As Good As News

Bos'n Paul Ryan - Not Ready For Stand-Up Comedy

2013-04-30T10:21:00.002-04:00

So, did you hear the one about the Congressman who ran in Kentucky on a platform of Death Panels, Nanny State and Socialism? He won because his opponent was soft on gun control.

As Steve Rattner notes in today's NY Times, Congress is moving slow astern with the sequester when the economy still needs full ahead. Budget scolds like Paul Ryan view the sequester as a triumph, even as we go dead in the water while nearing the shoals of double dip recession. This is no surprise. Ryan may have a great workout routine in the gym, but as a stand-up, his routine would be missing both of the critical stand-up comedy basics - honesty and timing.

Let's start with honesty, and give Representative Ryan some points for recognizing the obvious. Nations need to limit their debt and demonstrate budget discipline. The thesis that debt exceeding 90% of GDP is a drag on growth now appears to be overstated, but at some level of debt and deficit, the government will face rising interest costs (producing a spiral of ever higher debt and deficit) and unacceptably high inflation. Right now interest rates paid by the US Treasury are low because safe investment alternatives are scarce, but this won't last forever. Representative Ryan is also correct in noting that Medicare and Medicaid loom large on the horizon of government obligations as our population ages and medical costs soar.

So, Paul Ryan is a cute, personable guy who's honest enough to talk about serious deficit issues, why no prospects for a second career in stand-up? Well, let's take a closer look at honesty and think about timing too. The time to run a surplus is when the economy is booming. The $238 Billion surplus in 2000 was our largest ever. We could have maintained a significant surplus right through 2007, retired more than a trillion of that debt Paul is so worried about and demonstrated the kind of budget discipline that would help keep interest rates low even in our deficit years. Instead Paul Ryan chose to spend like a drunken sailor - that's right, Bos'n Paul gave us the Bush tax cuts, Medicare Part D and the War in Iraq - what could have been surplus for those boom years became a widening deficit. Now, when the economy needs fiscal stimulus, Bos'n Paul has decided to sober up.

It's not just a timing problem. Even now, in the middle of a recession that is still punishing a generation of new workers, Bos'n Paul is less sober than he seems. End of life care, prevention and administrative expense are the low hanging fruit of medical cost reduction - the places to start if you want results. An early version of Obamacare included advisory boards to assist families with difficult end of life care decisions, a process in which elderly and very infirm patients frequently receive painful, unnecessary, unwanted and expensive surgeries shortly before death because doctors sometimes recommend them and the families just can't say no. Naturally Bos'n Paul welcomed this baby step in the direction of reducing end of life care costs, right? Not quite, he bellied up to the bar and after a few shots he began screaming, "Death Panels" ,over and over and over.

When it comes to prevention, Paul Ryan is all for anything that will save a health care buck - ban the big gulp, require posting of nutritional information, support programs that bring improved diet and exercise to the poor and working, but uninsured, poor, build clinics that treat illness before it requires exorbitantly expensive hospital care - Not! Bos'n Paul won't spend a nickel even when he knows it will save a dollar. He does secretly like the big gulp ban, but only because it gives him a chance to have a few drinks with his budget scold shipmates and scream, "Nanny State', over and over and over.

Surely a guy like Paul Ryan would consider anything to cut administrative costs, right? Well, single payer health care systems like Canada spend less than 2% of what the US does on per capita administrative costs. Normally a market would function more efficiently than a large government bureaucracy, but in health care the demand (that would be the patients) doesn't really get to shop around between suppliers. Even when a patient has a choice, there are usually no posted prices. Insurance companies and employers are health care middlemen who sometimes limit choice, but always add layers of administrative expense and prevent the functioning of anything resembling a true market. Why not at least consider expanding the single payer system we use for Medicare? This approach, or even the much watered down "public option" that was ultimately dropped from Obamacare, can't get a serious hearing because the insurance and medical lobbies are just too powerful. Bos'n Paul would rather take their campaign contributions (someone has to pay for all those drinks) and shout "Socialism" over and over and over.

What do you get if add a sequester to a recession? A depression and a lot of new Congressman.

