
The family caregiver has a delicate but essential role as advocate for the patient, which can put him or her at odds with the medical staff. When the ill person is fully alert and assertive by nature, the family member's role as advocate is minimal. But when the person is seriously ill, is a child or frail elderly person, has a language barrier, or is cognitively impaired, the family member becomes the central link to the care, the interpreter of the patient's needs, and the person who feels responsible to ensure that the care given is appropriate. This role can be difficult and stressful, especially if the situation is colored by a prior negative hospital experience. In these situations you feel that you must be vigilant to ensure that the care is proper and attentive. The tension with the hospital staff can become intense if the staff members interpret your questions and concerns as distrust or criticism, and they may fail to understand your role as advocate.
Most hospitals today have a Patient Representative's Office where you can voice complaints and receive a rapid review of the problem. This innovation has provided support for families, as a supplement to the traditional first-line support of social workers.
A similar situation can occur in an office visit. When a patient is too ill to keep up with the medications, the caregiver must attend the visits to clarify the medicines taken at home and on which schedule. It is best to bring in the bottles of medicine and to report details to the doctor that the patient may forget. Make notes of the doctor's instructions concerning medications and signs that a problem may be occurring. Ask for a written daily calendar of what should be taken morning, noon, or night, or on an hourly schedule.
In the focus groups with patients and family caregivers, both spoke about how helpful it was when family members were welcomed in the doctor's office. Patients liked it when the doctor knew family members by name and asked about children or those absent. One patient said: "They have always said, 'Have the family come in.' There are times when it is so crowded in those little clinic rooms that it looks like a Marx brothers movie. But I feel my family can ask questions, and we get the information we want."
Not everyone finds it easy to get the information needed. Rhonda Price, whose husband jack was treated for an advanced melanoma, told a group of physicians: "My job is in management, so I see my situation as caregiver spouse as a management problem. I'm managing Jack's illness, my family, my child care, and my work. The only way I can do this is if the doctors and nurses give me the information I need to do my job."
Today, e-mail is a helpful resource you may be able to use for rapid communication with your doctors. Finding a time when you can speak with your doctor on the telephone is often frustrating, but e-mail allows for sending and receiving messages at will.
In our focus groups about doctor-patient communication, one particularly sensitive physician spoke about attending to family members' emotional needs:
I find just sitting there with the family and just providing some support and letting them express their fears or letting them cry, or whatever, that seems to help. You really cannot take away the disappointment and sometimes there is not much you can actually say. Just being there, or just being quiet, is enough. Your presence with them seems to be helpful. Sometimes, I find in these situations that saying nothing is better than saying something.
I am reminded of David Spiegel's paraphrase of the old admonition "Don't just stand there, do something." He says, "Don't just do something, stand there." There are times when less is truly more.
The role of advocate, like the role in decision making, can be complicated by problems in the family that relate to prior conflicts originating long before the onset of cancer. Dr. Marguerite Lederberg, a psychiatrist well known for her work with families and the ethics of care, feels that a critical intervention is calling a meeting of family members, patient, and key staff to clarify problems and conflicts that would otherwise simmer and grow worse under the stress of the increasing severity of illness. Such a meeting serves as a way to identify a dysfunctional family member or pattern of interaction so that counseling can be offered to ease the situation and provide longer-term help.
At times, the family wants information kept from the patient. Often this is because the family members have trouble handling it and project these difficulties onto the patient. I have seen this with adult children of elderly patients who insist, "Don't tell Father, he won't be able to take it." Yet when I speak to the father, he might say, "Of course I know it's cancer, but my children can't accept it. They feel better thinking I don't know." Sometimes, I see the reverse situation: A patient doesn't want the family to know the diagnosis. This is hard for the doctor, who wants to respect the patient's rights about disclosure but feels the diagnosis would be better shared. Many physicians get around this problem by insisting on talking to the patient and family together so that they all hear the same information at the same time, can ask questions, and can discuss it among themselves afterward.
Views about revealing or withholding the diagnosis are powerfully influenced by culture, and providers must be sensitive to the origins of the requests. Patients from Russia, or Eastern Europe, come from a system where revealing the diagnosis and prognosis is still uncommon. As a family member you may have to explain to the doctor that telling the diagnosis to a patient is considered cruel in your culture, and try to arrive at a solution that you and the doctor feel comfortable with.The family and cancer (Part 2)


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Vote likely this week on Maine supplemental budget
Budget closes $153 million gap
Published 9:22 AM EST Feb 18, 2013
Maine lawmakers are likely to vote this week on a $153 million supplemental state budget.
The budget rewrite bridges more than $88 million of unanticipated Medicaid costs and $35 million in revenue shortfalls due to the lagging economy.
It balances the budget for the year ending June 30.
The Appropriations Committee last week unanimously endorsed the budget, enhancing prospects for passage by the House and Senate.
Passage would clear the way for lawmakers to turn their full attention to the two-year budget for fiscal 2014-15, which begins July 1.
Gov. Paul LePage has proposed a $6.3 billion spending package.
Copyright 2013 by The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.