Shakespeare Upset Victor Over Vegas

2013-04-21T00:45:00.000-04:00

Shakespeare in Vegas, a consistently smart, funny and engaging creation of Playwright Suzanne Bradbeer is staged jointly by Dreamcatcher Rep and Playrights Theatre at Oakes Center in Summit, NJ. The structure leans slyly on three Shakespeare classics, but it's really just another instance of a valiant man (or mobster) with a dream (or an obsession?) of building a fitting shrine to Shakespeare (or a large scale model??) in a special place (Vegas???), to honor the memory of his Sardinian grandmother, (or her martyred donkey????). Laura Ekstrand shines all night as Cleopatra, the Nurse (well, maybe Juliet), Lady Macbeth and Margot- a veteran actor who's gone from sweet ingenue to aging, sometimes bitter and still basically unknown veteran. Margot finds her way back to personal integrity, and maybe even romance, as the star in a surreal Shakespearian Theater struggling for survival in that bastion of culture and accountability - Las Vegas. Eli Ganias, as Tony, is a one note goodfella for a few scenes, and then keeps digging deeper as his character expands. Rachael Lee and Jessica O'Hara-Baker are having almost as much fun as they provide to the audience while playing a whacky stripper and a Hooters' heiress, both excited by their shot at real acting, but not quite getting the whole Shakespeare thing.

Even without the Shakespeare backing, there's a multi-level plot here that is far more than serviceable. The real treat is the dialogue, especially the barrage of one liners launched by Margot, who knows her theater and her Shakespeare, at a supporting case who knows Vegas.

Only one day left to catch this in Summit, but with any luck it may turn up off Broadway. OK, I realize Summit is not on Broadway, but I'm thinking lower Manhattan. This is a new show, workshopped through Dreamcatcher and Playwrights; it's already too good to end and it might get even better if it can find a venue.

Profiles in Cowardice

2013-04-17T19:34:00.000-04:00

There's a book on the shelf in my library authored (Note 1) by an ambitious young politician who wanted to burnish his intellectual credentials before his first run for office. The book offers case studies of United States Senators who voted their conscience, voted their conscience when it was massively, wildly, incredibly unpopular, voted their conscience when it meant suicide in their next bid for reelection. Today 46 Senators voted against a watered-down gun control bill that did nothing more than extend background checks from dealer sales to Internet and gun show sales. There was no Constitutional or logical principal at stake. Polls showed that 90% of the national population, over 85% of Republicans and 80% of gun owners agreed with expanded background checks.

This was not a vote of conscience, it was a vote of fear. Fear of the targeted wrath of the gun lobby, particularly the NRA. Do not confuse the NRA with its members, who often poll rationally on gun control issues. When it comes to politics, the NRA is a spokesperson for the gun manufacturers, who provide the bulk of the NRA's money and view human life as inconsequential when it stands in the way of selling more guns.

Today the Senate reached a new low. The very idea of voting on principle in the face of constituent disapproval - the profile in courage- is now unthinkable. Today's moral issue is - can you vote on principle, with the support of your constituents, when you know the gun lobby will be gunning for you in your next reelection bid? Today, 46 Senators (Note 2) cowered, quaked and answered, No!

Note 1 - Yes, I know JFK had feet of clay and that Profiles in Courage was probably ghosted by writers on the payroll of his father (who had a torso of clay). I don't care. The book, however it came about, was an inspiration to me, a congenital dissenter. I would be happy to distribute free copies to today's Senate.
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Note 2 -Actually 45, as Senator Reid voted, "No", to preserve future procedural options once he knew the bill was doomed to fail.

All In The Timing- What's the Secret to Comedy?

2013-03-31T00:12:00.001-04:00

All In The Timing isn't just a hoary punchline - Q:What makes a great - A: TIMING- Q (continued) joke? - it's an evening of six comedy sketches at 59E59 Theater. Although the show sometimes adopts the forms and techniques of improv, these are actually polished gems indeed, brought to you by writer David Ives (Venus in Fur), director John Rando (Urinetown) and a superb cast of four:Carson Elrod, Liv Rooth, Matthew Saldivar and Jenn Harris. All six sketches are funny, sometimes moving, sometimes pointed and not, in any way that I could discern, connected to one another. My favorite was set in a lab at Columbia where three chimps, Milton, Swift and Kafka, were under observation by a professor waiting for Hamlet to emerge from their keyboard bangings. The chimps were instantly and consistently recognizable as such, despite some fairly slick dialog and a tendency to take on the politics of their namesakes. I will not summarize further (I just got a scrabble puzzle from a college friend who used to play multiple games of chess simultaneously, while blindfolded, so I may have a long night in front of me). There is really only one more fact you need to know. This is a limited run, get your tickets now if you still can.

Misadventures of a Garden State Yogi

2013-03-18T14:53:00.000-04:00

I received Misadventures of a Garden State Yogi as a Christmas gift, but I just did not want to read it. First, it sounded an awful lot like Stretch, which I already read. Second, I was overdosing on "yoga" reading for my own yoga teacher training and didn't want to add another spoon full. Third, my normal laziness has been elevated to a state of near total torpor lately, possibly as an outgrowth of my new meditation practice. Yet somehow the reading spirit moved me last week, and I'm glad it did.

Although both are humorous yoga memoirs, Misadventures, by Brian Leaf, is a very different book than Stretch. Leaf's narrative is organized around his years of self discovery. He takes his yoga very seriously and by yoga he means the whole lifestyle - not just physical postures but breathing, chanting, meditation, ayurvedic diet and behavior modifications and, most importantly, a relentless search to identify and commune with his own true self. While he is not a facile wit like Neal Pollack in Stretch, Mr. Leaf has a genuine sense of humor about himself and a flair for presenting his quest with detail and authenticity that sometimes walks the line of new age babble, but rarely crosses it.

Misadventures is a worthwhile read for anyone with any interest in yoga. It's an excellent choice for students in yoga teacher training, a very likable, accessible and personal approach to the yoga terrain that sometimes seems an arid, scholarly desert in the hands of Iyengar and Feurstein.

Value and Stan the Man

2013-01-20T11:02:00.000-05:00

The link will take you to a post I wrote a few years ago for Justmeans. The post deals with fame, value and price - the price of a baseball autographed by Stan Musial - a price that seemed very low in relation to two other balls, one signed by Joba Chamberlain, the other signed by Michael Kay and John Sterling. Stan's fame faded toward the end of his long life. Today's obits give us a chance to recall Stan's value.

Please take a look at the older post before you read on.

I'm the one who purchased that under priced Stan Musial ball featured in my blog post. I'm not really a collector, but I bought Stan's ball because I couldn't stand to see it on sale for less than the other two. I'm glad I did it, especially today, and I'm lucky to have a reminder of Stan's value every time I walk into my own library.

ps Stan will also be long remembered by my family as part of the answer to the question "What three pro baseball stars come from Donora", a question repeated as we passed by Donora on every drive to my parent's home outside Pittsburgh.

Your Mission, Mr. Phelps...

2012-08-05T12:45:00.000-04:00

Indianapollis, August 8, 2,000: a gangly 15 year old from North Baltimore grabs a snack and heads back to his room, restless on the eve of his first Olympic trials. As he passes a phone booth (hey - it was Indianapolis in the year 2,000) the sudden first ring of the phone startles him and he pauses. Three, four, five rings, finally he thinks why not and picks up the handset. Before he can start a "hello", a deep but otherwise nondescript voice instructs him, "Michael, open the envelope taped to the bottom of the shelf below the phone" and then the call goes to dial tone. After a momentary hesitation, he grabs the envelope, opens it carefully and slides out a small tape recorder, loaded with a tape and a print of the classic photo of Mark Spitz wearing his seven gold medals. Hitting play, the deep, non-descript voice returns: "Mr. Phelps, your mission, should you decide to accept it, is to win twenty-two Olympic medals, eighteen of them gold, eight of those golds won in a single Olympics, to become the greatest swimmer and most decorated Olympian in history and to turn this photo into the answer to a trivia question. This tape will self-destruct in five seconds." His jaw drops as he stands in stunned silence for a moment, but he's forced to move quickly when an acrid smoke fills the booth.

Congratulations, Mr. Phelps, maybe that last national anthem should have included an encore

2012-07-24T12:28:00.000-04:00

Montesino's Out Early? The Supreme Court of Peru has reduced the prison sentence of Vladimir Montesinos, Peru's former Intelligence Minister, from 25 years to 20 years. Montesinos was originally convicted of crimes against humanity for operating death squads during anti-terror campaigns in the 1990s (remember Shining Path and Tupat Maru - the group that held hostages in the Japanese Embassy for months?). The Court decided the evidence supported only the lesser charge of civil rights violations.

Good Ruling? Possibly, but the real problem is that Montesinos abused his Intelligence Ministry to blackmail half the country and run a shadow cleptocracy throughout most of the years Alberto Fujimori was in power. Vlad's on the right in the photo, counting a $2 Million payment he received to arrange an appointment to a military court judgeship. If he had been tried for these crimes, he would be serving multiple life sentences and never see the outside of a jail cell again. The human rights charges were a way for Peru to put Montesinos away without involving the many "reputable" citizens who helped manage Montesino's cleptocracy, and now the human rights fig leaf seems to be slipping.

Whatever Lola Wants....in the 2012 World Series

2012-07-23T17:59:00.001-04:00

Strange events are brewing in baseball and the time is ripe for a Damn Yankees revival. You know the story. Joe Boyd, long-suffering fan of the hapless Washington Senators, makes a temporary deal with the satanic Mr. Applegate. Boyd becomes ace pitcher Joe Hardy, leading the Senators in a pennant race with the hated Yankees (spoiler alert - the Broadway musical is based on the 1954 novel The Year The Yankees Lost the Pennant). Applegate, with help from temptress Lola, want to make that temporary arrangement permanent, while Joe wants both his soul and the pennant. So what does all that have to do with the 2012 standings? Who are today's Washington Senators, who is Joe Hardy and do the Yankees have anything to worry about?

The Washington Nationals are conspicuous atop the National League East standings. Ace Steven Strasberg is making a miraculous comeback in his first season after Tommy John surgery, and like Joe Hardy, his deal is only temporary. Management plans to bench him after 160 innings to protect his shoulder, and his career. Will Joe, I mean Steven, find a way to keep pitching down the stretch and into the post season if a championship is at stake? Can he keep his shoulder intact and win the World Series?

The last team to bear the name Washington Senators is now the Texas Rangers, who are riding high above the American League West. Slugger Josh Hamilton has skirmished with some personal demons- and yes - there's something about the smirk of former Ranger owner George W. Bush that just smacks of Mr. Applegate.

The original Washington Senators (who were in D.C. when Joe Hardy was created) are now the Minnesota Twins. Dead last in the feeble American League Central, they are still only 11 games back, perfectly positioned for a Damn Yankees style playoff run, if only they can catch on fire fast. Who could lead them? Well the Twins have Joe Mauer, a catcher with three batting titles and a national shampoo commercial. Catchers normally get to endorse chewing tobacco - if they are lucky- and win one batting title, tops, before the constant crouching turns them into senior citizens on the base paths. Clearly Joe Hardy, er Mauer, has already made a deal with someone.

Finally, consider the Pittsburgh Pirates. What do the Bucs have to do with the Washington Senators? Historically and geographically, nothing, but spiritually, everything. The closest baseball has ever come to a Joe Hardy moment is Bill Mazeroski's home run to beat the powerful Yankees in Game 7 of the 1960 World Series. Today's Bucs are fighting with the Reds for the NL Central lead and well positioned for a wild card spot even if they can't beat out the Reds. A.J. Burnett has gone from throwing pies to throwing strikes, but Andrew McCutchen has gone from promising young outfielder to Superman. McCutchen is having the kind of season that cannot be explained without recourse to the supernatural.

So who does Lola want in 2012? The Washington Nationals suffered for a few years as an expansion team, but reached success with surprising speed. This is not the sort of prolonged torture that drove Joe Boyd to risk his mortal soul. The Texas Rangers are not even an underdog. They have looked like the top team in the American League for the last two years. Why bargain with Mr. Applegate if you can win on merit? The Twins might need some supernatural help to break through this year, but they are the poster child for the successful small market franchise. Sign stars like Mauer and Morneau, find good role players to keep costs down and break through for a title once in a while when they all have a good year together. Not the Yankees, but still not in sell your soul territory, even in an off year.

That leaves the Bucs. Last World Series in 1979. Last playoff appearance sometime before Barry Bonds learned about steroids. A team that spent nearly a decade worrying that it would win too much and jeopardize its receipt of luxury tax payments. Andrew, I hate to do this, but really, is one soul too much too risk for a Pirate world series win? Sure you have some temporary deal now, and you can probably wriggle out of it like Joe Boyd, but when the chips are down maybe you should just go all the way..... I'm sure that's what Lola would want.

Doc Gurby reelected with 97% of Vote

2012-02-14T15:51:00.002-05:00

AS GOOD AS NEWS - SPECIAL EDITION

DOC GURBY RETAINS TURKMENISTAN PRESIDENCY WITH 97% OF VOTE IN 8 CANDIDATE RACE

Doc won reelection to another 5 year term - yawn. It's news that he held an election at all, but the Times makes the point, 3 or 4 or maybe 5 times, that the other candidates were tokens from the same party. In fact, the Times uses Doc's win as an excuse to run a brief seminar on elections in central Asia. Expert A from UCLA notes that any election, even a rigged one, involves some risk and holding an election is a sign of strength. Expert B from Barnard opines that the sheer number of voters and overwhelming margin of victory prove the depth of support.

So, Doc holds Turkmenistan's first election and what does he get from the Times? One good word, progress, and 1,000 qualifications. What else did the Times have to say? Doc is rebuilding the insane personality cult of his predecessor. What supports this? He has a nickname. That's right, the Times has concluded that the cheering crowds chant of Arkadag ("the Protector in Turkmen") must be step 1 in Doc's plan to become a human god, because otherwise why would he have a nickname.

So is Doc really sliding backwards or is the election a sign of a very gradual shift toward democracy? As always, the Times fails to assess potential successors - the most important information needed to answer this question. Does Doc have a son or protege he wants to put in power, or will he be happy to see autocracy end with his own rule and willing to work toward democracy? Who knows? Not the NY Times.

"Bye" Week Goes Malignant

2011-10-05T15:17:00.002-04:00

Just spotted NY Times use of "bye week" to describe an off week for a college team. The madness is spreading beyond the NFL. What's next? Are the Rangers enjoying bye days as they await the Yankees/Tigers winner?

Nothing wrong with a new word, phrase or usage that adds new meaning, brevity or even a little pzazz to the language, provided it doesn't cause problems that outweigh its pluses. Sadly, "Bye Week", used as a synonym for the older term "off week", adds nothing but problems. It has exactly the same meaning as off week, it's no shorter and, in my opinion, sounds no better. All it does is muddy the once precise term "bye'.

Bye used to refer only to the situation where a team or player would advance a round in a tournament without playing. For example, the top 16 seeds in a 48 player tennis tournament would get a first round bye, advancing automatically to the second round (and not coincidentally producing a second round of 32 which plays down nicely to a 2 player final). As used by the NFL, and now malignantly creeping elsewhere, bye's meaning is diluted - suddenly it's just a scheduled week off that doesn't involve advancing in any way. A team can be mathematically eliminated from contention during a bye week, what kind of advance is that?

What happened? As the NFL kept expanding the number of teams in the playoffs, it worried that fans would lose interest in the regular season. The solution? Spin the regular season as a tournament in which teams compete to make the playoffs (which it is, sort of) and use bye week instead of off week to add to that tournament flavor. What about the fact that NFL teams don't really advance on a scheduled off week? Not important to the NFL spinmeisters or the media who have parroted the NFL press releases, and even expanded the usage to college ball, without even noticing that "bye" used to mean something precise.

Next up - "Program Record"

Finally! NY Times gets the Stateless Marriage

2011-07-05T21:19:00.005-04:00

The New York Times is suddenly all over the As Good As News approach to marriage. The idea is get the state out of the marriage business. The civil union would become the only form of committed couple, gay or straight, recognized by the state. Marriage would be left solely to the realm of religion, or, more broadly, the spiritual, with no state involvement or recognition for marriage of straight or gay. This approach was outlined in detail here on November 10, 2007 , revisited several times in shorter posts and posted as comment to other periodicals, including the Times. After years of non-recognition, it's popping up regularly, including pieces by Bill Keller and Ross Douthat on Sunday, July 3, 2011.

Sunday, Sunday, Sunday

2011-01-02T20:53:00.006-05:00

Yoga report - The New Year's resolution crowd was late arriving, but arrive they did. Who knew a few side twisting variations on the sun salutation could change my day - thanks Clarissa.

And, in other news - The NFL playoff picture has been painted. Here are links to three older posts that include my only previous, public, pigskin prognostications: Perfection, Strange Odors, and Diagnosis Steelers. Shockingly, all were correct, so bet against As Good As News at your own risk.

New England is a deserving favorite, but I like the Steeler's chances. Steeler's 4 losses were all to playoff teams playing well in situations where the Steelers did not need a win. A week of rest to get Troy Polamalu healthy will help. Mike Wallace is emerging as a star. Best case for Steelers sounds almost realistic: Ravens beat Chiefs, Colts edge Jets (who speak loudly on cable but are not ready for network prime time) then Ravens engage Pats in a slugfest while Steelers handle a Colts squad that has become the Peyton show. Even if the Pats beat the Ravens, and they should, Pats must come back from one battering to face another from Pittsburgh. Nobody really wants to play the Ravens and Steelers - the most physical teams in football - on consecutive weeks, and the Pats, the best team in football this year, will fall just short of reaching the Super Bowl.

In the NFC, Atlanta hasn't sold me yet, but I haven't had many opportunities to see them play. I do know the Steelers beat them using a third string quarterback. Green Bay looks better than Philadelphia or Chicago right now, but that's not saying all that much. The Saints started slow and had a few letdowns even after they got rolling, but they looked very good in must win games against the Steelers and Falcons. Last year's Super Bowl win was no fluke and I'm picking the Saints to repeat in the NFC. I know someone from the NFC West will also be in the playoffs, but, seriously... Pats, Steelers and Ravens are all playing better than anyone in the NFC right now, and I would pick any of them to win the Super Bowl if they can get there. If I'm right and it comes down to a battle of the black and gold, I'm looking for the Steelers to beat the Saints in a very close game - a defensive struggle for three quarters that opens up in the last fifteen minutes.

"Stretch" Under Review

2011-01-01T17:27:00.004-05:00

Stretch - The Unlikely Making of a Yoga Dude by Neal Pollack is uncomfortably close to a book I wanted to write. If that's not enough of a bias disclosure for you, then reader beware: this entire entry is written under the coercive pressure of a New Year's resolution. Stretch is, mostly, Mr. Pollack's memoir of his own journey through the world of yoga, and it comes close to being a great read.

There is humor, even a few laugh out loud moments, as Pollack takes advantage of the chasm between the yoga ideal (or in some cases, stereotype) and his cynical, dissolute self. The funny stuff is funny enough so I wanted more. Yoga produces a surprising amount of humor, and Stretch could have mined some additional veins. Watch this space for a chart comparing some well known schools/disciplines/styles of Yoga, you will see what I mean.

Stretch also sideswipes a fair amount of information on yoga's history, current schools of yoga practice and some of the "stars" of yoga. Pollack is stretching the memoir format at times, but he finds a nice balance. A few sections stop just short of "author uses elementary level research to pad book" but on the whole I learned a lot of interesting stuff with more laughs than pain. If Mr. Pollack issues his own version of the Vedas, I'll be eager to read them.

The glaring failure here is lack of depth and honesty. Mr. Pollack does reveal some trying moments, but mostly he's writing as a lovable curmudgeon. One who doesn't want to look very hard at why he's still smoking weed on a very regular basis after years of yoga practice. One who seems to give almost no thought to his young son as he ponders extended trips for yoga teacher training programs or workshops. The result is a curmudgeon not quite so lovable as Mr. Pollack would like us to believe. Nonetheless, Stretch held my interest. Even pretty good humor is hard to find in the yoga library and painless learning is not easy to come by.

Get Some Laughs with Torture

2010-07-14T06:12:00.001-04:00

The Theater Project captures all the zany darkness of Why Torture Is Wrong and the People Who Love Them in an hilarious and perceptively staged production at Union County College in Cranford. This 2009 off Broadway hit written by Christopher Durang opens with Felicity (Meghan Murray), a newlywed bride, awakening (in a vertical bed that makes an interesting scene extraordinary) next to her new husband, Zamir (Phil Eichinger), a complete, and somewhat unsavory, stranger. Shaken, Felicity heads to her parents' home in Maplewood, but the parents only make matters worse. Dad (Gary Glor) is a paranoid serving in a self created shadow government while Mom (Harriett Trangucci) is paralyzed into a life of theater babble – or maybe it's genius to those who really know their theater.

Mr. Durang mounts an assault on the fourth wall that begins with some odd (and very funny) PA announcements, reminiscent of MASH, and escalates into a strobe lit attack on the fabric of the space-time continuum. The last few minutes may actually get a little too zany, even a little too saccharine, but it's a long ride. Most of the journey is a surprising, engaging and playful tug of war with the characters jumping in and out of their theatrical reality, all while serving up Durang's dark brew of acerbic wit.

The Theater Project, a professional company based at UCC, and Artistic Director Mark Spina make a habit of reviving shows that are just the right fit for the resources available and then producing them creatively. Every dollar spent seems to produce two dollars in impact on the stage.

The entire cast excels. Mr. Eichinger wisely chooses not to go too far over the top as Zamir, giving the show a necessary secondary anchor. Mr. Glor and Ms Trangucci make the most of roles that require both comedic and dramatic deftness amid the spiraling madness. Ms Murray handles the central role of the non-crazy well, but even she can't quite take enough sweetness out of a final scene that turns preachy in a contradiction of all that has gone before it.

Torture is playing Thursday-Sunday nights until August 1. This reviewer is not the only fan, the audience was laughing out loud throughout most of the show.

Times Slaps Doc Gurby Again

2010-07-11T13:15:00.003-04:00

First post in a while, spurred on by duty as the official blog of Turkmenistan:

Turkmenistan: President Says Private Newspapers to be Allowed - And why not? Doc Gurby has nothing to hide. Every change this guy has made has been pro-Democracy, pro-liberalization. Even the NY Times has finally begun to recognize this:

Since the 2006 death of his autocratic predecessor, Mr. Berdymukhammedov
has taken steps toward liberalization, removing bans on institutions from the
Internet to the opera.

Yet still, the Times cannot resist the gratuitous slap:

But he controls power in the one-party state, and rights groups say reforms
are cosmetic.

Who are these unnamed rights groups? Is it really news that Doc isn't changing things fast enough to suit everyone?

There is news here, a real story, not a silly tag line. Where is Doc headed, what is the plan?. Will he keep the brakes on forever, or does he want to transform Turkmenistan into a functioning democracy during his lifetime? For many autocrats, the answe depends on one key fact - is there a relative or protege whom the autocrat wants to establish as a successor? If yes, the shift to democracy is limited. If no, then maybe Doc really wants to have democracy up and running by the time he retires. What has the Times said about Doc's family? About favored proteges? Nothing. It's a lot easier to write tag lines about rights groups, no thought required.

Honeymoon Lost

2010-06-04T21:48:00.003-04:00

1993, West Orange, NJ – a 50th wedding anniversary party at the Manor for Aunt Eleanor and Uncle Sy. Sy, an athletic, big man who normally stands tall, rises sheepishly, and reveals, with some trepidation, a secret he's held for 50 years.

1943, NY, NY – Sy gets his orders to ship out. He and Eleanor accelerate their wedding plans. NYC is stuffed to the gills with servicemen, but Sy manages to reserve the honeymoon suite at a plush hotel for their one night together.

The wedding reception winds down and Sy and Eleanor head for the New Yorker Hotel. Sy is shocked, and Eleanor disappointed, when the desk clerk cannot find their reservation. The clerk sympathizes with a serviceman and his new bride on a one night honeymoon, but he's booked solid. Fortunately, sympathy and a generous gratuity are enough to get Sy and Eleanor a room, but it looks a lot more like the broom closet than the honeymoon suite.

1943, the North Atlantic - Five days later, Sy is on deck, headed to Europe. Strains of the Glen Miller standard Pennsylvania 6-5000 waft towards him and gradually invade his consciousness. Suddenly Sy smites his own forehead with a mighty blow. He had reserved the honeymoon suite – at the Hotel Pennsylvania.

1993, West Orange, NJ – After 50 years of marriage Eleanor is prepared to look back and laugh at a great story, right? No way! Eleanor, normally resolutely cheerful, is irate. She is mad about the broom closet honeymoon and even madder about the fifty year wait for the truth. Sy manages to patch things up, somewhat, by the time the evening winds down.

2010 – the moral? Many options here, but “that's my story and I'm sticking to it” is looking good to me. Not sure if Sy wishes he had taken this story to his grave, but I'm glad he did not, hope you are too.

Cub Reporter's Debut

2010-05-06T08:14:00.002-04:00

Cub Reporter's Debut - posted today on Justmeans - is a genuine report on a CSR Forum sponsored by the Better Business Bureau- wrapped in a good old As Good As News style fun post. Enjoy.

Gatekeepers - Plus IMF, Plus Manuscript

2010-04-21T12:06:00.005-04:00

Latest post on Sustainable Finance external blog deals with Gatekeepers (accountants, lawyers, etc.) deterring securities fraud by their clients. Based on a law review article, but it's actually a fun piece. Lately I have been lightening up and making the Justmean's columns a little more like good old As Good As News. If you don't believe me visit Justmeans Editorial (link in column on right) for my latest song parody - Mother Earth is Makin Her Last Stand (to the tune of Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band), while you are there check out all the Justmeans Earth Day specials.

While we are on Earth Day (and for those upset about the snarky posty on Bob Zoellick), IFC is now selling it's first green bond, proceeds to be held in a segregated fund awaiting investment in green projects. Posts at Justmeans include some "nice" observations on IMF. IMF now has an interim report out on bailout and financial reform (previewed as "global tax" in Justmeans). Look for coverage on the interim report sometime in next two weeks.

Manuscript at The Theater Project in Cranford, NJ is another success. Artistic Director Mark Spina consistently finds off Broadway material that is just right for adaptation to the Theater Project space and budget. Manuscript is funny, suspenseful and surprising. The cast has a minor stumble or two and the show is not Spina's absolute best, but still much fun and well worth seeing.

I Told You So..

2010-04-12T07:01:00.003-04:00

New column in Sustainable Finance today, "Plugging into Mother Earth" also plugging for MIT and feeling a little better about prospects for the developing world.

NY Times is really going after the unpaid internship story, with two news items last week, neither of which had any real news to report. Sustainable Finance ran its first column on Feb 5, revisits the story today - (not posted yet, visit Justmeans.com, then from menu select Editorial and then Sustainable Finance) mostly to note that the only new news so far is the Time's interest.

Steelers trade Santonio Holmes to Jets for a stinking FIFTH ROUND PICK. Here's what As Good As News said in a post titled "Strange Odors" in early February 2009 when Santonio was the hero of the Steeler Superbowl win over the Cards:

What to do? Trade Santonio now. He will never be more valuable. There's a
wealthy team in the Meadowlands that needs a replacement at wide receiver. See,
it's always about New Jersey after all.

Intel Sustainability Charter

2010-04-07T09:13:00.001-04:00

Latest Sustainable Finance post.

I forgot

2010-04-05T13:10:00.002-04:00

When I started writing for Justmeans I included a link here, but I forgot to mention that one post a week goes to Sustainable Finance, a separate blog.

My latest post on Sustainable Finance is AAAAAAAARGH! Pirate Finance Model a little too successful.

An early favorite was posted February 5 - Unpaid Interns, the New Sweatshop - the NY Times started to get interested in this topic on Saturday, Apr. 3.

Justmeans transfer and Mystery of the Missing Pissarros

2010-01-27T18:10:00.007-05:00

No posts lately as I have been travelling (ski trip, Columbus visit for my brother's birthday and St. Thomas trip for my wedding anniversary). Now I'm working on editorial posts for Justmeans which means posts here will be few and far between for some time. First Justmeans publication is scheduled for Feb. 1. I'm writing on sustainable finance, a broad area encompassing a surprising number of opportunities for humor. Don't hesitate to communicate, here or through Justmeans, if you want to suggest a topic for a column.

If you visit St. Thomas stop at Government House in Charlotte Amalie. If you are lucky (like we were) the guard will give you a thorough tour of the lobby, including two small oils by Camille Pissarro. Then visit the house Pissarro grew up in, just a few blocks away. It now houses an art gallery on the top floor, including some Pissarro sketches, no oils. Talk to the proprietor, who will offer some very interesting speculation on what happened to the other two Pissarro's in Government House -there used to be four altogether, all donated by Pissarro's family for the benefit of the people on the island. If you have any information on the missing Pissarro oils, please comment here.

Die Now for Once in a Lifetime Estate Tax Savings? Congress Creates a Quagmire.

2010-01-03T14:28:00.011-05:00

Summary -A Congressional showdown has produced an estate tax rate of zero, for the moment, with the future of the estate tax still up for grabs. The resulting uncertainty will hamper the efforts of charitable, educational and social organizations seeking major gifts and bequests from major donors.

Thanks to an unusual piece of Bush era tax legislation, the Federal Estate Tax rate, which has been decreasing for several years, is now zero for 2010. No matter how excited you are about this once in a lifetime (literally) estate tax planning opportunity, try not to die, at least until you have finished this post. If Congress does nothing, the estate tax will be back with a vengeance in 2011, when the Bush legislation expires and the higher taxes of the Clinton era come back to life (the dreaded Zombie Effect).

The House has already passed a bill extending the 2009 estate tax for 2010 (top rate 45% with first $3.5 million of each estate excluded from tax). The Senate is likely to consider adoption of the same approach, retroactive to January 1. Pro-estate tax forces in Congress have generally shown some willingness to compromise on rates and exclusions in order to get a tax in place for 2010. Opponents, who would like to repeal the "death tax" permanently, might be happy with the zero rate now, but even they want to get something done before 2011, when the Zombie Effect would produce a 55% top rate, with an exclusion of $1 million and new exposure of estate assets to capital gains tax. For now, some of the estate tax foes are playing hardball, confident that the Zombie Effect is not a serious threat, because it will be unpalatable to nearly everyone.

Why should you care about any of this if you are not wealthy, not planning to die within the next few years and not really into zombies? Estate tax planning drives a significant component of charitable giving. If your favorite school, environmental organization, or social justice institution hasn't already asked you to make a lifetime bequest of capital while reserving lifetime income under an annuity arrangement, it will someday. If you are rich enough and old enough to think about making this kind of gift, then you will want to understand the estate tax consequences. If the estate tax is up in the air, the estate tax consequences are unknowable. The result: worthy causes seeking major gifts and bequests will be hearing an awful lot of, "Let me get back to you once I know what's happening with estate taxes." Sustainable financing for even the most basic operations of some organizations could be jeopardized.

Today is not a good day to die, even for the estate planning fanatic. Today is a good day for Congress to produce serious estate tax legislation for 2010 and beyond. Don't let a showdown over the Zombie Effect bring charitable giving to its knees.

Big Wave Surfer Salmon

2009-12-08T09:28:00.006-05:00

OK, they are not really salmon. They are some of the world's best surfers, as depicted in the NY Times, waiting for a monster wave in very large, roiling surf on the North Shore of Oahu. Thirty to Fifty foot waves are predicted. Now pull back from the photo and take it all in at once. These surfers really are salmon headed upstream. The dream of the perfect wave seems to rank right up there with the urge to spawn as motivation. These guys are not just paddling up some major hills, they are risking life and limb, just like those Alaskan salmon swimming up the rapids amid the hungry grizzly bears.

The Big Wave competition was cancelled on Monday due to, what else, big waves. On Tuesday Greg Long nosed out Kelly Slater to win. The second day story includes several more great shots of, you guessed it, big waves.